Edition 10 2025, October
A report by Michael Chen Diary of Linda Harper, February 21, 1992 When I came back—shaking, distraught, barely able to think—they were waiting for me. Marcus and the others. And a few people I’d never seen before. Older. Serious faces. “Welcome to Alpha Iota Tau,” said a woman with silver-gray hair. She smiled, but her eyes didn’t. “Alpha Iota Tau stands for Ad impletionem tendens.” Marcus translated for me: “Striving for fulfillment.” That was the test—and I had passed.
Who’s the helper no one can thank? In Merrimack County, someone seems to have a knack for knowing the right thing at exactly the right time. For a while now, there’s been talk of a good spirit watching over the region — or a bad one, depending on which side of the law you’re on. When a malfunction threatened operations at Peterson Chemical Plant this summer, an anonymous caller phoned in with an eerily precise warning. When a planned break-in at the Middlesex County Department of Justice was stopped, the credit again went to an anonymous tip. And when several inmates escaped from the County Jail last month, a key call came in just minutes beforehand — though not every fugitive was caught.
Excerpt from the “Almost Complete Guide to Temporal Capers, Paradoxical Shortcuts, and the Question of Whether the Past Is Even Reliable,” 2nd revised edition Emptiness Noun | /ˈemptɪnəs/ The state between two states. A space containing everything that is currently not happening. It is rarely truly empty – mostly just unoccupied. Neither lack nor failure, but a kind of temporary stillness. Many find it unsettling because it demands nothing yet allows for everything.Caution: Don’t confuse emptiness with boredom. Boredom demands attention.
Writing bilingually sounds exciting to many people. In reality, it's different—but apparently still unusual, because I'm often asked how it actually works when you write a book in two languages. Since I want to take a look behind the scenes in this section, I thought it would be an interesting topic – although I don't want to encourage anyone to copy my process – it's just a hell of a lot of work 😉
This month, Books & Worlds is more like Books vs. World! Here's a little insight into the target and actual status of my book world: Space Time Should be with the editors by the end of September -> will finally be sent out next week, took much longer than hoped, but it was worth it, the book is... really good 😊
Or: The Spy Who Came In from the Cold It started harmlessly enough: Milk empty? – Ping. Pizza still good for three more days? – Ding. Want me to order butter? – Bling. Today, we’re at: “Probability you’ll eat cheese after 11 p.m.: 82.1%. Should I prepare you a chamomile tea to help you resist?” The problem isn’t the AI. It’s whoever taught it to coach us like misbehaving pets.
A few days ago, I saw a meme: Why do people always tell introverts that they need to get out of their comfort zone, but nobody tells extroverts to just shut up? At first, I thought, “Yes, exactly” – which makes it quite clear which camp I feel I belong in.
Her picture-perfect life is a lie. The target on her back is real. In a world of PTA meetings, soccer games and wine moms, Stella Meyers fits right in. No one in her ritzy Connecticut suburb suspects the photographer who captures weddings, parties and fundraisers by day is robbing people blind at night.
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