A group of three middle-aged best friends whose lives didn’t turn out as expected. A friend who spends all his time online. A ski resort that has seenbetter days. A hot tub, a squirrel, vodka, and an illegal energy drink. These are the elements that transport these four guys back to the eighties when their lives […]
Author: karlschmieder
Raising Bilingual Kids is a Pain in the A**
I am raising three bilingual English-Spanish boys and I admit, it’s not easy. I was raised bilingual, my parents are both Panamanians, and we spoke Spanish exclusively in my house. I didn’t think about this until I was 9 or 10, when I realized I was one of the few kids at my school that […]
Review: The James Tiptree Jr. Award Anthology 2
If one of the reasons to read science fiction and fantasy is to hack your mind (the way listening to a new piece of music rewires your neurons), and, as some argue, you — like all humans — are really only wired for one thing: Wouldn’t you want to make it a point to read […]
Review: The True Meaning of Smekday
Here’s Gratuity “Tip” Tucci and the invading alien Boov, J.Lo, traveling from Pennsylvania to Florida then Arizona in a floating hatchback called “Slushious” with a cat named “Pig.” Wait. That’s a lot of information. What’s Smekday? The True Meaning of Smekday is a 400-page tour de hilarious force aimed at middle grade readers (9 to 12). I […]
Summer Reading 2010
Here’s a list of the fictional books we’ve been reading this summer: The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex Carlos is Gonna Get It by Kevin Emmerson (assigned to Alejandro for 6th grade summer reading) Stargirl and Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (the former assigned to Alejandro for 6th grade summer reading) Norwegian Wood […]
What’s Your Favorite Writing Subject?
Every writer has a subject they love writing about. Something they’re passionate about and turns up in their work over and over again. For me, it’s always been two things: The first is telling a story about a scientific development pushing our limits of knowledge. I love interviewing scientists who are passionate about their work. I […]
Observation: This is Wall Street
On the train two women trade verbal insults. “…You people don’t even know how to act on the train!” “It took you ten fuckin’ minutes to get your fat fuckin’ ass off the train but I’m fine. I’m relaxed. You got issues.” “I don’t have issues.” “You’re the big fat ass. I’d beat that fuckin’ […]
Y! The Last Man – Volume 6
Here’s Yorick, Dr. Mann and 355 on their way to Australia, a side trip as they cross the ocean in search of Ampersand, who was kidnapped in San Francisco. Ampersand, Yorick’s capuchin helper monkey, holds the key to Yorick’s immunity from the plague that killed all Y-chromosome containing mammals. There’s a fair amount of drama on the […]
Why I Started Writing This Site
I’ve been writing professionally for 12 years, writing fiction and screenplays on-off for 18, and keeping a journal for 22 years. I love writing and started writing this blog for three reasons: 1. I wanted to collect the writing I publish elsewhere. 2. I want to comment on developments in biotechnology and the emerging field […]