Author Archives: tkflor

Science in Fiction

Posted on December 6, 2014 by tkflor

“Remember that you are writing a novel, not a research paper. The story always comes first.” On writing, by Stephen King Okay, the story comes first, but let’s assume that adding some science to the plot can benefit the story. … Continue reading →

Posted in fiction, lab lit, literature, mainstream fiction, physics, science fiction, self-publishing | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Physics rocks

Posted on November 28, 2014 by tkflor

This physics-themed comic by Zech Weiner (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal) made me laugh. You can see why.

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Gargoyles in universities

Posted on November 22, 2014 by tkflor

“They marched in silence around a corner and she stopped before a large and extremely ugly stone gargoyle. ‘Sherbet lemon!’ she said. This was evidently a password, because the gargoyle sprang suddenly to life, and hopped aside as the wall … Continue reading →

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Quotes from speculative science (fiction)

Posted on November 15, 2014 by tkflor

Without tags, would a short piece of text be enough to distinguish between an article about science and a piece of speculative fiction? For example, here are two quotes: (a) “… the initial leap from nothing to something may have … Continue reading →

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Musing on long-term planning for success

Posted on November 8, 2014 by tkflor

“Think in terms of the Olympics – how much can you achieve in a four-year period?” Joanna Penn, The Indie Author Power Pack: How To Write, Publish, & Market Your Book. Self-publishing guides warn that success is as likely as … Continue reading →

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A review as a “thank you”

Posted on November 1, 2014 by tkflor

When I read a new book, what happens to fictional people inhabiting an imaginary world might grip me for hours. Quite rarely, some of the characters linger in my mind for days, or pop in unexpectedly weeks after I reached … Continue reading →

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Self-publishing a mainstream novel – Q&A with Catherine Ryan Howard

Posted on October 24, 2014 by tkflor

Catherine, in her own words, is “a writer, self-publisher and caffeine enthusiast from Cork, Ireland.” I first saw Catherine’s blog, ‘Catherine, Caffeinated‘, in the summer, when I was starting to explore the option of self publishing. To promote her new … Continue reading →

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The Falling Sky – contemporary fiction with realistic physics

Posted on October 5, 2014 by tkflor

‘Do you believe it?’ Ah, that word again. It sounds odd in this space. They are all used to statistical odds, experiment, proof, even uncertainty, but they rarely talk about belief. It sounds too human. And they like to pretend … Continue reading →

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How many Higgs fields might be on a head of a pin?

Posted on September 6, 2014 by tkflor

If you have a moment to spare, try a word association game with the word “field”. You might think of words as different as battle, baseball, oil, and strawberries. Now, if a physicist played the game, he (and occasionally she) … Continue reading →

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New York, New York

Posted on August 29, 2014 by tkflor

Manhattan, on a sunny August day. Music, please…

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