Author: Joe Vasicek

Joe Vasicek is the author of more than twenty science fiction books, including the Star Wanderers and Sons of the Starfarers series. As a young man, he studied Arabic and traveled across the Middle East and the Caucasus. He claims Utah as his home.

I look forward to having a 9 to 5 job

I really do. School is difficult, because you can never really separate yourself from your work at the end of the day.  You’ve always got homework to do for the next day, or some project to prepare, some reading to do.  There’s never a defined time where it “ends.” This semester so far has been… Continue reading I look forward to having a 9 to 5 job

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

Hundreds of thousands of years ago, an ancient race of sentient aliens known as the Amarantin went extinct just as their civilization experienced a golden age.  No one knows why, but archeologist Dan Sylveste is determined to find out.  Unlike the other colonists on the remote planet of Resurgam, he believes that the answer may… Continue reading Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

Climax (thank you Ennio Morricone)

Just passed the major climax in the middle of Bringing Stella Home.  In a moment that I hope is as poignant to the reader as it was to me, I…well, let’s just say I’m glad I’m not my main character. I hit the climax doing a 1,765 word sprint, with this song playing on repeat:… Continue reading Climax (thank you Ennio Morricone)

Battle scenes are HARD

I’m in the middle of revising a major battle scene right now.  This is supposed to be one of the more important climaxes of the book, adding a lot more tension and emotion as the novel approaches the main climax. Let me just say, writing a good battle scene is tough.  The first version of… Continue reading Battle scenes are HARD

Six weeks to World Fantasy

Holy cow!  How is September halfway over?  It seems like school started just a week ago.  Only six and a half weeks before World Fantasy convention in San Jose, and I think I’m going to have to readjust some of my goals. I’d wanted to finish Bringing Stella Home 2.0 by the 11th of October,… Continue reading Six weeks to World Fantasy

Conversations with a pedestrian

People in Utah are generally nice and easy to get along with…until it comes to traffic.  That’s when all the jerks come out.  I’ve seen the finger more times here in Utah than anywhere else in my life–even as a missionary in California.  After living here for a while, it starts to irk you. So… Continue reading Conversations with a pedestrian

Busy busy AWESOME day

I had an awesome day today.  Totally awesome.  If every day this semester is like this one, I’ll be dead tired before Thanksgiving but so happy it won’t even matter. It started at 7am.  Woke up, worked out, read a galley from Dragon Moon Press for Leading Edge while working out.  The book wasn’t that… Continue reading Busy busy AWESOME day

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I think the first line of this novel sums it up better than I ever could: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. I’ve been familiar with the story of Pride and Prejudice for a long time, but this… Continue reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Summer roundup

Alright, with the first week of school already over, I figure I should recap and evaluate my writing progress this summer. When school ended in April, I was still waiting to hear back from Brandon Sanderson’s agent about an internship.  My backup plan (which I started as soon as classes ended) was to stay in… Continue reading Summer roundup

First week drama and other news

It’s been a while since I’ve written here, mostly because it’s been a crazy week so far.  Gosh, it feels like Saturday already.  School’s back in session, and while the homework hasn’t been bad so far (and probably won’t be), I’ve been jumping through hoops just to get this semester figured out. Long story short,… Continue reading First week drama and other news