Mario who?
I’m a novelist, poet, and short story writer living in the Desert Southwest.
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It's Official: I'm an Older Writer
I am very pleased to announce that the fine people at the Speculative Literature Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting literary quality in speculative fiction, has done me the honor of naming me this year’s recipient of their Older Writers Grant. I can’t pretend … Continue reading
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I Got Interviewed
Lidija Beatović, one of the editors at Art-Anima, a website devoted to Serbo-Croatian writers of the fantastic, saw my story in Interzone and liked it so much she asked to interview me. I agreed, and the result is here. She … Continue reading
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"The Untied States of America"
That’s not a typo in the title. I really do have a story called “The Untied States of America” and it’s in the current issue of Interzone, the cool magazine that’s been the standard bearer of sf and fantasy short … Continue reading
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Seems I won a contest
The fine folks at sfreader.com ran a short story contest last year, and, hey, looks like I took first place with my speculation on the ramifications of getting yourself frozen for posterity. The story is titled “Cold Comfort” and you … Continue reading
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Broom
I was at the local grocery store, buying a new broom. As the checker scanned it she said: “Oh, a new car!” I said, “Yup, I’m driving it home right now.” She said, “I didn’t know they let guys do that.” I said: … Continue reading
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"How the Owl Learned That Being Wise Isn't Everything."
My latest short story just appeared in Emerald Tales, a charming magazine dedicated to publishing short stories of all genres. The latest issue, (free pdf here opens in a new window) challenged each author to begin a story with the … Continue reading
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"Parallel Moons"
This is shaping up to be a good writing year for me. I just got my copy of the spring issue of Space and Time which has my latest short story, “Parallel Moons.” Space and Time published my very first … Continue reading
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Two Recent Publications
My short story “Will” appeared in the final issue (#7, Autumn/Winter 2009) of Ballista, a fine magazine from Flapjack Press. My story is an odd little thing about a celebrity author who happens to be an ape. It’s not online. … Continue reading
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In Maps & Legends by Michael Jasper and Niki Smith
My pal Mike Jasper wrote a terrific comic that is now up here. If you like it and want to see more, it wouldn’t hurt to show some love by voting for it in the competition he has going on at … Continue reading
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The Spare Room by Helen Garner
This is one of the best books I’ve read in a long while. A woman dying of cancer visits her friend for three weeks while she gets treatment at a nearby clinic. Her friend is welcoming, at first, but the … Continue reading
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"Winding Broomcorn"
My latest short story, “Winding Broomcorn,” has just been published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. I’ve been published there before, but this is the first time I got my name on the cover, which is pretty cool. … Continue reading
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Church of the Old Mermaids
Kim Antieau is a remarkable writer of amazing range and skill. She creates characters and stories that live beyond the page, and there is nothing else one can ask of any writer. Her latest novel is Church of the Old … Continue reading
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Third Eye
We expected to see the sun that morning, and we were right. It rose muted and ruddy exactly when it was supposed to, climbing out of the ground like a slow waking bear. We examined the sun through binoculars. It … Continue reading
Best Joke I've Heard in a Long Time
A guy is driving down the road with five penguins in the backseat. He gets stopped by a cop. “Sir,” says the cop, “you can’t be driving around town with penguins in your car. You get those birds to a … Continue reading
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Mythic Arts
The final issue of the Journal of Mythic Arts is now online. Editors Terri Windling and Midori Snyder have done their usual fine job in assembling a terrific mix of art, prose, and poetry. Oh, and they even reprinted one … Continue reading
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Pulling Strings
The good people at qarrtsiluni have posted my latest tale: “Pulling Strings: A Quantum Story Cycle.” Click on the player at the top of the post and you can hear me reading the story. Also, do take a look at … Continue reading
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A Friend of a Friend Said She Overheard a Guy Telling Someone Else That He Heard This From Another Person's Friend
My barber’s wife’s realtor’s brother’s dog’s veterinarian’s accountant’s brother-in-law’s astrologer’s aunt’s gardener’s mother’s pulmonologist’s son’s teacher’s sister’s chiropractor’s cousin’s contractor’s girlfriend’s grandfather’s nurse’s landlord’s cook’s roommate’s boss’s plumber’s parrot says the whole six degrees of separation thing that people like … Continue reading
Suicide Note
The amazing Michael Swanwick, who I have mentioned here before, has seen fit to post one of my poems on his blog Poem du jour. I’m not telling you this only to brag on myself. The blog is a collection … Continue reading
qarrtsiluni Just Posted My Latest Story
It’s called “Red Shift” and you can find it here, along with an MP3 of me reading it. While you’re there, take a look at the rest of the issue and the rest of the site. A lot of good … Continue reading
Deflecting an Awkward Situation
If someone asks to read my stuff I gladly provide them with some of my stories or poems. But first I tell them I will never ask them if they liked the work or even if they read it. Why? … Continue reading
The Natives Here Are so Quaint and Friendly
I’m sitting on a bench outside a restaurant in the little town where I live, soaking up the shade while waiting for my friend. We’re going to have lunch together. A guy I’ve seen around town, but don’t know, walks … Continue reading
The Secret
At the library where I work, people often find out that I’m a published author. The first thing they do after their discovery is not to ask me where they can read some of my work. No. What they want … Continue reading
Formula Fiction
It’s usually a pejorative term, said with an implied or even audible sneer, but why should it be? After all, formal poetry is generally accorded respect. Both formula fiction and formal poetry employ a template for their construction. In the … Continue reading
I'm Not There
Wow. Cate Blanchett is Bob Dylan in I’m Not There, the somewhat unconventional bio pic of possibly the premier chameleon of his era. Director Todd Haynes employs six different actors to play the singer at different times in his life. … Continue reading
My Books
Click the “Books” tab at the top and you’ll find a page with descriptions of all my published books (so far.) Just saying.
Workshop
I just returned from a week long workshop on marketing for fiction writers. We learned about the publishing business, how it works, who has the power, and how to get our novels the best chance they can get. A lot … Continue reading
Kim's Redesigned Site
Kim‘s done a complete overhaul of her website. Surf on over and look around. She’s put up a biography (with pics), and all kinds of juicy tidbits about her various books, including Ruby’s Imagine, which is coming out in a … Continue reading
My Life's Work (so far)
Click on the “Other Writing” tab at the top of the page and you’ll find a list of all my published short stories, poems, articles, and reviews. Also links to my previous blogs. I put this together yesterday. It was … Continue reading
The Perils of a Mythical Existence
Sure I was lucky. I knew it. I’d won the genetic lottery. I had a pair of working wings growing out of my shouler blades. I kept them folded up under my shirt so no one knew. It was a … Continue reading
New Look
First of all, that’s not a picture of me at the top of the page. It’s the penguin who appears in one of the illustrations for Terrastina and Mazolli. He and I extend a hearty welcome to everyone who has … Continue reading
Strange Paths
Regular readers of my various blogs will know of my high regard for the works of Jorge Luis Borges. Here are some random bits of trivia about this singular writer: 1. In later life he tried to buy up all … Continue reading
Spring Cleaning
I’ve got a bunch of science fiction digest magazines I don’t want anymore. They have been in boxes for seven years and I have not once felt the urge to open any of those boxes, which reminds me of that … Continue reading
Here's My Crazy Idea for My Next Book
Title: One Night and a Thousand Nights. Setting: The edge of the world. The Earth is flat. Some disaster in the interior (super volcano? massive drought?) has forced most of the population to migrate to the edge. Plot: We follow … Continue reading
Overheard at the Local Public Library
An adult patron walks into the library looking like she just got sent to the principal’s office. Patron: I am so sorry this is so late. (Puts library book in return bin.) Me: How late is it? Patron: Two days. … Continue reading
The Devil's Dictionary
I was a library nut when I was a kid. I’d go at least once a week, sometimes more, and check out the maximum number of books they allowed. (I’m still the same way, but that’s a story for another … Continue reading
The Perils of a Cleansed Existence
Five times a day, sometimes more, I showered: before breakfast, after breakfast, midday, early evening, and just before bed. Also, baths, twice a day: after lunch and during the evening meal. I washed my hands at least hourly. I bought … Continue reading
Names
Driving north on the I-5 yesterday, we passed a truck hauling a boat. The boat’s name, displayed prominently on the stern, was Current Toy, which is a marvelous name for a boat. Seeing it made me think about names in … Continue reading
My Tiny Life List
Though I like observing and looking for birds, I don’t have an extensive life list, and I haven’t even written mine down as serious bird watchers do. My all time favorite bird to watch is the sanderling, a shore bird … Continue reading
The Perils of a Fortunate Existence
I won the lottery. Two dollars. A one hundred percent return on my investment. I was flush with smugness and contentment. Until my relatives found out. Then I had no peace: Can you lend me a dime? Just until payday? … Continue reading
Rewriting
Here’s Eileen Gunn, in her book Stable Strategies and Others, quoting William Gibson on the secret of writing: “You must learn to overcome your very natural and appropriate revulsion for your own work.” When I read that sentence I was … Continue reading
Notebook 4
Another enigmatic entry from one of my old notebooks: 6 January 2003 He Walked with a lisp. She Talked with a limp. Their children went into A list that must have amused me: 17 Feb 2003 Monday 12:20 a.m. spots … Continue reading
The Perils of a Covert Existence
We were a close knit group in those days, spending our working hours several floors underground. We knew close to a hundred languages between us, which allowed us to translate any document that came our way during the conflict. That … Continue reading
The Unrepentent Joy of Sisyphusian Struggle
If you haven’t seen “Shelf Life” by Adrian Tomine, the hilarious cover of the current New Yorker, it’s worth seeking out. There’s a teeny tiny version of it on this page and a bigger version on the artist’s website here … Continue reading
The Perils of a Nocturnal Existence
The eclipse stained the moon copper, then the color dripped from the moon’s face like water streaming over a stone in a river. We watched as velvet folds of red light draped the sky then slowly descended over us and … Continue reading
Notebook 3
Continuing my wanderings through some of my old notebooks. I’ve learned it’s usually best to write down things that strike me as very interesting. Which doesn’t necessarily mean that eight years later it will make much sense to me: 24 … Continue reading
We Have a Winner
Drum roll please. The winner of the first Conditional Realities give away is…… melissa. Melissa, please send your mailing address to mm@gorge.net and I will send you your free book. Thank you all for entering. Stephanie: Yes, I used a … Continue reading
Notebook 2
You still have time to enter the first Conditional Realities give away. Just throw your name into the hat at this post by midnight and you’ll have a chance at a free signed copy of my novel. I’m deep into … Continue reading
Free Book
This article by Douglas Goetsch in The American Scholar from last year is a marvelous piece about a group of high school kids who learned how to write poetry then set up a stand where they wrote poems on demand … Continue reading
