November Question
Given the story about Quaeryt in the earlier years of Lydar and then about the Collegium in the first three books of The Imager Portfolio, it seems that some of the imaging techniques developed by...
View ArticleIncompetence
The other day was, as one children’s book puts it, “an awful, no-good, horrible, very bad day.” Well… it wasn’t THAT bad, by any measure, but it was incredibly frustrating. I discovered that a...
View ArticleThe Writing “Gender Gap”
On October 22nd, Liz Bourke’s article on “Reading, Writing, Radicalisation” appeared on Tor.com. In the article, she notes: “…the US market has seen near parity [in books published by male and female...
View ArticleThe Wild West Web
A little while ago I came across a book review website/blog that pretty much trashed my 2002 novel, Archform:Beauty in a way that was clear the blogger had neither any understanding of what the book...
View ArticleThe Latest Recluce Audiobook — Cheaper
Tantor Media has just announced its annual holiday sale, with every audiobook in CD or MP3 disc format at 50% off at www.tantor.com,. The lower price will also apply to the next available Recluce...
View ArticleSolution or Description?
Being married to a performing singer and university opera director means that I get to meet all sorts of people, ranging from students to retirees, from those who are very creative and interesting to...
View ArticleOne Trick (or Song) Ponies
Take two singers. One is a talented all-around musician, with a full grasp of her craft, pleasantly attractive, but not beauty pageant class. The other is beauty pageant class, with a good natural...
View ArticleHaving It Your Way
“Have It Your Way” was the central theme behind a series of Burger King commercials first aired in the early 1970s and then re-introduced and re-emphasized in the 2000s, and the idea has clearly a...
View ArticleDecember Question
Is there going to be a Modesitt Cookbook? There are so many interesting meals mentioned in so many novels, it would be fascinating to try out some of the recipes. At this point, I have no plans for a...
View ArticleReading… and Reading
There’s a huge difference between being able to decipher letters and grammatical structure and to recognize or say the words on the page and being able to truly read, that is, to understand what those...
View ArticleDependability
All too often I concentrate on talking about problems to be solved, but something occurred the other day that pointed out the value of a virtue too often ignored by students and others. My wife the...
View ArticleRex Regis Giveaway
Reviewer and blogger Stefan Raets is giving away three hardcover copies of Rex Regis on his website — Far Beyond Reality. Here’s the link...
View ArticleArticle 0
Once again, I haven’t been reading that much fiction because of the writing, but I did finish Kim Stanley Robinson’s 2312, which I found enjoyable and thought-provoking… as well as several other books...
View ArticleLawyers and Legalese
The university where my wife the professor teaches has just completed a search for a new president, necessary because his predecessor was hired by a much larger university for twice the salary he was...
View ArticleHoliday Thought
As the years pass, I feel they go by faster and faster and seem to get closer and closer together. Most people my age and older seem to feel the same way. Some who are younger do as well, but having...
View ArticleLast Minute Crush
Both UPS and FedEx announced that a significant number of Christmas packages were not delivered on time and in time for Christmas, although both package delivery services admitted that those were...
View Article2013 In Passing – Miscellaneous Thoughts
The year 2013 is on its very last legs and, from my point of view, sprinting to the finish. Like most years, it has had its good and bad points, the bad ones largely related to politics and government,...
View ArticleATVs
Yesterday I set out on my morning walk with the over-enthusiastic but sweet Aussie-Saluki, and after leaving the path through our property and entering the community footpath – which begins with a...
View ArticleNew York/Brooklyn Signing
On Friday, January 10, 2014, beginning at 7:00 P.M., I’ll be signing copies of the new Imager Portfolio book — Rex Regis — at the small specialty SF store Singularity & Co in Brooklyn. I don’t...
View ArticleJanuary Question
“Why don’t you have more signings on the East Coast?” That’s a question I’m asked often, and the answer is: First, it’s very expensive for a publisher to send authors from the west to the east coast,...
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