Timeless — More Time Travel For Your Viewing Enjoyment

by | May 7, 2018 | TV & Movies

There is actually a network show that I’m quite enjoying.  TIMELESS on NBC.  It’s time travel crossed with conspiracy theory, but it’s also a mini history lesson in every episode.  It has an appealing cast particularly Abigail Spencer as Lucy Preston, Malcomb Barrett as Rufus Carlin and Goran Visnjic as Garcia Flynn.  There is the obligatory square jawed hero guy who is okay, but he less interesting then the three I mentioned earlier and also less interesting than the supporting cast. Our...

The Race for the Credits

by | May 1, 2018 | The Craft of Writing

Sunday I completed a scene in The Currency of War and realized that there was a lightness in my chest and that sense that I’d just taken a sip of champagne.  I always get that feeling when a project tips over and I’m into the end game.  Before this point it always feels like I’m climbing a very steep hill as I put in place all the pieces, make certain that every character’s motivations are clear and believable.  And then I’m like a downhill skier gaining speed...

Guns Versus Superheroes

by | Apr 14, 2018 | About Writing

I’ve been working with the four other writers involved in the next Wild Cards mosaic novel.  Mosaic novels are hard.  Instead of individual stories the person editing the book (me) has to weave together all the stories so it reads like a novel with, in this case, five different writers and five different point of view characters.  They meet, argue, fight together and against each other so we all using each others characters at different points in the book.  As most people know I’m...

Linnet Ellery Returns from the Dead!

by | Apr 3, 2018 | Newsflash

I’m happy to show off my very cool new covers for the Linnel Ellery books written by my alter-ego Phillipa Bornikova.  The first two books are being re-released this month and book three will be available on April 28th.  Feast your eyes.  

Trying to Save Myself From Committing More Mass Effect FanFic

by | Apr 3, 2018 | Game/Writing

I’m trying to save myself from a dream I had last night. So it was all Mass Effect, and I dreamed a story that I desperately want to write — which is so stupid because I have so much real work to do. But for all of you fellow Mass Effect players I will sketch out the broad strokes of the thing and hope that gets it out of my head so I won’t be tempted to write yet another piece of Mass Effect fan fic.   ***************************************And Now There are Spoilers From...

Follow Their Lead

by | Mar 24, 2018 | General

I’m going to be joining the March for Our Lives tomorrow in Santa Fe.  The determination and dedication of these young people is inspiring and I’m happy to follow their lead.  You can find if there is a march in your area here — https://event.marchforourlives.com/event/march-our-lives-events/search/  All we’re asking for are sensible limits and background checks for gun ownership.  We’re tired of living in fear at school, the movie theater, a concert, our work...

A Wealth of Wild Cards

by | Mar 24, 2018 | Wild Cards

This year will see the publication of a number of new Wild Cards books. Mississippi Roll has already been released: Up next will be Low Chicago June 12th the one and only time we will do time travel.  The stories range from the prehistoric to the recent past and run the gamut from funny to ironic to dark.   Followed by our British Book June 28th.  An extraordinary line up of writers that we’re thrilled to add to our Wild Cards gang and once again we show what happened from 1946 to...

Victor Milán — My Friend, My Mentor, and Ace

by | Feb 18, 2018 | General

I met Victor Milán appropriately enough in a bookstore when he was nineteen. He had just returned from hitchhiking around Europe and I was working at the bookstore earning some money before I started law school that fall. Six feet two inches tall, bright blue eyes and golden hair, he definitely caught my attention. We fell to talking and he told me he had spent time Catalonia looking for his ancestors and he wanted to write a book that drew on that rich history. Fast forward to July of 2015...

Wild Cards Chatter

by | Jan 31, 2018 | General

I wanted to let folks know that there are going to be able to find Wild Cards showing up in a lot more places and our web folks have some fun things planned. You can follow all the action here: https://www.facebook.com/WildCardsWorld/ http://www.instagram.com/wildcardsworld Tweets by wildcardsseries https://plus.google.com/114503966468284848815 Also don’t forget our website for all things Wild Cards which can be found here:...

Is This It?

by | Jan 12, 2018 | General

@LivingBlueinRed: “White rural America was cool with democracy until it was faced with the possibility of becoming a minority” @FrankConniff: “I don’t get it. Why would Trump prefer immigrants from Norway over immigrants from Haiti and African countries? What’s the one factor that makes Norwegians different? Am I missing something?” This is one of those days where I wonder “is this it? Is this the bridge too far that will finally make Republican lawmakers place...

Skating Past the Consequential

by | Jan 6, 2018 | About Writing

If you haven’t seen Thor: Ragnarok there are some minor SPOILERS and also a couple of SPOILERS about The Dark World in this post so read no further if you are dismayed by spoilers. Recently I had a similar reaction in two very different mediums within a few days of each other. The first was when I went to see Thor: Ragnarok. (I love the Thor movies and I don’t think it’s entirely due to Tom Hiddleston as Loki.) For those of you who share my passion for all things Asgardian it was made clear in...

Political Musings on a Monday Morning

by | Dec 11, 2017 | General

Here are my thoughts on the probable outcome of tomorrow’s special election in Alabama. Roy Moore is probably going to win. I’d like to hope it will be a squeaker, but I fear that whatever the margin it will be a win for the sexual predator. And inevitably Democrats and liberals and independents and progressives are going to get depressed. Don’t. The fact we will have come close to sending a Democrat to Congress from a fire engine red state is pretty remarkable. Remember that...

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

by | Dec 7, 2017 | General

Let me repeat that — No good deed goes unpunished. Sadly that may come to pass as one major political party becomes ever more unmoored from basic decency and ethics and determined to place the retention of power over the retention and protection of our Constitution, our institutions, and our very democracy. Meanwhile the other tries to maintain standards, to “Go high” in the words of our previous First Lady and is rewarded for this by seeing itself losing the ability to protect those...

Hamilton and Other Founding Fathers

by | Nov 16, 2017 | Blog

So I saw Hamilton last night. And yes, there is a reason it won every Tony it could possibly win. And yes, I’m so glad I spent the money and bought a ticket. Because it’s L.A. and just getting anywhere is always a challenge I left the house at four o’clock to drive to the Universal City Metro Station to catch the Red Line to Hollywood and Vine. I bought a tap card, loaded on some credit and headed to the trains. The station at Universal is very modern and a bit SciFi in its look, but it...

Perfection the Enemy of Drama

by | Oct 26, 2017 | The Craft of Writing

I am a naif in the ways of Amazon so today a good friend, Sage Walker, was guiding me through how to look up Amazon rankings, etc. As you all know I don’t read reviews. If they are positive you get a swelled head. If they are bad it just makes you feel shitty and helpless because at that point your book is published and there’s not a damn thing you can do to fix whatever the reviewer (or random person on Amazon or Goodreads) thought was wrong with the book. But as I was discovering where to...