Hey Everyone –
Due to extenuating circumstances, I won’t be able to make Balticon this year. I’ve sent refunds to everyone who ordered photo sessions. Hopefully we can do it next year!
-Dan
Yesterday, I wound up in a protracted philosophical argument with Gail Carriger about the relative utility and desirability of cats and dogs. While normally such conversations between cat people and dog people devolve into “this is my species, that’s yours, let’s not kill each other about it” (or into actual violence), this conversation took a different path.
Since both Gail and I are academically bent (and I do mean “bent”), we wound up debating the relative merits of dogs and cats, and their inherent fitness for different purposes. Then, as is the wont of the academically bent, we formulated our conclusions into a proper theory. Here it is.
::clears throat::
The Theory of Domestic Animals as Sorted by Suitedness for Purpose
The evidence shows that people interested in interactive television, mobile fuzzy furniture, a belligerent work distraction, or an incentive to attempt developing their telepathic abilities would be best served by the purchase of a feline of a color scheme that compliments the interior decor.
The evidence further shows that people who in search of a sidekick will be best served by the purchase of a canine with a compatible temperament and a coat suited to the local climate.
Now you know. And knowing is…well, you know.
Despite a complete lack of exertion on my part (due mainly to being so busy I forgot to send in the programming survey), I will indeed be at the Nova Albion Steampunk Exhibition. My lone panel is on publishing at 1pm on Sunday the 28th, though I may get slotted in elsewhere.
If you’re going to be there, give me a shout!
This post contains language you might not want your boss to read over your shoulder. It’s a comparative taxonomy of two subspecies of four-letter excrement. You have been warned.
Continue reading ‘On Equine Excrement’
Note: Due to extenuating circumstances, I will not be able to make Balticon after all this year. The offer is withdrawn, all of you who were kind enough to order a session have received refunds. Hopefully next year!
I’ve now missed two straight Balticons, much to the chagrin of many of you who start asking me about it this time of year. This year, I’m on the cusp. I’ve been invited on programming, and am very excited about going, but…
Continue reading ‘Your Photos Will Send Me To Balticon’
Clarke Lantham, the hero of my detective series, lives and works around the San Francisco Bay. One of the features of the books that draws frequent comment is how much the Bay itself is a character in these stories.
Truth be told, it’s an intentional feature. I’ve been a lot of beautiful places in my life, even lived in a few of them (and some ugly places too), but there is something about the San Francisco Bay that can keep a soul fascinated for eternity.
If you’ve wondered what it is, and you want a taste, check out this video. It may explain a few things. Set aside about five minutes to just watch and enjoy. Moments of great beauty deserve undivided attention.
Every time I turn around, I see more shared worlds popping up. What used to be a fairly limited market dominated by media and RPG tie-in novels (Star Trek, Star Wars, Dragonlance, etc.) is going mainstream. I suspect this is partly because the changes in the publishing industry make it possible for more shared worlds to come to market, partly due to the rising popularity of the shared worlds embodied by comic book properties, and partly because long-form, depth-centric serialized fiction on television (Mad Men, Lost, etc.) has hit the mainstream. Hell, even the popularity of fan fiction proves that there’s a hunger for complex worlds built with a multitude of voices.
I can’t help but think this is a good thing. Writers are solitary folk, and it isn’t always a good thing. Playing in the same sandbox with other writers is a sociable act, and working under unconventional constraints is creatively invigorating.
Last year, I got six invitations from friends and colleagues to join shared worlds anthologies. Two of them I said “yes” to, the others I said “no” to. One of them, Thomas K. Carpenter’s Mirror Shards, Volume 2, is more of a concept series than a shared world series. The other, John Mierau’s Walk The Fire, is a multifaceted fantasy world based on an interesting form of interstellar/interdimensional travel. There were a lot of reasons I said “yes” to both of these, and “no” to the others, but the biggest reason is this:
The Series Bible.
Continue reading ‘Other People’s Sandboxes’
I’m very happy 
to announce the release of the Frock Coat Dreams paperback, complete with a new essay, new poetry, and some beautiful book design by the AWP art department. We’ve also updated the ebook to include all the new content and some extra navigation features.
Well, things have been busy around here. The news from Apple is that the feeds are back up and running. Anyone who can check them for me to find out if they’re working, I’d greatly appreciate (this is one of those rare occasions when I find it inconvenient to not have a Mac).
Other changes:
If you look to the right, you’ll notice the sidebars are a lot cleaner. Now, if you click on a book cover, you’ll be taken to a spot especially for that story, with a blurb and links to samples and purchases. Hopefully this will make life easier for everyone, and save you the trouble of browsing back through old posts the hard way.
I’ve done a HUGE update on the Media page, and it’s still not done. If you can’t get enough of me gabbing on like I’ve got a clue about anything, there’s now over a hundred hours of entertainment there for you, none of which has ever appeared on any of my podcast feeds. Click here to indulge yourself.
That said, the Media page is definitely not complete. If I’ve done voice work (or an interview, a promo, or a Story So Far) for you, and you’re not linked to on that page, please let me know, and I’ll do so.
Other parts of the site will continue under construction over the next few weeks. All part of getting back in the game and levelling up at the same time. Thanks for bearing with me!
At long last, 
Volumes 2 and 3 of The Clarke Lantham Mysteries are available in paperback! The story which began with the cutting-edge biotech noir of And Then She Was Gone continues in Book 2 with hauntings, lawsuits, car crashes, and holiday relatives in the dark and friendly little cozy A Ghostly Christmas Present, featuring new cover art and line drawings by Kitty NicIaian.
When it comes to raw-deal Christmas presents, you can’t beat being thrown in an out-of-state jail on a trumped up charge—but detective Clarke Lantham can’t resist a morbid challenge. So when he calls up his brother for help with bail, he steels himself for the ordeal of spending a holiday weekend with relatives who put the “strange” back in “estranged.”
That was his first mistake. But with only two days to clear his name before he gets thrown back in the slammer—and an old client gumming up the works, a ten-year-old niece with a ghost problem, and the occasional murder competing for his attention—it probably won’t be his last.
Book 2 of The Clarke Lantham Mysteries
Now, you can read the book View from Valhalla calls “A creepy and clever dose of Christmas cheer from the maniac in cell three” from the comfort of your armchair without the bother of a screen.
Get a taste of A Ghostly Christmas Present here, or buy it in Paperback, or as an ebook for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iPad, or any other e-reader.
And then the adventure continues a week later on New Year’s Eve, with the romantic skin-of-your-teeth manhunt Smoke Rings.
Every detective deserves a second chance…
Holidays make Clarke Lantham squirm–not even New Year’s Eve escapes his scorn. With his space cramped, his personal life on the skids, and his business under assault from lawyers and bill collectors, he holes up in his office, counting his blessings that the year from hell ends tonight.
So when an old girlfriend shows up with a chance for a $50,000 reward and a New Year’s Eve reconciliation, he jumps at the chance. After all, things can only get better, right?
Yeah, right.
Book 3 of The Clarke Lantham Mysteries
Ginnie Dare author Scott Roche says “Sawyer hits it out of the park…a sexy, emotional, dangerous story I couldn’t put down.” Find out for yourself what he means: whet your appetite for Smoke Rings here, or buy it in Paperback, or as an ebook for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iPad, or any other e-reader.
There’s a lot more coming for Lantham in the next few weeks, so load up on books and keep your eyes on this blog.
