In episode 339 of the Functional Nerds Podcast, Patrick Hester and John Anealio welcome Charles de Lint – the author of more than eighty adult, young adult, and children’s books. Renowned as one of the trailblazers of the modern fantasy genre, he is the recipient of the World Fantasy, Aurora (three times), Sunburst, and White Pine awards, among others and was recently inducted into the Canadian SF & Fantasy Association Hall of Fame. His latest book, The Wind in His Heart – de Lint’s first adult novel in eight years – was published in September 2017.

The Wind in His Heart: Young Thomas Corn Eyes sees into the otherworld, but all he wants to do is get off the rez. Steve Cole escaped from his rock star life to disappear into the desert and mountains. Fifteen-year-old barrio kid Sadie Higgins has been discarded once too often. Blogger Leah Hardin needs to leave Newford, come to terms with the loss of her best friend, and actually engage with her life. When these lives collide in the Hierro Maderas Mountains, they must struggle to escape their messy pasts and find a way to carve a future for themselves. They don’t just have to learn how to survive. They have to learn how to fly.

This week’s picks:

* Charles: The Rules of Magic: A Novel (The Practical Magic Series) by Alice Hoffman

* John: The Traveling Wilburys

* Patrick: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream (Netflix link)

Links:

* Charles on Twitter

* John Anealio on Twitter

* Patrick Hester on Twitter

* The Functional Nerds Patreon Page

* Patrick’s New Book: Into the Fire (available everywhere)

© 2017 Patrick Hester and John Anealio

This podcast contains original music by John Anealio.