John Scalzi's Blog

Hello from Boise, Idaho! It’s not a particularly exciting view but it also isn’t as non-exciting as the parking lot view from yesterday’s hotel.

I find myself in Idaho for a wedding, which is taking place tomorrow, so I shall be preoccupied with that and flying home on Tuesday, and I hope you all take care until I get back!

-AMS

Look, the rest of the hotel room I was in was perfectly nice, but this one chair had absolutely the most unseemly aura. I did not sit in it. I did not place anything in it. Indeed, I tried not to look at it. Madness would undoubtedly follow.

I did make note of it to the front desk dude, who grimaced in acknowledgement and assured me that the entire hotel was going to have a visual refresh in December, which presumably means this chair will be on its way to the junk heap. Not a moment too ...

Creepy crawlies can become less creepy when you characterize them. Such is the case for author Mike Allen, who shares with us his initial fear of spiders that has turned into more of a cautious appreciation. Follow along in the Big Idea for his newest spooky story, Trail of Shadows, and see the web he’s spun for us.

MIKE ALLEN:

My Southern Gothic-meets-surreal horror novel Trail of Shadows is a story of spirit beings and murderous monsters set in the Appalachian Mountains, where I’ve lived sinc...

If you saw my post earlier this week over my friend and my’s spa experience, I’m sure you’ve been asking yourself, “but where did you guys go eat after having such an amazing, relaxing spa experience?” I’m so glad you asked, dear reader! My friend and I went to Forno Kitchen + Bar in the Short North area of Columbus. Open daily for dinner, lunch Tuesday through Thursday, and brunch Friday through Sunday, this stone-fired pizza joint won #1 best restaurant in the Short North and best happy hour i...

Small acts of kindness may not always seem like they change the world, but they certainly change the world of whoever you’re helping. Author D. M. Beucler discusses how acts of kindness are a comfort for her amidst this crazy world we live in. Dive in to the Big Idea for her newest novel, Memory and Magic, to see how her main character makes the choice to change someone’s world.

D. M. BEUCLER:

In 2010 I had my first child. I was home all the time with this adorable alien, who would not sleep, s...

No parking lots, but copious water towers. Classic New York, I tell you!

I’m here for NYCC, where I am appearing tomorrow for a panel at 11, followed by a signing, followed by a second signing. And then, I’m off to Iowa City for their book festival this weekend, how is that for a study in contrasts. Both great cities! One slightly more inland!

— JS

Though neurodivergent people tend to love the world of academia and absorbing information, the systems and structure of higher education is often antithetical to the needs of differently abled people, both mentally and physically. Author Courtney Floyd expands on this in the Big Idea for her newest novel, Higher Magic, as she recounts her experience with earning her PhD and seeing how the world of education wasn’t designed with inclusivity and accessibility in mind.

COURTNEY FLOYD:

When I first...

Back in 2023, my friend sent me a Tik Tok from a newly opened spa in Columbus called Panacea that was showing off its luxury amenities. The video showed a hot hydrotherapy pool, a cold plunge pool, a eucalyptus steam room, and a Himalayan salt sauna. It looked good enough to convince my friend and I that we needed to go and have a spa day, but much to our dismay, their services were completely booked for months out.

Fortunately for us, Panacea Luxury Spa also offers an amenities-only day-pass th...

This video from YouTube Science Explainer channel Kurzgesagt says a lot of the things I would say about “AI” in this moment, namely: At first it seemed cool, but then it quickly became apparent that the version of it presented to consumers as a creative tool was both deeply flawed and also based on the theft of work from literally millions of creators (including myself!). The bullshit it is generating is now quickly eating the Internet, to the detriment of the actual creative people who...

Horror isn’t just scary for horror’s sake. Good horror entails so much more than jump scares and spooky creatures. Author Joe R. Lansdale expands on how horror can contain multitudes of other genres, and comment on society’s issues, in the Big Idea for his newest collection of short stories, The Essential Horror.

JOE R. LANSDALE:

Horror is a funny word and hard to define. As a book genre, even more difficult.

 It’s like humor. What the hell is it?

This is where I give you the big answer. Hitch ...