Posted on September 16, 2022     15 Comments

One of the interesting side effects of owning a church building is the volume of unsolicited mail that one gets from companies that specialize in church-and-ministry-oriented businesses; for example, see the above closeup of a postcard sent to us from a company that specializes in insuring ministries. It’s not a surprise that there are church/ministry-oriented […]

Posted on September 15, 2022     10 Comments

Covering Neil Young, who is also Canadian. This is absolutely one of my favorite things kd lang has recorded, which is saying something, because kd lang has recorded a large number of phenomenal songs. Enjoy. — JS

Posted on September 15, 2022     Leave a Comment

Author Gemma Amor was in a different state of mind when she was writing Full Immersion, and that state of mind made a mark on what she wrote… and how she wrote it. GEMMA AMOR: How much is a woman’s life worth? Not only to others, but to herself? How far would one go to […]

Posted on September 14, 2022     23 Comments

As I believe I’ve noted before, it’s kind of cool that most of the major AI art generators have at least a vague idea of who I am and what I look like. On the other hand, they never really portray me in the most flattering of lights — and this time even less so. […]

Posted on September 14, 2022     9 Comments

The third time’s the charm! Or the fifth. Or perhaps the twelfth? Or maybe, just maybe, the first time was the charm all along? Follow along in author Max Brallier’s Big Idea as he tells you about his journey to crafting the series he truly wanted to, and its newest installment, The Last Kids On […]

Posted on September 13, 2022     27 Comments

I’ve stated this before in a post from a few months ago, but I have a bad habit of following a ton of cooking/baking people on Tik Tok and then never actually trying out their recipes. Yesterday, however, I saw one of my favorite foodie Tik Tokers, Justine Doiron (@justine_snacks) post a recipe for pumpkin […]

Posted on September 13, 2022     21 Comments

Another year! Another post noting today is the anniversary of Whatever! Today is anniversary number twenty four, which is quite a feat. Once again I am slightly amazed that I have done anything for two dozen years, much less a more-or-less daily repository, on which I record thoughts and opinions and sunsets and pet photos. […]

Posted on September 13, 2022     2 Comments

Humans can make a life in almost any circumstance, but when things get really rough, what sort of life can it be? Stacey McEwan has been thinking about this a lot, and in Ledge, she’s got a few answers, at least as they will apply to the folks in her book. STACEY McEWAN: How would […]

Posted on September 12, 2022     9 Comments

When I travel back home from the West Coast, I essentially have two choices available to me: Take an overnight flight, on which I will not rest well, and then get home early(ish) and then spend the rest of the day a bit dazed, or leave on a morning flight, which will eat up the […]

Posted on September 8, 2022     6 Comments

Which is lovely this time of year. I’m here for Rose City Comic Con; here is my schedule. Come say hello if you’re coming to the convention! — JS

Posted on September 8, 2022     5 Comments

The grind never stops. Except for sleep, of course, but what would our world look like if you could remove that part of the equation? Author Victor Manibo had this same question, and decided to create a whole world to answer it in his newest novel, The Sleepless. VICTOR MANIBO: The story seed for The Sleepless […]

Posted on September 7, 2022     8 Comments

This week is special because there will be two — two! — installments of New Books and ARCs, because I didn’t do one last week as I was at Worldcon. So here’s the first! What here looks super interesting to you? Share in the comments. — JS

Posted on September 6, 2022     21 Comments

Book News Bit #1: The Art of Love Death + Robots, which features the art of some immensely talented people, and also a foreword by me, is now on sale in the US (it’s been out in the UK for a couple of weeks). If you dig incredible art from amazing talents, you’ll want to […]

Posted on September 6, 2022     2 Comments

Napoleon is many things: Emperor, exile, enemy. And in Katherine Cowley’s newest novel, The Lady’s Guide to Death and Deception, he is one other thing: Inspiration. Although, as Cowley explains in this Big Idea, not exactly in the way one might think. KATHERINE COWLEY: After Napoleon Bonaparte escaped from his confinement on the Isle of […]

Posted on September 5, 2022     14 Comments

Where I was in town for the Worldcon, at which I did panels, hung out with friends, and DJ’d a dance. Aside from the fact I gave myself a sore ankle from walking so much, it was a lovely time. And no, I didn’t win any Hugos; you have to be a finalist first for […]

Posted on September 1, 2022     13 Comments

I’m running around Chicago at Worldcon right now, so allow me to copy and paste the Twitter thread I used to announce it: Happy September! “Travel By Bullet” the 3rd installment of the “Dispatcher” series, is now live on @audible_com, read as always by the incomparable @ZacharyQuinto. I’m so excited you can hear this story […]

Author Jody Keisner comes to us today with some classic advice: face your fears. Or at least, don’t ignore them. Open up about them! Explore them. That’s exactly what she does in her memoir, Under My Bed. JODY KEISNER: My Big Idea started as My Big Humiliation. “What is your greatest fear?” I asked the room […]

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