Stone Reader: One and done

Because I’m so far from the cutting edge that I’m likely to fall off the spine (that’s the flat part of the blade opposite the edge), I just now saw 2002’s documentary Stone Reader.  It’s a must-see for every writer, and especially for writers who wonder if anyone “gets” what they’re doing.  This is the story of how a writer … Read More

Reading in public: learn from my fails

I’ve attended a lot of readings, and been on both sides of the podium.  It can be nerve-wracking to look out at the crowd; it can be ennervating sitting in that crowd and realizing you’re in for a dire presentation.  I make no claim to being a “good” public reader, but I have learned some things from both reading and … Read More

Who are the Melungeons, and where did they come from?

My upcoming novel The Hum and the Shiver posits a secret, isolated race of people living in the middle of modern-day Appalachia.  They have a distinctive physical look, very different from those around them.  They hide in plain sight, using the standard Southern tactics of politeness and misdirection to deflect queries about themselves.  I call them the Tufa.  They’re entirely, totally … Read More

Meg Coburn, the forgotten action heroine

I love action heroines.  I’ve even put one in my next Eddie LaCrosse novel, Wake of the Bloody Angel.  But my standards require, if not strict adherence, at least lip service to the laws of the natural world.  That negates the whole concept of the “ass-kicking sprite,” wherein a tiny female character suddenly has the ability to overpower people (usually … Read More

Love, revenge, and Conan: what’s my motivation?

So there’s a new Conan the Barbarian movie.  And, if the previews are any indication, Conan spends the movie on a quest for revenge against the villain(s) who destroyed his village and murdered his family. I won’t go into how many ways this deviates from the original Robert E. Howard character (short answer: a lot). Instead, it got me thinking … Read More

Torchwood: For grownups, but not by them

[frame align=”left”] Captain Jack Harkness, who is VERY pleased to meet you. [/frame] As part of our immersion into the universe of Doctor Who, the management staff at Chez Bledsoe has been watching the first season of Torchwood. Basically an English (well, Welsh) version of The X-Files, it’s about a super-secret team who deal with otherworldly and paranormal dangers that beset contemporary … Read More

Guest blogging on the (re)claiming of Lois Lane

[frame align=”left”] [/frame]I’m guest blogging at SF Signal about Lois Lane, and how she changed between the original cut of Superman II and the 2006 restored “Donner Cut.” Stop by and leave a comment!  

Review: Miserere by Teresa Frohock

It’s not easy working religion into fantasy. Actually, that’s the wrong word: I should say “faith.” Anyone can invent a religion: both L. Ron Hubbard and George Lucas have made millions selling their made-up beliefs. But to depict the way faith works for people, the inner process of how belief gives strength, is hard. It always runs the risk of … Read More