Is Science again catching up with Science Fiction?

    Now and again I come across scientific articles that catch my attention, and some that REALLY catch my attention.  Here is one such that I found as I was going through my usual mix of news/web/blog sites.  This, to me, is one more example of how our current, and future, science is influenced and inspired so much by current and past Science Fiction.

http://www.sciencealert.com/nasa-has-trialled-an-engine-that-would-take-us-to-Mars-in-10-weeks?perpetual=yes&limitstart=1


    Too soon to get really excited about this?  Perhaps.  But I think it's something to keep an eye on as NASA moves forward into more investigation on this, and I'm sure they are and will.  Who knows what could come from this?  As said in the article, there are various avenues that this EM Drive could open up, intercontinental travel, orbiting solar energy platforms, the exploration of our solar system, colonization of Mars...who knows what else?

  As always, feedback, comments, etc. are more than welcome via comments or email.

Just a quick must share bit of news I ran across...

     As some of you already know, and others have probably realized by now, among my many loves is Star Trek, and of all the characters that have been in the various Star Trek series and movies, the one that I have always loved the most was the unflappable, pointy-eared Vulcan, Mr. Spock.  Along with that I have always enjoyed any role that Leonard Nimoy portrayed in just about any genre.  Therefore, when I discovered this tidbit of information I just had to share it with everyone, even if I am about a week late on seeing it apparently.  LOL

     It seems that Adman Nimoy, son of Leonard Nimoy, is going ahead with plans to create a documentary centered on his late Father and his most iconic role, which will be entitled 'For The Love of Spock'.  From what I can gather this is something that had already been discussed before Mr. Nimoy passed away, and there was even some input directly from him to his son regarding it, and at it sounds like from what I am seeing, that they are shooting to have it out in 2016 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the first airing of the original Star Trek series.  More information can be found here.

The BBC apparently knows a good thing when they see it...as well they should :)

     Some good news for Doctor Who fans everywhere, in an interview with Doctor Who Magazine, as reported by SFX, Steven Moffat, the current show runner for the show about everyone's favorite Time Lord, confirmed that the BBC has spoken to him about their plans for continuing the show for at least five more years.  In the article Moffat talks about how things like this don't usually happen, as ten years in a show is generally expected to lose ground in the ratings, especially with a show that had huge numbers early on like Doctor Who.  However, the BBC seems extremely happy with the fact that the ratings are not falling off, and in fact are not only still as high as they had been, but international numbers are up!  Below is a link to the SFX article about the interview, or of course you can look for the recent issue of Doctor Who Magazine to find out more.

http://www.gamesradar.com/steven-moffat-says-doctor-who-will-run-least-five-more-years/

Con-mania, and just what is it that makes an "Epic Fantasy"?

     If there is one thing that brings all of us various "Geeks" together to celebrate our "Geekiness" it's the 'Con', and the Con season for 2015 is now well under way.  There have already been a few "Geeky" conventions this year, but there are so many more to come, so I thought I would start sharing some of the upcoming events on the "Con Radar"(at least on my radar) over the next couple of months.

     First however, I wanted to share a video of a wonderful panel that was shared on Youtube, from the recent Emerald City Comicon, regarding the questions "What is epic fantasy?".  Shout out to the wonderful authors of this panel; Peter Orullian, Robin Hobb, Patrick Rothfuss, Peter V. Brett, and Steven Erikson.  Great discussion!    "What is epic fantasy?" panel from Emerald City Comicon


     And now, as promised, the list of 'Cons' coming up on my radar over the next couple months.  This is of course not a complete list, and if there are any "Geeky Cons" coming up that you would like to share, please feel free to send me an email or a comment.

     Wondercon: April 3rd through April 5th(yes, this one I am late on as it is on this weekend, but wanted to give it a shout out as well).  Held in Anaheim, CA, full details can be found here.


     MegaCon: Coming up the weekend of April 10th through April 12th, this convention in Orlando, FL will feature some excellent Comic Artists and other Celebrity guests, including Alex Kingston, Adam Baldwin, Karen Gillan, Ron Pearlman and guest of honor Stan Lee, just to name a very few.  More information and details can be found here.


     TimeGate:  Coming up the weekend of May 22nd through May 24th in Atlanta GA, TimeGate is an annual sci-fi convention celebrating Doctor Who as well as other British media and culture.  This year TimeGate is celebrating their 10th anniversary, and joining them as guests are Katy Manning and the fabulous Michelle Gomez, as well as several others.  This convention is one of the most excellent fan driven Doctor Who/British media celebrations held here in the US.  Further information can be found here.


     I am sure there are many, many more wonderful conventions that will be held during March, April and May as well, so please feel free to share any that you know of, or are going to and want to give a shout out for!

New Releases for March 2015

     Below is a list of new book releases in the Sci-fi and Fantasy genres that I have noted for the month of March, 2015.  This list was compiled by myself from various sources and is in no way a comprehensive list, simply a few new releases that I have heard and/or read about, and thought I would share.  :)  Hope you find one(or several) that you find interesting.

     Fist up is a new steam punk release from Bec McMaster, entitled 'Of Silk and Steam'.  Published as of March 3rd, this novel is the fifth book in McMaster's 'London Steampunk' series.  I myself have not yet read anything in this series, yet McMaster seems to have a following for this steampunk/fantasy/romantic tale.  It seems well worth putting on my 'to read' list from what I have seen and heard.  More info can be found, and the novel may be purchased, here.

     Next up is an anthology featuring stories from some of the top talents in Science Fiction.  'Old Venus', published as of March 3rd, features stories collected by the incredible author George R R Martin and award winning Editor Gardner Dozois(winner of 49 various awards for his work in editing and writing!).  With these two choosing the 16 stories that have been included in this anthology makes this a MUST read for any fan of Science Fiction, it is most certainly going onto my 'to read' list!  More info can be found, and the anthology may be purchased, here.

     This next novel takes us to 'A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....'  'Heir to the Jedi', by Kevin Hearne, published March 3rd, is set between 'A New Hope' and 'The Empire Strikes Back', and is told entirely from Luke Skywalker's point of view.  More info can be found, and the novel may be purchased, here.

     Lastly, in the place of honor, is a collection of short stories from one of the masters, who recently left this world, Sir Terry Prachett.  'A Blink of the Screen' features short stories that span his entire career all the way from his schooldays through his phenomenal Discworld series.  This collection, published March 17th, also features an introduction penned by award winning author A S Byatt as well as illustrations both by Pratchett himself, and the late Josh Kirby, making this book something to be treasured.  Prachett's brand of humor, imaginative creativity, and incredible writing style made his works truly unique.  I will definitely be putting this volume of short stories from the prolific Terry Prachett on my book shelf.  More info can found, and this book may be purchased, here.

     There you have it, my short list of Fantasy and Science Fiction released during the month of March, 2015.  There were, of course, many, many others released during this time frame, but these are those that have caught my eye.  What other new releases have you noticed that I did not mention?  Or maybe there are upcoming releases in the near future that you are waiting for with anticipation?  Let me know in the comments and share your own favorite new treasures with us all.  :)

“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP” ― Leonard Nimoy

     As I am certain most of you reading this will have already heard or read by now, on February 27th of this year we lost a man that was an icon in many sci-fi and entertainment circles, and for many of us a mentor and inspiration as well.  I am speaking of course of the entertaining, caring and inspirational Leonard Nimoy.

     My first experience of Leonard Nimoy's talents was in his iconic role as the unflappable Mr. Spock.  Some of my favorite memories as a child were spending time with my Dad on Sunday mornings watching reruns of the original series of Star Trek.  As Spock he entertained and inspired many people, including many young people who have gone on to live their dreams because in a very big way he made science seem cool.  It was also in this role that he helped teach the message of equality for all that was at the heart of the Star Trek franchise from its very beginnings.  In this same spirit, when Mr. Nimoy was later approached about voicing Spock for the animated adaption of Star Trek in the 70's, it was his pushing and coaxing that made sure that George Takei and Nichelle Nicols were also included in the voice cast.  At first the studios were only going to use William Shatner, DeForest Kelley and Leonard Nimoy from the original cast, and then get others to do the rest of the voice, but it was Mr. Nimoy that basically told them that if they wanted him, they would have to include the others, as 'they' were the ones that represented the diversity that was at the heart of Star Trek, and without them he would refuse to be part of it.

     Yet as iconic as his portrayal of Mr. Spock is, there was so, so much more to his professional career.  From various movies to his role in the Mission Impossible series, Gunsmoke, playing a wonderful villain in an episode of Columbo, to TV movies such as 'Vincent', voicing animated characters(such as Galvatron from Transformers the movie), narration roles, lending his voice to 'Big Bang Theory' to his role in the more recent and popular series Fringe, his acting career was, in the very least' prolific, with more than 130 acting credits to his name.  But this also was only a part of Leonard Nimoy's contribution to our world, for he directed several projects(including the incredible movie 'Three Men and a Baby'), was a writer, producer, and a fabulous photographer, and of course his infamous singing career which included such cult classics as 'The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins'.  :)

     Actor, director, writer, poet, speaker, photographer, humanitarian, he was an inspiration to many through his professional work, and also just by being the man he was.  Not once have I seen/heard a story from any fan who met the man, saying that he had seemed rude, or had obviously ignored them, or had been uncharitable in any way.  He was one of those people that showed us how to live, not through beating us over the head with 'you should do this' or things of that nature, but by example, and through some of the characters he brought to life for us.

     May you rest in peace Mr. Nimoy.

In memory of Leonard Simon Nimoy

March 26, 1931 - February 27, 2015

NaNoWriMo, here we go!

This Saturday is the first of November, and as mentioned in my last post, that means the beginning of another NaNoWriMo.  I have decided that this year I will occasionally post updates on my blog during November about how my story coming along, and a bit about the process, and of course about NaNoWriMo and the culture that has grown up around this yearly, month long event.  :)

With just a few days to go, I have finally decided what idea I am going to tackle for this year's project.  A couple years ago I jotted down some notes, and did a loose outline for some back story, about a tale I wanted to write titled 'The Dragon's Daughter', and then promptly forgot about it as I was trying to work on the sequel to 'The Lost Gate'.  After coming across these notes and outline the other day on my computer, I decided that it is high time I tried to punch out a rough draft for this tale, and NaNoWriMo is the perfect opportunity.

And so I am spending some time making notes about my characters, who they are, what their motivations are, and just generally getting to know them, in preparation for the start of the writing frenzy we call NaNoWriMo which beings at midnight on November 1st.  Wish me luck!


In case you haven't read any of my stories, you can obtain a free e-copy of my short story 'Brighid' at the following site:  Brighid by RD Williams