#RICHMOND

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Announcing the Picks and Shovels book tour

This week only, Barnes and Noble is offering 25% off pre-orders of my forthcoming novel Picks and Shovels.

My next novel, Picks and Shovels, is officially out in the US and Canada on Feb 17, and I'm about to leave on a 20+ city book-tour, which means there's a nonzero chance I'll be in a city near you between now and the end of the spring!

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865908/picksandshovels

Picks and Shovels is a standalone novel starring Martin Hench – my hard-charging, two-fisted, high-tech forensic accountant – in his very first adventure, in the early 1980s. It's a story about the Weird PC era, when no one was really certain what shape PCs should be, who should make them, who should buy them, and what they're for. It features a commercial war between two very different PC companies.

The first one, Fidelity Computing, is a predatory multi-level marketing faith scam, run by a Mormon bishop, a Catholic priest, and an orthodox rabbi. Fidelity recruits people to exploit members of their faith communities by selling them third-rate PCs that are designed as rip-off lock-ins, forcing you to buy special floppies for their drives, special paper for their printers, and to use software that is incompatible with everything else in the world.

The second PC company is Computing Freedom, a rebel alliance of three former Fidelity Computing sales-managers: an orthodox woman who's been rejected by her family after coming out as queer; a Mormon woman who's rejected the Church over its opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment, and a nun who's quit her order to join the Liberation Theology movement in the struggle for human rights in America's dirty wars.

In the middle of it all is Martin Hench, coming of age in San Francisco during the PC bubble, going to Dead Kennedys shows, getting radicalized by ACT UP!, and falling in love – all while serving as CFO and consigliere to Computing Freedom, as a trade war turns into a shooting war, and they have to flee for their lives.

The book's had fantastic early reviews, with endorsements from computer historians like Steven Levy (Hackers), Claire Evans (Broad-Band), John Markoff (What the Doormouse Said) and Dan'l Lewin (CEO of the Computer History Museum). Stephen Fry raved that he "hugely enjoyed" the "note perfect," "superb" story.

And I'm about to leave on tour! I have nineteen confirmed dates, and two nearly confirmed dates, and there's more to come! I hope you'll consider joining me at one of these events. I've got a bunch of fantastic conversation partners joining me onstage and online, and the bookstores that are hosting me are some of my favorite indie booksellers in the world.

BOSTON (Feb 14): Boskone, 4PM, Westin Boston Seaport District

BOSTON (Feb 14): Brookline Booksmith with KEN LIU, 7PM, 279 Harvard Street, Brookline

VIRTUAL (Feb 15): YANIS VAROUFAKIS, sponsored by Jacobin and hosted by David Moscrop, 10AM Pacific, 1PM Eastern, 6PM UK, 7PM CET

MENLO PARK (Feb 17): Kepler’s Books with CHARLIE JANE ANDERS, 7PM, 1010 El Camino Real

LOS ANGELES (Feb 18): Diesel Bookstore with WIL WHEATON, 630PM, 225 26th Street, Santa Monica

SEATTLE (Feb 19): Third Place Books with DAN SAVAGE, 7PM, 17171 Bothell Way NW Lake Forest Park

TORONTO (Feb 23): Another Story, 630PM, 315 Roncesvalles Ave

NYC (Feb 26): The Strand with JOHN HODGMAN, 7PM, 828 Broadway

PENN STATE (Feb 27): Kern Auditorium, 7PM, 112 Kern Building

DOYLESTOWN (Mar 1): Doylestown Bookshop, 12PM, 16 S Main St

BALTIMORE (Mar 2): Red Emma’s, 2PM, 630PM, 3128 Greenmount Ave

DC (Mar 4): Cleveland Park Library with MATT STOLLER, 630PM, 3310 Connecticut Ave NW

RICHMOND (Mar 5): Fountain Bookstore with LEE VINSEL, 6PM, 1312 E Cary St

AUSTIN (Mar 10): First Light Books, 7PM, 4300 Speedway/43rd

BURBANK (Mar 13): Dark Delicacies, 6PM, 822 N. Hollywood Way

SAN DIEGO (Mar 24): Mysterious Galaxy, 7PM, 3555 Rosecrans

BELFAST (Mar 24) (remote): Imagine! Festival with ALAN MEBAN, 7PM UK

CHICAGO, Apr 2: Exile in Bookville with PETER SAGAL, 7PM, 410 S Michigan Ave, 2nd floor

BLOOMINGTON, Apr 4: Morgenstern Books, 6PM, 642 N Madison St

PDX, Jun 20 (TBC): Powell’s Books (date and time to be confirmed)

I'm also finalizing plans for one or two dates in NEW ZEALAND at the end of April, as well as a ATLANTA date, likely on March 26.

I really hope you'll come out and say hello. I know these are tough times. Hanging out with nice people who care about the same stuff as you is a genuine tonic.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/02/06/picks-and-shovels-tour/#19-cities-plus-plus

[freddieardley]

Richmond Park September 23

photographed by Freddie Ardley - instagram

[wandering-cemeteries]

A good kitty's tomb.

St. John Church, in Richmond, Virginia.

[unplaces]

Hull St, Richmond, Virginia.

[unteriors]

Willis Branch Rd, Richmond, Kentucky.

[lovesicklobotomy]

So…look normal. Look more normal, more normal. But relax. Oh, forget it!

[ortofosforico]

Third batch of Ted Lasso memes coming right up!

This is a big one.

And just for the shippers:

Fourth part!

Second part here ✨

[strawlessandbraless]

COACH BEARD: “so there’s probably more people in this room who are gay”

RICHMOND TEAM: all looking at bi king Jamie Tartt who is FLATTERED

TRENT CRIMM: in his vintage Dolly Parton t-shirt and blazer who later drinks his victory toast out of his rainbow mug “who could it be?”

[prettyeaves]

This article outlines the findings of the 2022 EPA Report on Richmond, VA’s water treatment plants. The screenshots are only a few examples of problems found during the inspection. The water plants were built in 1924 and 1950.

I really hope this crisis triggers a meaningful update to Richmond’s infrastructure and a complete managerial overhaul at the DPU. Staff were completely unprepared for an emergency and used outdated regulations and procedures.

[mapsontheweb]

A map of the water crisis in Richmond, VA

by dschep/reddit

[cottagefork]

please tell me no one has done this yet

[nameless-jamie]

Offside Tension - Jamie Tartt x Y/N

Masterlist - Next Chapter

Chapter 4 - Lines Crossed, Hearts Questioned

The past few days had been... strange for Y/N. She wasn’t exactly sure when things had shifted, but something about Jamie Tartt had lodged itself in her thoughts, and it was beginning to feel impossible to shake. The banter between them was harmless, playful even, but every smirk he gave her lingered longer than it should have in her mind. Every time he called her “love” in that casually cheeky way, her stomach did this ridiculous little flip that made her want to kick herself.

Why, of all people, was Jamie Tartt starting to get under her skin?

She didn’t have much time to dwell on it this morning, though. Training had wrapped up smoothly, and the team was dispersing. Y/N was standing near the pitch, watching the players file out, when Jamie walked past her, his usual swagger on full display.

“Good drills today, Coach,” he said, his tone teasing but not unkind. Then, after a beat, he added with a smirk, “Maybe next time, I’ll let you win one-on-one.”

She raised an eyebrow, biting back a retort. “Let me? Pretty sure I wiped the floor with you, Tartt.”

He grinned, stepping closer. “Keep tellin’ yourself that.”

Their eyes locked for a moment, and for reasons she couldn’t quite place, her breath hitched. She forced herself to look away, focusing instead on gathering her clipboard and whistle. When she glanced back up, Jamie was already walking off, but he glanced over his shoulder and gave her a quick wink. Her face flushed, and she quickly turned away, hoping no one had noticed.

Unfortunately for her, Keeley Jones had. Keeley saw her from Rebecca’s office and wanted to say hello to her new friend, but didn’t expect the heavy flirting with a certain Mancunian.

Later, as Y/N sat on a bench reviewing her notes on the sidelines of the pitch, Keeley’s voice broke through her concentration.

“Alright, spill.”

Y/N looked up to see Keeley standing in front of her, arms crossed and a knowing smile on her face.

“Spill what?” Y/N asked, feigning innocence.

“Oh, don’t play coy with me,” Keeley said, plopping down beside her. “You’ve been all distracted today, you didn’t even show your face in the locker room. And don’t think I didn’t notice that little... moment you had with Jamie earlier.”

Y/N groaned, burying her face in her hands. “It wasn’t a moment.”

“Babe, it was totally a moment,” Keeley said, nudging her playfully. “So what’s the deal? You fancy him?”

“No,” Y/N said quickly. Too quickly. She sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe? I mean, it’s just... he’s Jamie Tartt, you know? And we’ve only ever had this... flirty banter thing going on. It’s not like it’s real.”

Keeley tilted her head, studying her. “Why do you think it’s not real?”

“Because...” Y/N hesitated, searching for the words. “Because I’ve seen the way he is with people. He’s charming and cocky and—”

“And completely different from who he used to be,” Keeley finished for her. “Y/N, I know Jamie can come across like he’s all bravado, but he’s changed so much over the past couple of years. You should’ve seen him when he first came back to Richmond. He was a nightmare. But he’s worked so hard to be better—as a player and as a person.”

Y/N frowned. “What changed?”

“A lot of things,” Keeley said. “Ted had a big impact on him, obviously. And then there’s his dad...” She paused, her expression softening. “Jamie’s dad’s in rehab now. But before that, he was... well, let’s just say he wasn’t exactly Father of the Year. Jamie’s had to deal with a lot of crap from him. But instead of letting it drag him down, he’s used it to push himself to be better.”

Y/N’s chest tightened at the thought. She’d seen glimpses of vulnerability in Jamie—moments when his confidence seemed more like armor than arrogance.

“I didn’t know that,” she said quietly.

Keeley smiled gently. “He doesn’t always let people see that side of him. But it’s there. And I think... maybe he lets you see more of it than you realize. I think you could be that person for him.”

Y/N’s stomach fluttered at the implication, but she pushed the feeling aside. “I don’t know, Keeley. I’m his coach. This... whatever this is... it’s complicated.”

Keeley shrugged. “The best things usually are.”

That evening, Y/N stayed late at Nelson Road to finish up some paperwork in her office. By the time she was ready to leave, the parking lot was nearly empty, save for a few cars. She climbed into her own car, an old, beat-up thing she’d bought on a budget as soon as she arrived in Richmond. Better to have a car than no car at all. She turned the key in the ignition. Nothing happened. She tried again. Still nothing.

“Great,” she muttered, leaning her head against the steering wheel. She shouldn't have listened to the guy at the car dealership, but she had a habit of being bad at saying no to salesmen.

A knock on her window startled her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to see Jamie standing there, his brows furrowed in concern. She rolled down the window.

“Car trouble?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she said with a sigh. “It won’t start.”

“Pop the hood. I’ll take a look,” he said.

She hesitated. “You know anything about cars?”

“Not a clue,” he admitted with a grin. “But I’ll give it a go.”

She couldn’t help but laugh as she popped the hood. Jamie peered inside, poking at a few things while muttering to himself. After a few minutes, he stepped back, wiping his hands on his track pants.

“Yeah, I’ve got no idea what I’m doin’,” he said. “But I’m pretty sure this thing’s not goin’ anywhere tonight.”

Y/N groaned. “Fantastic.”

“Come on,” Jamie said. “I’ll give you a ride.”

She hesitated. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I know,” he said, his tone softer now. “But I want to.”

Something in his expression made her relent, and she grabbed her bag, following him to his car. The ride started off awkward, the tension between them palpable. But as they drove, the conversation began to flow more easily. They talked about football, about their favorite players and matches they’d seen. Jamie told her about growing up in Manchester, and she shared stories from her own childhood. They found out that they both think Messi is way better than Ronaldo.

"No, I know. And the whole goal celebration thing. Like, it’s a team sport. I mean, who only celebrates themselves after a goal? A little arrogant, if you ask me." Y/N knew what she was saying and to whom she was saying it. She’d seen some of Jamie's old goal celebrations. But teasing him was just too tempting at the moment.

"Wow. Ok, foul play. I'm a changed man now, love. These days I would even consider celebrating with my coaches," he side-eyed her.

By the time they pulled up outside her flat, the air between them felt lighter, though the tension was still there, humming just beneath the surface. Jamie turned to her as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said. "And for taking a 'proper look' at my car."

“Anytime,” he replied, his voice quieter than usual. "You should get it checked out by a professional tomorrow."

"Oh, so you're not professional enough to fix my car for me, Tartt?" She stopped the light banter mid-sentence because Jamie tucked the loose strand of hair that had fallen in her eyes behind her ear in such a loving way. It took her breath away, literally.

For a moment, neither of them moved. Their eyes met, and Y/N’s breath caught. Jamie leaned in slightly, and for a split second, she thought he might kiss her. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt herself leaning in, too, before reality crashed down around her. You're his coach, for heaven's sake.

“Goodnight,” she said quickly, pulling back and fumbling with the door handle. She practically stumbled out of the car, her cheeks burning.

“Goodnight,” Jamie said, his voice tinged with disappointment and definite confusion as she hurried inside.

Once she was safely in her flat, Y/N leaned against the door, her heart still racing. What the hell was happening to her? Jamie Tartt was turning her world upside down, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it.

[unplaces]

US-360, Richmond, Virginia.

[maureen2musings]

Golden hour

mindy_k_h_

[federer7]

End of Shift, 3:30, Shipyard Construction Workers, Richmond, California. September 1943

Photo: Dorothea Lange