In the nineties and early ‘oughts, I wrote three related books on telepresence: GLASS HOUSES, PROXIES, and BURNING THE ICE. They came out under my Laura J. Mixon byline, and are due out this spring under my new byline, MJ Locke. Look for them in May 2012 as ebooks, Kindle, iBook, and Nook formats, as well as audiobooks from Audible.com.
When I tweeted this a few days ago, my buddy Linda Albritton asked for an advance peek at the cover art. So here they are! Enjoy.
They were created by the terrific team of Paulo Muppet and Luciana Eguti at Birdo Studios, who also did the artwork for Storytron.
Also, watch this site; as the publication date approaches, I’ll put up more about the books themselves.
Here’s something interesting: CBS News reports that a technology company wants to get its research out of the lab and into the real world. The company is Pegasus Global Holdings, and they intend to build an uninhabited modern replica city in which they can test new technologies.
“A Washington, D.C.-based technology company announced plans Tuesday to build the state’s newest ghost town, a 20-square-mile model metropolis that will be used to test everything from renewable energy innovations to intelligent traffic systems, next-generation wireless networks and smart-grid cyber security systems.
“Although no one will live there, the replica city will be modeled after a typical American town of 35,000 people, complete with highways, houses and commercial buildings, old and new.”
This just calls out for a story to be set there, doesn’t it?
A couple of instances of ego-bookery popped up on the radar during my trip eastward. First, Portland Book Review gave it good press, here:
The book quickly becomes hard to put down, as the tension develops on a number of different fronts. … The only disappointment was when the story came to an end because the reader is left feeling hungry for more of the wonderful experience this book provides.
I’m here in Northampton, delivering my daughter to college. We’re being chased by hurricane Irene.
We arrived at our buddy Jane Yolen’s house yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, Jane isn’t here. Her daughter Heidi has been lovely, and we have the run of Jane’s enormous farm house.
So far, Irene is manifesting only as a soaking rain and a bit of wind. The storm is supposed to roar right over the top of us at some point and we expect to lose power. We are hoping a tree won’t fall on the house. Ulp!
I plan to spend the day working, for the most part… though I’m looking forward to finishing my re-read of Bujold’s A Civil Campaign as well.
I do love New England. For a desert rat like me, the greenery and rain seem luxurious. We get occasionally big storms in New Mexico during our summer monsoons, but in terms of moving water, they are pitiful things compared to these long, soaking rains and house shaking storms. I love the luscious stretches of grass here; these trees that tower overhead. I love how the soil springs back up under my foot when I step on it.
I’ve lived in the deserts of New Mexico much of my life, and I have delighted in its many beauties. But I feel ready for a change sometime soon. I want to move somewhere that it is easier to grow a garden, to be surrounded by ecological abundance.
Most of all, I’m worried for my friends in NYC and along the Atlantic coast. Stay safe, you all.
