ARCHIVOS Podcast Network

Hugh Howey - a storyteller who's pen has scribed many marvelous tales, including the astonishing dystopian scifi tale "Wool" that continues to impact the literary world in the most delightful ways - returns to the big chair at the Roundtable to workshop a very cool mid-grade scifi story idea offered up by the inventive and inspired Holli Mintzer.

Holli's tale of deep space generational ships and alien first contact (and first abduction) is fraught with intriguements that set us to exploring all the nooks and crannies of Holli's universe. Along the way, we scarf up a metric ton of Literary Gold!

Hugh Howey is the author of many tales, long and short, set in diverse environments and genres. But it is his dystopian scifi tale "Wool" that has captured the imaginations of not only of thousands of fans, but also most publishing and media industries in the free world (including Hollywood). It's all too easy to narrow your focus of an individual when one work commands such attention... and in the case of Hugh, that would be an egregious error. His life experience as well as his persistence and dedication to his craft has given Hugh a unique perspective that distinguishes his writing and the path he's chosen to pursue it.

Lauren Harris (of the Pendragon Variety Podcast) and myself took full advantage of our 20(ish) minutes with Hugh as we explore his insights and strategies on worldbuilding, his own strengths and assets, expanding a novelette into a full series, and so much more!

Tobias Buckell - author of the fabulous Xenowealth series, Halo™ tie-in novel "The Cole Protocol", the recently released "Arctic Rising" from Tor Books, and so much more - returns to the Big Chair at the Roundtable to help us workshop a kind-of-superhero tale offered by Guest Writer, Jeff Xilon.

Jeff's tale - that begins with the destruction of the last superheroes - sparks a frothing conversation as we explore a whole plethora of perspectives, POVs, backstories, and approach vectors, exposing some very cool material that might help enhance the story and also explore some new ground for the super hero genre. The Internet gods were very cruel to us (our apologies for the wretched bits we couldn't edit out), but that didn't stop us from unearthing some serious Literary Gold!

Tobias Buckell has lived an adventurous life, not in the sense of plundering ancient tombs or fighting ninjas, but a life of extraordinary circumstances, opportunities and challenges. He says, "Fear of something is always an indicator of something I should do"... with that philosophy, he has blazed his own trail, exploring his craft - creating compelling tales like "Crystal Rain", his exploration of his own craft in "Nascence", and the recently crowd funded "Apocalypse Ocean" - and infusing his tales with a profoundly unique voice that has earned him a space on the New Yourk Times Best-Selling List and nominations for Hugo, Nebula, Prometheus, and Campbell awards.

This 20(ish) minutes of conversation is rich with Tobias's refreshing perspective on so many aspects of the wrting process, including loving what you do, dealing with fear and the challenges of life as a writer, the secret of endings, and much more! The writerly goodness here here for the taking, so hit that "PLAY" button and dig in!

Lauren Oliver - author of astonishing tales for all ages, including the New York Times Best-Selling YA series "Delirium", and “Liesl and Po” and “The Spindlers“ (for younger audiences) AND one half of the evil genius team (with Lexa Hillyr) behind the innovative Paper Lantern Lit literary house - returns to the Big Chair at the Roundtable to apply her experience and writerly mojo in the workshopping of a tale offered up by Guest Writer Kebreht Walker.

Keb comes load for bear (or wolf, as the case may be) with a very cool YA spin on the Red Ridinghood fairy tale, full of intrigue and danger. Ryan Stevenson and I dive in and everyone brings their "A" game resulting in a huge basket of Literary Gold. Don't take it to Grandma's... hit 'play' and keep it for yourself!

Lauren Oliver brings so much fabulousity into the world - through her novels, including the much-lauded "Delerium" series, "Liesl and Po" and "The Spindlers", and more, AND her work with partner-in-crime-and-story Lexa Hillyer at the astonishing Paper Lantern Lit - and the adventure of her pursuits thus far has refined her awareness of the writers craft without blunting her delight in the process.

During this 20(ish) minutes of intriguing conversation, Ryan Stevenson and I discover Laurens perspectives on the collaborative process, the power and virtue of YA literature, the power of understanding plot, and so much more...

Conor McCreery and Anthony del Col - creators and evil geniuses (genii?) behind the "Kill Shakespeare" graphic novel series (and all the astonishing treasures emerging from it) - return to the big comfy chairs at the Roundtable to lend their unique and insightful creative mojo to a workshop of a tale offered up by John w. Campbell Award candidate Anatoly Belilovsky.

Anatoly brings a tale of small Siberian town at the turn of the century that features transforming locomotives, the magic of Kabalah, and none other than the mad monk, Rasputin! Even a fussy Internet couldn't hold us back from diving into the wonderful possibilities of this intriguing idea. And you know - with such marvelous components and such a cast of workshoppers - the Literary Gold can't be far behind.

Conor McCreey and Anthony del Col - creators and motive force behind the astonishing "Kill Shakespeare" comic series and all the awesomeness that comes with it - have transformed an inspired concept into a breathtaking reality. They're unique backgrounds and experience informed their efforts in such a profound way that Shakespearean scholars have lauded their creation and it has spawned a stage production, a screen play, a computer game, and more!

During this 20(ish) minutes of marvelous conversation, Brion and I had the pleasure of discussing their strengths as writers, their collaborative process, the translation of well-known characters into a unique story, and more.

Myke Cole - author of the much-lauded "Shadow Ops: Control Point" and the forthcoming (and much anticipated) sequel "Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier" - returns to the Big Chair at the Roundtable, bringing his experience and insights to bear in the workshopping of a tale offered up by Guest Writer Tim Niederriter.

Tim's YA story concept of a world where dreams are being converted into energy - and the nightmarish (yes... I went there) fallout of that industry - was not only a blast to explore, but was a great opportunity to discuss the YA genre, working out protagonist motivations, and ratcheting up the stakes in a story. In short... a classic RTP experience in digging up a great shiny stack of Literary Gold.

Myke Cole - author of "Shadow Ops: Control Point" and the forthcoming sequel "Shadow Ops: Fortress Frontier" - once had a friend remark "one life just isn't enough for you" and when you speak with him and learn about his many achievements and the passions he's pursued, you discover that's an accurate assessment.

His years spent cultivating his craft have given him a broad and informed perspective on writerly pursuits and he shares generously of those informed insights during this exceptional 20(ish) minutes of conversation. We dig into his desire to be a well-rounded writer, discuss the merits and perils of trunked novels, how to convey procedural information effectively, and more.