James D. Macdonald (1954- ) is an American critic and author working in multiple related genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and mystery. Many of his stories are co-written with his wife, Dr. Debra Doyle. 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... // For other meanings see Fantasy (disambiguation) Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... Mystery fiction is a distinct subgenre of detective fiction that entails the occurrence of an unknown event which requires the protagonist to make known (or solve). ...

He is proud of his involvement in science fiction fandom and for his work in attempting to educate writers, including as a moderator of electronic discussion groups starting with GEnie in the early 1990s and progressing eventually to Internet boards as these became more popular. In this capacity, he is perhaps best known under the psuedonym Yog Sysop and as Uncle Jim on the Absolute Write forums. James D. Macdonald offers his expertise on science fiction and writing. Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Fandom (from the noun fan and the affix -dom, as in kingdom, dukedom, etc. ... Ancient Assyrian stone relief of a genie. ...

James D. Macdonald is also known as the critical voice behind Red Mike's Reviews. As Red Mike, which he pens with his wife and writing partner Debra Doyle, he presents his voice of authority, often giving thumbs down and ridiculing popular and successful writers and movies. Together Uncle Jim and Dr. Doyle make up part of the core membership of the sff.net website and rec.arts.sff newsgroup, which includes other less known but longstanding notables in the science fiction field such as David Langford, and a network of associates, some published in the paperback mass market, who have appointed themselves as the gate-keepers of science fiction. The group is very supportive of promoting itself. David Langford David Langford (born April 10, 1953, in Newport, Monmouthshire) is a British science fiction author and critic. ...

His adage, Yog's Law ("money always flows toward the author"), is something he hopes will be quoted by writers as a way of warning novices about scams that the unwary writer seeking publication may fall into. He sets an example by requesting PayPal donations to himself on his various web sites seeking to mentor the young and naive.

In 2004 he organised the writing of a collaborative hoax novel, Atlanta Nights, in order to expose alleged vanity press PublishAmerica's lack of editorial standards. He frequently gives critiques on many authors and movies, applying his stringent and difficult personal standards of excellence. 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Atlanta Nights is a collaborative novel created by a group of science fiction and fantasy authors. ... A vanity press or vanity publisher is a book printer which, while claiming to be a publisher, charges writers a fee in return for publishing their books. ... PublishAmerica is a Maryland-based book publisher founded in 1999 by Lawrence Alvin Larry Clopper III and Willem Meiners. ...

He is also a frequent contributor to his long time friend and sff.net and rasff newgroup associate Teresa Nielsen Hayden's weblog, Making Light. Teresa Nielsen Hayden (born March 21, 1956) is an American science fiction editor, fanzine writer, and essayist. ...

External links

• Official web site
• James D. MacDonald at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
• Learn Writing with Uncle Jim (a long running thread at Absolute Write in which Mr. Macdonald offers advice to naive writers)
• Red Mike's Reviews Mr. Macdonald and wife Debra Doyle use their expertise as science fiction authorities to criticize and ridicule movies and books undeserving to be more popular than their own wizard-series paperback publications.
• The Bewares Board on Absolute Write, where Mr. Macdonald heroically battles scams and frauds aimed at writers.