With Both Hands

Sign in Subscribe

Benjamin Espen

Mighty Sons of Hercules: Market Research

Mighty Sons of Hercules: Market Research

In September I was talking with Alex of Cirsova Publishing about men's and women's tastes in fiction, and Alex mentioned that his mother had suggested marketing the Mighty Sons of Hercules short story collection to women. That piqued my interest, so I threatened to do some

The Long View 2009-05-01: The Chimera Shrugs

The Long View 2009-05-01: The Chimera Shrugs

I frequently lament that John J. Reilly left us too soon. He had a breadth of knowledge that is sorely lacking. In this 2009 post, John discusses the machinery that was put in place in the early 2000s to manage pandemics, populism, banking, and economics. I cannot usefully speculate how

The Great American [Adventure] Novel

The Great American [Adventure] Novel

Last week on X/Twitter I offered some suggestions in Travis Corcoran's thread about science fiction that belongs in the canon of Great American Literature. Lots of other people I know chimed in with good suggestions, but I wanted to step back from science fiction in particular in

Catholic Space Marines

Catholic Space Marines

I've put up both of John J. Reilly's books that I publish in the Summer 2025 Based Books Sale. I've participated in the sale before, as there are a ton of authors I like who also participate, and I usually sell a few copies

The Long View 2009-04-24: Witch Hunts & Purges

The Long View 2009-04-24: Witch Hunts & Purges

Last night on Twitter/X I suggested that John J. Reilly may be the prophet of our times. John died in 2012, but his writings offer us useful concepts for understanding our times based on history. In this 2009 blog post, John shows us what a modern day purge would

Trap Line by Timothy Zahn

Trap Line by Timothy Zahn

"Trap Line" might just be the perfect introduction to Timothy Zahn for those who are unfamiliar with him. This short story has Zahn's signature style, a hybrid of Campbelline science fiction with adventure, and often a little bit of mystery and intrigue too. His characters [and

WBH Digest 2025-04-25: The Campaign Continues

WBH Digest 2025-04-25: The Campaign Continues

Welcome back friends to the With Both Hands Digest! I logged off of Twitter/X for Lent and that ended up turning into a sabbatical from WBH as well. I spent my time engaging in spiritual disciplines, thinking different thoughts and doing different things from my normal routine, and I