Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 171

Ponzu

Today was a day for displaying a complete lack of ambition. I went into the ocean twice, and found that the reef just offshore is more interesting than I’d expected. Most was fairly dead, as I’d anticipated, but there were some pretty soft corals, some hard corals, and anemones, parrot fish, angel fish, and sea cucumber. Plus lots of weeds.
I only bought a couple shirts with me, because I figure I’d buy shirts here. And so I did, at Bailey’s, where you have 15,000 aloha shirts to choose from,...

First Impressions

Well, so far, so good.
Here’s the first view of Waikiki from the hotel balcony. Gotta say it’s a lot prettier in person.
Went walking afterwards, had some Korean street food, bought some wine, watched the sunset. After hours on a plane, there wasn’t much energy for anything else.

Enter the Lab

I’m going to be spending most of Halloween on an airplane, and that means Halloween this year depends on you.
You’regoing to have to be scared for the both of us. Fortunately I can make that easy.
By clicking the video below, you will instantly be transported to the laboratory of the most villainous, insidious mad scientist in the history of mad science itself!
Yes, you will be visiting . . . Doctor Bunsen Honeydew!!!!!

Tropic Thunder

To all my friends out on the East Coast, all under the presumed path of Hurricane Sandy, I’d like to say that my thoughts are with you, your friends, and your family. I’m watching the Weather Channel, which is heavy on actual facts and light on news anchors playing daredevil stunts in 65-knot winds. Still, this looks like the Big One, and I hope y’all are prepared.
I’m sure it will be no comfort at all to hear that, in a couple days, I’ll be having exactly the opposite experience of what you’r...

October Comforts

So I was annoyed at the way my investments have been declining over the past ten days or so, and it led to the following conversation.
ME: “I’m annoyed at the way my investments have been declining over the past ten days or so.”
INTERLOCUTOR: “Don’t worry about it. It happens every October.”
ME: “But the papers said the decline had to do with discouraging economic news.”
INTERLOCUTOR: “Naw. The decline happens every year, and every year people look for a reason and claim to find it, but even if t...

Cårven Der Pümpkîn

Soon it will be All Hallow’s Eve, a night of terror, when monsters walk the earth.
And speaking of monsters, is anything more frightening than the Swedish Chef with a battleaxe?
Maybe the Swedish Chef . . . with a bazooka!

Earwigs

I’ve been bushwacked by a tune. It was a tune I hadn’t heard, or thought about, for years, most likely decades, and suddenly it’s there in my head, and I can’t make it go away.
So I thought I’d pass the ear bug on to you. Maybe you’ll take it with you when you leave.
I’m being stalked by “If You Go Away,” by the Belgian singer/songwriter Jacques Brel, the song known to you Francophone types by its original title, “Ne Me Quitte Pas.” I don’t know quite how I avoided hearing it for all that time,...

Cat Island

I am pleased to report that Cat Island, my long out-of-print sea-adventure tale, is now available via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.
Cat Island is the final volume in a sort of inadvertent trilogy. I had planned to write only one novel about Favian Markham— in the outline, my story was neat and tidy— but then once I started writing it, it kept sprawling. I found a natural place to end Brig of War, and figured the rest would fit a single volume, but I spent most of The Macedonian just...

Toolbox 2012

Every so often I feel compelled to remind readers about Taos Toolbox, the master class for science fiction and fantasy, which will be held July 28-August 10, 2013. I will be teaching along with Nancy Kress, and with special lecturer Melinda Snodgrass.
Applications will be accepted beginning December 1, 2012, which means you have six weeks to hone your prose before sending in your manuscripts.
If you’re serious about writing, this is the place to go.

Blue Hole

I’m off to Blue Hole this weekend for a bit of scuba diving. It’s unlikely I’ll meet anyone there with a navel as tasty as Adinetha’s, but I guess you never know.