Outdoor Christmas Tree in Istanbul, Turkey

This week’s word for Wednesday is Kirsmas-Glass, a noun meaning a drink made to toast a house or a family on Christmas day.

Awards:

The Game Awards were presented on December 7, 2017, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

Flash fiction? Microfic? Nanofic? The London Independent Story Prize wants to see your 300 word story. Yes. 300 words. When I first read it I thought it was 3,000. There is an entry fee, and the deadline is 1/10/18. Good luck!

Books and Writing:

John Scalzi and Netflix Read More

This month’s words for Wednesday will all have a Yule or winter theme, and to start us off is the noun hogamadog, which means a big ball of snow made by rolling a smaller ball of snow around and around in the snow.


Prizes:

The James White Prize for non-professional writers is open now through April 27, 2018. The winner will have a story published in Interzone.

Books and Writing:

Why yes, women have always written space opera.

Read More

Fall leaves (c) Marion Deeds

Thanksgiving:

For all our USA readers, I wish you a happy, fun and loving Thanksgiving with plenty of American football; for all readers outside the US, have a good Thursday tomorrow, and everybody have a good week.

Thanksgiving is beginning to get tarnished between the relentless drive to transmute it from a day with loved ones and friends to a shopping extravaganza and the historical ties to colonialism and genocide. For me, still, it is a holiday for seeing friends and loved ones, taking stock, and spending a moment to be consciously grateful for what I have in my life.

About six weeks ago, where I live, devastating wildland fires destroyed nearly 6,000 buildings, most of them homes. People died in the fires because they could not leave their homes quickly enough. I want to thank all the first responders, those from within the county, like the sher... Read More

Awards:


Mike Resnick won this year’s Galaxy Award, given in China, for favorite foreign author.

Conventions:
Jo Walton is using Kickstarter to fund an intimate convention in Montreal next year; Scintillation.

Books and Writing:

Danai Guria as OkoyeCR: Marvel Studios, Black Panther

Publishers Weekly gives its picks for the week. The Mannequin Makers s... Read More

All Saints Day

In most western Christianity, today is All Saints’ Day, also called All Hallows’ Day… which explains why yesterday was All Hallows’ Eve, or “e’en.” Some historians believe that the British and Celtic societies took November 1 as this holy day, which commemorates those who have died and are in heaven, is because it coincided with Samhain (“Som-Vahn”) which was their ending of the old year and also a day when the spirits of the dead were believed to be closest to the living. Other historians refute this and point to Germanic tribal traditions of the source of the November 1 date, so pick your pleasure.

The Day of the Dead, which was originally celebrated in Mexico and has been coopted by North Americans, seems to have drifted around a bit. The day, originally meant to remember the souls of the dead, used to be November 2. Now, according to Wikipedia, it actually starts at midnight on October 31 ... Read More

Obituary:

Julian May passed away earlier this month. She was best known the speculative fiction field for The Saga of the Pliocene Exile series, but May first published in 1951. She wrote nearly 300 novels in various genres under various pseudonyms. Locus has a nice obituary.

A seasonal black cat drawing.

Books and Writing:

Kirkus Reviews gave YA novel American Heart by Laura Moriarty a starred review. When commenters complained about the story, which tells the story of a Muslim refugee in America from the point of view of a white American teenager, senior editorial staff met with the reviewer, after which the reviewer changed her review and... Read More

Cat Pumpkin

Word for Wednesday:

According to Haggard Hawks, the noun trollock is old English for a worn our coat or garment. This word has also been appropriated to refer to certain behavior on the internet, as in, “Save your trollocking for those who haven’t read it a million times.”

Donations:

Northern coastal California is facing the most destructive set of wildfires in our history. In Sonoma County, where I live, 19% of the population has been displaced, at least temporarily, by the fires. The Red Cross (of course) will accept donations. If, like me, you prefer to donate to local groups when you can, the Redwood Empire Credit Union has a fund for victims of fires in Mendocin... Read More

Our prayers and love are with the people of Las Vegas.

Tribute:


We all know what the candle is for. Every day, I try to use my words to persuade, to heal and to help, but in the face of so much violence I can’t find any words right now. I will let this image speak for my heart.

Books and Writing:

The British Fantasy Awards were announced last weekend. The Best Fantasy Novel was The Tiger and the Wolf by Adrian Tchaikowsky, Best Novella was “The Ballad of Black Tom” by Victor LaValle, Best non fiction “Geek Feminist Revolution” by Ka... Read More

Conventions:

Nnedi Okorafor, Writer Guest of Honor,who is NOT George R.R. Martin, and who never takes a bad picture.

HawaiiCon was held on the big island of Hawai’i, September 14-18. The theme was “Slayer Wars,” which sounds odd, but it allowed the planning board to celebrate both the 50th year of Star Wars and the 20th anniversary of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Charisma Carpenter, Nicholas Brendon, Emma Caulfield and Amber Benson all attended to represent the BTVS contingent, while Daniel Logan (young Boba Fett) and Temeura Morrison (Jango Fett) were there from Star Wars. Your humble correspondent and our own Terry Weyna also participated, mostly on writing track panels. ... Read More

Obituary:

Jerry Pournelle, probably best known for his collaborations with Larry Niven, passed away on September 8. In addition to well-known books with Niven, Pournelle wrote a few by himself, and collaborated with writers like Michael Flynn, Dean Ng and S.M. Stirling. In later years, Pournelle shone as an editor, with anthologies like There Will Be War. SFWA’s obituary column can be found here. Cata Rambo, SFW... Read More

Today’s word for Wednesday is neocracy, a noun, meaning a government of amateurs.

Awards:

The Dragon Awards were announced on Sunday, September 3, at DragonCon. Here are the winners. Congratulations to James S.A. Corey, Victor LaValle, Larry Corriea and John Ringo, Rick Riordan, Read More

Reflections off Lake Tjornin, also called The Pond, in downtown Reykjavik.

This week’s word for Wednesday is Brennivin, an unsweetened Icelandic schnapps flavored with caraway that is considered the country’s signature beverage. It’s is marketed in the US as akavit. I’d like to say that after today there will be no more Icelandic words, but I can’t guarantee that. 

Earth:

This may be outdated by the time the column is posted, but this site allows people to donate diapers to families affected by Hurricane Harvey. Diapers are not considered an emergency supply and generally not provided by government or non-profit emergency relief groups.

The Continental Rift, where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are moving apart at the ra...

Read More

This week’s word for Wednesday: Opid Alla Daga (the “d” in “opid” has a barred tail) means “Open every day” in Icelandic. Kaestur Hakarl is a traditional Icelandic food, served since around the year 1000, that consists of putrefied, dried Greenland shark. I wouldn’t call it a “delicacy.” It’s more of a tradition, or maybe a dare.

Obituary:

Rest in peace, Brian Aldiss. (Thanks to Kat.)

Giveaways:

Giveaways are now current through August 17. I just want to note for the record that I go away for two weeks and my Fanlit colleagues schedule 175 giveaways! Okay, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration.

WorldCon:

Read More

The Hugo Awards were awarded on August 11 at WorldCon in Helsinki, Finland. N.K. Jemisin won for the second year in a row for The Obelisk Gate, the second in her BROKEN EARTH trilogy. The third book in the trilogy, The Stone Sky, just came out yesterday, so anyone who likes to wait until trilogies are complete before reading any of their parts can now dive in!  Oh, and here's some late-breaking news:  TNT is developing the first book in the trilogy, The Fifth Season, as a TV series.

More awards news: the Dragon Award nominations are out. The voti... Read More

Obituaries:

“Again? That trick never works!” The actor who voiced Rocket J Squirrel (Rocky and Bullwinkle), Natasha Badinoff, and many other famous cartoon characters, June Foray, passed away last week . She was 99 years old. She will live on the hearts of all of us who love the adventures of Moose and Squirrel.

Playwright Sam Shepherd also passed away this week.

Awards:

Colson Whitehead’s novel Underground Ra... Read More

From Haggard Hawks, “to meet the Skerrymen” is to keep as a secret the identity of someone with whom you had a meeting.

Conventions:

San Diego Comic-Con kicked off last Thursday. Syfy Wire has some nice cosplay stills here.

WorldCon 75 Mascot in Space

You know who didn’t like Comic-Con? United Airlines, that’s who. They restricted the packing of comic books in checked luggage.  United assured passengers, via Twitter, that this was a TSA requirement. Read More

Music:

Electric cellist Tina Guo plays the theme from Game of Thrones. (Personal note; I had never heard this song except for a parody of it by Weird Al Yankovich, then I heard it twice in one day. This was the second one.)



Awards:

The British Fantasy Award finalists have been announced. While you're there, check out their logo. That's a nice take on a Celtic dragon!

This year’s Shirley Jackson awards for horror writing have been announced. The Girls, by Emma Cline, won Best Novel, and “The Balla... Read More

UPDATE: Kelly Lasiter won Jeopardy last night!
Awards:

Baen Books has announced the finalists in the Baen Adventure Award. The award will be presented at GenCon on August 19, 2017.

Fairy Ring by John Waterhouse

Books and Writing:

Junot Diaz interviews Margaret Atwood about The Handmaid’s Tale. This is a thoughtful and terrifying interview.

Here is an interesting article about an artist who visited the sites of Read More

Annular solar eclipse Courtesy of NASA

For readers in the USA, I hope your Fourth of July was fun, exciting and grass fire-free; and that you enjoyed your annual Syfy Twilight Zone marathon.

Cons:

The original Comic-Con will stay in San Diego at least through 2021, according to this article in the San Diego Union-Tribune. (Thanks to File 770.)

Books and Writing:

This anthology has a time-travel theme and a contest! You can submit your own story. The window for submissions closes August 25, 2017. And here’s Read More

Today’s word for Wednesday is the noun doggindales, which means the patches of mist on a hillside. Once again we have the Scots to thank for this lovely evocative word. It appears to have come into use around 1866.

Her Domain, (c) Jeff Sturgeon

Awards:

The Locus Awards were announced last weekend. Winners include Death’s End by Cixin Liu (Best SF Novel); All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (best fantasy novel) and The Fireman by Joe Hill (best horror novel. Read More

The name for the sound a quail makes is called curkling. That’s this week’s word for Wednesday.

Radiance (c) Likhain

Solstice:

Solstice occurred at 04:24 UTC, and June 21st will be the longest day of the year. Don’t forget sunblock. 

Awards:

Com... Read More

This week’s word for Wednesday is the noun aquatile. An aquatile is a creature that lives in water. I’m guessing it can also be used as an adjective. Can one have “an aquatile lifestyle?”

Books and Writing:

Likhain is an artist, currently on the shortlist for a Hugo in 2017. File 770 printed the Artist Guest of Honor speech she gave at Continuum 13.

The New York Times has a story about Books of Wonder, a famed children’s bookstore, that is opening a second location as a contingency against a possible lease hike in 2019.

Foul language in the headline, Read More

This week’s word for Wednesday is the adjective rattatattatory, which means “consisting of repeated sounds or tapping,” as in, “the fireworks exploded in a rattatattatory burst.” This word should win an award for carrying onomatopoeia to absurd lengths. Thanks once again to Haggard Hawks.

Awards:

Charles Stross was awarded the Alberto Lisiero award, given to those who contribute to the popularity and quality of science fiction writing.

Penthesilea, Queen of the Amazons

Tooting Our Own Horn:

Bill’s review of Read More

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Manchester, Greater Manchester, England.

There is still time to donate to JustGiving who is raising money for families affected by the horrible attack at a concert in Manchester, Greater Manchester,England, Monday night. Here is a link.

Zora ONeill shares ten English words that make more sense when you know their Arabic roots.
Stranger Than Fiction:

It’s just awkward when real-life news outstrips the imagination and weirdness of a dedicated speculative fiction/fantasy/horror writer and reader like myself, like it did last week. The real world insisted on delive... Read More

On Sunday, in honor of Mother’s Day, Syfy Wire posted a list of the best moms from Star Trek. 

Awards:

Locus has published the finalists for the Locus Awards, which will be awarded at the Locus Weekend, June 23-25, 2017, in Seattle, Washington. Locus has more categories so more winners: best SF novel, best fantasy novel, best horror novel and best first novel as an example. Some of our favorites made the lists, including Malka Older’s Infomocracy in the Best First Novel category, Read More