Walter Jon Williams's Blog, page 50

Relocking

Here you find me and my sparring partner Heironymus Bash ready for the renewed New Mexico lockdown that begins Monday.  Bars will be shut.  Indoor restaurants will be closed, though there will still be takeout and outdoor patio dining at half capacity.  Masks are mandatory in public, even for joggers and other people doing exercise.  Anyone from out of state is supposed to isolate for two weeks, though somehow I doubt they will.
The sad thing is that our governor did everything right.  Locked do...

Toolbox Turnout

I’m delighted to report two new novels by graduates of Taos Toolbox, The Wysman by Dorothy A. Windsor, who was at the very first Toolbox in 2007, and Bad Parts by Brandon McNulty, who attended much more recently than 2007, though I cannot recall the exact year.
The Wysman is a YA fantasy, and you can read more about it here.
Bad Parts is a supernatural thriller, “a page-turning tale of Faustian bargains.”  More information right here.
Happy reading!

Boxen

One thing that lockdown permits is time for a lot of big projects, provided that the projects can be carried out at home.   So right now I’m involved in boxing up a lot of original manuscripts, which I’m donating to the archives at Texas A&M, where they will spend eternity in a climate-controlled bunker, just a shelf or two away from George RR Martin’s huge archive, which includes (among other things) his Greek fisherman’s cap.  (I wore one before he did, but had to give it up when he got famous...

independence

We decided to do a big Fourth of July celebration, just the two of us, in part because we need cheering up.  So I put on a patriotic aloha shirt, with US Navy ships on it, then made some lovely, tender sous vide ribs, collard greens, and sweet corn, and there will be ice cream for dessert as soon as there is room in our stomachs.
And we’re watching Hamilton, which is overwhelming even on the small screen.
Have a good, safe Independence Day, friends, and watch the fireworks from a distance.

Podded

The Coode Street Podcast usually does lengthy interviews with writers, but has responded to the COVID by doing short ten-minute interviews in which we talk about what we’re reading in lockdown.
So here I am, along with my reading.

No Two Alike!

I’ve been spending recent days signing my name over and over again, signature sheets for the forthcoming Best of Walter Jon Williams from Subterranean Press.  It’s an edition of 1000, but I have to sign something like 1500 sheets, because mistakes can happen in production and sometimes my signature sucks a lot more than usual.
Though it has to be said that even my best signatures suck.  Penmanship was always my worst subject in grade school, and I learned to type when I was eight or nine, and fr...

Something Unique

I’ve been spending recent days signing my name over and over again, signature sheets for the forthcoming Best of Walter Jon Williams from Subterranean Press.  It’s an edition of 1000, but I have to sign something like 1500 sheets, because mistakes can happen in production and sometimes my signature sucks a lot more than usual.
Though it has to be said that even my best signatures suck.  Penmanship was always my worst subject in grade school, and I learned to type when I was eight or nine, and fr...

Taos Toolbox 2021

I’m very sad to announce that Taos Toolbox 2020, which had moved from June to September due to the dangers of Covid 19, has now been moved to summer of 2021.
Those accepted for this year have the option of coming next year instead, or getting a tuition refund.
The coronavirus doesn’t look as if it’s going to go away anytime soon.  Neighboring states are spiking, and even with a partial reopen cases are rising in New Mexico, too. It would have been irresponsible to hold the workshop.  And also ve...

Terran Prize Awarded

The Terran Prize for 2020, consisting of a scholarship provided by George R.R. Martin for the Taos Toolbox writing workshop, has been won by Maurice Haeems of Mumbai, India.
Taos Toolbox was forced by the Covid pandemic to move from its original June dates to September 6-19, in Angel Fire, New Mexico.  The workshop will be taught by Nancy Kress and Walter Jon Williams, along with special lecturers George R.R. Martin and E.M. Tippetts.
Maurice was born in Mumbai and has a bachelor’s degree in Eng...

From Our Beleaguered Agents . . .

A group of literary agents have released a plea to the public to “stop sending us your Covid novels!”
Turns out that there’s not a lot of drama inherent in a story where people stay at home, watch a lot of TV, and never meet anyone else.