Speculate!

Welcome to Episode 85 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk to D.B. Jackson (the urban fantasy pen name of epic fantasist David B. Coe) about his Thieftaker Chronicles series and his latest book Thieves’ Quarry, setting the new standard for “tricorn punk” (a term which we think needs to be copyrighted stat!).  We talk about pen names, subgenres, conventions, and how an academic background can be valuable for a speculative fiction author–a subject which Greg particularly enjoys!  David has an interesting perspective on a long and varied career, and we were glad to get the chance to speak to him here; if you enjoyed the interview too, remember to check back in two weeks when we’ll begin our next triptych on the work of Scott Lynch.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 84 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, the second of two taped live at LoneStarCon, we talk to Campbell nominee and speculative fiction author Chuck Wendig about his new book Under The Empyrean Sky (the world’s first “cornpunk” novel), his writing process, and the best ways to establish and maintain an online persona, along with what drives him to help others in the science fiction and fantasy community.  Chuck is always entertaining and fun to talk to, and we’re fairly confident that our analysis of his “hobo armies” is the most in depth of its kind (if not, we’d like to see where else it’s shown up!).  If you like what you hear, please check back next week for one more interview, this one with David B. Coe / D.B. Jackson.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 83 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, the first of two taped live at LoneStarCon, we talk to veteran speculative fiction author Martha Wells about her experience in workshopping at Worldcon (Greg and Martha have been paired for the past three years as pro writers in the Worldcon Writers’ Workshops), her new book with Angry Robot‘s YA imprint Strange Chemistry, Emilie and the Hollow World, and her perspective on the changing fortunes of Night Shade Books.  We also touch on her new Star Wars book Empire and Rebellion: Razor’s Edge, and the differences between writing an original series and one set in another iconic world.  If you like what you hear, please check back next week for our second Worldcon interview, this one with Angry Robot author Chuck Wendig.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 82 of Speculate! In this episode, Greg and Brad complete their triptych of shows on Lauren Beukes by discussing writing technique, using The Shining Girls as our inspiration. We talk about specificity, of “going with your gut,” of the balance between protagonist and antagonist, and the promises books make. Don’t forget to tune in in the coming weeks when we talk to author D.B. Jackson about the latest installment in his Thieftaker Chronicles.

Welcome to Episode 81 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Lauren Beukes, specifically The Shining Girls, by talking to the journalist, screenwriter and author who uses her diverse background and experiences to inform her writing–and infuse it with passion and empathy, as this often powerful conversation suggests.  We learn something about the challenges incumbent in writing a book about a serial killer and the role fantasy plays in Lauren’s fiction, along with a frank discussion about how justice denied in real life can often be upheld in fiction–and how that can set an example for what real life should be.  All in all, this is one of the more intriguing interviews we’ve had the chance to do, and we hope you’ll 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 in the triptych, a discussion of some of the specific writing techniques used in The Shining Girls.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 80 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a new triptych of shows on the work of Lauren Beukes, focusing on her recent novel generating a tremendous amount of buzz in and outside the genre: The Shining Girls.  A combination crime novel / mystery / time traveling tale, this book uses gritty realism and compelling characters to generate both tension and dread–and as we discuss during the episode, this is a hard book to put down once you’ve picked it up.  If you enjoy the talk, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview Lauren herself.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome back for Episode 79 of Speculate!  The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, we dive into the world of book blogging and reviewing with Justin Landon of Staffer’s Book Review.  During the discussion we look at the rising influence of book blogs, how buzz is created (and how tastes are formed), the role of book blogs in pushing the genre of speculative fiction forward, and how to tread the line between friendship and professionalism, especially when a negative review may be in the offing!  We also talk about Pornokitsch‘s Jared Shurin and Justin’s book Speculative Fiction 2012: The Best Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary, and what such a book says about the rapidly growing impact of the book blogging community in speculative fiction.  If you enjoy the conversation, make sure to stop back for our next show when we’ll begin our next triptych of shows on Lauren Beukes’ The Shining Girls.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word!

                     Welcome back for Episode 78 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, taped live at the Origins convention in Columbus, Ohio (we apologize for the somewhat subpar audio), we look at the connections between writing and gaming with two veterans in the field, John Helfers and Aaron Rosenberg.  During the discussion we touch on how to get into writing for games, both face to face and computer-oriented, and consider whether the lines between narrative in games and narrative in stories have begun to blur–and if so, what the implications might be.  If you enjoy the conversation, make sure to check out more of John and Aaron’s work, and don’t forget to check back for our next episode, a discussion about book blogging in the speculative fiction field with Justin Landon of Staffer’s Book Review.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word!

                      Welcome back for Episode 77 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this special episode we take a look at the potential benefits and pitfalls of writing workshops with two veteran workshop goers, authors Cat Rambo and Luc Reid, discussing how workshops function at their best, when an author is ready to attend a workshop, and how that author can get the most out of the experience.  We also chat a bit about related subjects, like Luc’s brainchild Codex, and how community building for authors is an important step in building successful careers.  If you enjoy the discussion as much as we did, make sure to check out more of Luc and Cat’s work–and don’t forget to check back for our next episode, which will be recorded live at the Origins convention in Columbus this coming week!  (And if you happen to be in the Columbus area, please stop by and say hello.)  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 76 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we present the final installment of our triptych of shows on the work of Tim Powers with a discussion of some of the writing techniques used in his latest novel Hide Me Among The Graves, looking at the artful use of mystery, creating and fulfilling an implied contract between writer and reader, immersing oneself in the world being created, learning the value of both giving and receiving critiques, and being comfortable with the kind of writer you are–all things represented by and in Tim’s work.  If you like what you see and hear, don’t forget to check back in two weeks when we’ll talk about the joys and sorrows of writing workshops with veteran writers (and fellow Codexians) Cat Rambo and Luc Reid.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 75 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Tim Powers by talking to the man himself, who obliges us with a fascinating look into both his process of writing novels–where we discover that self-doubt can sometimes work better than self-confidence when it comes to motivation–and how he wrote his latest work, Hide Me Among The Graves.  We also get some insight into how Tim conducts historical research, why he likes poetry so much, and how constraints can foster creativity (and how a deadline can sometimes be considered “flexible”), all during a really enjoyable and illuminating interview that we hope you find as interesting as we did.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our final show in the triptych, a discussion of some of the specific writing techniques used in Hide Me Among The Graves.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 74 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a new triptych of shows on the work of Tim Powers, focusing in particular on his most recent novel Hide Me Among The Graves–a “vampire ghost story” set in Victorian England starring poets, artists, prostitutes, and even a veterinarian.  What’s not to love?  As we touch on during our discussion, this is a book which rewards careful reading and knowledge of the genre, and between that and the historical research for which Tim is famous there’s a whole lot to chew on.  If you enjoy the discussion, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview the author of this fantastic mix of real and supernatural himself.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 73 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk to author Brian McClellan about his debut epic fantasy series The Powder Mage Trilogy from Orbit Books, starting with Promise of Blood.  We talk about his writing process, his inspiration for the series, and how he grew from a student in Brandon Sanderson‘s creative writing course at BYU to an author with a hot new series with a lot of buzz…and what lessons he learned along the way.  This was a fun interview to conduct–and finding out that a flintlock grenade launcher “is an actual thing” was worth the experience by itself!  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for the beginning of a new triptych on the work of  Tim Powers.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

A few episodes back, in Episode 68, we spoke with Matt Forbeck and Lee Moyer on Kickstarters. In this episode, we dig deeper into the “hybrid author,” someone who publishes both traditionally and via self-publishing. Michael Sullivan, the author of the Riyria Chronicles and the Riyria Revelations, is joined by his wife, Robin Sullivan, the “architect of Michael’s career,” and they talk to us about the ins and outs of being a hybrid author. Michael also has a Kickstarter running right now for his Hollow World novel, a standalone novel that, as you’ll hear in our episode, didn’t quite fit the traditional publishing model. And speaking of Kickstarters, be sure to check out Brad’s Kickstarter for The Flames of Shadam Khoreh, the concluding volume in his Lays of Anuskaya trilogy.

Join Greg and Brad as we talk writing using Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm’s short story collection, The Inheritance & Other Stories, as inspiration. We talk about writing “the other” with low human-oriented reference, altered awareness as story scope expands, character arcs, and more. We also give, and allow us to repeat it here, a huge thank you to all our supporters who gave us a nod in the Hugo preliminary voting. Here’s hoping we make it onto the short list, but either way, we couldn’t have gotten here without your help. Thanks for your comments and for spreading the word as far as you have. We appreciate it very much.