Cordelia Naismith never thought she would find the love of her life on a scientific survey to an unexplored border world, let alone that he would be a Barrayan, one of the enemy. But Aral Vorkosigan is not just any other officer in the Barrayan Military. He is courteous, fair-minded, thoughtful–and above all else, driven… Continue reading Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold
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Wolverton interview and more
The interview with Dave Wolverton was a resounding success! We had a fascinating conversation about science fiction and the gospel, his latest book In The Company of Angels, self-publishing, the English 318 class at BYU and the profound impact it’s had on the LDS writing community, and much, much more. On that, I suppose I… Continue reading Wolverton interview and more
T-minus 600 hours and counting
Haircut: check. Clean clothes: check. Bag lunch and dinner: check. Chilled water bottles: check. Directions to St George from Provo: check. Interview questions: check. iRiver 800 with sufficient recording space: check. iRiver to USB cord: check. Extra batteries: check. Asus netbook: check. 2003 Buick LeSabre Custom: check. 4+ hours of ocremix and other music: check.… Continue reading T-minus 600 hours and counting
Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
Owen Zastava Pitt wants nothing more than to be a mild-mannered accountant with a comfortable, boring life. Unfortunately, fate has other plans. His father–a retired green beret–brought him up to be a killing machine, with or without a firearm. To pay for college, Owen worked alternately as a bouncer and a highly illegal cage fighter. … Continue reading Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
New Background
My old blog background was starting to get old, so I decided to change it. What do you guys think of the new one? Is it too busy and distracting, or do you think it works? The image, by the way, is of the Greater Carina Nebula, taken from NASA’s excellent Astronomy Picture of the… Continue reading New Background
Utah drivers are jerks
They really are. Yesterday while I was biking up to campus, a young woman (probably a college freshman) pulled out of a driveway to make a right turn and failed to look both ways before turning. As a result, she struck my bike, bending my rim and forcing me to replace it. I got her… Continue reading Utah drivers are jerks
The Madness Season by C. S. Friedman
In the 21st century, Earth was conquered by an alien collective consciousness known as the Tyr. Now, five hundred years later, humankind has been scattered across the Tyr-occupied worlds as slaves. It is a dark and uncertain existence, under the rule of masters who do not care whether their charges live or die. For the… Continue reading The Madness Season by C. S. Friedman
Cover Letter Fail
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I volunteer as a slushpile reader for The Leading Edge. We see some pretty bad stuff, such as stories written entirely in one-line paragraphs, or self-proclaimed “short stories” over 80 pages and 30 chapters long, or hilariously awkward phrases like “the copious softness of her breasts.” This, however, takes the cake.… Continue reading Cover Letter Fail
Most and least productive days
Man, I don’t know how it happened, but I did not get a word in in my novel today. No, wait, I know how it happened: my schedule looked like a piece of moldy Swiss cheese. First, there was work, then plasma, then a few hours of free time followed by an interview for an… Continue reading Most and least productive days
New computer!
So about a year ago, I blogged about my dream computer, with dual monitors, a nice comfy chair, and…well, that was it. What can I say? I’m easy to please. Well, now that I’m graduated from BYU and (theoretically) no longer have access to BYU’s computers, I decided to go ahead and build my dream… Continue reading New computer!