It didn't start with a blonde coming into an office. Honestly, I when I see that in a modern story that isn't a parody I want to smack the writer with the collected works of Sarah Paretskey. No, it started with a blog entry by Charlie Jane Anders - "I'm Sick of Noir." When I… Continue reading Weaponizing Nostalgia: Aesthetics without Context
Category: Writing
Post Balticon 2026
Balticon 2026 was packed to the gills with great people and panels!
Subject Tracking – 2026 Locations
Why, yes, this is the Samaritan view from Person of Interest. I still love the show even though one of the stars went off the rails. And based on Mr. Henderson's assessment, we share a lot: But, one thing we don't share is a convention calendar. Normally, I'd be trying to attend two local conventions:… Continue reading Subject Tracking – 2026 Locations
Noirvember Confessions
Late night. A Serbian Orthodox church in Maryland. November winds rattle the trees. In a shadowed corner, near the entrance to the common areas and the kitchen, a lone Orthodox priest speaks with a figure in a coal black suit.
A Pleasure to Burn
Where did October go? It was a quiet month on the blog, but my socials were busy. If you were on my Instagram, you'd have seen quite a frenzy in the middle of the month during NoirCity DC. But I'll talk about that more in the middle of the month as I dig into the… Continue reading A Pleasure to Burn
“You’ve got a car bomb.”
In which I natter on about trust, erotic thrillers, and Mark Leyner's "My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist."
Capclave 2025 – Thank you!
I want to thank the volunteers at Capclave 2025 for all their hard work this past weekend. Between a brutal week at work and a flight to Chicago this weekend, time is tight so I will sum up my thoughts in another post. I wanted to thank all the panelists and moderators I shared time… Continue reading Capclave 2025 – Thank you!
ReaderCon and Cozy Horrors
"But Beavis - everything does suck!" My thoughts on ReaderCon and writing horror after the Horror Project...
CyberNoir Philosophy: Election Day in Max Headroom
If there was ever an episode of Max Headroom which remained embedded in my brain through my life, it was this one. Originally titled “Election Day” and later “Grossberg’s Return” the big draw was Charles Rocket coming back as evil corporate Yuppie Ned Grossberg. He uses his guile and complete lack of ethics to usurp… Continue reading CyberNoir Philosophy: Election Day in Max Headroom
Goodnight, Balticon 59!
Another Balticon is in the books! This was an amazing con filled with great panels, lively discussions, surprising siren songs, very cool room parties, chances to catch up with people - And DATA PIRACY! Seriously, check out the amazing Data Pirate I ran into. I was on a shocking number of panels for a… Continue reading Goodnight, Balticon 59!
