Melinda Snodgrass - Science Fiction Author - Busted Flush - Edge of Reason - Star Trek

Welcome Home -- Have Some Snow

Melinda — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:02:02 +0100

I'm sitting in the living room with a fire burning, watching the snow come down. I should really go out and shovel the front steps and courtyard, but I really don't want to. We drove through a mix of rain, snow, sleet and sun yesterday as Pat and I made our way back from Los Angeles.

The worst part of the journey was the final few miles from the south end of Santa Fe to the house. I drove through desnse fog that swallowed the tail lights of the cars in front of me witRead More...

More Larsson

Melinda — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 22:52:42 +0100

Curse the Cassutt's! They are pushers of great books! So I blogged about The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo a few days ago. Now I can talk about The Girl Who Played with Fire, the sequel. I read it in, basically, a day. I sat up until 11:00 pm to finish it and this was the night before I had to make the drive back to N.M.

I thought this one ended a bit abruptly, but it was edge of your seat, frantic page turning all the way to the end. Not only does he Read More...

More To See

Melinda — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:25:51 +0100

I've now seen six of the ten nominated pictures since we watched A Serious Man tonight. I liked it. I don't think it's one of the brother's best, but much better than Burn After Reading that movie I really hated.

Left to see -- The Blind Side, Inglorious Bastards, Precious, and The Hurt Locker. I might not get all ten viewed before the ceremony. And yes, I'll watch the telecast. I'm a sucker for the glitz, and I can dream that someday I'll get to attend.&nRead More...

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:50:19 +0100

The Cassutt's managed to blow my day in terms of accomplishing anything productive. They shoved The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson into my hands and said "read this".

It started out slowly, interesting but slow, two separate stories that slowly merge, and then BOOM, this book just grabs you and won't let go. Actually even before the journalist and the girl start working together I was totally, hopelessly hooked.

I actually read a little over 300 pRead More...

Up In The Air

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:43:29 +0100

Watched Up In The Air last night. It's a little jewel. The dialogue is crisp and funny and poignant all at the same time. The performances are just lovely. It circles back on itself beautifully so that every little touch pays off. The direction is creative yet understated.

I can see why it was nominated for Best Picture. I don't think it will win -- it will be viewed as too slight, but that's a shame. I don't want to give too much away, but watRead More...

The True American Spirit

Melinda — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:25:54 +0100

I've copied off the words of Judge William Young who presided at the trial of the pathetic 'Shoe Bomber". This is what America and our institutions should look like. Not the pathetic, terrified Republicans, and the man who embraced and continues to embrace torture -- Richard Cheney.

"We are not afraid of any of your terrorist co-conspirators, Mr. Reid. We are Americans. We have been through the fire before.
There is all too much war talk here. And I say that to everyonRead More...

Today's Smile

Melinda — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:42:34 +0100

Mike Cassutt just showed me this adorable video. Why are cats so cute?

Inside the Madness

Melinda — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 03:58:26 +0100

In case anyone has wanted to see how the madness that is Wild Cards is constructed several of our writers are blogging about their experiences over on Tor.com.

You can find Ian Tregillis's post here, and Daniel Abraham's post here.

Enjoy.

People are Sooooo Stupid!

Melinda — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:37:57 +0100

Beginning with the terrible loss of Ted Kennedy's seat in Mass., followed by more details about the torture of prisoners in American custody -- this time at Guantanamo and this time resulting in death, followed with the Dems rolling over and playing dead because they have lost one seat so now they have to become Republican lite, the general consensus that health care reform is dead --

I'm driving around Santa Fe running errands when I see the bumper sticker on the van in front of me.&nRead More...

Kage Baker

Melinda — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 05:33:06 +0100

This is very sad news. This was posted on the Green Man Review. It is from her sister.

"Kage’s doctor has informed us she has reached the end of useful treatment. The cancer has slowed, but not stopped. It has continued to spread at an unnatural speed through her brain, her lungs and – now – reappeared in her abdomen. It is probably a matter of a few weeks, at most.

Kage has fought very hard, but this is just too aggressive and Read More...

Formula versus Voice versus Style

Melinda — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 12:00:40 +0100

A number of weeks ago Linda asked why are formulas popular since she hates them. This was a really interesting question, and I started giving it a lot of thought. I even brought it up as a lunch topic with my buds -- Daniel Abraham, Walter Jon, Ty Frank and Sage Walker.
The first thing that emerged is that I have an idiosyncratic use of the word formula. When I was talking about how the Butcher books had a formula -- very short chapters that always ended in a clifRead More...

Nominations

Melinda — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:57:03 +0100

I just got an email from Gordon the Editor of F&SF reminding writers that the nominations for the Nebulas are about to close and are now done on line. So, I guess I'm going to cringe, but do this anyway. I had a story appear in the Aug/Sept. issue of F&SF that would be eligible for both the Nebula and the Hugo. So any SWFA members take note, and any readers could also take note.

The story is called A Token of a Better Age, and it's an Edge universe story set iRead More...

Done, Done, Done!

Melinda — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:56:23 +0100

I just typed the final sentence of the urban fantasy, tentatively titled THIS CASE IS GONNA KILL ME. 85000 words, 346 pages. So one down and two to go to fulfill the contract. I think the next couple will be easier now that I've got the feel of this genre.

I'm also going to buy Scrivener before I tackle the next one. I think it will mesh well with how my mind works.

I'll do a rewrite and send it off to Patrick, then gather the troops for a plot break on bRead More...

No Surprise, But Sadness

Melinda — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:25:55 +0100

Well, it happened. The Dems have managed to lose their opportunity to take real action against the woes that beset us. the Republicans will block financial reform, funding green industry, and try to kill health care. I hope there's still a chance for health care reform. Otherwise, I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

Anybody out there with a job and health insurance want to marry me? Joking of course, but only a little.

Way Cool Science

Melinda — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:23:23 +0100

Okay, here is some of the coolest science trivia since I posted a link to the songs of Saturn. Check this out, a chance that there are oceans of diamonds on Uranus and Neptune. I want a space program again. Waaaaa!

Despair

Melinda — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 04:28:36 +0100

Well, it seems that the Dems have managed to give Ted Kennedy's senate seat to the Repubs, which means the death of health care reform. I really better sell that script, or find someone with insurance to marry me.

This bill did not go far enough, was not liberal enough for me, but at least it would have allowed me and 30 million other uninsured people to buy insurance, and kept the insurance drones from dropping me when I became ill.

I'm just sick to my stomach. If tRead More...

Taos Tool Box

Melinda — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:51:52 +0100

I wanted to alert people that a wonderful writer's workshop -- The Taos Tool Box -- is now accepting applications. You can find the information here. This year the class will be taught by Walter Jon Williams and Nancy Kress with guest lectures by Carrie Vaughn. It doesn't get much better than this.

The way Clarion is focused on short stories, The Tool Box is focused on writing novels. It's rather like a master class in music.

If this line up of teacRead More...

Research

Melinda — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 01:04:25 +0100

Oh my, has researched changed. Not deep, intensive research where you still need books and tabs and highlighter to mark relevant passages, but those kind of casual pieces of information that you want to add texture to a scene.

I've been working on a section today in the urban fantasy where my Álfar (elf) character is waylaid by his mother. I'm playing with elves as more art deco/Erte figures rather than going the medieval route. So I wanted to look at some ErteRead More...

Andrew Sullivan -- Worth the Read

Melinda — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:07:37 +0100

Here is a money quote from Andrew Sullivan's blog today.

The principled position on the right with respect to torture is that opposing it is honorable, but of course supporting it is essential. The debate on the right is all but over.

If you believe in torture, support the GOP. That's what conservatism is now all about.

I've made it a link because the entire post is well worth reading. Of all the horrors of the Bush years the elevation of torture as an accepted tecRead More...

Appropriate Posts

Melinda — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:49:47 +0100

This morning I deleted a message, and since the sender didn't provide me with an email address I'm unable to respond privately, so I'm doing it here. The post was about another author's delayed book.

First, and I write this with my tongue drilled firmly in my cheek. My blog should be all about ME, not some other writer.

That said, I do discuss books I'm reading, and when I find a wonderful reading experience, I want to pass the word. I try to warn you away fromRead More...