This little dude was on the doorstep of my garage around 4am (i.e., when the dog told me she really really had to go pee). That’s not a great place for a smallish amphibian to be, considering there are predatory mammals who patrol the territory and would be happy to take a run at a […]

Miles of open road, a Big Gulp, and literal tons of steel. A trucker’s life ain’t an easy one, as author Ryan Lowell knows from years of experience as a dispatcher. This experience gave him the ideas and know-how he needed to write his newest novel, Freight. RYAN LOWELL: I spent much of the 2010’s dispatching […]

In recent weeks (probably months, if we’re being honest), I have felt stuck in a rut when it came to groceries. I had no ideas, and frankly no motivation, to get anything other than the basic essentials like milk, bread, and maybe eggs if I wanted to bake something. My groceries were uninspired, and I was […]

That’s it; that’s the post! Well, also that it’s a New York Times best seller and also nominated for the Dragon Award (by itself) and the Hugo Award (as part of the Old Man’s War series), got great reviews and also I was very happy with it as a novel. If you’ve not read it […]

My father recently wrote a piece detailing some of his thoughts on AI, and in doing so he compared using generative AI to playing Guitar Hero. I shall not let this analogy stand. If you think I’m pro-AI, you couldn’t be more wrong. There is no bigger hater of AI in the world than yours […]

The Indian food was delicious and also literally all my blood went to my stomach, causing my cognitive abilities to throttle to maybe, like, 30%, so, uh, yeah, not a lot of work done after lunch. I did take a nap, though. Which was important, I think. Anyway, Saja and Charlie are pals. Isn’t that […]

Yes, I’m slowly working my way through the 80s on KROQ. This one is from Love & Rockets, a spin-off of Bauhaus, but a lot more commercially accessible. This is their biggest hit (it went to #3 in the US and #1 in some other countries). My version is slightly more upbeat than the original, […]

Sometimes I see a video of someone doing something and immediately think, why didn’t I think of that sooner? One such thing is the idea of a “gift closet,” which is a collection of items you have that are meant specifically for gifting to other people on such occasions as: bringing a hostess gift to […]

So, you’re a person who has decided to embark on a creative journey of self-expression — to make art, in other words. First off, this is awesome! The universe needs more people making art, whether that art is writing, painting, music or any other form that humans are capable of creating. You have the drive, […]

Revenge is a dish best served cold, and in author Shami Stovall’s case, her desire to get back at those who have wronged her ended up being just what she needed to write a John Wick-esque revenge story. Sharpen your skills and your blades, and follow along in the Big Idea for her newest novel, One-Fifth […]

They say writing can be a good outlet for grief, but feelings might get complicated when the person you’re grieving was supposed to co-author the book you’re writing. Despite author Griffin Barber’s deep, personal loss of his mentor and friend Eric Flint, he managed to complete 1637: Pilgrim’s Passage in a way that would make them […]

Did you think you’d get away with it? Did you think he wouldn’t find out? Saja always finds out. And now you’ll just have to live with him knowing. In other news, we’re coming right up on the one-year anniversary of Saja’s official adoption. He was clearly alive before then, so being more than one […]

Oysters: you either love them or hate them. Author and oyster-aficionado Virginia Shaffer has spent years turning her passion for oysters into a comprehensive look at the world behind the shell. Grab a lemon wedge and dive into the briny depths of the oyster community in Oyster Society: Adventures with the Shellfishly Motivated. VIRGINIA SHAFFER: “This […]

Here’s some nice news to start the week: The Shattering Peace is a finalist for the Dragon Award this year, in the category of Science Fiction Novel. Also in the category: The Faith of Beasts by James S.A. CoreyRadiant Star by Ann LeckieOperation Bounce House by Matt DinnimanSlow Gods by Claire NorthGod’s Junk Drawer by Peter Clines That’s a very […]

This cover song has an interesting story to it, which is that it’s a song from a video game called “Deathloop.” In the video game, the singer is supposed to have been a huge star but has lately gone kind of venal around the edges, and also there’s a whole time loop thing going on […]

Back in February I did a long post about “AI” and why I wouldn’t use it for my own writing, and one of the reasons I gave was “the fact that ‘AI’-generated text is not copyrightable and I don’t want any issues of ownership clouding my work.” Well guess what? A hot and buzzy debut […]

Yeah, they got me doing a lot of things this year, plus I’ll be at the Hugos because, you know, up for Best Series and all (hey, remember to vote for the Hugos, okay? You got about another week to do that. Don’t worry, I’ll remind you again soon). But the most important thing: I’m […]

Hey wanna see our new front porch furniture? As you’ll know, we recently redid a lot of our outdoor environs here at the Scalzi Compound — the front porch because a wind storm knocked out a substantial part of the railing, which meant redoing it, and as long as we were doing that, redoing the […]

To mock a classic trope in your own story, one must first unabashedly love that trope. Author Alex Shvartsman is a die-hard sci-fi fan, which gives him the perfect angle to write his own take on things. Follow along in the Big Idea for his newest novel, The Best of All Possible Planets, as we make […]

And look! He’s a mlem going! Truly, a quality cat photo. Have a great weekend, y’all. See you back here on Monday. — JS

The Humble Bundle Deal we have going with 22 of my works has been running for three weeks now, and in that time we have raised almost $35,000 for World Central Kitchen — but all good things must come to an end, and the end of this one is at around noon tomorrow. So if […]

If you knew you only had weeks to live, how would that change your attitude towards life and death? What if you had been dead before, and this was your second, but brief, go-around? Author C. J. Beshara examines life and death through the eyes of the titular main character, as well as on a […]

And what a handsome statuette it is, too. For those needing a refresher, the Astra is an award given out by the Hollywood Creative Alliance, which mostly has given out award related to film and television, but this last year decided to branch out into books as well, a decision which I applaud as books […]

It’s been just about one full month of having my 2026 Honda Civic Sport Touring Hybrid, and I wanted to quickly give some further thoughts and opinions on it. I just went out and checked how many miles I have on it so far before writing this, and I am quite literally at 1500 miles […]

Saja wants to know what’s up! Well, my young cat, let me tell you: OpenAI says its “AI” hacked another “AI” company, apparently just for funsies: No, really, that’s the gist of it. OpenAI put the “AI” into a sandbox in order to test its capabilities, it escaped from the sandbox and then hacked another […]

There is art all around us, and poetry can be found in places you’d never expect. Author Ali Trotta speaks on the true power of poetry in the Big Idea for her newest poetry collection, Offerings for Ordinary Gods. ALI TROTTA: I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of who gets to their story. (Before […]

Left North Carolina early in the morning, made it back home to Ohio a little after 2pm, and along the way drove through just about every summer weather pattern short of an actual hurricane or tornado. One does forget how immensely large this country is, and also how lovely it is to boot. But now […]

It’s the one at my hotel, and it doesn’t look like it’s been used the entire summer long. Which kinda makes sense, this is an airport hotel, after all, and thus, I expect, not a hotbed of competitive traveling beach sports. I still give the hotel points for trying. ConGregate 12 (the convention I was […]

We all hear voices in our brain, but what if they were coming from your other heads?!? Author John Wiswell’s main character is a multi-headed dragon with a lot of contradicting opinions. Though a dragon, you may find his inner turmoil more relatable than you’d expect. Take flight in his Big Idea for The Dragon Has […]

It’s very warm here today, but at least there is shade. I spent the day traveling here in order to be part of the ConGregate science fiction convention this weekend. I will have panels and do other stuff! If you’re in the neighborhood, come on down. — JS