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Author: Michael J. Martinez

A peek at The Enceladus Crisis
I got quite a boost yesterday from book blogger J.T. Frazier, proprietor of Joe’s Geek Fest. His review of The Daedalus Incident was like three hits of espresso to my writer-brain. It’s humbling and very gratifying to think my scribblings could be enjoyed to that degree.

In fact, Joe’s only complaint was that he had to wait until April 1 for Book 2 of the Daedalus series, The Enceladus Crisis. Sorry, man…at least I’m not working on George R.R. Martin’s time scale. But there’s a bit more out there on Enceladus now, and I thought I’d share.

For example, here’s part of the cover: (more…)
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September 18, 2013
NFL: Week 2 picks
So the biggest surprise of last week was that the Philadelphia Eagles really are that fast. I admit, I was going to type “good” instead of “fast,” but I have to wonder how sustainable that pace will be over 15 more games. At some point, some enterprising defense will figure it out. But for now? [Vader voice]: Impressive…most impressive.

My other two whiffs were in picking Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay in what appeared to be gimme games. Oops. Sure, it’s just a week into the season, but both the Steelers and Bucs seem to have a tough road ahead.

Without further ado or geekery, here’s my Week 2 picks. Again, this isn’t to be taken as anything other than good fun; don’t come crying to me should you decide, in a flash of blinding miscalculation, to actually bet on my picks. In fact, just take the money you’d bet and donate it to a worthy cause, m’kay?

(more…)
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September 12, 2013
Reminder: Signing at Singularity & Co. in Brooklyn this Thursday!
For all you folks in the greater New York City area, a friendly reminder: I’m doing a reading and signing tomorrow (Thursday 9/12) at Singularity & Co. in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn. There’s even an events page here, which makes it official and stuff.

I’ll be reading from The Daedalus Incident and talking about the forthcoming The Enceladus Crisis (due out next spring). And if you want to talk about other stuff or just generally geek out, that’s excellent, too.

The bookstore is located at 18 Bridge St. in Brooklyn. Come out and say hi!

#SFWApro
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September 11, 2013
NFL: Week 1 picks
I’m a big football fan, and I’ve been meaning to do something fun with it on here for a while. So during the season, I’m going to make (at times irreverent) picks for each weekly game. Yes, I missed the Broncos demolishing the Ravens, but I won’t retroactively pick Denver…though, really, I totally would’ve picked Denver. I mean, the Ravens defense will be in therapy for weeks coping with that one.

These are straight-up picks, no spreads, and for the love of Asimov don’t actually bet anything based on this.

(more…)
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September 7, 2013
Skiffy and Fanty: Live from WorldCon (with me and others)
Shaun and Jen from the always fantastic Skiffy and Fanty Show just released their latest podcast, and it’s pretty cool. See, these two intrepid podcasters set themselves up in a quiet but public part of one of the convention hotels, then invited authors and bloggers to swing by, say hello and chat.

The result? A “walk-by” gab session featuring Rachael Acks, Karen Burnham (with whom I shared Mars panel later during the convention), Keffy Kehrli, Kyell Gold and myself. We chat about a wide range of geeky stuff and generally had a lot of fun. So either click on the page or, better yet, subscribe to the podcast via your favorite device/vendor pairing (i.e. iTunes and the like).

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September 6, 2013
Signing next Thursday (9/12) at Singularity & Co. in Brooklyn
Ever been to Singularity & Co.? It’s an outstanding SF/F bookstore in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn, packed to the rafters with decades’ worth of science fiction and fantasy books. It’s a veritable geek Shangri-La.

And I’m going to be doing an event there next Thursday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. This brings me joy.

So come on out and say hi. I’ll be doing a reading from The Daedalus Incident and talking about the forthcoming The Enceladus Crisis (due out next spring), my most excellent experience at WorldCon, and whatever else folks want to hear.

The store is at 18 Bridge St. in Brooklyn. See you there!

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September 5, 2013
WorldCon: The Aftermath Part II: Constructive criticism
A good night’s sleep really does wonders, especially after a WorldCon.

So yesterday I talked about what a great time I had, and all the people and the moments that made it an amazing experience. And all of that still holds true. But today I want to take a more critical look at the con, and share some thoughts about what struck me in a less-than-squee way.

Before that, however, I want to recognize the immense amount of hard work that the all-volunteer staff put into making LoneStarCon 3 a success. Nothing a newbie con-goer might say will ever take away from that, and they deserve recognition and thanks for their herculean efforts. This is constructive criticism, and I hope it’s taken in that spirit.

I also recognize there is a strong fan subculture at work here. Some of the things I say here may go against the grain. I understand and respect the history and traditions of that subculture, but with that said, I’m gonna throw stuff out there anyway. Evolution can be a good thing.

All right, here’s some observations and ideas:

(more…)
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September 4, 2013
WorldCon: The Aftermath Part I
Dear Lord, where do I even begin?

To be fair, attending WorldCon, a.k.a. LoneStarCon 3 in San Antonio, was not a life-changing experience. Becoming an author was, for sure, and the con was more part of that than anything else. (There are other experiences, by the way, that do rank much higher than becoming an author. Like becoming a husband and a father. Priorities, people!)

That said, my first WorldCon — my very first SF/F convention, in fact — was an excellent thing. If I were in a video game, there would’ve been an authorial “achievement unlocked” icon popping up over my head every five minutes. The SF/F community is supportive, welcoming, kind, funny…and can get its collective drink on like you wouldn’t believe.

(more…)
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September 3, 2013
Where I’m at Sunday at WorldCon
LoneStarCon 3, the 71st WorldCon, rolls on this morning, and I’m managing to keep up as best as I can. Yesterday’s signing at The Twig was quite fun. I signed some books — which never, ever gets old — and chatted with fans and my fellow authors. And New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hearne drew me this PostIt doodle.

While I’m thinking of it, I once again have to tip my hat to artist Sparth and the folks who designed the cover of The Daedalus Incident. Folks really seem to gravitate to it. I’ve seen it over and over now here in San Antonio. It’s like a magnet, almost! So, well done, art people!

Last night’s Drinks With Authors thing was excellent. There were door prizes and random chances to win books. And I mean random — attendees rolled a giant d20 against the author’s “to hit” score. Justin Landon declared me an ettercap, with a to-hit of 9. I was somewhat offended at first, until I remembered that we really wanted to let people win books. And so we did. Thank you to Justin, Steve Drew and Myke Cole for putting together an excellent shindig. (more…)
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September 1, 2013
Where I’m at Saturday at WorldCon
Today I’m spending a bit of time away from the hustle and bustle of LoneStarCon 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention, and getting out around San Antonio more. Here’s the stuff on my schedule:
- Group signing at The Twig Book Shop. The Twig is one of San Antonio’s best indie bookstores, and I’m going to be signing The Daedalus Incident there from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. And it ain’t just me. Check out this list: Betsy Dornbusch, Myke Cole, Kevin Hearne, Drew Karpyshyn, Kay Kenyon, Scott Lynch, Brian McClellan and Courtney Schafer. It’s literally a one-stop shop! The Twig is located at 306 Pearl Parkway in San Antonio, about a 10 minute cab ride from WorldCon. Hope to see you there!
- Drinks with Authors charity event. This is gonna be cool. About 40 authors are descending on Ernie’s Bar for a huge bash, with an equally huge amount of door prizes, including signed books and other major swag. And the proceeds are going to Patrick Rothfuss’ WorldBuilders charity. Get swag, do good, and get your drink on. Doors open at 7 p.m. and, if Thursday night’s Booksworn party was any indication, the folks at Ernie’s will be tossing out the bums (i.e. writers) at last call. Ernie’s Bar is at 320 Bonham, right behind the Marriott Rivercenter hotel.
And that’s it. The rest of the time I’ll be milling about, finally attending panels other than my own, and hanging at the members-only SFWA suite because I can. (And there’s free food there.)

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August 31, 2013

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Michael J. Martinez

Putting the speculation in speculative fiction

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