Coffee in Space

Today's guest is Niki Manbeck, owner and chief operator of The Nook in Baldwin City, Kansas. I love good, independent bookstores, and so it is with great joy that I bring this episode to you. All links below are from The Nook, so any purchase you make goes directly to support Niki's operations, not Amazon.

Niki's story is one of mental fortitude, humility, and ambition (yes, they can both be present at the same time!). I think you'll really enjoy learning about indie bookstores and what they do for readers like us.

I think what you'll find most impressive, and most heart-warming, is the response Niki's community had when The Nook went through a rough patch (putting it nicely). You'll love this story. I guarantee it!

Niki recommends the following books for your sci-fi fix:
Raven: Melinda Hipple
The Southern book club's guide to slaying Vampires: Grady Hendrix
The Book Eaters: Sunyi Dean

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Coffee in Space is a crowd funded effort. To support the show, head over to Buy Me a Coffee and well....buy me a coffee! Thank you for your support!

* Links in these show notes may be affiliate links. I may make a small percentage from your purchase. I would always want you to buy from a local, independent store, but if you are looking to use Amazon, I would appreciate you considering my links. Thank you!

Dr. Garrett Ashley is a well-published short fiction writer who has stories in Asimov's Science Fiction, Analog Science Fiction and Fact, and Strange Horizons (online). 

You can learn more about him and his work at his WEBSITE or on TWITTER.

We also talked about thriller stories, with Melinda Leigh's Bree Taggart taking center stage, as well as Laura Lippman's Baltimore Blues. I also recommend the great Maltese Falcon and other books of the noir genre.

Subscribe to the Coffee in Space newsletter so you can stay up to date on all podcast episodes and news about the interviews!

Coffee in Space is a crowd funded effort. To support the show, head over to Buy Me a Coffee and well....buy me a coffee! Thank you for your support!

* Links in these show notes may be affiliate links. I may make a small percentage from your purchase. I would always want you to buy from a local, independent store, but if you are looking to use Amazon, I would appreciate you considering my links. Thank you!

To learn more about Denise Crittendon’s writing, check out her WEBSITE. You can also follow her on TWITTER.

Like the podcast episode? You can "Buy me a Coffee" to support the show! Thank you!

Subscribe to the Coffee in Space newsletter so you can stay up to date on all podcast episodes and news about the interviews! 

* Links in these show notes may be affiliate links. I may make a small percentage from your purchase. I would always want you to buy from a local, independent store, but if you are looking to use Amazon, I would appreciate you considering my links. Thank you!

Nanci Schwartz, author of the Robber Barron Trilogy, joins me for this episode to talk the trilogy, and more specifically, Robber Barrons, the lead title.

To learn more about Nanci Schwartz’s writing, check out her WEBSITE. You can also follow her on TWITTER.

Like the podcast episode? You can "Buy me a Coffee" as a thank you! I'll even give you a free short story to show my gratitude. Thank you!

Finally, please consider subscribing to the Coffee in Space newsletter so you can stay up to date on all podcast episodes and news about the interviews! 

* Links in these show notes may be affiliate links. I may make a small percentage from your purchase. I would always want you to buy from a local, independent store, but if you are looking to use Amazon, I would appreciate you considering my links. Thank you!

Thank you so much for faithfully listening to my show. You have a lot of choices when it comes to podcasts that talk about books and interview authors, and I want to be the go-to in your app of choice. So...how can I get better? I want to hear from you!  What am I doing well and what should I be doing to be everyone's choice in podcasts? Let me know!  That email address is comments[at]coffeeinspacepodcast.com. Thank you!

Now, let’s get to this week’s episode. Brandon Crilly comes to the show by way of Ottawa, Ontario up in Canada. Brandon has been published by Daily Science Fiction, Apex Magazine, Fusion Fragment, PULP Literature, Flame Tree Publishing and other markets. He’s also an Aurora Award-nominated podcaster, reviewer, conference organizer, and Dungeon Master for a bunch of other writers. His debut novel Catalyst  is out now from Atthis Arts.

You can follow Brandon's work by going to Twitter, Instagram, or his website. Catch up on his podcast by going to Broadcasts from the Wasteland.

Like the podcast episode? You can "Buy me a Coffee" as a thank you! I'll even give you a free short story to show my gratitude. Thank you! Finally, please consider subscribing to the Coffee in Space newsletter so you can stay up to date on all podcast episodes and news about the interviews! 

* Links in these show notes may be affiliate links. I may make a small percentage from your purchase. I would always want you to buy from a local, independent store, but if you are looking to use Amazon, I would appreciate you considering my links. Thank you!

Madeleine Mozley joins me again today for her third visit to the studio. She's becoming quite the regular around here! Always glad to chat with her about her dystopian fiction and writing in general. Today we'll talk about her new book Blood for Blood, dystopian fiction, and hope. That hope part is really important. You won't want to miss it!

Maddie has a book trailer for Blood for Blood that you can watch on Youtube HERE.

You can listen to Madeleine's other episodes here:
Episode 43: Post Apocalyptic Sci-Fi
Episode 21: First Carrier

Madeleine also recommends Station 11, by Emily St. John Mandel.

You can get a trio of short stories by signing up for Madeleine's mailing list HERE.

To learn more about Madeleine’s writing, check out her website at: (WEBSITE LINK). You can also follow her on Instagram. Learn more about her editing work at Embers Igniting.

Like the podcast? Please donate to keep it going at Buy me a Coffee. Thank you!

* Links in these show notes may be affiliate links. I may make a small percentage from your purchase. I would always want you to buy from a local, independent store, but if you are looking to use Amazon, I would appreciate you considering my links. Thank you!

I have a special place in my heart (and my TBR pile) for apocalypse fiction. What I had never understood was the difference between eastern and western ideas about apocalypse. In my typical western mindset, I just assumed everyone viewed it more or less the same.

Boy, was I wrong! Like, epically wrong. And I'm so grateful that I have a friend like Xueting to help me figure it out. I'm still ignorant, but at least I know just how ignorant I am. Thank you, Xueting.

Xueting also appeared in episode 62 on the show, to talk about her big translation project called Sinopticon, which you can get HERE.

In our episode, Xueting referenced Tang Fei's The Path to Freedom in addition to other fiction from Chinese authors. The Starship Library, found in Sinopticon, can be found HERE, and we discussed that book in episode 62. We also discuss The Wandering Earth, which can be watched on Netflix and the book can be found HERE.

You can learn more about Xueting's work at her website HERE. You can also catch up with her latest news at her Twitter feed HERE.

Like the podcast episode? You can support the show by becoming a patron! Once you click the link, you can learn more about how the show got started, where I keep the episodes, and more. I would appreciate any support you can give. Thank you!

Finally, please consider subscribing to the Coffee in Space newsletter so you can stay up to date on all podcast episodes and news about the interviews! 

* Links in these show notes may be affiliate links. I may make a small percentage from your purchase. I would always want you to buy from a local, independent store, but if you are looking to use Amazon, I would appreciate you considering my links. Thank you!

Today I'm celebrating 100 episodes! Thank you all for listening throughout the two plus years of Coffee in Space. I can't think of a better way to celebrate 100 episodes than having the gang from Hugo, Girl! The Podcast.

First learned about the Hugo Girl Podcast by way of Seth Heasley's podcast, Hugo's There. I spoke with Seth at length in Episode 83. I'll be forever grateful for him for that recommendation. I've enjoyed a lot of what Lori, Haley, and Amy say on their show. I think you will too.

The Hugo, Girl! Podcast gang recommends Octothorpe Podcast for getting your sci-fi fix.

Like the podcast episode? You can support the show by buying me a coffee! Once you click the link, you can learn more about how the show got started, where I keep the episodes, and more. I would appreciate any support you can give. Thank you!

Finally, please consider subscribing to the Coffee in Space newsletter so you can stay up to date on all podcast episodes and news about the interviews! 

Michael Mammay is a repeat offender on Coffee in Space, with this being the third time I've had him on. I've had him on the show to talk this week about his recently released novel Weight of Command, out now exclusively on Audible.com.

We talk a lot about what it would be like to be a young officer suddenly in charge of saving not only your command, but also stopping a war. And on top of that, trying to figure out who killed all the other officers! As my career progressed through the Navy enlisted ranks, we also talk a lot about Master Sergeant Herns, who's my favorite character of the book. 

Michael has also joined me to talk about his Planetside books. You can listen to Episode 35 HERE.

We also briefly mentioned Ursula K. LeGuinn's Left hand of Darkness. It's well worth your time.

You can follow Michael's work by going to Twitter, Facebook, or his website.

Like the podcast episode? You can "Buy me a Coffee" as a thank you! I'll even give you a free short story to show my gratitude. Thank you!

* Links in these show notes may be affiliate links. I may make a small percentage from your purchase. I would always want you to buy from a local, independent store, but if you are looking to use Amazon, I would appreciate you considering my links. Thank you!

You can learn more about Victor Manibo's work at his website HERE.  He is also active on Facebook and Twitter, where you can connect with him or ask questions about his story and characters. Pick up a copy of The Sleepless and get reading today!

In particular, we talk a little about survivor's guilt and hope in recovering from suicide, writing queer characters as a queer author, and modern noir in SFF. 

Like the podcast episode? You can support the show by buying me a coffee! Once you click the link, you can learn more about how the show got started, where I keep the episodes, and more. I would appreciate any support you can give. Thank you!

Finally, please consider subscribing to the Coffee in Space newsletter so you can stay up to date on all podcast episodes and news about the interviews! 

* Links in these show notes may be affiliate links. I may make a small percentage from your purchase. I would always want you to buy from a local, independent store, but if you are looking to use Amazon, I would appreciate you considering my links. Thank you!