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Robin Hobb's Infrequent and Off Topic Blog

Robin Hobb display at MoPop Museum in Seattle ends December 2, 2025

October 25, 2025
Three Trade Paperbacks, Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin and Assassin's Quest featuring the art of Jackie Morris, and Volume 1 of the Dark Horse Graphic Novel of Assassin's Apprentice.

Do you live in the Seattle area?  Or plan to visit very soon?  Your opportunity to see the tidy display of Robin Hobb artifacts at the MoPop Museum in the Seattle Center is ending soon.

 

MoPop is our museum of popular culture in Seattle.  In addition to my objects on display, there is a large area devoted to rock musician heroes of Seattle  (Jimi Hendrix!) an area devoted to horror movies (perfect for this Halloween season) and a well confined and sleeping dragon.  The architecture of the building is remarkable, designed to resemble a melted guitar.  No, really.  

 

Other displays include artifacts from Christopher Paolini,  a 'scream' booth where you can practice your best horror movie screen, SF treasures such as the Alien Queen and Captain Kirk's chair, and well, other things I probably haven't discovered yet.  The Sky Church is an immense screen where you might see music videos playing.  There is a lovely cafe if you become hungry, rooms where you can try out an instrument . . . so much!  Current exhibitions incllude Asian Comics, Indie Games, African American Music, Women in HipHop, the Science Fiction Hall of Fame . . . I'm sure if you visit you will find something to fascinate.

 

It's also adjacent to the Space Needle, The Pacific Science Center and the terminal of the Seattle Monorail.  So, from there, you can hop right down to Seattle's famous Pike Place Market.

 

I've been a member since MoPop opened as the EMP or Experience Music.   Due to travel distance and traffic, I only get up there perhaps twice a year, but I consider my membership worth every penny.  

 

Go for a visit.  Sign up for a membership.  My display closes December 2, 2025 and I can't wait to see what will replace it!

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SFF Author Fest at Powell's Cedar Hills Crossing book store! Meet me in Oregon tomorrow (October 19, 2025)

October 18, 2025
A row of different pens and markers on a table, awaiting use to sign books.

Tomorrow, at 4 PM, Powells Bookstore at Cedar Hills Crossing  is hosting a signing for SF and fantasy authors.  Some are local, some are attending Orycon (Sad to miss it this year!) and some, like me, will be driving in for the event!

 

In addition to me, attending authors include Terry Brooks, Shawn Speakman, Brent Weeks, R. R. Virdi, Daniel H. Wilson, Curtis C. Chen, Shawn Speakman, Caitlin Starling, Evan Leikam, Rosiee Thor, Isa Agajanian, Ken Scholes, David Levine, Devon Monk, E. L. Starling, Courtney Gould, Alex Brown, Kat Hillis, and Jamie Pacton.

 

Lots of old friends on that list, and some I hope will be new friends by the events end.

 

Please do come by if you are able!

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AI, Spam and Why I Didn't Reply to your Email

October 15, 2025
A lonely coffee mug waits in a forest setting.

When I was a fledgling writer, I read that Isaac Asimov replied to every reader letter he ever received.  (This was before Email.  Yes, I am that old.)  And I resolved that I wanted to be like him.

 

Over the years, I flatter myself that I kept up pretty well, even with the email.  Like Asimov, I limited my responses to the first letter from any reader.  I could not establish regular correspondence with anyone but I did want to let readers know they had been heard.

 

But now I can't.  And it makes me sad.

 

Lately, my email has been flooded with 8 to 10 letters a day.  They start out like reader email.  They talk about the specific titles, and mention that they like the political intrigue or the character development.  But then, some of the immediately offer to promote my books, for money, in various ways.  Promises of increased orders, podcasts, you name it.  Those ones I now see as AI generated and delete right away.

 

But I end up feeling like a sucker when it really looks like something from a reader, and I send a note saying, 'Hey, thanks for the positive feedback, and letters like yours keep me writing,' etc.

And the next day or in a few hours, I get an email back about how that reader is going to promote my books for me and help me reach a wider audience and so on.  And I realize I've been suckered again. 

 

So.  With reluctance, regret and sadness, I will no longer be writing back to reader emails.  I'll read them and hope they are real.  But my hands are too worn out and sore for me to waste keyboard strokes replying to bots, AI and people hoping to provide for pay a service I simply don't need.  

 

I am way behind on replying to real mail from readers.  I have about 6 on the corner of my desk.  I will be trying to get to them!  Thanks for your patience.

 

I am saddened that AI, which could be doing so much good in the world, is instead clogging up my email box and blocking real reader mail.

 

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