Welcome to Episode 145 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about comedy, live readings, science fiction, and performative writing with authors Adam Rakunas and Patrick Tomlinson, both with debut novels from Angry Robot either just out or on the way.  We discuss the ways the “performative” experience and writing experience are linked, and how both Adam and Pat made their ways down a rather winding road to publication…and how their stories might be connected to those of other aspiring authors looking to be published.  We enjoyed this conversation with two funny and dynamic authors, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!  If you liked what you heard, don’t forget to check back soon for our roundtable discussion with Kelly Swails and Marc Tassin, both authors and heads of writing tracks at the Origins and Gen Con conventions, respectively.  We’ll also have a special announcement on that show, so make sure to tune in!  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Adam and Pat from this very discussion) are only available to our Patreon supporters, who have had some new folks join the ranks recently–so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!