“Symphony for the Space Between Stars” is out in Fireside Magazine.
Music can be found anywhere, if you give yourself permission to make it. Read it now, or listen to the audio by C.S.E. Cooney! Also available in the print magazine Fireside Quarterly (pictured).
My 2017 in Pictures
I once again regret not taking pictures of all the wonderful people I spent time with this year. If you’re not pictured, please forgive me and come back for another visit — I’ll try to remedy the mistake! Click on the first picture and click through like a slideshow if you want to see the …
My 2016 in Pictures
I didn’t do much traveling in 2016, but I’m grateful that so many of my friends found their way to Portland. It was a difficult year for me personally, but it was not without its moments of joy and love.
New Anthology Essay: “Swashbuckle My Heart”
From Booklist: “At the heart of the collection are contributions that plunge deeply into dark recollections…these essays bear out how superheroes are powerful psychological receptacles, helping us define the crucial strength we need to survive—a sentiment which will be of great value to many soul-searchers…There’s ample insight to be found here, not the least of which is that superheroes have a deep, resounding place in our cultural and individual psyches.”
Teaching on the Coast!
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be teaching at the Oregon Coast Children’s Writers Workshop this year, from July 11-15, 2016! This is an intensive workshop for those who are not only passionate about children’s book writing, but who dream of publishing their own children’s books.Getting attendees published is the end goal. The course is designed …
Movie: Captain America: Civil War
I loved Captain America: The Winter Soldier so much that I fully expected to be disappointed by Captain America: Civil War. I wanted another Cap movie — particularly one where he pals around with Black Widow and Falcon again — not a movie overstuffed with Iron Man and a bunch of dudes from the Avengers. Much …
My 2015 in Pictures
2015 was a year of massive upheaval wherein my life changed in a number of profound ways.
Aluna Fan Art by Mentacose
Due to my recent videogame obsessions, I’ve been spending a lot more time on Tumblr these days. That’s how I found this incredible drawing of Aluna from the Above World series by artist Mentacose. I love everything about it — her hair, the expression in her eyes, her clothes, the breathing shell… she’s perfect! If …
Los Angeles, Portland, and the Shape of Life
I came to Los Angeles over fifteen years ago, when I was 29. I’d returned home from Clarion, gotten a divorce, and fled west with nothing but my car, my cat, and a desire for change. I certainly found it. Life in Los Angeles was the opposite of my life in Maryland, where I’d felt …
Handmade Book: Matchbook Memories
Back in 1997, my BFF Sally Felt suggested we attend a week-long workshop at the Split Rock summer camp in Duluth: “Cover to Cover” taught by (the now late) Shereen LaPlantz. We were both really into paper arts at the time, and a whole week making handmade books sounded like heaven. It was not heaven. Shereen worked …
F&SF, Asimov’s, and Milestones
Chris says it best: Many years ago, when Jenn and I started our writing careers, in different parts of the country and different lifetimes, there were two flagship magazines to which all new science fiction and fantasy writers aspired: Asimov’s Science Fiction and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Our careers took different paths …
Upon receiving my copy of the HORIZON paperback
Padded envelopes and boxes from one’s publisher are among the best surprises to find in one’s mailbox. Today, I received the gorgeous paperback edition of Above World book 3, Horizon. (My reaction faithfully reproduced in Photobooth triptych, above.) The front of the book looks just like the hardcover, but the back has the covers of books 1 …
Story on PodCastle: Sea City Six
Last year my flash story “The Sea City Six: Where Are They Now?” was published in that marvelous ‘zine Flytrap. (You can read it there for free right now. ) But if you prefer to listen to your stories, I have good news: “Sea City Six (Where Are They Now?)” is in the latest episode of …
My 2014 in Pictures
2014 wasn’t a great year for my career, but it was wonderful for everything else. I called it “the year of doing things and going places,” and that’s what I did. Here’s a small sampling of my adventures.
New T-Shirt Design: Jane Austen’s “My courage always rises”
New T-shirt design! This one is a typographic treatment of a quote from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: “My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me.” I’m thrilled with how it came out. I chose a brown shirt for my sample, but it works on many other colors as well and comes …
New T-Shirt Design: Jane Austen’s “My courage always rises” Read More »
Story Sale to F&SF!
Guest editor C.C. Finlay has bought my 700-word flash story “How to Masquerade as Human Before the Invasion” for Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine! The story will appear next year in either the March/April or September/October issue. This is my first sale to F&SF. A bunch of awesome friends read this piece and gave me …
Kung Fu Family Photo
One of my White Lotus Kung Fu classmates went back to college a few weeks ago and requested a photo before he left. Of course, he requested it after class, when we were all disgusting. Still, we were more than happy to oblige. Here, then, is a rare shot of some of my kung fu …
My Very Own T-Shirt Designs
One of the birthday presents I gave myself this year was to finally start designing t-shirts and putting them online… not necessarily to sell to other people, but so that I could start wearing more of my own stuff. [Edited to add:] If you’re interested in any of these designs, you’ll find purchasing options here: …
Stuff I Love: Vegan Onitsuka Tiger Sneakers
I haven’t done a “Stuff I Love” post in a while, which is silly since I love so many things. Today I want to recommend my latest find: vegan-friendly sneakers from Onitsuka Tiger. I have high standards when it comes to shoes, partly from having a bad back and partly because of my goal to …
Science Fiction World reprint
In May I mentioned that my “Tales of the Chinese Zodiac” stories were going to be reprinted in China’s Science Fiction World, and Lo! It has come to pass. I’ve never seen one of my stories translated before, so this is a ridiculous thrill. (I’m just assuming that this is my story given the illustration …
The Wonder of the Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop
Last week, I attended the Launch Pad Astronomy Workshop in Laramie, Wyoming. Here’s the description: Launch Pad is a workshop for established writers held in beautiful high-altitude Laramie, Wyoming. Launch Pad aims to provide a “crash course” for the attendees in modern astronomy science through guest lectures, and observation through the University of Wyoming’s professional …