The Days Are Just Packed

JayFest! Sci-Fi Book Fair & Group Signing, June 13 at Powell's Cedar Hills

dlevine@spiritone.com — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:40:45 GMT

Mark your calendars! Powell's Books will be hosting JayFest, a group signing and book fair in support of local author Jay Lake.

Date: June 13, 2013

Time: Book fair 6:00-9:00 pm, group signing 7:00-8:00 pm

Place: Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton, Oregon

Authors in attendance will include David D. Levine, Phyllis Irene Radford, Devon Monk, Barb and J. C. Hendee, Shannon Page, Mark Ferrari, J. A. Pitts, M. K. Hobson, Diana Pharaoh Francis, and Tina Connolly.

Ten percent of the proceeds for each book sold during the book fair will go to the Clayton Memorial Medical Fund, which helps professional science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery writers living in the Pacific Northwest states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Alaska deal with the financial burden of medical expenses.

Please see http://www.powells.com/events/5348/ for more information and updates.

Bits and bobs

dlevine@spiritone.com — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:14:06 GMT

Telling Tales: The Clarion West 30th Anniversary Anthology, including my story "I Hold My Father's Paws," will release on July 1 and is now available for pre-order for only $15 plus shipping. The anthology, edited by Ellen Datlow, has already received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. It also has a very spiffy cover, includes an embarrassingly complimentary introduction to my story by Geoff Ryman, and the proceeds benefit Clarion West. What's not to love?

I'm also very pleased to announce that "The Tale of the Golden Eagle" will be appearing on the Escape Pod podcast in June. If all goes well, this will be the same recording (read by me) that will be in the Space Magic audiobook, which will be available for sale by the time the podcast airs. Very excited by this development.

Lowball, the next Wild Cards book, is finally complete and turned in and will likely be released in Summer 2014. This book introduces my character The Cartoonist in a story titled "Cry Wolf."

Finally, if you're in the Portland or Seattle area, don't forget about the SFWA Pacific Northwest Reading Series, featuring Mary Robinette Kowal, Tina Connolly, and Nisi Shawl: today (Tuesday April 23) at the Wilde Rover in Kirkland, WA and tomorrow (Wednesday April 24) at the Kennedy School in Portland, OR.

They call me "Walks With Llamas"

dlevine@spiritone.com — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 05:53:11 GMT

Self-portrait with llama.

It started, as so many things do, with The Amazing Race. It was when we saw yet another pair of racers fail to cope with a stick shift, I think, that we said "haven't these people seen the show before? Didn't they know they should expect to have to drive a stick shift?" Which led to some thinking about what other things a potential Amazing Race contestant should know to expect from having seen previous seasons of the show. This list included: ride a bicycle; dive and/or swim; climb and/or rappel on something very high; and lead, ride, and/or milk an exotic animal. These seemed things that, if applied for and we were to be selected for the Race, we would want to do before setting off.

Later, it occurred to us that we didn't need to wait for the Race. We could do these fun things on our own hook. Some of them are impossible without the Race's resources, of course, but others are available to anyone with time, money, and motivation. The first time we did this was when we ziplined in Texas, and the most recent time was today, when we took a llama trek in Smith Rock State Park near Redmond, Oregon.

This trek was a surprise birthday present from me to Kate. The birthday was in March, the surprise was at the party a week beforehand (I made all the arrangements in advance, then sprang it on her at the party), and the actual trek was in April when the weather would be more likely to cooperate. We had nearly perfect weather, as it turned out; sunny with temperatures in the sixties.

We started out at a Home Depoot parking lot in Redmond, where Sherry our guide met us and introduced us to "the boys:" Al (the eldest and calmest, dark brown), Link (also experienced, black and white), and Bug (the youngest and a bit skittish, black and white and recently shorn). All were gelded males, and a calmer, cleaner, and more dependable group of pack animals you could scarcely hope to find. From there we drove in convoy to the park, where we saddled 'em up, loaded 'em up, and rode 'em out.

Well, we didn't actually ride 'em. Llamas' backs are not made for riding, but they make fabulous pack animals, and each carried two panniers full of our stuff, which had to be as exactly balanced as possible ("when your llama is saddled and loaded to the guide's satisfaction, you will receive your next clue"). Each pannier was different, all custom fitted to the individual llama, and as this was the first expedition of the season it took Sherry a while to remember how the straps and buckles worked on each one. By the time we actually hit the trail the parking lot, which had been nearly empty when we arrived, was half-full. (When we left it was jammed, with cars lined up on the road for a half-mile leading up to the park. Smith Rock is very popular with rock climbers and it was a lovely sunny Saturday.)

We were given the option of just hiking, with Sherry leading the llamas in a string, or leading a llama ourselves. Naturally we led our llamas, that being part of the point of the expedition. Kate started out with Al, the oldest and most docile, while Sherry took the skittish Bug (this being his shakedown cruise), leaving me with the reasonably placid Link. But Kate had some difficulty dissuading Al from stopping to browse every five feet, so we tried swapping. This worked well, and Al and I stuck together for the rest of the day. He did have a strong tendency to snack on any tasty grasses or junipers that caught his big brown eye, but a little bit of patience followed by a firm but gentle tug on the lead sufficed to get him moving again. (I might not have been so patient if there had been a million-dollar prize on the line.)

After hiking down into the canyon (and could a horse climb steps, I ask you?) we walked at a leisurely pace through trees and scrub, with amazing views of the river and spectacular rock formations. I've been a big fan of rock formations ever since my expedition to "Mars" in 2010, which is why I selected Smith Rock for this trek, and these did not disappoint. The rocks were also festooned with climbers, and provided habitat for ducks, geese, redtail hawks, lizards, and even a bald eagle, many of which (including the eagle) we got quite close looks at.

The llamas hauled all of our stuff uncomplainingly all day for nothing more than a handful of feed; they never even drank any water. (We were assured that they had eaten a large breakfast and would certainly drink up when they got back to the barn.) Well, I say "uncomplainingly," but toward the end of the hike Al and Link both made the low Wookie-like groan that indicates mild discomfort (a happy llama is a quiet llama), but Al never stopped eating so he can't have been too upset or uncomfortable. I think they might be a bit out of shape, this being their first trek of the season.

The llamas were approximately our height ("it's a sheep with a stalk!"), and generally followed quite closely behind us, even occasionally stepping on our heels. This meant that there was often a llama face, with fuzzy ears and large soulful eyes, huffing down our necks or right next to our faces as we walked. Fortunately, they did not have bad breath; in fact, they had no odor at all. Nor did they spit, kick, or engage in any of those other bad llama habits, except that Al sometimes put his ears back when Bug got in his face -- llamas have their pecking order and do like their space.

We found ourselves a bit of a tourist attraction ourselves, with just about every passing hiker wanting a photo and/or to pet the "alpacas." I don't know why, but nearly everyone thought they were alpacas rather than llamas. It was kind of cool even so.

At lunch time we stopped and set up camp, which is where the llamas really paid off: table, chairs, and a full three-course spread of tasty vittles came out of those panniers, and we ate a delicious and leisurely lunch with a delightful view of rocks, river, and grazing llamas. Then we re-packed the bags, turned around, and headed back to our B&B, with a stop for the traditional huckleberry ice cream at the park entrance. A most excellent day.

Left to right: Bug, Link, Sherry, Al.

Spectacular scenery.

Llama toes. Yes, they really look like that.

Al fully kitted out with his panniers.

Sherry fits Link with his backpack.

Llama breath!

Three llamas, no waiting.

On the trail!

"Snoopy Rock."

At the base of one of many intriguing rock formations.

Rock climbers, far above and across the river.

Pausing to admire the view.

Sherry with ~~Link~~ Bug and Al.

Stopping at the day use area (also serves as a helipad in case of emergency).

Hi there!

Bouldering.

Rest stop.

Pointing out an eagle's nest.

This reminds me of a book cover. (I am not going to write this book.)

Another spectacular rock formation.

A lovely lunch spread.

Lizard!

Kitting out Al for the trip home.

If you aren't the lead llama, the view never changes.

Last view of the river!

Our trek was organized by Halligan Ranch Llama Adventures, whom I would absolutely recommend for all your Central Oregon llama-related needs. We stayed at the Hillside Inn B&B in Bend, which was as nice as you might like, spacious, clean, and modern, with bold colors and plenty of amenities as well as a delightful home-cooked breakfast. We also had excellent dinners at Kebaba and 900 Wall.

An anthology I'm in is up for two awards!

dlevine@spiritone.com — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:57:20 GMT

Heiresses of Russ 2012: the Year’s Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction, which includes my story “Tides of the Heart,” is a finalist for the Golden Crown Literary Award as well as the Lambda Award!

SFWA Pacific Northwest Reading Series: Seattle area Apr. 23, Portland Apr. 24

dlevine@spiritone.com — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 17:40:55 GMT

This is just a quick reminder that SFWA's Pacific Northwest Reading Series is having its next events in two weeks!

On Tuesday, in the Seattle area, award-winning writer Mary Robinette Kowal (Without a Summer) will be accompanied by Portland writer Tina Connolly (Ironskin) and Seattle writer Nisi Shawl (Filter House). The University Bookstore will be on hand again selling books and all the authors will be available to sign.

When: Tuesday, April 23, 2013, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Where: Wilde Rover Irish Pub and Restaurant, 111 Central Way, Kirkland, WA 98033

On Wednesday, the same three readers will be appearing in Portland. Wrigley-Cross Books will be selling books and all the authors will be available to sign.

When: Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Where: McMenamins Kennedy School, 5736 N.E. 33rd Ave. Portland, OR 97211

Both events are free and open to the public. I hope you can join us! It should be a lot of fun.

See http://www.sfwa.org/for-readers/sfwa-northwest-reading-series/ for more information and to RSVP (not required, but encouraged).

In the studio

dlevine@spiritone.com — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 01:07:48 GMT

I spent about four hours yesterday in a recording studio, recording an audiobook of Space Magic.

Although I've read my own work in public many times, and recorded podcasts before, this is my first time in a professional recording studio, working with an experienced engineer. It's been a very interesting process. Apparently I have a tendency to read much too fast, and to "pop" my P's and B's, so I get corrected once every couple of paragraphs -- and occasionally several times per sentence -- and have to back up and re-do a lot. I've learned to turn my head slightly to the side before a "plosive" sound to prevent it from hitting the microphone too hard. The engineer has also helped me keep my character voices consistent and get my Mexican accent right (it keeps coming out more like Russian).

It's hard work -- harder on the brain than the voice -- and after several hours of it I begin to feel as though I am nothing but a conduit, turning the words on the page into sound. But I trust that my own knowledge of the story and the engineer's experience will keep the performance top-notch. We've done four of the 15 stories so far, so there are at least three more recording sessions to go.

The studio I am working with is Oregon Translation, a Portland company that performs language translations. They have recently branched out into voice-over work and installed a small recording studio, and are now looking to get into the business of recording audiobooks. To this end they are offering to produce a few audiobooks for local authors and publishers at a substantial discount, in exchange for the right to use the completed audiobook as a portfolio piece. If you'd like to contact them yourself, let me know and I'll put you in touch. They have a stable of professional narrators as well as the studio and engineer.

I'm acting as my own narrator here, so all I'm paying for is studio and post-production time, but even at a very steep discount it's still hundreds of dollars. On the other hand, when we're through I'll have a professionally produced audiobook that I can sell through acx.com and keep all the proceeds. I don't know if I will ever sell enough audiobooks to recoup the investment, but even if I don't, this is a learning experience and PR opportunity for me (I will be able to use these recordings of my stories for publicity for years to come).

I'm also beginning to offer myself as a reader for podcasts. One nice thing about this gig is that they had a few squares of acoustic foam left over after they finished the studio, which they graciously let me have for free (this stuff is surprisingly expensive, and hard to get in small quantities). I will use these to set up a small recording box for improved sound when I record at home.

This is an exciting new adventure for me! I'll let you know as soon as the audiobook is available.

Mad Scientist podcast and other recent publications

dlevine@spiritone.com — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 15:02:53 GMT

You can hear me reading "Letter to the Editor," my story from The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination, on the latest Tales to Terrify podcast!
http://talestoterrify.com/tales-to-terrify-show-no-65-joe-r-lansdale-david-d-levine/

Also, my story "Wavefronts of History and Memory" is in the June 2013 Analog, on sale now, and I have just received my author copies of the new UK edition of the first Wild Cards volume.

ETA: Forgot to mention that "Wavefronts of History and Memory" has already been reviewed by Lois Tilton ("Readers might suspect the story to culminate with a shocking historical revelation. But Levine is more subtle. As the revelation hovers silently in readers’ minds, he employs its ghostly presence to reflect a more personal revelation about self-knowledge"), and I got a fan letter on the story from Bud Sparhawk!

Taos Toolbox

dlevine@spiritone.com — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:39:44 GMT

The Taos Toolbox writers' workshop, a two-week Master Class in Science Fiction and Fantasy taught by Walter Jon Williams, Nancy Kress, and Melinda Snodgrass, will be held July 28-August 10, 2013 at a lovely lodge in the mountains above Taos, NM. There's still room for a few more writers and I encourage anyone looking to take their fiction to the next level to apply. http://www.taostoolbox.com/

My Norwescon schedule

dlevine@spiritone.com — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:00:10 GMT

This coming weekend is Norwescon, in Sea-Tac, Washington. This is the first Norwescon I've attended in five or ten years; we'll see how it's changed while I've been away.

I'll be on the following program items:

Friday 10:00 AM, Cascade 8: When Things Go Wrong In Space.
Apollo 13 was not the first time things went wrong in spaceflight, it won’t be the last. How do scientists and engineers anticipate problems and train to solve them? Furthermore, can the same ideas be used for more mundane, down to Earth problems?
David D. Levine (M), Dan Dubrick, David Shoemaker

Friday 3:00 PM, Cascade 7: Best New Technologies for the Start-up Mad Scientist
Saving the world is good, but taking over the world is even better! What field should the up-and-coming mad scientist get into on their path to unlimited power or enough money to get some really cool toys?
David D. Levine (M), Chris Nilsson, David Nasset, Sr., Dr. Ricky

Friday 4:00 PM, Cascade 2: Grimm and Once Upon a Time
Fairy tales are definitely in style and definitely grown up.
David D. Levine (M), Chelsea M. Campbell, Dan Murphy, Lola Colleen, Janet Borkowski

Saturday 4:00 PM, Cascade 3&4: Can Social Media SAVE THE WORLD?
The phrase “Social Media revolution” didn’t originally mean “overthrow your government via Twitter”, but what can you do? Social media can be used to bring together a flash crowd for political action, but can it help build good, or just discomfort bad? Can social media help make the world a better place by doing something more than providing an infinite supply of cute cat pictures?
David D. Levine (M), Bob Kruger, Fish, Jonny Nero Action Hero, Andri Snaer Magnason

Saturday 5:00 PM, Cascade 1: David D. Levine reads "Letter to the Editor"
You think you know who Dr. Talon is. “Mad Scientist.” “Criminal Genius.” But in this Letter to the Editor, Dr. Talon reveals his true motivations. Rated G
David D. Levine

Sunday 10:00 AM, Cascade 6: Fantasy Houses with SF Furniture in Them
If there’s magic in it, the book is fantasy, right? But what if the magical power is on tap like water and you pay a monthly bill to the city magic utility, as in Walter John Williams’ Metropolitan? What if magic is described, studied, and practiced in the language of physics and software, as in Charles Stross’ The Atrocity Archives? Is this a new genre, a hybrid genre, or still just fantasy? And where does Steampunk fit in?
Clinton J. Boomer (M), David D. Levine, Rhiannon Held

I'll also be conducting a writers' workshop session, showing up at the bar and various parties, and just generally hanging out. Hope to see you there!

Guest post at Fictorians: The Wonder of Fantasy

dlevine@spiritone.com — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 21:31:37 GMT

I have a guest post today at the Fictorians blog, in which I attempt to define how to write fantasy. Please read and comment!

http://www.fictorians.com/2013/03/20/the-wonder-of-fantasy/

Launch Pad 2013 applications now open

dlevine@spiritone.com — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 14:39:31 GMT

In 2008 I attended the Launch Pad astronomy workshop. Applications are now open for this year's workshop, which will be held July 14-21, 2013.

Launch Pad is a week-long crash course for modern astronomy held annually in Laramie, Wyoming, and combines traditional lecture, experiment, activities, discussion, and telescope visits. It's basically a full semester of Astronomy 101 in a week, and it will melt your brain.

Attendance is limited to about a dozen participants, who are selected based on audience size and audience diversity. That's a fancy way of saying they don't just admit a dozen white male hard sf novelists who write for pretty much the same audience. They would love to see more applications from writers of all genres, non-fiction writers, screenwriters, playwrights, editors and anyone with the ability to put more and better quality astronomy in front of interested eyes, although they expect many participants to continue to be science fiction novelists as they have dominated the applicant pool. The workshop used to be free, but they've lost their NASA/NSF funding so it now costs $500 -- this includes tuition, lodging, and meals except for dinner.

The application form, more information about the workshop, a history, and my write-up of the workshop at tor.com are available online. Applications will be open until April 15 and final decisions should be made by mid-May.

I had a blast when I went, and I encourage any SF writer with an interest in space to apply.

Daily Science Fiction March Madness: please vote

dlevine@spiritone.com — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 18:06:05 GMT

Daily Science Fiction is running daily polls in a "March Madness" format, pitting stories against each other in a bracket to determine an ultimate winner. Today's poll pits my story "The White Raven's Feather" against "The Procedure" by L.E. Elder. Please go to http://dailysciencefiction.com today and vote for your favorite story.

Mad Science, FOGcon, and more

dlevine@spiritone.com — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:07:05 GMT

Last night's Mad Scientist's Guide reading at Powell's went well, with an enthusiastic crowd of about 50 attendees.

I was remarkably blasé about the whole thing, really... I had two other people to back me up, and all I had to do was read a story, one I've read before and I know goes over well, and do a bit of Q&A. But still -- I had a reading at Powell's! And at the end of the evening I went home with the large foam-core version of the book cover, which is something I've never had before. Very cool.

In other mad-science-related news, I have just sold a reprint of my BVC Mad Scientist Week story "One Night in O’Shaughnessy’s Bar" to Mad Scientist Journal. Mad Scientist Journal has also reviewed The Mad Scientist's Guide, calling "Letter to the Editor" "my favorite story of the anthology".

I have also just learned that Heiresses of Russ 2012: the Year’s Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction, which includes my story "Tides of the Heart," is a finalist for a Lambda Award!

Tomorrow morning we will be heading down to the Bay Area for FOGcon, where I will be on the panel "Better Stories and Gardens" at 4:30 Friday.

I was also supposed to appear on a bunch of programming on Saturday, but I am going to have to bail on all of it because my aunt passed away a couple of weeks ago and her life celebration is on Saturday afternoon in Sacramento.

(Condolences, although appreciated, are unnecessary; my aunt was a wonderful person, but I did not know her well and she passed away peacefully at age 87.)

The good news is that, as the life celebration and the con are both in the Bay Area, I don't have to miss the entire con, just Saturday afternoon/evening. So if you are at the con, I hope to see you there!

Mad Scientist's Guide reading - Powell's Cedar Hills, Tuesday 3/5

dlevine@spiritone.com — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:15:24 GMT

As you may know, John Joseph Adams, Daniel Wilson and I will be reading from The Mad Scientist's Guide to ~~Periodical Literature~~ World Domination tomorrow, Tuesday 3/5, at 7:00 at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton, Oregon. Hope to see you there!

Mark your calendars (Portland, OR)

dlevine@spiritone.com — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 16:37:53 GMT

Here are a few upcoming events that might be of interest to the Portland-area SF-reading crowd:

Tuesday, March 5, 2013, 7:00 PM: The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination reading/signing with John Joseph Adams, Daniel H. Wilson, and David D. Levine at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing (http://www.powells.com/events/#5113)

Thursday, April 4, 2013, 7:00 PM: Phantom Sense and Other Stories book launch with Mark Niemann-Ross, Richard A. Lovett, and David D. Levine at St. Johns Booksellers (http://stjohnsbooks.com)

Wednesday, April 24, 2103, 7:00 PM: SFWA Pacific Northwest Reading Series with Mary Robinette Kowal, Tina Connolly, and Nisi Shawl at McMenamin’s Kennedy School (http://www.sfwa.org/for-readers/sfwa-northwest-reading-series/)

Portland Comic Con report

dlevine@spiritone.com — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:49:52 GMT

I had thought that I'd never been to a comics event before, but when I ran into Barry Deutsch he pointed out that I'd been to several iterations of the Stumptown Comics Fest. Which is true, but Stumptown is more of an arts festival, where most of the tables are staffed by independent comics artists. The Wizard World Comic Con was not very much like that at all.

My first thought when I stepped onto the show floor was that this looked and felt exactly like the "sci-fi conventions" seen on shows such as Castle and CSI -- masses of people, mostly dressed in black, with a sprinkling of costumes, all tightly packed in a show floor crammed with booths. Lots of T-shirts with geeky slogans; mass-produced zap guns and other accessories. Quite a few small children, with parents in tow (or is that the other way around). Pop music from the overhead speakers competing with video game noises and soundtracks from the booths. Thousands of people, possibly over ten thousand; certainly all the parking near the convention center was full. This was a place of commerce -- a giant dealer's room with a few tracks of programming attached (on the other side of the hall, more lightly attended). Apart from Barry (whom I've met only a few times before) and the other panelists on my own panel, out of all those thousands I didn't meet a single other person I knew.

But as I wandered the show floor, looking at pirated DVDs and buying some graphic novels from the 50% off racks, I realized that there was something else this reminded me of: the state fair. Like the state fair, it had booth after booth of vendors and exhibitors; it even had games of chance (I won a T-shirt) and pitchmen hawking the geekish equivalent of Veg-A-Matics (mostly iPhone accessories). Instead of cows and horses, it had artists and actors. Brent Spiner and Lou Ferrigno chewed their cud in their stalls, signing autographs for $40 a pop and up. Artists, too, were had stalls, selling books, prints, and sketches (I'd been told that some would provide sketches for free; I didn't ask, but saw several with posted price lists). I saw an enormous line, stretching the length of the exhibit hall, of people waiting for an autograph from one of the stars of The Walking Dead, which sort of baffled me. All it lacked was elephant ears and Fried Things on Sticks, though the convention center's usual providers of unhealthy food were on hand.

Crossing the hall to the programming area, I sat in on a few panels, including a presentation on the history of Filmation by Andy Mangels, before it was time for my own panel ("Science Fiction Writers: Imagining Our Future" with Erik Wecks, William Hertling, Daniel H. Wilson, and Chris Claremont). Over a hundred people attended, and I think most of them were drawn by the name Chris Claremont... but he didn't show, and didn't show, and finally we started the panel without him. Then, about fifteen minutes in, someone from the convention came in and removed his name tent, muttering to the panelists "he's not on this panel." (::waves hands:: "I am not here. I was never here.") Later we learned that Claremont had not been informed of his addition to the panel, though he was listed in the program book. However, even when it became clear that the star would not show, not one audience member left, which cheered me greatly.

It was a perfectly respectable panel; we covered the basics, with special attention to robots and AI due to the specialties of Wilson and Hertling, and fielded several questions from the polite but engaged audience. I handed out a few business cards and then left for another engagement.

So that was yesterday. Am I going back today? Probably... I must confess I am interested in the presentations by Morena Baccarin and James Marsters. Would I go again? Maybe, if I'm invited again, but I don't think I'd pay $60, plus parking, for the weekend.

I'll be at Portland Comic Con Feb. 22-24

dlevine@spiritone.com — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 17:59:19 GMT

The first Wizard World Portland Comic Con begins today at the Oregon Convention Center. I've never been to any kind of comic con before, but I'm going to this one, because I'm on programming. On Saturday 2/23, you'll see me on the following panel:

4:00 – 4:45PM SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS: IMAGINING OUR FUTURE What roll [sic] does speculative fiction, and in particular science fiction, play in creating the future? When faced with so many potential catastrophes can science fiction provide hope? Or is science fiction at it strongest when it reveals our fears? Can the types of stories we tell influence the future we create? Come interact with Portland based science fiction authors William Hertling (Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears, A.I. Apocalypse), David D. Levine (Space Magic, Tk’Tk’Tk) and Daniel H. Wilson (Robopocalypse, How to Survive a Robot Uprising and A Boy and His Bot) along with Chris Claremont as we tackle these questions and more. Moderated by Erik Wecks (Wired’s GeekDad) (ROOM C124)

1) I would like to apologize for the lack of any women or people of color on this panel. I did suggest several women to invite (sadly, I do not know any prominent PoC SF writers in Portland) but, for reasons unknown to me, they were either not invited or were unable to attend.

2) Any suggestions for a first-time comic con attendee? I don't expect San Diego levels of overwhelming, but it's a new environment for me and I would like to avoid any faux pas if possible.

Happy birthday to me!

dlevine@spiritone.com — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 15:21:51 GMT

Today is my birthday! I don't have any grand plans for celebration, except that on my birthday I allow myself to eat whatever I damn well please and not feel guilty about it. Mmm, donuts.

Also today, Mad Scientist Week continues at the Book View Cafe blog with an original short-short story from me: “One Night in O’Shaughnessy’s Bar.”

I also want to take this opportunity to mention that last night I saw one of the best plays I've seen in some years: Red Herring at Artists Rep. It's a noir detective story. It's a romantic comedy that's laugh-out-loud funny. It's a keenly-observed commentary on the importance and meaning of marriage. It's a noir farce, of all things. Six excellent actors play a variety of parts, with great skill and verve, on a set whose apparent simplicity belies its sophistication. See it!

"Citizen-Astronaut" on StarShipSofa

dlevine@spiritone.com — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:59:27 GMT

You can now hear my story "Citizen-Astronaut" in episode 277 of the StarShipSofa podcast.

Truth in help text

dlevine@spiritone.com — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 23:29:43 GMT

LJ says: "You're using the old version of the Friends page — switch to the new one and try to customize it."

I like that "try to."

The Mad Scientist's Guide is available today!

dlevine@spiritone.com — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 16:29:29 GMT

Today marks the release of John Joseph Adams's anthology The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination! This kick-ass anthology, which has already received a starred review from Library Journal, a Top Pick review from Romantic Times, and an Editor's Pick from Amazon.com, features 22 stories by evil geniuses including Daniel H. Wilson, Seanan McGuire, Diana Gabaldon, and me! It's available now, in hardcover, softcover, ebook, and audiobook formats, wherever fine books are sold.

I received my author copies last week. They were accompanied by the best letter-accompanying-author-copies EVER. "I have shared your video with a number of people. I never imagined that you had such great dramatic talents. I love the hand; the static; the... bitterness." (If you haven't yet seen the video, now would be an excellent time to do so. The URL is http://youtu.be/NkOuPyILWx0. Tell your friends.)

In honor of today's release, it's Mad Scientist Week over at the Book View Café blog, with articles and stories about mad science all week. As part of this series, I'll be posting an original mad science short-short story there on February 21.

On March 5, there will be a Mad Scientist's Guide reading and signing with me, Daniel H. Wilson, and John Joseph Adams at Powell's Books at Cedar Hills Crossing in Beaverton, Oregon. See the editor's blog post for information on readings in other areas.

I'm extremely excited about this book. Some of John Joseph Adams's other anthologies have become bestsellers and I think this one has a strong chance of doing the same. See http://www.johnjosephadams.com/mad-scientists-guide for more information on the anthology.

PIFF: Shun Li, Alois Nebel, 80 Million, English Vinglish

dlevine@spiritone.com — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 06:33:22 GMT

More reviews of Portland International Film Festival films we've seen this year:

In Shun Li and the Poet, a Chinese immigrant to Italy is sent to work in a cafe in a small fishing village near Venice, where she strikes up a friendship with a Yugoslavian immigrant fisherman. Although the relationship is entirely platonic, this pleases neither of their communities and tensions run high. I had a lot of sympathy for Shun Li's language difficulties (although I enjoyed the fact that I could almost follow the Italian when she was speaking) but the fisherman should really have known better and it's really a sad situation all around, and at the conclusion the situation is resolved through mechanisms not entirely unclear. A pretty film, but somewhat slow-moving and dreary (the weather is nearly always rainy or overcast). Four stars out of five.

The single word I would choose to describe Alois Nebel is "leaden." Computer-driven rotoscoped animation in black, white, and six shades of gray yields a film that looks like a graphic novel brought to life: the movement and backgrounds are extremely realistic, while the characters themselves appear hand-drawn. The film has a unique visual style -- light and shadow are particularly well-handled -- but the plot, involving a small-scale atrocity from 1945 whose repercussions are finally resolved during the fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia in 1989, moves extremely slowly. Two major characters barely speak at all, making the action somewhat hard to follow, and one of them spends a chunk of the film in a mental hospital, which is a downer. Visually interesting but not much fun; three stars out of five.

80 Million plays out like a caper film, but much more serious. It's based on a true story: in Poland in 1981, members of the Solidarity trade union smuggled 80 million zlotys of their own money out of a banking system that was rigged against them. In a country where even the secret police can't trust each other, the tension is almost overwhelming, though the film is not without humor. I was really not sure which of the main characters would make it out alive, and knowing that they were all based on real people made the situation still more chilling. One of the best films I saw at this PIFF; five stars out of five.

In English Vinglish, a smart but naive Indian woman, a wife and mother of two, is embarrassed by her poor English skills. Even though Hindi is the official language of India, English is the one common language and her lack of proficiency embarrasses her and mortifies her children. When she is suddenly called away to New York to assist her sister with a wedding, she seizes the opportunity to take intensive English classes, which leads to moments of great humor and emotional turmoil. Though it's not a musical, strictly speaking, there's quite a bit of music and dance, and the film is laugh-out-loud funny and heart-rending by turns (though the stakes may be low in absolute terms, the emotional impact of some scenes, such as her first attempt to order lunch in a New York coffee shop, is devastating). My favorite film of this PIFF; five stars out of five.

Men at Lunch is a documentary about the famous photo of eleven steelworkers having a casual lunch on a girder eighty stories above New York in 1932. The film goes into the archives, interviews photographers and historians, and visits with descendants of two of the men in Ireland. But even at only 80 minutes it's a bit long for its subject matter. How many different ways can you say "we don't really know for sure who took the photo or who these men were"? Also, the photo was frequently shown in various forms of re-creation (actors on a beam and/or a computer-created three-dimensional moving version of the original image) which made it difficult to really appreciate it as a photograph. It is an interesting photo, but not that interesting. Three stars out of five.

Also, special bonus film Stop Making Sense. Not part of PIFF, but as far as I'm concerned it's one of the greatest concert films of all time and when you have a chance to see it on the big screen, you go. David Byrne is a strange, strange man, but his energy, along with the rest of the band, is boundless. And as every song began I found myself thinking "oh yeah, this is my favorite!" I guess they are all my favorite songs. Five stars out of five. Maybe six.

Interviews and Reviews Round-Up

dlevine@spiritone.com — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 17:28:29 GMT

Interviews and reviews related to last month's releases of the Space Magic ebook and "Letter to the Editor" video:

io9: "This Hugo-winning author is also the most dangerous villain on the planet"
SF Signal: "Not only do you get free fiction... you get a wonderful performance as well"
Bookgasm: "Prolific anthologist John Joseph Adams’ latest collection doesn’t come out until Feb. 19, but you can experience one of its stories right now"
"My Favorite Bit" at Mary Robinette Kowal's blog, in which I discuss my favorite bit of the Dr. Talon video
I am interviewed about Space Magic in "Discovering the Science Fiction Anthology" at ScifiBookReview.com
Here's another interview with me, this one about the "Letter to the Editor" video, at the Writers of the Future Herald
Another interview: "What’s it like publishing a short story collection?"
Happy Catholic Bookshelf reviews Space Magic
Space Magic reviewed at Functional Nerds
More great Space Magic reviews at LibraryThing

Portland International Film Festival

dlevine@spiritone.com — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 18:43:37 GMT

February is the month of the Portland International Film Festival, now in its 36th year. kateyule and I always hit as many PIFF films as we can, and this year we've got tickets to the following:

The End of Time (Feb. 9, 3:15 PM, World Trade Center)
The Painting (Feb. 9, 8:45 PM, CineMagic)
Shun Li and the Poet (Feb. 10, 5:00 PM, World Trade Center)
Alois Nebel (Feb. 12, 8:30 PM, CineMagic)
80 Million (Feb. 16, 3:00 PM, Lloyd Center)
English Vinglish (Feb. 17, 7:00 PM, Lloyd Center)
Men at Lunch (Feb. 18, 12:00 PM, Cinema 21)

Here are my reviews of the ones we've already seen:

The End of Time is a beautiful, languid meditation on the nature of time that spans the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland, lava flows in Hawaii, crumbling buildings in Detroit, and a Buddhist funeral in India among others. The images are gorgeous, often motionless or nearly so; the music is ambient and contemplative. The film will make you think about time, but it doesn't provide any answers and the connection between the theme and the words and images on the screen is sometimes tenuous. It reminded me a lot of 2001, with its lingering, painterly shots and willingness to focus on the banal details of life while the big picture can only be seen by stepping back. But, pretty though it is, it goes on a bit long; I might have fallen asleep if it hadn't been a matinee. I give it three stars out of five.

The Painting is an animated film that mixes computer-generated, hand-drawn, and live images in a delightful, painterly fable about characters who live in a painting. The conflict between the "all dones," the "unfinished," and the "roughs" provokes a Romeo and Juliet plot, but the real adventure is very meta as the characters (who know from the beginning that they are paintings and that they were created by an artist) wander out into other paintings and the real world. Will the Artist ever return to complete his creation? I enjoyed this one a lot, but I was annoyed by its almost complete lack of dramatic tension; whenever there is any danger to the characters it is resolved very quickly, and something about the painterly motion of the animation made everything seem very friendly and unthreatening. This lack of tension makes the film suitable for small children, but I think its complex ideas would be baffling to them. Four stars out of five.

George hooks another one

dlevine@spiritone.com — Sat, 09 Feb 2013 06:08:07 GMT

Just finished mainlining Season One of HBO's Game of Thrones, thanks to the DVD set kateyule got me for the holidays, and I'm as hooked as most everyone else who's seen it.

The thing that's really interesting to me about this series (I have not read the books) is that the major characters are all fascinatingly contradictory. The Lannisters may be the people you love to hate, yet all of them -- even the father, who's the least fully-drawn and most purely evil of them -- have their positive, even admirable qualities. (Okay, maybe not Jeoffrey.) And the Starks, our heroes, can be blinded by their own good intentions, even to the point of acting stupidly from time to time, yet stupidly in a very real and understandable way.

This is television characterization, of course. These characters, as much as I enjoy them, are really fairly melodramatic and simplistic. The cast is so large that, even in what is in effect a ten-hour miniseries, most of them get only some tens of minutes of screen time, so they are unavoidably shallow by comparison with the depth of characterization possible in a novel. But they feel much deeper than they are.

I'm also rather in awe of the show's ability to inflict massive infodumps on the viewer by having the characters deliver their information during a fairly explicit (and often completely unrelated to the info being dumped) sex scene. I mean, it feels like a cheat, but I am in awe of the chutzpah.

All the other aspects of the production are stellar. Cast, costumes, sets, music, cinematography. I am, as I said, hooked.

Fortunately, the Season Two DVD set will be out next week.