Sarah A. Hoyt's Blog, page 295

Earth Needs Women a blast from the past of November 2010

Earth Needs Women a blast from the past of November 2010

 

[image error] No, this is not the obligatory ecological post. Today, in the car on the way from dinner (not cooking at Thanksgiving is logical when you have only four people – five with our friend/honorary uncle to the kids) I was talking to the kids about a book I read when I was maybe 12/13.

This book – whose name I (unfortunately) can’t remember – came amid a trio of “fairytale books.” At twelve or so, I decided that I hadn’t read enough fairyt...

We Don’t Need No Thought Control

It never fails.  Someone gets in a discussion (yes, on Facebook. Where else? It’s where the fossilized stupidity of ages past has come to die and decay, forming a substratum not unlike oil, but far less useful.  Well, unless you’re a blogger in need of post ideas.) about some of the latest misdeeds of the press, like say CNN’s bizarre pivot from all Russia all the Time to threatening posters for funny memes (Yes, of course I can barely resist the GIF posts when I see that.  Unfortunately they...

Poor Darlings

You know what?  I’m sick and tired of whining brats.

And if you’re looking at me, just now and wondering what I’m talking about since the sons are 26 and 22, you haven’t been reading newspapers, or even doing an unprotected turn of Facebook, beyond the confines of the friends you trust not to be completely insane.  Because it’s a crying, whining, feet kicking fest out there.

The proximate cause of their insanity is obvious: their chosen candidate didn’t win.  Not that they knew much about the...

Rolling Up Your Sleeves

Yesterday I was talking to one of my younger mentees about a reading list I intend to drop on her.  She was half joking when she asked if I also could give her some time.

Look, I get it.  She has a full time job and is trying to break into writing.  In fact, part of the reason for my interest in her is that of everyone I’ve taught ever she’s putting out more work in less time than… well, than anyone but me.  And only me when I’m not fighting illness or depression.

I get completely how tired y...

The Oyster Returns to Promo Town & Vignettes by Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike

The Oyster Returns to Promo Town G. Scott Huggins A Doctor to Dragons

Everyone says it was better in the Good Old Days. Before the Dark Lord covered the land in His Second Darkness.

As far as I can tell, it wasn’t that much better. Even then, everyone cheered the heroes who rode unicorns into combat against dragons, but no one ever remembered who treated the unicorns’ phosphine burns afterward. Of course, that was when dragons were something to be killed. Today I have to save one. Know wha...

The Writer is in a State

I should be writing a real post, I should, but I’m still in the con crud preventing portion of our program.  So far so good, but I think it requires a lot of laid-back rest or at least not fretting right after an exhausting con.

And I’ve only been able to do that a little, seeing as I’m working on Guardian (as fast as I can.  No, you can’t see it yet.) and finishing 4th Dyce, and writing for PJmedia (just corralled the rest of the ideas for this month at breakfast.  Unless something massively...

He Worked for a Living

Sometimes I tell people I’m not an author.  I work for a living.  It might seem I’m making a joke, but I’m not.  The word author evokes for me the halls of academia, the rewards of spouting the party line, the preening and showing off of the latest intellectual fashions.  Intellectual fashions are like clothing fashions.  Some of them might suit you very well and look great on you, but you can bet most of them will look pretty awful to people in fifty years.  And yet wearing them marks you as...

What I did on my Summer Vacation: Or Historical Research for Fantasy Stuff – Alma Boykin

What I did on my Summer Vacation: Or Historical Research for Fantasy Stuff – Alma Boykin

So, by now everyone knows I’m back in-country from three weeks in Germany, more or less. Part of what I was doing over there was research for a book and a short story that may well become a novella or book if I’m not careful, and for some long-term non-fiction projects. The primary research target is a fantasy novel.

But this is a fantasy world without elves, majestic heroes, and so on. There’s no great q...

Liberty Con After Action Report

Really, what the h*ll happened?  When did I become a name writer, one whom fans travel hundreds of miles to attend?

I’m still spinning and peopled-out from that con, and need some time to process.

It started badly.  We hit Atlanta, and the restaurant at which we normally have lunch which is 17 minutes away from the airport took us two hours to reach.

The con, which normally takes three hours driving, took seven.

The highway was down to six miles per hour at times.  Now visualize that moving s...

Good Morning America, I Love You

 

 

[image error]This is a weird fourth of July.  Perhaps we should have stayed at Chattanooga one more day, instead of traveling all day yesterday to get here today.  But we were away last week, and I just wanted to be home.

It didn’t give me time to prepare a fourth of July post, so I guess we’ll have to do with this.

My family will probably watch 1776 and The Patriot.  We’re aware both are flawed as to history, but both capture a feel we like on the fourth.

And then we’ll get Chinese take out.  This is...