Kal Spriggs

On the "Men don't read books with female leads" and "Men don't write books with strong female characters." Bullshit. John Ringo and David Weber have been doing it for decades. I've done it, too. Here's the fun part. You get attacked from the left for being a man writing female characters. You get attacked by some on the right for "selling out" and having a female lead. You get reviews saying it's "men with tits," generally speaking from people who don't write, don't understand women, and miss obvious character and relationship arcs. Most of these "critics" don't even read the books. If you write it well, people love your story regardless of your character's physical and mental traits. Because writing a good story trumps pretty much anything else.

How to make an author happy: Ask them how their current work in progress is coming along. How to annoy an author: Ask them how their current work in progress is coming along.

If I were going to try to predict the future, I'd be a Scifi author. Oh wait. *rereads Prisoner of the Mind* Oh no. For a book I wrote 20 years ago, it feels remarkably prescient about the way the world is going.

This looks great

Whatever your politics, if you need a break from it all, I have many titles in ebook, paperback, and audiobook formats. Want pure escapism and whimsy? Courting Power. Want dystopian hell-on-Earth? Hell Train. Alien invasion and fleet battles? The Fallen Race. 50+ titles.

A Quality of Life for Social Media thought: Rando Internet Dude, "I'm gangsta, I can kick ur ass." Grok: "This is Kyle, from Ohio, he's 5'3", weighs in at 300 lbs, and he struggles to leave his parent's basement to buy cheetos."

The things they robbed us of when they did away with the Expanded Universe, especially Mara Jade's storyline, but also Corran Horn. Jedi as people, who have their own paths, stories of struggle and redemption.

I have been reliably informed that today in the US it is National Cat Day. This explains why a certain furry freeloader bit me on the leg as I was leaving the house, so I would understand to work harder and bring him treats home.

Nothing says fair and honest elections like immediately ordering the arrest and detention of your opponent within a two days after the election, eh there Brazil?

Everyone is out here talking about what Robert A. Heinlein movie we need. At first I was thinking The Moon is a Harsh Mistress or Tunnel in the Sky. Then I realized we never had a Starship Troopers movie, that would be good.

As an author, naturally I want to move people. In my own way of course.

Courting Power: A Regency of Aeliana Romantic Fantasy is now available! Book one of a five part fantasy regency romance series. Five daughters, one season, and fortunes, magic, and love at stake. The five Priddington daughters have arrived for their Presentation, to win love and husbands in the Empire's Capitol. Descended from a powerful bloodline, each of them presents a prize, where a perfect marriage will increase the power of the happy couple... and one misstep within Society can mean ruin. Miss Patricia Priddington would not be surprised if one of her sisters were so fortunate. Only a rakish Prince seems to keep catching her when she falls. As love blooms, however, the Queen seems to oppose their budding romance, another would-be suitor is found dead, and it seems that the Prince is the prime suspect. What is a proper noblewoman to do except get to the bottom of things, hopefully without bringing down scandal upon her and her sisters? Because while she is looking for a perfect match, others suspect that she is only courting power. Courting Power: amzn.to/46EoAOH

Oh, hey, look what came in the mail! Always nice to have the print copy of my latest book

When writing, I rarely engage in the "chosen one" trope, instead I like the "unchosen one." Someone who stands up because they have agency and want to make the world better. It can be a bit trying, though, especially when characters find themselves asking how they got here.

I ask this about Machine Learning and AI / SI: What consumer remains to purchase the product? If you eliminate creatives, accountants, lawyers, clerks, and all the rest. Robots do the dirty and dangerous jobs, server farms handle the paperwork and logistics and "art." Who earns income to buy the product? If the answer is that AI will create a post-scaricty world, then, in producing nothing, the consumers are parasites, right? And the answer then becomes, as nothing is truly post-scarcity, wouldn't the bottom line no longer require people?