The Functional Nerds Podcast

In episode 288 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with Narrator, Gamer, Writer, Warrior Princess, Podcast Director and Non-fiction Editor for Clarkesworld Magazine, Kate Baker. About Kate:  Kate Baker is the Podcast Director and Non-fiction Editor for Clarkesworld Magazine. She has been very privileged to narrate over 350 short stories/poems by some of the biggest names in Science Fiction and Fantasy. Since joining the Clarkesworld staff in 2009, she has narrated over 300 stories (1 Million+ words) and the Clarkesworld Podcast has been downloaded over 2 million times. She has been nominated for a Parsec Award, and a World Fantasy Award. Kate  won the Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine in 2011 and 2013,  the British Fantasy Award for Best Magazine  in 2014 and the World Fantasy Award for Special Award: Non Professional in 2014 alongside the wonderfully talented editorial staff of Clarkesworld Magazine. Kate has also read for various other audio venues such as StarShipSofa, Escape Pod, Nightmare Magazine, Mash Stories, The Drabblecast and Cast of Wonders. Kate is currently situated in Northern Connecticut with her first fans; her three wonderful children. She is currently working as the Director of Operations for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. Picks: * Kate: Destiny: XBOX One * John: Life Debt by Chuck Wendig * Patrick: WorldCon Links: * Kate on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 287 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with Blake Charlton, doctor and author of Spellbreaker. About Blake:  Blake Charlton  is now a proud dyslexic, but as a boy he hated the condition that kept him effectively illiterate. He learned to read fluently by sneaking fantasy novels into seventh grade special-ed study hall. Since then he has been–in no particular order–a JV football coach, a high school English teacher, bald, a medical student, a resident physician, and a special education  advocate. He is currently a cardiology fellow at the University of California San Francisco. His non-fiction has appeared in The British Medical Journal and The New York Times,among others His science fiction short stories have appeared in the Seeds of Changeand the Unfettered anthologies. He is the author of two critically acclaimed fantasy novels, Spellwright and Spellbound. His third novel, Spellbreaker, is scheduled for US publication in June 2016. Picks: * Blake: The Court of Fives by Kate Elliot * John: The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World by Adam Gazzaley * Patrick: The Aeronaut’s Windlass (audio) by Jim Butcher, narrated by Euan Morton * Special Mention: Star Trek’s 50th Anniversary Links: * Blake on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page * Patrick’s reveal of the cover for Samantha Kane: Into The Fire © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 286 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat about the circumstances leading up to an unplanned hiatus, their return to podcasting, John’s odd illness, Patrick’s trip to WorldCon and his book cover reveal, The Transformers Movie 30th Anniversary, and much, much more. Download the episode to your favorite listening device and then let John and Patrick totally fill your ears with warm, gooey podcasting goodness… Which isn’t at all as gross as it sounds. Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 285 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with W.C. Bauers, author of Indomitable: The Chronicles of Promise Paen. About W.C.: W. C. Bauers works in sales and publishing during the day and writes military science fiction and space opera at night. His first novel, UNBREAKABLE, was an Amazon and B&N, Science Fiction and Fantasy Best Book of the Month pick, for January 2015. His second, INDOMITABLE, is a B&N and Kirkus Best of the Month Pick, for SF/F, for July 2016. Bauers’s interests include Taekwondo, military history, all varieties of Munchkin, and drinking hot caf. He lives in the Rocky Mountains with his wife, three boys, and the best rescue in the world. Picks: * W.C.: Superfight – The Card Game * John: The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future  * Patrick: * Kenwood Bluetooth Enabled Car Stereo * Audio Books – because they’re awesome * Pathfinder: Rise of the RuneLords Card Game Links: * W.C on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 284 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with Kelly Robson, author of Waters of Versailles. About Kelly: In 2015, Kelly’s first fiction publications appeared in major Science Fiction markets Clarkesworld, Tor.com, and Asimov’s Science Fiction, and in the anthologies New Canadian Noir, In the Shadow of the Towers, and License Expired. She is a finalist for the World Fantasy Award, the Nebula Award, the Prix Aurora Award, the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, and the Sunburst award. After years in Vancouver, she and her wife (fellow SF writer A.M. Dellamonica) now live in Toronto. Picks: * Kelly: * The Living & The Dead (BBC) * The Brothers Jetstream: Leviathan * John: Reclaiming Conversation * Patrick: Scrivener 2.8 & Scrivener for iOS Links: * Kelly on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 283 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with Mike Brooks, author of Dark Run. About Mike: Mike Brooks was born in Ipswich, Suffolk and moved to Nottingham when he was 18 to go to university. He’s stayed there ever since, and now lives with his wife, two cats, two snakes and a collection of tropical fish. He is the author of the Keiko novels, sci-fi adventures that follow the escapades of those crewing the spaceship of the same name: DARK RUN and DARK SKY are both out in the UK: DARK RUN was released in North America in May 2016 and DARK SKY will follow in March 2017. When not writing he works for a homelessness charity, plays guitar and sings in a punk band, watches football (soccer), MMA and nature/science documentaries, goes walking in the Peak District or other areas of splendid scenery, and DJs wherever anyone will tolerate him. Picks: * Mike: In the Labyrinth of Drakes: A Memoir by Lady Trent * John: Google Keep Ap * Patrick: Amazon FireTV Stick HD Links: * Mike on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 282 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with Laurence MacNaughton, author of It Happened One Doomsday. About Laurence: Laurence grew up in a creaky old colonial house in Connecticut that he was pretty sure was haunted. As a kid, he was a choirboy in a church that was built in 1754. He also pounded out stories on a black manual typewriter until he sold his first magazine article at age 19. Over the years, he’s been a bookseller, typesetter, printer, copywriter and (somewhat randomly) a prototype vehicle test driver. When not writing, he bikes and hikes the Colorado Rockies, explore ghost towns and wrench on old cars. But the whole time, he’s usually thinking about the book he’s going to write next. Picks: * Laurence: * 10 Cloverfield Lane * Scapple * John: The View From The Cheap Seats by Neil Gaimon * Patrick: Humble Bundles Links: * Laurence on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 281 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with author Rachel Dunne. About Rachel: Living in the cold reaches of the upper Midwest with her great beast of a dog, Rachel Dunne has developed a great fondness for indoor activities. For as long as snow continues falling in Wisconsin, she promises to stay inside and keep writing. Her first novel, In the Shadow of the Gods, was a semi-finalist for the 2014 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and will be published by Harper Voyager in June of 2016. Its two sequels will follow. Picks: * Rachel: Firewatch * John: All The Bird’s In The Sky * Patrick: World of Warcraft (movie) Links: * Rachel on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 280 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with Amalie Howard, author of many books including her latest, The Fallen Prince. About Amalie: AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or being a tomboy running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 25 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts. Picks: * Amalie: * The 100 * Game of Thrones * Deadpool * The Twenty One Pilots * John: A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms * Patrick: * Denver ComiCon * Audio Books: * Hounded By Kevin Hearne, Narrated By Luke Daniels * Hexed By Kevin Hearne, Narrated By Luke Daniels Links: * Amalie on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 279P of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat about many things, but mostly – Daredevil Season 2. THIS EPISODE CONTAINS DAREDEVIL SEASON 2 SPOILERS!! This episode originally appeared in the Patreon-only feed so our backers got to listen to it first. We also talk a lot about superhero movies in general, shows we like, and more. But don’t take my word for it, download the episode to your favorite listening device and then let John and Patrick totally fill your ears with gooey podcasting… …which totally isn’t as gross as it sounds. Want to hear episodes like these all the time and soon after they’re recorded? Consider backing The Functional Nerds over on Patreon! You can pledge whatever you like. Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 278 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Claudia Christian and Morgan Grant Buchanan, co-authors of Wolf’s Empire: Gladiator, available from TOR on June 28th, 2016. About Claudia: Claudia Christian has been an actress in TV and film since 1983 starring in dozens of films and the Hugo award winning science fiction series “Babylon 5” and she voices many of the top games in the world including Skyrim, Halo, World of Warcraft and Fallout 4. She resides in Los Angeles. About Morgan: Morgan Grant Buchanan is an Australian writer of sci-fi and historical fantasy. He writes comics, film, and short stories. Links: * Claudia on Twitter * Morgan on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 277 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio present Patrick’s chat with two legends – Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-Tep, Hap and Leonard) and Jeff Lindsay (Dexter) – live from the 2016 Pike Peak Writers Conference. About Joe: Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, and numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in more than two dozen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Ho-Tep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story “Incident On and Off a Mountain Road” was adapted to film for Showtime’s “Masters of Horror,” and he adapted his short story “Christmas with the Dead” to film his ownself. The film adaptation of his novel Cold in July was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. He is currently co-producing several films, is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats. About Jeff: Jeff Lindsay is the award-winning author of the NY Times Best-selling ‘Dexter’ novels upon which the international hit TV show “Dexter” is based. His books appear in 42 languages around the world. Although a full-time writer now, he has worked as an actor, comic, director, MC, bouncer, teacher, DJ, singer, songwriter, composer, musician, sportscaster, dishwasher, teacher, arts reporter, soccer coach, talk show host, steel worker, cook, detective, gardener, handyman, greeting card salesman and sailing instructor. He still does occasional work as a voice-over artist, including narrating his own audio books. Jeff performed extensively as a solo singer/guitarist on the coffee house circuit and later with a series of bands in the L.A. club scene of the early 1980s. He also worked for comedian Steve Allen for four years. He worked for 6 years as a story analyst, script doctor and screenwriter, and even had breakfast with Steven Spielberg. He also wrote several TV sitcoms, and many feature films, with his co-writer and wife Hilary Hemingway, for Paramount Pictures, Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Fries Entertainment, and Republic Pictures, and he has taught writing and screenwriting at the University level. Lindsay has written twenty-two plays – several of them musicals – which have been produced in New York, New Haven, Key West, Pittsburgh, London and California. For 5 years Jeff wrote “Fatherhood,” a semi-syndicated weekly column on parenting from the male perspective. He hosted several local PBS-TV shows, and a documentary, Hemingway In Cuba, which was seen nationally on PBS.  An enthusiastic cook, he also fishes, cruises on his 36 foot trawler, and acts as a trampoline for his three daughters. Links: *

In episode 276 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with author and podcaster, Tom Merritt. About Tom: Tom is an award-winning independent tech podcaster and host of regular tech news and information shows. Tom hosts Sword and Laser, a science fiction and fantasy podcast, and book club with Veronica Belmont. He also hosts Daily Tech News Show, covering the most important tech issues of the day with the smartest minds in technology. Tom and Scott Johnson cover the best of the geek world in a weekly show called Current Geek. With Brian Brushwood Tom hosts Cordkillers, bringing people the news they need to watch the TV shows and movies they want when they want and how they want them. He also hosts Five Apps for Tech Republic. All his shows are listed on the subscription page. From 2010 until 2013, Tom hosted the award-winning Tech News Today and weekly cord-cutting show Frame Rate on the TWiT network. He created, developed and produced both shows. From 2004 until 2010 Tom was executive editor for CNET TV at CNET.com. He hosted the daily Buzz Out Loud podcast and a weekly how-to show called The Real Deal. In addition, Tom hosted regular segments on CNET TV like Top 5, How-to, Hacks, and more. Tom served as executive producer for TechTV’s website until 2004. He started at ZDTV as Producer of The Screen Savers website in 1999. Tom has run SuBBrilliant.com since 1996. It is a collection of Web experiments including SuBBrilliant News, a parody news blog, and the East Meets West podcast which features Roger Chang. You’ll also find Tom as a guest or interviewed as an expert on many TV, radio and Internet shows like ABC’s Good Morning America, CBS Radio, NPR, This Week in Tech, The Phileas Club and more. Picks: * Tom: Uncharted 4 (PS4) * Bonus Pick: Orphan Black * John: Star Wars: Bloodline * Patrick: Yoast SEO Plugin for WordPress Links: * Tom on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 275 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat with author, podcaster and North American Sales & Marketing Manager for Angry Robot Books, Michael R. Underwood. About Michael: Michael R. Underwood is the author of seven books: Geekomancy, Celebromancy, Attack the Geek, Shield and Crocus, The Younger Gods, and The Shootout Solution. By day, he’s the North American Sales & Marketing Manager for Angry Robot Books. Mike grew up devouring stories in all forms, from comics to video games, tabletop RPGs, movies, and books. Always books. Mike lives in Baltimore with his wife and an ever-growing library. In his rapidly-vanishing free time, he studies historical martial arts and makes pizzas from scratch. He is also a co-host on the Hugo Award Finalist The Skiffy and Fanty Show and Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. Picks: * Michael: Overwatch * John: The Grace of Kings by Ken Liu * Patrick: Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes Links: * Michael on Twitter * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.

In episode 274P of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio chat. This episode originally appeared in the Patreon-only feed so our backers got to listen to it first. In it, we talk about Patrick’s new book deal with WordFire Press for his urban fantasy, SAMANTHA KANE: INTO THE FIRE. We also talk a lot about books, arcs, ebooks, NetGalley, our plans for future episodes, and more. But don’t take my word for it, download the episode to your favorite listening device and invite us into your ears! …which totally isn’t as gross as it sounds. Want to hear episodes like these all the time and soon after they’re recorded? Consider backing The Functional Nerds over on Patreon! You can pledge whatever you like. Links: * John Anealio on Twitter * Patrick Hester on Twitter * The Functional Nerds Patreon Page © 2016 Patrick Hester and John Anealio This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.