Natural talent is nothing compared to the ability to keep making shit long after everyone else has given up

My social media feed is full of people protecting their neighbors. Normally reserved Minnesotans screaming obscenities at lawless nazi ICE agents. And I keep thinking of the Mister Rogers quote, "Look for the helpers." My whole feed is helpers. Brave, foul-mouthed helpers.

ICE is terrorizing the people in my hometown of Minneapolis. It will not work. People leave their houses when it’s negative 10 degrees out just to see an improv comedy show. I know, I was doing the improv comedy show and I was shocked. The people of Minneapolis will not break

Ummm… no. Just, no.

Just finished writing my 48th novel, despite *waves* all this. Hoping to make it past the 50 novel mark this year. But 2026 is not going to make that easy, is it? (I have three short story collections, so I passed 50 book-length publications last year without even noticing it, apparently. Yay me?)

I started the day with a haircut, but when my stylist asked how I was doing, perfectly mundane question, I came *this close* to crying in front of strangers. I never do that, and it came out of nowhere. She let me have a minute, because she's great like that, but man I'm clearly not doing well.

This is well worth a read.

This will sound like a joke, but it's not. When TWO "Minnesota Nice" politicians drop the F-bomb in front of live cameras, we're at Defcon 1.

Sorry guys, but I didn’t hate the end of Stranger Things. *shrug*

So a coyote killed a rabbit by our pond, just outside of the perimeter of our Invisible Fence. My dog Mugen will totally power through the shock to get at that sweet blood-soaked snow (nothing left but stains and fluff). So I have to take him out on a lead to keep him in the yard and not wandering.

I’m not saying I play too many video games or anything. I’m just saying every time I see the California flag and the bear has just one head, I do a double take.

never have i felt more personally attacked by a post

What was the last movie or TV show you watched in 2025?

Working on my new year's resolutions: 1) Only look at social media for 1.5 seconds a day 2) Walk a thousand miles every Tuesday 3) Eat every vegetable in Los Angeles twice 4) Become, somehow, 5 years younger 5) Fundamentally change who I am as a human being on a cellular level 6) Read two books

If you can watch the scene in Pluribus when Kusimayu's pet goat cries as she abandons it forever, and still be on the side of the hive-mind, you just don't fucking get it, do you?

unironically a good idea

I kept telling my husband that the Stargate SG-1 sets with the gold foil walls were making me crave Ferrer Rocher, so for Christmas I got this Ferrer Rocher hand grenade. I’m not really a sweets person, but luckily this is mostly air.

I just watched this, and I know I’m not impartial, but I really think this is the best thing Kumail has ever done. And I’ve seen all his things.

Jake Johannsen, yes! I love his stand up.

Look, I came late to the party, but I just finished watching NEON GENESIS EVANGELION, and there’s a definite point where I guess the budget ran out? Couldn’t help thinking of this bit from INVINCIBLE. A lot. youtu.be/uhndpv7sEqE?...

For me it’s Baldur’s Gate 3. I came to it a little late, but my son pressured me into trying it out. He insisted I’d love it. Well, 8ish playthroughs later, he wasn’t wrong.

Not to brag or nothing, but I got adequate sleep for three nights in a row, and now I feel like I have SUPER POWERS. Time to go write a book. I might not even have to keep looking up all my characters' names today.

Yet another glorious sunset from Minneapolis, the city of sunsets

my favorite thing about the benoit blanc movies is that they aren't really about benoit blanc. he is not grappling with demons from his past. we are not getting flashbacks to the husband whose murder he never solved. he just shows up and does his job like mary poppins for homicides

making art despite every single miserable thing that surrounds us

Name your fav Nicolas Cage film.

Still kinda mad that I saw the Ricky Jay poster in the background of WAKE UP DEAD MAN and said to myself, "Cool BROTHERS BLOOM Easter egg!" and totally missed the fact that it was a hint to the howdunit. Too consumed dredging up half-remembered details from the four books I'd read on the book list.

Well, I feel seen.

This is spot on.

Stealworkers

Amores Perros. I still see it in my nightmares. But also, as many others have said, Grave of the Fireflies. Honorable mention: Salaam Bombay! That ending still haunts me.

Tonight, the family and I are watching one of our annual Christmas re-watches, KLAUS. (Annual in the sense that when we saw it for the first time last year, we all agreed we were adding it to the list with THE GRINCH, A CHRISTMAS STORY, ELF, and CHRISTMAS VACATION of things we watch every year.)

So I signed up for an online art school that involves me turning in assignments and getting feedback. I was super excited when I started, but now it's time to turn in my first assignment and I've got the yips *so* bad. I mean, I've been getting feedback on my writing for DECADES. Why so nervous now?

Co-sign.

Look, I've watched every episode of Critical Role. I've read the novels and the comics. I knew what was coming, okay? So the fact that two days after watching the latest episode of THE MIGHTY NEIN, I'm still randomly crying over Frumpkin? Damn man. *Such* a killer episode. (But in a good way!)

Today was my dog’s monthly appointment for his arthritis shot, which he badly needs. And my car battery was dead. Plus the spring broke on the garage door. Come on! It’s cold, but it’s not *that* cold. Lucky for me my husband is home from work for the rest of the year. He comes in handy.

After months of pressure from my son, I got CYBERPUNK 2077 for my Steamdeck and gave it a go on Sunday. I tend not to be great with games that need me to do things like press the correct buttons in a hurry (so many buttons, man. I grew up with just the one on the side of the joystick). So anyway...

My alter ego Cate Martin has a story in a new anthology of romances. Wait, I wrote a romance? Yes. Yes, I did. But if it helps, it takes place amidst a mid-blizzard raid during Prohibition. There, that sounds more like me, doesn't it? Lots of fun stories here. Check it out! books2read.com/u/31jX0w

I mean, this has got to be the happiest song I've ever heard about growing older. "Blubbery and meaty out-of-shape body with clouded eyes?" I'm right there, buddy. But also, "I'm finally at the age where I can act childishly." Yep. All of it. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNMi...

Me to my son after the first episode of DANDADAN: That theme song is catchy, innit? Me after the 4th episode of DANDADAN: So this is like Jojo, we're never skipping the intro, right? Me by the seventh episode of DANDADAN: OK, I have an entire Creepy Nuts playlist and this song is maybe my #4?

My alter ego Cate Martin has a new short story out! It's called "U-2 to Cuba" and is part of the latest issue of MCM, SPIES. Mine comes from spending way too much time in various air and space museums. But it's also a rather sweet romance. Check it out! www.mysterycrimeandmayhem.com/product/spies/

BATMAN NINJA VS YAKUZA LEAGUE is clearly for people who watched the first BATMAN NINJA and asked why weren't there any references to GATCHAMAN or GAMERA. Alas, only I was chuckling at every reference to "Science ninja technique!" Apparently I never showed any of my GATCHAMAN DVDs to my son. Bad mom!

My alter ego Cate Martin has a story in a new anthology of romances. Wait, I wrote a romance? Yes. Yes, I did. But if it helps, it takes place amidst a mid-blizzard raid during Prohibition. There, that sounds more like me, doesn't it? Lots of fun stories here. Check it out! books2read.com/u/31jX0w

And if you think that's cool, check out the full print book art without the text. I love my cover artist so much! (His name is Benjamin Roque, but alas is not on Bluesky.)

New cover drop! This is the cover of my next YA scifi novel, FORAGING THE HIDDEN SACTUARY, the fourth book in the FORGOTTEN PLANET series. It will be out in April (still setting up the preorders on all the sites), but a month earlier at ratatoskrpressbooks.com/products/for.... Check it out!

My alter ego Cate Martin has a new short story out! It's called "U-2 to Cuba" and is part of the latest issue of MCM, SPIES. Mine comes from spending way too much time in various air and space museums. But it's also a rather sweet romance. Check it out! www.mysterycrimeandmayhem.com/product/spies/

The irony is I actually have a Lego minifig of Gunther, which my husband gave me. He bought the Central Perk set for some parts and just handed me all the minifigs, so he probably didn't even notice. They currently reside on top of my Jazz Club.

The first episode I saw was City On Fire in March 1989. I was an instant, record every episode fan.

My husband and I are in the middle of season 6 of STARGATE SG-1, so we've watched 150ish episodes so far. It's just now I've realized that every time I call this particular character "Gunther," my husband has no idea why. Because he's never watched a single episode of FRIENDS. Sigh.

BATMAN NINJA has probably the best depiction of the Joker I've seen since Heath Ledger. The whole movie is just insane, and the insanity just keeps building. I mean, I thought it had peaked, but then Robin pulled out this flute and... Well, you have to see it to believe it. Highly recommend.