No announcements or commentary today. 2020 has been a rough year for everyone and I thought maybe we should all approach the end of the year with a bit of humor.
Since the name of this blog is “Powered by Robots” but I don’t often write about robots these days. I figured this short video would be fun. Enjoy (If you can’t see the video, click Continue reading).
Promotional image from the 1956 TV show “The Lone Ranger” starring Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels
Anymore people’s avatar photos or other images depict a lot of folks wearing masks. I see this on Facebook, twitter, various blogs, and other social media venues. I’m calling BS on this.
No, I’m not an “anti-masker” (funny how the word “anti” usually means either “stupid” or “evil”). I do wear a mask whenever I go out in public (although * gasp * I don’t wear a mask to check the mail, go out into my backyard, or when I go to bed…oh the horror…yes, I’m being sarcastic).
Let me explain.
Promotional image for my short story “The Tenth Second.”
The Black Hare Press science fiction anthology Tick Tock will become available on December 15th, barely a week away. It features my short story “The Tenth Second.”
This series is unique in that each story accepted had to be five hundred words long. Imagine dozens of such stories, each one about time travel or some manipulation of timespace.
Screenshot of James Pyles Amazon Author’s Page
I don’t visit Mike Glyer’s File 770 very often for a variety of reasons. One of them is that Glyer publishes content so frequently, and I don’t have the bandwidth to always consume it (so when I do visit, the sampling is very sparse). Also, having attempted to interact with his audience in the past, I’ve found at least a few of them to be remarkably hostile, and why talk to people who are going to hate you, right?
Anyway, curiosity got the better of me today and I peeked in at Pixel Scroll 12/4/20 The Rest Of The File, To Scroll Man, It’s… It’s A Filkbook!. I shot past the SFPA Officer Elections because I don’t care as well as someone eating a pizza, but stopped at “Hope for Libraries.”
Cover image for the anthology “Fantastic Schools, vol 2”
As you might remember, last October, I announced that my story story Sorcery’s Preschool is featured in the Kindle version of L. Jagi Lamplighter’s magical school anthology Fantastic Schools, Vol 2.
While the paperback won’t be out until sometime in mid-December, there’s a Black Friday sale on the Kindle book. That’s right. For this weekend only you can purchase this book for a mere price of 99 cents on Amazon.
But that’s not all.
Screenshot from the Superversive Scribe blog
It’s here.
Richard just published his interview with me for Superversive Sunday Spotlight. To begin…
Cover image for the anthology “The Trench Coat Chronicles”
I’m pleased to announce that the Celestial Echo Press “hard-boiled detective” anthology The Trench Coat Chronicles is now available Barnes & Noble.
Edited by Ruth Littner, Ann Stolinsky. it features my short story The Haunted Detective.
In 1947 San Francisco, Marguerite Potter has just gone into business for herself as a Private Detective after learning the trade from her more experienced mentor. Used to the rough and gritty streets of the City that Never Sleeps, even Margie is startled when her first client is the young woman who became her friend when Potter arrived in the City, a woman who had been murdered six years ago.
Found at Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie. No photo credit given.
Dominic bowed his head to hide his face. Cameras were everywhere, on top of traffic lights, bolted to building eaves, and the incessant buzzing of drones were always eyes for them.
He stalked the streets by night but they used infrared. Curfew was coming, so he had to find shelter before the “riot police” came out in force. The young thief (yes, he could admit it to himself) deliberately bumped into his mark. He was just young enough, affluent enough, and naive enough to believe it was an accident.
“Sorry, excuse me,” Dom murmured without stopping. He managed to lift keys and wallet. The rich hipster was walking toward a technically illegal, but covertly state-sanctioned all-night club. He wouldn’t notice his keys for a while, and unless Dominic had missed his guess, the sap already had a permanent account, so he wouldn’t be reaching for his credit cards either.
He’d been heading for a club, but coming from a garage.
Screenshot from the Superversive Scribe blog
Every Sunday, author and editor Richard Paolinelli spotlights a different writer in a one-on-one interview. Last week he even turned the focus on himself.
This coming Sunday, November 22nd, the interview will be with me.
Screenshot of the promotional video for “Saturn”
Nearly a week ago, I published the blog post “Saving the Apostle” to be featured in the Planetary Anthology “Saturn”. This is particularly exciting for me because most of the time, I can’t write science fiction with a religious theme, particularly involving Judaism and Christianity, that is, with any hope of seeing such a tale published.
Heck, I’d written the story originally for a Christian science fiction periodical which turned it down.
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