Contact

Before you reach out to me, please read Why I am a Bad Correspondent by the inimitable Neal Stephenson. As you read, strike out “novelist” and insert “author.” In today’s multitasking age, I’m a single-threaded, single-processor person, running under a Big Giant Lock. And I’m poorly optimized. Having myself rebuilt by a modern compiler would probably do me a world of good, but that doesn’t seem to be an option.

I have enagaged in discussions with readers, many times. They usually follow a clear pattern. I’ve condensed this discussion into a FAQ, to save us both time and energy. If you have a question that isn’t on the FAQ, but you think is of general interest, leave a comment on that page.

Apparently I answer general questions most readily via Twitter. The length restrictions are actually helpful, as I cannot instinctively spend hours honing my response.

You can email me at mwlucas at black helicopters dot org. But I’m terribly at answering email. Email from random readers sent to me frequently sits in my inbox for months before I get around to answering it. The phrase “Horrible Black Void” comes to mind.

Why?

  • Every word I put in an email is a word that isn’t in a book.
  • Every email I write consumes my most valued resources: time and attention.
  • After spending all day working on computers and all evening writing books, the last thing I want to do is spend still more time in front of a blasted monitor.
  • I don’t answer email from my own mother. Answering yours would hurt her feelings. You don’t want me to do that, do you? (You say she wouldn’t know. But she would. She would.)

    • Please do not be offended by my failure to answer mail. Not answering your email is not a sign that I think you suck. It’s a sign that I’m busy writing my next book.