March | 2015 | Michael J. Martinez

Monthly Archives: March 2015

March 2, 2015 · 7:56 am

Radio reading of The Daedalus Incident on The Author’s Corner

Very excited to report that my reading from The Daedalus Incident is now live up on The Author’s Corner and has been, or soon will be, broadcast around the country on some 200-plus public radio stations.

Yeah, I know, right? That’s very cool. And because I have some modest technical prowess, I managed to embed the reading here for your listening pleasure. (Don’t worry, the whole bit clocks in at only 1:40.)

Readers of Daedalus may note that this is a pretty truncated, heavily edited excerpt. That’s because the series only allows about a minute for actual reading, which means the snippet needs some serious impact. Producer Peter Johnson worked with me extensively to get a great bit of radio together; my hat’s off to him. It ain’t easy!

It was a lot of fun to do this, and a great way to introduce Weatherby and Jain to a whole new audience ahead of the release of The Venusian Gambit on May 5. Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen! And please go check out The Author’s Corner online or on the radio and, if you’re so inclined, give ’em your support.

#SFWApro

The mythology of the starving, tortured writer

As much as I can like someone I’ve never really met, I generally like Damien Walter, the Guardian contributor and fiction writer who’s currently doing the digital nomad thing in South Asia. Smart fellow, good insights into SF/F, getting his Buddha on. Much respect, Damo. But I had to disagree with this tweet today:

https://twitter.com/damiengwalter/status/572040267588481024

First off, given the choice between poverty and not-poverty, I would always, always recommend not-poverty if it’s any kind of option, especially in today’s economy and with the healthcare and retirement systems currently in place in the United States. The less we earn early in life, the fewer opportunities we will have as we get older. The system sucks, but that’s what it is.

In other words, kids, please save money whether or not you’re an artist. I’d also say especially if you’re an artist, because there’s always the chance, sad to say, that the muse dries up, that your work becomes passe, whatever. Meanwhile, the social safety net shrinks yearly. You’re on your own, so if possible, plan for your financial future as early as is personally feasible. I also recognize that it isn’t possible for many people to save, so if it is for you, perhaps note that you’re in a privileged position in that regard and leverage that opportunity for yourself and your future.

OK, that’s the end of the public service announcement — let’s talk about starving, tortured writers, because it’s something I personally can’t quite wrap my head around. (Damo didn’t talk about the emotional torture aspect; I’m adding it to the rant because there seems to be a correlation between poverty and tortured when it comes to describing writers.)

Continue reading →