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It's summertime and my thoughts turn to the great outdoors where paleontologists are no doubt making some remarkable discoveries in the fossil record. What better time for a...

T. REX TRUE/FALSE QUIZ

Some calendars say National Dinosaur Day is today (May 15) and others put it on June 1. But hey, we can celebrate twice, right?

Do dinosaurs still exist today? In advance of National Dinosaur Day, Mattel surveyed 6- to 10-year-old children in Great Britain. Who better to ask? A third saying yes. Well naturally, these kids want a T. rex as a pet. There’s no word on how many wanted to be a T. rex, but maybe a bunch of them suppose that will one day be possible.

WHERE CAN YOU SEE ME?

As the deadline for filing income tax paperwork fast approaches, my thoughts turn to flowers and dinosaurs. Hey what did you expect when Spring azaleas and tulips are blooming outside and a controversy rages as to whether T. rex is a single species or three distinct ones. Yeah, you knew I’d be all over that topic, right? As much as I do love the new names Tyrannosaurus imperator for the biggest of the three and Tyrannosaurus regina, meaning tyrant lizard queen, put me in the undecided camp. At least until certain prominent paleontologists weigh in. At the least one has observed that extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof.

I hope you’ll tune in to the latest panel discussion I was part of for Con-Tinual about ways to work archaeologists and paleontologists into one’s science fiction and fantasy. I’ll be on yet more panels coming up, so watch this space for fab new series on Go Indie Now. Plus, the ever awesome Cat Rambo is interviewing various contributors to The Reinvented Heart, which she co-edited with Jennifer Brozek. You do want to watch Jane Yolen read her poetry, right? I’ll be sure to let you know when she interviews me. In the meantime, here’s a snippet from my story, “Etruscan Afterlife:”

Whew, made it to my second newsletter as the early Spring bulbs poke their heads above ground. However, I’ve been ensconced indoors writing and doing panels you’ll get to watch before too long. One covers archaeology and paleontology in science fiction. I had so much fun talking with writers like Tom Doyle about how we sneak academic and scientific stuff into our fiction while retaining reader interest.

While you wait for my panels, it’s time to preorder The Reinvented Heart at a pre-publication discount before March 12. It’s filled with visions of the future of love and human relationships by some marvelous writers. A prehistoric two-person sarcophagus features prominently in my story, “Etruscan Afterlife.”

HELLO AND WELCOME TO DISPATCHES AND DINOSAURS!

It’s great to fill you in on a bit of what’s going on with me while I am impatiently awaiting the end of winter. This being the month when lots of people turn to flowers to express their feelings for others or simply to savor some beauty, here is an arrangement I put together a couple of weeks ago.

I thought I needed it to lift my spirits, but then I got the word that my novelette, “The Next Frontier” is an Analog Magazine Readers’ Award Finalist! I couldn’t be happier. In case you missed it, you can read it right here for a limited time. You can also check out some other great stories that were nominated by astute Analog readers.