As a follow up to this piece:  I read today that Damien Walter, who I think has done much to encourage internet mobs, has decided, in the face of a great deal of push back (an example; here’s another) against his most recent piece in the Guardian, to withdraw from the internet for a week to meditate. I don’t know if that’s true (I appear to be blocked from his Twitter feed, … Read the rest

Damien Walter recently published a piece at the Guardian entitled, “Science Fiction’s Real Life War of Worlds.”  You can and should read the piece yourself, but I think I’m fairly characterizing Damien’s argument when I say it goes like this:

1.  SF/F is getting more diverse (with “diversity” here implicitly defined as being more inclusive of, and, in fact including more, women, persons of color, and persons of non-hetero sexual orientation).

2. A … Read the rest

A follow up to some thoughts I posted on Twitter.  This is based on my own experience, obviously, as limited as that is.  I’m not sure how coherent all this is (I’ve been fighting a terrible cold) but here goes:

First, I write tie-in fiction (I write original world fiction, too, but I broke into the business writing tie-in).  I’ve written in the Forgotten Realms, Star Wars, and Warhammer. I was contracted to do … Read the rest

Found amidst the ruins of one man’s tastebuds:

“Journal entry, May 8th: 

It has been three days since I’ve consumed alcohol. Bourbon calls out to me in dreams, tempting me in a voice that sounds like Ashley Judd’s soft Kentucky drawl. From within the darkened recesses of my kitchen cabinets Single Malts distilled on Islay scream like Mel Gibson in BRAVEHEART: “Freedom!” they call, and it is all I can do to not heed their … Read the rest

Here, have some unfashionable thoughts about human nature after listening to the terrible news out of Nigeria today (and the burgeoning international response to it). Now, as you read this, please take care to read what I actually wrote, and not what you think I wrote. This is an observation about men. It does not, even by implication, make any observations about women. Further, these are generalities, and, as is the case with all generalities, … Read the rest

So, I’ve written tie-in fiction in Star Wars and the Forgotten Realms, two settings that I well and truly love in a way that’s probably illegal in a few of the southern states.  Those books have sold really well.  And there’s nothing that brings a pinpoint of feeble light to the otherwise dark pit of my soul more than having my stories read.  That said, it has come to the attention of management that some … Read the rest

My next Star Wars novel was announced today (press release here).  This is the cover.  Just.  Look.  At.  It.

Now, I actually wanted to title the novel, “Force Lightning, Mofos!” but that idea was not well received.  🙂

A blurb from Del Rey:

When the Emperor and his notorious apprentice, Darth Vader, find themselves stranded in the middle of insurgent action on an inhospitable planet, they must rely solely on each other, … Read the rest

So, I recently went on in a, well, let’s call it a somewhat wordy series of tweets about writing and money and my experience with those subjects.  I know talking about filthy luchre is sometimes considered gauche or boastful (I don’t make enough for it to be the latter!), or what-have-you.  But a fair number of folks seemed interested in the information, particularly new and aspiring writers, so I compiled the substance of those tweets … Read the rest

I get an email or three per week asking me why the price for a print copy of Shadowrealm (book III of The Twilight War, new copies of which go for $200USD or more) is so high, so I thought I’d put up a post for Google to index.

The short answer is this:  It’s just very hard to find in print, demand has outstripped supply by a wide margin, so sellers are offering … Read the rest

SCOTUS just handed down McCutcheon, on the all too usual 5-4 basis, striking down aggregate limits in campaign contributions. You can read the opinions here, but I’ll paraphrase Roberts’ opinion: “One dollar, one vote, bitches! Next case!”

I keed. It’s actually a fairly strong opinion, and this comes from someone who’s sympathetic to the notion that money has outsize influence in our politics.

I read Breyer’s dissent and, well, it’s not as strong. And … Read the rest