I was pleased to log on today to find waiting for me SciFiChick’s review of my novel The 4400: Promises Broken. Long story short: she dug it.  :D

Here are what I think of as the “money quotes” —

“David Mack and Pocket Books have finally given fans of the show the resolution we have been waiting for since its untimely cancellation.”

“With all of the characters we’ve come to know and love, Mack has skillfully rendered each with believability and soul. The story is gripping and fast-paced, with a climatic ending that no 4400 fan should miss.”

Sweet. I hope that fans of The 4400 share Angela’s appreciation for Promises Broken.

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• @jendaby – My guess is that it's due to the hard consonants. in reply to jendaby 17:58:10

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Over at the top-notch Star Trek news site TrekMovie.com, Robert Lyons has posted his review of my new Star Trek Vanguard novel, Precipice, which is scheduled to be released next Tuesday.  His review of the book was quite favorable; I hope it’s one that many of the book’s readers share.

For the curious, here are my favorite “money quotes” from the review:

“[A]n enjoyable and well-paced read. … [Cervantes] Quinn’s [arc] is spectacular, carving out for the reader a much deeper perspective on his past.

There are other surprises to be found between the covers of Precipice, all of them worth your time. Mack’s visit to the Taurus Reach definitely satisfies a momentary thirst, but will invoke a new hunger in the hearts of Vanguard fans who want to see more. Here’s hoping that the ‘more’ will be on its way very, very soon!”

Color me pleased.  And keep an eye on TrekMovie, because next month they’ll be reviewing my expanded version of my Star Trek Mirror Universe novel The Sorrows of Empire.

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• @TrekMovie – Dayton just got to it first. I promise to pimp the review tomorrow, honest. in reply to TrekMovie 01:38:30

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• RT @TrekMovie Review of my newest novel, Star Trek Vanguard: Precipice – http://twurl.nl/qe2af5 ( Thanks, @DaytonWard ) 19:43:09

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• It's alive! PS3 is working, streaming movies & more from Netflix. Awesome. I can now hibernate for winter with GTA4. 01:59:42

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• @ecmyers – As in WARGAMES, the only winning move is not to play. in reply to ecmyers 12:43:33
• RT @daytonward Some anonymous Pezhead on the Internet took exception to something I said? However shall I sleep at night? Somebody, hold me. 12:45:18

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• Just bought a PS3. My career can now come crashing to a halt. (And the peanut gallery replies, "It hasn't already?") 15:39:25
• I got a PS3 for BluRay and streaming Netflix (I already have the disc, Julio). Someday I might play GTA4. In any case, I blame @scalzi. 16:51:26
• @scalzi – I would, except my wife already blames ME for everything. in reply to scalzi 19:27:05
• SFWA members: when nominating novelettes, remember "Nor Idolatry Blind the Eye" by @CharlesArdai – http://bit.ly/4fnTYy 22:20:26

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• SFWA members! It's time to nominate works for the Nebula ballot, & my novel THE CALLING is eligible. I'm just sayin'… 01:12:54

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• It Turns Out Spider-Man is a Crook After All – http://io9.com/5403784 #superheroesgonebad #spiderman 13:24:15

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• @warrenellis – Great idea. Call it "Shit My Git Says" and ride the coattails of that 28-yr-old gerbil w/a sitcom deal. in reply to warrenellis 13:27:31
• @scalzi – Do you have your PS3 hooked up w/ a hard-line connection or are you streaming via wireless? in reply to scalzi 15:34:27
• @scalzi – Now I'm doubly tempted to go out and get myself a PS3. BluRay & it can access my NetFlix account? Sweeeeet. in reply to scalzi 17:51:00
• SFWAns! Don't delay when you get your Mill-n-Swill invite. <79 spaces left, RSVP req'd. Hope to see y'all there! 21:53:17

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• @Televixen – Nice! Will "Star Trek Week" be only about the new movie, or all of Trek? (Asked the Treklit author.) in reply to Televixen 11:09:03
• Just confirmed w/organizers: I'll be a guest/panelist at Farpoint 2010 this February, in Timonium, Md. See y'all there! 19:22:18

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So I’ve been reading that Justin Halpern, creator of the Twitter feed @shitmydadsays, has been rewarded for his hilarious tweets with a book contract and a TV sitcom deal.

Let me get this straight.

A 28-year-old man moves back in with his elderly parents and reportedly starts tweeting his father’s more outrageous remarks. In just 73 tweets, he nets himself 750,000 followers. And now he’s up to ass in cash and success.

Taking into account the Twitter limit of 140 characters per tweet, multiplied by 73 tweets = 10,220 characters. Now let’s assume an average word length of six letters including a space or punctuation. This sonofabitch got a book contract and a TV deal as a reward for a total output of 1,701 words.

Best of all? They weren’t even his fucking words! They were his dad’s hilarious remarks.

If you ask me, his dad ought to be the one with the book contract and the TV deal.

Bitter? Me? Why do you ask?

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Thank you to all who have worn their country’s uniform and given their blood, sweat, tears, and/or lives to defend what so many of us take for granted.

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• @wikiwackywoo – Tuna steaks. But the culprit was grease in the oven from my wife's roasting of squash for soup. Fixed now. in reply to wikiwackywoo 01:50:52

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• In the beginning there was darkness, void of form. Then God whipped up a pot of java and straightened things up a bit. 13:20:56
• via @WIRED – 10 Geeky Laws That Should Exist, But Don't – http://shar.es/aaPMp 14:18:11
• @scalzi – I've considered buying a PS3 many times. But if I do, I'll never meet another deadline as long as I live. in reply to scalzi 15:46:58
• Something wrong in broiler. House filled with bad-smelling haze. Windows open, fans on. Time to clean the stove, I guess. 19:47:20

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WIRED.com has posted an article titled…

10 Geeky Laws That Should Exist, But Don’t

My hands-down favorite:

Peet’s Law: C₈H₁₀N₄O₂, better known as caffeine, is the most wonderful chemical compound known to humankind. If the field of chemistry had never identified or produced a single other useful compound, caffeine alone would be justification enough for its existence.

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For years I have been trying to remember the title and author of a short story I once read during my adolescence. I was fairly certain it had been published in OMNI magazine, and I recalled clearly that it was about a couple who gain the ability to stop time whenever they maintain physical contact while in the loft bed of their New York City apartment.

I tried many times over the years to find this story by searching for various terms, with no luck. Until tonight. A simple Google search for: “the loft” “stop time” short story returned a Google Books result that I recognized instantly as the story I had been trying to remember:

“Rent Control” by Walter Tevis.

They have an excerpt of it on Google Books; it’s currently available as part of a collection titled Home and Beyond: An Anthology of Kentucky Short Stories. Which, not coincidentally, I am now adding to my Amazon wish list.

Thank you, Google Books.

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• Steven Tyler quits Aerosmith – http://bit.ly/JYbhC … and embarks on new career as a stunt double for The Cryptkeeper. 13:24:54
• I have "prepared the battlefield" (formatted the Word doc) for STAR TREK: TYPHON PACT – ZERO SUM GAME. Tomorrow: Page 1… 23:56:17

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• Lots to do today, but I can't seem to get myself in motion. A lazy Sunday, indeed. 13:10:55

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