Speculate

Welcome to Episode 172 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this State of the Field episode we chat with former editor and current agent DongWon Song of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency about the current publishing environment for speculative fiction, how the line between agent and editor has become increasingly blurred, what authors need to know in the new hybrid/traditional market, and even what he enjoys most about teaching book editing…and many other things.  If you like what you hear, remember to check back soon for our next show, and please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level to get access to even more content. Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show…and best wishes for a happy holiday season and a wonderful 2017!

Welcome to Episode 171 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we chat with author Michael J. Martinez about works past, present, and future. During our discussion we talk about Mike’s Daedalus Trilogy and Majestic-12 series, his love of history in both real and alternate forms, and the ways in which his long career in journalism has influenced his writing…and how he’ll happily buy everyone a beer if he’s allowed to write in the Star Wars universe.  If you like what you hear, remember to check back soon for our next show, and please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level to get access to even more content.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 171 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we chat with author Michael J. Martinez about works past, present, and future. During our discussion we talk about Mike’s Daedalus Trilogy and Majestic-12 series, his love of history in both real and alternate forms, and the ways in which his long career in journalism has influenced his writing…and how he’ll happily buy everyone a beer if he’s allowed to write in the Star Wars universe.  If you like what you hear, remember to check back soon for our next show, and please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level to get access to even more content.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 170 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans.  In this episode we talk about our schedule through the end of 2016 before getting into the show proper, a discussion of Lauren Beukes‘s upcoming short story collection (due out in November) Slipping: Stories, Essays, & Other Writing, focusing in particular on the stories “Algebra,” “Unathi Battles The Black Hairballs” (it’s as good as it sounds!), and the essay “All The Pretty Corpses.”  We talk about Lauren’s irreverent, unsparing, sometimes brutal writing style, her honesty in rendering her characters and themes, and her commitment to justice both in real life and in her fiction–and even make a couple of suggestions about how authors can apply some of her strategies to their own work.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back soon for another episode exploring the genre of speculative fiction, and if you haven’t done so already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron yourself so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow. Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 170 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans.  In this episode we talk about our schedule through the end of 2016 before getting into the show proper, a discussion of Lauren Beukes‘s upcoming short story collection (due out in November) Slipping: Stories, Essays, & Other Writing, focusing in particular on the stories “Algebra,” “Unathi Battles The Black Hairballs” (it’s as good as it sounds!), and the essay “All The Pretty Corpses.”  We talk about Lauren’s irreverent, unsparing, sometimes brutal writing style, her honesty in rendering her characters and themes, and her commitment to justice both in real life and in her fiction–and even make a couple of suggestions about how authors can apply some of her strategies to their own work.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back soon for another episode exploring the genre of speculative fiction, and if you haven’t done so already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron yourself so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow. Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 168 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Chuck Wendig, looking at his new novel Invasive.  We chat about anxiety in fiction, the nature of messages and themes in stories, the specifics of Chuck’s unique style (and how he carries that from book to book), and his particular love of insects of all creepy kinds…and how writing in a shed is better than it sounds.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our final show of the triptych as we look at some of the writing techniques used in the novel–and if you’d like access to that show, please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Brad, Mike, and Greg have something cooking for later this year which we think will be of great interest to Speculate fans.  Stay tuned for all the details in the weeks and months to come!

Welcome to Episode 168 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Chuck Wendig, looking at his new novel Invasive.  We chat about anxiety in fiction, the nature of messages and themes in stories, the specifics of Chuck’s unique style (and how he carries that from book to book), and his particular love of insects of all creepy kinds…and how writing in a shed is better than it sounds.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our final show of the triptych as we look at some of the writing techniques used in the novel–and if you’d like access to that show, please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Brad, Mike, and Greg have something cooking for later this year which we think will be of great interest to Speculate fans.  Stay tuned for all the details in the weeks and months to come!

Welcome to Episode 167 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about a couple of upcoming projects before beginning our next triptych, this one on Chuck Wendig‘s Invasive.  This book, due out on August 16th, follows futurist and FBI consultant Hannah Stander as she tries to uncover the mystery behind a bizarre murder…and unravel her imagined fears from the real threats she faces.  Part disaster tale, part horror, and part thriller, Invasive is a lot of fun, and we talk about the book’s style (which is all Chuck), the message being sent behind the story, the speed of the read, and many other things.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll talk with Chuck Wendig himself about the book.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron yourself so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 167 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about a couple of upcoming projects before beginning our next triptych, this one on Chuck Wendig‘s Invasive.  This book, due out on August 16th, follows futurist and FBI consultant Hannah Stander as she tries to uncover the mystery behind a bizarre murder…and unravel her imagined fears from the real threats she faces.  Part disaster tale, part horror, and part thriller, Invasive is a lot of fun, and we talk about the book’s style (which is all Chuck), the message being sent behind the story, the speed of the read, and many other things.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll talk with Chuck Wendig himself about the book.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron yourself so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 165 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Daniel Jose Older, looking at his acclaimed YA novel Shadowshaper as we speak with the author himself.  We chat about music, Brooklyn, cultural representation, characters of color, and many other topics in a really fascinating discussion with Daniel, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did!  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our final show of the triptych as we look at some of the writing techniques used in the novel–and if you’d like access to that show, please head to our Patreon page and support us at the $5 or higher level.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!