Me! Me! Virtual Me!

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One unanticipated result of the Covid-19 self-isolation has been the explosion of virtual events, readings, panels, and conventions. All of which I am, as a citizen science fiction writer, expected to share my time with.

Two good examples of this phenomenon are embedded here.

Directly above is my "appearance" at the New York Review of Science Fiction Reading Series. The highlight of which is my reading of the opening of City Under the Stars, which is Gardner Dozois's last novel, co-written with yours truly.It is a dark, dark opening in which you get to see a man's life and soul destroyed right before your eyes.

So why might you want to hear it, and then read the book? Because after hearing it, you'll find it hard to believe that immediately after the section read, Hanson's life gets worse. And that after that, it gets even more worse. Yet it does.

This is a pattern that continues up to almost the end of the book when... unexpectedly, unbelievably... it has a happy ending. A hard-earned and well-deserved happy ending that the book was headed for all along.

 

And meanwhile . . .

Ongoing at this very moment is a totally mad enterprise called Con Tinual, known as "The Convention That Never Ends." Which, I have to say, is something that I've had nightmares about on the last night of more than one convention. But these cheerful, positive folk seem to have no problem with that aspect of it.

I participated in a discussion, one of a series called Hot Off the Press, in which participants talked about their recent books. The other (and very articulate) participants were Tom Doyle, Kyoko M, and Gail Z. Martin. The panel was ably MC'd by Jason Tongier.

 The book I discussed was, of course, City Under the Stars.

 Enjoy.