The Functional Nerds Podcast

In episode 348 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Patrick Lohier – co-author of False Idols – an upcoming new release from SerialBox.com! Patrick Lohier’s stories, book reviews, and essays have appeared in African American Review, the Georgia Review, Callaloo, the Globe & Mail, Boing Boing and other publications. He is an alumnus of the Caldera Artists Residency program, in Sisters, Oregon, and lives in Toronto with his wife and two kids. You can find Patrick online at www.patricklohier.com. About False Idols: FBI Linguist Layla el-Deeb is deep undercover posing as an heiress in the Middle East. She must infiltrate the highest echelons of society in order to trace priceless relics from their millionaire owners back to illegal digs and the terrorist groups profiting from their sale. But Layla’s troubled past and growing feelings for an art dealer’s son begin to complicate her judgment, and when she uncovers a terrorist plot that threatens American and Egyptian lives she must decide where her loyalties truly lie. False Idols is written by Lisa Klink, Diana Renn and Patrick Lohier. This week’s picks: * Patrick Lohier: Annihilation: A Novel by Jeff VanderMeer * John: Google Pixel 2 * Patrick: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter Links: * Patrick Lohier on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio and a promo for 20 Minute Delay – the new podcast from Gail Carriger and Piper J. Drake.

In episode 347 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome long-time podcast friend and author Django Wexler – whose new novel The Infernal Battalion – Book Five of The Shadow Campaigns – is out and concludes the series! What do we talk about? Well folks – THIS IS THE SPOILER EPISODE for Star Wars: The Last Jedi. If you haven’t seen the movie yet – you may want to skip this one until after you’ve seen it. You have been warned… The Infernal Battalion: The Beast, the ancient demon imprisoned beneath the fortress-city of Elysium for a thousand years, has been loosed on the world. It absorbs mind after mind, spreading like a plague through the north. The fell army it has raised threatens the heart of Vordan, and it is under the command of the Beast’s greatest prize: legendary general Janus bet Vhalnich. As Queen Raesinia Orboan and soldiers Marcus D’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass grapple with the aftermath of a hard-fought military campaign, they soon discover a betrayal they never could have foreseen. The news arrives like a thunderbolt: Janus has declared himself the rightful Emperor of Vordan. Chaos grips the city as officers and regiments are forced to declare for queen or emperor. Raesinia must struggle to keep her country under control and risks becoming everything she fought against. Marcus must take the field against his old commander, a man who has seemed an unbeatable strategist. And as Winter recovers from her injuries and mourns her losses, she knows the demon she carries inside her might be the only thing standing between the Beast and the destruction of everything in its path…. About Django Wexler: Django Wexler graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with degrees in creative writing and computer science, and worked for the university in artificial intelligence research. Eventually he migrated to Microsoft in Seattle, where he now lives with two cats and a teetering mountain of books. When not writing, he wrangles computers, paints tiny soldiers, and plays games of all sorts. This week’s picks: * Django: Netflix: Dark * Pick 2: Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames * John: Travelers Season 2 * Patrick: Persepolis Rising by James S.A. Corey Links: * Django Wexler on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio and a promo f...

In episode 346 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome J.F. Dubeau – author of The Life Engineered, A God in the Shed and Arch-Android – the sequel to The Life Engineered. The Life Engineered is one of the first three books inducted into the Sword & Laser Collection on Inkshares. In the year 3594, humanity is little more than a memory—a legend of the distant past, a rumor that might one day reappear. Capeks, a race of artificial creatures originally created by humans, have inherited the galaxy and have formed a utopian civilization built upon individual purposes serving the whole. They busy themselves tirelessly toward preparing the way for humanity’s return. As a newly created Capek, Dagir is expected to find her place in this intricate society. Weighed down by the legacy of her creation and built for rescue and repair, she finds her abilities tested immediately after her birth. The destruction of a large, sentient Capek building facility—her creator—signals the end of peace and marks the first instance of murder among Capeks. For the first time in their history, conflicting philosophies clash, setting off a civil war that could lay waste to the stars themselves. As the layers of Capek history peel away to reveal more of their origin, truths see the light for the first time in centuries. The revelations that result may tear humanity’s children apart—and destroy the galaxy in the process. About J.F. Dubeau: By profession, he is a graphic designer. He’s always been somewhat good with images and visual communications and has been making his living using those skills for nearly two decades. He is also a story teller. For as long as he can remember, he’s been trying to tell stories. Comics, role playing games, even through illustrations, his focus has always been on narratives, characters, plots and tales. A few years ago he started writing long form fiction and novels… This week’s picks: * J.F.: Galilee by Clive Barker * John: Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson * Patrick: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Links: * J.F. Dubeau on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2018 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In the 345th episode of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick and John spend some time talking about Year End Picks for TV shows and bands/albums, then we have a spoilery talk about Star Wars: The Last Jedi wherein we try really hard not to spoil much and are as vague as we can manage, but you should still beware if you haven’t seen the movie yet… Year End Picks: TV Shows: * John #1: Travelers * Patrick #1: Bosch * John #2: Star Wars Rebels * Patrick #2: Rick & Morty * John #3: Stranger Things * Patrick #3: The Tick Honorable Mentions in TV Shows: * Patrick: * Mozart in the Jungle * Gilmore Girls: A Year In The Life * John: * Voltron Music/Bands/Albums: * Patrick #1: Rival Sons * John #1: Tokyo Motor Fist * Patrick #2: Halestorm * John #2: Sons of Apollo: Psychotic Symphony * Patrick #3: Inglorious * John #3: The Night Flight Orchestra: Amber Galactic Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In the 344th episode of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick and John persevere through a tryptophan-induced haze in order to talk about several things, including Thanksgiving, Zencastr, umms, uhhs and ya knows, show prep, interviews, recording and editing, public speaking, content marketing, deliberate practice, the proper way to cook yams, teaching, New Yorkers (and east coasters), The Punisher, Netflix, PlayStation, Star Wars, The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band and much more… Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 343 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome fantasy author Tracy Townsend, whose debut novel – The Nine – is available from PYR. About Tracy: Tracy Townsend holds a Master’s degree in Writing & Rhetoric from DePaul University and a Bachelor’s degree in creative writing from DePauw University, a source of regular consternation when proofreading her credentials. She has served as chair of the English Department at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, an elite public boarding school, where she currently teaches creative writing and science fiction & fantasy literature. She has been a martial arts instructor, a stage combat and accent coach, and a short-order cook for houses full of tired gamers. Now she lives in Bolingbrook, Illinois with two bumptious hounds, two remarkable children, and one very patient husband. Her short story, “Late Arrivals,” was published by Luna Station Quarterly in March 2016. This week’s picks: * Tracy: Thor: Ragnarok * John: Future Man * Patrick: Mindhunter Links: * Tracy Townsend on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 342 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome New York Times Bestselling Author and award winning game designer Richard Baker. His latest novel – a military SF called Valiant Dust – is available from Tor Books. About Richard: A former United States Navy officer and a well-known game designer, Richard Baker is the author of fourteen novels, including the New York Times best seller Condemnation (Wizards of the Coast, 2003) and the highly acclaimed The Last Mythal trilogy (Wizards of the Coast, 2004–2006). He is a lifelong devotee of science fiction and fantasy, a history enthusiast (particularly military history), and an avid fan of games of all kinds. This week’s picks: * Richard: The Sand Pebbles – Steve McQueen * John: Movies Anywhere * Patrick: All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records Links: * Richard Baker on Facebook * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 341 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome E. C. Myers and Andrea Phillips – two of the authors behind ReMade Season 2 – now on SerialBox.com. About ReMade: Every minute, 108 people die. In one of those minutes this fall, twenty-three of those deaths will be teenagers. Now they are humanity’s last hope for survival. Awakened in a post-apocalyptic world and hunted by mechanical horrors, these teens search for answers amidst the ruins of civilization. Fate, love, and loyalty face off in this adrenaline -pumping adventure. About E. C. Myers: E(ugene).C. Myers is the author of four young adult novels: Fair Coin, Quantum Coin, The Silence of Six, and Against All Silence. His science fiction and fantasy short stories have been published in a number of magazines and anthologies such as Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fiction and Fantasy Stories, Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and Space and Time magazine. He attended the Clarion West Writers Workshop in 2005 and is a member of the professional writing group Altered Fluid. He currently lives with his wife, son, two doofy cats, and a deaf Australian Shepherd in Pennsylvania. In his increasingly scarce free time, he blogs Star Trek Re-watch reviews with Torie Atkinson at TheViewscreen.com, is an assistant editor at Nightmare Magazine, critiques manuscripts, reads constantly, lurks on the internet, plays video games, and pursues other extracurricular activities that prevent him from getting sleep. About Andrea Phillips: Andrea Phillips is an award-winning transmedia writer, game designer and author. She has worked on projects such as iOS fitness games Zombies, Run! and The Walk, The Maester’s Path for HBO’s Game of Thrones, human rights game America 2049, and the independent commercial ARG Perplex City. Her projects have variously won the Prix Jeunesse Interactivity Prize, a Broadband Digital award, a Canadian Screen Award, a BIMA, the Origins Vanguard Innovation Award, and others. Her book A Creator’s Guide to Transmedia Storytelling is used to teach digital storytelling at universities around the world. Her independent work includes the Kickstarted serial The Daring Adventures of Captain Lucy Smokeheart and The McKinnon Account, a short story that unfolds in your email inbox. Her debut novel Revision is out on May 5 from Fireside Fiction Co. and her short fiction has been published in Escape Pod and the Jews vs. Aliens anthology. This week’s picks: * E.C.: Retronauts – America’s favorite classic gaming podcast, probably * Andrea: Goblin: The Lonely and Great God (Korean TV Show) * John: StrangerThings Season 2 * Patrick: StrangerThings Season 2 Links: * E. C. Myers on Twitter * Andrea Phillips on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter

In the epic 340th episode of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick welcomes John Anelio who welcomes Patrick Hester to talk about the bands Extreme, Radiohead, Soul II Soul, and Tom Petty. Which leads (obviously – come on now) to streaming shows, Star Trek: Discovery versus The Orville, the CW, Game of Thrones and The Humans. Which, as inevitably happens in every household across the world, leads to talk of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and, of course, The New Mutants. We certainly hope you’re following along here, people… Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 339 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Charles de Lint – the author of more than eighty adult, young adult, and children’s books. Renowned as one of the trailblazers of the modern fantasy genre, he is the recipient of the World Fantasy, Aurora (three times), Sunburst, and White Pine awards, among others and was recently inducted into the Canadian SF & Fantasy Association Hall of Fame. His latest book, The Wind in His Heart – de Lint’s first adult novel in eight years – was published in September 2017. The Wind in His Heart: Young Thomas Corn Eyes sees into the otherworld, but all he wants to do is get off the rez. Steve Cole escaped from his rock star life to disappear into the desert and mountains. Fifteen-year-old barrio kid Sadie Higgins has been discarded once too often. Blogger Leah Hardin needs to leave Newford, come to terms with the loss of her best friend, and actually engage with her life. When these lives collide in the Hierro Maderas Mountains, they must struggle to escape their messy pasts and find a way to carve a future for themselves. They don’t just have to learn how to survive. They have to learn how to fly. This week’s picks: * Charles: The Rules of Magic: A Novel (The Practical Magic Series) by Alice Hoffman * John: The Traveling Wilburys * Patrick: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream (Netflix link) Links: * Charles on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 338 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome J.T. Evans to talk about his debut novel – out in a couple weeks from WordFire Press – Griffin’s Feather! About J.T.: J.T. Evans writes fantasy novels. He also dabbles with science fiction and horror short stories. He is the former president of Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group and Pikes Peak Writers. Griffin’s Feather is an urban fantasy about an immortal Roman Centurion named Marcus who works as a bounty hunter for the gods of the ancient world in modern-day San Antonio. When two such gods appear and set him on separate tracks, he has little time to get the jobs done before they’ll start hunting him… This week’s picks: * J.T.: eero Home WiFi System * John: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson * Patrick: Sedona, Az. Links: * J.T. Evans on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 337 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome New York Times Bestselling author Kevin Hearne to talk about his new book – out today! – A Plague of Giants! Plus, ya know, we talk about the Iron Druid books, cuz, yeah – Patrick is a HUGE fan… About Kevin: Kevin hugs the hell out of trees and loves doggies and living in Colorado with his family. He is also fond of comic books, whiskey, beer, tacos, fresh air, clean energy, and friendly people. He’s prone to singing in parking lots if you get him drunk enough and has been told that his handwriting is really quite lovely. About A Plague of Giants – a thrilling novel that kicks off a fantasy series with an entirely new mythology–complete with shape-shifting bards, fire-wielding giants, and children who can speak to astonishing beasts. MOTHER AND WARRIOR Tallynd is a soldier who has already survived her toughest battle: losing her husband. But now she finds herself on the front lines of an invasion of giants, intent on wiping out the entire kingdom, including Tallynd’s two sons–all that she has left. The stakes have never been higher. If Tallynd fails, her boys may never become men. SCHOLAR AND SPY Dervan is an historian who longs for a simple, quiet life. But he’s drawn into intrigue when he’s hired to record the tales of a mysterious bard who may be a spy or even an assassin for a rival kingdom. As the bard shares his fantastical stories, Dervan makes a shocking discovery: He may have a connection to the tales, one that will bring his own secrets to light. REBEL AND HERO Abhi’s family have always been hunters, but Abhi wants to choose a different life for himself. Embarking on a journey of self-discovery, Abhi soon learns that his destiny is far greater than he imagined: a powerful new magic thrust upon him may hold the key to defeating the giants once and for all–if it doesn’t destroy him first. Set in a magical world of terror and wonder, this novel is a deeply felt epic of courage and war, in which the fates of these characters intertwine–and where ordinary people become heroes, and their lives become legend. This week’s picks: * Kevin: The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang * John: The Way of Baseball Finding Stillness at 95 mph by Shawn Green * Patrick: Rick and Morty S2 & 3 Links: * Kevin Hearne on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 336 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick and John talk about Stevie Ray Vaughan: Rise of a Texas Bluesman, guitars, music, sheet music, guitar tablature, music books, Unplugged, Eric Clapton Unplugged, the blues, Bon Jovi, documentaries, Video Games: The Movie, modern game consoles, and much more. Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio. Music List for those who ask…: * Wanted Dead Or Alive (acoustic) * Oreo Cookie Blues (acoustic) * Life By The Drop (acoustic) * Layla (acoustic) * Blue on Black (acoustic)

In the double-sized episode 335 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome journalist, editor, author, DJ and 2017 MileHiCon Toastmaster, Jason Heller. His latest book, Strange Stars, is available for pre-orders and will come out June 5, 2018. We talk about a lot of things, including his book, our new recording platform – Zencastr – MileHiCon, Ed Bryant, Herbie Hancock, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, Peter Gabriel, Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, King Crimson, Goosebumps and more… About Jason Heller: Jason is a journalist, editor, and author whose books include: Strange Stars (forthcoming from Melville House); the alt-history novel Taft 2012 (Quirk); the Goosebumps tie-in Slappy’s Revenge (Scholastic); the Pirates of the Caribbean tie-in The Captain Jack Sparrow Handbook (Disney); and a chapter of Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s The Time Traveler’s Almanac (Tor). He is also the former nonfiction editor of Clarkesworld and won a Hugo Award as part of that editing team. His short stories have appeared in Apex Magazine, Farrago’s Wainscot, Sybil’s Garage, Paper Darts, Nightmares Unhinged, Swords v. Cthulhu, and many others. He writes about books and/or music for NPR, Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and The New Yorker, and is a former Senior Writer of The Onion’s A.V. Club. His writing has also appeared in Weird Tales, Entertainment Weekly, Alternative Press, and Tor.com. He is the co-editor of the upcoming anthologies Cyber World (Hex) and Mechanical Animals (Hex), and is a 2009 graduate of the Odyssey Writing Workshop. He’s represented by Jennifer Jackson, Vice President of Donald Maass Literary Agency. He lives with his wife Angie in Denver, where he plays in various bands. About MileHiCon: MileHiCon is an annual science fiction/fantasy convention held in Denver, Colorado in October. It is primarily literary, although it also has an art show, dealers’ room, the Critter Crunch (similar to Robot Wars), the Critter Float-illa (robotic competition in the hotel pool), a video room, anime room, masquerade, gaming, bat’leth tournament, and programming on science, writing, literary, media and fannish topics. It runs its own track of kid-friendly, interactive programming and also hosts the Avistrum Academy of Sorcery. It is run by MileHiCon, Inc., a Colorado not-for-profit corporation, and donates money each year to local literacy programs. This week’s picks: * Jason: Escape from Planet Earth (song) by The Continental IV * John: Leia, Princess of Alderaan * Patrick: The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan, audiobook, narrated by Michael Kramer and Kate Reading Links: * Jason Heller on Twitter * MileHiCon on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter ...

In episode 334 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman – co-authors of Slayers & Vampires: The Complete Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Buffy & Angel – the amazing true story of Buffy and the friends, vampires, slayers, and demons who changed television forever. About Edward Gross: Edward Gross is an entertainment journalist who has covered film and television for a wide variety of publications, including Geek, SciFi Now, CFQ, SFX, Starlog, Cinescape and many others. Additionally he’s written a number of non-fiction “making of” books, including this year’s two-volume Fifty-Year Mission: the Complete Oral History of Star Trek (co-written with Mark A. Altman) for St. Martin’s Press. About Mark A. Altman: Mark A. Altman is a writer, producer and actor whose credits include, DOA: Dead or Alive (producer), The Specials (producer, actor), Free Enterprise (writer, producer, actor), House of the Dead (writer, producer), House of the Dead 2 (writer, producer, actor), Room 6 (writer, producer, actor), The Thirst (producer), All Souls Day (writer, producer), Dead And Deader (writer, producer), The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: Volume One: The First 25 Years (writer, with Edward Gross). This week’s picks: * Ed: Wiseguy TV Show * Mark: Feud: Bette and Joan * John: The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher * Patrick: The Confederation Series by Tonya Huff – Narrated by Marguerite Gavin Links: * Edward Gross on Twitter * Mark A. Altman on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere) © 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.