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As we go into the weekend, a nice collection of new books and ARCs for you to peruse and to consider for your own collections. What looks interesting to you? You have a whole comment thread in which to opine!
As we go into the weekend, a nice collection of new books and ARCs for you to peruse and to consider for your own collections. What looks interesting to you? You have a whole comment thread in which to opine!
A few things I wish to put onto your radar, or put back on, as the case may be:
1. A reminder that next week at this time I will be the author guest of honor at ConCarolinas, in beautiful Charlotte, North Carolina, along with other very cool people. Come down and say hello to us all! We promise not to bite. You have to pay extra for that. But even without the biting, it will be a ton of fun. Hope to see you there.
2. On the video game front, Midnight Star, the game I worked on, has had a massive update that comes complete with a pretty awesome-looking new icon for the game:
If you're already playing the game, you knew about this update; if you're not playing it yet (on iOS; the Android version is still in the works), then this is a very fine time to pick it up. Have fun!
3. Monday will be an interesting day. You'll know why when it happens. That's all I'm saying right now.
In describing how The Vorrh came out of him, author Brian Catling pretty accurately makes a point about creation that I think many creative people can agree with — before it comes out, there's so much that has to go on inside.
I have answered more identical questions about The Vorrh than anything else in my life. The core ones being about its origins and the process of its construction. When I explain that it was probably brewing for thirty years and that once it escaped it wrote me, then the problems begin, especially as I have not stopped writing since it was finished. Words like channelled and cathartic appear in other people's mouths. So I did what I know best, I consulted perversity and made something else. Made it out of lead, glass, Perspex and electrical motors, transparent piping, feather quills, wiring and pumps. An extension of my hand, tiny eccentric engines giving the tip of each finger a life of its own, eerie and totally against anatomical grace and favour. Instead of blood the quills and their nibs are pumped with warm water and compressed black ink. When it 'goes off' it surges and gushes, staining the room and its operator's disability with saturated steaming shadows. I did not know it was literal until it was finished and switched on.
There is another tale of loose hands that I wrote in a grim poetic series many years before. Hands running through the back alleys and murder yards of Whitechapel, scratching sparks and gouges from the wet walls with hooked nails, fleeing, forcing themselves into flesh and infamy. I think they also wrote a true channel for The Vorrh to play, like a needle on black shining disk.
I always had the title, the opening scene and the conclusion and once the work finally began to turn, I had to invent everything else in-between. A wonderful savage awakening that had nothing to do with mapped out plot, or carefully observed character. I became each personality and principle in the book. Living equally the events of each man, demon, woman, monster and ghost. Each writing themselves visually. Without a pennyweight of the critical skills, or a daub of the doubt. A necessary blindness to let the mystery and the presence of The Vorrh overwhelm me. In all modesty, I thought I was writing a slender obscure surrealistic work that would hopefully exist in the sacred margins of esoteric imagination. What arrived was quite different. An enormous birth without a shadow of pain.
The Vorrh is the vast African forest that Raymond Roussell invited in his masterpiece of surrealism, Impressions of Africa. He never much cared for its detail and used it only as a painted backdrop. I have put aside my reverence and dragged him screaming into the depth of this new Vorrh, along with several other 'actuals', such as Edweard Muybridge. The Vorrh is the first book in a trilogy, with the unwanted forth already remotely clawing at the inside of my skull, like another disembodied hand.
The Vorrh: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Indiebound|Powell's
Read an excerpt on the publisher's book page. Visit the author's site. Follow him on Twitter.
So, here you go. Enjoy.
A couple of weeks ago I posted my very first Sundance TV film column, in which put Star Wars characters into brackets (light side of the force vs. dark side) to see who among all the characters would confront each other in the final battle of Star Wars good vs. evil.
Well, the brackets are all tallied up and we are down to our champions — and one of them, at least, is likely to be a complete surprise. Find out who they are and put in your vote for the ultimate victor in the Star Wars universe. Will the dark side prevail? Shall good triumph? It's up to you! Go vote!
Today was the last day of 10th grade for Athena, and per tradition here, she stood for portraiture marking this auspicious occasion. Those of you with excellent memories will note she is wearing the same ensemble as she did for the first day. This is not a coincidence.
The good news: In his novel Devil in the Wires, author Tim Lees has solved our energy crisis! The bad news… well, let's just say that you're the sort to blaspheme, your electricity might flicker a bit in protest. Here's Lees to explain it further.
You don't have to be religious to feel a sense of awe when you stand in some big temple or cathedral, especially if it's old, or built on the site of a still older shrine, as many are. Places of worship can date back millennia, and through more than one faith. Sacred sites are sacred for a reason. Whatever they may now be, once upon a time, they were home to strange, inhuman forces – beings which, for want of a better term, we might call "gods."
From the ancient, to the modern. We all know about the energy crisis. Fossil fuels are running out, alternative energy supplies – we're told – will never match the shortfall.
It's a grim scenario. But what if there was something else, a source of power till now almost untapped? What if you could mine the psychic energy stored in churches, shrines and other sacred places? Energy built up through years of worship, prayer and entreaty – what if you could take that and convert it into usable electric power?
Sound good?
Well, that's the first Big Idea. Those gods are still there. They're what gets turned into electric power. They're what lights our cities, cooks our meals, powers our Playstations and TVs. Ancient gods: the latest source of fuel.
I love mash-ups. Genre-wise, ramming together two totally disparate elements (and making them work) is just about my favorite activity. Back when I still had musical ambitions, I was once asked for a keyboard solo on a reggae track. I looked at the range of sounds available and thought, Ah-ha! Church organ! Why not? Nothing, of course, could have been less appropriate, which was exactly why I chose it. To me, it sounded great. To everybody else… well. Let's just say there was no subsequent boom in church organ reggae, and I am now a writer, not a musician.
So, with Devil in the Wires, I've taken an element from genre fantasy – the kind of gods that Conan or Elric were always running into – and kicked it into the present day. Needless to say, the gods have undergone some changes in the process. They are still genii loci – spirits of place – and repositories of immense power, but for the most part (and with one exception) they're a lot less humanized, a lot more alien. To stand before them can be a bit like suffering a seriously bad acid trip. Simply to perceive them can be dangerous. As for actually collecting them, that's the sort of job which requires a specialist. Not just for specialized equipment, but also for a special frame of mind.
Enter Big Idea number two: Chris Copeland, professional god hunter, already worried he's been in the job too long, and his luck (much like those fossil fuels) might soon be running out.
Have you ever wondered how the guys in fantasy stories make their cash? How they pay the rent? Batman, supposedly, runs a multi-billion dollar business empire, and still stays out all night crime-fighting. (Really?) Indiana Jones works at a university which requires neither the grading of papers nor writing of research publications, nor, presumably, returning from the wilds in time for class. Great fun, but I wanted something I could actually believe, and a counterpoint to the massive, numinous forces at work throughout so much of the book.
I mentioned mash-ups. There's the concept of burning gods for energy – pure fantasy. So to ground it all, I thought I'd put it in a context so familiar everyone can recognize it: the daily grind of company drudge work.
Chris works for the Registry. It's a business. It's secretive, but it's not the secret service. It's not some underground cabal. It's the kind of place where you or I might work, though hopefully in a different capacity. And Chris is an employee. He has paperwork to file. He has bosses he doesn't trust. Like most people on the ground floor of a business, he often has a better idea what's going on than his managers do. And that's the source of much of the humor in the book. Because humor is the way we survive, it's the thing that gets us through our day-jobs, especially if our day-jobs might just threaten our health, our sanity, and our lives.
One final matter. I'm a Brit, now resident in the US. Devil in the Wires starts in Iraq, makes a couple of stops in Paris and London, then races on to Chicago, where I've lived the last few years. Here's a thing about us SF/fantasy types: we never feel at home in a place until we've smashed it, shattered it, invaded it with aliens, sent monsters roaring through its streets and exposed its seedy, supernatural underbelly to the world. Now, at last, I give Chicago what it needs: an ancient god, a crazy scheme for powering a city, three or four assorted killers, and a hero who's torn between earning a crust and doing the right thing (no prizes for guessing which side he comes down on).
Believe me: it's an act of love.
Devil in the Wires: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Google Play|Kobo
Read an excerpt. Visit the author's site. Follow him on Twitter.
(Warning: Hugo neepery follows. Ignore if bored with the topic.)
Now that the Hugo voter packet is out, I'm getting asked rather a lot, mostly with an air of confidentiality, how I plan to vote in this year, what with the actual democratic nature of the Hugo nomination balloting representing hundreds of individual viewpoints subverted by a couple of jerks who created interlocking slates (one prominently featuring work created by one of these jerks' own publishing company) and encouraged people, either bluntly or with a wink and a nod, to vote a straight ticket rather than come up with their own independent choices. People are wondering whether I plan to put all the nominees pushed by the slates under the "No Award" option, or simply leave them off my final ballot altogether, after placing "No Award" below the works/people I feel are legitimate choices.
My short answer is no, I don't plan to do that. I will detail my longer answer in a second. But before I do, some thoughts to the Hugo voters this year:
To the people planning to put everything/everyone on Puppy slates below "No Award" or leave them off your ballot altogether: This is a solid and totally legitimate choice to make, and don't let anyone tell you any different. My understanding is that at least one of the head Puppies has been notably petulant on the subject recently, which is a matter of some irony. If you believe that slates are inimical to Hugo balloting, or wish to register your disapproval of the selections this year, or think that the Puppies are assholes who deserve to be smacked on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper, or any other reason you choose to No Award them, it is your right, and some would argue, your responsibility, to vote them below "No Award" or leave them off the ballot entirely (after having placed "No Award" below your last actual choice). If this is your path, then rock on with yourself.
To the people planning to vote on the nominees as if it were a completely normal year: This is also a solid and totally legitimate choice to make, and you should also not let anyone tell you any different. Because you might not think slates matter much one way or another, or you might think the individual nominees, no matter how they arrived on the final ballot, deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect, or you might simply think "cool, stuff to read" and just get to it, or any other reason you might have to read and rate. Again: This is your path? Cool. Rock on.
To the people somewhere in the middle, for whatever reason: Hey, you know what? That's fine too. It's okay to be conflicted. After all, not everyone on a slate asked to be there, or there might be some people on a slate who you think should have been nominated regardless, or in your reading you might find something on a slate that blows you away and deserves a shot, or (again) whatever — it's your ballot and your choice for voting. Rock on with your choices.
The short version of all of the above: If you vote your own conscience, there is no wrong way to vote for the Hugos. There is, simply, your vote. It's your own choice. Think about it, take your vote seriously — and then vote. No one can or should ask you to do anything otherwise.
With that as preamble:
I think the slates are bullshit, and I think the people who created them (and at least some of the people on them) are acting like petulant, whiny crybabies and/or obnoxious, self-aggrandizing opportunists. I'm also aware some slate choices were not made aware they had been put on slates, or were placed on them under false pretenses. Some of those so slated chose to leave the ballot, which I think is impressive and well done them, but I can't really fault those who chose to stay, not in the least because for some of them it would be politically or personally awkward to withdraw, for various reasons. And, on the principle that a stopped clock can be correct twice a day, it's entirely possible something or someone that is a slate choice is genuinely deserving of consideration for the Hugo, and I am loath to discount that, particularly if the person to whom the award would be given was also an unwilling (or misinformed) draftee onto a slate.
So here is my plan:
1. I am going to look back on my own Hugo nomination ballot, and identify in each category the work/person I nominated that I judged to be my "last place" choice in the category.
2. When confronted with a nominee on the final ballot who was placed there by a slate, I will ask myself: "Is this work/person better than my own 'last place' nominee?"
3. If the answer is 'yes," then I will rank that work/person above "No Award" on my final ballot, and otherwise rank them accordingly to my own preference.
4. If the answer is "no," then I won't put that work/person on my ballot at all, and I will put "No Award" below my choices in the category so it's clear that I would prefer no award given than to offer the Hugo to anything/anyone I've left off the ballot.
This, for me, strikes the appropriate balance between fairness to the nominees on the slates, and registering disapproval for the concept of slating. This way, if the work is genuinely good in my own estimation, it gets a fair hearing. But if it's not, out it goes — and not just out, but also suffering the existential ignominy of "No Award" being preferred over it or them.
As I think this is a decent plan, I naturally encourage people to adopt it for their own, or adapt it for their own purpose. For those Hugo voters who didn't nominate this year, I would suggest either creating a mock nomination ballot to use as a guideline, or using another award final ballot as a substitute. Here's this year's Nebula ballot, and here's this year's Locus finalist list. Choose your least favorite work in each category and use that as the benchmark.
But remember: It's your vote and your choice. With the Hugos, it's a very good year to take both seriously. Don't let anyone keep you from voting your own conscience.
The first review of The End of All Things is in at Kirkus Reviews, and I'm very pleased to say that it's received a star (i.e., notation for being especially good).
The full review has some spoilery content, so be warned; here's the link to it. For those who just want the gist, here's a relevant excerpt:
It's classic crowd-pleasing Scalzi, offering thrilling adventure scenes (space battles, daring military actions, parachute jumps through a planet's atmosphere), high-stakes politics, snarky commentary, and food for thought. Delightful, compulsively readable, and even somewhat nutritious brain candy.
Mmmmm…. brain candy.
Also, and because this is how my brain works, I'm relieved that no matter what else happens, review-wise, we have quote for the cover for the paperback release. One neurotic worry down! Many, many more to go.
Anyway, this is my good news for the day. Hope you're having a good day, too.
Science says: You have a hypothesis? Test it! And see if the results you get match your hypothesis? Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki has a hypothesis about the brain, and how certain activities and thoughts can influence them, which she expands upon in her book (written with Billie Fitzpatrick) Healthy Brain, Happy Life. How did this hypothesis come about? From an interesting personal experience.
Can I use my thoughts, intentions and beliefs to change my brain and make myself smarter and happier? That's the question I have been asking ever since I inadvertently did an experiment on myself and noticed how much aerobic exercise combined with positive intentions transformed not only my body, but my brain and ultimately, my life.
After years of neglecting my body and focusing too much of my energy on my work as a brain scientist, I finally decided to begin a regular exercise routine. I started with a personal trainer and focused on increasing my overall muscular and cardiovascular strength. As I got stronger, I felt great and much more energized.
And then I found a class at the gym that shifted my workout routine into high gear. The class combined physical movements from kickboxing, dance yoga and martial arts with positive spoken affirmations like "I am strong!" or "I believe I will succeed!". It's called intenSati. And it's hard. You have to master the moves and the affirmations that go with them and change moves every four to eight counts or so. Shouting out the affirmations increases the cardio load of the workout and makes it much more challenging than just doing the moves on their own.
I was already in pretty good shape when I discovered this class at my gym. I always felt more energized after any workout. But intenSati was different. After each class, I was full of energy, in a great mood, and felt like I could take on the world. Not only that, when I left the gym after class, I was already looking forward to the next time I could do the workout.
Over time I noticed something even better. As I upped my workouts with intenSati, it became easier to write my scientific grants. I seemed to be able to focus my attention better while writing and make more and better associations or links between the journal articles that I read in support of my points. I realized I had just done an experiment on myself and the results were these striking brain changes.
In fact, the shift was so noticeable that I decided to find out what we knew about the effects of exercise on brain function. I found a vibrant scientific literature focused largely in rodents showing profound effects of exercise on the anatomy, physiology and function of brain areas important for attention, memory and mood. In humans, there was good evidence that exercise improved mood and attention, and promising indirect evidence that exercise improved memory function as well. In my book Healthy Brain, Happy Life, I write about my transformative experiences with exercise, and also about the what neuroscience understands about the dramatic impact of exercise on specific brain areas.
In myself, I noticed improved mood, attention and memory functions with increased levels of aerobic activity. But I realized that with intenSati, I wasn't doing just exercise alone – I was combining it with positive affirmations. And I wondered if the exercise alone that was causing the brain effects I was experiencing? Or could it be the combination of exercise together with the positive affirmations that was doing the trick? As a scientist, I knew I could not answer this question simply by introspection. Instead I went to the scientific literature to see if there were any studies on the brain effects of combining of exercise and affirmations, something I started to call "intentional exercise".
No study had ever examined the effects of exercise combined with affirmations, but I did find studies examining the effects of affirmations alone, which indicated that reciting positive affirmations improved mood. This is not so surprising. Perhaps the affirmations were just adding additional mood boosting power to the workout.
Somehow that didn't seem quite right. Then, I stumbled upon the psychological studies of something called mindset, defined as the established set of attitudes held by somebody. This is a hot area of research because of exciting findings showing that shifting a person's mindset by simply providing information can have significant changes on people's sensory experiences and physiological responses.
What does this mean? My two favorite examples from this area of study were done by Professor Alia Crum of Stanford's Psychology department. In one study, she showed that people who thought they were drinking an indulgent high calorie milkshake showed faster declines in a hunger-inducing hormone than when they thought the same exact milkshake was healthy and low calorie. In another study, she showed that when hotel room attendants were told that, according to the surgeon general, their workload of cleaning rooms and changing sheets was considered a good amount of exercise, the workers lost significant weight and had lower blood pressure compared to the control group of hotel room attendants who were not given that information.
These studies are examples of how adopted beliefs can significantly change physiological responses including hormone secretion and metabolism/weight loss. Maybe that's what the affirmations were doing to me. Maybe the affirmations shifted my mindset to a positive one that included belief in myself and my success. Maybe the affirmations are adding the key ingredient of motivation to my workout. And maybe we could actually modulate the effects of the affirmations to focus on attention or memory or happiness depending on what we actually said.
We don't know the answer to these questions right now. But my "big idea" is that we can test these hypotheses systematically and scientifically in the lab. It could be that adding positive intention to exercise (any kind of exercise), could be the secret sauce needed to boost the effects of exercise on both our bodies and our brains to their maximum levels. That's exactly the question I'm starting to answer with the experiments I'm doing in my lab.
Healthy Brain, Happy Life: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Indiebound|Powell's
Read an excerpt. Visit the author's site. Follow her on Twitter.
(Warning for those who need it: discussion of rape scenes in storytelling)
So, many years ago, when I was still a very young writer, I made the acquaintance of Pamela Wallace, and she and I became friends. At the time I was a film critic, and she was a screenwriter — and not just a screenwriter, but one who had won an Oscar, for her work on Witness. She also wrote novels, which were at the time something I was thinking about doing at some point. So she and I talked a lot about movies and stories and the writing life. She was a very cool mentor for a young writer to have.
One day I was over at her house and I was talking to her about a story idea I had; I can't specifically remember what the story idea was, but I vaguely recall it being some sort Silence of the Lambs-esque thriller, in which an investigator and a serial killer matched wits, you know, as they do. And at some point, I dragged the investigator's wife into the story, because, as I was, like, 24 years old and didn't know a whole hell of a lot, I thought it would be an interesting character note for the investigator, and a good plot development for the book, for the serial killer to basically rape and torture the wife —
— at which point Pamela immediately went from interested to disgusted, threw up her hands, and had them make motions that I immediately interpreted as oh God Oh God this horrible idea of yours get it off me right now.
Aaaaand that was really the last time I ever considered rape as an interesting character note or plot device. Because, I don't know. If you're a 24-year-old wannabe fiction writer and an Oscar-winning storyteller is physically repelled by your casual insertion of rape and violence against women in your story, mightn't that be a sign of something? That maybe you should pay attention to? Perhaps?
Now, as I got older and became a more accomplished storyteller (and human), there turned out to be many other reasons for me to decide not to put those sorts of scenes willy-nilly into my books aside from "dude, you just disgusted your successful writer friend with your plot twist." But I'm not going to lie and pretend that this very significant clue, dropped by my friend, did not in fact make a long-lasting impression.
Which continues to this day. I've written eleven novels now, most with lots of action, adventure, peril and danger to characters of several genders, and lots of tough scenes that show loss and violence (see: most of The Ghost Brigades). No rape scenes. They weren't necessary for the narrative — and more concretely, as narratives to stories don't just magically happen but are the result of the author's intention, I chose not to make circumstances in my novels where they would be necessary.
Sadly, not every young male novice storyteller has a woman friend who is also an Oscar winner to set him straight on the errors of his shallow narrative ways. Would that they did! So for everyone else I would just say (and here I tip my hat to Robert Jackson Bennett, who wrote in more detail about this today) that while you can put these sorts of scenes into your work, maybe before you do, you should ask yourself why. Ask yourself what actual value they will bring to your work. Ask yourself if you are entirely sure about that value.
And while you're asking yourself that, keep my friend Pamela's reaction to my proposed rape scene in your head. She's not alone in that reaction these scenes, nor was she wrong to have it. Neither are other people.
What's the moral to this story? Two morals: One, the Internet is awesome because, sometimes, if you ask, you will get pictures of squirrels playing polo on the backs of Pomeranians. And two:
But mostly: Squirrels on Pomeranians, playing polo.
Update: 1:48pm: The opposing team has now taken the field:
What a glorious day for Squirrel Polo.
Update, 5pm:
And now we have a league!
Memory is sometimes a tricky beast, but is that always a bad thing? Naomi Novik has some thoughts on this, and how memories, hazy or otherwise, relate to her latest novel Uprooted.
Here's a test. Two scenes from movies. Tell me if you remember either of these. (The test is unfairly skewed towards people who were conscious in the eighties, sorry.)
In his underground lair beneath Metropolis, Lex Luthor keeps a nest of monstrous pet lion-alligator things. They mostly sound like lions, but he is living in the sewers of metaphorical New York City, so they clearly should have been alligators. Let's call them alligators. At the end, he feeds Ms. Teschmacher to the alligators for having betrayed him (Superman rescues her, as comic book movies were not yet inhospitable to ten year olds).
Scene two: in Jabba's stronghold, after Luke Skywalker has been dropped into the Rancor's pit, he leaps straight up into the air and catches the grating above that just dumped him down. He dangles from the iron bars as Jabba's courtiers bash his fingers with weapons, and then drops again to continue fighting.
For years, whenever I attempted to describe the alligators to people, they thought I was out of my mind, but they really do exist, in a pair of deleted scenes edited out of the theatrical release of the movie and included only in a later TV release (for it must be admitted very obscure reasons).
When I describe the scene of Luke jumping for the grating, mostly people have a vague feeling of familiarity. But it doesn't exist. The moment was described in the novelization but never released, never filmed. I remember it as clearly and vividly as the alligators. I even remember clearly a page out of a photo storybook I had showing the scene, which also doesn't exist. I spent a long frustrated time trying to track it down before I finally accepted that my brain had just put that scene together and quietly tucked it into my memory like a small deceitful landmine.
I have also forgotten and falsely remembered many other things — stories I myself have written, what my child was like a year ago, the names and faces of good friends. People have told me too often that's not what happened! how could you forget? I've never doubted all those studies about the unreliability of witnesses, because I've been made palpably aware of my own unreliability over and over.
But the gift of a strangely terrible memory is to be set free from the tyranny of the correct. I've spent a lot of time with young children in the last few years, seen how their brains are still working out the most useful things to hold on to, the lines between the real and the false. "Is Hillary Clinton really alive?" my four year old asks me doubtfully as we watch her declaration of candidacy on the iPad, the same way we watch episodes of Star Trek and Wonder Woman. (A few days later she confidently explains to a group of our friends that a woman named Hillary, who is alive, is going to be president after Barack Obama dies, cheerfully discarding layers of metaphor between U.S. politics and the Hunger Games.)
She has not yet reconciled herself to the frustrating, repeated failures of magic. Neither have I. Making sense of things that don't quite make sense, we fill in the missing pieces, retelling our own stories and accumulating embellishment along the way. And magic is in those missing pieces. When to remember is to create, to imagine is to make true. Why shouldn't Mr. Spock be a real person when Hillary Clinton is? Why shouldn't there be magic, if the past can change out from under us?
Uprooted takes place in a Poland that exists only in my own mind. It grew out of the fairy tales my mother read to me in Polish when I was a child, not older than my own daughter, before I was too old to really believe in forest fairies and mountains of glass. After I was five we stopped speaking the language at home, and I didn't learn to read it until I was much older. Even now I'm not fluent enough to read the stories by myself without help, but when I plug uncertain words into translation sites, the meanings that come out aren't the ones I am looking for. The word olbrzymi means enormous, but not to me; in my head it means monstrously overgrown, tangled, terrifying.
But I reject the dictionary entries: they are correct but untrue. I am not just making things up when I tell you a story about a valley of living water and tangled forests, a castle of many towers. I am telling you about a place that I have been. There are many dangers in the unreliability of memory, but in the realm of fiction it opens the possibility for the reader to believe in magic too, to feel it creeping up on them, the faint uneasiness of could that have happened? There's magic in accepting the gap between physical reality and the shifting electrical sands of our brain cells, and allowing ourselves to visit a real and impossible place.
Uprooted: Amazon|Barnes & Noble|Indiebound|Powell's
Read an excerpt. Visit the author's site. Follow her on Twitter.
I'm guessing you will find something to like in this stack of new books and ARCs. Am I right? Let me know in the comments!
In a discussion about the current Hugo nonsense taking place elsewhere online, a writer trotted out a variation of the now-utterly-stale opinion that Robert Heinlein couldn't win a Hugo if he were writing today, this new variation being that not only couldn't Heinlein win a Hugo, he wouldn't even be reviewed in Locus, the Science Fiction and Fantasy trade magazine. When challenged on this assertion, the writer said that Locus does not review military SF/space opera, period, so he was comfortable making that assertion.
I've punted the "Heinlein couldn't win a Hugo today" nonsense before, so there's no point going over that again. But the assertion that Locus doesn't review milSF/space opera struck me as an odd one to make. As a writer of both military science fiction and space opera — The End of All Things will be both, sometimes simultaneously — I know my books in these subgenres have been reviewed in Locus. One of my favorite reviews of Old Man's War (by Russell Letson) was in the magazine, and the magazine published a review of The Human Division, the most recent book in the OMW series as well.
But I grant I might be a special case, for various reasons, some more specious than others. Fortunately, I'm a subscriber to Locus (it's super-useful in keeping up with SF/F publishing, subscribe now!), so this is something I could easily check. So I opened up the latest edition of the magazine, May 2015, and scanned the reviews. And on page 49:
It's not a long review, but it certainly is a review, complete with a useful pull quote from a publisher PR point of view ("'Good old-fashioned military science fiction' — Locus"). So strictly from the point of view of actual fact, the assertion that Locus does not review milSF/space opera is invalidated as recently as the most current issue.
But — it's possible this was a mistake, that somehow this one slipped past the gatekeepers! Fortunately, there is another way to check this. Locus has helpfully posted an index of its book reviews online; every review from January 1984 through May 2015 (the latter date, I expect, being constantly updated), from the magazine and its associated Web site, which sometimes runs its own reviews. I put the numbers "2014" and "2015" into my browser's "find" function and then clicked off titles I was pretty confident could be classified as military science fiction and/or space opera. Here's my (almost certainly incomplete) list after about fifteen minutes of perusal, for books reviewed in the last eighteen months:
Dark Intelligence, Neal Asher
Fortune's Pawn, Rachel Bach
War Dogs, Greg Bear
Shipstar, Benford/Niven
Cibola Burn, James SA Corey
Willful Child, Steven Erikson
The Abyss Beyond Dreams, Peter F. Hamilton
Space Opera, Rich Horton, ed
War Stories: New Military Science Fiction, Jaym Gates & Andrew Liptak, eds
Ancilliary Sword, Ann Leckie
Three Body Problem, Cixin Liu
Starhawk, Jack McDevitt
The Greatship, Robert Reed
On the Steel Breeze, Alastair Reynolds
Lockstep, Karl Schroeder
The Chaplain's War, Brad R. Torgersen
Dark Lightning, John Varley
And yes, I suppose we could quibble about what actually constitutes "space opera" — as an example, whether Willful Child, meant as an affectionate parody of Star Trek, counts (despite the fact that Star Trek itself is unambiguously space opera). But at the end of the day, it's difficult to deny that Locus, in fact, does review both space opera and military science fiction. And if you look at the author index, you'll find no lack of reviews of either subgenre, either in the last few years or indeed in the more than three decades of reviews indexed therein.
Is space opera or milSF reviewed less than other subgenres of science fiction or fantasy? Possibly; someone with more interest and time than I could do the work to find out. From my own cursory glance, and depending how finely you chop the subgenre onion, however, it doesn't look as if milSF/space opera is notably underrepresented. There is quite a lot of SF/F that gets published, in a lot of increasingly fined-grained subgenres. Locus (or any genre publication, for that matter), has an impossible task in representing the scope of the genre as it exists today. It can't review everything.
Regardless, the assertion was not that Locus doesn't publish enough milSF/space opera reviews; it was that it doesn't publish any. That's definitively and provably wrong, and easy to disprove.
This is a relatively innocuous example of People Believing Things That Are Manifestly Not True, but it bothers me. If the Puppies (with whom, I wish to be clear, I am not suggesting this particular author belongs or identifies) have taught us anything, it's that there is a not entirely small group of people out there in science fiction with a rich and deep persecution complex that is unbounded by actual fact. If you're a writer or reader upset by a lack of representation of your particular subgenre or type of writer, well, fine, but if you're basing that upset on false premises — for example, that Locus doesn't review milSF or space opera — then a) you're getting yourself worked up over nothing, b) should you continue to feel aggrieved after your misapprehension has been pointed out, there are some serious discussions you need to have with yourself.
There's also c), which is that if you use a false sense of persecution to be resentful and unhappy with other people who you believe to be getting advantages you are not, and then act on that resentment, people will notice. It's very likely you will be judged accordingly.
All of which is to say: Assertions! Please back them up. Particularly the ones you believe are affecting you. It's often not difficult, and you may learn something. Whether learning that thing will make you happy is another discussion entirely. But better to know, yes?
And now, for your convenience, all this year's Reader Request pieces in one place. If you missed some and want to catch up, there you go.
Reader Request Week 2015 #1: Free Speech Or Not
Reader Request Week 2015 #2: Ego Searching Redux
Reader Request Week 2015 #3: Raising Strong Women
Reader Request Week 2015 #4: Bullies and Me
Reader Request Week 2015 #5: A Boy Named John
Reader Request Week 2015 #6: Me and Republicans
Reader Request Week 2015 #7: My Dream Retirement
Reader Request Week 2015 #8: On Being an Egotistical Jackass
Reader Request Week 2015 #9: Writing Related Short Bits
Reader Request Week 2015 #10: Short Bits
Thanks again to everyone who asked questions. We'll do this again. Probably in 2016!
And now, quick answers to non-writing-related questions:
Anguadelphine: "My question is how do scientists effectively communicate facts to the general public without being discounted by people who don't have the knowledge or patience to distill scientific evidence (or just don't want to because of 'belief'). I would appreciate any thoughts on this because frankly, it baffles me how people can discount science (as imperfect it is, it is still better than ignorance) because of their 'belief' mostly based on things they read on the internet or in literal readings of holy documents."
With regard to 'belief' I think it's important to remember that 'belief' is not monolithic — for example there are some evangelical Christian sects that believe in the universe was literally created in six days, but the largest Christian sect of all, Catholicism, is totally down with both cosmology and evolution. It's worth pointing that out, and pointing it out to "literal" believers.
The best thing to do, honestly, is to hook people young: Get them used to the idea of science as early as possible. So this is a thing that requires planning, alas. As for the rest of it, my own thought is that people are perfectly good with science until and unless it conflicts with a political agenda — see climate change. I don't know what the fix is there, because humans are political animals before they are scientific animals.
Pixlaw: "As a fellow Ohioan, I'm curious about your take on our very own Governor John Kasich's various feints towards a presidential run. Frankly, I don't like him or his politics very much, but my son, a budding Republican (…shudder…) thinks he would be fabulous."
Kasich is in fact kind of a best case scenario for a GOP candidate for president, for anyone who is not a member of the GOP's base. But I don't think he's strident enough for the base at the moment, and he's not exactly charismatic enough to charm anyone else. I don't really see him getting that far in a presidential run.
Sam: "Bruce Jenner coming out as a transgender person (even though it appears many people have known for years) and his desire to have gender reassignment but still be exclusively sexually attracted to women, does that make him a lesbian? The confussion, for me, lays in the fact that his brain is female but his DNA is male even if he changes his male bits to female bits. Or is he a heterosexual male that just had a sex change?"
I don't know that it makes Jenner any one particular thing, nor am I personally in a huge rush to shift Jenner into one category or another simply for my own mental convenience. At the end of the day Jenner should be who Jenner wants to be, and love who Jenner wants to love, and everything else is fiddly bits. When Jenner wants to clarify or categorize and announce that to the public, great. Until then, I'll just wish Jenner happiness and not concern myself about it.
PacoQ: "Do you agree with current copyright term lengths? Your daughter and her children will probably own the copyright for probably much longer than you will. Does it seem fair to you that your works will not enter the public domain until 70 years after you pass away?"
I'm on record in several places noting that copyright lengths are too long, and suggest their term be 75 years, in terms of corporations, and 75 years or life of the creator plus 25 (whichever is longer) in terms of individual creators. I think it's fine for my wife to continue to benefit from my work, and to a lesser extent my child. My grandchildren can go work for a living.
Kore: "If an arbitrary stranger saved your life, what would you do? In particular, how would you deal with that person? Likewise, if you saved someone else's life, what, if anything, would you expect of them or of yourself?"
Second answer first: I wouldn't expect anything from them. I don't imagine I would be saving their life for any other reason than that life is worth saving. If someone saved my life, I would be grateful and would let them know I owed them a debt. What that debt would be in many ways would be down to the person who saved my life.
Skippy: "How do you balance justifiable outrage at social injustice without becoming bitter or letting it color everything and make everything sad and angry."
I don't think about social injustice twenty four hours a day, in large part because I don't have to. So the fact I have the luxury of not having to means the balance is easy to find. Of course, it is worth meditating on that fact of my life and what it means.
Noblehunter: "What are your thoughts on bad actors in anarchic/unorganized social movements? From looters hi-jacking civil rights protests to gamergate (some people seem to actually believe it's about ethics in video game journalism) and Puppies (likewise), the stated goals of the group are undermined or by those calling themselves members of the group while acting in counter-productive ways. Can these groups police themselves despite a lack of central authority? Do you have any suggestions for people who are genuinely concerned about ethics in videogame journalism or other populist causes?"
Well, I'd first note that in the cases of Gamergate and the Puppies, the "stated goals" of the group were tacked on as afterthoughts/justifications for the precipitating action (harassment of women — and of a specific woman — in the case of Gamergate, personal desire for a bauble in the case of the Puppies). That's not an insignificant thing, and it's not something the fig leaf of a "stated goal" is going to cover up. This is a different situation, obviously, than looters attaching themselves to a protest movement already underway.
If I were truly interested in ethics in video game journalism — which is a laudable goal — or in seeing more representation of the sort of SF/F subgenres I liked in awards — less concretely laudable, but sure, why not — or whatever, I would probably start fresh, far away from those already tainted movements.
Maltsoda: "Advice for a beginner learning the ukelele?"
Practice and have fun with it. That's what I do.
Mitchell Hundred: "Superheroes: Inspirational force for good or fascistic power fantasy?"
Why is this an either/or?
Ariane: "What's your take on NASA's new kind of engine, called electromagnetic propulsion drive, which brings us nearer to the vision of warp drive?"
I've trained myself not to get too excited. I'll save my excitement for after a successful test zooms a spaceship, to, say, Jupiter. Or Alpha Centauri!
Allison: "I've been thinking a lot lately about our growing tendency to store personal artifacts (photos, communications, and various writings) digitally. Specifically, I think about how historians rely on those kinds of artifacts to understand past cultures. The ephemeral nature of many aspects of digital culture makes me wonder what will be left to inform future historians of the daily lives of 21st century humans. Any thoughts on that?"
Here in the early parts of the 21st Century we are still generating an immense amount of physical personal artifacts. The vast majority of my photos are digital and yet I still print out the occasional physical copy. I very rarely give digital objects as gifts, but give physical objects all the time. There are still physical books and magazines and so on. Hell, vinyl has made a comeback. It seems very likely to me the issues for future archaeologists will not be lack of physical data, but trying to make sense of the immense amount of physical data we are leaving behind.
Christina Wodke: "Adventures in being an ally, including dumb mistakes, wins, and perhaps the seduction of mansplaining (I do it too and I'm not a man.) Guy friends of mine chicken out on being an ally sometime because they are afraid of being scolded. They might like to hear some of your experiences and realize it's survivable."
Well, I think the simplest thing to do is think of being an ally like you're learning a skill, like a guitar or woodworking. You know you have an interest, but you lack experience, and as you work on it you'll make mistakes and people with more expertise in the area will correct you and occasionally offer advice, which may work for you or may not. And over time you learn and you get better at it — but there will always be something new to learn. If you think about it that way, it becomes less ego-bruising to be called out, and when you are called out it becomes more productive. I think that's a good way to picture it.
Dana: "You've heard of 'speed dating' where you spend 5 minutes with each of several potential partners trying to determine if you are compatible. How about 'super speed dating' where you're allowed just three questions? What 3 questions would give you a sense of go/no-go?"
Ooooooh, I wouldn't make any relationship decisions based on only three questions. But if I had to, I would ask three questions that required lengthy, complex answers and I would watch how the person answered them as much as paying attention to what the answer was. Because all of that would be just as important as the answer itself. No idea what those particular questions would be. I'd probably make them up at the time.
Neil W: "You live in Ohio. Ohio has a swallow-tail shaped flag. Do you have an opinion on the eccentricity of it, or any other thoughts on flag design or on flags in general? For example what would you like to see on a Scalzi flag?"
I'm not a huge fan of the Ohio flag, but at the same time I can't muster any particularly negative feeling about either, so — meh? I don't know what I would do to change it and I suspect that changing it wouldn't be for the better, so it might as well stay as it is. With regard to a Scalzi flag, in fact, this is something I thought about a long time ago but unfortunately at the moment I can't find the file for it. If I unearth it I'll show it. It does include a phoenix.
Peripatetic Entrepreneur: "Money is a fiction. Opine."
Uhhhh, yes, it is? But we all seem to agree to pretend it exists for our own purposes so I guess it's okay?
Megpie71: "How do you feel about the sort of uncritical patriotism pushed by statements like 'love it or leave it'? Do you think the best way to love one's country, fandom, or whatever is to refrain from criticising it at all, or do you feel criticism has a useful function?"
I think uncritical patriotism is stupid in part because any patriotism I would feel is based on the idea that my nation is worth supporting, and that knowledge comes only from critical examination. So, yeah, if someone were to tell me to "love it or leave it," I'd mark them down as not exactly a deep thinker. And yes, this also goes for other groups with which I feel some identity toward.
Mearsk: "Is your social media presence worth it? Jos Whedon quitting Twitter the other day because he was tired of the constant stream of 'you suck,' made me wonder if it is worth all the exposure to negativity and small-minded people. I know you're very active on Twitter, but you frequently comment about 'muting' people, so that means you have to deal with it, so is the benefit worth the cost?"
I'm on social media because I enjoy it, and if I stop enjoying it then I'll leave it. But I will note there are all sorts of ways to tailor one's social media intake. So for example, if on Twitter I don't want to see responses from random people, I don't have to; likewise if I want to limit my conversations to only people who I like I can do that too. People can be negative (or not) all they like — but I don't have to see it. In Whedon's case, he left primarily because he found it a timesuck, which is a thing I can appreciate. That'd be a more likely reason for me to leave it than negativity, to be honest.
Cavyherd: "What I want to know is: Did you ever go through a period of being the Angry Young Man?"
Not really. I think the circumstances of my life could have given me ample reason to be angry, for various reasons, but I just… wasn't. It's not the direction my personality seems to default toward. I have been angry, but it's situational, rather than a baseline emotion. And after a certain point in time — somewhere in college — my life started on the general upswing that continues to this day. It's difficult for me to be angry because honestly what do I have to be angry about? My life's kind of amazing, and I know it. I know this doesn't stop other people, but it stops me. I don't think you need to be angry to be passionate, or committed or whatever. Mostly, I'm happy. And when I think about it, grateful.
Thanks, everyone, for all your questions this week!
As we head off into the weekend, please enjoy this fantastic stack of new books and ARCs, all coming to bookstores soon(ish). See anything here that might rock your world? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Before I headed off to Australia, a friend of mine who has worked in the fine art industry advised me to keep an eye for aboriginal art on the basis that there is some very excellent work out there. To which my response was, yeah, okay, but that's not going to happen because it's not like I'm going to bother to jump through all the hoops I'd need to jump through to bring a substantial piece of art back with me.
And then I went into an aboriginal art gallery in Perth and saw this piece, by Sascha Long Petyarre, and couldn't stop looking at it. Nor was I the only one; there was a couple in the gallery as well and I saw them doing the same thing I was doing, which was looking at it, wandering off to look at other pieces and then coming back to it. I came back to it enough that eventually I figured out that if I didn't buy it I was going to eventually regret not having done so. So I did — and had to jump through a bunch of aggravating hoops to get it back home, exacerbated by the fact I was also injured at the time, so schlepping a really large Tube O' Art was that much more annoying.
But: Totally worth it. The painting, roughly six feet by three, looks great in this picture but it looks frankly amazing live and in person. It now resides in my daughter's room, not only because it fits the decor there but because I hope she finds Ms. Long Patyarre's door into dreamtime a creatively inspiring one (also, before any of you fine art folks ask, the painting is on a northern wall, away from direct sunlight).
I wasn't expecting to get art when I was in Australia, but I'm happy I did anyway. Life is funny that way.
Incidentally, if you do like the image above, it appears Sascha Long Petyarre has done a lot of work that is thematically similar, much of which is for sale. Here's the Google listing of her name, which features links to several galleries and other places that have her work for sale. Check out her work; it's pretty great.
And now, quick answers to questions related to writing, publishing, and such-like topics:
Standback: "What's your take on the state of short fiction in the genre? Print magazines, anthologies, e-zines, and anything else? Is the form viable and sustainable? And how much of an audience does it actually have?"
I suspect short fiction in the genre is healthier than it's been in years, because there are so many outlets for it, and both e-pub and self-pub have expanded the ability for authors to distribute. I see a lot of Kickstarted anthologies that previously would have had to wait for a publisher to greenlight them that now directly appeal to a niche audience, and I see a lot of authors taking their shorter work and putting it up for sale electronically, creating a nice second market for that work. I personally do very well selling short fiction online, via Subterranean and Tor. So, yes, I'm bullish on it.
Angua: "What is your stand on fan fiction and other transformative works? I'm not merely asking if you are ok with your characters and worlds to be interpreted by fans, but also what intrinsic value do you see in such works, if any?"
My stance on fanfic is the same as it's been for years: I'm cool with it, and if people are writing it about my stuff, it's a positive thing because it speaks to how invested they are in the world I've created. The intrinsic value? I think it varies from fanfic writer to fanfic writer. The one thing I particularly see fanfic having value in is letting newer writers have a low-pressure space to explore their own writing skills, as some of the creative work (characters, situations, etc) is already done and they can focus on other aspects. Many excellent pro writers have now come out of fanfic space. It's not to say that's the only value to it (or that all fanfic writers want to be pro writers), but that's an advantage I see.
Beej: "The word 'brand' gets a lot of mockery, but I think you've established a brand for yourself: snarky, 'light' SF, often with an element of mystery. How much of that is deliberate? How much is a function of your own personality and tastes?"
Well, it's definitely deliberate, and it's definitely a function of who I am. I write what I like to read, by and large, on the adage that one's first and best audience is always one's self. The sort of writing I do isn't the only sort I like, nor the only sort I can do (see The God Engines as evidence of the latter), but it's a reflection of my general tastes. Also, as a practical matter relating to sales, at this point when people think "Scalzi" they often do have a particular style in mind, and it does behoove me to continue in this vein, commercially. Fortunately I still like this vein, and I have opportunities to do other things when I want to change things up. So it's all good.
Caroline: "What was the title of the first science fiction book you read? Was that book what drew you to science fiction?"
The first science fiction novel I can remember reading (which may be different from the first I ever read) was Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein. I liked it so I started reading more Heinlein and also more SF, so I guess you could say it drew me to the genre, yes.
Devnull: "If I recall, you attended your first SF con after you sold a novel. Do you think your relationship with con-going SF fandom is different than it would be if you had attended them before becoming an SF pro?"
Oh, probably, although obviously it's difficult for me to quantify how. I suppose honestly it's the difference between coming into any well-established subculture as an adult rather than as a younger person (or being born into it, as many of my friends in fandom were). I'm a citizen of SF/F fandom, but I'm a naturalized citizen. It doesn't mean I don't love it (or find it exasperating) any less, just that I started from somewhere else before coming into it. I like to think I still hold dual citizenship, with my other "country" being journalism.
Samantha Bryant: "Thinking back to the beginning of your career (first book). What do you wish you had known?"
Not really, because my first book was published when I was 32 and my first novel at 36, and in both cases I had been a professional writer long enough that there were no real surprises, and I was well-positioned to handle whatever came next — which was good because my first non-fiction book was a big failure, and the first novel a big hit, so they were definitely contrasting experiences. In both cases I handled them pretty well, I think.
Cat Amesbury: "If you could have a roundtable conversation with Heinlein, Mary Shelley, H.G. Wells, and Octavia Butler, what would you discuss?"
Almost certainly what a pain in the ass publishers and editors can be. It's a staple of writer conversation.
A. Sebastian: "Is the publishing industry, and by extension, Hollywood, ready to invest real dollars on fantasy books featuring girls?"
I think the publishing industry already does invest lots of real dollars in fantasy books featuring girls (a quick check of both the YA and SF/F shelves in your local bookstore will confirm this). I would also be wary of taking the "and by extension, Hollywood" argument as a given. My experience, which is not entirely insignificant, is that they really are different beasts.
Rherdman1953: "If you were offered a cameo role in a movie/tv adaptation of any one of your books, what would your favorite one be?"
I could see myself being John Perry's son at the opening of Old Man's War. But I'll note I'm not hugely interested in having a cameo. If I were going to be on screen I'd want something that would qualify me for SAG membership.
Dapeck: "Tom Bombadil: Important to the world-building of Middle Earth, or just needlessly weird?"
I'm not a Bombadil fan, and it's one of the reasons why I think the Peter Jackson version of LoTR is many ways a superior telling of the story of Lord of the Rings than the books are (this is a very contentious position).
Just Good Sense: "What is the likelihood of you finding another publisher for—and updating—the Guide to the Universe and the Guide to Sci-Fi Movies? (They're great, but could use a little refresh.)"
The rights to both have reverted back to me so it's possible it could happen but as with anything the question is time and scheduling. Of the two I am mostly likely to update the Movies book, although if I do I would probably recast the book rather a bit while updating. We'll see. But don't wait up.
George William Herbert: "You wrote one book in another (now-deceased) author's universe, more or less. If you could chose any still living author's universe to write another book in, who and what setting?"
None, because I did that "write in another author's universe" thing once and doing it again doesn't interest me. I did recently write a short story in another writer's universe for an upcoming anthology (more details later, I'm not the one in charge of these announcements), and I did that mostly for fun. But again it's not something I'm actively looking to do more than once.
Rene Quebec: "Lock In in its bare bones, is actually a pretty good crime thriller. Have you given thought to writing outside of the genre?"
Yes, although as Lock In shows I can write any number of things and still be inside the genre, which is a nice thing, too. SF is a pretty flexible genre in that regard. As for writing outside the genre, as a practical matter the issue isn't interest or opportunity (preeeeety sure I could sell a contemporary mystery, for example) but, once again, time.
Andrew: "What do you think about Eric Flint's idea of changing the Hugo and Nebula categories to differentiate between novels, short novels, multi-volume, and series?"
I think it would be a lot of work and if someone wants to try it, I wish them joy. The only lit-related Hugo I'd personally be interested in adding at this point is a Young Adult Hugo; I think its absence is notable and a bit ridiculous given how huge YA is as a science fiction and fantasy market these days.
Anne: "When you write here on controversial topics, you are clear, direct, your prose builds, you include links that are interesting and to the point, and there's humor. Do you have to do rewrites and research, then let them sit, and go back for re-reading? Or is what I read frequently off-the-cuff?"
Mostly off the cuff, but occasionally researched. And sometimes inbetween. Note as a former journalist, current freelance writer and as a grad of the University of Chicago, research is not something I find particularly onerous, especially in the current era of All the Information At Your Fingertips. You can find a lot of information, of good quality, pretty quickly these days.
Docrocketscience: "Being an 'expert': So, you hold a BA in Philosophy, but have been paid to write as an expert on various topics, such as film, finance, and astronomy. I understand that film criticism is mostly just expressing an opinion, and that you likely did significant research when writing the 'Guide' books. I'm also familiar with (read: have heard of) the adage 'Fake it till you make it'. But, has the notion of presenting yourself (or being presented) as an expert in a subject in which you lack more traditional bona fides ever given you pause? If so, how do you reconcile? If not, why not?"
It doesn't particularly bother me because I find that the more time you work/write in a field, the more your backlog of work — if it is of good quality — answers the question of your expertise for you. It also helps to, you know, not overstate your bona fides. I've written science books but I'm not a scientist, and I'm happy to note that. Likewise, my experience with finance is as writer and consultant, not as, say, an accountant. I'm perfectly happy with letting people know of my experience and then letting them decide, based on that and on the writing at hand, what they think of the information I bring to the table.
Tim: "What are your thoughts (if any) on the new Harper Lee novel, Go Set a Watchman, scheduled for release later this year, as well as the controversy and questions regarding her condition and wishes for the novel?"
My own personal gut feeling about this, unsupported by anything else, is that if Harper Lee had wanted the book out there in the world, it would have been out there already. Other than that, no opinion.
Yoyogod: "As a science fiction writer (and occasional ukelele player), what are your thoughts on filk music?"
If it makes people happy, then filk on.
Knightwork: "Since you've recently made another lap around the sun, would you reflect on the advance of writing technology in your life? Would you still be a writer if you were stuck with using an old Olvetti typewriter, white out, and carbon paper?"
I've always made it clear how delighted I am I came of age when computers started being the primary way to put down words, as the ease of editing it affords is hugely congenial to my personal work flow. I don't want to say I wouldn't be a writer if I had had to work on a typewriter, but I can say I imagine I would be a lot crankier about the writing and editing process, and also that the first thing I would have done when I became successful as a writer would have been to hire a typist to rekey everything after edits, because honestly, retyping is a bunch of bullshit, right there.
Lanternhues: "How would the discovery of (or the being discovered by) an intelligent alien species change the science fiction genre?"
Well, a lot of first contact stories would go right out the window, that's for sure.


text:
From School Library Journal
About the Author
Gabrielle Douglas is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she made history, becoming the first US gymnast to take home a team and an individual gold medal in the same Olympics. Gabrielle began her training at age six, and became the Virginia State Champion only two years later. When she was fourteen, she left her family in Virginia Beach to train with coach Liang Chow in Des Moines, Iowa. Under Chow's guidance, and with tremendous faith in God's plan for her, Gabrielle competed in the Olympic Trials and walked away with the only guaranteed spot on the team. Since her Olympic triumph, Gabrielle has used her platform to inspire millions with a powerful message: With hard work and persistence, any dream is possible. Visit her online at www.gabrielledouglas.com
Michelle Burford is a Harvard-trained journalist in Manhattan and a founding editor of O, The Oprah Magazine. Though she has visited nearly three dozen countries on six continents and interviewed scores of folks along the way, she'd never once even attempted a cartwheel until the day she watched Gabby claim the Olympic gold medal. One month and two enormous bumps on the forehead later, Michelle teamed up with Gabby to bring you the story behind the story. To check out more of Michelle's creations, swing by www.michelleburford.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Chris James ft. Pusha T - Love Hates Me
Artist: Chris James
Featuring: Pusha T
Producer: Chris James, J. Parker
Album: L.I.F.E., (Love Isn't For Everyone)
Avg Rating: 3.5 ( 4 votes )
Gonna be spending next Friday night at home with Netflix, while all your friends are enjoying romantic dinners with their significant others? Yeah, me too. Rather than feeling down about being alone, though, take solace in the fact that you're not stuck in a sh*tty relationship, like the one Booth newcomer Chris James describes on new single Love Hates Me. Over a synth beat created in collaboration with J. Parker, the singer recounts his love affair with a woman more interested in messing with his mind than building a life together. Guest emcee Pusha T offers a diametrically opposed perspective on the back, outlining the noncommittal philosophy that's helped him avoid heartache. He also has some provocative words for rivals in the music game: "I just dropped album of the year / Better know who you're f**kin' with." L.I.F.E., (Love Isn't for Everyone) has yet to receive a drop date, but those feeling this single can keep their browsers locked for the latest singles and release details.
Chris JamesPusha T Music VideosR&B/PopIndie
Written by richard on Feb 09, 2014
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text:
Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Mr D.C. Gupta, former Finance Secretary, was sworn in as Member in the Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission ((MRTPC) on Friday.
He was administered the oath of office by the Chairman of MRTPC, Mr Justice B.K. Rathi.
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text:
Shapes for OrnetteClaudius Valk
At Work
Konnex Records
At Work (Konnex-Records) by Claudius Valk
Highly improvisational yet intimately accessible, Valk Trio achieves a warmth out of experimentation and a cohesion in their free play. This was a nice addition to our AAJ dotd schedule. Jazz from the Cologne, Germany scene.
Dedication to the great "Ornette Coleman" with big thanks for a lifetime inspiration. Claudius Valk (sax), Martin Gjakonovski (bass), and Roland Hppner (drums).
This track appears by permission of contributing artist and/or record company. It is for personal use only; no other rights are granted or implied.


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Mon-Fri: 7am-1am EST / Sat-Sun: 7am-11pm EST
ApplianceGeneral Electric Refrigerator
Level of DifficultyEasy
Time to do repair1- 2 hours
Age of ApplianceMore than 10 years
Screw driversWrench set
The part came within 3 days. But it was only one cam. Part was described assembly so i thought it had both cams. I ordered the upper cam which attached to the door bottom. When I matched the new to the old --they were different. They looked the same until you put them side by side. Being the mechanic I am, I cut the rivet holding the assembly cam and pop riveted it to the old assembly. It was not difficult but annoying as I had the correct model (I have the original use and care guide book). I must commend PartSelect for their promptness.
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Part Number: PS290655
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Intelligence officers are typically hired by governments, usually by defense or intelligence-gathering departments; however, private contractors hired by the government may also employ these professionals. Intelligence officers often spend much of their time doing office work and analysis, spending comparatively little time in the field. Intelligence officers are frequently distinguished from field operatives or agents in that they are not necessarily specifically charged with gathering sensitive data and intelligence. While that may be something an intelligence officer is asked to do, they are more typically responsible for performing analysis, looking for patterns in large data fields, and examining, categorizing, and organizing collected information. Intelligence officers are expected to be able to think clearly and quickly when needed, but also also be able to conduct long and intensive investigations. Additionally, they are expected to keep secure all information and intelligence-gathering methodologies.Read More...
To work as an intelligence officer, a person typically needs a strong educational background in disciplines that involve statistics, mathematics, and matters related to criminal law or international affairs. While the formal education requirements are flexible (and in some cases do not require university education), many intelligence officers are likely to have at least some graduate school education. Prospective intelligence officers should expect an involved application process that includes a deep background check and interviews with references in the course of earning security clearance. Officers are typically hired from internal personnel with experience in the field of intelligence and sensitive data gathering, as the security clearances necessary for the position.
U.S. Air Force (USAF) pays the most with a median salary of $86K, though with a large amount of variation, going from a low of $44K to a high of $129K.
While select Defense Intelligence Agency employees may bring in up to $136K, a median salary of only $73K — the lowest in the field — suggests a serious lag in the earnings department.
Professional skills reported by Intelligence Officers are few in number. Those who have experience with Human Intelligence, Signals Intelligence, and Research Analysis can expect to be compensated well for these skills. Most people familiar with Research Analysis also know Human Intelligence (HUMINT).
Median of all compensation (including tips, bonus, and overtime) by years of experience.
Intelligence Officers who reported more years of relevant experience also reported higher earnings. Although individuals who have less than five years' experience earn $65K on average, people with five to 10 years benefit from a notably larger average of $82K. On average, Intelligence Officers make $93K following one to two decades on the job. Survey participants who have worked for more than two decades report bringing in $107K on average.
Washington is home to an above-average pay rate for Intelligence Officers, 7 percent higher than the national average.
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Mike's Photography
My best photo's.
by Michael J Hach
Created by Hach Web Solutions CEO, Michael Hach. Thank you for taking your time to view my book! Many of my pictures that I took were from my wonderful two summers at Put-in-Bay, Ohio.
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Me, My Bike, and Cleveland
Published May 23, 2013
Published June 23, 2010
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text: We are a Frankfort based team looking to add a few players for the upcoming 2013 summer season. We are in need of another strong pitcher, catcher and a couple of other positions to fill out our roster. We will play in a minimum of 6-7 tournaments starting in late May after the middle school softball season ends. If interested please call Brian at 502 803 6143.


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News from WTOP
News from the AP
Mike Causey
Shows & Panels
Shows & Panels
- Agency of the Month
- Business of Government Hour
- The CFO Agenda: Delivering value from financial transparency and audit efforts in the public and private sector
- Cloud-Driven Data Insights in Government
- CXO Surveys
- Disaster Resilience for America
- Federal News Countdown
- Government Perspectives on Mobility and the Cloud
- Reducing Risk in the Cloud
- Reimagining the Next Generation of Government
Shows & Panels
- AFCEA Answers
- American Readiness: Renewable Power and Efficiency Technologies
- Ask the CIO
- The Business Case for Cloud Computing in Government
- Cloud-Driven Data Insights in Government
- Connecting the Dots: Digital Authentication in Government
- Data-Centric Approaches to Government in the Cloud
- Delivering the Digital Government Mission
- Federal Executive Forum
- Federal News Radio's National Cyber Security Awareness Month Special Panel Discussion
- Federal Tech Talk
- The Future of Government Data Centers
- Government Perspectives on Mobility and the Cloud
- Industrialized, Interoperable and Insight-driven Federal Health Panel
- Innovation and Tech Superiority through Acquisition Reform
- Mitigating Insider Threats in Virtual & Cloud Environments
- Moving Agency Applications to the Cloud with PaaS
- Reducing Risk in the Cloud
- Security in the Age of Targeted Attacks
- Air Traffic Management Transformation Report
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- Modern Mission Critical Series
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- The New IP for Federal IT
- The Social Platform Solution for the Department of Veterans Affairs
- Technology Insights
- The Cyber Security Report
- The Next Generation Cyber Security Experts
Shows & Panels
- Cloud-Driven Data Insights in Government
- Disaster Resilience for America
- F-35 Lightning II Program
- Government Perspectives on Mobility and the Cloud
- On DoD
- Pentagon Solutions
- Reducing Risk in the Cloud
- Reimagining the Next Generation of Government
- Transforming Business Operations at the Defense Department
Search Result
Search Tags: fairfax county
Parents withdraw lawsuit over closed Va. school
A lawsuit has been dropped challenging how the Fairfax County Public School Board conducted a meeting about a school closure, but continued attention to the issue could change the way the county government operates.
Tags: Clifton Elementary School
How will Fairfax Co. weather the financial storm?
It is one of the richest counties in the nation and has weathered the recession better than almost all others, but Fairfax County is still facing some lean times.
Tags: Dulles Rail , Dulles Rail Project , Sharon Bulova , Fort Belvoir , Jack Dale
Fairfax teachers push county for school change
As the Fairfax County School Board looks to its 2012 budget, teachers and their unions are considering ways to force change to the system they deem essential.
Tags: Fairfax County School Board , Fairfax County Public Schools , Fairfax County Federation of Teachers , Steven Greenburg , Michael Hairston , Fairfax Education Associationociation
Doting grandmother charged with child's murder
Police have not said what may have motivated a grandmother to allegedly toss her granddaughter off a mall walkway at Tysons Corner Center.
Tags: Tysons Corner , Carmela Dela Rosa , Fairfax County Police , Kristi King , Paul D. Shinkman , Angelyn Ogdoc , Hank Silverberg , granddaughter tossed , Diocese of Arlington , Kathlyn Ogdoc , James Ogdoc
Local Va. governments brace for health care costs
Local governments are bracing for what some say will be a dramatic increase in costs stemming from the federal health care bill.
Tags: health care , Prince William County , Fairfax County Federation of Teachers , Corey Stewart , Sally Todd , Hank Silverberg
Numbers show promise for area job seekers
For many people, the perfect Christmas gift this year would be a job. And there are some encouraging signs for job hunters around the D.C. area.
Tags: jobs , unemployment , Arlington County , Montgomery County , Loudoun County , Fairfax County Economic Development Authority , Michelle Basch
Va. high school does away with report card 'F's
Students will be allowed to make up missed or poorly done work, and will only get an 'F' if they fail to do so in future months.
Tags: West Potomac High School , Alexandria , F , failing grades , incomplete , report cards
You live in nation's richest counties
When it comes to median household income, Loudoun County takes the No. 1 spot, followed by Fairfax County. Five other area counties also make the list.
Tags: Charles County , Calvert County , Loudoun County , Arlington County , Montgomery County , Howard County , Newsweek , Mark Segraves , Gary Emerling , richest counties , wealthiest counties
The campaign is over, but the signs remain
Residents throughout the area must still content with the hundreds of political signs and posters skewered on lamp posts and stuck in tree boxes.
Tags: campaign , campaign ads , Mark Segraves , Montgomery County , campaign signs , signs , department of public works
Week after election, Fimian concedes to Connolly
Republican challenger Keith Fimian is conceding a narrow loss to Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly in last week's 11th Congressional District race.
Tags: Gerry Connolly , Keith Fimian , 11th Congressional District , elections , recount , Prince William County


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I just downloaded Texture Atlas from the "Free Texture Atlas" offer on the DAZ website. I thought this "free" Texture Atlas version(the DAZ ad didn't specify which version)was compatible with 4.5Pro. But after I try to install it, I got a message that"DAZ3 was not found in the computer,and will abort installation".
I hope DAZ will specify clearly that the "free" version of the software plugin will not be compatible with the new update 4.5Pro! I felt I was misguided.
Is there a "free" or compatible version of Texture Atlas compatible with 4.5Pro.?


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League Tables
Team Finder
Online Documents
- MCYL Code of Conduct
- MCYFL League Tables
MCYFL Documents
- Team Official Registration Form
- Player Transfer Form
Welcome To The MCYFL Team Index
This website hosts the TEAM INDEX for the clubs that comprise the Mid-Cheshire Youth Football League. This facility is free to all members of the league. It contains maps, directions, postcodes, team colours, contact details for managers and assistants and more.... More
League News
Top Striker Wanted! - Witton Under 12s
(FJ Admin 26/03/2015)
Witton Under 12s of MCYL Division 1 are looking for an 'experienced' striker to join our fantastic team. If interested email Peter Harman at firstname.lastname@example.com or ring 07968849867.
Players Wanted - Woodford JFC U12's
(FJ Admin 26/03/2015)
Woodford JFC Under 12's Division 1, are looking for a couple of experienced players to support the move to 11v11 next season, please contact via email or phone for further information. Email:- email@example.com Call:- Simon 07751715737.
Publishing Team Details
(FJ Admin 21/11/2014)
Clubs who wish to make their team contact details available to other clubs (e.g. Team Finder - adjacent) must now do so using their own Football Juniors... More
Players Wanted - Woodford U7s And U8s
(FJ Admin 29/10/2014)
Woodford JFC are looking to kickstart a number of new exciting teams, we are looking for U7 and U8 players to take part in structured training sessions with an objective of building new teams to play football in the MCYFL. Email:-... More
Publishing Articles On This Website
(FJ Admin 12/06/2013)
If you want to publish an article on this page please contact Website Support using the link in available in Contacts.
Any requests must be relavent to the league.
Any requests must be relavent to the league.
Contacting The League
(FJ Admin 27/04/2011)
Any external communication with the league should be directed to the League Secretary - John Poole (see contacts). Club officials are reminded that contact with the league should be via their Club Secretary or their Division Rep.


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Photo Galleries
Photo gallery: The 2014 Producers Ball
The industry kicks off TIFF at the Royal Ontario Museum for the fourth annual Producers Ball, hosted by Scott Brothers Entertainment.
Photo gallery: The NFB's 75th anniversary gala
The venerable institution marked 75 years of filmmaking in a special ceremony at Queen's Park in Toronto.
Photo Gallery: Grand opening of CFC Northern Dancer Pavilion
It rained cats and dogs, but that didn't stop racehorse Ada Storm from coming out to honour the naming of the CFC's new venue after her great-great grandparent Northern Dancer.
Photo gallery: The Alpern Group celebrates 20 years
Ahead of Canadian Screen Week, Canadian writers and producers gathered to celebrate the talent agency's 20th anniversary.
Photo Gallery: 2014 ACTRA Awards in Toronto
Photos from this year's ACTRA Awards in Toronto, which took place Feb. 22 at The Carlu.
Photo Gallery: 2014 CFC Annual Gala & Auction
Canadian industry talent, personalities and execs gather at The Carlu in Toronto for the annual gala event. (Measha Brueggergosman and Bill King pictured)
Photo Gallery: Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
The industry comes out to celebrate Toronto critics' take on the year's best in film.
A WIFT-T affair
High-profile talent and executives from the Canadian film and TV industry gathered Tuesday to celebrate the annual Crystal Awards. (Photo gallery.)
Playback Hall of Fame media gallery (part 2)
The main event: After rousing red carpet reunions and cocktail-hour conversations, Playback honoured six new inductees into the Canadian Film and TV Hall of Fame.
Playback Hall of Fame media gallery (part 1)
From the red carpet, video and photography of Playback's Canadian Film & TV Hall of Fame inductees, honourees, guests and presenters.


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Companies start competing for bailout money
The bailout is now the hottest lobbying game in town.
Insurers, automakers and American subsidiaries of foreign banks all want the Treasury Department to cut them a piece of the largest government rescue in U.S. history.
The betting is that many with their hands out will be successful, especially with financial markets in a stomach-churning dive and predictions the economy is about to tumble into a deep recession.
These groups argue that the credit squeeze is so severe and the risks to the economy so dire that their industries need financial support as well.
The Treasury is considering requests from a variety of industries, but has not decided whether to expand the program, officials said Saturday.
Lobbying efforts are intensifying.
The Financial Services Roundtable wrote Treasury officials on Friday requesting that the initiative to buy $250 billion in bank stock grow to cover insurers, auto companies, securities dealers and U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, including banks. The Treasury's plan is intended to bolster banks' tattered balance sheets and get them to resume making loans.
As the Treasury now interprets it, these additional groups would not participate in the bank stock program. They could receive help from a separate part of the $700 billion rescue that will buy bad assets from financial institutions.
Steve Bartlett, the president of the Roundtable, urged the Treasury to broaden the definition of those eligible for the stock purchase program.
"The institutions that are excluded play a vital role in the U.S. economy by providing liquidity to the market," Bartlett wrote Neel Kashkari, the Treasury Department official running the bailout program.
Referring to U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, Bartlett said, "This is a global crisis and to not recognize the U.S. firms controlled by foreign banks or companies would create further impediment to the market's recovery."
A financial industry official said Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson met over the past week with various groups, including hedge fund managers, that were petitioning for assistance. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the Treasury has not made a decision.
This official said the discussions with insurance industry executives were being held in advance of what are expected to be disappointing earnings reports by some insurance companies in the coming week.
The official said the insurance industry would like to get government purchases of their stock on a mandatory basis, duplicating the agreement Paulson struck two weeks ago with nine major banks.
Paulson pressured the big banks to go along with the program as a way of removing the stigma that might be attached to the payments if only a few major banks had received them.
Some insurers technically would be eligible for stock purchases now if they own subsidiaries that are savings and loan institutions regulated by the Office of Thrift Supervision.
Last month, American International Group, the country's largest insurance company, received an $85 billion loan from the Federal Reserve. Since then, it has gotten further support in an effort to withstand the biggest upheavals on Wall Street since the Great Depression.


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Trout/Fly Fishing School with Jim Rogers
26248 Hwy. 64A
Lebanon Missouri 65536United States
(417) 532-4307
Editor's Review
Learn to fish or tie a fly with a master caster in Bennett Springs State Park.
Jim Rogers is a concessionaire with the park. He and his wife run the store, the dining lodge and the cabins. His fishing school is well-known throughout the area, and he brags that he can get anyone to catch a fish in these streams within 30 minutes. He is helpful and generous in his praise as he teaches.Jim has an instructional area in the park store, where he shows videos, does small demonstrations and teaches fly tying. All of the paraphernalia you need for a few hours or few days on the river is available here, including licenses, waders and lures. A scale outside the store means you can have bragging rights honestly. Serious trout fishermen here are on the water at 6 a.m. when the bells ring, sounding the start of the fishing day. That's when Jim prefers to teach, but if you prefer to sleep in, he'll work with you whatever time of day you prefer. We liked getting up early to soak in the beauty of mist on the river.


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7 Best Extended Stay Hotels
Le Montrose Suite Hotel, Los Angeles
This four star hotel is ideal for business travelers with its 825-square-foot presentation space, a business center, Wi-Fi and laundry services. Le Montrose is also conveniently located near Los Angeles and West Hollywood's major business districts and is just 12 minutes north of LAX. Rooms are currently available for about $255 per night.


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Taking a rest, Plitvicka Jezera National Park
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
There are two options the get the area of the Upper Lakes; at the natural barriere in between lakes of Milanovac and Kozjak you can turn right to get there by the boat tour, or you can turn right to get there walking.
This is the resting place at lake of Kozjak right in front of the little port from where the boat-tour takes you to the Upper Lakes.
The resting place is an huge green open space with cafe-bar, restaurant and the toilette. It is situated on the shore of the Lake of Kozjak.
There are also a couple of stands where the locals offers delicious homemade sweats and sometimes honey and natural drinks.
In case you have started your walking tour of the Lower Lakes from the Entrance 1, it ends here on the shore of the Kozjak Lake, or vice versa, it starts right here to those who have entered at the Entrance 2.
The NP boat will take you to the other side of the Kozjak Lake, in the area of Burget, where the tour of the Upper Lakes starts.
Get an instant answer from local experts and frequent travelers


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Pet Gold Vita Tabs For Cats
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(4.8 out of 5, based on 4 reviews)
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Pet Gold tabs keep cats healthy
posted 7 years ago
The cats rebel but they get their vitamin tabs anyway. Their coats are sleek and shiney and they stay healthy--rarely get sick.
Pros: Keep my cats healthy
Cons: Of course they don't want to take them!
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Bradesco, CPFL Energia, Lupatech, Usiminas: Brazilian Stocks
Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- The following companies had unusual price changes in Sao Paulo trading. Stock symbols are in parentheses and prices are as of 3:30 p.m. New York time. Preferred shares are usually the most-traded class of stock.
The Bovespa stock index increased 2.4 percent to 69,345.85.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Credit Suisse Group AG said banks may benefit as Brazil's central bank starts raising interest rates.
Banco Bradesco SA, Brazil's second-biggest bank by market value, gained 2.2 percent to 34.31 reais.
Banco Santander Brasil SA (SANB11 BS), Spain's biggest bank, jumped 4.5 percent to 23.14 reais.
CPFL Energia SA (CPFE3 BS) rose 1.8 percent to 40.40 reais. Brazil's largest private-sector power distributor approved the issue of 280 million reais ($164.2 million) in bonds redeemable in December 2013, according to a regulatory filing.
Lupatech SA (LUPA3 BS) surged 5.8 percent to 20.10 reais. Brazil's biggest provider of oil equipment and services entered into an agreement with Petroleo Brasileiro SA to provide technical services to the state-run oil company worth 112.2 million reais over five years, according to a regulatory filing. The contract is renewable for a further five years and begins in April 2011.
Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas Gerais SA (USIM5 BS) climbed 1.4 percent to 18.96 reais after falling for four days. Brazil's second-biggest steelmaker gained after new vehicle sales in Brazil rose 30 percent in November from a year earlier to 328,418 units, the country's car dealership federation, known as Fenabrave, said today.
To contact the reporter on this story: Camila Russo in New York at firstname.lastname@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Papadopoulos at email@example.com


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From the Publisher
From the reviews:
"The book introduces a new class of nonassociative algebras, called evolution algebras, and discusses in detail many applications of evolution algebras in stochastic processes and genetics. … The book under review is suitable both for graduate students and researchers with interest in the theoretical biology, genetics, Markov process, graph theory, and nonassociative algebras and their applications. The text contains a clear, detailed and self-contained exposition of evolution algebras."(Fouad Zitan, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1136 (14), 2008)