Speculate!

Welcome to a new series on Speculate called Speculate Capsules. In our first episode, we’re happy to bring you a review of The Death House (non-spoilery) and an interview with the author, Sarah Pinborough, in which we talk about the genesis of The Death House, about how she tackled such dark material but also leavened it with comedy and uplifting emotions, and about how the book speaks to living in the moment. Follow Sarah on Twitter: @SarahPinborough.

Welcome to Episode 151 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. As we head into our sixth year of production, in our first episode of 2016 we begin a new triptych of shows with our reader response to Katherine Addison‘s Locus-award winning The Goblin Emperor, a striking combination of steampunk, political intrigue, and, well, goblins. We talk about the wonderful worldbuilding and characterizations, the way the book acts as a palate cleanser from the current grimdark landscape of fantasy fiction, and the social stakes at the heart of the novel…plus some of the aspects of language which did and didn’t work for us.  We really enjoyed this book, and we’re looking forward to talking about in more detail over the coming weeks.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll chat with Katherine Addison herself about the book.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so you can get access to even more content and we can continue to bring you analysis of the best authors, editors, and artists in speculative fiction.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and and spreading the word about the show!

     Welcome to Episode 150 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, part of our Paths to Publication series, we talk about the changes in the industry from the perspective of two veteran and multiple award-winning authors who have been at this for a while: Elizabeth Bear and Daryl Gregory.  We cover some of the differences between writing short and long fiction, the thought that goes into building a career from the beginning, and what authors can (and can’t) get from attending live events like conferences and conventions.  Both of these authors are as engaging as they are respected in the field, and we really enjoyed our chat with them–if you felt the same, we hope you’ll check back soon for another series of shows, including a new triptych early in the new year.  And as this will probably be our final show in 2015, all of us here at Speculate would like to wish you and yours the very best for a peaceful and happy holiday season, and look forward to having you back next month when we begin our sixth year of production!  Remember, both our writing technique shows and the Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including a new one from this episode) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

                             Welcome to Episode 149 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about a new publisher with a new approach to serialized fiction, SerialBox Publishing, with its founder Julian Yap and two of its well-known authors, Ellen Kushner and Max Gladstone.  Julian and his veteran authors discuss the reasons this approach is finding favor in the market, what challenges and benefits arise from writing (and directing) serialized fiction in Ellen’s Tremontaine and Max’s Bookburners, and what the future holds for this format.  All three guests convey the interest and value of SerialBox really well during the discussion, and we hope you enjoyed learning about it as much as we did.  If so, don’t forget to check back soon for a discussion with Elizabeth Bear and Daryl Gregory in our Paths to Publication series–and if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so you can get access to even more content and we can continue to bring you analysis of the best authors, editors, and artists in speculative fiction.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

       Welcome to Episode 148 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we conclude our two-show series on the work of Daniel Polansky, focusing on his novella The Builders, by chatting with Daniel himself and his Tor.com editor, Justin Landon.  Justin talks about what drew him to The Builders and why he thought it was a perfect work for a novella generally and Tor.com specifically, what the editing process was like, and why he thinks the novella form has become more popular and commercially viable in recent years, while Daniel discusses the challenges of writing novellas as opposed to novels, the influences on The Builders, and whether he finds thematic or message-oriented fiction as interested as just a plain story…and why.  We really had a lot of fun with this book and the conversation, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for a special roundtable discussion with Max Gladstone, Ellen Kushner, and Julian Yap about SerialBox Publishing.  And remember, both our writing technique shows and the Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including a new one from this episode with Daniel and Justin) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 147 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a brief two-show set on the work of Daniel Polansky, looking at his new novella The Builders, published by Tor.com.  Joined by new addition to the team Mike Underwood, we chat about the Redwall meets Unforgiven nostalgia which The Builders unabashedly embraces, the excellent tone and pacing, the wonderfully detailed characters (despite the brief time we have to get to know them), and the sense of humor which keeps an otherwise dark tale from sinking into a morass of despair and gloom.  We also set the stage for our upcoming discussion with several Tor.com notables about the novella and Tor.com’s general approach to publishing, which has been attracting a great deal of notice and praise–and which both Mike and Brad, with works due out from them in the future, were drawn to as well.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll have that discussion with the Tor.com people.  And if you haven’t done so already, please continue supporting our Patreon, which will give you exclusive content and other goodies from us every month.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

   Welcome to Episode 146 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about conferences, conventions, and writing tracks with veteran authors and writing track leads Kelly Swails (the Origins Library) and Marc Tassin (the Gen Con Writers’ Symposium), looking at how face to face interactions and networking can be valuable for aspiring authors, especially in an age of online communication…to say nothing of the skills one learns in the process!  We also talk about Kelly’s new novel This May Go On Your Permanent Record and Marc’s world of Aetaltis.  We also make a very important (and awesome!) announcement concerning the future of Speculate, so make sure to stick around for that at the end of the show.  Marc and Kelly have a good deal of experience in the industry, and we enjoyed getting their take on the current situation for authors in the speculative fiction field–we hope you liked it as much as we did, and if so, don’t forget to check back soon for the first of two shows on Daniel Polansky‘s The Builders, recently out from Tor.com.  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Marc and Kelly from this very discussion) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

    Welcome to Episode 145 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about comedy, live readings, science fiction, and performative writing with authors Adam Rakunas and Patrick Tomlinson, both with debut novels from Angry Robot either just out or on the way.  We discuss the ways the “performative” experience and writing experience are linked, and how both Adam and Pat made their ways down a rather winding road to publication…and how their stories might be connected to those of other aspiring authors looking to be published.  We enjoyed this conversation with two funny and dynamic authors, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!  If you liked what you heard, don’t forget to check back soon for our roundtable discussion with Kelly Swails and Marc Tassin, both authors and heads of writing tracks at the Origins and Gen Con conventions, respectively.  We’ll also have a special announcement on that show, so make sure to tune in!  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Adam and Pat from this very discussion) are only available to our Patreon supporters, who have had some new folks join the ranks recently–so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

             Welcome to Episode 144 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about reading series and short stories with the legendary editor Ellen Datlow and author/editor Matthew Kressel, who co-host the KGB Fantastic Fiction series in New York City, looking at how each of our guests got involved in hosting KGB, how reading series have changed over the years, and what the live experience offers which other more canned or isolated experiences don’t.  We also talk about the process of constructing an anthology, and the difference between short and long fiction from a writing perspective.  We really enjoyed this conversation with two very interesting and active people in the genre, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!  If you liked what you heard, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll have a roundtable discussion with Adam Rakunas and Patrick Tomlinson.  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Ellen and Matt from this very conversation!) are only available to our Patreon supporters–so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 142 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Helene Wecker, focusing on her novel The Golem and the Jinni.  Helene talks about the reasons she eventually decided to write The Golem and the Jinni as a fantasy, what aspects of cultural interaction she found most interesting in writing the book, her methods of research and much more.  This was an interesting discussion about a really great book, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our final show of the triptych as we look at some of the writing techniques used in the novel.  And remember, both our writing technique shows and the Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including a new one from Helene!) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more about Helene and her work.  Thanks to all who have supported us, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 141 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a new triptych of shows with our reader response to Helene Wecker‘s extraordinary The Golem and the Jinni.  Along with Paul Weimer (of SF Signal and Skiffy and Fanty fame), we talk about the incredible worldbuilding in the book, the way even side characters are fully realized, and how the turn of the century New York flavor really draws the reader into the tale–along with the ways the two main characters play off each other.  As you’ll be able to tell, we’re all big fans of the book, and we were glad to have Paul join us to talk about it.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll have Helene Wecker herself to chat about the book.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so we can continue to bring you analysis of the best authors, editors and artists in speculative fiction.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 140 of Speculate! the Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, we once again turn the mic on Brad and Greg. Michael Underwood, friend of the show and another guest who talked in Episode 138 about his own path to publication, now interviews the Speculate hosts to talk about theirs. Brad gives a somewhat traditional, sometimes bumpy path, from writing short stories to landing a deal with Night Shade Books to his eventual sale of Twelve Kings in Sharakhai to DAW Book and Gollancz. Greg talks about his path from academic to published novelist and how his experiences in obtaining his doctorate now helps him in his writing pursuits and beyond. He also talks about how his Twitch TV channel helps him to reach a wider, if slightly different, audience, and how games helps him to scratch the itch of community and storytelling. Keep an eye out for Mike Underwood’s upcoming Genrenauts: The Shootout Solution, Part 1 of a new novella series. And be sure to check out Twelve Kings in Sharakhai, available now anywhere fine books are sold. Lastly, we can’t do this show without you, our listeners. Support us via our Patreon page so we can keep bringing our brand of high-quality podcasts to you.

Welcome to Episode 139 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk to the Gen Con 2015 Author Guest of Honor Terry Brooks, multiple New York Times bestselling author of the Shannara and Landover series, about his career, his love of conventions, and the upcoming MTV series The Shannara Chronicles.  During our chat we get to hear about Terry’s personal journey to publication, why he’s always remained so positive in his career, his excitement for the new television series, and why he thinks a sense of hope in literature is so important.  This was a really enjoyable conversation with a truly engaging and pleasant grandmaster of the field, and we hope you get as much out of it as we did!  If so, don’t forget to check back soon for our roundtable discussion with Mike Underwood about our own journeys to publication, and of course our new triptych of shows on Helene Wecker‘s The Golem and the Jinni.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so we can continue to bring you analysis of the best authors, editors and artists in speculative fiction.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

          Welcome to Episode 138 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode, taped recently at Gen Con, we talk to authors Wesley Chu and Mike Underwood about their experiences in publishing to date and what their personal journeys to publication suggest about the field as a whole–along with how other stuff (like that most dangerous of temptations, gaming) fits into their daily writing routines.  We also make some predictions (fearless ones, we hope!) about where things are going in the near future.  This was a lot of fun, and represents the first of three shows we taped with authors about the path to publication–if you enjoyed it as much as we did, make sure to check back next week when we’ll have our interview with Gen Con 2015 Guest of Honor Terry Brooks.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 137 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk to the inimitable Ed Greenwood, author, editor, creator of the Forgotten Realms, and head of the new publishing company The Ed Greenwood Group, about his new work and his new venture.  As usual, Ed amazes with his inexhaustible energy and enthusiasm, and his plans are exciting, to say the least–plus we get to hear his thoughts about how publishing has changed over the past ten years, and why now is the perfect time for TEGG.  We hope you enjoyed the chat as much as we did!  If so, don’t forget to check back for our next set of shows, interviews with some of the luminaries at Gen Con 2015.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so we can continue to bring you analysis of the best authors, editors and artists in speculative fiction. Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!