Lucasfilm Announces Ron Howard as Director for Star Wars Han Solo Film

June 22, 2017 by Anton Strout in News

Lucasfilm has just announced that famed director Ron Howard will be taking the director's chair for the upcoming and as yet untitled Han Solo film in the Star Wars film franchise.

“At Lucasfilm, we believe the highest goal of each film is to delight, carrying forward the spirit of the saga that George Lucas began forty years ago,” says president of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy. “With that in mind, we’re thrilled to announce that Ron Howard will step in to direct the untitled Han Solo film. We have a wonderful script, an incredible cast and crew, and the absolute commitment to make a great movie. Filming will resume the 10th of July.”

This announcement comes after the film's former directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, left the movie mid-production. It had been reported that for months, the two directors, known for their work on The Lego Movie and others, struggled with creative differences between themselves and the production crew.

“Unfortunately, our vision and process weren’t aligned with our partners on this project. We normally aren’t fans of the phrase ‘creative differences’ but for once this cliché is true. We are really proud of the amazing and world-class work of our cast and crew,” Phil Lord and Christopher Miller said in their statement a couple days ago.

The Han Solo film should be in good hands, however, with Ron Howard at the helm. Howard has directed such blockbusters as Willow, A Beautiful Mind, The Da Vinci Code, as well as producing and narrating the series Arrested Development. It will be interesting, to say the least, to see what he has in store for the Star Wars franchise!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Interview with Author Michael Johnston about SOLERI from Tor Books, Writing, and More!

June 20, 2017 by Anton Strout in Books

Soleri, a new fantasy novel by Michael Johnston and published by Tor Books, features a kingdom torn apart by war, complex characters who are ambitious, ruthless, and rebellious, and mysteries upon mysteries. Every time the reader thinks he has an answer, he is drawn deeper into a multi-faceted and twisting version of the truth. The book traces its roots to Johnston's fascination with art history, ancient rites and mythology, and a bit of King Lear, yet is unique and original. Author Lev Grossman calls it, "bloody and utterly epic. A huge saga in a rich and deeply original world." Readers will truly be swept away into the Soleri Empire.

I had the opportunity to interview author Michael Johnston, to talk about the fascinating world he's created. Please welcome him to the blog!

Melanie R. Meadors: New York Time Bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima has commented that your new book Soleri is built around “an immersive world with elements of Egyptian and Roman history, myth, and religion.” Did you find it difficult to separate fact from fiction, meaning, did you ever find it hard to keep the world and story your own, rather than relying too heavily on history? How did you keep a good balance between history and fantasy?

Michael Johnston: Many of the ideas in Soleri sprouted from history. It was the seed. But such things are tender and easy to mold. I let history inspire me, but as soon as I start typing I completely let go of the history books. Remember, I don’t write historical fiction. This is a unique fantasy world that takes many of its cues from our own world but I’m not bound by the history I study. I read and research so I can produce an accurate world, one that resonates with the reader and feels real. But Soleri also has a bit of magic in it. I wanted the work to be infused with the inexplicable or some sense of the unknown. I love a strong sense of mystery, so I tried to make a world that was packed with mysteries, with secrets, and ancients of unknowable origin.

MRM: What are some books or authors that inspired you while growing up, and do these books still resonate with you today? Do you find that you write books that are similar to those you enjoy reading?

MJ: Dune was the first book I loved and re-read. And there is a lot of it in Soleri. They are both stories about family, about a father who is offered great power only to have it turned against him. For me, Dune feels like epic fantasy. There is a sense of magic, or at least the inexplicable, in the book (the spice), but its treated in a very realistic fashion. I tried a bit of that in Soleri. The magic is subtle, realistic, and always elusive.

MRM: What was something that really inspired you while your were writing Soleri, either something from your research, or some element of your story that perhaps gave you a “Eureka!” moment?

MJ: I’ve written about this in a couple different essays so I wont linger on the topic. My idea, the big one that really made Soleri unique, arrived in an art history lecture I attended as an undergraduate. The speaker was talking about Egypt and its history and they described a civilization that was so ancient that it could not conceive of its demise. Egypt had always existed and it always would exist. They were wrong ultimately, but they had a good run. Three thousand years in nothing to shrug at. The idea fascinated me. It stuck with me. The eternal civilization. In Soleri we meet that civilization, the one that has forgotten its origins, the one that is so old that its people can’t conceive of their own demise.

MRM: You used to be an architect. What made you switch over to writing, especially writing full time? Was it a scary decision for you? What has your family’s reaction to your career change been like?

MJ: Well, my wife is also and author so she was very encouraging and helped me throughout the process. It took a long time for me to transform myself from author to architect. For almost a decade I worked on novels (unpublished) while I was still an architect. It was a slow transition, and it times it was pretty painful. Switching careers is no small task and in retrospect it was a lot more work than I’d initially guessed.

MRM: What is the best writing advice you’ve ever been given?

MJ: Read and do it as often as possible and when you are not reading write as often as possible. Both are practice. Reading trains the ear and writing let’s us hone our craft.

On a completely separate note, I really believe in the “tip of the iceberg” theory of world building. We build vast worlds for our readers, but we only reveal knowledge selectively, as needed and where needed. The rest, even though we’ve labored hours to create it, is left to the imagination. They only glimpse at the depths we’ve created.

MRM: You use a lot of wonderful imagery in your work. “His intestines slithered out like a nest of snakes…” “…anger that congealed like sour milk in her stomach…” and even what would be mundane descriptions come to life in the reader’s imagination with the words you use. Things are very active in this book. Does this come naturally to you, or is it something you’ve honed with practice?

MJ: Writing is a skill a learned through practice, that I am still learning, and perhaps will always be learning. I wish the work came easily to me, but I work hard at it. I’m the guy who stays up until midnight on the keyboard.

MRM: What do you find to be the most difficult part of creating a story? What do you find to be the most rewarding?

MJ: The job is both the challenge and the reward. And depending on the quality of my work that day it can be either. It’s a joy to sit down write each day. I love it, but when the work isn’t coming together, when I know there is something wrong with the story but I can’t quite identify it, the work becomes a burden, a challenge, and possibly a source of outright frustration.

MRM: What do you do when you are not writing?

MJ: I am trained as an architect. And I still like to make things. I have a cnc mill and a 3d printer so I am always designing and digitally fabricating all sorts of interesting things. I read a lot and I love audio books. I never drive unless a book is playing on my car stereo. I also collect art and occasionally watch television. The Last Kingdom was amazing and I hope Netflix makes a third season.

MRM: Thanks again, congratulations on your new release, and best of luck to you!

Michael Johnston was born in Cleveland, Ohio and is a life-long avid reader of science fiction and fantasy. He studied architecture and ancient history at Lehigh University and earned a master’s degree in architecture from Columbia University. After working as an architect in New York City, he switched to writing full-time. He lives in Los Angeles, with his wife and daughter. Visit http://michaeljohnstonauthor.com/ or follow him on Twitter: @mjohnstonauthor

Are You Ready to Be a Weekend Warrior? Interview with Zan Campbell from Fell & Fair

June 14, 2017 by Anton Strout in Geeking Out

I first learned about Weekend Warrior on Facebook. People were suddenly talking about backing this thing where they could go live as medieval adventurers for a weekend. I knew I had to check it out to learn more. I caught up with Zan Campbell, the head of Fell and Fair who is arranging this awesome endeavor, and asked him all about it.

Hi there, welcome to the Once and Future Podcast Blog! Could you tell us a little about your campaign on Kickstarter for Weekend Warrior? What is this, exactly?

Zan Campbell: Our goal with Weekend Warrior is to create an immersive experience where you can go and loose yourself in a fantasy world for a few days. Leave the problems of daily life behind and take on the mantle of a medieval warrior and fight or feast to your heart's delight. We aim to achieve this by bringing together amazing craftsmen, medieval fighting experts and professional storytellers to put on an event that sets a new standard for entertainment. We launched the Kickstarter in order to pre-sell tickets to the first event, and provide the capital to make sure it was really excellent.

For those who aren’t familiar with this, is this the same thing as LARPing (Live Action Role Playing)?

ZC: It is somewhat different from LARP, especially as it is practiced in America. We are going to be treating the costuming and set design like a film in order to build the most believable fantasy world possible. There are also not as many extensive rules of play as often exist in American LARPs. It is closer to a real-life open world video game. You have whatever gear, skills and knowledge that you can bring to the fight and are not limited to any sort of level progression and you will be able to choose your own level of immersion without compromising anyone else's. While we fully support LARP in the US, our aim is to foster a level of quality that it creates a whole new genre.

I see you have a map on the Kickstarter page of The World of Adrasil, the fantasy world where the adventure will take place. What sort of research did you do to learn about the venue and how hard was it to find a place that worked?

ZC: Another cool aspect of Weekend Warrior is that it falls within an existing cinematic universe. So we already have an idea of the sort of terrain we were looking for. We wanted forested hills and streams along with, stone and wood structures. So we searched all over the East Coast to find a place that would give us the space to "get lost" in the world, while still allowing access to local airports, lodging and utilities. We settled on Mountain Run Winery in rural Culpeper, VA as the perfect location for out first event.

Mountain Run Winery

If someone has never done anything like this before, is Weekend Warrior something to try? Is this something only “geeks” can get into, or would anyone have fun?

ZC: Our goal is to make this an event that everyone, from the girl who has seen Game of Thrones and wants to use a sword, to the experienced LARPer or HEMA swordsman can enjoy. The rules are simple and no matter your skill level, there are ways for you to impact the game and enjoy yourself too.

Zan, you used to be a naval officer, but you’ve always been interested in medieval weaponry. Can you tell us a bit about what inspired you to start Fell and Fair, the force behind Weekend Warrior?

ZC: From my early days going to archery camp to the seven years I spent in uniform, I have loved adventure, chivalry, weapons and warfare. I especially loved the art of depicting those things, through painting, storytelling, film-making and actually crafting the arms and armor. Through Instagram I began meeting more people who loved the same things. Soon we had a community, but we wanted to expand. So this is our next step, share our skills, knowledge and love of fantasy adventure with the culture at-large in one epic event.

Tell us a little about the movie/cinematic aspect of Weekend Warrior. What is the hope for this?

ZC: First, Weekend Warrior is based on a cinematic universe developed by The Forge Studios. We at Fell & Fair had the chance to jump in to that universe with our miniseries The Rangers: Sons of Throi which will be released in the coming weeks. So attendees will have the chance to get to know the world before they enter it. Second, we are having a hidden film crew actually record the whole event! So after attending, participants will (within a few months) be able to show all their friends a film they actually took part in, and perhaps even change the course of the story!

What’s the best way folks can support this endeavor, and where can people find out more info?

ZC: No matter if you plan on attending or if you just want to support us, you can get to our Kickstarter by going to: www.WeekendWarrior.World There you can find all the details on the event as well as sign up and support us. You can also follow Fell & Fair on Instagram and Facebook to see updates and learn more about what we do on a regular basis.

Thanks so much for answering my questions, Zan, and best of luck to you and the entire Weekend Warrior Team!

Got Writer's Block? No, You Don't

June 06, 2017 by Anton Strout in Unf*ck Your Manuscript!

I hate authors who use the term THE MUSE. Despise. Them.

Maybe it’s my soon to be twenty years working at one of the Big Five. Maybe it’s having written four books in the Simon Canderous paranormal detective series or the three in the gargoyle-tastic Spellmason Chronicles.

What I really think is that perhaps working and writing at the intersection where Business meets Art might have made me jaded, but it has left me with one thing that rings true for myself as a writer: I haven’t got time to wait for THE MUSE to show the hell up.

I really don’t. When I'm mid-series, I am usually contractually obligated to turn in one book per year. Frankly, I have not the time to allow this mystical inspirational force to visit me. Deadlines be calling!

When I mention my publication schedule to fledgling writers at conventions AND that I’m doing it around a day job (and also now with four year old twins), one of their most asked questions is always about writer’s block. Aren’t I worried about getting stuck?

Well… no. Thing is, I don’t believein writer’s block. I don’t have time to believe in it.

I do believe people sit down to write and then don’t, calling it writer’s block. To me, that’s just ridiculous.

Why?

Because no matter what I’m doing in a manuscript, if I get stuck, there is always something else waiting to be done in the book. You can always be productive.

When someone says they have writer’s block, that to me is your brain simply saying it just doesn’t feel like it wants to write. To this I say: nonsense. I tend to think of the brain like any other muscle. If you don’t train it and exercise it, it won’t work for you. You need to whip that wrinkled grey ball into shape!

As writers, there’s a lot of ways to either train your brain or simply help yourself get out of your own way. You need to push through your writing blocks… you know them, the ones I don’t believe in…?

Ass in Chair. Ever sit down to write but find yourself checking twitter, Facebook, e-mail, watching an ALF marathon…anything but writing? I thought so. First thing you need to do is get your brain to commit to the idea that no matter what you will be sitting in that writing chair for at least X amount of time. If you don’t write at first, that’s fine, but don’t give in to your brain’s distractions. You need to give it a chance to get that Pavlovian setting of ass in chair to begin telling your brain just who is boss around here. Eventually, it will get on board.

Who Are You? Start paying attention to what does and doesn’t working when you do find yourself writing. Do you work better in a public space where you feel accountable for your time in front of others? Do you need silence with zero distractions? Does music help? Do certain tracks help more than others? (I write fight scenes to "Trip Like I Do" by the Crystal Method because it pumps me up and puts me in the zone). Pay attention to these triggers that make writing more conducive for you and jot them down. You’re trying to create the best environment for you to create in. Work the system, people.

My Precious. Not writing because you haven’t found the exact right word or constructed your paragraph to perfection is no excuse for not writing. Don’t be so precious, Hemingway. It is a first draft. You can worry about the polish of it all later for the fourth or fifth one… your words needs to exist on the page before you can mold them closer to exactly what you want. I can fix things that exist, I can’t fix blank.

I’m stuck. I hear you, but I’m going to call shenanigans. If you don’t know what scene comes next, jump somewhere else in your outline and write a different and unconnected scene you have an idea for. There’s no rule you have to be linear when you’re trying to form a book. Sometimes I choose to write a suite of scenes. For instance, I know I have several run-ins with cops in my series. I write all of those scenes back to back so the characters stay fresh with me. Later I place then where they should go all over the book. Also, if you feel like you can’t finish a scene? Then don’t. Some will say to try and push through, than genius comes from panic or something, but I say move along. Go read a finished part of the book out loud instead. You’ll catch a lot of what to fix just by hearing it. Maybe there’s just one cool image in your head for something much further along in the book. Grab that image and start with it. Or ignore writing the narration in a scene and just write all the dialogue instead. Or skip to the end and write that. Jumping around to all these various tasks, you’ll find yourself slowly weaving the bits and pieces together, and chances are what you do get down on the page will help flavor the parts you were stuck on when you come back to them.

At the heart of it, there’s always something you can be doing in your book. The tasks are many, but don’t get stuck on as foolish an idea as writer’s block. Go with the parts that excite you the most, jump around, have fun, and teach your brain who is boss.

And if you see THE MUSE, give her a swift kick from me, won’t you?

Find this helpful? Check out the rest of The Once and Future Podcast's Unf*ck Your Manuscript series!

When not plotting against his mortal enemy Patrick Rothfuss, Anton Strout is the author of the Simon Canderous urban fantasy series for Ace Books including Dead To Me, Deader Still, Dead Matter, and Dead Waters, and the author of the Spellmason Chronicles, including Alchemystic, Stonecast, and Incarnate.

He is the host and curator of content of The Once & Future Podcast, a weekly show that focuses on discussions with other working writers.

Anton currently lives outside New York City in the haunted corn maze that is New Jersey (where nothing paranormal ever really happens, he assures you). In his scant spare time, he is an always writer, sometimes actor, sometimes musician, occasional RPGer, and the world’s most casual and controller-smashing video gamer. He also works in the exciting world of publishing, and yes, it is as glamorous as it sounds.

He can be found lurking the darkened hallways of www.antonstrout.com.

How Reading Outside Your Comfort Zone Can Help Your Writing

June 01, 2017 by Anton Strout in Unf*ck Your Manuscript!

We've all heard that you need to be well read in the genre in which you write. It helps to know the traditions and tropes, the things that have been overdone and the things you want to see more of. But what about reading outside your genre?

I mean, let's face it. No one has time to read everything they want to anymore. I know when I think about all the new books coming out, JUST in my genre of fantasy, it kind of freaks me out. And now I'm telling you that you need to read outside your genre, too?

Well, yeah, kind of. I mean, any advice I give always comes with that grain of "what works for me might not work for you," but hear me out.

If you listened to The Once and Future Podcast this week, you heard host Anton Strout and guest Martha Wells talking about this a bit. Yes, it's important to read your genre and be familiar with it. But if you ONLY read in your genre, what happens? I mean, if I only read epic fantasy, I'd see magic, and elves, and long journeys. Sacred items, battles, dragons. I love all that stuff, so what's the problem?

The problem is, if you don't expand your horizons, you get stuck in the same world. You end up writing the same thing as everyone else, because you don't even know there are other things out there. You're mind may be open to possibilities, but if it can't fathom what those possibilities are, then it doesn't accomplish much. And yes, you can totally solve part of this problem by going out and experiencing a lot of things first hand, but not everyone has an adventuring budget that can support this.

One of the awesome things about science fiction and fantasy is that they are the best of all worlds. In order for something to be science fiction, the story has to center around some aspect of science. If you take that science element away, the story falls apart. Fantasy is a bit looser as far as definition goes, but basically involved something that...well, isn't quite real, beyond just a situation. Different races of people, a made up world, some magic. And the storyline of good fantasy should weave into this speculative element so that the two are inseparable. But beyond the basic definitions, the plots of speculative fiction often dip toes into other genres as well, most notably mystery and romance.

Think about it. Juliet Marillier's "Blackthorn and Grim" novels are fantasy. They take place in an alternate Ireland, long ago, and have magic, fey, and other things. Because it's a fantasy series, there is time in the beginning getting the world established and introducing the two main characters. But at its core? The series is a duo solving mysteries. The same is true for the Simon Canderous series by O&FP's host Anton Strout. Simon is a paranormal detective solving mysteries in Manhattan. The difference between these books and the books shelved in the mystery section? They have monsters and other paranormal things in them. The same is true for countless science fiction novels, as well. Robert Sawyer's Red Planet Blues is a prime example, as are Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey, and Pattern Recognition by William Gibson.

On the romance end of the spectrum, what could be more basic? Two people meet and fall in love while having adventures. There's a huge range of how much of the romance you include in the story. Some series, like Elizabeth Vaughan's Chronicles of Warlands books, focus on the romance front and center, and while the characters definitely have problems to solve, some of which are no less than saving the world, they also have problems of the heart that play a very prominent role in the story. Usually a romance would have a happy ending, at least as far as the love story goes. Mercedes Lackey, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Melanie Rawn have stronger romances in their books, but Tad Williams, Terry Brooks, and Brad Beaulieu also have romantic subplots in their books as well. Robert Heinlein, Joe Haldeman, Simon Morden, and Christopher Wooding all are examples of authors who have romantic subplots in the science fiction. There are countless others.

By reading other types of novels, novels outside the genre in which you write, you can learn how to use the elements of your subplots in better ways. You can learn different ways of seeding in clues, or misleading readers, or rewarding readers with a bittersweet ending. You can learn more about relationships between characters, and how to pace things so a romance can have the best impact.

Reading literary novels can help you become culturally literate so you know how to best utilize events and turns of phrases, and you'll know what's come before, which books have become a part of our core dialogue as a society. Maybe you can find some clues as far as what makes a really good book that sticks with people over generations. You can find some themes to turn on their heads to create something new. Or you can run with a new take on an old trope.

It's not just reading different types of fiction that can help you with your books, either. Nonfiction can provide you with huge piles of raw material for your imagination to work with. Reading history can help you with world building. How did people really behave in the past? How did certain events come together to make a huge event happen? Is it really possible for one man to shape history? How long does societal change take? Reading science, of course, can help you with your science fiction, but I've actually found that my science background is even more helpful with my fantasy. How would certain species of creatures behave and develop? How would the geology of the world affect my characters? How can I portray the climate of my fantasy world in a believable way? How can I make my magic believable?

Reading outside our comfort zones isn't just utilitarian, however. It can be a lot of fun as well. It can inspire ideas you never would have come up with otherwise. You know that "We want the same, but different," thing that agents and editors always seem to say? Reading outside your genre is a great way to develop that edge of seeing the world in a different way than your colleagues.

So the next time you're in the book store, skip the SF&F section and boldly go to a section you've never gone to before. It will be worth your while!

Want to learn more ways to Unf*ck Your Manuscript? Check out our other writing articles!

Take the Highway: Trusting Your Own Method of Writing

May 30, 2017 by Anton Strout in Unf*ck Your Manuscript!

If you go to writers' conventions or even read blog posts like this one online, chances are you've read an article by a true guru on writing. Someone who has all the answers, someone who has this writing thing down to a SCIENCE. They can tell you exactly how they got from point a to point b, how they created characters that jumped off the page, and designed plots so well constructed they were leak-proof.

I'm sure you've also heard people say, "You aren't a real writer unless you write a thousand words a day." "Real writers have to plot." "True creatives never plot, because that stifles them." "Never edit when you are writing your first draft!" "Your first draft has to suck! That's its job!" "You should plot carefully so you have a clean first draft."

There are methods out there, ranging from the Snowflake Method to the Marshall Plan to the Hero's Journey, to Save the Cat.

Holy crap. I don't know about you, but I've had some points in my writing career where I've been overwhelmed with the choices out there. Everyone and his brother seems to have a method that is guaranteed to work, and they all seem different. And then there are people who write five thousand words a day, and then those who only write on weekends, those who say you have to write every day or you're not a writer, and then some who say you have to have your own room dedicated to writing or you will fail, and some who say you need to write in front of the TV...

What the right way? Which rules should you follow? How can you decide between things, how can you possibly know what's RIGHT? It's paralyzing! Especially when half your friends on social media are sharing this one article that advocates--nay, INSISTS--that you do the complete opposite of what you have been doing. What if that doesn't work for you? Does that mean you're a failure??

OK, settle down. Settle down, and listen to these words:

It's all bullshit.

All of it. Every word. ESPECIALLY if the person giving advice says anything that resembles, "the only way," or "if you don't do this, you won't be considered professional," or "you'll never succeed," "you'll always be second rate," etc.

Bull. Shit.

You know what? When people say there is only one right way to write a book, they aren't wrong. There IS only one truly right way. Want to know what it is? Here, I'm going to tell you. It's free, because I'm a giver like that.

The only right way to write a book is the way that works for you.

You're welcome.

Seriously.

If I've heard, "You have to plot or else you won't be able to be a professional author" once, I've heard it a thousand times. But are you going to tell me Stephen King or Joe Hill aren't real writers? neither of them plot. Joe Hill told me, point blank and straight-faced, "Plotting is the devil."

How about, "You have to write every day in order to be legit?" I don't know about you, but I consider Nora Roberts a legit author, and she used to only write at certain times of the year.

When someone says, "THIS IS THE ONLY THING THAT WORKS!" what they are really saying is, "This is the only thing that works FOR ME." Yay, it works for you. Gold star! That's the hard part, figuring out what works for you. And then you move on and write books. But what works for me isn't going to work for you wholesale. It just isn't, for a million reasons. Maybe you don't have a day job and I do. Maybe you don't have kids and I do. Maybe you don't have ADHD, and I do.

YOU know your situation. You, believe it or not, know what's best for you. You might be in denial about some of it, but you really do know what is best, what works in your personal situation. And maybe it changes every couple years. So what? The only thing that matters is that you are writing. That you are making forward progress. That you are finishing projects and submitting them.

Sometimes it takes some experimentation to find out what works, and that's fine. If you honestly don't know if you are a plotter or pantser, try what seems right. If it works, stick with that. I know some people (*cough* not that I would EVER be guilty of this myself...) who, ever time they come across something new, have to try it, even when they have a perfectly good system in place, have to uproot everything to try it whole hog. They try this, and then something else....and then something else...just for the heck of it. Just to chase after the ever elusive perfect system. And guess what? They are so busy chasing after this golden system that they never finish a book!

If there is no one RIGHT way to write a book, there sure as heck is a wrong way, and that is to not write it at all. And going from method to method, trying advice after advice, searching for the perfect key that will make writing easy and give you overnight success is one surefire way to procrastinate enough to never get a real word of prose on the page. Some people write 250 words a day. Some write a thousand on the weekend for the week. Some write 5000 words a day. You aren't any of those people. You are you, and you have an entirely different set of parameters to work with. Concentrate on those, and get that novel written in the way you need to. Some people can write a book in one draft, others ten, and they are both right.

Writing is work. Yes, there are a lot of enjoyable and rewarding parts to it, but in the end it's a lot of work and time. There are no short cuts to a good book. But there are lots of short cuts to no book at all.

If you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to others, shut off social media for a couple weeks. Seriously. At the very least, post your stuff but don't read others'. Focus on your book, your work, and what works for you. If you are completely stuck? Try to relearn what works for you by just writing, brainstorming, and playing with your story. Let go of what you THINK is right, and just do what comes naturally.

Writing isn't a "my way or the highway" situation. There are as many different ways to get the damned book done as there are writers. Don't let someone else's opinion deter you from writing the best book you can, in the best way you know how. The ONLY way you can fail is to give up, to never write the book that is inside you.

No matter if you are fast or slow, full time or part time, pantser or plotter, longhand or computer, there is only ONE thing that makes you a writer.

You write.

Action: Making Your Manuscript MOVE!

May 25, 2017 by Anton Strout in Unf*ck Your Manuscript!

We've all been there. You sit down and write a pivotal scene for your book, only to go back to read it and find....blathering characters. Flat scenes. Descriptions that are like a shopping list. Sex scenes that read like an IKEA instruction manual.

The good news is that this is a fixable problem!

See, the thing a lot of authors forget when they write their first draft is that action scenes require ACTION. Not only that, but even scenes we don't necessarily consider "fight scenes" need action as well. Otherwise, things fall flat.

Your book isn't a manual. You're not telling how something is done, you're supposed to be entertaining people.

"Martha licked the spoon. Then she gave it to Dave. Dave looked at her and put it in the dishwasher."

I've read lab reports that were more interesting. Action is more than just describing movement. You have to make the reader experience the action, the story, through your characters' experiences. In this way, even the most mundane situation can sweep your readers away. Take the previous "loading the dishwasher" scenario.

"Martha ran her tongue down the length of the spoon, scooping every last bit of the decadent cake batter onto her tongue. When she handed it back to Dave, she delighted in the way he eyed her. She knew he hungered for more than cake. When he bent over and dropped the spoon into the dishwasher, she admired his fine, tight derriere. If only he could do the dishes every night."

Depending on what this scene is supposed to accomplish, this might be over the top, or it could go even further. But which would you rather read, if you picked up a book to escape for an evening?

When you write a scene, convey as much as you can through action. Focus on action in details to make things come alive, no matter what kind of scene you are writing. Think about how action can help you show your setting or your characters better. Instead of "the food was hot," try, "Tendrils of steam rose into the air..." This is also part of the adage, "show don't tell." Showing very often--if not always--requires some sort of action.

Great action is not just about using verbs (action words) in your scenes. It's about using the RIGHT verbs. SMASH instead of hit. CARESS instead of touch. SCREAMED instead of spoke, COLLAPSED instead of fell down. THRUST instead of...well, you get the idea. Make your verbs do the heavy lifting. Save yourself some adverbs and adjectives by using powerful verbs. This will tighten your manuscript because you can say more with fewer words. And it will make your story more visual, so your readers can escape into it more easily.

Another way to get action across to readers is to consider the pacing of your sentences. Short punchy sentences convey a different feeling than long flowery prose. Mixing sentences up in a certain way can make a scene either heart-pounding or emotionally moving. Short sentences move quickly, and give the reader an adrenaline rush. Longer sentence move more slowly, and force the reader to pay closer attention to details. Combining different types of sentences accomplish different effects. Play around and see for yourself.

An important thing to remember about action is that it often engages all five senses. So often, beginning writers focus on the sense of sight. But showing the reader sound and scent can put them more fully into the scene and hook them. Medieval battles, for example, are noisy, chaotic. They SMELL. There is so much going on that soldiers become overwhelmed. Metal clanging on metal. The sounds of swords hitting flesh. Moaning and screaming. Horses shrieking. The smell of blood and human and horse waste fills the air. All of these details can be conveyed not just with description, but with strong verbs to convey action. Sounds cut. Smells permeate. Tastes nauseate or comfort. And remember--every one of your characters will react to these things differently, and that is a way you can show character through action.

Action can convey character in many ways. Think of how your character moves in relation to others. Does he limp? Swagger? Stumble? Skip? Any of these can convey a lot about your character. Does he have a tic? How does he perceive the actions of other characters? All of these things can strengthen the point of view of your character, and keep the people in your story unique.

How does action convey the setting of your story? Think about how you would move in a crowded room versus in a wide open gymnasium. In a bar fight, there is a lot of stuff to consider. The characters can't just do whatever they want. There are parameters. Furniture, other people, glass. When a person has to duck to enter a room, that tells us something about the doorway, and saves us from spending words describing it in a boring way. If your character slips on the floor, if they crash into tables no matter how careful they are, it shows the events in the story, versus the author just telling the reader things.

A word of warning, however: Like with anything, you can overdo action. Too much can numb your reader and lose effect. No one wants that. What's the best way to learn how to use action effectively? Read! A lot of writers will say that you can't be a writer unless you are first a reader, and it is true. By reading your favorite books, you can see why they are your favorite. Dissect an action scene you thought was really awesome, and discover what tools the author used to accomplish this.

So what are some of your favorite action scenes in fiction? What authors do you think do a really good job? Comment below!

Game of Thrones: The Great War (and Season 7 Trailer) Is Here!

May 24, 2017 by Anton Strout in News

I've been anxiously awaiting a glimpse of the new season of HBO's Game of Thrones, and it is finally here! This could well be the season fans have been waiting for. So many truths and futures were hinted at last season. Will we find answers? Well, obviously the trailer reveals nothing of that, but it's so exciting to know that Daenerys is coming to Westeros, and that Cersei basically has nothing left to lose, yet as one of the last Lannisters "that matter," she has everything to lose. In the trailer we can see Petyr Baelish plotting--will Sansa fall for his wily ways?

Will we find out if Bran's going to be a dragon rider this season? Will we find out once and for all who Jon Snow's parents were? And is Hodor REALLY dead?

Well, I guess we'll have to wait until July 16 to find out!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

'The Dark Crystal' Prequel Series is Greenlit at Netflix!

May 18, 2017 by Anton Strout in News

Growing up, Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal played a huge role in the development of my imagination. I've seen the movie countless times, and it's regularly quoted around my house. Brian Froud's concept art still influences the way I see fantasy. Every now and then there would be talk about some new series or movie related to The Dark Crystal story, but to date, nothing has come of it.

Until now.

Netflix has announced today that they are producing a prequel series to The Dark Crystal film, produced by the Jim Henson Company, with Lisa Henson, Jim Henson's daughter, as one of the executive producers. Here is a teaser:

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will be an all-new adventure set in the world of Thra, focusing on three Gelfing who discover a terrible secret behind the Skeksis power. They decide to go on an epic journey to begin a resistance against the Skeksis and to save the world. There are ten episodes planned for the series so far.

As with all things that stem from childhood loves, news of this series is being received with cautious optimism. It's very exciting to have such a wonderful world being brought to film again--let's hope they do it right!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

O&F Podcast Guest Christopher Golden Co-Writes New 'Hellboy' Reboot!

May 10, 2017 by Anton Strout in News

Congratulations are in order for Once and Future Podcast guest Christopher Golden! He is co-writing the new Hellboy reboot, along with the comic book creator Mike Mignola and Andrew Cosby.

The working title of the movie is Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen, and while details are being kept secret for now, the creators are saying that the new film will take on more of a horror movie flavor than its predecessors. Co-writer Andrew Cosby stated:

Christopher Golden is the author of recent novel ARARAT.

“I can’t really talk about specifics with regard to the story, which they’re keeping a pretty tight lid on at the moment. But I can say that this is a darker, more gruesome version of Hellboy. Neil said from the very beginning that he wanted to walk a razor’s edge between horror and comic book movie, which was music to my ears, because that’s what I was shooting for in the script, and precisely what Mignola does so well with the comics.”

The reboot will be made without Ron Perlman or Guillermo del Toro, and there is no release date for the new film yet. Rumor has it that Stranger Things star David Harbour is in talks to play the big red lead character, but nothing is set in stone yet. Never fear, however--as soon as new details are available, we will share them here!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Game Review: Dungeons and Dragons Rock Paper Wizard!

May 09, 2017 by Anton Strout in Gaming, Reviews

I picked up Rock Paper Wizard from the local gaming/comics store on Free Comic Book Day (the day when every year, I end up buying more games than comics). It was the last copy left in the store, the clerk had just said, "This game is supposed to be a lot of fun, but every time I go to buy it, someone grabs the last copy."

Well, he shouldn't have told me it was fun, then!

The concept of Rock Paper Wizard is fairly simple. Three to six players are wizards who have just cooperated to defeat a dragon. Now it's time to get the gold! The dragon's lair, however, is still coursing with ancient and wild magic, and the wizards all find themselves in the clutches of vicious greed. So, they start cursing each other in their attempts to get the most gold.

The set up was straight forward, and it took about five to ten minutes to learn how to play. The game is, as the name suggests, a version of the classic Rock Paper Scissors, but a bit more complex, because there is a deck of cards with different hand symbols that are, in fact different spells to cast on your opponents. There are three categories of spells, and each spell does something different. Some take gold from an opponent, some move them around the game board, either closer or further from the treasure. The game is suggested for players ages 14+, but I think players younger can definitely play with some guidance.

The instruction booklet is very clear with lots of illustrations and diagrams to help. Resolving the spells, that is, making sure the effects of the spells happen in the right order to the right players can be a little tricky (which I think is the reason for it being for 14+--younger players can definitely do it, but I think at least one older person is necessary to help with the logistics), but once you get the hang of it, things move along pretty easily. During my test run there were a couple magical entanglements, but nothing that couldn't be figured out. Something that might be helpful is having a pad of paper nearby to take a few notes in order to keep things straight.

I found the game to be fun and funny. Players can definitely get into character and be a bit dramatic with their spell casting. As I said, the mechanics are easy to master, and the game is fairly short, around 20-30 minutes to play on average. The artwork is great, the pieces are made of sturdy cardboard, and the gameplay is very engaging. I think it's safe to say that WizKids has a winner here for great gaming with family and friends!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Final Trailer for Wonder Woman is Here, and It's Amazing

May 08, 2017 by Anton Strout in News

If you tuned in to the MTV Movie Awards, the debut of this trailer just might have left you breathless.

This trailer gives us a better look at the movie, including the villain and some backstory, as well as some great Imagine Dragons music. I don't know about you, but I think it's about time Wonder Woman got her own feature, and I'm happy to say that if this trailer is any indication, it looks like it does the character justice!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Blade Runner 2049: Epic New Trailer Drops Today!

May 08, 2017 by Anton Strout in News

Hey Blade Runner fans, today is your day! If you've been eagerly awaiting new footage of the upcoming sequel to the original film, wait not more, here it is:

Gritty and dark, this film takes place thirty years after the events of the first film. A new blade runner, played by Ryan Gosling, uncovers a secret that could throw what's left of society into chaos and confusion, so he seeks out none other than Rick Deckard, who has been missing for the last thirty years, to find some answers.

Blade Runner is coming to theaters on October 6th!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Revenge of the Fifth: Let the Wookiee Win With Chewbacca 101!

May 05, 2017 by Anton Strout in Geeking Out

Did you have a good Star Wars Day? Was the Fourth with you? Well, it's not over yet! Today is....Revenge of the Fifth! And who's always there to help save the day when those pesky (though sometimes, awesome) wielders of the Dark Side are around?

Chewbacca, of course!

Star Wars audiobooks narrator Marc Thompson has a treat for you to help celebrate Star Wars. He's going to help you work on your wookiee voice so you can trick Imperial storm troopers, scare annoying mouse droids, and prank your friends! Watch this video for some amazing tips!

Thanks, Marc Thompson! May the Force be with you, as well!

And to all the rest of you, why not check out some of the awesome Star Wars books from Penguin Random House? Marc's narrated the new book Thrawn (if you've seen this season of Star Wars: Rebels, I'm sure your interest is piqued about that character...), as well as the Aftermath trilogy by past podcast guest Chuck Wendig, and more!

Now, who wants to give me a big wookiee hug?

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

First Look at Marvel's 'Defenders' on Netflix!

May 03, 2017 by Anton Strout in News

Today is indeed a day for trailers made of awesome! The official trailer for Netflix's Defenders series, featuring Marvel heroes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, and a new villain played by Sigourney Weaver, released today to much acclaim!

Netflix has been rocking it for the most part with their adaptation of Marvel comics. Will they bring it all together with this new show, which has been called the Breakfast Club of superheroes? Find out soon, on Netflix!

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

'I Kill With My Heart': Official THE DARK TOWER Trailer is Here!

May 03, 2017 by Anton Strout in News

Holy cow, Idris Elba OWNS character Roland Deschain.

That was my first thought upon seeing the trailer for The Dark Tower, based on the western/fantasy by Stephen King, for the first time this morning.

This trailer does everything a trailer should. It shows us action and adventure, a tone for the film. and it immediately grabs our attention with emotion and tension. Elba's voice alone sells the film.

Some of the lines in the trailer, like "...I kill with my heart" could easily fall flat and sound cliche coming from anyone with less than stellar acting talent, but Elba manages to pull it off. McConaughey is a very convincing villain here, no matter what your thoughts are of him otherwise (I mean, I'll be honest, he's not my favorite actor, but damn, he definitely brings a presence to the trailer). The music and effects seem to be spot on, and the cinematography seems to match the story very well. We can even see a hint of humor in the trailer, so hopefully they manage to capture the great balance of Stephen King's work.

So what do you guys think? Are you ready?

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Image: HarperCollins

Review: 'Monstrous' by MarcyKate Connolly is Middle Grade Magic

April 28, 2017 by Anton Strout in Books, Reviews

I have to admit, one of the first things that attracted me to Monstrous, an upper middle grade novel by MarcyKate Connolly, was the cover art. It's a fantastic mixture of the dark and whimsical, and after reading the book, it's a perfect match for the tone of the story.

Monstrous, I think, would be a great story for a more mature middle grade reader. It's a fantasy tale of friendship, trust, betrayal, and redemption. It teaches lessons about not taking situations or people at face value, about asking important questions, and repenting for wrong doings. The main character is relatable, if very naive at times, and the concept is fresh and not something that's been rehashed a million times. For folks looking for a strong female character, I think this book could be a good choice. Kymera has a good heart, and while it takes her some time to figure out what the reader could probably deduce much sooner than she, I think it's a merit to her that she tries to stand by the ones she loves until she has evidence that she should do the contrary. She is the rescuer time and again, and when she makes a mistake, she owns it and tries to fix it. She's not afraid to take a risk, and she is faithful almost to a fault.

Monstrous is a tale of mad science, fantasy adventure, and sacrifice that packs an emotional punch. Kids who can handle the Harry Potter series should be ready for this story.

About Monstrous:

Reminiscent of Frankenstein and tales by the Brothers Grimm, this fantasy novel, hailed by award-winning author Anne Ursu as "a marvel of storytelling alchemy" stands out as a compelling, original story that has the feel of a classic.

The city of Bryre suffers under the magic of an evil wizard. Because of his curse, girls sicken and disappear without a trace and all live in fear. No one is allowed outside after dark.

Night is when Kymera comes to the city, with a cloak disguising her wings, the bolts in her neck, and her spiky tail. Her mission is to rescue the girls of Bryre. Despite Kym’s caution to go secretively, a boy named Ren sees and befriends her…but what he knows will change her world forever.

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Credit: César Hernández/CSIC

Caterpillars That Clean Up Plastic! Is It a Viable Solution to Plastic Bag Waste?

April 26, 2017 by Anton Strout in For Science!

Sorry, guys, I'm going to get a little squirmy here.

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know that there is a huge problem with plastic bags in the world. I mean, just drive down the highway, and you can see shopping sacks hanging from trees, blowing like wind socks. They are all over the sides of the streets and they fill up garbage dumps. They suffocate wildlife, get eaten by sea life, and, let's face it, are a nightmare for the planet.

In my own city, the recycling company won't accept them in the weekly recycling bin. In order for me to recycle them, I have to bring them back to the store to put in their special bin. I go through this effort, but I know not everyone does. And sure, we can use the bags to line the bathroom trash can, but that's one bag. I know that if I don't bring my reusable bags for a shopping trip, I easily get around 7 or 8 bags for a weekly grocery trip. Plus all the bags for produce.

Federica Bertocchini didn't mean to make a discovery when she put a bunch of waxworms into a bag. The developmental biologist from the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria in Spain was just trying to get them out of her empty beehives, which were infested with them. Waxworms, the larvae of the greater wax moth, thrive on beeswax; hence their name. But when she was done evicting the caterpillars from the hives, Bertocchini turned to find that the caterpillars had quickly eaten holes right through the plastic bag she had put them in.

Upon further research and observation, researchers found that the caterpillars actually converted the polyethylene bags into ethylene glycol, which can then be made into useful stuff like antifreeze for your car, and polyester fiber, and more.

Recycling plastic bags at a plant is one option, but recycling often produces its own pollution and waste that is as bad for the environment as the original thing. Using caterpillars to do some of the job might be a greener solution, and can help deal with the waste of 80 tons of polyethylene that's produced per year. However, is this a surefire solution?

Well, no. Immediately, what caught my attention is that these caterpillars LOVE beeswax. What happens so often when we introduce a species to do a job? Well...look at all the yellow, highly invasive flowers all over the highways down south in the US--those are invasive soy plants. Look at the rabbits in Australia, and kudzu in the US, and many other species that don't belong in a certain place, but have become invasive and start to choke the life out of native species. If we introduce these caterpillars, even in what we think is a closed system, in the numbers necessary to make a dent in plastic waste, I think there is a real concern that beekeepers might be faced with even more challenges than they already are with pesticides and climate changes. Now there will be a caterpillar that will invade their hives and eat beeswax in even greater numbers than they already do. Recycling plants might do their best to keep the caterpillars (and the moths they grow into) contained, but nature always finds a way, and some are sure to escape and reproduce. There may well be a solution to this, and perhaps the caterpillars now only go after empty hives to avoid the bees, but in great numbers, dynamics of a system change. There's no way we can accurately predict exactly what the impact of introducing caterpillars to an environment will be. But we can make educated guesses. And history has hopefully taught us some lessons so scientists and others can go into this with their eyes open, knowing some of the implications.

For now though, let's look at the positive side of things. Having a natural way to get rid of plastic bags is a huge step. Now, we just have to eliminate the usage of these bags in lieu of reusable or quickly compostable bags in order to keep wildlife and our planet happy.

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. She has edited two upcoming genre anthologies, MECH: Age of Steel and HATH NO FURY, and is the science and pop culture blogger at The Once and Future Podcast. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

March For Science! The View from Worcester, MA

April 24, 2017 by Anton Strout in For Science!

This past Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people marched the streets of Washington DC and their local cities in order to show their support for science.

But Why? you might ask, with good reason. Why on earth do we need to march for science? Isn't science, like...facts? Shouldn't everyone just support science? How can they argue with it?

Well, the truth is, I might have wondered that myself, had I not had about a million arguments about things like the existence of dinosaurs, global climate change, spherical Earth, and other things over the past few years. Did you know there are people out there who really believe that dinosaurs never existed? And they think the Earth is only thousands of years old. There are people out there who think that human impact had nothing to do with the rate at which the climate of the Earth is changing. There are people out there who think they can cut down the world's trees and there will be no repercussions. They think they can just use carbon-based fuels indefinitely, and there won't be a problem.

This is why we have to stand up for science. The question has been asked: Why is science political? How can we have reached this point? The answer is right in front of us every time the US president opens his mouth and spews blatant untruths. It's there when corporations and lobby groups spin things to make us buy their products or follow their agendas. There are groups and people out there who directly benefit from the ignorance of the American people.

There are entire books about the subject. And on Saturday, people stood up and said, enough. Enough of teaching creationism in school and ignoring the science of evolution. Enough of ignoring climate change, enough of politicians spreading lies in order to line their pockets.

Another point that should be made is that science has always been political. From Hypatia to da Vinci to Newton to Galileo to Copernicus to Darwin, all of these scientists have had to fight for their discoveries, and have had to prove their science to the governing bodies (whether they be the Church or State, and sometimes both) over and over again.

I attended the rally in my home city of Worcester, MA. It wasn't the biggest rally in the world--a lot of people headed to Boston where there was a far bigger crowd. But for a rainy Saturday, and for my son's first experience with a rally/march, it worked for us. Here are some pictures from the event:

Speakers at the event included Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty, MA Congressman Jim McGovern, Dr. Raffi Aroian from the University of Massachusetts Medical School (Virology), and Dr. Gene Fry, a global warming expert (his website, "Global Warming--So What?" is a wealth of information). All gave enlightening and inspirational talks. Since Worcester is a center for biotechnology and medicine, a lot of this cause cuts to the city's heart.

After the rally, there was a march that took place from Institute Park to Elm Park further into the city. A bus was chartered to take interested people to Boston in time for their march as well.

How about you? Did you attend your local March for Science?

Melanie R. Meadors is an author of fantasy where heroes don't always carry swords and knights in shining armor often lose to nerds who study their weaknesses. A wearer of many hats, she is a blogger at The Once and Future Podcast, a professional author publicist, and a dabbling musician and artist. She studied both physics and astronomy at Northern Arizona University. You can find her at her website, melaniermeadors.com, on Facebook, and Twitter, @melaniermeadors.

Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, Palomar Observatory/California Institute of Technology

New Supernova Discovery Gives Exciting Insight Into Expanding Universe!

April 20, 2017 by Anton Strout in For Science!

OK, it's time to get wibbly-wobbly and timey-wimey with spacetime, because something really awesome has been discovered that will change the way we look at things. We'll start with this:

The universe is expanding. We think. Well, we have some evidence that points to it. Maybe.

The tricky thing about astronomy is that because the universe is so dang big, we can't make observations about things beyond a certain point. And we reach that point pretty quickly. Our galaxy is HUGE compared to our planet. We are not even a speck of dust, relatively. And when we consider the fact that our galaxy, then, is a speck compared to even just our own local group of galaxies, thinking about the size of the universe is...well, almost scary. We know so little about the universe because we simply can't detect/observe/measure anything in the vast majority of it. Everything we have every known or seen takes up an infinitesimally small piece of it.

We can, however get glimpses of things that can help us, and one of those things was found recently by a international Swedish-led team of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope.

Credit: ESA/Hubble, NASA

They discovered a distant type 1a supernova that is about 4.3 billion light years away, outside of our galaxy. A type 1a supernova is classified as such because the star that exploded was a white dwarf star, but that's not the cool thing about them. Type 1a supernovae always have the same intrinsic brightness, or the brightness it would be without any light being absorbed by dust and other space stuff. This means that scientists can measure how far the supernova is from us by measuring how bright it is. This quality is what makes type 1a supernova known as a "standard candle." We can use it as a way to measure other things, such as distances across the universe, and we've also used them as tools to measure the accelerated expansion of the universe and to infer the existence of dark energy. So these supernovae are pretty cool in their own right.

But there is something special about this new one, supernova iPTF16geu (which I will be referring to as John from now on--all those letters and numbers mean very specific things, but they don't mean them to YOU, and so I think it's easier to talk and learn about it using a more common name). Or rather, something special about its discovery.

When astronomers used the Hubble Space Telescope to take images of John, they saw that the light from the supernova was bent and magnified by what's called gravitational lensing, so that it formed four distinct images in the sky. One supernova, four images. How does this work?

Well, gravitational lensing is something that was predicted in part by classical physics but was made more clear (and now we can see, accurate) by Einstein's general theory of relativity. Gravitational lensing happens when there is a distribution of matter between a source of light and the observer of that light. When great distances and mass are involved, the gravitational effect of that matter on the light becomes visible to the observer. Kind of like how the sun draws comets and planets toward it with gravity, matter in the universe also bends light toward it (and I'm trying to simplify this as much as possible without going in to the wave-particle duality of light, etc...one could write books on the subject--and people have!). When light travels around a massive object, the light is bent. So gravity has the same type of effect on the light as a regular glass lens does. ESA (European Space Agency)/Hubble has a video to show how this works in the case of our supernova, John, whose light was lensed around a galaxy that lay between it and us on Earth:

This animation shows the phenomenon of strong gravitational lensing. This effect caused the supernova iPTF16geu to appear 50 times brighter than under normal circumstances and to be visible on the sky four times. Credit: ESA/Hubble, L. Calçada

Just like with a telescope lens, this gravitational lensing allows for Earth scientists to see things that otherwise would be too faint to see in the sky. It's a pretty cool trick that occurs naturally, which helps us see things we never would be able to see as well otherwise. How often to we get to see things happening in other galaxies?

So what about this particular case of gravitational lensing makes John so cool? Well, first of all, these cases of lensing are few and far between, it's very difficult to find them. Scientists are lucky to have found this, and now we can use the information gleaned from this supernova to learn about many other things, such as testing theories about the warping of spacetime. The four images we see of John are all within a radius of about 3000 light-years, which makes it one of the smallest extragalactic (or, out of this galaxy) gravitational lenses discovered. This means scientists can study the theories of warping spacetime on a smaller scale than ever before. Because the supernova also happens to be a 1a type, the standard candle, it also means that measurements can be made with more certainty than ever, relying on constants and known numbers rather than prior assumptions. The importance of this is that astronomers and physicists can now measure how long it took the light from each of the four images of the supernova to reach us on Earth. Then they can use the differences in the arrival times to calculate Hubble's constant (the rate of expansion of the universe) with possibly the most precision we ever have before.

This is very exciting news for astronomers. With these calculations, we'll be able to take steps towards learning new things about our universe, and take steps to answer questions we've only been able to guess at before. And, with the installation of new telescopes with the best observational capabilities we've seen yet, as well as the cooperation of scientists from countries around the world, the good news is that the best is yet to come!

For those interested, Hubblecast 70 was about gravitational lensing, and can also help shed some light on the subject for those who want a deeper look: