Author, Futurist, Wordsmith for Hire
I just got back from London, and would love to be uploading pictures and talking about two weeks spent in Europe, but I’m catching up on bills and getting into the swing of work. And my kids start Kindergarten. And the dogs need picked up. So I’ll be a little late. However, a few people…
I realize I’ve never talked that often about including dialect in my own fiction right here on this blog. Certainly in panels, and in interviews, and in passing. But I’ve never sat down and done a big post about it. It was one of the hardest things about writing my first novel, Crystal Rain. …
I read weird. I’m not sure when I realized I had a different experience with text than others. You internalize your own way of interacting with the world so much that you’re often not aware of the water you’re swimming in as a fish. And due to some unique experiences in my childhood, I certainly…
Today the US government shut down. Ostensibly by Tea Party Republicans to try and stop socialized medicine from becoming a reality. In fact, false equivalence reporting has lent an air of respectability to the effort (they might be fighting a losing battle, and the polls are low for congress and Republicans, but they’re fighting for…
Every few years there is a big soul-searching about what Worldcon (one of science fiction’s biggest gatherings) *is* and *means* from attendees after a major Worldcon. Newer writers, newer participants, who have strong feelings about what is missing, pipe up. Since I’ve been blogging about this stuff since 1998, there are usually a few reactions….
I love this quote from the recent marketing guide that Smashwords published: “we cannot promise you your book will sell well, even if you follow all the tips in this guide. In fact, most books, both traditionally published and self-published, don’t sell well. Whether your book is intended to inspire, inform or entertain, millions of…
As a hybrid author I’ve often expressed my fears of Amazon and its use of its large size. I’ve encouraged people to sell eBooks direct on their site. I’ve lauded Kickstarter as a way to balance the eBook channels. It’s led some to claim I’m a print cheerleader, but I’m actually just interested in forward…
Several parents gather around a third grade text, and after reading it, find the questions asked about the text to be ridiculous: By asking young students to spend time taking tests like this we are doing them a double disservice: first, by inflicting on them such mediocre literature, and second, by training them to read…
I have a new intern, joining the team with another intern I already have been working with from the local college. They do cool things for me that help with some outreach, PR, admin tasks that I struggle to keep up with. New intern came with a notebook and lots of questions for her first…
Actually, you can use the subsidy scope charts from 2008 to make a profitable Amtrak:Take a look at all the lines, and which ones are profitable. Keep those. Acela makes $220,200,000 a year.Northeast Regional makes $146,500,000 a yearNortheast Corridor ‘special trains’ make $3,600,000 a year. According to the chart I linked you need to deduct…