In Honor of Mother’s Day
In honor of Mother's Day, let's talk about the greatest mothers in sci-fi and fantasy. Sadly, thanks to cloning vats and a bias toward orphan heroes, there aren't as many mothers out there taking care of protagonists as there ought to be. So who does make the list?...
Meet my cat, Soria…
The life of a writer can be lonely and isolating at times. When I first started writing full-time, my wife was still working a day job. That left me at home with a computer for 8 hours a day plus the length of a lunch and commute (both ways). She worried about my...
I’m Giving You a Time Machine
I don't know when it will happen, but a time machine will be delivered for everyone to use. Someday, one will get invented, and I'll convince the owner/inventor to let me borrow it (I think sci-fi writers will get a special pass to the head of the line since we...
Let’s Talk About Monsters
Monsters are everywhere! In fiction, at least. Fantasy and horror have a particular affinity for monsters, and I'm not really a horror writer (although a few of my characters might beg to differ). From faeries to hellhounds, fantasy monsters run the gamut of...
Science gave us a cool Black Hole photo this week…now what?
So, scientists have now taken pictures of a black hole (or, to be precise, everything BUT the black hole). Dr. Katie Bouman and her team have given Earth its first glimpse of the center of a neighboring galaxy. But what do we do with them? First off, we share the...
Game of Predicting Thrones
As a longtime fan of Game of Thrones (in book form, no less!), I'm excited at the prospect of the final season of the TV version wrapping up, even if George R.R. Martin claims it won't have the same ending as the books. Who cares? The series has been building toward...
Build Your Own Starship
I want a spaceship. YOU want a spaceship. I'm pretty sure, given the chance, nearly anyone on Earth would want a working, interstellar spaceship all their own. But what KIND do you want? Are you looking for the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy? A force to be...
So You Want to Be a Wizard…
I think anyone who's read books or watched movies has, at some point, contemplated being a wizard. Whether it's a simple wish to levitate traffic out of your way or childhood fantasies of knights and dragons, facing down monsters with a toilet brush (to your mother's...
Are any shows “appointment television” for you?
"Appointment television" hasn't died, but Netflix sure is trying to strangle it. And while I'm certainly one to binge whole seasons or series in a stretch, I still take time to selectively keep up with a few special shows. Via DVR, of course. I barely keep track of...
I’m battling cyborgs, building Dyson spheres, and corrupting primitive societies with advanced tech…
I can't be the only gamer around here, can I? My wife and I just got back from a publishing conference, and I'm still recovering. Between shoveling the driveway at 3:00 a.m. before our flight out, and a week of stuffing my brain with new ideas, I'm just now easing...