The old blog, active from 2006 through 2012.
William Gibson’s “Spook Country”
William Gibson has said many times in interviews that he knew very little about computers when he wrote his groundbreaking, genre-spawning novel Neuromancer. And yet somehow, all the way back in 1984 he managed to not only anticipate things like Internet culture and wetware, but to understand them better than many of us do even today. Despite the fact that he’s now a best-selling — nay, legendary — author, I doubt that William Gibson knows... Continue reading→
End-of-Year Miscellany
So I’m in Houston, Texas right now for a big ol’ reunion of my wife’s family. Somewhere around 30 people in all whose political views span the spectrum between rabid leftists and rabid rightists. Actually, that’s incorrect. There really is no spanning of the spectrum; just a bunch of folks hanging out on each end of it firing dirty looks across the divide. I have little hope that there might be intelligent discussion about the... Continue reading→
On DeepGenre: What Works on an Author Website?
Today on DeepGenre, I’ve posted a little article asking for reader and book-buyer feedback on author websites, in particular SF author websites. Quick excerpt: So my question today is this: what do you find useful on an author’s website? I think we can all agree that excerpts help, and at the very least, having a blog doesn’t hurt. But what about the rest? Do you read additional material like chapter annotations, deleted scenes, and first... Continue reading→
Mini-Essay on the Internet and Publishing on SF Signal
I’ve got a mini-essay (three paragraphs) up today in the new “Mind Meld” feature of SF Signal. The question was about how the Internet has impacted publishing and the author’s ability to sell more books. Quick excerpt: But even more important, the Internet has allowed me to keep in touch with readers during the (too long) break between novels. Before the prevalence of websites and blogs, the only way for newer SF authors to keep... Continue reading→
No Country for the Coen Brothers
An ordinary guy finds a suitcase full of thousand dollar bills. There’s no one around. Instead of going to the cops, the guy figures it’s his lucky day and takes the money. Which works just dandy until the big bad motherfuckers who own the suitcase decide to come looking for it. You’ve seen that film a thousand times before, and it’s essentially the plot of Joel and Ethan Coen’s brilliant new film, No Country for... Continue reading→
An Inside Look at the Copy Editing Process
If you're at all interested in the copy editing process that a novel goes through before it sees print, you might find this interesting. Here's a conversation I just had this morning with my copy editor, Deanna Hoak, about a sentence in my upcoming book "MultiReal." Continue reading→
The Plot to Understand Second Life
Last night I had the privilege of attending a reading and interview of renowned science fiction author Paul Levinson in support of his book "The Plot to Save Socrates" on Second Life. And after attending Paul's Second Life event, I can now officially say I don't get it. Continue reading→
Peter Watts Praises “MultiReal”
I had been planning to unveil this news at a later time closer to the book’s July release date. But I just browsed to the Amazon page for MultiReal and saw that the news is already out. So no use waiting. Peter Watts, Hugo Award-nominated author of Blindsight and the Rifters Trilogy (Starfish, Maelstrom, and Behemoth), expert in the ecophysiology of marine mammals, Canadian, and just all-around nice guy, has given an advance blurb for... Continue reading→
Behold, the New ISP
If you're reading this article, then that means that you're now viewing my blog at its new home of Bluehost.com. I've taken the opportunity of moving the blog to make a number of changes. Continue reading→
Switching ISPs
I've switched ISPs. Which means I've moved the whole blog (not to mention my personal website, my Infoquake website, my John Barth website, and my wife's website) over to new servers. Things might be rocky for a few days until all the redirects are ironed out. Continue reading→