Speculate

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!

Welcome to Episode 164 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we talk about Mike’s successful Genrenauts Kickstarter and the new arrival in Greg’s family–the new youngest Speculate podcaster!–along with coming travel plans before beginning our next triptych, this one on Daniel Jose Older‘s Shadowshaper.  This book, about a young Puerto Rican woman from Brooklyn who learns about her family’s ability to use spirits, is our first YA novel in a while, and it’s one which has attracted an enormous amount of critical attention over the past year.  We talk about the book’s really engaging protagonist Sierra, the well-done sense of place (this is the actual Brooklyn, not the hipster one we hear about so often), and the interesting magic system, among other things.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll chat with Daniel Jose Older himself about the book.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow and develop.  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 164 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we talk about Mike’s successful Genrenauts Kickstarter and the new arrival in Greg’s family–the new youngest Speculate podcaster!–along with coming travel plans before beginning our next triptych, this one on Daniel Jose Older‘s Shadowshaper.  This book, about a young Puerto Rican woman from Brooklyn who learns about her family’s ability to use spirits, is our first YA novel in a while, and it’s one which has attracted an enormous amount of critical attention over the past year.  We talk about the book’s really engaging protagonist Sierra, the well-done sense of place (this is the actual Brooklyn, not the hipster one we hear about so often), and the interesting magic system, among other things.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll chat with Daniel Jose Older himself about the book.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow and develop.  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 162 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Aliette de Bodard, looking in particular at her award-winning and critically acclaimed novel The House of Shattered Wings, as we speak with the author herself (for the second time).  She talks about the influences which go into the book, her sense of the characters and their development, and the joys (and potential pitfalls) of blending different religious, mythological, and cultural traditions into the fascinating world described in The House of Shattered Wings.  We really enjoyed chatting with Aliette as always, and we hope you enjoyed 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 (and others, like the Good, Bad, and Ugly segments), 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!

Welcome to Episode 162 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Aliette de Bodard, looking in particular at her award-winning and critically acclaimed novel The House of Shattered Wings, as we speak with the author herself (for the second time).  She talks about the influences which go into the book, her sense of the characters and their development, and the joys (and potential pitfalls) of blending different religious, mythological, and cultural traditions into the fascinating world described in The House of Shattered Wings.  We really enjoyed chatting with Aliette as always, and we hope you enjoyed 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 (and others, like the Good, Bad, and Ugly segments), 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!

Welcome to Episode 161 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk a bit about the current state of the Hugo Awards and two projects of our own–Mike’s upcoming Kickstarter for The Genrenauts and Greg’s recently released graphic novel Icarus–before beginning our next triptych of 2016 with our reader response to multiple award-winning author (and former Speculate guest!) Aliette de Bodard‘s The House of Shattered Wings.  This is a really interesting look at a post-apocalyptic Paris run by competing houses controlled by fallen angels–a book which feels a bit like Game of Thrones mixed with Vampire: The Masquerade–and we talk about the book’s fascinating environment, its political intrigue, and its myriad influences, among other things.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll chat with Aliette de Bodard herself about the book.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow and develop.  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 161 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk a bit about the current state of the Hugo Awards and two projects of our own–Mike’s upcoming Kickstarter for The Genrenauts and Greg’s recently released graphic novel Icarus–before beginning our next triptych of 2016 with our reader response to multiple award-winning author (and former Speculate guest!) Aliette de Bodard‘s The House of Shattered Wings.  This is a really interesting look at a post-apocalyptic Paris run by competing houses controlled by fallen angels–a book which feels a bit like Game of Thrones mixed with Vampire: The Masquerade–and we talk about the book’s fascinating environment, its political intrigue, and its myriad influences, among other things.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll chat with Aliette de Bodard herself about the book.  And if you haven’t already, please check out our Patreon and consider becoming a patron so you can get access to even more content as our show continues to grow and develop.  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 160 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, we continue our second joint production of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch channel (under the moniker Arvan Eleron) as we discuss the world of Numenera and writing for video games in general with bestselling author and inXile Entertainment‘s Torment: Tides of Numenera contributor Patrick Rothfuss.  In the first part of the show, we talked more about Numenera specifically with Monte Cook and Shanna Germain; here, we continue that conversation with Pat, but also get into more depth about video games as a storytelling medium, the communal vs. the solitary experience of storytelling, and comic writing.  This was a really fascinating conversation, and as always Pat is extremely engaging and thoughtful; we hope you find it as interesting as we did!  If you’d like to see the video version of this, head to Greg’s Twitch YouTube channel, and if you liked what you saw and heard, don’t forget to check back soon as we get ready to start on a new triptych of shows. Thanks for supporting us here and via our growing Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 160 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, we continue our second joint production of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch channel (under the moniker Arvan Eleron) as we discuss the world of Numenera and writing for video games in general with bestselling author and inXile Entertainment‘s Torment: Tides of Numenera contributor Patrick Rothfuss.  In the first part of the show, we talked more about Numenera specifically with Monte Cook and Shanna Germain; here, we continue that conversation with Pat, but also get into more depth about video games as a storytelling medium, the communal vs. the solitary experience of storytelling, and comic writing.  This was a really fascinating conversation, and as always Pat is extremely engaging and thoughtful; we hope you find it as interesting as we did!  If you’d like to see the video version of this, head to Greg’s Twitch YouTube channel, and if you liked what you saw and heard, don’t forget to check back soon as we get ready to start on a new triptych of shows. Thanks for supporting us here and via our growing Patreon, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 159 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, our second joint production of Speculate and Greg’s Twitch channel (under the moniker Arvan Eleron), we return to the world of Numenera and inXile Entertainment‘s Torment: Tides of Numenera as we speak with world designer Shanna Germain, world creator Monte Cook, and bestselling author and Torment contributor Patrick Rothfuss.  Having already looked at some of the gameplay and mechanics in our first Numenera episode, here we concentrate more directly on the parts of the world connected to writing and narrative, focusing on worldbuilding, character development, and the translation of a world from tabletop RPG to literature to video game and back again.  This conversation was so much fun and gave us so much material, we had to split it into two parts, the second almost exclusively with Pat alone.  If you’d like to see the video version of this, head to Greg’s Twitch YouTube channel, and if you liked what you saw and heard, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll post part two of the show.  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: The time for Hugo nominations is just about over, and we’re pleased to see that Speculate has made several long lists for Best Fancast.  We would dearly love to see the show get nominated for that honor this year, and so we wanted to remind all of our loyal listeners that if you have enjoyed what we do over the years and are so inclined, we would welcome your support. If you’re a member of last year’s, this year’s, or next year’s Worldcon, you’re eligible to nominate, and can do so here—but only before the end of the day on Thursday, March 31st.  So please go and nominate now, and if we’re on your list under the Best Fancast category, we would be most grateful!