I’m pleased to announce that two of my stories and several non-fiction pieces saw publication in 2023. The story and novelette are eligible for various awards:
- “Murder at the Westminster Dino Show” is my short story appearing in The Reinvented Detective, edited by Cat Rambo & Jenn Brozek. Introducing my smart miniature tyrannosaurus, named Timidity Rex
- “Apollo in Retrograde” is my novelette published in the November/December 2023 issue of Analog. What does an astronaut do after being one of the first to walk on the Moon?
- My first three regular Analog Magazine book review column (The Reference Librarian) were in the March/April 2023, July/August 2023, and November/December 2023 issues of Analog Magazine. Find some great reads!
Here are my In-Person and Virtual Appearances (some still available to watch!) plus podcasts and on-line interviews:
- Go Indie Now panel on Amazon’s shabby treatment of Indie Periodicals
- A Writer Reads, Podcast by Rachel A. Brune
- Amazing Stories interview: Unexpected Questions
- Multiverse (SF & fantasy convention in Atlanta)
- Q & A with me on writing “Apollo in Retrograde” for The Amazing Analog Companion blog
Novels that rocked my world in 2023:
- Translation State by Ann Leckie (the follow-on to her Ancillary Justice, Sword, and Mercy series I didn’t know I needed)
- The Deep Sky by Yume Kitasei (debut space opera done so differently)
- The Terraformers by Annalee Newitz (far future hominid blends plus a talking, flying moose!)
- The Dabare Snake Launcher by Joelle Presby (not easy to build a space elevator in Africa)
- Babel, or the Necessity of Violence by R.F. Kuang (fantasy with translators + 19th century colonialism)
Books I Vowed To Read Immediately That Still Languish on My TBR Pile (why, oh why?):
- Fevered Star: Rebecca Roanhorse. Black Sun was utterly engaging.
- He Who Drowned the World: Shelley Parker-Chan. I so loved She Who Became the Sun.
Most Unexpected Pleasure (tie):
- Spending much of November at Castell de Llaes in Spain writing, reading, and hanging with exceedingly talented short fiction authors! Yeah, it’s a tenth century castle with gorgeous views of the Pyrenees.
- Spending a week at Rio Hondo in New Mexico with other exceedingly talented writers. I can never get enough of hiking around Taos.
Best Trip:
- Cruising from Santiago, Chile down the coast of South America to Cape Horn and passing a pod of hundreds of whales going the other direction. More hiking, kayaking, and photography!
- Runner-up: Visiting ancient megaliths in Scotland with great friends. OK, I love all the geology.
Best Educational Opportunities:
- Smithsonian Institution on-line classes about art, science, history, prehistory
- National Museum of Natural History programs on human ancestors
Best Live Performance:
- The Royal Shakespeare Company’s performance of Julius Caesar
Guilty Pleasure:
- Staring in surprise at my name on the cover of two different issues of an esteemed periodical (hint: it’s Analog)
Things to come in 2024: Watch this space for announcements about:
- New novels and stories by terrific science fiction writers, which I review in my regular Analog Magazine book review column (The Reference Librarian)
- “Who’s a Good Hell Hound?” is flash fiction set to appear in the anthology, 99 Fleeting Fantasies edited by the amazing Jennifer Brozek
- My first science fact article appears in the January/February 2024 issue of Analog Magazine (available now, no waiting)
- But wait, there’s more fun stuff I can’t disclose yet!