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I’ve Arrived at Saint Peter’s Gate

No, not that one (I’m not dead yet!), but the one in Nantes, more formerly called Porte Saint-Pierre, which used to be part of the gates of the city of Nantes. The oldest part of the structure dates back to the third century CE, whilst the youngest part is from the 15th century, which means that all of it is significantly older than the country I live in and most of the European settlement of the…

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Meanwhile in France

They’ve been keeping me busy here at the Utopiales Festival, with panels and signings and meeting booksellers and fighting evil demons that have arisen from the hellish underworld below Nantes, France (one of these is a lie, guess which one). It’s been just lovely, I have to say, and people here have been a delight. I just want you all to know I’m still alive and the demons have not gotten me…

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The Big Idea: Sariah Wilson

From small things, mighty things can grow. So Sariah Wilson learned when she came upon what would eventually blossom into her Big Idea for A Tribute of Fire. SARIAH WILSON: Three years ago I was writing my rom com, The Seat Filler, and wanted to use a line about Cassandra, the Greek mythology prophetess who would tell the future but wasn’t ever believed (thanks to the curse of a furious god). I…

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Be the Metal Heron You Need In Your Own Life

And honestly, who doesn’t need a metal heron? Doing metal heron things? In a herontastic manner? I myself was not aware how much I needed one until I arrived here in Nantes. And now I’ve been wondering where this metal heron has been all my life. In other news, hello, I’m in Nantes, have been for a couple of days now, and all is well. Today I have an interview, signing and panel at the Utopiales…

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View From a Hotel Window 10/30/24: Nantes, France

Here in town for the Utopiales Festival. I’m signing books and talking on panels. And then after that I have signings in Brest and Paris. It’s a whole French tour. Nantes is currently a little gray but otherwise lovely. I hope it’s lovely where you are as well. — JS

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Final Suggestions Prior to My Departure to France

I’m off to France for eight days, returning two days after the election (yes, I have voted). And so, in the fervent hope that I am not going to be coming back to an incipiently dysfunctional fascist state when I return, may I suggest the following while I am away: 1. Vote, if you have not done so already (and thank you if you have); 2. Don’t vote for fascists, the fascist-leaning, or the…

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"Moon" Contest Update

I have picked the winner and have notified them. When I get their shipping information I will spill the beans on which moon it was. Patience! — JS

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The Big Idea: Jennifer Estep

Tension takes many forms, some of them good, some of them bad, and some of them delicious. In this Big Idea for Only Cold Depths, author Jennifer Estep gets into tension, when to make it… and when to break it. JENNIFER ESTEP: The Moonlighting curse is real, y’all. The idea takes its name from the 1980s Moonlighting TV show. Basically, the idea/theory is that when writers finally put a…

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The Scalzi Endorsement: Kamala Harris for President

(Photo adapted from an official White House photo by Lawrence Jackson) This last week the billionaire owners of both the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times prevented their newspaper editorial staffs from endorsing Kamala Harris for President of the United States. The rationale given for these interventions are thin gruel indeed, and belie the reasons that everyone already knows are behind…

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New Cover: I'll Follow You Into the Dark

It’s been a minute since I’ve done a cover song, so here is one for you, originally from the band Death Cab For Cutie. If you’ve never heard it before, it’s a very sweet song about the inevitable blackness that awaits us all — and it’s a love song! Because of course it is. The original (which I will link below my own so you can compare and contrast), is just Death Cab vocalist Ben Gibbard…

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New Books and ARCs, 10/25/24

As we head into the final week of the Spooky Season, here is a hefty stack of new books and ARCs that have come to the Scalzi Compound in the last couple of weeks. What here would you like to have haunt your reading lists? — JS

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What a Difference a Day Makes

The sky was absolutely cloudless yesterday. Today, it is positively cloudful. I don’t know if “cloudful” is a real word, but it should be. So much more flavor to it than “cloudy.” Especially when you have clouds like this. With the clouds, some rain. Which is good. We could use some rain right about now. This has been your rural Ohio weather report for October 25, 2024. Updates as events…

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The Big Idea: Chris Sugden

Today in our Big Idea for High Vaultage, co-author Chris Sugden is here to tell you of a tale of futures past — and what that bygone future means for the present we live in today. CHRIS SUGDEN: What the hell, exactly, is going on? Or even roughly? Any port in an epistemological storm. A few weeks back I watched a video of a rocket the size of a 20-storey building being successfully caught on…

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Hey, Want an ARC of "When the Moon Hits Your Eye"?

Well, good news, then, since I got some ARCs and I am going to give one away here on Whatever. To win it, just answer this question: What moon am I thinking of right now? (I have emailed myself about this particular moon so that I have dated, time-stamped proof of which moon I was thinking of, and then told Krissy as well, just to be sure.) You can name any moon in fact or fiction (i.e.,…

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The Big Idea: Greg van Eekhout

In his Big Idea for Happy Town, author Greg van Eekhout delves into what it takes to tell young readers the truth — even in a story which has, you know, zombies. There’s a lot to consider, so let’s get into it. GREG VAN EEKHOUT: “Please wait and remain happy, help is on the way. Please wait and remain happy, help is on the way. Please wait …”  Ever feel like help is not, in fact, on the…

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The Big Idea: Kate Elliot

Sometimes you go long. And as Kate Elliot details in this Big Idea for The History of the World Begins in Ice, sometimes you go long to explain why, this time, you’ve gone short. KATE ELLIOT: After writing a seven volume epic fantasy series followed by an epic fantasy trilogy (in a different universe) which stuck to three books but whose final volume ran to 300,000 words, I was desperate. .…

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Krissy's New Car; Krissy's Big News

First, behold Krissy’s new automobile, a 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid, which we picked up from the dealership today. Krissy has been driving a different CR-V for a while now, a company car, and she liked it a fair amount. So when it came time for her to pick out her own, she went with what she knew and enjoyed. She’s quite happy with it, and I am happy she is happy with it. Happiness all around! The…