Notes from the Buffer Zone Archives - Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond

Volume 102 #7: Notes from The Buffer Zone: Peering at the Future

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschThis morning, as I write this, news broke of another mega-bestselling writer complaining that publishing is being ruined by diversity. I’m sure his book sales are down, because every traditionally published writer’s book sales are down. I’m sure some of his friends can’t sell books into traditional publishing because right […]

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Volume 101 #9: Notes from the Buffer Zone: Luck

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschYears ago, I read Jack Williamson’s autobiography, Wonder’s Child. I was missing Jack, and I wanted a bit of his wisdom. There’s a lot of wisdom in that book, and a lot of stories I never heard Jack tell. I guess when you live into your nineties, you have even […]

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Volume 100 #15: Notes from the Buffer Zone: 100

Previous by Kristine Kathryn RuschI’m currently working on a project that I started in the early 1990s. In creative time—the time marked by my muse—that project is older, but not old. I can remember writing it. I might not know all the details, but I’ll be honest: I don’t know all the details of something […]

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Volume 99 #4: Notes from the Buffer Zone: Foreshadowing

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschI just canceled out of my second concert of the fall. A favorite artist, a concert I was looking forward to, and I still couldn’t pull the trigger. Not because of the artist. Not even because of a lack of Covid protocols. Both concerts required either full vaccination or a […]

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Volume 98 #7: Notes From the Buffer Zone: Technological Change

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschI have finally lived in Las Vegas long enough to qualify for resident status at the university. I wanted that because I wanted to finish my Spanish major from forty years ago. I have taken Spanish online, and I’ve also taken some classes at those places designed for tourists, and […]

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Volume 95 #6: Notes from The Buffer Zone: Science Will Save Us

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschExactly one year ago, in April of 2020, I wrote in this column:Science will save us. And volunteers will (are) risking their lives to test these drugs and vaccines. And some of these folks will be unnamed in the history books, and that’s too bad. Because they’re on the front […]

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Volume 94 #7: Notes from The Buffer Zone: Old SF Roadshow

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschThis past month, I wrote a novel in my Spade/Paladin universe. The stories are mysteries, set at science fiction conventions. As the conventions became more acrimonious, ‘long about 2015, my willingness to write more Spade/Paladin slowed down. I hated getting criticized by people of every political persuasion for something I […]

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Volume 96 #5: Notes from The Buffer Zone: Stepping Into an Uncertain Future

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschI’m tempted to buy a book on the aftermath of the 1918 flu pandemic. I’ve been tempted to buy this (as yet unknown) book for some time now.Because of my interest in history, I know how pandemics end. Slowly and with great unevenness. I truly did not expect the U.S.’s […]

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Volume 93 #7: Notes from The Buffer Zone: Heroic Lazy Sods

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschThe German government has produced a series of amusing Public Service Announcements about Covid-19. (Yes, you saw that. I used “amusing” and “Covid-19” in the same sentence.)The videos resemble those videos that documentarians put together with interviews from survivors of some great tragedy. The older person reminisces, and some actor […]

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Volume 92 #7: Notes from the Buffer Zone, Mummies and Fleas

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschI get it: People are panicked—and justifiably so. Everything—everything— is in turmoil. We don’t know exactly how this will all end, and we’re tired. It’s been a long century, these past six months.I have my panic moments, and I find I’m getting superstitious. I find myself unwilling to say things like, […]

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