This week we discuss how characters change and story subplots.

Mentioned in this episode:
Batman
X-Men
Maleficent (Movie)
MAGIC TREEHOUSE (Book Series) by Mary Pope Osborne
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Show)

There are good reasons to read and write cross-genre, and that's what we're talking about this week.

Mentioned in this episode:
KOP by Warren Hammond
THE PARASOL PROTECTORATE (Book Series) by Gail Carriger
THURSDAY NEXT (Book Series) by Jasper Fforde
Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
Ben Bova
Larry Niven
OUTLANDER by Diana Gabaldon
ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS by Stephanie Perkins
INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE by Anne Rice
THE LEGEND OF DRIZZT by R.A. Salvatore
William Shakespeare
Star Wars
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS by Ian Doescher
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST by Oscar Wilde
CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC by Sophie Kinsella
Edgar Allen Poe
Joe Abercrombie
Monty Python
SHREK! by William Steig
JONAH HEX (Comic)
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis
ENCHANTED FOREST CHRONICLES by Patricia Wrede

Non-human characters can be tough to write, but there's always a purpose behind them and a method to making them relatable. After that mini-topic, we bring out another set of Emily's trunk novel pages.

Mentioned this week:
MISTBORN (Book Series) by Brandon Sanderson
CODEX ALERA (Book Series) by Jim Butcher
DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE by Laini Taylor
Star Trek (TV Show)
Galaxy Quest (Movie)
WINNIE-THE-POOH by A.A. Milne
CHARLOTTE'S WEB by E.B. White
CIRCLE OF MAGIC by Tamora Pierce
ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell
MAUS by Art Spiegelman
ERAGON by Christopher Paolini
THE MAGISTERIUM SERIES (Books) by Holly Black and Cassandra Claire
Warren Hammond

This week we interview cozy mystery writer, Liesa Malik.

Mentioned in this episode:
FAITH ON THE ROCKS by Liesa Malik
SLICED VEGETARIAN by Liesa Malik
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers
HOW TO WRITE A DAMN GOOD MYSTERY by James N. Frey
John Grisham
NANCY DREW (Book Series) by Carolyn Keene
Murder She Wrote (TV Show)
Dr. Seuss
Psych (TV Show)
Monk (TV Show)
Poirot Mysteries by Agatha Christie
Miss Marple Mysteries by Agatha Christie

It's Mailbag Time! Thank you so much for writing in, everyone. We have some responses for you, and if you keep writing us, we may read your letter on the show. AND we'll respond.

Mentioned on this episode:
SF Signal
Patric Hester
Writing Excuses
Brandon Sanderson
Mary Robinette Kowal
WIRED.com Geek's Guide to the Galaxy
Dave Robison
The Roundtable Podcast
Libsyn
SAGA (Comic Book) by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Harry Potter (Book Series) by J.K. Rowling
The Lord of the Rings (Book Series) by J.R.R. Tolkien
Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Conference
Anomaly Con
NPC Cast (Podcast)
J.T. Evans

This week we're joined by J.T. Evans and Patrick Hester who spend most of the episode helping us convince Michelle to start playing nerdy games.

This week we bring you a live recording from Crowfoot Valley Coffee in Castle Rock, Colorado. We' interviewed Harris Gray, the writing duo who put out the Vampire Vic trilogy.

This week we return from the 2015 RMFW Colorado Gold conference to talk about the importance of education for writers, whether it's formal or informal.

Interviewees:
Chad Mathine: twitter.com/ChadMathine
Bonnie Ramthun: bonnieramthun.com
Corinne O'Flynn: corinneoflynn.com
Sue Duff: sueduff.com
Susan Spann: susanspann.com

This week we talk about the middle of the story, why it's so important for a strong book, and how we can improve the so-called "mushy middle."

Interviewees:
Chad Mathine: twitter.com/ChadMathine
Bonnie Ramthun: bonnieramthun.com
Corinne O'Flynn: corinneoflynn.com
Sue Duff: sueduff.com
Susan Spann: susanspann.com

The ending of a book is just as important as the beginning. This episode explains why.

Mentioned in this episode:

Zealander (Movie)

DISCWORLD (Book Series) by Terry Pratchett

THE COLOR OF MAGIC by Terry Pratchett

The Dresden Files RPG (Published by Evil Hat)

THE CODEX ALERA (Book Series) by Jim Butcher

J.K. Rowling

THE WELL OF ASCENSION by Brandon Sanderson

SOULLESS by Gail Carriger

500 Days of Summer (Movie)