My guest this week is video game narrative designer Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz! Mat is best known for his twelve years with CD Projekt Red where he worked as a quest designer and principal narrative designer on the Witcher 2, the Witcher 3, and Cyberpunk 2077. He has recently moved over to Riot Games where he is the principal narrative designer for their upcoming MMO.

Mat and I chat about his time with CDPR and the challenges of leaving his friends and coworkers to move halfway around the world to work for Riot. We also discuss the complexity of designing quests and narrative for video games, coordinating with other departments and hitting deadlines, and accounting for millions of players while also telling a story. Enjoy my conversation with Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz!

You can find Mat on Twitter.

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

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My guests this week are Howard and Sandra Tayler! Howard is best known as the writer and artist of the massively popular Schlock Mercenary webcomic, as well as one of the founding hosts of the Writing Excuses podcast. His wife Sandra has been his long-running partner, acting as editor, business manager, and jack-of-all-trades for Schlock Mercenary and other projects, as well as her own writing and presenting.

The three of us chat about the genesis and development of their business and creative partnership and how that has gelled over the years with their marriage. We also talk mutual problem solving, learning self-care and structure, as well as the future of Schlock Mercenary and the Tayler’s other creative endeavors. Enjoy my conversation with Howard and Sandra Tayler!

Find Howard on Twitter and at Schlock Mercenary.

Find Sandra on Twitter and her website.

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

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We kick off season two with my guest science fiction author Ty Franck. Ty is best known as one half of the writing partnership James SA Corey, creators of the wonderful Expanse books and producers and writers for the TV show of the same name. Ty also worked as a personal assistant for George RR Martin and has written for Star Wars and gaming properties.

Ty and I chat at length about his partnership with Daniel Abraham, the other half his pseudonym, including where they started and how the work has evolved over time. We also talk about the complexities of making a TV show and the happy accidents that saw him and Daniel so heavily involved in its production. Enjoy my conversation with Ty Franck!

Find Ty on Twitter or his podcast.

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

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Brian's guest this week is author, editor, and game designer Shanna Germain! Shanna is best known as the co-founder, co-owner, and managing editor of Monte Cook Games. Over her career she’s published everything from poems and articles to short stories and novels, as well as taught classes on publishing and writing. Her latest works include Numenera novels Tomorrow’s Bones and The Night Clave.

Shanna and Brian chat about her work at Monte Cook Games, her changes in creative focus, and the choices one has to make between writing time, publication, and a secure day job. They also discuss the tricky relationship that authors have with their reviews, from random Twitter comments all the way to professional trade publications.

Find Shanna on her website or social media.

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Bradley Beaulieu! Brad is known for the Lays of Anuskaya, the Song of the Shattered Sands, and his scifi debut Absynthe under the pseudonym of Brenden P. Bellecourt.

Brad and Brian talk about his early career, how characters change and develop during the writing process, and picking proper nouns and book titles that resonate with the reader without pushing them away. They also talk about Brad’s early career and his experience with smaller publishers, as well as his recent stroke and the recovery process.

Find Brad on social media or his website.

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

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Brian's guest this week is urban fantasy author Stephen Blackmoore. Stephen is best known for his acclaimed Eric Carter series about a necromancer in modern day LA. He's also written tie-in fiction for video games and TV shows, numerous short stories, and was the creative director for the Fate of Cthulu ttrpg for Evil Hat Productions.

Stephen and Brian talk about his infamous twitter horoscopes, the continued success of Eric Carter as well as some dark moments from the series, and the pros and cons of work-for-hire.

Find Stephen on Twitter or his website.

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Guest host Dan Wells jumps in to make this week's episode all about Brian to celebrate the launch of his new book!

Brian is best known for his Powder Mage Universe that spans six novels as well as numerous novellas and short stories. He's also written the ongoing Valkyrie Collections urban fantasy, and is normally the host of this podcast, Page Break with Brian McClellan. And as he's been beating you dear listeners over the head with these past few weeks, he's got a new book out this week! In the Shadow of Lightning is the first entry into a brand new epic fantasy universe, Glass Immortals.

Dan and Brian talk extensively about Glass Immortals, including the evolution of the magic system and the various characters from early draft to what we now see on the page. They also talk about what becoming a published author did for Brian's self-confidence, the writerly skillsets he tried to expand for the new series, and the future of his novella-length spin-offs. Enjoy Dan’s conversation with Brian!

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

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Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Scott Lynch! Scott is the author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Lies of Locke Lamora and the follow-ups Red Seas Under Red Skies and The Republic of Thieves.

Scott and Brian talk about the double-edged nature of being a writer during the pandemic, and the need to attend to your physical health even when you don’t want to. They also discuss Scott’s ongoing battle with mental health issues and how they’ve affected his career, both publicly and privately. Finally, Scott chats about where he’s at with his writing and what fans can hope to expect from him in the near future.

Find Scott on Twitter or his website.

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian's guest this week is Youtuber Tim Hickson. Tim is the owner, writer, and performer of the wildly popular Hello Future Me channel, where he breaks down plot, characters, and worldbuilding. He’s also the author of two books on the subject: On Writing and Worldbuilding Volumes I and II.

Tim and Brian talk about the pressures of success, Tim’s journey toward publishing his own fiction stories, the difficulty of pleasing yourself, fans, and algorithms all at once, and the cold hard reality of using art to pay your bills. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Tim Hickson!

Find Tim on YouTube or support his Patreon.

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Brian's guest this week is author Cherie Priest. Cherie is known for work that dips toes in a number of different genres, including horror, science fiction, southern gothic, fantasy, and steampunk. She’s best known for her Clockwork Century Universe that started with Boneshaker, and has also written the Eden Moore series, the Borden Dispatches, the Cheshire Red Reports series, and many other standalone novels and short stories.

Cherie and Brian talk extensively about her childhood in a south and the way that has affected her adult life and career. They discuss oppressive religion, spiritualism, and take a lengthy detour down her adventures in urban exploring.

Find Cherie on Twitter and her website.

Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!

Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.