Mac FAQ

by Mac Tonnies

"If you haven't been introduced to author, essayist, and blogger Mac Tonnies yet, then it's about time."

--Paraview Media Guide

"[Mac is an] indefatigable plumber of the beyond."

--Rudy Rucker

"Mac Tonnies is undeniably a bit of a weirdo. Perhaps that's why I like him so much, though I agree with nearly nothing that he writes."

--John Brownlee, Table of Malcontents

"Mac Tonnies is a Cydonian cyberpunk poet."

--21st Century Radio

"Surely the Morrissey of Ufology."

--Nick Redfern, author of "Three Men Seeking Monsters"

Q. Who are you, anyway?

A. I'm an author, essayist, and critic. I've had two books published, Illumined Black and After the Martian Apocalypse. I'm probably best-known online for my esoteric Mars and UFO commentary. Google me and you'll find a slew of sites involving fringe science, literature and other speciality interests. Topically, I don't think I'm easily classified, but you be the judge.

If that doesn't answer your question, I've prepared this third-person biography:

Mac Tonnies is an author/essayist whose futuristic fiction and speculative essays have appeared in many print and online publications. He's the author of Illumined Black, a collection of science fiction short-stories, and After the Martian Apocalypse (Paraview Pocket Books, 2004). Mac maintains "Posthuman Blues," a widely read blog devoted to emerging technologies and paranormal phenomena, and is a member of the Society for Planetary SETI Research. He lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where he writes, reads and surfs the Net. He is currently at work on a new book.

Q. Is "Mac" your real name?

A. Yes.

Q. Is is short for anything?

A. No.

Q. How do I pronounce your last name?

A. "Tone-ease."

Q. What are some of your main interests?

A. Cosmology, neuroscience, extraterrestrial intelligence, "paranormal" experiences, UFOs, "alien" encounters, out-of-body experiences, climate change, nanotechnology, genetic engineering, space exploration, cryonic suspension, theoretical physics, quantum theory, robotics/cybernetics, and human origins.

Q. Are you working on a new book?

A. I'm always working on something. There's no telling exactly what form it will take at this point.

Q. Do you believe in UFOs?

A. I'm uncomfortable with the concept of "belief" when dealing with unusual topics such as UFOs. Technically, no, I don't "believe" in UFOs (in the sense that UFOs require any sort of faith). But it isn't necessary to "believe" in UFOs in order to discuss them meaningfully; empirical evidence shows that UFOs (whatever they are) exist. There are plenty of professional "skeptics" who will refute this. But there remains a core phenomenon that begs disciplined study.

Q. Have you ever seen a UFO?

A. Unfortunately, no. I've seen lights in the sky that have made me look closely for one reason or another (what curious person hasn't?), but no sighting.

Q. Have you ever been abducted by aliens?

A. No.

Q. Do you have any podcasts I can listen to?

A. You can download some of my radio appearances by clicking the links below:

The 'X' Zone (transhumanism)

Binnall of America (Mars)

Binnall of America ("cryptoterrestrials," ufology)

The Paracast (Martian anomalies)

Culture of Contact (misc. Forteana)

Altarnatively, here are some articles and interviews in which I'm featured:

Time Travel: Fact or Fiction?

If ET Calls, Would We Be Told?

UFOpunk: Mac Tonnies' Strange Blue World

Fearless Futurist Mac Tonnies Goes Off On Mars

"With little more than small-press exposure to his credit, 20-year-old Tonnies makes an early bid for greater recognition with his first collection of short fiction, an uneven but always absorbing assortment of sketches that reveals a surprisingly mature craftsman at home with the vernacular of contemporary sf."

--Booklist

"I like it when young guys with attitude tear right into the genre without asking anybody's permission."

--Bruce Sterling

"Mac Tonnies has a gift for words and a bright, bent vision."

--Rob Chilson

A. Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble should still carry it. (To order it from the former, click the cover above.) You can also find it in libraries and used-book stores. If not, any respectable distributor should be able to get hold of a copy. Actually, I recommend that you don't read it, as it was published way back in 1995 and I don't consider it representative of what I'm writing now.

Q. I've written a book. If I send it to you will you review it on your site?

A. Please query first. In general, no self-published books, please.

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