I’m happy to announce that Blackfire Rising has finally been resurrected and is now shambling in bookstores and websites near you. It was an experiment. A way to create a better soldier. Colder, more efficient. But some things shouldn’t be altered, and some creatures are best left to myth. The dead know no peace,…
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October-November Linkspam
October was a blast, or at least it must have been, because I hardly remember it! Somehow each year there’s a month that just sort of disappears in a melee of overbookedness, and it’s usually October. That’s why you’re getting two months’ worth of schtuff at once! This is my favorite time of the year. I…
Archon report!
It’s been over a week, but let’s face it: life doesn’t stop for con drop. Archon was an absolute delight, with a great vibe, good conversation, interesting panels and a rocking party, as well as terrific sales. We had a great group of Lit Underlords and minions working the booth and the party, so it…
Just a temp
Funny thing happened on the way to the semester launch: One of my employer colleges got a big uptick in enrollment, and they needed (wo)manpower quick. An application and interview later, I was offered and accepted a one-year temporary contract as a full-time professor. Longtime readers know that this is the end goal, the…
August 2025 Linkspam
It is a universal truth among academics that when Aug. 1 rolls around, the panic hits. We all begin the summer with the best of intentions. We will finally have time to read that giant backlog sitting on the TBR pile. We will unearth the surface of our desks and sort out the chaos that…
And the nominees are…
Me! I am happy to announce that my short-form screenplay, Grow Old With Me, has been named a finalist in the Imaginarium film festival screenplay competition. I am told that there were more entries this year than they’ve ever had, and I am truly honored to be among the finalists. The screenplay is based on…
BookNotes: Bookstores join the target list for bans
For all those who keep insisting that banning a book isn’t really a ban if you can buy it in bookstores, never fear! They’ve gone on to the next step. Texas, which always fights Florida to lead the cause of book-banning, is now considering a bill to hold businesses liable if they sell a book…
Cover reveal: Blackfire Rising
Now that the Blackfire event at Midsouthcon is past, you all get to see the cover for Blackfire Rising. The reading went very well, and I got to read some of my favorite scenes in the book. I’m very grateful to Midsouthcon for giving me the time and space to discuss the resurrection of Blackfire,…
AWP, you do it to me every time
In two weeks, I will attend my third AWP conference, this time in Los Angeles. I was spoiled last year by the choice of a very inexpensive Midwestern city within driving distance of home; this year it will set me back more than my rent. Gulp. But this is my first year as a presenter…
BookNotes: No books for you, come back when you’re 26
In what might be the silliest idea yet to protect young people from acknowledging the existence of sex, Corpus Christi, Texas has created two separate sections of its library: One for teens, as in ages 13-18, and another for “young adults,” for books appropriate for ages 18-25. That’s right. They are now restricting certain books…