Redecorating Middle-earth in Early Lovecraft

Okay then.

I've been on LiveJournal for going on thirteen years. During that time, The Powers That Be have been guilty of dumbassery now and then. So it goes.

But the times are challenging enough without facing additional censorship and bigotry from our current LiveJournal comrades in Russia.

I hate to leave. I have dear friends here. I even have a permanent account! But I'm going.

All of my past posts are backed up here on Dreamwidth, and I'll be establishing a regular presence there. My annual Halloween countdown will appear there.

I don't want to lose touch with you, my friends. All of my posts will continue to be cross-posted to my blog on my author page at Goodreads, my Amazon author page, and my Twitter feed.

As the Vulcans say, Live Long and Prosper -- and Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.

It's a true and honor and delight to be the focus of Episode 25 of the brilliant My Star Wars Story podcast. What great fun I had recording this! If you listen (via iTunes or here at the podcast's website), I hope you enjoy!

... Body in Question: Image and Illusion in Two Chinese Films by Director Jiang Wen is a wonderful resource. I thought I'd share my mini-review here. I'm still working on my post with a breakdown/review of his films, FYI.

Body in Question offers extremely useful insights for unpacking renowned Chinese filmmaker Jiang Wen’s subversive and celebrated films In the Heat of the Sun and Devils on the Doorstep (especially considering that the author met with Jiang Wen “to confirm the views expressed” in the book) and also understanding/appreciating Jiang’s larger vision and process as a filmmaker. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in political, banned/censored, independent, and/or Chinese film -- or, for that matter, anyone interested in 20th century political/social history.

For students of Jiang Wen's work, this is a "must read."



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I was recently asked for a list of my Star Wars works that are available online, so I thought I'd post that here. I'm happy to say that more is coming very soon!

Read December 2015 Reason Magazine article "Star Wars, Remixed" here.



See/hear my August 2015 Mythgard Academy guest lecture on Star Wars, "The Jedi, the Cowboy, and... Thomas Edison?" here. (This is also available via iTunes U.)

Listen to my "Looking Back on Genre History" segments on the StarShipSofa podcast about Star Wars here:
- "From Republic to Empire in Star Wars"
- "Inspirations for the Jedi in Star Wars, Part 1"
- "Inspirations for the Jedi in Star Wars, Part 2"

See my Star Wars YouTube Videos here:
- Star Wars: Does Fear Cost Us Our Liberty?
- Star Wars: Behind the History
- Star Wars: Good and Evil

Hear my interview as scholarly guest on NPR's "Talk of The Nation" national program, (May 19, 2005) here: "The End of Star Wars, But Not Its Fans

Way back in history 3,000 years,
In fact ever since the world began,
There's been a whole lotta good women sheddin' tears
Over a brown eyed handsome man.

*raises virtual lighter*

R.I.P., Chuck Berry (1926-2017).

I am delighted to share the book trailer for Elevator #1 from Hocus Pocus Comics!

It's 3/14. Happy Pi Day!

First of all, happy 199th birthday to what is perhaps my favorite novel and definitely the pioneering work of modern science fiction, Frankenstein! Here are five reasons to celebrate Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley today.



Also, the latest episode of StarShipSofa includes my new "Looking Back on Genre History," part one of a two-part discussion of the relationship of one of my very favorite authors, Lois McMaster Bujold, to fandom (and fan fiction, in particular). Here it is! If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

(And speaking of StarShipSofa, heartfelt thanks to those of you who have helped make Everyone: Worlds Without Walls a reality! We're most grateful to you!)

Last but not least, it seems that I've embarked on an in-depth study of the films of award-winning actor-director-writer Jiang Wen, sort of a personal (and multi-month-long) film festival that also includes reading the popular and scholarly analyses of his work that are available in English. (I've found that his films are kind of dream dining for someone who does intellectual history, though I'm having to brush up a bit on my knowledge of recent China, which, hey, is a good thing.) When that's all done, expect a report, including breakdown of his films with brief reviews/reactions. Consider yourself warned, ha!



I am still recovering from The Ick That Wouldn't Die, but I'm much better than I was. And we're expecting snow tomorrow, which makes me very happy indeed. I hope all of you are doing well, my friends!

Happy birthday to Douglas Adams (11 March, 1952 – 11 May, 2001)!



“For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much — the wheel, New York, wars and so on — whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man — for precisely the same reasons.”
― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979)

Blech! Very sick here. So many are! The ick is making the rounds. 'Tis the season, I suppose. My husband is two weeks into it and he still has little voice and lots of coughing. I'm just in week one, full of antibiotics. Joy! /Whinging

I hope all of you are well, my friends!

Here are several cool Calls for Papers for anyone so inclined:
* "Special Edition of Fantastika Journal" (incorporates the genres of fantasy, science fiction, and horror, but can also include alternative histories, steampunk, young adult fiction, or any other imaginative space)
* "Representing Rural Women"
* "Stranger Things: Eighties Nostalgia, Cynicism and Innocence"
* "Science Fiction Beyond the Western Canon"

Most of all, I just want to share the news about an amazing and inspiring project created by StarShipSofa's Districts of Wonders network, one I'm deeply honored to be a part of: Everyone: Worlds Without Walls, a speculative fiction anthology of new and diverse voices from around the globe. I invite you to check it out!