Gremlins, pitchforkery, and Monstertopia
Some writing and (mis)adventures - and a 40% discount on HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY! Dazed but pleased at the UC Press booth. Happy New Year! I hope your...
The case for a 100% tax bracket for billionaires
I was looking through my photos, stumbled upon this image, and realized that I had to get out a seasonal newsletter today with a wish for 2025. Caption....
Barber-surgeons and the anatomy of authoring
Or how being a twenty-first century author is weirdly like being a seventeenth-century barber-surgeon. Detail of one side of a painted wooden partition for a...
A bear called Paddington: who gets to be human?
This 1966 reprint of the first Paddington book was a second-hand steal at 40p. I’ve been re-reading the Paddington Bear books. If you’ve never encountered...
Strange, wondrous, and hopeful podcasts
A siren and a centaur from a bestiary c. 1270. MS Ludwig XV 3. Digital image courtesy of Getty’s Open Content Program, fol. 78r. Hallo, readers! In today’s...
Spooky season tidbits - and a 30% preorder discount on Humans: A Monstrous History!
Which monsters would you like to read about this fall?
"Disambiguate, disambiguate!" Monday morning in Dalek mode
For a creative person, errands can feel bone-crushing. Here's my latest workaround.
HUMANS: A Monstrous History is available for preorder!
... and some upcoming book events.
The coach, the cataloguer and the chaos muppet: authors are many-headed hydra
On warring headspaces during copy edits, and some books and music I'm enjoying this summer.
Who are we, and what might we become? What to read next.
Fiction and nonfiction asking the big questions.
Cover reveal! Humans: A Monstrous History
The book is in production! - and some essays I published, plus some museum recommendations.
How I got a literary agent
On what I did en route to getting offers of representation from three New York City literary agents.
‘Realms of the Imagination’ Review: The Worlds of Fantasy
An exhibition at The British Library takes visitors on a journey through fantasy literature, a testament to humanity's persistent attempts to understand this world by imagining others.
Kraken-wrestling and other monster (mis)adventures
Deep in the weeds of chapter revisions, but looking ahead to talks in Chicago and Toronto.
"OOH, SHINY!" lists of doom and Draft no. 3
What should I do with the forest of to-do lists in order to finish Draft no. 3 of HUMANS: A MONSTROUS HISTORY?
The book manuscript is in! - and some changes afoot
What I did in the final stages of draft number 3 of my book manuscript.
YOUNG QUEENS: Catherine de' Medici, Elisabeth de Valois, and Mary Queen of Scots
In which I rave about Leah Redmond Chang's terrific new book, and update readers on my own book revisions in progress.
Not just Josephine Baker: African Americans abroad
In which I reflect on Tamara J. Walker's terrific BEYOND THE SHORES: A HISTORY OF AFRICAN AMERICANS ABROAD, and offer museum tips for photography fans
Habits: the good, the bad, and the pointless
Unhelpful voices from grad school, and a terrific water, beach, and landscape memoir grappling with childhood demons.
Thar she blows! Reading, viewing, and thinking about whales
In which I talk about some Really Big Bones, recommend a terrific whale-related historical novel, and share a tall tale about whaling.