(This is cross-posted from my newsletter. If you’re not already subscribed, follow this link to sign up.)

The big event for me this fall was my visit to the United States Air Force Academy. As you may remember, a special compilation of my military-themed short stories—the collection titled Attitude and Other Stories—was chosen for the annual program known as “One Book, One USAFA.” The idea is that the entire freshman class is assigned to read this one book together. Copies were issued during the tough initial summer training period. One cadet told me, “Your book was the best part of boot!” Given the general misery of boot camp training, I’m not sure I had a lot of competition for “best,” but I enjoyed hearing it.

I visited the campus as part of the 64th Academy Assembly, a two-day event involving workshops and lectures on space, the Space Force, future conflict (and avoiding future conflict) in space. It was all incredibly fascinating and I was hugely impressed with the cadets, all of whom struck me as very bright, knowledgeable, capable, and composed—far more so than I ever was at that age.

My own role was to conduct a writing workshop on “Future Conflict in Science Fiction.” This was an interesting challenge, because I don’t teach or attend workshops. But I put some notes together, asked the participants to do a little preparatory work, and things went remarkably well. It was also a lot of fun.

I feel deeply honored that I was able to participate and that my work was deemed worthy. If you’re interested, Attitude is available in print and ebook editions from Amazon.

FTC disclosure: On this website, links to Amazon are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases…though it’s definitely not big money.

Michael Patrick Hicks is a writer of thrillers and horror fiction, and also a reviewer at his own site, High Fever Books. I sent him an advance copy of Edges. He’s posted a very nice write-up, which you can read here.

In the review, he mentions the book came with “the slight warning that this was going to be a far different read than The Red books or her previous release, The Last Good Man.” And that is very true!

Over the years, I’ve explored different segments of genre and different styles of writing. Edges was a deliberate return to the earlier books. As I wrote it, I had in mind those who’d read and enjoyed the Nanotech Succession novels — and of course I am hoping to win new readers too!

But like Vast, Edges is not your usual space opera. I think that has caught some early readers by surprise. But if you like things a little bit different, maybe Edges is for you.

Click here to read the opening chapters. See if you like it.

In the meantime…

Let’s do a giveaway!

I have two proof copies of Edges that never found their way to reviewers. I want to give both away to readers of this blog.

My apologies to my international readers, but I have to limit the giveaways to addresses in the USA because of the astronomical cost of international postage.

If you are in the USA and you’d like to be entered to win a signed proof copy of Edges, say hello in the comments and let me know if you’ve read any of the earlier Nanotech Succession books, or if you’re bravely diving in for the first time to this far-future story world. That’s all you need to do.

If you’re reading this on Goodreads: please come on over to my blog to comment.

I’ll let this run for a week and then ask Google’s random number generator to pick the winners. It’d be nice to get at least ten entries.

Thank you to everyone who put their name in for last week’s book giveaway! And thank you so much for all the kind comments.

Here on the blog I had a very gratifying FIFTEEN participants. This blog gets automatically re-posted at Goodreads, and over there I had five more names. So twenty altogether. You guys rock!

I plugged the numbers into Google’s random number generator, and it picked John Hattan as the winner of a signed copy of Light and Shadow. Congratulations, John! I’ve sent you an email; I’ll need your mailing address.

And THANK YOU again to everyone else!

Earlier this fall I was concerned when my print-book sales flatlined. To make sure the print-on-demand system was working properly, I placed an order for one of my books (yep, it was my lowest-cost book) and that endeavor led to some assurance that the system was working more or less as it should.

Also, I wound up with an extra copy of this book — a copy I don’t really need.

So let’s do a giveaway.
I apologize to my international readers, but I have to limit this to addresses in the USA because of the astronomical cost of international postage.

So … if you’re in the USA and you’d like to be entered to win a signed print edition of my short story collection Light And Shadow, say hello in the comments. That’s all it takes.

I’ll let this run for a week and then let Google’s random number generator pick the winner. It’d be nice to get at least ten entries.

Years ago I read a book by Francis Fukuyama called Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity.

The basic point of the book as I understood it was that the quality of trust within a society — the ability of people to trust one another beyond the ties of family — was a driving factor in economic organization and ensuing prosperity. Probably creativity too!

If we can trust our fellow citizens, we don’t have to waste energy eyeing them in suspicion or setting up defenses against them.

Now we have a government that doesn’t give a damn about trust. Constant overwhelming lies issue daily from the Republican administration. They contradict themselves and they contradict the truth, constantly. Their corruption isn’t even hidden, and they have no concern whatsoever for the future of this planet. Who could ever trust these people?

Trump is Trump. His nature was obvious long ago and his behavior is no surprise. The surprise here is the spineless venality of every single Republican member of Congress. No exceptions. They have all failed in their Constitutional duties.

I’ve already voted. Regardless of what political party you once belonged too, I hope you take the advice of Max Boot, writing for the Washington Post, and “Vote against all Republicans. Every single one.”

From Paul Krugman:

If Dems win, we’ll have a constitutional crisis almost immediately. But if they don’t we basically lose the constitution https://t.co/bFp1TP1fG8

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) November 5, 2018

This is a very short post to let you know where I will be at the upcoming Worldcon in San Jose.

Click here to see my scheduled events.
(Link opens in a new tab and goes to the Worldcon website.)

If you’re planning to attend, I hope you can make it to one of my events — and do say hello!

As a reminder, I’ll have some books for sale at the SFWA table in the dealers room. See this post for details.

Yes, I will be there!

I don’t attend very many science fiction conventions but I will be attending Worldcon 76, which takes place next month in San Jose. I’ve never before been a finalist for the Hugo award, so I had to go, right? I don’t have my schedule yet, but I’m hoping to do a reading and a book signing.

I’m also going to have both old and new print books to sell at SFWA’s “Book Depot.” SFWA — short for Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America — is hosting a table in the Dealers Room where authors can sell books on consignment.

Here are the titles I’ll have for sale:

Memory (Tor hardcover) – 4 copies @ $12 each

Limit of Vision (Tor hardcover) – 3 copies @ $8 each

Skye Object 3270a (MIP/trade paperback) – 4 copies @ $11 each

Deception Well (MIP/trade paperback)– 1 copy @ $10

Vast (MIP/trade) – 1 copy @ $10

Light and Shadow (MIP/trade paperback) – 1 copy @ $10

The Dread Hammer (MIP/trade paperback) – 2 copies @ $12 each

Hepen the Watcher (MIP/trade paperback) – 2 copies @ $12 each

“MIP” stands for Mythic Island Press, my company imprint. These are print-on-demand editions, 5.5″x8.5″ in size.

If you’re attending the convention and you’re interested in any of these books, stop by SFWA’s Book Depot to purchase them and then track me down. I’ll be happy to sign them for you. And of course if you have other books of mine you’d like me to sign, I’ll be happy to do that too.

The hermit is coming down from the mountain!

This Friday, July 24, from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, I’ll be giving a presentation at Comic Con Honolulu on the subject of “World Building and Sci-Fi Writing.”

If you’re attending the con, please show up and keep me company!

For the benefit of those who will attend, I want to list the books I hope to mention during my talk.

Fiction by me, Linda Nagata
• The Red — a near-future military thriller.
• “Nightside on Callisto” — a science fiction short story. Read it online at Lightspeed Magazine.

Fiction by Kate Elliott:
• Crown Of Stars series
• Cold Magic series

Fiction by Peter Singer and August Cole
• Ghost Fleet

Fiction by Martha Wells
• The Cloud Roads

As mentioned in my brief report on the Nebula Awards Weekend, I wanted to post a picture of the dress I wore to the banquet, so here it is at last.

After some consideration, I decided my husband and I would represent our home state and go “Hawaiian-style.” He wore a quietly tasteful aloha shirt, and I wore a dress from Iolani Sportswear, that just happened to be red. (Get it? The Red…?)

Iolani Sportswear has a wonderful store in Honolulu that’s located in the same building as their factory. They have a wide range of gorgeous dresses and some aloha shirts. I included a link to their website above, but there is a lot more to see at the store. Highly recommended if you’re shopping for aloha attire.

Photo © Ronald J. Nagata

I have now attended my first Nebula weekend, and I’m happy to report that it was a lot of fun. No, I didn’t win best novel, but then I didn’t expect to, so I wasn’t even nervous.

The winner of the novel category was announced last. As the time approached, I began to realize I would be in an awkward position if by some strange fluke I did win, because I had no acceptance speech prepared. Nothing. Nyet. Nada. Turned out not to be a problem, of course.

Other activities included an interview and photo session, a panel on how science is changing science fiction, a SFWA (Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America) business meeting (also a first for me), lunch and bar time with other writers, and introducing my husband to those who had never met him.

I haven’t attended a gathering of SFF writers since the nineties. I don’t really do well in crowds, and I have an absolutely horrible memory for faces, but this gathering was small enough that all went well and I am encouraged. I’m sure there will be more conventions in my future.

I wanted to post a photo of the dress I wore to the banquet, but it turns out I don’t have a photo… alas. My husband probably does, but he’s not home right now, so that will have to wait.