The Con Game: My Norwescon 2015 Schedule

Norwescon, the Seattle area’s premiere sci-fi/fantasy convention, is upon us again in less than a month. April 2-5th. No matter how much planning I do, it always seems to sneak up on me. Maybe it’s the fact that its schedule is tied to Easter weekend, and that date shifts around in a manner that will […]

Fringe Candy: The Hipstery Zen of Parliament Chocolate

Have you ever watched the TV show Leverage? If not, you really should because it’s perfection. Basically Oceans 11, the series, but there’s only 5 of them. Or a modern Robin Hood. Or…you know what? I’m getting off track. The leader of the merry band is an alcoholic, and he sets up shop, for most […]

Onward Ho Into 2015!

Well, it’s the end of the year again, and you know what that means. Yep. Buckle up, me hearties! It’s time for yet another look back at the year that was and some hints about the year to come. On a personal front, my daughter got married in August, meaning I got to wear a […]

10 Essential Horror Movies (The Other 5)

If you managed to miss the first half of this list, or even why this list exists in the first place, here is where you’ll find it. Now, let’s cut to the chase. The other half of the list. Masque of the Red Death (1964) — Roger Corman There were a slew of movies based […]

Influences Make the Writer

I suspect that most authors, at some point in their career, get asked who influenced them as a writer. The question came up again in a round-about way this afternoon with a writing cohort. And because of the way we got to the question, I realized I’ve been answering the question all wrong. Maybe I’m not […]

Lessons from the Great Geek Uprising

Some wars are silent. Not secret, mind you. They happen right out there in front of you. They’re happening all around, even now. You might be fighting one now and not even know it. They are uprisings that happen gradually, stretched out over a period of years. Soft wars. Culture wars that leave the society […]

Whither Parminder Nagra

There are certain actors who I will always cheer when they get a steady gig. Actors for whom I wish to create dream projects for when they are inexplicably between roles. Parminder Nagra is one of those. I’ve been a fan since Bend it Like Beckham. And though I never watched a single episode of […]

Fringe Candy: All Natural Hawaiian Licorice

I was the weird kid who ate the black, licorice-flavored jelly beans at Easter that most kids set aside. I’m the weird adult, like my friend Rosemary Jones, who enjoys Good ‘n Plenty. Licorice (or Liquorice, for some), is somewhat of an acquired taste. True licorice is derived from the root of a legume and is […]

3 Favorite Coming of Age Music Movies

Coming of age movies are a genre unto themselves. And when well-made, pretty awesome to boot. Few things helped to define my coming of age better than music–coming out from under the shadow of what everyone else was listening to to find my own musical path. A lot of movies seem to do that with […]

Writing, Feminism, Arrow, and Damseling

I’ve been a Green Arrow fan for a while. Heck, I even blogged about it a while back when I reviewed issue #7 of the comic. And when the tv series Arrow started, I was looking forward to what they could do with the character and his mythology. We’re now past a season and a […]