Catching Up–What’ve You Been Up To?
Thanks again for being so receptive to the guest bloggers.
I’ll resume posting tomorrow with my 60 Books in 60 Days feature, in which I read one of Penguin’s Great Ideas books each night and do a blog post about it the next morning. I’ll also be writing about the work of John Le Carre. I’ve had the luxury of reading his first ten novels and have rarely been so entertained or so impressed with a writer’s mastery of craft. You can expect that I’ll be fairly active on this blog, even as I finish up Booklife: Strategies & Survival Tips for the 21st Century Writer for Tachyon Books. (Look for Booklifenow.com to go live by May of next year, with unique content and an even more unique social media experiment scheduled for later in 2009.)
Then it’ll be on to the Steampunk subculture/projects book I’m co-writing with Jake Von Slatt for Artisan Books in NYC, a collaborative fantasy with a good friend of mine, and completing a short novel I’ve had in mind for quite some time (non-Ambergris). In addition to Finch (Oct. 31), next year the Last Drink Bird Head and Clarion charity anthologies will be out, along with another editorial collaboration with Ann, The Kosher Guide to Imaginary Animals, designed by John Coulthart and published in a cool little gift book format right before Hannukah. There are also a couple of other projects that I’m not at liberty to discuss right now.
In other news, my novelette “Errata” has been taken by Tor.com and will appear with my podcast of the story in early 2009. And I’ve just learned I will have a story in Peter Straub’s Library of America anthology Fantastic Tales: American Stories of Terror and the Uncanny. It’s a bit of an embarrassment of riches at the moment, since “Fixing Hanover” has been taken by Strahan for his year’s best and Rich Horton for his SF year’s best, as well. Finally, I’m working on a short story called “The Quickening” for a special issue of Conjunctions, although they still have to read it and accept it. (Reviewing-wise, look for work at the Washington Post and the B&N Review early next year.)
So, that’s where I am at the moment. How about you? I’ve been off the grid and haven’t heard from many of you. Feel free to tell me what you’ve been up to in the comments thread. (And including links is fine, but my spam filter will put them in my spam file, where I can de-spam them, just so you know if there’s a delay with something appearing.)
Cheers,
Jeff
December 13, 2008 at 1:59 pm
My life is rather mundane now – teaching (midterms this upcoming week, yay!), trying to perfect my reviews and commentaries, getting into the occasional tangle with others over picayune matters, making new friends online, and toying with a long-term project idea involving fiction, non-fiction, and histories. Nothing else really, except getting older each and every day.
December 13, 2008 at 2:41 pm
look on the bright side. you have all your limbs, haven’t hit 40, and have never been mauled by a walrus.
December 13, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Ha! :P I’m 5.5 years away from 40 and while not mauled by a walrus (yet), I have been threatened with rabid squirrels in the recent past. So…I guess I should just watch The Life of Brian and whistle along to “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”?
December 13, 2008 at 5:03 pm
Beauty that, placing “Errata” at Tor.com. That’s a really good place for it!
I’ve been deep in Imaginarium Geographica bookstuff – touring for Book Three, drawing art for Book Four, and writing Book Five. That’s about it.
December 13, 2008 at 5:15 pm
I just want to let you know how much I appreciate your work. Even when you’ve gone Underground, I feel like you make such a tremendous effort for your fans-your short fiction, reviews, editorial work, and things like the Limited Edition Shriek. On top of that you maintained (with a little help from your friends) one of my favorite blogs. Thank you.
December 13, 2008 at 7:02 pm
Welcome back and congrats on getting anthologized!
Nothing much on my part, just updating the blog…
December 13, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Conschob–that’s awfully kind of you. Anyone reading–a writing career is a tough thing at times. Go remind the writers you enjoy that you appreciate them. That’s a jolt of energy that replenishes the imagination.
Charles–thanks for reconsidering your rating system. I really enjoy your reviews.
December 13, 2008 at 7:37 pm
James–congrats on the awesome success.
December 13, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Thanks Jeff! I really value your opinion on these things.
December 13, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Just wanted to let you know that I check this blog daily and while I greatly enjoyed all of the guest bloggers I look forward to your return. I love the 60 books in 60 days idea and plan on adding plenty of books to my ever growing “To Read” list. Thanks for keeping the blog updated even when you were focused on Finch, which I can’t wait to read by the way.
December 14, 2008 at 7:50 am
Welcome back! I enjoyed the guest bloggers, especially the international perspectives. Congrats on the many sales and pending reprints. What a great way to finish out the year. Agree with Conschobhar — especially given your dedication to placing interesting content here even when you can’t be, this is a consistently engaging blog — fine companion to your fiction.
I’ve been banging away at a novel since August, settling into a steady, if slow, rhythm in October. It’s been eye-opening — much different from short stories — I really get the “building bookcases vs. building houses” metaphor now.
December 14, 2008 at 8:56 am
hey–that’s great, john. and thanks melissa!
December 14, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Congratulations on the story with Tor! I’ve been grabbing people by the lapels and forcing them to read the Geoff Ryman posted there last week. Guess I’d better get my lapel-grabbing gloves drycleaned.
I’ve been eyeing the end of the year like some kind of rough beast slouching towards a good sit down and a bloody good rest. Trying to finish my last short story of the year, while also changing nappies. The most important task of the last week? Plugged my XBox into a spare computer monitor in preparation of some spare time. Started deciding what books to read over the Christmas break. Did I mention there’s a break? I could use a break.
And thanks to all the guest bloggers. I loved you all.
December 14, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I’m basically practicing to go back to college. Reading a lot of books and writing about it on my blog.
Also been rewriting parts of my novel.
December 14, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Welcome back, Jeff!
I’m turning 29 in… 3 days.
Bunches of family stuff.
Also, I seem to have grown a sentient life form in my kitchen. I have named it Waldo. We were debating the morality of either releasing Waldo into the wild, to survive and thrive and continue its strange existance. Or, I can keep it alive in my kitchen, on a steady diet of spoiled milk and stale bread.
Vegetarians really ought to keep their dishes clean. If something grows, like Waldo, and comes to life, we don’t have the heart to kill it.
December 14, 2008 at 11:07 pm
J.M., you’re only 29? Damn, I’m starting to feel old now…
As for keeping Waldo in line, just blast Barry Manilow music at it. That ought to drive it into submission.
December 15, 2008 at 9:53 am
Welcome back, Jeff!
I deleted my blog and took a publishing vow of silence, got out of the editing business and became a handyman. I just wrapped up a few months of only reading books written before WWII and, for the next several months, will only read books written by women. I’m working on a novel, having discovered that doing so does not pre-necessitate seeking publication.
December 15, 2008 at 9:56 am
Samuel: That’s a fairly radical change. And, frankly, I envy you in some ways.
December 15, 2008 at 12:54 pm
Hi! I don’t think you’ve actually been posting since I’ve been reading. ;)
But I’m a freelance editor, spending most of my time either on projects or trying to get projects, but mostly trying to get someone to hire me for a real job. Amazingly, or perhaps not, that seems to take up most of my energy. I can’t quite get myself to give up on ever having a job at what I seem to be good at. I could be an awesome secretary somewhere, but then what have I been wasting the last 3 years doing…
I just got work from Tachyon (woot!), so perhaps I’ll get to work on something of yours in the near future.
December 15, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Welcome back! Looking forward to seeing Finch next year.
Well it looks like I beat J.M. to 29 by a few months. Since then I’ve become an editorial assistant for Strange Horizons and collected a few more sweet, sweet rejections.
Oh, and I had a son last week. I guess that’s pretty big. No more sleeping through the night for me! This is about the first I’ve been back on the internet since getting back from the hospital.
December 15, 2008 at 5:49 pm
Congrats, Lane!