My wife says I have great ears. She says our toddler also has them. I know she means the appearance of the ears rather than the skills they can perform in conjunction with the brain. I am sometimes a good listener, but other times I just say "damn, that's crazy" after my wife tells me…
Musings
Mid-Year QTL Goal Check-In Extravaganza Bonanza
Last year, the QTL team got together and established some personal goals for 2025. Now that we’re more than halfway through 2025 (holy cow!), we felt a mid-year check-in was in order! Here’s where we stand: our progress, any tweaks to our existing goals, and how we feel about it all! Need a refresher? Here’s…
Continue reading ➞ Mid-Year QTL Goal Check-In Extravaganza Bonanza
What Are The Best Bard/Barbarian Pairings In Fantasy?
This article was originally published at Reactor. We open on an undulating meadow: The reeds sway in the wind, dancing to a tune lost on human (or elven) ears. A creek bisects the plain, its ripples and gurgles in harmony with the chirps and squeaks of nearby wildlife. In the distance, two figures mosey down…
Continue reading ➞ What Are The Best Bard/Barbarian Pairings In Fantasy?
In Loving Memory Of The Books I’ll Never Read Again
This post was originally published on Tor.com. Which books will you never read again? Not because they’re bad or boring, but because you love them. You love what they mean to you, or what they meant to you when you turned that final page. Relegating a book to the realm of wistful memories and fond nostalgia can…
Continue reading ➞ In Loving Memory Of The Books I’ll Never Read Again
Alex White’s Salvagers Series Could Be an Epic, High-Flying Sci-Fi Film Trilogy
This post was originally published on Tor.com. Hello, fellow readers! I write to you today still feeling caught up in that “I’ve just finished a series” lull. You know the one—it’s an emotional state where you feel at once happy about how much you loved spending time in a fictional world and very sad that…
Continue reading ➞ Alex White’s Salvagers Series Could Be an Epic, High-Flying Sci-Fi Film Trilogy
The Joy and Despair of Seeing Your City in an SFF Novel
This post originally appeared on Tor.com. The Chicago skyline may as well be threaded into the double helix of my DNA. I’ve got the city’s iconic flag tattooed on my forearm. I still call its tallest skyscraper “the Sears Tower” because it feels right. On the first days of summer-esque weather, I bike along the Lake Shore Path…
Continue reading ➞ The Joy and Despair of Seeing Your City in an SFF Novel
Nothing Makes Me Read Faster Than an Underwhelming Book
This post was originally published on Tor.com. Two questions for you today, lovely readers of Tor.com: How fast do you read? Why? I have a lot of friends who read. In some circles, I am the slowest reader, slotting 50-55 books per year while my comrades knock out 75-100. Insane! In other circles, I’m the…
Continue reading ➞ Nothing Makes Me Read Faster Than an Underwhelming Book