Speculate!

Welcome to Episode 101 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we make a major announcement concerning the future of Speculate–our Kickstarter! That’s right, we’ve decided to dive into the Kickstarter waters, and in this show we describe all the stretch goals, pledge levels, and other goodies which await you if you’re willing to support us with a contribution. The Kickstarter will launch on May 13th, and as soon as the page goes live we’ll link to it here. Until then, thanks as always for tuning in, spreading the word, and (we hope) supporting the show via our Kickstarter!

Welcome to Episode 100 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we reflect for a bit on the hundred shows we’ve done over the past three plus years before concluding our triptych of shows on the work of Garth Nix and Sean Williams with a discussion of some of the writing techniques used in their novel Troubletwisters; we consider things like layered worldbuilding, methods of designing magic systems, developing bridge characters and creating initial conditions, along with other writing-oriented concepts.  If you like what you see and hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll be interviewing Peter V. Brett and Brent Weeks on new graphic novel projects coming soon from both authors.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

                    Welcome to Episode 99 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Garth Nix and Sean Williams, specifically their book (from the series of the same name) Troubletwisters.  As we had expected, Garth and Sean have a lot of interesting things to say about the state of the middle grade and young adult markets, what young people can and can’t handle in terms of difficult subject matter, and who really is the king of speculative fiction in Australia (minor spoiler: this question really isn’t resolved during the interview).  It all adds up to an interesting and fun conversation, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.  If so, remember to check back next week for our final show of the triptych, focusing on some of the writing techniques used in Troubletwisters.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word! Additional Note:  Nominations for the 2014 Hugo Awards are only open until this Monday at 11:59 p.m. PDT, and Speculate is eligible to be nominated in the Best Fancast category.  If you’re a voting member of either last year’s, this year’s or next year’s Worldcon, you’re eligible to make Hugo nominations, and we’d be honored if you would nominate us for Best Fancast.  Please go here for more details, spread the word, and thanks so much as always for your support!

Welcome to Episode 98 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a new triptych of shows on the work of Garth Nix and Sean Williams, two of the most famous speculative fiction authors in Australia and both veterans of the middle grade and young adult markets, focusing on their book Troubletwisters–the first book in an SFF series with the same name.  Featuring an unusual combination of elements from authors like P.L. Travers and Stephen King, the novel gives us a chance to look not just at what makes a book work for its readers but also who its readers really are…and whether that’s changed over the years, especially in the middle grade market.  If you enjoy the discussion, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview Garth and Sean about both this book and the series as a whole.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show! Additional Note:  Nominations for the 2014 Hugo Awards are only open for another ten days, and Speculate is eligible to be nominated in the Best Fancast category.  If you’re a voting member of either last year’s, this year’s or next year’s Worldcon, you’re eligible to make Hugo nominations, and we’d be honored if you would nominate us for Best Fancast.  Please go here for more details, spread the word, and thanks so much as always for your support!

Welcome to Episode 96 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we interview world class game designer and founder of Lone Shark Games, Mike Selinker, about the imminent release of his game novel The Maze of Games.  We get the chance to talk about some of the principles of game design, how Mike’s game fans are equally interested in the other aspects of his creative life (and what that means for creators in general), and why he wishes he had only broken his arm once (it’s a funny story).  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back for our next episode when we’ll have an interview with speculative fiction author Wesley Chu.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 95 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we return to interviewing others with a new interview of Myke Cole, author of the Shadow Ops series and its just released third book, Breach Zone.  This is the second time Myke has been on the show, and he’s just as entertaining this time around; we cover topics like his love of conventions, why Dungeons and Dragons was (and is) so important to him, how he has developed as a writer during the course of the Shadow Ops series and why he always writes “scared”…and why, when depression or tragedy hits, his policy is to feel sorry for himself, pick himself up, sit down and get right back to work.  As always, Myke is an engaging guest, and we hope you’ll find the discussion as interesting as we did.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll have an interview up with the game designer Mike Selinker, author of the new game novel The Maze of Games.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word! GREG’S NOTE:  Just a friendly reminder that the Kickstarter for my graphic novel Icarus is about halfway finished, and with two weeks to go, you still have time to get on board!  We’ve got a lot of great stretch goal authors, artists and even game designers, and the more people that get involved the bigger and better the project will get.  So please head here, back Icarus and spread the word–and thanks so much!

Welcome to Episode 94 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode Greg takes his turn on the other side of the mic as Brad and friend of the show Michael Underwood interview him about his approach to writing, his graphic novel Icarus (currently being funded on Kickstarter) and the process of working with an artist and other creative professionals, his music, and even his love for gaming (and streaming it!) on Twitch TV.  We had a great time doing these interviews, and hope you find it interesting to learn some more details about your humble hosts.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll be interviewing Myke Cole about his upcoming book Shadow Ops: Breach Zone.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 93 of Speculate!  The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode Greg and mutual friend (and veteran SFF author) Brenda Cooper turn the microphone around and interview Speculate! co-host Brad Beaulieu about his inspirations, his use of language, and his love of ships (among many other things) in The Lays of Anuskaya series and his upcoming Song of the Shattered Sands series, as well as a few insights into his middle grade series in progress.  We even get Brad to give some advice on how to promote oneself without being obnoxious about it…sometimes a difficult skill to master!  If you like what you hear, make sure to check back next week when Greg will take his turn on the hot seat.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 92 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. In this episode, part 2 of a 2-part series with Patrick Rothfuss, we sit down and talk about Pat’s involvement with Torment: The Tides of Numenara, the optioning of The Kingkiller Chronicles, and what’s new for the Worldbuilders charity drive. Be sure to check out Part 1 of our interview, where we talk to Pat about children’s books that may or may not, in fact, be children’s books. If you didn’t know, Pat has a new volume in the Princess and Mr. Whiffle series called The Adventures of The Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Dark of Deep Below. Pat talks about his experience in the writing of the book, his collaboration with the artist, Nate Taylor, and more. Also be sure to check out this year’s Worldbuilders drive, which has already started. Find out more on Pat’s blog and the main Worldbuilders website, Worldbuilders.org.

Welcome to Episode 91 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. In this episode, part 1 of a 2-part series with Patrick Rothfuss, we sit down and talk children’s books that may or may not, in fact, be children’s books. Patrick has a new volume in the Princess and Mr. Whiffle series called The Adventures of The Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Dark of Deep Below. Pat talks about his experience in the writing of the book, his collaboration with the artist, Nate Taylor, and more. Tune in next week for Episode 92, part 2 of our interview, where we talk about Pat’s involvement with Torment: The Tides of Numenara, the optioning of The Kingkiller Chronicles, and what’s new for the Worldbuilders charity drive. Speaking of Worldbuilders, be sure to check out this year’s drive, which has already started. Find out more on Pat’s blog and the main Worldbuilders website, Worldbuilders.org.

Welcome to Episode 90 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. In this episode, we sit down for a chat with a fellow podcaster. Among many, many other things, Tom Merritt is the co-host, along with Veronica Belmont, of Sword & Laser, the massively successful science fiction and fantasy podcast and vidcast. In this episode, we chat with Tom about the origins of Sword & Laser, its rise in popularity, and the Kickstarter they’re now running for the upcoming season. We also chat about some of Tom’s other endeavors, like his budding writing and singing careers. Singing, you say? Well, you’ll just have to listen in to find out more about that… Tune in in the coming weeks when we have friend of the show, Patrick Rothfuss, by to talk about his new book: The Adventure of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Dark of Deep Below, and Mike Selinker, author and creator of The Maze of Games.

Welcome to Episode 89 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we conclude our quadtych of shows on the work of Scott Lynch with a discussion of some of the writing techniques used in his novel The Lies of Locke Lamora, considering things like patience in writing, creating “connective tissue” within a novel, the importance of apparently insignificant details, how to portray the art of the negotiation and other writing-oriented concepts.  If you like what you see and hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll be interviewing Tom Merritt, co-founder and co-host of the Sword and Laser podcast.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 88 of Speculate!  The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Scott Lynch, specifically The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Gentleman Bastard Sequence to which it belongs, by talking to the author himself. This was such an enjoyable interview, ranging from Scott’s many influences, to his thoughts on “standard” medieval fantasy, to his approach towards writing both individual books and the larger series of which they are a part, that we went a bit longer than normal. So we decided to stretch out the goodness a bit by splitting the interview into two parts; if you like what you hear, make sure to check back next week for the third installment of our triptych, where we focus on writing technique inspired by our read of The Lies of Locke Lamora. Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 87 of Speculate!  The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Scott Lynch, specifically The Lies of Locke Lamora and The Gentleman Bastard Sequence to which it belongs, by talking to the author himself.  This was such an enjoyable interview, ranging from Scott’s many influences, to his thoughts on “standard” medieval fantasy, to his approach towards writing both individual books and the larger series of which they are a part, that we went a bit longer than normal.  So we decided to stretch out the goodness a bit by splitting the interview into two parts; if you like what you hear, make sure to check back next week for the conclusion of the interview.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 86 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a new triptych of shows on the work of Scott Lynch, focusing on his hit series The Gentleman Bastard Sequence and more specifically his breakout debut novel The Lies of Locke Lamora.  A fascinating fusion of Ocean’s Eleven, the worlds of Fritz Leiber and Robert Asprin and many others, this book created quite a splash when it was first published in 2006–and as the third book in the series, The Republic of Thieves, has just come out, we thought it would be a good chance to look back at what started it all.  Suffice to say we now understand what all the fuss was about!  If you enjoy the conversation, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview Scott about both this book and the series as a whole.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!