It’s been a while, but I’ve been busy! First off, Heather and the girls and I took a vacation to Kauai, thanks to our good friends Alisha and Sharon. Snorkeling, hiking, boating, ziplining, relaxing and delicious foods. Heavenly!

I also wrote an essay for the Quirk blog about David Lynch, whose work I’ve been obsessed with ever since high school. It’s called “What Makes Something Lynchian?” and but the essay is also kind of about Dare to Know too.

I included a lot of Twin Peaks gifs in it, so it’s extra fun to read. “I don’t want the mysteries of Lynch’s movies to be cleared up,” I write. “I want to live in those mysteries and let them accompany me through my life.” Go read it here.

MORE STUFF! On August 15, I was a guest on the Legendarium Podcast, which is all about science fiction and fantasy:

Host Craig has invited me on to talk about “Predestination In Science Fiction and Fantasy”—which makes sense, Dare to Know, isn’t the only SFF story to play with ideas of fate, prophecy, predestination, etc. In this discussion, I float my theory that there are four distinct types of predestination in fiction: Durable, Fragile, Volitional, and Broken. A meaty interview, check it out! You can also find an audio-only version of the podcast episode here.

But wait, there’s more! I was interviewed by Beth Golay for her Marginalia podcast (a production of the KMUW, the NPR affiliate in Wichita):

This interview is actually from December, but because of a technical snafu, we thought we lost the audio. But Beth resurrected the episode, and I’m really glad because she’s a great interviewer who gave Dare to Know a thoughtful and appreciative read, and had lots of smart questions about it! You can listen to it here.

One last thing that happened this past week: I appeared at panels, table talks, signings, etc. at Chicon 8: The 80th World Science Fiction Convention! Believe it or not, it was my first time at a science fiction convention. I had a blast, and they kept me busy:

I got to meet so many great people, but I’ll just mention two. On the “Walk With The Stars” I met author Mary Anne Mohanraj, and it turned out that we have a lot of friends in common—and she also seemed to know everyone at Chicon, and she also turned out to be a presenter at the Hugo Awards at the convention! She was delightful to talk to and befriend!

At my Table Talk, I met a wonderful woman named Hope Kennedy. It turned out we had more in common than a last name. Just like me, her daughter had been on the JET Programme (that is, the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme), which is how I came to spend two years in rural Japan back in 2004-2006. She’s also a PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER at Doomsday Wrestling in Houston (“Violence has never been this funny!”), wrestling under the name “Hot Flash, the Menopausal Mauler.” I’m definitely checking them out the next time I’m in Texas!

Okay, this post has gone one really too long . . . and I feel I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s been going on! Look for updates about the 2023 90-Second Newbery soon, we plan to go back to live screenings!