Mike Grell was born 68 years ago. So happy birthday!

Also, a little more than 42 years ago, when I was but a fanboy wandering conventions with a pad under one arm, begging artists for sketches, he drew me this. So add a thanks to those birthday wishes!

Based on the date—July 6, 1973—Grell would have been 26 and I would have been 18 when I approached him the Friday of one of Phil Seuling’s famed July 4th weekend comic conventions at the Statler Hilton Hotel.

I can no longer tell, from this distance of more than four decades, whether that’s supposed to be Green Arrow or Warlord, neither of which he had yet drawn professionally.

Warlord wouldn’t appear until two years later, in 1st Issue Special #8 (Nov. 1975), and I don’t think he had a chance to tackle Green Arrow until 1987.

Based on that beard and mustache, it could be either of them. But I’ll choose to believe Grell was giving me a glimpse of Warlord, long before the rest of you got to see him.

Hope you’re enjoying your birthday, Mike! And thanks again for putting up with the annoying fan I most certainly was.

While being interviewed the other day by Shaun Clancy about Captain Marvel for an article which will appear in an upcoming issue of Back Issue magazine, I got to talking about my first published comic book—which also happened to be the first appearance of Marvel’s Scarecrow. And when Shaun mentioned in passing that the character came out of a painting, right, I told him that, yes, he did, and I have that painting.

Which may leave you thinking … huh? But the painting from the story wasn’t real … was it?

If you ever read the initial Scarecrow story in Dead of Night #11, you’d have seen that painting as the fifth page of story by artist Rico Rival, which is first an action scene and later an object being auctioned.

But what you never saw, unless you were working beside me in the Marvel Bullpen back in the ’70s, was the original art for that page. (more…)

As some of you may recall, I arrived in Spokane last month for Sasquan several days earlier than necessary, which allowed me to spend nearly every waking moment the Monday before Worldcon doing something super sekrit which I could not share then but promised I’d share someday.

That someday is today.

Because tonight, the second season of Z Nation premieres on Syfy at 10/9 Central. And if you keep tuning in each Friday night, eventually you’ll see this guy.

Recognize him?

Here’s how I turned from the me you know into that shambling wreck above.

Craig Engler, who was my boss at Syfy for more than a decade as I edited Science Fiction Weekly, SCI FI Wire, and Blastr, plus a print magazine, is the co-creator and co-executive producer of Z Nation, which coincidentally films in the city that hosted this year’s Worldcon. Once I realized this many months ago, I asked whether it would be possible for me to watch filming one day.

Because I love zombies. How much do I love zombies? So much I’ve got a collection out featuring nothing but zombie stories.

After I asked whether I could witness some zombie action, Craig promised he’d do better than that—he’d see if I could actually be a zombie, assuming zombies were needed during filming when I’d be in town.

And lucky for me, they were!

That’s all you’ll get out of me for now, because I wouldn’t want to spoil any of the scenes in which you might spot me. I’ll share more once my specific episode airs and giving you more details wouldn’t ruin it for you.

For now, just enjoy my official set photo above … and try not to say, “gee, I guess they didn’t need that much makeup” … OK?

Next released a video earlier today for its new menu—Terroir—which will be the restaurant’s fifteenth incarnation.

As anyone who knows me knows, I love, love, love Next. The amazing food is the main reason, of course. But there’s also the fact that Next is a culinary Brigadoon, here for a brief time, then gone, changing its theme three times a year. With most restaurants, you can always say, “Oh, I’ll head there some other time.” Not so with Next.

Miss a menu and you’ve lost your chance forever. Which, for me, gives each meal an added emotional resonance. It’s like tasting a dream.

Hyperbole? OK, sure, somewhat. But not by much. Which is why I made it to six of the fourteen menus Next has hosted so far.

But now comes Terroir, which has its first service tomorrow. And sadly, even if I were in Chicago, this is a meal I’d have to skip—it’s a wine-based menu, and since I don’t drink, its charms would be lost on me.

*Sniff*

Check out the video below, though, because if great wine plus great food is your kind of thing, you won’t want to miss Terroir.

If you’re unfamiliar with the sort of experience Next provides, check out my prior posts on their Sicily, Kyoto, The Hunt, Vegan, Bocuse d’Or, and Tapas menus.

As for what the future will bring, at this point … no one knows. The three menus for 2016 are still being conceived by the chefs, and likely won’t be announced until the first week of December.

One thing I do know, though. Next year, when the Nebula Awards will be once more be held in Chicago—I’ll be back at Next!

Back when Bon Appétit named Rose’s Luxury the Best New Restaurant in America 2014, the writer of the piece stated that “Rose’s isn’t just in the restaurant business; it’s in the making-people-happy business,” while Chef and owner Aaron Silverman was quoted as saying, “I just want to make people happy.”

Last night, when Irene and I dropped by to celebrate our 39th anniversary, Silverman and his staff met and exceeded that goal.

That isn’t the easiest of feats for a place that takes no reservations, yet remains so popular most customers wait at least a couple of hours to be seated. We’d arrived at 3:05 to make sure we could be part of the first seating at 5:00, and by the time the doors opened, the line stretched behind us down the block, took a right turn, and then vanished into an alley.

But people are willing to put up with it because the food and the service are that good. Whatever weariness we felt from our long wait vanished before the smiles of the enthusiastic staff, and from what we found waiting for us when we got to our table. (more…)

I’d like to start your day with a fairy tale about a double anniversary.

Once upon a time—actually forty years ago today, on September 4, 1975—this lad took a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula …

… along with this lass … (more…)

The Baltimore Book Festival is just around the corner, and I’ll be taking part in two programming items on Sunday, September 27.

Here’s where you’ll be able to find me.

Reading Group 5: Spotlight in Short Fiction
1PM-2PM
Short fiction is often said to be the heart and soul of the science fiction and fantasy genres. Discover short fiction and your new favorite author! Our award-winning readers have been published everywhere from Granta to Asimov’s to the Year’s Best anthologies.
Readers: Ann Chatham, Scott Edelman, Carmen Maria Machado, Sarah Pinsker, Bud Sparhawk

Short Stories: Why they Rock Science Fiction and Fantasy
2PM-3PM
They can be as short as a few words or almost as long as a novel, but short works have always been important to science fiction and fantasy. Hear why and how short fiction showcases the best of our genres. Learn where the hot stories are being published, and get answers to all your questions from our panel of acclaimed short fiction writers.
Panelists: Bill Campbell, Ann Chatham, Scott Edelman, Carmen Maria Machado, Sarah Pinsker, Cat Rambo Bud Sparhawk, Fran Wilde

You can check out the full schedule here.

Hope to see you in a few weeks in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor!

I took several trips last month, which meant my dream time took a hit, because I tend not to dream when I’m not sleeping in my own bed on a regular schedule. So this monthly gathering of dreams is fairly slight.

Still, in August, I did dream of Deadpool, Megan Draper, the Queen of England, and more.

Check it out below.

AUGUST 2015

I dreamt that as my wife and I walked along a river in London, we saw two unaccompanied women walking toward us … and one was the Queen! Aug 31

I dreamt I owned a tin toy plane from World War II, and was nervously carrying it around in a pristine original box to auction houses. Aug 31

I dreamt that as we sped down the highway, my wife and son kept taking over for one another behind the steering wheel, which terrified me. Aug 31

I dreamt a Nebula banquet was about to begin, and we all entered the room while singing “Give My Regards to Broadway.” (I have no idea why.) Aug 31

I dreamt I visited the Museum of Jurassic Technology with Walter Jon Williams. Woke before we got through the front door though, darn it! Aug 31

I dreamt I looked out into our front yard and noticed burial plots there, and wondered what I’d need to do to get permission for more. Aug 29

I dreamt I went to a writers workshop at a friends house and discovered a dealers room right in the midst of it, making it hard to workshop. Aug 29

I dreamt a friend of mine dated one of Peter Pan’s Lost Boys, and was worried the relationship wouldn’t work out. I tried to cheer him up. Aug 29

I dreamt Johnny Depp won an Oscar for Superman, and I sat around with friends arguing at great length over whether he really deserved it. Aug 18

I dreamt that while in the cosplay which IRL will be revealed Wednesday at #Sasquan, I ran into Bob Silverberg, who was suitably shocked. Aug 17 (more…)

Since I told you I’d sold a 10,000-word story to the anthology Chiral Mad 3, a lot has happened. Eight more authors—Josh Malerman, Gary A. Braunbeck, Hal Bodner, Emily Cataneo, Lisa Morton, Max Booth III, Meghan Arcuri-Moran, and Richard Chizmar—joined the table of contents, plus artist Glenn Chadbourne delivered his illustration for my story, “That Perilous Stuff.”

As you can see, someone’s hoarding problem has gotten a little out of hand …

According to editor Michael Bailey, there are a few more short story purchases still to be announced.

This looks to be an amazing anthology, and I’m proud to be a part of it.

Those who know me know that when I attend conventions, I pay as much attention to the dining options outside the event as I do to the programming within. So it was with Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention.

So I scoped out Spokane’s culinary highlights, and then managed to hit almost all of what I’d planned. (Though I’m sorry to have missed out on Frank’s Diner. Sorry, but my stomach can only do so much. Breakfast there will have to wait until some future trip to Spokane.)

I wish I could have shared my eating adventures while the con was still going on, because one friend admitted to me that if he wanted to know where to eat on any given day, he could simply look at where I’d eaten the day before. In any case, here’s some of what what crossed my lips last week during Worldcon.

Satellite Diner

I arrived in Spokane late Sunday night, and ended up starting off in that city at the restaurant where I thought I’d end my visit more than a week later Monday morning before my pre-dawn flight to Dulles. The Satellite Diner is open every night until 4:00 a.m., and so is the perfect place to get sober before heading home … or in my case, to grab a late-night dinner after tumbling off a cross-country flight. My bacon Swiss burger with lettuce, tomatoes, and red onion was exactly what it was supposed to be, prepared by a master short order cook whom it was a delight to watch as I ate. (more…)