Category Archives: Link salad

Published: October 26, 2016

Five Sentences, Three Events, Two Videos, and a Bag of Chips….

Heya everybody,

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to get a solid blog up, so I thought I’d remedy that today, especially as there’s some news that’s a little time sensitive….

First and foremost, I’ve got a few readings and Q&As coming up in places I don’t visit very often.

  • Charleston, West Virginia

This Saturday (October 29th) I’ll be in West Virginia for the West Virginia Book Festival.

I’m going to be giving a talk on the importance of reading. (Where hopefully I’ll find something to say other than just shouting DUH! really loud.) I’ll also do some Q&A, and then have a signing for everyone who’s interested.

And if that isn’t enough for you, I’ll even be introduced by Justin McElroy, West Virginian and co-host of the awesome podcast “My Brother, My Brother, and Me.” It’s one of my newest loves, and if you don’t listen to it, you should. It is a source of genuine delight.

Here’s all the info for the event itself:

October 29, 2016 at 3:00 PM
Charleston Civic Center
Little Theater
200 Civic Center Dr
Charleston, West Virginia 25301
Facebook Event

If you’re in the area, come say hi. And if you happen to be in a different area…

  • Madison, Wisconsin

Despite the fact that I only live a hundred miles away, I’m doing my first event in Madison in years. Even better, I’ll actually be doing *two* different events, both with some Q&A and books available for purchase, though the first is primarily a reading and Q&A, and the second is primarily a keynote speech.

The first one is next week Thursday…

November 3, 2016 at 5:00 PM
Reading and Q&A
Agriculture Hall, Room 125
1450 Linden Dr
Madison, WI 53706

And the second is going to be on Friday night…

MADISON, WI
November 4, 2016 at 7:00 PM
Talk and Q&A
272 Bascom Hall
Madison, WI 53706

Both events will have books for purchase from A Room of One’s Own, one of my favorite bookstores in Madison. So if you’re all signed-book-wanty, this would be a great place to get one without paying shipping costs from our online store…

For those of you who aren’t in West Virginia OR Wisconsin, there’s some cool internet things I’ve been up to as well….

  • Moana Screening in New York

And a couple weeks ago, his happened. For real.

I’ll probably gush about this more in the future. But the short of it is that I got to see an early version of Moana, and it was stunningly good.

More than that. Honestly? I think it might be the best Disney movie I’ve ever seen. Though honestly, with Lin Manuel Miranda involved, that shouldn’t really be a surprise.

Super good, folks. Seriously.

 

  • Podcast: “I’m Not Here to Judge You Chickenf*ckers.”

The most recent episode of Unattended Consequences is up, and it was a pretty good one. We recorded it live at NerdCon: Stories,  and the audience did a good job reining us in. We even said some not entirely stupid things.

Give it a listen if you’re so inclined. And be aware some of the stories I don’t have time to write up on the blog these days end up on the Podcast instead.

And finally, here’s the most time sensitive of the announcements:

  • A  delightful kickstarter that will help you friendship better.

Yesterday, I agreed to write five cards for Jenn and Trin’s Friendship Postcards Kickstarter Project:

You should really check this out. It’s a wonderful idea. The campaign includes cards like “Wow, that thing you did to your hair is super cool!”, “You make the internet a happier place,” and my favorite, “I said some shitty things (That’s not really how I feel, and I’m sorry.)”

782a6bde35266775fcadc2a84c8a34d3_originalWhen I saw this project, I actually emailed Trin and Jenn to tell them they were awesome, and to offer my help if they needed it.

I don’t talk about it a lot on here. But I have a hard time making and maintaining friendships these days. It used to be so easy for me. You just met people, they came over to your house. You watched movies and played games. You were friends.

Then I got published. I got busy. My friends moved away to pursue jobs and relationships. And I wasn’t in college any more. Wasn’t teaching any more. Wasn’t meeting people socially any more. Which means that friends don’t just happen to me any more. Which means… for about a decade now, I really haven’t had a lot of close friends.

But this last year, I’ve made a really good friend by the name of Thera. She’s better at being a friend than I am. And she’s taught me a lot about how to be a good friend as an adult (As opposed to just being a sort of an older maladjusted post-collegiate manbaby.)

So we’re writing these cards together. Me and my friend. Not only does this make me happy. Not only does this mean they’ll be better than if I did them myself. But it also means they’ll probably get done on time….

Here’s the downside, the project ends Thursday, October 27 at 1:00 PM CDT.

Yeah. Today. There’s just a few hours left. So if you want a set of postcards you should hop to it.

Be good to each other,

pat

Also posted in being awesome, conventions, cool news, cool things, geeking out, Interviews, panels, podcasts | By Pat19 Responses
Published: October 23, 2012

Link Salad: Anecdote, Academia, and Alchemy….

Things are really busy over here at Elodin Enterprises.

(Slogan: “Elodin Enterprises – We make tomorrow’s mistakes possible today!”)

We’re gearing up for Worldbuilders, gathering donations, and trying to get the word out about the calendar.

Speaking of which, N. K. Jemisin showed off her pin-up yesterday over on her blog. It’s one of my favorite illustrations from the calendar.

In the blog she also talks about the creative back-and-forth that went into developing the picture. It was cool for me to see another author’s mental process in relation to one of her characters….

In other news….

  • Someone sent me a link to a video featuring a kid they thought was a dead ringer for young Kvothe:

And I have to say, they’re not entirely wrong.

  • Lastly, if you’re curious, I’ll point out that there are a few new images from the calendar over on the Tinker’s Packs, if you’d like to wander over and check them out.

 

Later everyone,

pat

 

Also posted in hodgelany | By Pat34 Responses
Published: June 12, 2012

Me me me memes…..

The title of this blog makes more sense if you pretend you’re singing it….

Today we’ve got some Link Salad and an interview.

So apparently, (he said without preamble) folks have been making Kvothe memes.

Like this:

In a similar vein, someone sent me a link to a blog appropriately titled “My God What Horrors have I wrought?” A blog in which they take several pictures of me and… well… lolcat them.

I really don’t have anything to say about either of these things. I find myself ambivalent, but strongly ambivalent.  It’s like feeling extra-medium about something.

It’s like yesterday. I was digging in the garden with Sarah, and I found a rock that was kinda cool, so I wanted to show it to her.

“Look at this cool rock,” I said.

She looked at it. “Cool,” she said.

“It’s flint,” I said.

Then I just stood there holding it. Kinda at a loss.

“What are you going to do with it?” She asked.

“I don’t know,” I said.

And that’s where I kinda stalled out. The main thing I wanted was for other people to acknowledge that it was interesting. It wasn’t purposeful. It wasn’t useful. It was just….

There should be a word for that. I think we have a hole in the language. We need a word for something that feels more significant that it actually is. Or perhaps something which is only significant in that it possesses a feeling of significance beyond any practical value or purpose.

I think the word should be…. hygapean. Maybe just ‘agapean?’ Can you adjectiveize “agape?”

Is adjectiveize even a word? It should be. Adjectiveate?

Either way, I’m pretty sure I’ve just invented at least one word up there. So I can cross that off my list for the day.

I think ‘hygapean’ is the right way to go though.

Pronunciation: Huh Gape Ian. Emphasis on the first syllable.

Proper usage: “I used to have a crush on her, but it turns out my attraction was primarily hygapean.”

“Look at this hygapean rock I found.”

There. Now each of you has to use it at least once today and we’re all set.

Okay. Moving on.

In other news, here’s a photographer that makes me feel like I really should step up my game when it comes to taking pictures of my kid.

And lastly, here’s an interview I did over at Toonari.

Share and Enjoy,

pat

Also posted in Interviews, musings, Surreal enthusiasm, The difference between 'slim' and 'slender' | By Pat76 Responses
Published: March 16, 2012

Link Salad

I’m busy getting caught up on some a backlog of work so I can focus exclusively on writing after that, so today we have link salad.

First, here’s an interview I did for the Denver Post a while back.

This interview ended up being a bit different. It was a phone interview. (That’s not the different part.) And when the journalist called, she asked if her daughter could listen in, because she was a big fan of the books.

I said it was no problem, and when I found out that she was 18 and about to leave for college, I asked if she wanted some advice. Because I have a weakness for giving advice, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s college.

She said yes, so I gave her some advice.

What’s interesting is that they included the advice to the daughter in the interview. After re-reading it, I’m happy to say it was pretty good advice. It wasn’t just a product of over-caffeination.

Second, I wanted to point folks at Wednesday’s comic over at Real Life.

Why am I pointing you at that comic? Because right now I’m brewing a batch of mead, and I have done exactly what he’s talking about. Except without the smartphone. Because I’m apparently the last person on earth without a smartphone.

Thirdly and lastly, a quick story. Or rather, a series of stories that make a sort of story gestalt.

Though I don’t gamble much, it’s always fascinated me. Back in high school, I used what little calculus I knew to create a roulette betting system that I was pretty sure would make me rich.

Luckily, at that point in my life I didn’t have access to a car or a line of credit. What’s more, when I wrote a computer program to model my betting strategy, it kept losing money. So I gave it up as a bad idea and kept playing D&D instead.

Fast forward to last year, when Worldcon was held in Reno. A reader contacted me and asked if I’d like some help finding a room in Reno. Jade worked in the hospitality business, and hooked me up with some accommodations.

He also sent me this map:

(Click to Embiggen)

If you click on it, you can see that it has helpful tips on it, such as, “Do not go here or you will die.”

I got a kick out of it, and posted it up on Google+ for other people to see.

A couple days later when I was doing a signing in Reno, someone came up to me and said, “I went to that place that the map said I shouldn’t.”

I nodded. This didn’t surprise me. I had the same impulse when I saw it. The main reason I hadn’t already gone myself is that I was too busy with the convention.

“Did you die?” I asked.

“No,” he said. “But someone stole my car.”

At that point I decided to take Jade’s advice a little more seriously. And, as you can see, I’m still alive. So I count that as a success.

I found out a couple months back that Jade had actually started up a blog where he talks about casinos and gambling. It’s not only funny, but informative, as he has a insider’s knowledge of casinos and casino towns.

You can check it out HERE.

That’s all for now,

pat

P.S. We’re still shipping out Worldbuilders prizes. So keep an eye on your mailboxes.

Also posted in Interviews, Tales from the Con | By Pat41 Responses
Published: November 18, 2011

Link Salad: Worldbuilders and Waterparks…

So I’m kinda swamped right now with one thing and another. I’m struggling manfully with NaNoWriMo, trying to get ready for Worldbuilders, and working on putting new inventory in Worldbuilder’s online store: The Tinker’s Packs.

And, on top of it all, I’m attending a convention this weekend in Wisconsin Dells.

I wasn’t planning on going to the Dells this weekend, I was going to try and knuckle down and focus on my wordcount. But the local sci-fi convention that’s based here in Stevens Point got hit with a sudden change of venue when the convention center here in Stevens Point unexpected closed a month ago.

But the folks at Daishocon didn’t let that stop them. They called around and found somewhere else they could host the convention: The Kalahari in Wisconsin Dells. Which is kinda cool, because now I can take Sarah and Oot to play in their indoor water park in between my panels.

What’s my point? Mostly :

1. If you’re at loose ends this weekend, and want to come to a gaming/sci-fi/anime convention, you should stop by Daishocon. Not tonly will we I be doing three panels on Saturday, but we’ll be holding an auction for worldbuilders.

Best of all, fellow fantasy writer and Wisconsinite Scott Lynch will be there, too.

2. I’m kinda busy.

So for the blog today, you’re going to get link salad. An interesting miscellany of stuff I’ve been meaning to share for a while now, but for some reason or other, I haven’t gotten around to it.

First and foremost, Goodreads is holding their annual Choice Awards. The Wise Man’s Fear has been nominated for a couple of categories, so you can wander over there if you like.

Or, if you’re not in a voting mood, you can subscribe to my profile over there, so you’ll get a heads-up when I post up a review of a book.

Secondly, here’s a link to a video interview I did with Speculatesf a while back..

Nextly, someone posted a cool flow chart using all the books in NPR’s list of 100 best sci-fi books of all time. It’s a very tongue-in-cheek “how-do-I-find-the-book-that’s-best-for-me?” chart, and you can test your geek street cred by seeing how many of the jokes you understand.

Penultimately, here’s a link to an interview I did with my UK editor when we were both at World Fantasy convention last month.

And lastly, a blog where someone compares different writing styles to different deserts. It struck me as an interesting way to look at the situation, and I will admit that I was a little tickled to be referred to as tiramisu.

Later,

pat

Also posted in Interviews, The Tinker's Packs, videos | By Pat21 Responses

  • RSS info

  • Visit Worldbuilders!

  • Our Store

    The Store

  • Previous Posts

  • Archives



  • Bookmark this Blog!

    (IE and Firefox users only - Safari users, click Command-D)