Thursday, January 29, 2009
MOS Book Launch this Saturday
If you're in the Fairbanks, Alaska area this Saturday afternoon, stop by Gulliver's Books on College Rd. and help me launch my second novel, Mind Over Ship. It's a science fictional romp through a scary future, and it's the sequel to my first novel, Counting Heads. I'll be there from 2:00 to 4:00 pm, and I'd love to meet all of you sf readers in Interior Alaska.
And another interview
This one is in our local newspaper, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, purveyor of all the news from the mines since 1906, I think. And it's true that I worked there in the early 1980s. There were relatively few quality jobs in town in those days, especially for a young man with no skills but art. The N-M was responsible for turning my fine art into commercial art, which has provided me a steady paycheck ever since (until I quit all graphics work two years ago to devote all my time to writing).
The article and my grinning mug appeared on the front page of the newspaper. That blows me away.
If I could correct one thing, though, the term I was referring to is "fix-up." As in: He fixed up his award-winning novella into a full-length novel. I fixed-up "We Were Out of Our Minds with Joy" into Counting Heads.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Another Interview
I was pleased to see that Mind Over Ship was designated a Sci Fi Essential book. Here's my interview.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Intervju med David Marusek
Mind Over Ship is the featured Book of the Month at the premier SF bookshops in Sweden. It's all in Swedish, though, except for an interview I did with them just last week.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
MIND OVER SHIP released today
I am pleased to announce that my second novel, Mind Over Ship, has been released today. Hope you like it.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Broken Barrier
My daughter reports via Blackberry that Getting to Know You is in the Terminal 4 bookstore at JFK. I've broken the airport bookstore barrier!
Friday, January 02, 2009
Mark your calendar
Here are some dates of note:
January 20, 2009**********Mind Over Ship is released
Sat. January 31************Book launch at Gullivers
Sat. February 7************Marusek reading at Barnes & Noble
Jan. 20--Mind Over Ship goes on sale on Inauguration Day--a doubly auspicious day, a veritable two-fer.
Jan. 31--For those of you who plan to be in Fairbanks during the dead of winter, the last Saturday of January and the first of February are of special note to you. On January 31, from 2:00–4:00 pm, I'll be having a book launch at Gulliver's Books. Come on out. I'd love to see who you are.
Feb. 7--the following Saturday I'll be at the Fairbanks Barnes & Noble for a short reading at 6 pm. I'm not sure what I'll read. Maybe something from the new novel, or maybe something still in progress. I have some short stories in the mill and one of those might be fun.
January 20, 2009**********Mind Over Ship is released
Sat. January 31************Book launch at Gullivers
Sat. February 7************Marusek reading at Barnes & Noble
Jan. 20--Mind Over Ship goes on sale on Inauguration Day--a doubly auspicious day, a veritable two-fer.
Jan. 31--For those of you who plan to be in Fairbanks during the dead of winter, the last Saturday of January and the first of February are of special note to you. On January 31, from 2:00–4:00 pm, I'll be having a book launch at Gulliver's Books. Come on out. I'd love to see who you are.
Feb. 7--the following Saturday I'll be at the Fairbanks Barnes & Noble for a short reading at 6 pm. I'm not sure what I'll read. Maybe something from the new novel, or maybe something still in progress. I have some short stories in the mill and one of those might be fun.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Cold Snap of '08
Day 6 of the Cold Snap of the winter of '08. I am counting from last Saturday, Dec. 27, when it hit 30 below and I did my weekly grocery shopping a day early. I am cabin-bound until the temperature rises above minus 20. I have enough supplies to dig in for a week, except for water. With 3 jugs (X 6 gal) I only have enough water to go 5 or 6 days, even rationed. I hope it warms up enough in the next couple of days so I can fire up the old pickup (17 years old) and set a course through the doughy ice fog to the water station. The next time I make it to Fred Meyers to shop, I'm going to buy a new water jug (giving a water run a 24-gallon payload) in order to lengthen my maximum mission duration here in cabin central.
I used to drive in any temperature, but I destroyed the engines/electronics of two vehicles in 40-below weather, and now I won't drive anywhere when it's colder than minus 20, except in emergency. This is a practical threshold, any colder and my pickup door doesn't latch, and I'd have to drive with the door open.
This cold snap is being compared to the one in 1989 when we had like two solid weeks at 40 below. I well remember that bit of weather. It got down to 55 below where we lived near the slough, and it was driving at 50 below that killed my old Saab. The thing I remember the most about the Cold Snap of '89 (I know how much this makes me sound like an old-timer) was running out of heating oil halfway through the spell and being told by my heating oil supplier that they had a 2-week waiting list for deliveries. I couldn't believe it, a company I'd purchased all my heating oil from for about 6 years told me I'd have to wait, or pay them an exorbitant "rush" charge.
I have already put in my order for an oil delivery here. It's a different company, of course, but I still have to wait a week. At least I planned for it this time. I can go through 200 gallons from Jan 1 through Feb 28, the so-called dead of winter up here. This cabin is a leaky tent, and I used to happily burn oil back when it cost $1 per gallon. But my first 100 gallons this winter cost $425, and it's long burned up. The price of the coming delivery will be $222. Much better, but low prices won't last.
I never thought I'd live in this cabin for this long, and it is so small (16' x 24') that I have never seriously considered putting in a woodstove. A woodstove would claim major floorspace. But this fall I helped a friend cut and haul a couple of cords of firewood off my property. I have 4 acres here, and there is a LOT of deadfalls. In fact, I figure it would take me 3 or 4 years to use up all the dead wood on my lot. With heating oil at $4.25 a gallon, here I am sitting on a renewable resource large enough to heat my home (with a little healthy elbow grease) for free. So, come March that'll be my home improvement project--an EPA-approved woodstove I can bask next to.
I used to drive in any temperature, but I destroyed the engines/electronics of two vehicles in 40-below weather, and now I won't drive anywhere when it's colder than minus 20, except in emergency. This is a practical threshold, any colder and my pickup door doesn't latch, and I'd have to drive with the door open.
This cold snap is being compared to the one in 1989 when we had like two solid weeks at 40 below. I well remember that bit of weather. It got down to 55 below where we lived near the slough, and it was driving at 50 below that killed my old Saab. The thing I remember the most about the Cold Snap of '89 (I know how much this makes me sound like an old-timer) was running out of heating oil halfway through the spell and being told by my heating oil supplier that they had a 2-week waiting list for deliveries. I couldn't believe it, a company I'd purchased all my heating oil from for about 6 years told me I'd have to wait, or pay them an exorbitant "rush" charge.
I have already put in my order for an oil delivery here. It's a different company, of course, but I still have to wait a week. At least I planned for it this time. I can go through 200 gallons from Jan 1 through Feb 28, the so-called dead of winter up here. This cabin is a leaky tent, and I used to happily burn oil back when it cost $1 per gallon. But my first 100 gallons this winter cost $425, and it's long burned up. The price of the coming delivery will be $222. Much better, but low prices won't last.
I never thought I'd live in this cabin for this long, and it is so small (16' x 24') that I have never seriously considered putting in a woodstove. A woodstove would claim major floorspace. But this fall I helped a friend cut and haul a couple of cords of firewood off my property. I have 4 acres here, and there is a LOT of deadfalls. In fact, I figure it would take me 3 or 4 years to use up all the dead wood on my lot. With heating oil at $4.25 a gallon, here I am sitting on a renewable resource large enough to heat my home (with a little healthy elbow grease) for free. So, come March that'll be my home improvement project--an EPA-approved woodstove I can bask next to.
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