Upcoming Appearance

I'll be in Chicago on June 23 for the Fiction to Film convention; more details here.

A Pinprick On an Otherwise Good Day

Having posted links to a number of interviews and reviews that made my day, it's probably only fair, in the interests of even-handed posting, to offer a link to the kind of review few authors would welcome. Other than that, no comment, because people have a right to their opinions and arguing with any reviewer only makes the writer look like an idiot. I've had days (and reviews) that were a lot worse, and if my hide hadn't grown tougher over the years, I wouldn't still be writing.

I should add that I'm not posting about a hatchet job here, far from it, but as Poul Anderson once said, the ideal review from the writer's point of view is "a few thousand words of closely-reasoned praise." Yes, we writers can be touchy bastards sometimes.

R.I.P. Ray Bradbury

Another of the most influential science fiction writers of the 20th century is gone. I was fortunate enough to meet Ray Bradbury in 1989 at a reception held in his honor by Bantam Books. Mr. Bradbury was in New York City to receive a Grand Master Award from the Science Fiction Writers of America; the award was presented to him by fellow writer, then-SFWA President, and major Bradbury fan Greg Bear. Bradbury brilliantly captured the mixture of innocence, terror, and wonder that characterizes childhood in his work. The New York Times obituary is here. 

The Sudden Star

My 1979 novel The Sudden Star (published in the U.K. under the title The White Death), is once again available from E-Reads in electronic and print-on-demand editions, as are a number of my other books.

Upcoming Appearances

I will be in Chicago on Saturday, June 23, at the Fiction to Film convention at the Westin O'Hare Hotel. The weekend after that, I'll be at the 2012 SFRA conference in Detroit to receive the Pilgrim Award, about which I remain surprised and delighted. Will post more details on both these events soon.