Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 138

Forcing the Romance

In answers to my recent query about TV I should be watching, friend of the blog Foxessa mentioned the perils that might come with giving the fans what they want. Because what fanatical viewers want may not be the best thing for the series, and I thought I’d rant about that for a while.
Usually what the super fans want is some kind of ill-advised romance. If there are two major characters in a show, fandoms can and will develop around the romantic possibilities involving those two characters. M...

Review Via Telescope

Readers of The Rift might remember the appearance at crucial moments of an Astroscan telescope, which featured in a number of different plot elements. I made full use of its unconventional appearance, its general durability, and its more-than-passing resemblance to a trench mortar.


I am therefore delighted to note that Norman Sperling, the co-creator of the Astroscan, has reviewedThe Rift on his blog! (Favorably, needless to say.)
I’ve never been reviewed by one of my own plot elements before....

What Should I Be Watching?

So I’m looking for new stuff to watch on TV. I don’t spend a lot of time in front of the set, and I usually watch (1) when I’m running on the elliptical trainer, and (2) just before bedtime. So I’m lookin’ for high quality stuff.
I’ve seenThe Wire, Dexter, Weeds, the Sopranos, Treme, White Collar, Covert Affairs, 30 Rock, Leverage, House, Burn Notice (and man, those last two seasons were grim),Damages, Veronica Mars, Bones, Royal Pains, The Mentalist, Lillyhammer . . . hey, maybe I watch more...

Monday Launch!

TheHardwired serial continues with Episode Two, which is released on Monday. It’s available for preorder atKobo, Amazon, iBooks, and Smashwords. (As usual, Barnes & Noble is late to the party.)
If you preorder, the story will appear as if by magic in your reader bright and early on Labor Day, which is the day that you don’t have to labor, so you’ll have time to read it!
And of course the whole novel is still available, if you have the labor-free time to read it.

Tony and Dr. Sun

So I’ve been making the trek up to Santa Fe to view the offerings at the Santa Fe Opera. Which wasn’t all opera, by any means, thoughDoctor Sun Yat-sen is. This is a new opera, sung in classical Mandarin, modern Mandarin, and Cantonese, by Chinese-born composer Huang Ruo, with libretto byCandace Mui-ngam Chong, co-creator of the Broadway hitChinglish. The Santa Fe production was the American premiere— actually world premiere, since the only performance in China didn’t feature Western instrume...

Bring the Stars

Friend and Taos Toolbox grad Corie Weaver is running a Kickstarterfor a new anthology of science fiction stories for middle-grade readers.
Among the contributors is Toolbox lecturer Nancy Kress, who willchange the name of the protagonist of her story to one of your choosing, assuming of course that you contribute the suggested amount.
Other authors are giving away other goodies.
Check this out!

Prehistoric Selfie

It’s something called Throwback Thursday. So here’s an old photo, from when I was an angel or something. I think I’m about eighteen or nineteen.
I still have the blue velvet shirt, if the moths haven’t got it.

Episode One

SoHardwired, Episode Oneis now available at Amazon, Kobo, Smashwords, and iBooks. There’s been a technical problem with Barnes & Noble, but it should be resolved shortly.
Yes, I’m serializing a novel that’s already complete and available!
Why would I do this, you ask? Before I get into that, let me point out that it’s FREE.
And that it has an EXTRA, which is to say that it includes an essay I wrote about the origin of the novel.
So for FREE, you get that essay and a chunk of the novel. (Which mos...

Number One! Everywhere! All the Time!

Here you see that Kobo has declared that my story “Wall, Stone, Craft” is #1 in Historical Fiction!
You know whatelse is #1? The Macedonian andCat Island, both by me.
As you see,Implied Spaces is #1 in “Sci Fi” & Fantasy!
You know what else is #1 in SF&F? My story “Video Star.” My novella “Solip:System.” My short story collectionThe Green Leopard Plague. And my short novelInvestments.
While I would like to believe that somehowall of these stories are #1, my suspicion is that somebody’s fucking w...

Slinging

Went to see Louisiana guitar-slinger Sonny Landreth the other day. He played at the zoo band shell, and probably kept the lions and zebras up past their bedtime.
One of the annoying things about seeing guitar wizards is that they invariably attract a crowd of guys in front of the stage who just stand there and stare open-mouthed at the guitar player. They get in everyone’s way, and my guess is they don’t learn better guitar, either.
This time the gawkers were foiled, because the band shell is p...