Since August, I’ve been teaching a creative writing course in a homeless shelter. Every Wednesday night, I’ve gathered together with a group at a Los Angeles County emergency facility. When I decided to do this, I wanted to bring the same course I have taught at the university level to the homeless population. I wanted [...]
In the spirit of the first day of autumn, and because I am teaching a creative writing course, I thought I’d post a little story I wrote recently. Fun fact? Jellyfish don’t touch when they procreate. I love jellyfish and when I learned this factoid, this is the story that came to mind… How Jellyfish [...]
Dead Neon has been reviewed in the UK. Calling it “more ‘The Road’ than ‘The Jetsons’” (which it is), Casino Online pulls out various bits of the book and explores both the book’s references to the Atomic Age and darker places beyond. Read the full review here. Image: ‘Dead Neon’ book cover up close. Credit: [...]
I’m very happy to say that “Dead Neon: Tales of Near-Future Las Vegas” debuted yesterday (October 1). So exciting! I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again — I’m partial to the cover. The art was designed by Kimberly Glyder. Stunning work. It’s not easy to make a gas mask look beautiful, but I [...]
If you were to create a book trailer for a post-apocalyptic science-fiction anthology of what Las Vegas looks like after the world ends, what kind of imagery and music would you use? Maybe a fuzzy flashing screen, bright letters spelling out last nuclear warnings, and some creative heavy metal? That’s exactly what you’ll get here: [...]
My latest short story comes out this fall. I’ve written about that before, but now you can check out the book cover, and the publisher’s site. “Dead Neon: Tales of Near-Future Las Vegas” is being published by University of Nevada Press. Editors Jarret Keene and Todd James Pierce, no doubt, did a fabulous job curating [...]
I’ll be speaking on a couple of panels at the L.A. Times Festival of Books at UCLA this weekend. Both panels are on Saturday. Here’s the schedule: Saturday, April 24 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Los Angeles Times Pavilion Q&A with Denise Hamilton, a Noir queen I can’t wait for this chat. Denise is the editor [...]
I’m excited to announce that the University of Nevada Press will be publishing my latest short story in a Science Fiction anthology put together by editors Jarret Keene and Todd James Pierce. I mentioned this book once before here, but now we have more details. The book called “Doom Town: Tales of Near-Future Las Vegas” [...]
I was surprised to get such a wonderful slew of responses to this interview I did with plant physiologist Jodie Holt of UC Riverside. She advised director James Cameron and others on the set of ‘Avatar.’ The real science behind science-fiction can be truly fascinating– and extensive. In Holt’s case, she created an entire encyclopedia [...]
Recently, I met up with Max Blumenthal in Downtown L.A. to discuss his first book. ‘Republican Gomorrah: Inside the Movement that Shattered the Party’ is a culmination of his investigative reporting into the radical right wing of the G.O.P. He is clear that the Republican Party has been taken over by extremists, calling it “the [...]
