Here’s the cover art for my next novel, Immunity Index. Notice that the skyline is Milwaukee. The book will be released on May 4, 2021, and may it be a better year for us all. I began writing this long before Covid-19 appeared, and as I finished it early this year, I became deeply troubled … Continue reading My next novel: “Immunity Index”

In Semiosis, our colonists wake up in orbit around a planet noted as f at star HIP 30815. Where is that? In the constellation Gemini. But let’s get more precise. The above photo, which pinpoints the location, comes from In-the-sky.org, which offers guides to the night sky specific to your location. The site can be … Continue reading Exactly where is the Planet Pax?

Write what you know is debatable advice, but I think it’s good — if it’s understood in its broadest sense. Write what you know, what you’ve learned, what you’ve observed, what you can know through imagination, what you want to know, and what your emotions know. Here’s an example. How does it feel when the … Continue reading Writing advice: a moment of panic

Destroying the Earth, or at least humanity, has long been sort of a literary hobby of mine. This short story was published in Voyage Short Story and Poetry Magazine in 2001 and the Triangulation: End of Time anthology in 2007. Think Kindly on Our Fossils by Sue Burke When Comet Kabandha was discovered, Travis Hudson … Continue reading Short story: “Think Kindly on Our Fossils”

This short story was originally published in Daily Science Fiction. Zero Hour by Sue Burke The man had deep worry lines between his eyebrows, although he was only in his twenties. When he woke up after a restless sleep, he immediately looked at the window. Mid-afternoon sun shone through cracks in the blinds. He checked … Continue reading Short story: “Zero Hour”

In life, it was only about a foot long, but it might trigger nightmares if you saw it swim past. It would wriggle like a worm or an eel through the water. At the end of an elephant-like snout, a toothy mouth would reach out and tear into onto your flesh to suck out nutrients … Continue reading The Tully monster: Illinois’ scary official fossil

Mushrooms have popped up in one of my house plant pots. Specifically, they’re plantpot dapperlings, Leucocoprinus birnbaumi. This tropical and subtropical saprotroph has found its way into greenhouses and house plants around the world. These mushrooms are probably a good sign, according to some observers. It means that the soil is being enriched as the … Continue reading Plantpot dapperlings!

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel My rating: 5 of 5 stars We’re all going to die, but probably not almost all of us at once. We may be prepared for our own death, even if it comes suddenly, but not the sudden deaths of almost everyone we know. We all have personal failures … Continue reading Goodreads review of “Station Eleven”

Hugo Award winners will be announced on Saturday at CoNZealand, the 78th World Science Fiction Convention, being held virtually from New Zealand. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. NZST, 6 p.m. CDT Friday Chicago time, so I’ll be able to watch live. George R.R. Martin will be toastmaster, along with some special guests. I’ve … Continue reading My votes for the 2019 Hugo Best Novelette Award

The kindle version of Semiosis is on sale today, July 24, at Amazon for only $2.99. https://www.amazon.com/Semiosis-Novel-Duology-Book-ebook/dp/B071RXVGGB/ref=pd_ybh_a_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=2VTA4E31HE832TGSG581