Attn: Authors Going to Worldcon

If you’re an author planning to attend Worldcon, and you’ve got a new book out, or a new book deal, or some other kind of book-related news, please feel free to email me now so that we can possibly set up a time at Worldcon for me to interview you for SCIFI.com. My editor at SCI FI Wire is giving me some lattitude to conduct interviews while I’m at the con, so I’m hoping to do as many as possible. I can’t interview everyone who’s interested, of course, but don’t let that stop you from inquiring about the possibility.

Rather than posting a comment, please email me at johnjosephadams@gmail.com if you’d like to set something up.

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Off on a Tangent

I’d forgotten to mention this until now, but F&SF recently ventured into the realm of web-only publishing. That is, we added a web-only column to the website. It’s written by Dave Truesdale (of Tangent Online fame), and is called, appropriately, “Off on a Tangent.” In this first installment, Dave discusses the pithy and sometimes controversial book reviews of Alfred Bester, who served as F&SF‘s book reviews editor for two years or so.

If you like the column, and you’d like to see it continue, then be sure to take note of the disclaimer at the bottom of the article:

Remember when National Lampoon said “If you don’t buy this magazine, we’ll kill this dog.”? Well, we don’t have anything comparable planned for Mr. Truesdale, but since this column represents our first foray into Web-only publishing, we’ve decided thus: as long as one person uses the PayPal link below to buy a subscription, we’ll continue running the column.

In other words, Buy a subscription or we’ll kill this column. “Buy a subscription or this kitten dies?”

So go take a look and report back. What do you think? Do you like the column? Do you like the idea of a web-only column, but dislike the column itself? Opinions? Thoughts? Concerns?

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Site Updates

For those who are interested in my musical tastes, I’ve updated my playlist (which can normally be found under the Listmania header on the left sidebar).

I also added my blogroll down at the bottom of the left sidebar. That’s a lotta blogs!

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Books Meme

Looks like I was tagged for this meme by Andrew Wheeler (a/k/a G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.).  So here it goes:

1. One book that changed your life?

I’ll give you two, for two different reasons.  One is Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.  That might seem like an odd book to change one’s life, but it was what opened me up to reading SF in a serious and hardcore way.  I’d read a bunch of SF and fantasy when I was younger and then kind of drifted away from it; mainly, if for no other reason, that I was not really aware of publishing categories because I mostly used to just read whatever my sister gave to me.  So Crichton hooked me in the mainstream section of the bookstore, and my search for more stuff like that lead me to SF, which I had a lot of misconceptions about at the time.  Luckily, someone explained to me that if I could handle the science in Jurassic Park, then I could handle any of the science in an SF novel. 

The other book is The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester.  Perhaps not coincidentally, this is my favorite novel.  The reason I think of it as a book that changed my life is because I read it at a point in my reading career at which I was not particularly well-read in the genre, and Stars completely blew my mind and made me realize Holy shit, this is what SF is capable of.  Once I read that book, there was no turning back.  I started reading SF almost exclusively after that, and eventually grew inspired to try my hand at writing (and, eventually, editing) it.  In fact, my Very Bad Novel (which was later adapted into my Very Bad Screenplay, which though Very Bad, was once optioned for cash money) is very much inspired by The Stars My Destination–not so much so that just anyone would recognize it, I think, but there’s a lot of Gully Foyle in the protagonist.

2. One book you have read more than once?

I haven’t read many books more than once, as I tend to be more interested in what’s in that next book, than revisiting what I’ve already read.  That said, I’ve re-read both of the abovementioned books, and I’ve also re-read Crichton’s Sphere (which was my favorite novel for a while, and is a book I still have a great fondness for). 

3. One book you would want on a desert island?

I refuse to name the book I’d want on the off chance that I do end up on a desert island.  Because if I say the name of the book aloud (or in pixels), that’ll pretty much guarantee I won’t end up with it.  I mean, come on: if my luck is bad enough that I end up on a desert island, you think I’m going to end up with the book I want? 

4. One book that made you laugh?

You can take your pick of Terry Pratchett Discworld novels, or Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide books.  But I usually find there’s at least some humor in most novels.  For instance, I know there were moments where I laughed during Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series, even though it’s by no means a comedic series.

5. One book that made you cry?

I’m not sure I can think of any books that have made me cry, though it’s entirely possible, as I know I’ve teared up at films.  I’m pretty sure I got a little weepy at “Flowers for Algernon,” though that would have been when I read the novelette version (it’s possible that it happened when I read the novel too, but unlikely since the emotional impact would have been lessened since I knew how it ended at that point). 

6. One book you wish had been written?

One more Alfred Bester novel, to have been written during the 50s, at which point he was at the height of his creative prowess.

7. One book you wish had never had been written?

I don’t hate any book enough that I’d wish it had never been written.  Even if I think it’s rubbish, I’d rather the world had more books in it, so I wouldn’t wish non-existence upon any book.  Although it would be an interesting alternate history premise to imagine how the world might have developed differently if no holy books (The Bible, The Koran, etc.) had ever been written.

8. One book you are currently reading?

I’m currently reading Paragaea by Chris Roberson, and I think it’s pretty great so far. 

At lunch today, I was just perusing a writing business book called Freelance Forever, which I bought at The Strand for a dollar yesterday.  A lot of it is probably outdated since it was published in 1982, but there’s some good advice in it so far. 

9. One book you have been meaning to read?

George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.  Oh, and the Harry Potter books too.  Those two series are what I get asked about most often, it seems, and receive appalled looks in response to my confession that I have not read them.

10. Now tag five people.

Doug Cohen

David Barr Kirtley

Jeremy Tolbert

Trent Hergenrader

Samantha Ling

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Worldcon Panel

So, the rumors of my Worldcon panel-snubbing have been greatly-exaggerated. Well, no, that’s not exactly true, but I’ve been added to a panel to replace someone who can’t make it. Here’s the panel info:

IT CRAWLED OUT OF THE SLUSH PILE
Stephen Eley, Betsy Mitchell, Alan Rodgers, John Joseph Adams
Friday 11:30, ACC 210-B

Description: Editors share their “favorite” stories of manuscripts that were a triumph of hope over talent.

It sounds kind of mean, but I hear it’s usually a lot of fun, and is somewhat of a staple panel for a lot of cons. I’ll probably use something from Gordon’s file o’ badness, to avoid insulting a writer’s recent work.

Though I have to admit, after learning of the panel, I came across two submissions (from terrible regulars) which would be perfect for this. One of them, had I been drinking, surely would have caused liquid to stream from my nostrils. This was due, in part, to my thinking beforehand that it would probably be bad, and so would be ideal for the panel. I didn’t make it through the first sentence before cracking up.

So, the thing is, to read that would feel like crossing a line–because that writer is writing at that level right now. For the old stuff in Gordon’s file, at least that’s ancient history at this point, and any writer who was writing at that level then probably isn’t still writing at that level (one would hope). Still, I’m ambivalent about being on the panel.

Here’s the rest of the Worldcon schedule.

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KGB: 8/16/06




Elizabeth Bear

Originally uploaded by slushgod.

Pre-KGB, I went into the city early to hang out with David Barr Kirtley.  I took the NJ Transit train from Metropark to NY Penn Station for the first time.  It’s a nice ride; a much better option for commuting into the city from home.  I think discovering it as an option will make me much more likely to go into Manhattan on a day off.  For instance, there’s a big event on Sunday for Jeff VanderMeer’s Shriek movie (a short film based on his new novel, Shriek).  There’s all kinds of other stuff going on too: some readings by other writers, and there’s even “godzilla burlesque.” Not sure what that is exactly; I understand the terms separately, but I don’t grok gozilla being used as a modifier for burlesque.  I’m kind of curious to find out though.


But anyway–like I said, I went in and spent the day hanging out with Dave.  We went to see A Scanner Darkly.  It was pretty good, but I didn’t really understand it.  It’s very much a drug movie and not much of an SF film, but it was entertaining (if overly puzzling), and the animation was awesome, even if I didn’t really see the point of it (they could have just as easily just filmed the movie).

After the movie, we headed down to Central Park to play some Frisbee. If you read my Readercon report, then  you may recall that we played Frisbee then too (and also, perhaps, you might remember that I suck at Frisbee).  I was much improved from our Readercon toss, however.  I still had some really crap throws, but overall, I was much more competent.

Once exhausted from Frisbee, we started heading toward KGB after a brief rest on some benches.  During our rest, I called back Carol Pinchefsky, who had called during our game.  She skipped KGB in favor of attending a party for people of a similar haplotype or something.  She said she got her father a genetic screening for his birthday, to help identify their family’s roots or something, and as a result some group contacted them to invite them to this haplotype party.  Is that strange, or what?  We both agreed that it might be interesting, and would surely be the seed of an article of some kind.  I mean, have you ever heard of a haplotype party?

So eventually, we get to KGB, after a brief stop off at Chickpea, which is some kind of Israeli restaurant, so Dave could grab something to tide him over til the after-KGB dinner.  This may have been a mistake, as he got ill later and had to bail on dinner, citing a pressing urge to vomit.  I guess that’s what he gets for being an adventurous eater.  I’d never even heard of the thing he ordered.

But anyway, we showed up pretty early, around 6PM, and the doors to KGB don’t open til 6:30.  But Jim Freund and his wife Barbara were already there sitting out front on the steps, so we chatted with them for a while. Shortly after our arrival, Dave’s friend Rob Bland showed up with his friend Andrew in tow.  Shortly after that, Devin Poore showed up. Once we got inside, we were able to secure good seats since we were so early.  One of the readers, Elizabeth Bear, got there

bright and early, so I got a chance to chat with her for a bit and we both lamented how we never got to say hello at Readercon.  Bear had a crew in tow–two friends who came a long way to hear her read (one from Ohio: Jamie Voss, and one all the way from Texas: Amanda Downum).  The other reader was William Shunn. 

Much of the regular crew was present, though Andrea Kail was off in Maine.  Doug Cohen was there, as was Chris Cevasco, still glowing from Clarion.  At dinner, my crew usually sits at what we call “the kid’s table,” because it’s usually just us regulars, and none of the readers or other occasional visitors tend to join us.  However, this time, Elizabeth Bear sat at our table, mainly because she’s good friends with E, who is part of the crew.  At dinner, E-Bear (as Elizabeth Bear is known to her e-friends) told us about the research she did about penile tatooing.  Never really thought of getting tattoo there.  Seems kind of painful, no?  I guess I’ll be reading all about it, as she said there’s penile tatooing in the new story she’s sending to F&SF.

We all usually linger after dinner, but E wanted to hit the road and asked if anyone wanted to share a cab to Penn Station.  Since Doug and I were both headed there, we hopped in a cab with her and headed out a bit early.  Which was fine with me since I had to work the next day, and I wasn’t sure what the return commute home would be like on the train.  It was also handy to have them with me to make sure I got to the right place, because I had no idea how I’d find my train.  As it happened, we were discussing it, and a gentleman waiting for the train told me what I needed to know.  Turns out it’s pretty easy to figure out (much easier to figure out than which train is which at Metropark).

I really enjoyed taking the train–I got a lot of reading done both to and from, so that’s good.  I’m in the middle of reading Paragaea by Chris Roberson, which I’m really digging, so it was cool to do a bunch of reading during the commute. 

Got home around midnight, which is good for a KGB night.  It’s good that it wasn’t too late, because I had to drag some “big garbage” down to the curb for pickup the next morning.  See, you can’t just put out big garbage whenever you want; you have to make an appointment.  So if you’re throwing away a bed or something, you have to call first.  And it takes like a month to get your appointment.  I guess a lot of people in Perth Amboy throw away a lot of big garbage. What I had to throw away was an old bed, which I had to dispose of to make room for my fancy new Tempur-Pedic bed.  Shortly after dragging the bed to the curb, I collapsed into said fancy new bed, and thus was well-rested for a full day of slushing on Thursday. 

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The Look of a Book

Speaking of my review of Infoquake, I wanted to take a brief moment give some kudos to the Pyr design and typesetting team. A friend who works in the production department of a major publisher told me that if the typesetting is noticeable, then the typesetter has failed. But I think that typesetting–or at least really good typesetting–can really make a reader take notice, at least enough to appreciate it, then forget about it and delve into the story. Many publishers these days are so eager to keep books short (admittedly, due to market forces beyond their control) that they’ll eliminate so much white space from the page that it renders the text all but unreadable. Infoquake‘s (and all Pyr titles’) typesetting on the other hand, is widely-spaced and a pleasure to read. As someone who is both a lover of books as entertainment, and as a lover of books as physical objects, it just has to be said that Pyr puts together some of the finest-looking books on the planet–both on the inside with their lovely typesetting and on the outside with their beautiful covers. Coincidentally, they’ve also been publishing some of the best books period, so it’s a mighty fine combination.

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