I have several hours to kill in the Salt Lake City airport. Melissa and I will get home well after midnight, which our bodies are going to tell us is actually 3AM, and I think this work week is going to be hellish. I finished this book on the plane, and if I don’t review it now, I probably won’t do it justice later.

Short Review

Here is the short review in case you don’t want any spoilers. This is a fun, light read that does a good job of entertaining. The prose is really good. It’s a short book, and you can treat each chapter as its own short story. If you’re looking for something that’s not too heavy, with occasional moments of humor, I recommend this book.

Longer Review

I don’t think this review is going to be all that long, actually, and I’m not sure there’s that much to spoil.

During Baycon, I picked this up off the table and read the first few pages. It surprised me! My pickiness can be a real problem for me to engage and enjoy a story, but The Sum of its Parts didn’t cause me to stumble. When I say the prose is good, I mean it.

It starts basically where Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein ends. We follow Frankenstein’s Monster throughout the book (with one exception, which I’ll get to) and the story begins at the arctic. The Monster adopts his creator’s last name and refers to himself as Frankenstein throughout. When Victor dies, Frankenstein finds himself unsatisfied, conquers his hate, and determines that he will make a life for himself that will amend for his sins and mistakes. He becomes a detective, and his motto is: “No case too monstrous.”

After the introduction, each chapter becomes a pleasant walk through Universal’s Classic Monsters: Dracula, The Mummy, Wolf-Man, The Invisible Man, and others. Igor, who really shines in this story with his quips, plays Watson to Frankenstein’s Sherlock.

Most of the book is written in first person, all from Frankenstein’s perspective. The last chapter/story, which shares its name with the book, is written in close third and changes viewpoints characters several times. It’s clear enough, but surprised me since it broke pattern.

The handling of Frankenstein (which I wish was named Adam, as he once referred to himself as “Frankenstein’s Adam” towards the end of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein) is one of the strengths of this book. This particular monster has the appearance of the 7 foot tall version from the classic movies, with the bolts in his neck and the flat head. But, he’s also intelligent and thoughtful, as depicted by Mary Shelley.

This isn’t a book that’s going to challenge you much or make you think too hard. Like the Universal Movies, it’s the book equivalent of popcorn fun, with excellent prose that pays a wonderful tribute to both the original book and the movies that came after.

Here is a link to the product page on the publisher’s website, which links to all sorts of purchase options. Often, there is a link to get books signed by the author, but I’m not seeing one at the moment. If that option comes up, it will be on the page I’m linking.

Here is a link where you can buy it from bookshop.org.

Again, you can buy from Amazon, and I’m not going to be upset if you do. I just don’t have to provide a link.

I’ll give you this massive google search link, though, which yields all sorts of options. Barnes & Noble is fourth on the list, if that’s your kink.

On the other side of the RWA conference, I’ll evaluate how I feel about the event over all.

It’s a little after 10PM on the last night of the conference, and the event is essentially over. Tomorrow, Melissa and I can get up whenever, catch our bus back to Toronto, and hopefully experience uneventful travel, putting us back in Sacramento around the crack of Midnight. I don’t think either of us took Monday off to recover, so it’s going to be a long week, folks.

With that in mind, if I’m going to write a timely wrap-up for this event, it’s now or a week from now. Let’s do it now.

This has been great! Melissa gave her presentation today, and while she was nervous at first, she shook off the nerves, locked it in, and did a really great job. She had me up there with the second microphone to cover things from the author perspective, and we played off each other really well. People in attendance complimented Melissa on how well her presentation went.

I think she may even get some people submitting their work to Cupid’s Arrow, which is fantastic.

Writing came easy for me this week, and it’s been a lot of fun. I’m almost to one of the scenes I’ve been looking forward to ever since I conceived the idea for writing this book. I really can’t wait to share this book with you all, because I think this one might be really special.

Pretty much everything I said in the previous post still applies. Melissa and I felt welcome the entire time. We met some great people, and it’s been the perfect way for us to celebrate 30 years together. Earlier tonight, we were in the audience for the awards ceremony, which was sweet but also a far cry from the presentations of the past. It’s a far cry from The Hugos, to be honest. The presentation and speech for the Lifetime Achievement, given to Jane Porter, lasted most of an hour. Again, sweet, but long.

Next year, RWA 2026 is in Albuquerque, from July 15th through July 18th. Neither Melissa nor I can commit to attending yet, but I wouldn’t be opposed to it. We had a good time.

Politics at Conferences

There was a moment during the conference where Melissa and I met someone from a red state that was new to going to conferences. She’s a very sweet lady, but she’s also a product of her home. While talking about traffic in our cities, she said something along the lines of “Covid and BlackLivesMatter destroyed her town” and I sort of paused and looked around at the other people in the conversation. Melissa didn’t seem to catch it. The other two ladies caught it, also paused, but clearly didn’t want to make a scene.

I talked to Melissa about it later, saying that I feel like I should take the lady aside and recommend avoiding political topics like that. I figured I could do it with as much kindness as I could muster, without attacking her personally. Melissa didn’t think it was a great idea, so I just kept the thought in the back of my head.

Tonight, as Melissa and I were leaving the ceremony, Melissa needed to use the restroom so I waited in the hall for her. And there was Red State Lady getting confronted by another woman that was very upset. She said something about “concentration camps in Florida” and I understood what was going on. Red State Lady was getting the talk I was going to give her, but without the attempt at kindness.

Red State Lady approached me and said she’d just been reamed. Before the other woman had left, I heard Red State Lady say “I’m sorry” but also “That’s your opinion” and honestly, I didn’t have a lot of sympathy to offer her.

On this blog, I am very clear about my politics and, most importantly, why my politics are what they are. This is a place where I’m having a conversation with you, and it’s where I’m talking about the change I want to see in the world.

At conferences, I avoid topics that will start a fight. I might still talk about being anti-Trump. I talked to someone here at the conference about exactly that when it was clear that it wasn’t going to create a problem.

And, I’m not avoiding political topics out of cowardice or fear of conflict. If you’ve known me for long, you know I love to argue.

I avoid political topics in person because I know that we all have more in common than the differences highlighted by our political leanings. I want to make friends, and then through kindness, compassion, empathy, and generosity, convince my friends that we are on the same side. If I’m going to change hearts and minds, it’s going to be through looking at controversial topics from a place of respect and kindness.

If I’d had a chance to have that talk with Red State Lady, maybe I could have helped her. But then again, if she’s been on the Fox News train too long, maybe it would have become an argument after all. I avoid the topics, but I’m not going to lie or let harmful lies float by unchallenged.

Melissa and I talked about it and she said there were a couple of other people “talking bullshit” in her presence, and I don’t know what to say about that.

We had a good time. I think Seattle Worldcon is the next event. For now, I’m going to look at The Psychic Out of Time for a few minutes before we go to bed.

I’m writing this from a Starbucks at the base of The Brock at Niagara Falls, where the 2025 Romance Writers of America conference is taking place (The Brock, not The Starbucks).

Why Am I Here? Do I Write Romance Now?

I’m here because for nearly 15 years, Melissa has traveled with me to dozens of SciFi/Fantasy conferences, but Romance is her genre of choice. Until this trip, we’d never been to Niagara Falls before, and Melissa always wanted to see it. So, for our 30 year anniversary, we’re celebrating by going to a conference that’s all about Romance.

I’m not yet writing Romance, but I’m not opposed to it. I have an idea for a Romantasy, actually.

What’s it Been Like?

There are over 200 women participating in the event. There are four or five men, including myself. Of the attending men, one is representing an agency that is looking for Romance and Women’s fiction. I might be the only active male writer here, and I sort of stand out with my long hair.

I’m answering the gender-gap question first, only because it’s one of the first things people ask about. From my perspective, it has been no big deal whatsoever. Melissa and I both feel very welcome here. It’s honestly been great.

When I first signed us up, I bought myself a guest pass. When they offered Melissa a slot for presenting Cupid’s Arrow, they upgraded my guest pass to a full membership. For the most part, I follow Melissa around and, when I’m feeling impish, introduce her to a stranger and pull her out of her shell. This sounds like I’m being a little mean, but she’s making friends and having a great time.

My plan was to mostly be a shadow, but I’m at a conference with other writers and I just can’t help myself. I’ll be present for conversations discussing topics I have studied, and I’ll chime in with some of the stuff I’ve learned over the years. Topics have ranged from pitching, writing styles, branding… you name it.

What’s really funny is that each time I’ve piped up, it has been met with almost identical reactions. First, there is surprise. Then there is a sort of recognition, like, “Oh! He’s one of us!” Depending on the circumstance, there is usually an invitation to keep contributing.

To be clear, I’m not mansplaining or doing any weird gender dynamics. I’m just another writer that’s been to a lot of conferences, and I’m offering the stuff I’ve learned and not forcing it on anyone. The recognition I mentioned before is really important here, because I think it transcends gender boundaries. The writer experience — the stress, the techniques, and the insecurities — are shared across all genres, it seems.

The lessons taught at this conference are very much the same as what I’ve heard at the SciFi/Fantasy conferences. The perspective is slightly different, which has been interesting to me and to the people I’ve been talking with here.

I’ve been told that if I commit to coming to the RWA conference next year, I could propose and present a panel next year on pitching. Which is utterly wild to me.

What Else?

Melissa is having a great time. That’s the most important thing, to me. I’m obviously enjoying myself, but I would tape my mouth shut and sit in a corner if it meant an ounce more enjoyment for Melissa. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like it’ll come to that. This event is going very well for her.

Today, I got up very early and joined the writer sprints at 6AM. I’m not sure what happened, or what’s in the air, but I added over a thousand words to The Psychic Out of Time before 8AM. The conference programming today isn’t entirely my cup-of-tea, so I’ve wandered around and found other places to write. If this were November, I would already have my target daily word count.

Niagara Falls itself is nice. Last night, we went to the restaurant at the top of the hotel, ate desert, and watched fireworks explode over the falls. Apparently that happens every night at 10PM for 5 minutes during the summer. Today, we walked along Clifton Street, which is what happens when an amusement park breaks containment and spills out into the wild. We split a pizza at Boston Pizza. Niagara Falls hasn’t been quite what I expected it to be, but it’s been fun and fine.

What’s Next?

We keep going. I’m not getting quite enough sleep, but that’s what naps are for. We’ll keep meeting cool people. I’ll keep writing whenever I get a chance. On the other side of the RWA conference, I’ll evaluate how I feel about the event over all.

Next month is Worldcon in Seattle. The month after that, the next Writing Excuses Retreat. I need to get working on the next keyboard very soon. This year, I want to make it wireless.

I think that’s about it. Please check out my review of The Black Rose if you haven’t already. I hope everyone is having a great and productive summer.

I started writing this while on a plane, flying to Toronto. I didn’t have Internet at the time, but I jotted down my notes, saved them, and now I’m finishing this from Niagara Falls in the midst of the Romance Writer’s of America conference. More on that in the next post.

This review will not spoil the plot of the story, but I will talk about the setting and the world building.

The Short Review

Here is the short review in case you don’t want any of the story spoiled: This is a well written book that accomplishes what it sets out to do. It’s a short stay in a familiar world. I had a good time with this book and I think you will, too.

The Longer Review

Arlo describes the story as a mix of Tombstone with Van Helsing and I can see it, especially Tombstone. I think this undersells some of the fantastic and fresh world building Arlo weaves into this tale. This is a place where silver rushes up out of the mines of Nevada and roars across dry riverbeds, chasing the full moon and drowning the unwary. This is a world in which machines Awaken, and gunslingers hunt these animated objects like Holy Avengers.

The writing is solid all the way through. I was never bored, and some of the descriptions and language really leap off the page. And, touching on the setting again, the worldbuilding is laid out naturally and without heavy exposition dumps. The writer trusts the reader, which is as it should be.

I have a couple of quibbles in the middle, but it’s nothing serious. There is a framing device that is partially abandoned towards the end, but these are things most readers aren’t going to notice. No book is perfect, and this one is entertaining enough to allow me to overlook any flaws I might perceive.

This is sold as a horror. Is it scary?

I didn’t think so, but I rarely find books scary so I might not be a good judge. There is some disturbing imagery sprinkled throughout. There are uncomfortable circumstances, but nothing beyond my comfort level.

It is a weird western that will make you feel bad for an animated object. The truth of that statement alone should be enough to make you want to pick up this book.

Here is a link where you can get your own signed copy.

Here is a link where you can get the book from bookshop.org.

It’s also on Amazon, but I’ll let you find that link on your own. Bezos doesn’t need the extra advertisement.

Get the book, read it, and let me know what you think.

It’s been a couple of days since I saw it, and I have some thoughts. I’ll start with the non-spoiler things, then I’ll mark where I’m getting into spoilers. There are a lot of other reviews out there for this movie, so I’m going to try and keep to things that are relevant to my perspective.

Non-Spoiler Stuff

TL;DR — It is excellent! You should see it in the theaters.

James Gunn had one assignment many things he needed to accomplish in this movie, but the most important was getting Superman himself right. With an excellent performance by David Corenswet, this was the Superman many of us were hoping to see.

From the trailers, the movie looked like it could be bloated with too many characters. While all of the characters were present and had their moments to shine, this centered on Superman, Lex, and Lois. This is their movie, and while Mr. Terrific stole a few scenes, James Gunn balanced this movie as well as he balanced Guardians of the Galaxy.

Nicholas Hoult is a stand-out Lex Luthor. He is smart, driven, and evil. You’ll hate him just right, if that makes sense.

Rachel Brosnahan is a stand-out Lois Lane. She’s strong and witty in the way that Lois is supposed to be. She’s an actual journalist in this movie, and it is relevant to the plot.

The casting was perfect. The writing is great. The pacing is just right. I can’t think of any moments that dragged, or anything that felt like it could be cut. And the entire thing looks and sounds beautiful.

And then there was Krypto.

That’s all the non-spoiler stuff I can think of without repeating myself. I love this movie. I’m probably going to grab either my kids or friends or both and go see it again.

Spoiler Stuff

At this point, if you’re still reading this and you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend you either delete the email, close the browser tab, click onto something else… whatever. I’m going to talk about stuff that happens in the movie, and I’m not sure if it will detract from your viewing experience or not. Rather than risk it, just leave this post until after you’ve seen the movie.

This is your last warning. Spoilers beyond this point.

Okay, let’s get into it. I’m going to start by addressing some of the criticisms I’ve seen online. Then I’m going to talk about how I see this movie and this character from the perspective of someone that was adopted at (or near to) birth.

There’s been a lot of bullshit online about this movie being “woke,” but I don’t want to give those criticisms or those people too much of my time or attention. Superman has been “woke” since literally his first appearance in the comics. And, people that use “woke” as a criticism are stupid mouth-breathers that should always be ignored.

I saw one person post something about Superman being an orphan, not an immigrant, and… look. If your understanding of the character is that deeply flawed, maybe sit this one out. You’re just making yourself a target for scorn and mockery, and I don’t have time for that. I’ve got better things to do.

I’ve seen a couple of criticisms floating around that the plot of the movie is sloppy. To that, I have two things to say. First, I don’t agree with the criticism in general, in that I was able to follow everything that happened in the movie without external guidance. Second, even if it was a little sloppy… this is a superhero movie. It’s supposed to be popcorn fun with heart. It achieves this and more, and while there are a couple of things that happen that seem a little convenient, easy, or fast… it’s fine. The plot of this movie is fine.

Let’s talk about a couple of those plot points that are fast. That is, when the message from Superman’s birth-parents goes out on the news and the world immediately turns on him, and when the details of Lex’s plan goes out on the news and the world immediately turns on him.

In both cases, the reaction is very fast. Too fast for realism, because there would be people that question the truth and stick with the people they are rooting for. People don’t change sides that quickly. However, this is a movie with aliens, power rings, screaming hawk girls, and metahumans. For the sake of the movie and pacing, it’s fine and forgivable. This is a case where dedication to realism would have made the movie a slog.

A lot of what I’ve said so far are things you could have read anywhere. While I occasionally do movie and book reviews, that’s not what you’re here for. Let’s get personal. Let’s talk about the moment I related to Superman more than I’ve ever related to him before.

The news goes out, and Superman hears for the first time the rest of the message from his birth-parents. He was sent to conquer Earth and rule it, creating a new Krypton. It’s a moment that shocks him to his core, because it goes against everything he believed about why he was sent to Earth. He knew in his heart that he was supposed to serve humanity and do good, and learning the truth of his heritage made him question everything he knew about himself.

You could see it in his face as he walked away from the crowd to catch a moment and recover. I recognized the look in his eye, because I felt it when I learned the truth about my parentage.

I knew I was adopted from the beginning, but I didn’t know who my birth-parents were. Until I learned, I saw myself as someone chosen by my parents. And, I thought that I could be anyone, because I was born from strangers. I had unlimited potential, and I was special because I was adopted.

The truth shrank my world. It called into question… everything. It reduced me in ways I wasn’t prepared for.

The resolution for Superman in this movie is the same resolution I found. I had to learn it on my own, but Pa Kent put it this way: We are the choices and decisions we make. We are more than the complexities of our genes.

Let’s talk about Ma and Pa Kent real quick, and then I’ll wrap this up. Melissa did not like the choices James Gunn made depicting Martha and John Kent the way he did. They talked slow, with southern accents, and didn’t seem particularly comfortable with technology, like cellphones. Melissa said they were portrayed as idiots, and I think she was going a little too far.

The Kents were depicted as Kansas farmers. Simple folk of the Earth. Human. They had a folksy wisdom about them, and they are exactly the kind of people that would love and raise an alien baby to grow up to be Superman.

Superman himself is a reflection of those kind of parents. He’s clever, but also naive in a way. He sees the beauty in everyone, cherishes life, and acts in a way that reflects the hope inside him. A big blue boy scout that saves lives because it’s the right thing to do. Any other consideration is secondary to doing what is right. That’s Superman.

There really is more I can say about the movie, but I’ll stop here. This is my favorite Superman movie, and my favorite depiction of Superman.

Let me know what you think of it.

I came into this convention a bit rattled, and with lower expectations than usual. I wasn’t on a lot of programming, and I heard they misspelled my name in a few key places. Plus, with everything else going on in the world, my heart felt heavy before we even arrived.

With just a little bit of the con left tomorrow, I feel like I can sum up some of what I’ve felt the last few days.

I’ve spent a lot of time with people living in the same world as me, with their own problems and struggles, some of which are much greater than my own. We are all feeling the weight of the world right now, but we’re still coming together to celebrate each other and our shared love of fantasy and SciFi. Art, culture, stories, and a shared love for the strange. That’s what Baycon is about, more than anything else. That’s something to be celebrated.

While at the convention, I had the opportunity to interview many people for the Small Publishing in a Big Universe podcast. I’ve done many of these Live From X events before, but there was something special about the interviews this year. With Charlotte, I felt like she had an opportunity to really open up about something that was important to her, and I’m not sure she’s had a chance to talk with anyone about her craft in the way we talked. With Kim, we got into a spirited debate, and while we were very much on opposite sides of a hot topic, we were able to be respectful in our disagreement.

People I’ve enjoyed for years have sought me out. People I don’t know, but that have read my work, also sought me out and asked when the next book will be out. Coming to Baycon has been a continuous reuniting with friends, and constant stream of moments to meet new people that are becoming my friends.

For me, Baycon has been sharing meals, stories, laughter, and space with people I see infrequently. Last night, we hosted a party on the 14th floor, celebrating 10 years of Paper Angel/Water Dragon Publishing. I expected only a handful of people to show up, but we filled the room. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

It hasn’t been purely escapism. Though I didn’t seek out conversations about current events and politics, I found myself in several. As much as we may have shielded ourselves from the outside world, we couldn’t get away from our feelings about what is going on, and how things could have been better if we’d collectively made the better choice last November. A couple people voiced conspiracy theories about the election, but I did not entertain them. I know in my heart that it wasn’t a matter of cheating or discarding votes — the same claims Trump still makes about the 2020 election — but a matter of evil winning. But good will triumph again, and spending a weekend with good people reminded me of that.

I listened to someone today talk about losing his wife. They’d been married almost 40 years. She was his best friend, truly his other half, and the pain was still fresh and present with him. He needed to talk and, more importantly, he needed someone to listen. So I did. All of us are going through something, and the least we can do for each other is just stop for a moment and listen. A little while after the man and I finished our conversation, I stood next to Melissa and held her hand for a while.

This weekend, I felt blessed. I’m truly fortunate in so many ways. This weekend reminded me of what we have to live for, and that to keep what we love the most, we have to truly live.

It’s still early on a Friday. I’m sitting outside at the Santa Clara Marriott. Baycon is about to begin. As of today, The Repossessed Ghost, my first novel, has been out for 2 years.

The beginning of last year, we published One For the Road, which I wrote for Melissa in 2017. At Baycon 2024, one year ago, we published The Psychic on the Jury, a Mel Walker novelette finished early last year.

I have Scrivener open right now, near the end of another chapter of The Psychic Out of Time, and I’m having a hard time focusing on the story.

There’s too much going on in the world right now, and submerging into the story feels like escapism. It feels like privilege.

As I’m sitting outside in comfort, the first group of detainees are experiencing a new reality in America’s newest concentration camp in Florida. Last night, the Republicans in The House passed the big, terrible bill which increases ICE’s budget while at the same time decimating Medicaid.

It’s all happening in real time, and it’s happening fast. America is falling. Trump brags (lies) about the economy doing great, while the facts show that the GDP shrank half a percentage last quarter. The dollar is weak. Our global alliances are in shambles.

And people are smiling. They’re going to let off fireworks tonight, as if millions of Americans hadn’t just been given a death sentence last night.

People are going to work, keeping their heads down, doing their jobs, because most people in this country can’t afford to take a break . Their rent is too damn high, their school debt is crippling, and they are one bad accident from medical bills destroying what little they may have saved.

I’ve been extremely fortunate. I’m lucky enough that I can afford to stop, look around, and see where things are going. It makes it that much harder to bury my head in my book — my fiction — and ignore the suffering of others and the destruction of American ideals.

It’s time for me to head to the dealer’s room. I will put a smile on my face, talk to people about books and nerdy shit, and try to help them have a good time. I’m not sure how much writing I’m going to get done this weekend, though.

Wherever you are, whatever you’re up to, I hope you get the July 4th you need and deserve.