Speculate

Welcome to Episode 152 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Katherine Addison, focusing on her novel The Goblin Emperor, as we talk to the author herself (real name Sarah Monette).  Among many topics, Sarah talks about her academic background, her engagement with fans on and offline, the nature of social change in her fantastic world, and what inspires her about her characters–and why she thinks an alternative to grimdark fiction can be a reasonable approach, at least once in a while!  We really enjoyed this chat about a really intriguing book, and we hope you find it as interesting 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 our Good, Bad, and Ugly segments (including a new one from Sarah), 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 a new series on Speculate called Speculate Capsules. In our first episode, we’re happy to bring you a review of The Death House (non-spoilery) and an interview with the author, Sarah Pinborough, in which we talk about the genesis of The Death House, about how she tackled such dark material but also leavened it with comedy and uplifting emotions, and about how the book speaks to living in the moment. Follow Sarah on Twitter: @SarahPinborough.

Welcome to a new series on Speculate called Speculate Capsules. In our first episode, we’re happy to bring you a review of The Death House (non-spoilery) and an interview with the author, Sarah Pinborough, in which we talk about the genesis of The Death House, about how she tackled such dark material but also leavened it with comedy and uplifting emotions, and about how the book speaks to living in the moment. Follow Sarah on Twitter: @SarahPinborough.

Welcome to Episode 151 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. As we head into our sixth year of production, in our first episode of 2016 we begin a new triptych of shows with our reader response to Katherine Addison‘s Locus-award winning The Goblin Emperor, a striking combination of steampunk, political intrigue, and, well, goblins. We talk about the wonderful worldbuilding and characterizations, the way the book acts as a palate cleanser from the current grimdark landscape of fantasy fiction, and the social stakes at the heart of the novel…plus some of the aspects of language which did and didn’t work for us.  We really enjoyed this book, and we’re looking forward to talking about in more detail over the coming weeks.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll chat with Katherine Addison 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 and we can continue to bring you analysis of the best authors, editors, and artists in speculative fiction.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 151 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. As we head into our sixth year of production, in our first episode of 2016 we begin a new triptych of shows with our reader response to Katherine Addison‘s Locus-award winning The Goblin Emperor, a striking combination of steampunk, political intrigue, and, well, goblins. We talk about the wonderful worldbuilding and characterizations, the way the book acts as a palate cleanser from the current grimdark landscape of fantasy fiction, and the social stakes at the heart of the novel…plus some of the aspects of language which did and didn’t work for us.  We really enjoyed this book, and we’re looking forward to talking about in more detail over the coming weeks.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll chat with Katherine Addison 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 and we can continue to bring you analysis of the best authors, editors, and artists in speculative fiction.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and and spreading the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 150 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, part of our Paths to Publication series, we talk about the changes in the industry from the perspective of two veteran and multiple award-winning authors who have been at this for a while: Elizabeth Bear and Daryl Gregory.  We cover some of the differences between writing short and long fiction, the thought that goes into building a career from the beginning, and what authors can (and can’t) get from attending live events like conferences and conventions.  Both of these authors are as engaging as they are respected in the field, and we really enjoyed our chat with them–if you felt the same, we hope you’ll check back soon for another series of shows, including a new triptych early in the new year.  And as this will probably be our final show in 2015, all of us here at Speculate would like to wish you and yours the very best for a peaceful and happy holiday season, and look forward to having you back next month when we begin our sixth year of production!  Remember, both our writing technique shows and the Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including a new one from this episode) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more.  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 150 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, part of our Paths to Publication series, we talk about the changes in the industry from the perspective of two veteran and multiple award-winning authors who have been at this for a while: Elizabeth Bear and Daryl Gregory.  We cover some of the differences between writing short and long fiction, the thought that goes into building a career from the beginning, and what authors can (and can’t) get from attending live events like conferences and conventions.  Both of these authors are as engaging as they are respected in the field, and we really enjoyed our chat with them–if you felt the same, we hope you’ll check back soon for another series of shows, including a new triptych early in the new year.  And as this will probably be our final show in 2015, all of us here at Speculate would like to wish you and yours the very best for a peaceful and happy holiday season, and look forward to having you back next month when we begin our sixth year of production!  Remember, both our writing technique shows and the Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including a new one from this episode) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more.  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 149 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about a new publisher with a new approach to serialized fiction, SerialBox Publishing, with its founder Julian Yap and two of its well-known authors, Ellen Kushner and Max Gladstone.  Julian and his veteran authors discuss the reasons this approach is finding favor in the market, what challenges and benefits arise from writing (and directing) serialized fiction in Ellen’s Tremontaine and Max’s Bookburners, and what the future holds for this format.  All three guests convey the interest and value of SerialBox really well during the discussion, and we hope you enjoyed learning about it as much as we did.  If so, don’t forget to check back soon for a discussion with Elizabeth Bear and Daryl Gregory in our Paths to Publication series–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 and we can continue to bring you analysis of the best authors, editors, and artists in speculative fiction.  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 149 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about a new publisher with a new approach to serialized fiction, SerialBox Publishing, with its founder Julian Yap and two of its well-known authors, Ellen Kushner and Max Gladstone.  Julian and his veteran authors discuss the reasons this approach is finding favor in the market, what challenges and benefits arise from writing (and directing) serialized fiction in Ellen’s Tremontaine and Max’s Bookburners, and what the future holds for this format.  All three guests convey the interest and value of SerialBox really well during the discussion, and we hope you enjoyed learning about it as much as we did.  If so, don’t forget to check back soon for a discussion with Elizabeth Bear and Daryl Gregory in our Paths to Publication series–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 and we can continue to bring you analysis of the best authors, editors, and artists in speculative fiction.  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 148 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we conclude our two-show series on the work of Daniel Polansky, focusing on his novella The Builders, by chatting with Daniel himself and his Tor.com editor, Justin Landon.  Justin talks about what drew him to The Builders and why he thought it was a perfect work for a novella generally and Tor.com specifically, what the editing process was like, and why he thinks the novella form has become more popular and commercially viable in recent years, while Daniel discusses the challenges of writing novellas as opposed to novels, the influences on The Builders, and whether he finds thematic or message-oriented fiction as interested as just a plain story…and why.  We really had a lot of fun with this book and the conversation, 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 a special roundtable discussion with Max Gladstone, Ellen Kushner, and Julian Yap about SerialBox Publishing.  And remember, both our writing technique shows and the Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including a new one from this episode with Daniel and Justin) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more.  Thanks for supporting us here and via our Patreon page, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!