The Cambias Digression

Notes and thoughts on everything from what I had for breakfast to the fate of the Universe.

  • Three Weeks Until THE INITIATE

    My new novel The Initiate officially comes out on February 4 — although I've already got a box of copies, so it seems likely that some bookstores will get theirs in the next couple of weeks.  Booklist will review it February 1, and the advance word is good. I'm allowed to quote a little snippet: "Cambias'…

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  • Arisia 2020 — The Initiation Begins

    This year's Arisia convention will be back at the Boston Westin Waterfront, January 17-20. I'll be there Friday the 17th through Sunday the 19th, and it's going to be a busy weekend. Friday 5:30 p.m.: "Stories From the Cities" — A joint reading with myself, Andrea Hairston and W.B.J. Williams. All three stories are connected…

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  • Fencing News

    Yesterday was the Upper Valley Holiday Open fencing tournament in Sharon, Vermont. Diane Kelly and Robert Cambias attended.  Robert went in an Unrated fencer, trounced all comers, and emerged with not just a USFA E rating but a D.  In game terms, he went up two levels in one session. Congratulations!

    jamescambias

  • Why The Initiate?

    My upcoming novel The Initiate (now available for pre-order) marks a big change for me. My three previous books have all been science fiction, mostly on the "hard-SF" side of the spectrum. The Initiate is a modern-day noir fantasy, with magic and demons and a secret society of wizards in Manhattan. Why the change? A…

    jamescambias

  • A Lovecraftian Chronology

    For no very good reason I found myself making up an internal chronology of H.P. Lovecraft's horror stories. My guiding principle was that if a story doesn't have any time clues — and it's interesting to note that most of Lovecraft's stories do include specific dates — it takes place in the year in which…

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  • Today’s Menu

    This year's Thanksgiving feast was an epic one. Five adults, including one teenage boy, means we can paint on a large canvas. The menu: Oyster Patties Cremant d'Alsace Shrimp and Oyster Gumbo with Rice Turkey Breast Sous Vide with Herbs — Turkey Breast Sous Vide with Harissa Cote de Roussillon 2014 Cornbread and Oyster Dressing…

    jamescambias

  • Ancient Recipes

    Very interesting BBC Travel story about re-creating ancient Mesopotamian recipes. Read it here. They include a lamb stew which sounds worth trying.  The only surprising thing, really, is that anyone should be surprised that people living nearly 4000 years ago ate much the same things their modern descendants do. Food is a bedrock of culture…

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  • Philcon 2019!

    This weekend I'll be attending the venerable PhilCon convention, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. That's near enough to Philadelphia that you can still get scrapple for breakfast, so I guess it qualifies. Here's my schedule. Stop by and say hi! Fri 6:00 PM in Executive Suite 623: READINGS — PAUL LEVINSON, APRIL GREY, JAMES CAMBIAS…

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  • Random Encounters: Beneath Naples

    Naples is an ancient city built atop layers of volcanic tufa. The stone is easy to dig through and carve, and over the past four thousand years people have dug a lot of tunnels under Naples. There are natural caves, Roman cisterns and sewers, the early Christian catacombs of San Gennaro and San Gaudioso, a…

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  • Important Notice

    Today's Sylvia Plath Memorial Bake Sale has been postponed.  Evidently we scheduled it too soon.

    jamescambias

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