Nov 13, 2012
I’ve talked a lot about growing up in an area that was largely full of white people (I believe 98% of the county I grew up in was white during the 80′s). The effect this had on me, growing up, was not actually the one you might expect. Instead of (I thought) teaching me explicitly to be a racist, it taught me that racism was some kind of anomalous...
Nov 12, 2012
Spoilers: The hostages get away! The boat sinks! Etc. When I saw the first trailer for Argo, I guffawed at the implausibility of the entire movie. CIA creates SF movie ruse to smuggle people out of Iran? Whatever, Hollywood. I figured it was just a good excuse for the media to fuel itself up for war with Iran (because we don’t have enough wars! And oh, those...
Sep 4, 2012
NOTE: Contains a fairly major spoiler for GOD’S WAR. I spent a lot of time this weekend on panels at WorldCon talking about the responsibilities of being a writer, and how what we put on the page can mean something very personal to people. I spend a stupid amount of time buried in research books and googling shit on the Internet and digging up first person...
Jun 12, 2012
For reasons various and sundry, I have just now released a draft of RAPTURE to my editor, agent, and first readers (yes, the book was due 4/30, and I finished it 4/30, but I had to hold onto it due to Boring Business Things). I’ve been toodling around with it, of course, since I finished it. Throughout that process I’ve been alternately going, “OK, this...
Jun 11, 2012
NOTE: This post assumes you have already watched Prometheus, so is full of SPOILERS. In the world of Prometheus, we all came from white dudes, who went around seeding the universe with their magical, life-giving sperm. It was a fine feat those boys managed, creating whole worlds all on their own. I can’t help but wonder if it’s the secret dream of the...
Jun 1, 2012
When I rant about biases and stereotypes and authors’ blindspots, I get the impression that some people think I’m some perfect person without any biases. I’ve talked a lot about my awareness of my own misogyny and racism, but there’s other stuff that creeps up on you too, sometimes when you least expect it. Bias does not happen in a...
May 17, 2012
During times of great social upheaval, it can often seem safer to say nothing. You get noticed less. You piss off fewer people. You go around making sure the trains run on time. You make your dollars and go home and stuff them in the mattress and keep your head down and hope they don’t come for you. It’s a silly position, really, because they always come...
