Words    Words    Words

On this fine February 29th, I find myself wondering what about February 29th is so much better than all the alternatives? We could have a December 32nd. Kids could have an extra day of summer vacation, once every four years (although knowing schools today they’d just make them go back a day earlier). We could [...]

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Sounds a bit more naughty than Leap Day, doesn’t it?
Back when I was in high school I qualified for one of those classes where they take the top scoring 10% on the pre-SAT and spend six weeks cramming you with vocabulary and SAT test-taking tips and tricks in order to boost your already high score [...]

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Leap Day has a tradition going far, far back in time.  In ancient Sumeria, it was considered a day for taking chances–for doing things normally considered too risky, such as entering a hitherto unexplored cave, descending a steep cliff, or making wisecracks to airport security.   The Aztecs celebrated leap day with drunken revelry and corset [...]

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Some guy with a blog  has done an entry on my personal life, which is sort of cool; this is a first, and it tickles my vanity to think I’m important enough that anyone cares.
Usually, I would enjoy this quietly, let my ego be stroked, and leave it at that.  There are a couple of [...]

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There’s a great deal of talk just now about the Secret Service decision at a rally in Dallas to not provide security for Obama (see my recent sidebar). My own take on it is in two parts: first, it feels a lot like the administration is testing the waters: “Can we get away with [...]

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 Welcome to visitors from the New York Times.
I’ve uploaded new versions of the Firefly novel. All the typos which we know about have now been corrected; feel free to continue to send me corrections at kit@dreamcafe.com. The file is also now available in HTML format and I hope to offer at least one mobile format [...]

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Does an author have a responsibility to do anything for their readers, other than tell an entertaining story?
These questions came up tonight as I worked on a review of a young adult book which I’ll be publishing on the SF Site. I’m still thinking about my answers.
To give an example, I know I am bored [...]

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As I said in my last post, I’ve been playing Morrowind a lot recently. The team at Bethesda Softworks did an excellent job creating an entertaining and engaging world and I hope this does not come across as criticism of them or their game; in fact, I bet a lot of what I mention here [...]

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What’s on your mind today? What kind of distractions have been keeping you entertained (and procrastinating)?
Lately we’ve been cat-waxing by watching the West Wing (one of Steve’s favorites); I’ve been playing a lot of Morrowind and there’ve been a few three-way Civ4 sessions (four-way when we include Jennifer). We’re always on the bleeding edge of [...]

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My poem, “a 24th-century reflection on emptiness” will be published in 2008 by Aberrant Dreams. It’s my first pro sale in a few years; here’s to many more in the much nearer future.

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Thanks to the many people who have submitted either alternate formats or corrections to the Firefly, and will incorporate the rest soon — been slowed down by illness the last couple days, but we all really appreciate the response we’ve gotten to this.
BTW, according to our stats over 15,000 visitors have downloaded the novel since [...]

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Here there be spoilers.  Be warned.

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I’ve done a fanfic Firefly novel. If anyone is interested, it can be found (free for download) here.
Note from Kit to Boing-Boing visitors and other new arrivals (2/18): Hey all, welcome and enjoy the novel. Things have been busy in the Dream Café since we released this, and so we unfortunately did not prioritize [...]

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Once again, by Steve’s request…

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I am hanging out at Poking You tonight and one of the artists brought up some recent UFO sightings here in Texas. I did a Google search and found this news article. While it is full of colorful details (I particularly like the guy who watched the object through his gun sights and is sure [...]

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I’ve always considered myself an expert on writing cover letters.  Here’s what I’ve always said:
“This is all you need: ‘Good morning.  Enclosed (or attached) is my x000 word story <name> for consideration in your <title> anthology.  I hope you like it.’  That’s it, except that if you have professional credits, mention them.”
Fine advice, and I [...]

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When submitting a manuscript, italicized passages should be underlined. Why? It makes it easier for the editor to read.
When printed, italicized passages should be in, well, italics. Why? It makes it easier for people to read.
Editors are not people. QED.

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For those of you who saw the latest episode, I have a weird one. In that bit where Chaz has that split-second of, “Uh, oh…” on the way down to the office, and then nothing happens (with that great line about salmon souffle–God, that was lovely), it seems to me he makes this really [...]

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