A screen grab from my Fitbit app showing with a dial for each stat the following: 12,907 Steps 6.39 Miles 3,384 Calories 24 Floors
As yesterday in D.C. proved, if I lived in a city I'd never need the treadmill. But then when would I ever watch any movies or TV shows?
A screen grab of the sound waves of our voices in GarageBand, showing the myriad snips and a time stamp of 01:25:59.300.
For those who like knowing how Eating the Fantastic's podcast sausage is made: editing the audio from my recent lunch with @salgo.bsky.social to prep it for your ears took 622 snips, removing 14 minutes and 43 seconds of the nonessential. Please join us Friday once it's uploaded! pod.link/1083737796
Hi, I recently came across your horror book and wanted to reach out because this genre has a strong seasonal advantage. Reader interest in horror tends to peak around the Halloween period, and authors who benefit the most are usually those who begin positioning their books well in advance. This is actually a great time to fine-tune elements such as keywords, categories, and the overall Amazon listing so the book can begin building traction before the October surge in demand. If you’re open to it, feel free to share your book link. I’d be glad to take a quick look and offer a few visibility insights that could help strengthen its positioning ahead of the season. Best regards, Olivia Bennett Book marketer| Amazon Book Marketing Helping authors improve visibility, ranking, and reader reach
Hi, I recently came across your horror book and wanted to reach out. Horror is one genre that benefits greatly from seasonal demand, especially as Halloween approaches. However, the authors who see the best results are usually the ones who begin positioning their books well in advance. This period is actually the perfect time to refine elements such as keywords, categories, and the overall Amazon listing so the book can start gaining visibility before the October rush begins. If you're open to it, feel free to share your book link. I’d be glad to take a quick look and offer a few insights that could help improve its visibility and positioning ahead of the season. Best regards, Cicely M Albert Book Publicist | Amazon Book Marketing Helping authors increase visibility, improve rankings, and reach more readers
Two extremely lazy scammers who didn't even bother to include the actual title of my "horror book" in their spam today.
A view across the Potomac River to the ridge of woods on the other side, rising from left to right, lit by the sun.
The last rays of the sun hit Harpers Ferry as the MARC train carries me home from D.C. to Martinsburg. I’m always glad when someone else does the driving.
A porta potty with a sign reading TRUMP DUMP on the door and NOEM HOME on the side.
Someone has a sense of humor. (Not those two, though.)
Selfie of me giving the finger to the massive banner of Donald Trump on the government building behind me.
After seeing that egotistical buffoon’s face on a D.C. banner several stories high like Big Brother come to life, I felt the only appropriate thing to do was salute.
The words of Daniel Inouye carved in stone: THE LESSONS LEARNED MUST REMAIN AS A GRAVE REMINDER OF WHAT WE MUST NOT ALLOW TO HAPPEN AGAIN TO ANY GROUP
Whenever I walk from D.C.’s Union Station to the National Gallery of Art, I always pause to contemplate the Memorial to Japanese-American Patriotism in World War II. Today I find it more moving than ever, for Donald Trump’s cruelty has made it impossible to deny — we have learned nothing.
A square yeast donut topped with a cream cheese glaze and decorated with the branches and blossoms of a cherry tree. It’s in an open clamshell box.
Starting my day in D.C. with a Cherry Blossom donut from Astro Doughnuts & Fried Chicken. It’s filled with tart red cherry jam, topped with a cream cheese glaze, and was tasty as it is beautiful.
A COVID-19 test with a negative result photographed against the orange, white, and black box in which it came.
I’ll be recording a new episode of Eating the Fantastic in D.C. today, so I did my usual due diligence to be sure I’m of no threat to my guest. And all seems copacetic. Whew!
Last night's earworm which barreled through my brain each time I woke was "God Save the Queen" — and I have no idea why. Next month's trip to EasterCon? The tickets I just bought for a production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Utopia, Limited? It's mystery! youtu.be/j7ujvOWWfpY
A sketch of headshots of the comic strip characters Mutt and Jeff, two old timey mustachioed men, signed: "To Scott - with all good wishes Al Smith."
Mark Evanier posted a column today in which he brought up Al Smith to explain why Bob Kane wanted to be Bud Fisher (all of which will make sense if you head to the link), and I figured that gives me an excuse to offer proof teen me met one of those three guys. www.newsfromme.com/2026/03/08/t...
As talented as those two are, these are all short prose stories, not comic books stories, so I don't see it going that way, I'm afraid.
Thanks for your enthusiasm! But some small press would need to decide it's worthy of publishing first. Perhaps I should send around a few queries.
So it turns out we're both writers who create with our guts, discovering as we go along, rather than plotting things out in advance. In any case, check out the conversation. There's always a lot of wisdom to be found on The Coode Street Podcast. jonathanstrahan.podbean.com/e/episode-71...
So I grabbed my copy of 101 Things to Do Before You're Downloaded to check. And I think — though I'm not 100% sure — that of the 13 stories there, I'm also at two. Though for one of those I didn't know when I began how the plot would end, only what final mood I wanted to leave the reader with.
On a recent episode of The Coode Street Podcast, @michaelswanwick.bsky.social mentioned to @garykwolfe.bsky.social and @jonathanstrahan.bsky.social there were only two stories in his recent collection where he knew the endings at the time he began. Now I'm wondering about *MY* recent collection.
Having written six Trump-related stories, the fifth of which will shortly see print, I wonder whether it's time to consider assembling, if not a collection, then a chapbook of sorts. They total 23,000 words, and if I add a seventh in which he appears peripherally, that brings it to 27,000. Hmmm ...
"Not since Adolf Hitler blew his brains out in a bunker beneath the garden of the German Reich Chancellery on April 30, 1945, have the lives of so many people around the world been so buffeted by the psychosis of a single man." davidrothkopf.substack.com/p/living-in-...
Tim across the table from me holding aloft some of his house-cured bacon omelet on the end of his fork.
Wishing the happiest of birthdays to @timwaggoner.bsky.social! Celebrate with us on an episode of Eating the Fantastic — and find out how to write about people unlike yourself and get it right, the most difficult thing a writing teacher can teach — and much more. www.scottedelman.com/wordpress/20...
A graphic for the game Clues by Sam which says: Solved Mar 8th 2026 Under 7 minutes There are four graphics in a two by two grid. Image #1 shows a sleuth with a magnifying glass and the words Clues by Sam. Image #2 shows one of the suspects with a the outline of a person and a pretend text block beneath. Image #3 shows another suspect's outline, and the words, "One criminal is criming 24/7" Image #4 shows a four by five grid of the puzzle itself, with check marks in many of the squares.
This morning's Clues by Sam was rated Hard ... and it was! cluesbysam.com
A screen grab of the sound waves of our voices in GarageBand, reflecting myriad snips and a time stamp of 40:07.009.
Ended the night editing another 20 minutes of raw audio from my recent lunch with writer @salgo.bsky.social, and have reached the point where she explains why she considers herself "a recovering pantser." Join us to find out the answer on Friday's episode of Eating the Fantastic! pod.link/1083737796
Donald Trump, whose heart has always been two sizes too small, has given the worst among us permission to be the monsters they always wished to be. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Two panel cartoon, one atop the other. Panel one: A man is hectoring True while poking him in the chest. Word balloon: "You and your argument for race equality! That's all a dream! You're talking in your sleep! Race equality! — My eye!!" True, chomping his cigars looks grumpy. Panel two: The man is holding a hand over one eye and a circle of stars is swirling over his head while his hat flies off. True has stalked off, only a part of his coat and some cigar smoke visible, obviously having punched the guy.
And then there's this from 1948. (And to forestall the "but actually" crowd, let me add that though Wikipedia claims The Outbursts of Everett True only ran until 1927, many art auction sites have sold originals from as late as the '40s, because the artist resumed it now and again in later years.)
This afternoon's treadmill TV time took in The Pitt Season 2, Episode 9, which I followed up with the final 15 minutes of the new Taylor Tomlinson standup special to be sure of getting in enough stepping.
Completed another revision on the story in progress, with all my additions and deletions resulting in a net increase of 392 words. At this point, I don't believe the piece will grow any further. And later tonight, it will be time to apply my finest grade of sandpaper for the most delicate of passes.
A framed poster for the 1970 Comic Art Convention, with art by Gray Morrow. The image is of Medusa and The Thing against a yellow square background. Her word balloon says, "Comic book artists, dealer lectures, panels, exhibitions, fans!" His says, "I can't wait!" The dates are July 3, 4, 5, 1970. Admission $1.50. Statler-Hilton Hotel. 7th Ave and 33 St NYC.
Remembering the late artist Gray Morrow, born on this date in 1934, whose poster for the 1970 Comic Art Convention greeted this 15-year-old fanboy the first day of his first con. I think of him and that amazing weekend every day — for up on the wall of my office is that poster, signed.
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth — war criminals both. They've more than earned their places in the dock at the Hague — and if I believed in an afterlife, I'd add — in the Ninth Circle of Hell as well. www.huffpost.com/entry/submar...
A graphic for the game Clues by Sam which says: Solved Mar 7th 2026 Solved in 04:25 There are four graphics in a two by two grid. Image #1 shows a sleuth with a magnifying glass and the words Clues by Sam. Image #2 shows one of the suspects with a the outline of a person and a pretend text block beneath. Image #3 shows another suspect's outline, and the words, "One criminal almost slipped on beans" Image #4 shows a four by five grid of the puzzle itself, with check marks in many of the squares.
Today Clues by Sam was rated Hard, and while it didn't feel feel Hard, it didn't quite feel as easy as Medium either. So ... Medium-Hard?
Two photos side-by-side from those past meals. Michael is holding up his plate of Eggs Benedict with a cup of fruit. Lara is across the table from me seen over a bowl of baby clams and roe.
Happy birthday to Michael Jan Friedman and @larazontally.bsky.social, two former guests of Eating the Fantastic who've just completed their latest spins around the sun! I hope you'll celebrate by joining us at the table as we chat and chew on Episodes 178 and 266 of the podcast. pod.link/1083737796
Today in Donald Trump's state-sponsored terrorism: "We will never know the depths of the harm happening inside detention centers." www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/03/tran...
