Speculate!

Welcome back for Episode 40 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we take a step back from our usual blend of reader response and writer analysis to look at the state of the speculative fiction field more generally, enlisting friend and fellow speculative fiction author and editor (in both traditional and independent modes) Paul Genesse to broaden the discussion.  Our conversation went so long that we decided to split the show into two parts (we think an eighty minute episode would be a little extreme); in part one, we focus most of our attention on E-books and self-publication, looking at trends in the field and where we think things may head next.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for part two of our discussion with Paul.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 39 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our run of great guests with our interview of Brandon Sanderson, bestselling epic fantasy author.  This is one of our longer interviews, but when you have someone who can talk so easily and interestingly about magic systems, issues of balance in epic fantasy, the different stages of a writing career and what it’s like to complete the magnum opus of a speculative fiction legend, you sort of need to keep the tape rolling and enjoy the ride.  Brandon also touches on teaching and podcasting in this wide-ranging discussion…and even admits that an inbox of fifty thousand unread E-mails can be a little overwhelming.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our first “state of the field” discussion with friend and fellow speculative fiction author Paul Genesse.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word! (Side note: As we’ve mentioned before, Speculate! is eligible for nomination in the Best Related Work category of the Hugo awards, and if you’re eligible to nominate and feel so inclined, we would be honored to receive your support.  The nominating deadline is 11:59 PST on March 11, 2012, so please head over there as soon as you can if you’re interested…and thanks!)

Welcome back for Episode 38 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we present our third artist interview, this one with giant of the field Todd Lockwood.  Todd, who did the cover for Brad’s upcoming book The Straits of Galahesh, gives us a look into what inspires him about the field of speculative fiction, why he still doesn’t mind being known as the “dragon guy” in some circles and how the field has changed over his long career–and why the chance to paint Stephen Colbert as a paladin was too good to pass up.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll head back to the world of literature to interview another major player in speculative fiction, Brandon Sanderson.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 37 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we conclude our series of shows on the work of Mark Hodder with a discussion of some of the specific writing techniques used in his book The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, looking at how the use of characters as foils, attention to theme, meditations on empire and other aspects of writing make Strange Affair such an interesting and enjoyable book…and how aspiring writers can learn to apply these techniques in their own work.  We’ll be taking a break next week, but if you enjoy what you hear don’t forget to check back in two weeks for an interview with artist Todd Lockwood, and be on the lookout for our interview with Brandon Sanderson.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show! (Side note: As you’ll hear at the end of this week’s show and will be seeing in more detail in an upcoming post, Speculate! is eligible for nomination in the Best Related Work category of the Hugo awards.  Obviously there are a lot of worthy candidates to be nominated for something like this, but we thought you might not know if we didn’t say that we’d love to join that list.  So if you’re a member of last year’s, this year’s or next year’s Worldcon, please head over to the official site before March 11, 2012 and consider nominating us (and others of the many choices in all the categories) in the Best Related Work category…and thanks!)

Welcome back for Episode 36 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our sequence of shows on the work of Mark Hodder with an interview with the author himself.  Mark’s fascinating insights on writing generally, steampunk specifically, and the role of theme in a story–how much punk should you have in your steam?–made this one of our most enjoyable interviews to date, and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.  If you enjoy the interview, don’t forget to check back next week for our concluding show of this triptych, a discussion of some of the writing techniques used in Mark’s book The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome back for Episode 35 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we start a new sequence of shows on the work of speculative fiction author Mark Hodder, giving our reaction to and review of his book The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack–a cool steampunk novel which doesn’t forget about the punk while it’s presenting the steam!  If you enjoy the discussion, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview Mark about this book and his take on steampunk and speculative fiction.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome back for Episode 34 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  We’re beginning our second year with a bang: in this episode we interview Carol Berg, veteran author of many fantasy novels and winner of the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, about her inspirations in writing, the development of her career and her love for (and advice about) doing public readings…and how good reading is essential for good writing.  If you like what you hear, please check back next week for our first of three shows about the work of Mark Hodder.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 33 of Speculate!  The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we’re proud to present our first annual Year in Review show, in which (after wishing ourselves a very happy birthday) we discuss how the show has progressed over the past year and touch on the various episodes we released in 2011, from reviews to interviews to discussion about writing techniques and everything in between, before talking briefly about what’s on the docket in 2012.  We’re very pleased with how everything has turned out so far, and most of the credit for that goes to the authors, artists and editors we’ve had the good fortune to discuss and interview…and, of course, our listeners.  Thanks so much for continuing to tune into the show, and please continue to spread the word about us in 2012!

Welcome back for Episode 32 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we interview mountain climber, figure skater and (of course) fantasy author Courtney Schafer, who somehow finds time between climbing sheer rock faces, landing triple jumps, working a day job in electrical engineering and raising a son to write epic fantasy–including her debut from Night Shade Books, The Whitefire Crossing.  We cover at least some of these bases during this interview, and even get a chance to talk about The Night Bazaar, a group blog conceived of and directed by Courtney (with website designed by Brad).  If you like what you hear, make sure you check back next week for our 2011 Year in Review show.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 31 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we interview artist Mark Winters, who like our previously interviewed artist Adam Paquette has a broad range of interests in the field of speculative art and beyond, having worked in several different mediums and (in addition to his own work) for a number of prominent licensed properties like Dungeons and Dragons, Fantasy Flight Games and others.  Mark discusses not only his current creative process but how his vision of art has been developed and shaped over the years, and the resulting interview is an interesting look into the mind of a talented creator.  If you enjoy the conversation, remember to check out Mark’s other work, and make sure you come back next week for our interview of Courtney Schafer,  author of the epic fantasy The Whitefire Crossing.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word! UPDATE: Be sure to check out Mark’s portfolio in our Art Gallery. He graciously gave us permission to share some of his wonderful pieces. Thanks, Mark!

Welcome back for Episode 30 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we interview the multitalented Maurice Broaddus, who in between writing, editing, performing the duties of a small publishing company vice-president and running a convention somehow finds the time to talk to us!  This was an enjoyable and thoughtful interview, touching on issues of faith, setting (urban fantasy can indeed be staged in Indianapolis) and other topics over a forty-five minute span, and we hope you enjoy it.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check out Maurice’s other projects on and offline, and remember to check back next week when we plan to have another interview scheduled.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 29 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  This week we conclude our series of shows on Night Shade Books‘ anthology The Book of Cthulhu with a discussion about some of the writing techniques used in the stories we focused on during this sequence.  We enjoyed reading this anthology a great deal, and if you have even a faint interest in cosmic horror (or, you know, just don’t feel like getting on the wrong side of the Elder Gods) we highly recommend you check it out.  If you enjoy the discussion, make sure to check back next episode as we conduct a couple of short interviews while we gear up for our next book sequence on Mark Hodder’s The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack.  Until next time, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 28 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our sequence of shows on Night Shade Books‘ anthology The Book of Cthulhu with an interview of two contributors to the volume, Laird Barron and John Hornor Jacobs.  Like our interview with editor Ross Lockhart, this was a fun and entertaining discussion which covered a lot of ground…and some of it is of the distinctly not safe for work variety (for which John takes the blame!), so be warned!  If you like what you hear, make sure to check out each author’s home page for more of what they have coming next, and remember to check back here next week when we’ll talk about some of the writing techniques used in the stories.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 27 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our sequence of shows on Night Shade Books‘ new anthology, The Book of Cthulhu, with a discussion with its editor Ross Lockhart.  But as Ross proves in this wide-ranging interview, he knows a lot more about literature than just H.P. Lovecraft, and we enjoyed his insights on writers from J.R.R. Tolkien to William Hope Hodgson–we hope you do too.  If you like what you hear, remember to check back next week when we’ll interview two contributors to the anthology, John Hornor Jacobs and Laird Barron.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to (and telling others about) the show!

Welcome back for Episode 26 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we start a new sequence of shows on the new anthology from publisher Night Shade Books and editor Ross Lockhart, The Book of Cthulhu, investigating (gulp!) the Elder Gods with our reaction to stories by Laird Barron, Elizabeth Bear, John Hornor Jacobs and Bruce Sterling.  If you enjoy the discussion, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview Mr. Lockhart and several of the authors for their takes on the anthology.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and thanks for continuing to spread the word about the show!