Interference: The sequel to Semiosis is now available as a trade paperback, available through all major outlets and local bookstores. Links here. It’s still available as an audiobook, ebook, and hardcover. Semiosis: The French translation is now available as an audiobook. Immunity Index: My next novel will be released on May 4, 2021. You can … Continue reading Novel news!

Photo by Sue Burke A “poop plant” is mentioned a couple of times in Semiosis: The poop plant has proven possibilities for mischief. It looks like a pile of brown plump stems. –  Chapter 3. The carved lid to a child’s chamber pot made me laugh out loud, but no one was in a mood … Continue reading Is the poop plant real? Yes

Recognize Fascism: A Science Fiction and Fantasy Anthology by Crystal M. Huff My rating: 5 of 5 stars Full disclosure: I backed the Kickstarter campaign to fund this anthology. The book sounded exciting. It turned out to be excellent and, despite the grim-sounding subject matter, a pleasure to read.Besides quality, what fuels this anthology is … Continue reading Review: “Recognize Fascism” an anthology edited by Crystal M. Huff

Rafflesia This article appeared in the Spring 1997 issue of Terra Incognita magazine. It was inspired by my own houseplants, which had attacked each other in my living room. Plants cooperate, but they compete, too, viciously. Plants are active, not passive. As I researched the article, I realized that we live in the midst of … Continue reading When Plants Kill (the article that gave birth to “Semiosis”)

The feast day of St. Jerome, a famous ancient translator, is September 30, so today is celebrated as International Translation Day. FIT, the Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs/International Federation of Translators, has created this poster and explanation to celebrate this year’s theme: Finding the words for a world in crisis. FIT explains: “Our profession has been … Continue reading Celebrate International Translation Day, September 30

I appreciate maps. When I was a newspaper editor, my coworkers called my office the “war room” because the walls were covered with maps. Since the setting is important to the novel Semiosis, I made maps for Chapters 1 and 2 to help me write consistently. If a character in a specific location heads left/north, … Continue reading Maps for Chapters 1 and 2 of “Semiosis”

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”