Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 142

Please Help George

When I mention the name “George R.R. Martin,” I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Hey, didn’t he write some good stories back in the Seventies?”
Yes, yes he did. He wrote somegreat stories. And then George moved out to California, and stuff happened, and . . . well . . .
But whatever happened back then doesn’t matter, because I’m happy to tell you that George isback! He and Gardner Dozois (who has won all the editing Hugos of all time, just about) have a new anthology out, calledRogu...

Majeure Release

My novelThe Rift is now available as part of an e-book collection,Force Majeure, in which it takes its place among five other disaster novels by Russell Blake, Karen Dionne, Melissa F Miller, Toni Dwiggins, and Phoenix Sullivan.
And the kicker? You get all six books for 99 cents! And even if you’ve already read my book— which of course you have— you getfive others. How cool is that?
Available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Kobo.
This collection is available For A Limited Time Only. So le...

Computers and Morays

Here’s the biggest spotted moray I’ve ever seen. His head and neck seemed kinda large, and then I saw the huge tail folded up clear on the other side of the coral lump he was hiding in, and I was deeply impressed. He’s not as big as some of the green morays I’ve seen, but for a spotty guy he was huge.
In fact I thought he might be so big that he was stuck in the coral, because he didn’t move at all while I floated around him taking pictures.
When I was on Sun Dancer I did five dives nearly ever...

Land Legs

I’m back on land, though I won’t be home for another day or so. And I still have my sea legs— the whole world pitches and rolls just a little bit when I stand up or walk.
It was a terrific week, and you’ll be reading about it for a while. And in the meantime, here’s a photo taken from 130 feet down the famous Blue Hole, 50 miles out in the Caribbean.

Caribbeaneana

So here’s the first view of the Caribbean, from the seaside here in Ft. St. George. Personally I could have done with more blue sky, but on the whole there’s not a lot to complain about.
I’ll be boarding the larger boat on the right tomorrow, for a week at sea.
The flight in was full of groups of missionaries, each group distinctive in its own particular t-shirt. Since the country is already pretty much Christian, I guess they’re here to convert the natives from Christianity to some other kind...

Drop in the Ocean

So I am going tothis place. Yeah!
I’m going to be on the boat for a week or so, and there probably won’t be Internet there. Or if there is, no bandwidth to speak of. So once I get on the boat on Saturday, posts will be rare, and possibly nonexistent.
So I’m taken care of. How are y’all spendingyour summer?

Coverlike

So here’s a possible cover for my upcoming story “Video Star.” I looked long and hard, but failed to come up with any stock art that came close to illustrating the story. Short fiction doesn’t make enough money to justify commissioning a custom piece of art. So I was left with a standard SF landscape of some kind, or a picture of some guy with a TV for a head, or maybe . . .this.
I also have a version without the Ralph Steadman splotches.
So what do you think?

Conquering the World

I’m happy to reporttwo foreign translations today! My conquest of the world is assured!
First up is the long novella “Elegia per Angeli e Cani,” which as “Elegy for Angels and Dogs” broke the record for longest piece of fiction ever published byAsimov’s. Published by Delos Digital, the story is available only in electronic formats.
Delos has also published an interview with me. You’ll be amazed at how well I speak and write Italian!
Second up is “Elvis le rouge,” the cover story on the new Folio...

Jay

I’m getting damn tired of writing obituaries in this space.
It’s bad enough when I write about the honored veterans of the field, like Fred Pohl, who died full of years and honors. But it’s far more discouraging to write about someone talented and joyous and unforgettable who was taken before his time, before he had a chance to write all the works that would have assured his place in the field’s collective (and sadly flawed) memory.
Not that Jay Lake didn’t write great stuff. 10 novels, over 30...

In the Post

So today I find my prose in theHuffington Post. Not a political article, but a brief appreciation of a long-defunct TV show.
Why? It’s all in aid of promotingDead Man’s Hand, the Weird West anthology edited by John Joseph Adams. You’ll find a story of mine in there, but that’s not what I’m writing about. I’m writing aboutThe Wild Wild West, the Sixties spy/western mashup that ended up— inadvertently, I imagine— inventing steampunk. (I really can’t think of any precursor that’s older.)
While the...