Ted Rabinowitz's Blog, page 15

Orion and Al Pacino

Dog Day Afternoon - the archetypal movie of the 1970s.  What does it have to do with Orion, the archetypal hunter of 1070 BC?
Dog days, that's what.
Those crazy, stinking, sultry, too-hot-to-move, too-humid-to-breathe days in July and August when you just want to throw yourself at an iceberg and marry it; when living in New York or Chicago or Rome is its own special kind of Heck on Earth, and the entire world seems to smell of garbage bags that haven't been picked up yet.
They're called dog days for a reason - they coincide with the rising of Sirius, the "dog star," the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major ("Big Dog," for you il-Latinates). Canis Major is the dog that accompanies the constellation of Orion, the Hunter.People have been making the connection between Sirius and nasty weather at least since Homer and The Iliad:
Sirius rises late in the dark, liquid sky
On summer nights, star of stars,
Orion's Dog they call it, brightest
Of all, but an evil portent, bringing heat
And fevers to suffering humanity.[The Iliad, 22:33-37, Lombardo translation]
Heat, pestilence, and madness. The old newspaper reporters'  "silly season," indeed. So let's be careful out there!

Let's Manipulate Cats!

Fun article on making cats love you.
If you're into that kind of thing, I mean.

Foundation and Radio!

Like science fiction? Like Isaac Asimov? Like podcasts?
Turns out that the BBC produced a radio drama of Asimov's classic Foundation trilogy - and now it's available on the Internet Archive!

Listen to it here.

First New Review

What's even better than writing "The End"?
Another satisfied customer, that's what.

The Wrong Sword  just got its first review of the new, indie-pub edition, and it's pretty darned positive. International, too - all the way from Canada.

So thank you, PLB from Ottawa! I'm glad you liked it, and more are coming your way.

The Voynich Manuscript - in Steel

So, a mysterious inscription in gold wire on an 800-year old sword.
Can you crack the code? No one else has.

Another Interstellar Travel Poster!

Maybe you remember the travel posters that NASA developed for some of its more interesting exoplanet finds? (I mentioned 'em here.) Well, they've done another one. I really like it - Dance, Dance, Revolution!




You can get a hi-res version from the NASA Travel Bureau.

Merry Lughnasadh, Everyone!

Today (I've discovered) is the Gaelic holiday of Lughnasadh, originally celebrated in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, and marking the start of the harvest season or "first fruits." (In case you were wondering, the other three seasonal holidays are Samhain, Beltane, and Imbolc.) And judging by my Meetup.com list of things in New York today, there are at least 12 witches, Wiccans, or Neo-pagans in Manhattan who are celebrating. To them I say enjoy the bilberries, and have a bracing climb up the mountain.

FYI - TWS Is Now in Amazon's Top 100 for-

Arthurian fantasy. #48, to be exact.

So there's that.

First Sale!

Yep, TWS has had its first sale in the new format - less than 24 hours since it went live on Amazon. Next step, creating a genuine paperback book in addition to these electro-particle compositions...

As Promised, We're Back!

As of this morning, the new edition of The Wrong Sword is up and active on Amazon, and for only $2.99! Some of you know I was a little concerned that all the positive responses from the prior incarnation of TWS wouldn't translate...but after some earnest conversation with Amazon, those lovely reader reviews have started popping up already.

"Are there any changes?" you ask, half in fear, half in dread. "Have you become drunk with power, and tampered with the awesomeness that is TWS?" Fear not, Dear Reader - the only changes have been for the better. Like the new cover. Check that out, to the left. Snazzy, amirate?

Also, for the very first time, there will be a print version of TWS, through CreateSpace, Amazon's print-on-demand arm. And in the weeks to come, TWS will make its way to Barnes & Noble, Apple, and the other major eBook outlets. There will also be some promotions and such on their way as I start to play with the indie-pub possibilities.

If you're super-alert, you might have noticed that I've moved back to my real name, too. Not as euphonious, perhaps - but so much easier come tax day.

And now the $64,000 Question:

WILL THERE BE MORE HENRY & EXCALIBUR?

Answer: Yes. Yes, there will.
But...

 I've got the sequel, Hero's Army, basting in my mental oven. How long it takes for that bird to cook all the way through, get all juicy and succulent, depends to a certain degree on how much people like the first one. The more folks buy TWS, the more incentive I have to focus on Hero's Army and not on some of my other projects, like Conjure Man, New York Soliloquies, and, oh, I don't know...actually doing the stuff that buys groceries.

Hint, hint.
Wink, wink.
Nudge, nudge.

I KNOW! Subtle, right?