This may well be the most weirdly and gorgeous haunting and transcendent thing I've seen all year. It's an autotuned remix of Carl Sagan's Cosmos and Stephen Hawking interspersed and it's like a hymn. I'm not lying about this. Just listen.




And you can download the mp3 of this over here for your listening pleasure. Also? I totally just shed a tear for Carl Sagan. I am so sad he is no longer on this Earth with us.

Even professionals can act very unprofessionally, as Alice Hoffman is ready to demonstrate.

The story, in short, is that in response to a somewhat negative review she didn't like, Hoffman twittered about the reviewer in question, then posted the reviewers address and phone number on twitter.

And while I think Twitter is in fact the death knell of civilization as we know it and the finest of Satan's handiwork, I do think it says something for them that her account was suspended for doing that. It says that even Satan has standards*. Which are apparently higher than Alice Hoffman's.



* raise your hand if you, too, were tempted to pull a Church Lady and say, "Could it be....SATAN?!"

For all you Twitter fiends and writers: Query in 140 words or less contest being run over at The Swivet.

The grand prize is a critique of your query and first chapter. Which I think is brilliant, and coming from Colleen, it's more than valuable. I was utterly blessed when she did a critique of the early draft of the Tower!Guy novel, and I can tell you that her comments pretty much helped me fix the book so that I could tell the story I needed to tell.

Also, if you need a little inspiration to make you dream of what could be, might I suggest The Book Cover Archive which has beautifully designed covers from all genres, including Science Fiction. Although, why is that only the classic works of speculative fiction (and all it's subgenres) seem to get the good cover art and the newbies get the Tramp Stamp of Doom. Not to mention the historical prevalence of sad cover art.

I will refrain from ranting about how I'd really love it if publishers of SF/F did away with some of the more ridiculous, cookie cutter and absurd covers that they have and are still coming out with. Writers may not have control over cover art, but the people at the publishing company bloody well do. Like I said, I will refrain.

I feel there is only one thing that can really, truly, and accurately capture what I feel like, trying to completely finish off the revisions of the Tower!Guy novel in one month, among all the other obligations I have during December.

That thing is a clip from "Meet the Robinsons". Because sometimes you just have to say with computer animated dinosaurs.





So right now, just to recap: I HAVE A BIG HEAD AND LITTLE ARMS. I AM NOT SURE HOW WELL I THOUGHT THIS PLAN THROUGH.

Additionally, I might be covered in bees, too.

Carry on, that is all.