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Publication: “Mr. Quacky in Space”
My second publication is out at Cast of Wonders! Mr. Quacky in Space Important things to note: It is hosted by my friend Fonda Lee, who writes YA SF that you should go buy and read, because it (and she!) is awesome. That goes triple if you are a fan of excellently choreographed fight scenes. It is hosted…
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On Hope; and First Pub
I started this post this on Tuesday, December 27, after learning about the death of Carrie Fisher. I’d hoped it’d be the last 2016 death in a long, long string of folks who, through their work and art, helped to spread joy and happiness to a lot of people. Then Debbie Reynolds, as well as Richard…
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An Open Letter to Trump Supporters
I need to get this out of my system so that I can finish grieving, and processing, and then move on to finding ways to actually help people. So: Dear Trump Supporters, I am trying not to lump you all in one group. I am trying to practice empathy, and to remember that no, the…
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A letter to my former self circa March 2004
Dear Former Self Circa March 2004, I suppose it’s most common to write these sorts of things at five- or ten-year intervals. The whole “humans have five fingers on each hand, making multiples of five and ten natural points at which to parse out our world” thing. But I couldn’t have written you this letter…
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If I had a billion dollars I’d buy you a fur coat
(but not a real fur coat that’s cruel) I’m going to pretend I’m the only person on the Internet to allude to ’90s Canadian rock music in conjunction with the Powerball reaching 1.3 billion dollars. (I am too original, shut up.) The song is dated, of course, because how far would a mere million dollars go?…
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Snickersnee hee hee
I subscribe to dictionary.com’s word of the day, and awhile back the word of the day was snickersnee, which is a large knife. Most words I read there sound at least vaguely familiar, but snickersnee? Nope, not a flicker of recollection. From the age of 12, I would say the majority of my vocabulary acquisition…
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A fictionalized conversation between me and Amazon’s advertising algorithm
Amazon Advertising Algorithm: Hi! Me: … AAA: Hi! Amanda, Hi! Hi, hi, HI, Amanda! Me: Are you bothering me for anything related to hospital layouts? You know, the thing I’m researching right now? For the book I’m working on? AAA: Um. Maybe? Me: … AAA: C’mon, this’ll only take a minute. Three, tops. Me: [sighs]…
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Why I persist in writing
Chuck Wendig has a not-flash-fiction writing challenge up at his blog to write on the topic “why I write.” Since it’s been *mumblemumblesnarzle* months since I posted anything, I figured, why not? Only I’m putting a slight twist on it to write about why I persist in writing.* I’ve blogged previously about how annoying I…
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Thoughts on the Hugos and fandom by someone with no clout or any real skin in the game
Well, I picked an interesting year to be a first-time attendee to WorldCon. Since it’s quite likely that my (very small) readership has no idea what WorldCon is, it is a yearly convention dedicated to science fiction and fantasy. It is also responsible for awarding the Hugos, which (for now) are the largest awards given in…
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Being a Decent Human on the Internet: A Primer
Hello, human! Clearly you are on the Internet, since you moseyed your way over to this blog post. Perhaps you are wondering how to human decently on the Internet. Following is a primer to help you, human, act like one while Internetting. Basic Tips To be a decent human on the Internet, there are a few key things…