Acquisitions list
This 15-inch high chunk of elephant just sold for $8,547,979. It’s 750 years old, give or take. I wish I had a…
Read moreMonth: November 2011
Figuring it out
Continuing yesterday’s saga* about turning the manuscript of my latest novel into an ereader-ready file for advance readers… I was having a…
Read moreHow to turn your Word document into a Kindle-ready file
My current project is Hild, a massive novel set in the seventh century. For the convenience of advance readers (editors, agent, publicists…
Read moreHappy overindulgence
Last night was one of overindulgence. This one photo encapsulates it: Champagne (Thierry Triolet), Armagnac (Larresingle X.O.), port (Sandeman’s, 40 yrs. old),…
Read moreCurrently having fun with…
I am currently having fun trying to turn my Hild ms. into something pretty which early readers can read on their Kindle….
Read moreThe cat who gave thanks
The nieghbourhood cat, whom we call Chow Ciao, but whose new owners have named something like Kira, has been visiting every morning….
Read moreThank you
Without readers, my novels wouldn’t exist. Oh, there would be words on a page, but they wouldn’t live in hearts and minds–which,…
Read moreSome novels I got all the way through this month
Yesterday I listed books I’ve tried in the last three or four weeks. I’m going to talk briefly about the novels I…
Read moreRecently read
I’ve just finished writing a massive, technically difficult novel and ground my brain into dust trying to make it feel, to the…
Read moreUnexpectedly lost
Today I got unexpectedly lost in a project and forgot about the books blog post I promised you. Oops. Tomorrow is another…
Read moreSneak Peek at Game of Thrones Season 2
http://www.hbo.com/bin/hboPlayerV2u.swf?vid=1222845 Via Deadline Hollywood The problem with good TV: it takes way too long!
Read moreFive movies: not bad, weird, and appalling
Since I’ve finally sent Hild on her merry way, I’ve been consuming entertainment: mostly books and films. And, wow, there’s a lot…
Read moreHistorical fiction and science fiction
Okay, one’s historical and one’s fantasy but, eh, close enough for Saturday Annalee Newnitz has an article on io9.com about the “ten…
Read moreHild and Cromwell
I’ve said before how Hild was originally intended to be a single novel. In the writing, that all changed. Yesterday I saw…
Read moreBig as a battering ram
Until a month ago, I had no idea that Brussels sprouts grew on stalks. I’d only ever seen them loose, or pre-packaged:…
Read moreNovels: the expression of the human condition
Campbell’s Soup I (1968), low-res snapshot so it can (hopefully) be considered Fair Use, via Wikipedia A couple of weeks ago I…
Read moreGood author readings
From: Sheila Just want to say thank you for your piece on author readings. I have done many over the past eight…
Read moreBlazing happiness
I have been having a truly marvellous few days. Hild is now safely in the hands of editors on either side of…
Read moreSnow White with a sword
Interesting. The Blob mirror talks. Snow White is silent. Thor The huntsman sounds Scottish. And the Wicked Queen has an odd and…
Read moreCultural images of women: blame the Romans
The Romans. Those bastards. It’s all their fault: Research coordinated by Carlos III University in Madrid (UC3M) analyzes the images of women…
Read moreStarship Sofa 3
Some of you may remember that Starship Sofa did an audio podcast of my Hugo and Locus Award-nominated novelette, “It Takes Two.”…
Read moreVery nifty book cover
Oooh, this is nifty! Drag your mouse over it: http://www.walker.co.uk/UserFiles/flash/daylightsavingcover.swfhttp://www.walker.co.uk/UserFiles/flash/daylightsavingcountdown.swf via Galleycat Sadly, it’s Flash, so it won’t play on many mobile…
Read moreGreen Carnation Prize Shortlist 2011
The judges have announced the Green Carnation Prize Shortlist 2011: The Strange Case of the Composer and his Judge – Patricia Duncker…
Read moreCryptomnesia
Yesterday, I heard the news about a novel being pulled by its publisher for plagiarism. This morning, I read Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg’s…
Read moreApartheid and economics and language
I think I’m getting hopelessly addicted to Time Off. This morning I spent a happy hour reading a wonderful article, ‘Apartheid and…
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