Fall News

Pre-Fall (Feb.) pictures of Michelle and I taken before gambling. (I didn't lose her at roulette)

It took four days to get both my electricity and my sanity back after Super Storm Sandy swept past us. And we were lucky! Other areas were hit much worse. By the way, in case you didn’t notice, I’ve given into the media narrative of calling it a super storm. Below is a picture of fallen trees on my front lawn. They all fell in directions away from our house. Whew.

I want to thank the good friends who took our family in: Clan Gocial and Tribe Wasserman.

The view from my front yard.

Here is the update on my “word scribbling” and literature in general. I'm currently working on what I hope is the final draft of my novel, Poisoned Pawn. I’m also in the process of writing the dreaded novel synopsis for it--editors (seem to) like them.

I’ve finished my latest Science for Fiction (S4F) article for Abandoned Towers Magazine, titled: Gravity. It’s Not Just a Good Idea. It’s the Law. I’ll include a link to it once it’s up and running. Until then you can read: Getting More Entangled in Time and Space. It is a quick read on the possibility of using quantum entanglement for intergalactic communications in science fiction.

In October, Michelle and I attended Bill Delamar’s book signing and discussion for his novel The Hidden Congregation. He is a member of Words-in-Progress, the writer’s group I lead. Which is a good segue for the announcement that we are always interested in new members.

I finished reading Vortex, the third book in Robert Charles Wilson Spin series. If you haven’t read the series, I recommend you give it a spin (pun intended). The first and third books are amazing. The second book, Axis, is above average but, to me, is only a bridge between the first and third book.

Speaking of books, I’m in the middle of Fizz: Nothing Is as It Seems by Zvi Schreiber. It is about Fizz, a time-traveler who meets famous scientists throughout history on her quest to discover the nature of the universe. Read the back cover because my description does not do it justice! Fizz is one of the most thoughtful books I’ve read since Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder. 

As for movies, my suggestion of the month is to see Wreck-It-Ralph. Seth loved it and so did his dad.

Finally, if you want to know what sports Seth and Gwendolyn are currently grooving to, I'm reasonably sure these photographs provide the clues you need.

That's it for this post. Keep tuned for more.

That's all folks. It's tea-party time.

My Mostly Harmless Musings

Me arriving at Wizard Word Philadelphia Comic Con

It’s Convention/Conference month. Last weekend I attended Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con where I finally got to meet Stan (the man) Lee—that rocked. I also got to see all 5 captains of the Star Trek franchise. Yes, this means I finally got the ever-elusive William Shatner autograph. And as with all good cons, there were costumes, costumes, and costumes.

This coming weekend I’ll be THE PREMIERE writing event in Philadelphia, a.k.a. the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference (June 8 -12). If you are attending, or visiting the area, be sure to look me up to say.

For your consideration (and hopefully enjoyment), my latest Science for Fiction (S4F) article: Go Kardashev not Kardashian for Your Science has been posted has been posted by Abandoned Towers Magazine.  I’m reasonably sure you don’t a Kardashian (i.e. those inhabiting planet Reality Television) to help you understand science or write fiction. So turn off E! and check out the article if you like Science and/or Science Fiction.

Speaking of Science, I’m happy to direct you this article by Steven Padnick for Tor.com, Phineas and Ferb is the Best Science Fiction on Television. Thanks Steven, my addiction to the show has been validated. 

In other writing news, I’m proud to announce Bill Delamar’s new novel, The Hidden Congregation, is now available. He is a member of Words-in-Progress, the writer’s group I lead. Yeah, yeah, I know it was a shameless plug for our group, but so what? Anyway, go pick up a copy and I’ll see what I can do about getting you an autograph.

Manhattan Projects Comic (like science? like comics? Read this)

In honor of Comics (Manhattan Projects #3), Science (Physicist Richard Feynman), and Fiction (Sorry, Feynman didn’t really say this, but it was in the comic) I present this quote:

“What am I guilty of?"

"An Intimate familiarity with the necessity of fiction. Truth is my wife, but lies are my mistress"

-Clavis Aurea (The recorded Feynman)

Me, Stan Lee, and Seth

I hope these guys have my back next week at the Writers' Conference. Those poets can get out of hand.

Guess Who

Mostly Harmless Musings

If you’re wondering about the picture above—wonder no more. It’s a picture of me and my winnings from a Monte Carlo Night. I found the lovely and, dare I say talented, Michelle at the high stakes table.

In writing news, I wrote a poem titled The Ballad of Things and Liquid Imagination happened to publish it. What a coincidence! Please read and (hopefully) enjoy... and, if you do enjoy it, please tell them on their facebook page.

My latest Science for Fiction (S4F) article: Invisibility, Science not Magic, has been posted by Abandoned Towers Magazine. So if you’re the Klingon type (and want to go invisible) then spatial and temporal cloaking (real science) are you for you. Read the article to learn more. If, instead, you’re the Harry Potter type, go with the wand.

A December to Remember

Above is a picture I took of Itzhak Perlman at a Kimmel Center concert. Being there, with him, was an amazing experience. I had no idea the violin could be played with such (I lack the appropriate word) precision (perhaps the better word would be love).

If you are interested in speculative flash fiction, or curious about speculative flash fiction, or have 30 seconds free, I encourage you to read my story Textual Relations in this month’s issue of AntipodeanSF—a science fiction magazine and podcast (AntiSF Radio) out of Australia. When you read the story, I think you’ll scratch your head at how it could be read during a podcast. When asked to record it, I politely declined in favor of one their professional reader. 

Here is AntiSF Radio version of Textual Relations. If you fast forward to about 25:45 seconds you'll here it. Please keep in mind it is meant as a visual piece, loaded with deliberate text abbreviations. So, feel free to LOL.

Also for a quick read, check out the very very very short story I wrote: You Reap What You Write for One Forty Fiction. It is Tweet-sized for the attention-span challenged. (Not anyone reading this blog of course! But read anyway.)

I've completed my two part series on the probability of intelligent life existing outside our solar-system for the Abandoned Towers: News & Blog. So read this month’s Science for Fiction (S4F). Last month, using the Drake Equation and a certain set of assumptions, I calculated 600 communicating civilizations in the Milky Way galaxy. So how come we haven’t heard anything from them?  This month I use the Rare Earth Hypothesis to address this question—known as the Fermi Paradox. The paradox addresses the contradiction between the high probability (Drake Equation) of extraterrestrial life capable of communication and the absence of evidence of such life. So check out this month’s S4F.

Finally, do you like good science fiction? If yes, I suggest you check out Subversion: Science Fiction & Fantasy tales of challenging the norm!  It’s an original anthology by the gang who publish the sleek Crossed Genres magazine, edited by (dare I say) the visionary Bart Lieb. Click here to see my work in Crossed Genres.

Happy Holidays.  The next round is on you.

Post Halloween - Pre Thanksgiving Updates

Abandoned Towers Magazine is under new direction and I for one really think the new facade of the Abandoned Towers: News & Blog, rocks! This is where you can read my latest Science for Fiction (S4F) contribution:

Can Anyone Intelligent Communicate with Me?  Other Than My Earthling Friends.

In the article I write on chances of intelligent life outside our little corner of the Milky Way and if there is, can they communicate with us here on Earth?

Of course I leave it scientists and fiction writers to decide the definition of intelligent life.  Obviously fiction writers are allowed a more liberal definition.


Using the Drake equation, I calculated 600 communicating civilizations within our galaxy.

The television show The Big Bang Theory gives a good summary of the Drake equation (and its application to Lady’s night). However, I’ll leave it for others to prove the Wolowitz Coefficient.

Click here to watch the Big Bang Theory (the show, not… um, the theory) describe the Drake equation. 


If you’re interested in a spooky libation and horror micro-story check out The Hair of the Wolf That BitYou published in Bosley Gravel’s Cavalcade of Terror. This story might explain why I’m not allowed out anymore—or to mix drinks.

Weather be damned (and by damn a dam would've helped with the flooding)

Somehow I survived an Earthquake (the East Coast Shaker), a Hurricane (Irene), flooded basement, and the first week of my children’s soccer season.

During all this I managed to eke out a few new words for my novel and to complete my latest installment of Science for Fiction (S4F): Black Holes Suck.

BTW, if a black hole got married, would it still be considered a singularity?

In other writing news, an online version of my story Chronology has been reprinted in the farewell issue of Chaos Theory: Tales Askew. We’ll miss you CTTA! The story originally appeared in M-Brane SF, a sleek science fiction anthology magazine. Check out the story… I hope you enjoy it.

Here is a math truth--as interpreted by xkcd webcomics

Welcome July - Let the Heat Begin

The Picture of the Day
Lady Gwendolyn giving a private performance of the Pink Swan.

In this month’s Science for Fiction (S4F), I discuss the breadth and depth of the universe. No small task (and neither is universe). In the article I explain there are regions of the universe we can see and others we can never see. The reason we can’t see it all is because the expansion is pulling some areas away from us faster than the speed of light. Yes—FASTER THAN LIGHT—and with no violation of special relativity. For details read the complete piece: We Hold Universal Truths to Be Not Self-Evident , found at the Abandoned Towers Magazine Blog.

I want to thank Jon Gibbs of An Englishman in New Jersey for including a link to one of my S4F pieces in his SALTY FOP week posting (Share A Link To Your Favorite Online Post week). He linked to If You are Uncertain—Call a Quantum Mechanic For a Fix.

In other news, this is a big month for the comma. The comma is cool! First read, Grammar ABCs: C is for Comma in The Blood-Red Pencil and then click your way over to GalleyCat to read about the death of the Oxford comma.

The Samuel Literary Messenger is paying $50 for stories and essays. Something for my writer friends to consider.

Finally, since writers are also readers, and readers need a place to store their pre-Kindle books, I suggest checking out 46 Creative and Stylish Bookshelf Designs in DesignMag.