Reader/Writer

Ben and Mary Ellen discuss The Three by Sarah Lotz.

Our picks for this month are:

One thing many writers never have a shortage of is ideas. How do you know if an idea is worth exploring and writing though? We discuss this very question with Starla Huchton with answers from Balticon 2014!

Our guest answers come from Charles Gannon, Chris Lester, Christopher Morse, Phillipa Ballantine, Tee Morris, Scott Roche, Scott Sigler and a special guest.

How do YOU know an idea is a good idea?

Our first panel from Balticon 48! Featuring DC Wilson, Peter Bryant, Myke Cole and Michael Underwood.

Description from the programme:

Ben and Mary Ellen discuss their hiatus, Guardians of the Galaxy and their feelings on the Amazon v. Hachette "situation".

Our Audible picks for this month:

We talk to Michael R. Underwood about his new book Shield and Crocus, "The New Weird" and how he approaches his novels.

Our Audible Picks for this month:

It's our 50th episode live from Balticon! We got Dave Robison in a room with a crowd and we heard answers to the One Question "What makes a good supporting character?" We heard pre-recorded answers from Adam Christopher, Mur Lafferty, Justin Landon and Tom Merritt, as well as from Micheal R. Underwood, Hugh J. O'Donnell and Morgen Rich live in the audience!

A huge thanks to Starla Huchton for the brand new cover artwork!

Our final panel from Confusion 2014. We hear from six authors, Jacqueline Carey, Sarah Zettel, J.C. Daniels, Sam Sykes, Merrie Haskell and Cindy Spencer Pape.

From the programme:

"The Trojan War was fought for the love of one woman. Arthurian legend would be incomplete without the love stories. Quests are often undertaken due to an underlying romance, but our popular understanding of genre and various authors' place within and among them seems to lose sight of this fact. Why is one writer's love story paranormal romance, while another's is a tale of fantasy?"

We talk to Abigail Hilton about her writing, the influence of science, and other upcoming work.

Our Audible picks this month:

Promos for Farlost and Nutty Bites

While we take some time to prepare for Balticon next weekend, here's another panel from ConFusion 2014. Kameron Hurley, Ron Collins, Howard Tayler, Janet Harriett, Catherine Shaffer and Christine Purcell discuss keeping things consistent across a series.

From the Programme:

"You have just discovered, upon reading a previous novel in the universe you are writing, a point that completely nullifies the plot of the book you are trying to write. What do you do? This particular issue comes up often, and the solution may make everything better. Our panel discusses how to proceed from this thorn, once you've calmed down..."

Promo for Space Casey Season 2

Another panel from ConFusion 2014. Myke Cole moderates with panelists Sarah Gibbons, Janet Harriett and Mike Carey.

From the programme:

"Books, and those who write them, are sometimes elevated to the status of canon. In science fiction as in fantasy, there are works that are considered must reads for any serious student of the genre. Is this always a good thing? Seminal as they could be, older novels also often have structures and language that are far from conventions now, not to mention societal assumptions and prejudices about race and gender that can shock a modern reader. Is there a point where a work is old enough to be safely retired from the conversation?"

Promo for Paul E. Cooley's The Street.