Keystroke Medium

Robert M. Campbell, author of the Trajectory series, writes hard science fiction. Many readers have embraced this subgenre with books such as Leviathan Wakes (James S. A. Corey), Sleeping Gods (Ralph Kern), or Mars (Ben Bova). There is a wide spectrum of these books. Hard science fiction exists on a continuum, and it is not the space time continuum.

Or is it?

What, you might ask, qualifies as hard science fiction?

An internet search will quickly drop you into several articles and forums on this topic. For the sake of the interview, we started with a discussion about the unrealistic nature of space travel in popular science fiction. Everyone knows the universe-jumping, warp-speed paradigms are more magical than scientific. In many stories, that is fine. Some writers, readers, and viewers crave a more thoughtful handling of this important story element.

Why is Trajectory a part of this science-focused genre?

Robert M. Campbell is, among other things, a software engineer. During the interview he explains how he started the Trajectory series by using more realistic science to effect the story. There are no spoilers in this interview, but quite a bit of insight to his writing process. Josh, Scott, and Rob talk about the difference between writing long and short fiction, the Explorations anthology that will be out in January, and why they all like Scrivener.

There may be jokes and shenanigans slipped between the more serious sections of this episode. By all reports, this was a fun interview with good information (for both readers and writers of science fiction).

You can find his Trajectory series on Amazon: Robert M Campbell Author Page

You can learn more about Robert M. Campbell and the Trajectory series on his website: www.robcee.net

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Another great article on hard science fiction was written by Ben Bova. You may have heard of him… What is Hard Science Fiction.

On today’s episode of LIVE! Marc Alan Edelheit drops by to talk about his military fantasy series, Stiger’s Tigers. Marc’s writing started in 2015 and since then he’s writing 4 novels and sold over 150,000 books. His Stiger series has been published as an audiobook by Podium Publishing and the 4th book Stiger: Tales of the Seventh launches Dec 1, 2016.

Marc started out with one goal, to create something that felt historically realistic in a fantasy setting, he wanted the war to read, sound and feel like war actually would. After spending countless hours researching the time period, Marc got into what he calls the ‘ancient mindset’ and created a setting that feels real on many different levels (down to the smell of the leather).

From the start Marc wanted to be successful, from his writing, to formatting, to his outstanding covers. He talks about how getting an agent catapulted his career from selling a handful of books a day to becoming a bestseller. If you’ve ever contemplated getting an agent as an indie author, this episode is for you.

 

To learn more about Marc, please visit his website: http://maenovels.com/

Find all of his books on Amazon here: Marc Alan Edelheit Author Page

Connect with Marc on Facebook and Twitter

 

You can find all our previous episodes, as well as news and information on upcoming guests at our website, Keystroke Medium

 

On today’s episode of LIVE! L.A. Starkey talks with Josh and Scott about how she turned her love of writing into a indie publishing empire. Her bestselling Soul Keeper series and other romance titles (under several pen-names) have sold hundreds of thousands of copies since 2014 and she shows no signs of slowing down.

Laurie is a machine, on average cranking out one novel per month, sometimes writing upwards of 30k words a day. Since being her writing career, Laurie has published 90 books under 8 pen names and has spent countless hours learning and mastering the art of indie publishing.

Surrounding herself with her publishing team (her husband, brother, and a couple other close friends) Laurie has managed to keep up her relentless schedule and release more content faster than any other writing team we’ve talked to this year. She even managed to write an entire 46k word novel in a day!

If you’re looking for motivation for your own writing, or wondering how some people can be so production, check out this episode of LIVE! and see how consistently and tenacity can pay off big time!

For more information on LA Starkey, check out her webside: LA Starkey

Find all her books on Amazon: LA Starkey Author Page

Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter

You can check out all our past episodes, as well as information on upcoming guests at our website: Keystroke Medium

On today’s episode of LIVE! Paul Corcoran, author of the Saiph series, joins Scott and Josh to talk about his writing and how he turned his love of Indie Publishing into a lucrative career. They say to be a good writer you have to write what you know, and when it comes to writing military science fiction, Paul is certainly the man to write it.

After spending 20+ years in the military and almost 10 as a police officer in Ireland, Paul decided to take his life in a different direction and write stories. His experiment paid off, and now he makes is living as a full time author and has recently accepted a job at Tickety Boo Press as Acquisitions Editor for the science fiction imprint, Space Dock.

Paul shares how he got started in indie publishing, and how he conceived and produced his first science fiction series, The Saiph Series, and how the series evolved through the process. He also talks a lot about what goes into in his position as acquisitions editor for Space Dock, and what he is looking for in new authors and new manuscripts.

You can find all of Paul’s books on his Amazon Author page: PP Corcoran Amazon Author Page

For more information on Paul’s books at his website: http://www.ppcorcoran.com/

For submission guidelines and how to submit to Space Dock and Tickety Boo Press, check out their website: http://www.ticketyboopress.co.uk/

Check out our website Keystroke Medium for more all our past episodes, news on upcoming guests and shows.

Once, long ago, in a land called Texas, Scott met Mark Leslie Lefebrve at a live podcast. This, of course, happened in a bar and people were having a great time heckling Jim Kokrel and Bryan Cohen of the Sell More Books show. Scott was in Austin attending the 2016 Smarter Artist Summit, which turned out to be a transformative experience professionally, artistically, and personally.

Fans of the Keystroke Medium show may or may not understand that Scott is a conditional introvert. Basically he is shy until he gets to know a person, then he never shuts up. Scott found himself sitting next to Mark and they talked about his book-selling experience and how he came to his current position with Kobo.

That was when Scott understood how special the week in Austin was going to be. When does a lifelong writing enthusiast just happen to meet the designer and manager of Kobo’s the Writing Life?

Mark has tons of experience in publishing, something this episode will illustrate very clearly. He brings us a bit of Canada, ghost stories, and wisdom about writing and publishing in today’s unique environment.

If you enjoyed the show, please like and subscribe to the Keystroke Medium YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes.

 

Find all of Mark Lefebvre’s work on Amazon: Mark’s Amazon Author Page

 

For information on upcoming shows and to find all our previous episodes, go to our website: Keystroke Medium

Best-selling author Nick Cole returns for his second appearance on Keystroke Medium, and in true Cole fashion, brings this larger than life personality, taking the show to a whole other level. During his first visit to the show, Nick talked about his cyberpunk novel Control. Alt. Revolt!, the controversy surrounding it, and how he went on to publish a best-seller. This time, Nick talks about the buzz surrounding the novel and how it went on to win the Dragon Con Award for Best Apocalyptic Novel.

 

Despite the controversy, the novel became a hit and features some amazing characters. We spend a fair amount of time talking about the highly diverse cast, including one of the protagonists, a strong-willed, disabled woman who is overcomes adversity in some of the most amazing ways. The characters were one of my favorite things about the book and are what will bring me back to Nick’s stories. All said and done, his writing is fast paced and entertaining.

 

Nick shares his thoughts on current events and how the world of indie publishing is changing around us.

 

If you enjoyed the show, please like and subscribe to the Keystroke Medium YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes.

 

Find Control. Alt. Revolt! and the rest of Nick Cole’s work on Amazon: Nick Cole’s Amazon Author Page

 

For information on upcoming shows and to find all our previous episodes, go to our website: Keystroke Medium

How does one begin a blog about meeting Peter F. Hamilton?

Last summer Josh introduced me to a book called Pandora’s Star, the first book in Hamilton’s Commonwealth Saga. I listened to the powerful, sweeping epic twice -- not something I do lightly given the time investment. These are big books by anyone’s standard. By the time I finished the second book, Judas Unchained, I was officially a super fan.

That was also about the time Josh and I had the following conversation:

Josh: “So Peter F. Hamilton has agreed to be on the show.”

Scott: “....” speechless.

We have been very lucky to have many excellent guests at Keystroke Medium. I shouldn’t have been surprised at our collective good fortune. A lot of people, naming Scott McGlasson here, helped Josh set this up. And yet, something undeniably special was happening.

Fast forward to the interview. The entire show was fun, informative, and relaxed. (So why was I nervous? No idea.)

Peter talked about his stories and writing in general. We asked about his process and he shared freely, ending with some excellent (and actionable) advice for new writers. Some of the story details were new to me because I have yet to read the Night’s Dawn series, Void Trilogy, or other books. I think next on my list will be the Great North Road. Rather than try to talk intelligently about all of his books, I will just link to them here.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe our YouTube Channel and we hope you enjoy the interview.

Peter F Hamilton's website: http://www.peterfhamilton.co.uk/

Visit our website for news on upcoming events, books we're reading and other author interviews: www.keystrokemedium.com

 

Fans of science fiction are more than just readers. Movies, art, games, and every corner of the imagination is fair game. This episode of the Keystroke Medium Show is proud to host Ralph Kern and Tom Edwards for something new. (Yes, this is our first book cover design show!)

Ralph Kern, author of the the Sleeping Gods novels, recently teamed up with cover designer Tom Edwards. Josh and I are big fans of these guys. Ralph has been a longtime friend of the show and if you don’t know who Tom Edwards is, look at the top twenty science fiction books on Amazon. At the time of this show, Tom designed seven of the twenty.

In this episode we explore how to work with a cover designer. Josh puts up some sketches that were used in the development of Unfathomed (the new novel by Ralph Kern) and other art leading to the final version. Tom shares what actually goes into his projects and gives us a little preview of what’s in store for Tom Edwards Design. For the record, three of Tom’s favorite artists are John Harris, Craig Mullins, and Jaime Jones.

Listening to Tom and Ralph describe their process was informative and entertaining. Please check out Keystroke Medium on YouTube and www.keystrokemedium.com. Subscribe and share. For more about Ralph Kern, check out his author page here. To see something amazing, got to Tom’s web site here. Tom can be contacted via his web site or at [email protected]

 

Thanks and enjoy the show!

Jennifer Foehner Wells is the author of the Confluence series and an upcoming space opera called The Druid Gene. Her books, with exceptionally beautiful covers, are easy to spot online and have garnered thousands of reviews. Join us at Keystroke Medium as we discuss science fiction, writing, and what it takes to be successful.

Wells talks about her early career and how to gain confidence as a writer. She found two local groups of writers, the first was mostly women's fiction, the second was all about science fiction. To this day, the second groups still meets and interacts. In this interview, she explains some rules for being part of a writing group; including enough time to read the story and the types of feedback that are helpful. After only minutes talking with Wells, it is clear she would a fun part of any discussion.

Many writers will enjoy the details of her writing process. Wells spoke about planning but was also eloquent about writing from the imagination. Josh asked about her favorite characters to write and the difference between writing short and long fiction.

Her success seems organic. Compared to other guests, she became a smash-hit right from the beginning. Some of this had to do with her being very engaged on Twitter back when it was a more viable form of social media. Wells tells an engaging story and puts out some entertaining content for viewers and listeners.

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As a bonus, Wells tells us the story about the day she met George R. R. Martin.​

Check out all of Jennifer's books on Amazon here: Jennifer Foehner Wells books

This blog post was such an easy post to write, because the interview with Autumn Birt, author of the Rise of the Fifth Order series, was so much fun. We initially tried to schedule this interview in July, but Autumn and her husband were traveling off-grid the farthest reaches of the planet. Needless to say, this was a fast paced conversation and an interview with some new information readers and writers might be interested.

Autumn is currently writing epic fantasy and near-future dystopian military thrillers. It was interesting to discuss how she developed the Rise of the Fifth Order series and what makes it different than other books in the genre. For readers new to the series, the story revolves around elemental magic and a cast of characters from multiple points of view. Autumn talks about the four elemental powers in herstory world and the forbidden fifth power which drives choices and consequences of the main characters.

Her military dystopian fiction starts out with a book of short stories. Most of her fans came to know her work through the fantasy series, but we learned she has some dedicated fans wanting more of this other genre. Like many authors, she discusses how switching genres can be refreshing for writers and their creativity. Her next major project will be dark urban fantasy.

So, not everyone wants to live off the grid in the far north, but I hope everyone will find something to learn and enjoy from this show. There is, be warned, a slight diversion on the pros and cons of having reader comments tattooed on your body.

Please like and subscribe the Keystroke Medium YouTube channel, sign-up for our podcast, and check out Autumn M. Birt at http://www.autumnwriting.com

You can find all of Autumn’s books on Amazon here: Autumn M Birt Books