Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2025, Thoughts, yay on July 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »
For reasons known only to the universe, we know a surprising number of people who were born today. That means it’s an excellent chance for me to cheer them on.
Not everyone wants a big to do, but whether you love your birthday, loathe it, or struggle to remember how old you are, the day is also an opportunity for the rest of us to appreciate you.
You’re here. And we’re happier for it.
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, creativity, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing, yay on August 20, 2023| Leave a Comment »
One cool thing about being a writer with writer friends is that sometimes, you have the opportunity to read their stories before other folks. I’ve just finished reviewing a friend’s new novel and it is excellent.
I don’t know when it will see the light of day so I’ll wait to promo it, but it was a treat. Can’t wait until you can read it too!
* * *
Posted in Entertainment, Science!, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, astronomy, inspiration, look up, yay on August 11, 2023| Leave a Comment »
What are you doing this weekend? Maybe you have plans for an all-night rave this weekend, but if you’re free at some point between the hours of dark Saturday night and dawn Sunday morning, consider the Perseids.
That’s right, it’s that time again, for one of the best shows in the night sky, the Perseid Meteor Shower. And unlike last year, the Moon won’t be crashing the party.
Here’s a time-lapse video from 2021 to whet your appetite:
How to Watch the Highly Anticipated Perseid Meteor Shower | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine
The Perseids are known to treat viewers to a fantastic display, and coupled with a particularly dark sky, this year’s show is shaping up to be one you won’t want to miss…
During a meteor shower such as the Perseids, Earth passes through a large cloud of debris in space. Right now, the planet is moving amid the rocks and ice left behind by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which last was seen from Earth in 1992. The 16-mile-long comet orbits the sun over a 133-year period, which means it won’t be seen again until 2125. But every August, its remains create the radiant Perseid meteor shower.
/rubs hands in anticipation
This weekend’s Perseid meteor shower is ‘worth staying up for’ | CBC News
While there’s a major meteor shower every month, there’s nothing quite like the Perseid shower for those in the northern hemisphere, with the warm summer nights and better chances of clear skies. And this year, Canada is in a particularly favourable position for the peak night of Aug. 12–13.
And what do you know? I’m in Canada!
Perhaps you’re interested in a bunch of complicated graphs and a cool “activity level” dial? The Global Meteor Network has you covered.
The dial shows the peak sum of activity from all currently active showers and the sporadic background in the next 24 hours.
More interesting background information:
The 2023 Perseids Meteor Shower – YouTube
Sky & Telescope gives advice on how to watch the 2023 #perseids and explains how the #Perseids are formed in this video.
Not into staying up late? In that case, I recommend looking for new time lapse video of the weekend event on Monday morning.
Because this weekend, the best show in the solar system will be right on our doorstep.
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #wotf39, creativity, David Hankins, genre fiction, Kickstarter, Sarah Morrison, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing, yay on August 8, 2023| 1 Comment »
As regular readers of the site know, Tuesday is my busiest and least fun day. Usually, anyway. Today I am pleased to support a Kickstarter by a fellow Writers of the Future cohort member.*
Death and the Taxman – A Novel by David Hankins (illustrations by Sarah Morrison)
The Grim Reaper, trapped in an IRS agent’s dying body, must regain his powers before he faces Judgement for his original sin.
Did I love the short story? I did. Am I looking forward to the full novel? Yes, indeed. And are Sarah Morrison’s illustrations a captivating riot of color, character and motion? They are!
If humor and good writing and fun fantasy are your thing, check out this Kickstarter!
* Yes, another one. What can I say, they’re awesome.
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, inspiration, reading, Thoughts, Writers, yay on July 29, 2023| Leave a Comment »
“The world should take note: not everything is getting worse.”
― Ian McEwan, Saturday
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, genre fiction, Thoughts, Writers, writing, yay on July 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Recently, I had a chance to talk speculative fiction with the good folks over at Urban Book Reviews. Check out my thoughts on what makes spec fic great, getting started as a writer, themes in fiction and more. Find the full interview here!
Meet This Author: J.R. Johnson – Urban Book Reviews
* * *
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, yay on June 26, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Here’s a quick shoutout to Pennsylvania, who managed to reopen I-95 less than two weeks after the tanker explosion that shut down the highway. By utilizing creative materials and new ways of problem solving, the government and union workers did what many thought could not be done.
I-95 bridge reopens, less than two weeks after tanker explosion
This sort of approach is exactly what we need to win a future filled with unexpected challenges.
And I love it when a plan comes together!
* * *
Posted in Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, genre fiction, Kickstarter, Writers, writing, yay on June 8, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I belong to SF Canada, Canada’s professional speculative fiction organization for writers and others. A post popped up on the forum from another member, about a Kickstarter he was doing for the Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction. I particularly liked the fact that this is Volume One.
Yes, please.
Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction: Volume One by Stephen Kotowych
I backed it. So did a lot of other people, if the fact that the campaign funded in 45 minutes is any indication. It blew through five stretch goals and I imagine the creator is furiously dreaming up new rewards right now.
It’s a good problem to have. Can’t wait to see the results, and I hope that Volume One is the first collection of many.
* * *
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, constraint, creativity, inspiration, making stuff, sheep, Thoughts, Writers, writing, yay on May 22, 2023| Leave a Comment »
I like crafting in general, I like weaving in particular, and I like the freeing nature of creative constraints, so this “sheep to shawl” competition is right up my alley.
In a Sheep to Shawl competition, you have 5 people, 1 sheep, and 3 hours – NPR
Each team is made up of one sheep and five people: one shearer, three spinners, and a weaver. The team has three hours to shear the sheep, card the wool, spin the wool into yarn, and then weave that yarn into an award-winning shawl.
It’s not exactly the same as NaNoWriMo or drabbles or the 24-hour story challenge we recently did at Writers of the Future (crazy, fun, and not nearly as bad as I thought it would be:) but it’s in the same vein.
Here’s to artists exploring boundaries everywhere.
* * *
Posted in Entertainment, Favorites, Likes, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, creativity, Fiction, genre fiction, Writers, Writers of the Future, writing, yay on May 16, 2023| 5 Comments »
Today is the day: Volume 39 of Writers of the Future is live!
Where to buy: Amazon | Apple Books | Audible | B&N | BAM | Bookshop | Google Play | Indigo | Kobo | OverDrive Libraries | Powell’s | Vroman’s
* * *
Here’s the synopsis:
In the world of speculative fiction…
Your favorite authors…
Have selected the best new voices of the year.
24 Award-winning Authors and Illustrators
3 Bonus Short Stories by Kevin J. Anderson • L. Ron Hubbard • S. M. Stirling
Art and Writing Tips by Lazarus Chernik • L. Ron Hubbard • Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Edited by Dean Wesley Smith • Jody Lynn Nye
16-page color gallery of artwork • Cover art by Tom Wood
Check out the stories Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott Card, Nnedi Okorafor, Robert J. Sawyer, Kevin J. Anderson, Jody Lynn Nye and others chose as the best of the best.
Be amazed. Be amused. Be transported … by stories that take you by surprise and take you further and deeper into new worlds and new ideas than you’ve ever gone before….
Twelve captivating tales from the most exciting new voices in science fiction and fantasy accompanied by three from masters of the genre.
A miracle? An omen? Or something else? One day, they arrived in droves—the foxes of the desert, the field, the imagination….—“Kitsune” by Devon Bohm
When a vampire, a dragon and a shape-shifting Chihuahua meet on a beach in Key West, fireworks go off! But that’s just the background. —“Moonlight and Funk” by Marianne Xenos
Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I., faces one of his funniest and most perplexing cases ever—an enlightened ogre, a salamander with low self-esteem, and a raging fire dragon terrorizing the Unnatural Quarter! —“Fire in the Hole” by Kevin J. Anderson
The Grim Reaper, trapped in an IRS agent’s dying body, must regain his powers before he dies and faces judgment for his original sin. —“Death and the Taxman” by David Hankins
In a metaverse future, a woman who exposes falseness in others must decide what is real to her—the love she lost or the love she may have found. —“Under My Cypresses” by Jason Palmatier
Vic Harden wasn’t lured by glory on a daring mission into the reaches of outer space—he was ordered out there by his editor.—“The Unwilling Hero” by L. Ron Hubbard
Dangerous opportunities present themselves when an alien ship arrives in the solar system seeking repairs. —“White Elephant” by David K. Henrickson
With her spaceship at the wrong end of a pirate’s guns, a former war hero must face down her enemies and demons to save Earth’s last best chance for peace. —“Piracy for Beginners” by J. R. Johnson
Years after the Second Holocaust, the last surviving Jews on earth attempt to rewrite the past. —“A Trickle in History” by Elaine Midcoh
When I said I’d do anything to pay off my debts and get back home to Earth, I didn’t mean survey a derelict spaceship at the edge of the solar system—but here I am. —“The Withering Sky” by Arthur H. Manner
High-powered telescopes bring galactic life to our TVs, and network tuner Hank Enos figures he’s seen everything—until the day an alien boy stares back. —“The Fall of Crodendra M.” by T. J. Knight
Knights, damsels and dragons, curses and fates foretold—the stuff of legends and stories, but unexpectedly perverse.—“Constant Never” by S. M. Stirling
Determined to save his wife, Tumelo takes an unlikely client through South Africa’s ruins to the heart of the Desolation—a journey that will cost or save everything. —“The Children of Desolation” by Spencer Sekulin
When a terrorist smuggles a nuclear weapon into London, a team regresses in time to AD 1093 to assassinate a knight on the battlefield, thereby eliminating the terrorist a millennia before his birth. —“Timelines and Bloodlines” by L. H. Davis
The Grand Exam, a gateway to power for one, likely death for all others—its entrants include ambitious nobles, desperate peasants, and Quiet Gate, an old woman with nothing left to lose. —“The Last History” by Samuel Parr
You will love this collection of the best new voices because, as Locus magazine puts it, “Excellent writing…extremely varied. There’s a lot of hot new talent.”
* * *
J.R. Johnson 
You must be logged in to post a comment.