Whatever-ing and Other Things

So, the exciting news of the day, for me, is that I am the featured Big Idea author over John Scalzi's "Whatever" blog. (Makes me feel almost a teeny bit famous, you know?)

It was one of those pieces where I knew precisely what I wanted to write about the moment I sat down to compose the pitch, but then hit a wall when it came time to actually writing the thing. An essay focusing on a chance encounter with a dictionary? Okay, that can be kinda cool if you're a word geek (guilty), but how to make it interesting for the reader? And then how to use it to flog (albeit subtly, of course) my book? I went narrative, and I think it turned out alright. Take a gander for yourselves.

(Of course, I have to note that on the day I show up on Whatever, one of my sons is home sick, which will greatly curtain my interaction time with teh webz. Ah, Mr. Murphy (not you Sean) -- you strike again!)

In related shameless self-promotional news, I have a short essay up over on Penguin U.S.A.'s SF/F page about Western Martial Arts and how they impacted the writing of my book. Linkiness here.

And, finally, I have April signing dates for the Twin Cites up on my web site. (Please note the special information about being able to order an autographed copy of Among Thieves from Uncle Hugo's prior to April 16. This is pretty cool if you want a signed/personalized copy and can't make it to either signing.)