Just The Caffeine Talking

Save the Date!

We're holding a "Fantasy & Science Fiction Festival" to benefit Deerfield's Tilton Library — and everyone's invited!

When: October 8, 2023, from 3 to 5 p.m.

Where: The Deerfield Community Center, at 16 Memorial Street in Old Deerfield.

What: Meet local authors, watch a panel discussion about libraries in fiction and real life, listen to readings, and maybe get some books signed!

Who: A powerhouse lineup of Holly Black (author of the Spiderwick series), Andrea Hairston (Smith College professor and fantasy author), Allen Steele (legendary hard-SF author), and James L. Cambias (slightly-less-legendary SF author).

How Much: $20 at the door for adults, $10 for kids. We can only take cash, and all proceeds go to benefit the Tilton Library renovation fund.

See you all there!

Culinary Notes

This is the weird time of the culinary year. This coming week I'm going to be canning summer tomatoes . . . and making a pudding for Christmas.

New England's late growing season means you get all the summer produce right about the time it starts getting too chilly to sit outside and enjoy it. Once the tomatoes are done, we may see some cabbage, and then it's the long slog of root vegetables from the farm share until nothing's growing at all.

Albacon 2023

Albany's long-running science fiction and fantasy convention is back up to full speed this year, with an impressive guest lineup, a full schedule, and a nifty hybrid live-plus-online format. As always, I'll be there — I said I'd be at their disposal for one full day, Saturday the 10th — and they're getting the most out of me before I vanish like fairy gold.

Saturday, 10:30 a.m.: Subterranean Science Fiction — A panel discussion about SF's long-running fascination with underground worlds. They definitely show up in my own work, so I'm looking forward to this. 

Saturday, noon: Science Fiction Stories Age Like Wine — I'll be moderating this panel on why some stories remain popular and thought-provoking while others get stale and feel obsolete. 

Saturday, 2:30 p.m.: Reading — I'll be reading a selection from my current work-in-progress, The Miranda Conspiracy. This will be the first chance for anyone but myself to get a taste of the next book.

Saturday, 4:30 p.m.: You Are Not The One — Another panel, this time about the sometimes (too often) overused trope of the "Chosen One" who gets to be the protagonist because the author says so. I have opinions about this.

Saturday, 8:00 p.m.: Can Good Stories Be Based on Bad Science? — My final panel of the day, which asks the question in the title. What's the difference between imaginary science, rubber science, and b******t science?

See you all at Albacon!