by Melinda Snodgrass | Feb 10, 2010 | Blog
Okay, I seem to be incapable of embedding videos into my blog posts. Sorry I’m so lame. It’s probably time to sit down with the ever patient Cory, and figure out what I am doing wrong. I’m becoming more and more depressed with the state of the world. The fact it is once again grey and dreary may be part of the problem, but I’m sad over so many things right now.
by Melinda Snodgrass | Feb 9, 2010 | Blog
This is a wonderful clip from the Colbert Report regarding Palin and her Tea Party speech. It’s funny, but while you’re laughing please keep in mind that this woman is scary dangerous. I’m with Andrew Sullivan on this. Given the climate in this country, the fact she refuses to talk to anyone but Fox News, the other media outlets keep giving her a pass on her constant and inexplicable lies, I think there is a decent chance that she will win the Republican...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Feb 8, 2010 | Blog
I’m sitting in the living room with a fire burning, watching the snow come down. I should really go out and shovel the front steps and courtyard, but I really don’t want to. We drove through a mix of rain, snow, sleet and sun yesterday as Pat and I made our way back from Los Angeles. The worst part of the journey was the final few miles from the south end of Santa Fe to the house. I drove through desnse fog that swallowed the tail lights of the cars in front of me...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Feb 8, 2010 | Blog
Curse the Cassutt’s! They are pushers of great books! So I blogged about The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo a few days ago. Now I can talk about The Girl Who Played with Fire, the sequel. I read it in, basically, a day. I sat up until 11:00 pm to finish it and this was the night before I had to make the drive back to N.M. I thought this one ended a bit abruptly, but it was edge of your seat, frantic page turning all the way to the end. Not only does he...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Feb 6, 2010 | Blog
I’ve now seen six of the ten nominated pictures since we watched A Serious Man tonight. I liked it. I don’t think it’s one of the brother’s best, but much better than Burn After Reading that movie I really hated. Left to see — The Blind Side, Inglorious Bastards, Precious, and The Hurt Locker. I might not get all ten viewed before the ceremony. And yes, I’ll watch the telecast. I’m a sucker for the glitz, and I can dream...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Feb 4, 2010 | Blog
The Cassutt’s managed to blow my day in terms of accomplishing anything productive. They shoved The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson into my hands and said “read this”. It started out slowly, interesting but slow, two separate stories that slowly merge, and then BOOM, this book just grabs you and won’t let go. Actually even before the journalist and the girl start working together I was totally, hopelessly hooked. I actually read a little...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Feb 4, 2010 | Blog
Watched Up In The Air last night. It’s a little jewel. The dialogue is crisp and funny and poignant all at the same time. The performances are just lovely. It circles back on itself beautifully so that every little touch pays off. The direction is creative yet understated. I can see why it was nominated for Best Picture. I don’t think it will win — it will be viewed as too slight, but that’s a shame. I don’t want to give...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Feb 3, 2010 | Blog
I’ve copied off the words of Judge William Young who presided at the trial of the pathetic ‘Shoe Bomber”. This is what America and our institutions should look like. Not the pathetic, terrified Republicans, and the man who embraced and continues to embrace torture — Richard Cheney. “We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before.There is all too much war talk here. And I say...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Feb 2, 2010 | Blog
Mike Cassutt just showed me this adorable video. Why are cats so cute?
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 30, 2010 | Blog
In case anyone has wanted to see how the madness that is Wild Cards is constructed several of our writers are blogging about their experiences over on Tor.com. You can find Ian Tregillis’s post here, and Daniel Abraham’s post here. Enjoy.
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 27, 2010 | Blog
Beginning with the terrible loss of Ted Kennedy’s seat in Mass., followed by more details about the torture of prisoners in American custody — this time at Guantanamo and this time resulting in death, followed with the Dems rolling over and playing dead because they have lost one seat so now they have to become Republican lite, the general consensus that health care reform is dead — I’m driving around Santa Fe running errands when I see the bumper sticker on the van in...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 27, 2010 | Blog
This is very sad news. This was posted on the Green Man Review. It is from her sister. “Kage’s doctor has informed us she has reached the end of useful treatment. The cancer has slowed, but not stopped. It has continued to spread at an unnatural speed through her brain, her lungs and – now – reappeared in her abdomen. It is probably a matter of a few weeks, at most. Kage has fought very hard, but this is just too aggressive and mean. She’s...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 25, 2010 | Blog
A number of weeks ago Linda asked why are formulas popular since she hates them. This was a really interesting question, and I started giving it a lot of thought. I even brought it up as a lunch topic with my buds — Daniel Abraham, Walter Jon, Ty Frank and Sage Walker.The first thing that emerged is that I have an idiosyncratic use of the word formula. When I was talking about how the Butcher books had a formula — very short chapters that always ended in a cliff...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 23, 2010 | Blog
I just got an email from Gordon the Editor of F&SF reminding writers that the nominations for the Nebulas are about to close and are now done on line. So, I guess I’m going to cringe, but do this anyway. I had a story appear in the Aug/Sept. issue of F&SF that would be eligible for both the Nebula and the Hugo. So any SWFA members take note, and any readers could also take note. The story is called A Token of a Better Age, and it’s an Edge universe story...
by Melinda Snodgrass | Jan 21, 2010 | Blog
I just typed the final sentence of the urban fantasy, tentatively titled THIS CASE IS GONNA KILL ME. 85000 words, 346 pages. So one down and two to go to fulfill the contract. I think the next couple will be easier now that I’ve got the feel of this genre. I’m also going to buy Scrivener before I tackle the next one. I think it will mesh well with how my mind works. I’ll do a rewrite and send it off to Patrick, then gather the troops for a plot break...
