Speculate

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!

Welcome to Episode 147 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a brief two-show set on the work of Daniel Polansky, looking at his new novella The Builders, published by Tor.com.  Joined by new addition to the team Mike Underwood, we chat about the Redwall meets Unforgiven nostalgia which The Builders unabashedly embraces, the excellent tone and pacing, the wonderfully detailed characters (despite the brief time we have to get to know them), and the sense of humor which keeps an otherwise dark tale from sinking into a morass of despair and gloom.  We also set the stage for our upcoming discussion with several Tor.com notables about the novella and Tor.com’s general approach to publishing, which has been attracting a great deal of notice and praise–and which both Mike and Brad, with works due out from them in the future, were drawn to as well.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll have that discussion with the Tor.com people.  And if you haven’t done so already, please continue supporting our Patreon, which will give you exclusive content and other goodies from us every month.  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 147 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a brief two-show set on the work of Daniel Polansky, looking at his new novella The Builders, published by Tor.com.  Joined by new addition to the team Mike Underwood, we chat about the Redwall meets Unforgiven nostalgia which The Builders unabashedly embraces, the excellent tone and pacing, the wonderfully detailed characters (despite the brief time we have to get to know them), and the sense of humor which keeps an otherwise dark tale from sinking into a morass of despair and gloom.  We also set the stage for our upcoming discussion with several Tor.com notables about the novella and Tor.com’s general approach to publishing, which has been attracting a great deal of notice and praise–and which both Mike and Brad, with works due out from them in the future, were drawn to as well.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll have that discussion with the Tor.com people.  And if you haven’t done so already, please continue supporting our Patreon, which will give you exclusive content and other goodies from us every month.  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 146 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about conferences, conventions, and writing tracks with veteran authors and writing track leads Kelly Swails (the Origins Library) and Marc Tassin (the Gen Con Writers’ Symposium), looking at how face to face interactions and networking can be valuable for aspiring authors, especially in an age of online communication…to say nothing of the skills one learns in the process!  We also talk about Kelly’s new novel This May Go On Your Permanent Record and Marc’s world of Aetaltis.  We also make a very important (and awesome!) announcement concerning the future of Speculate, so make sure to stick around for that at the end of the show.  Marc and Kelly have a good deal of experience in the industry, and we enjoyed getting their take on the current situation for authors in the speculative fiction field–we hope you liked it as much as we did, and if so, don’t forget to check back soon for the first of two shows on Daniel Polansky‘s The Builders, recently out from Tor.com.  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Marc and Kelly from this very discussion) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  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 146 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about conferences, conventions, and writing tracks with veteran authors and writing track leads Kelly Swails (the Origins Library) and Marc Tassin (the Gen Con Writers’ Symposium), looking at how face to face interactions and networking can be valuable for aspiring authors, especially in an age of online communication…to say nothing of the skills one learns in the process!  We also talk about Kelly’s new novel This May Go On Your Permanent Record and Marc’s world of Aetaltis.  We also make a very important (and awesome!) announcement concerning the future of Speculate, so make sure to stick around for that at the end of the show.  Marc and Kelly have a good deal of experience in the industry, and we enjoyed getting their take on the current situation for authors in the speculative fiction field–we hope you liked it as much as we did, and if so, don’t forget to check back soon for the first of two shows on Daniel Polansky‘s The Builders, recently out from Tor.com.  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Marc and Kelly from this very discussion) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  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 145 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about comedy, live readings, science fiction, and performative writing with authors Adam Rakunas and Patrick Tomlinson, both with debut novels from Angry Robot either just out or on the way.  We discuss the ways the “performative” experience and writing experience are linked, and how both Adam and Pat made their ways down a rather winding road to publication…and how their stories might be connected to those of other aspiring authors looking to be published.  We enjoyed this conversation with two funny and dynamic authors, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!  If you liked what you heard, don’t forget to check back soon for our roundtable discussion with Kelly Swails and Marc Tassin, both authors and heads of writing tracks at the Origins and Gen Con conventions, respectively.  We’ll also have a special announcement on that show, so make sure to tune in!  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Adam and Pat from this very discussion) are only available to our Patreon supporters, who have had some new folks join the ranks recently–so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  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 145 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about comedy, live readings, science fiction, and performative writing with authors Adam Rakunas and Patrick Tomlinson, both with debut novels from Angry Robot either just out or on the way.  We discuss the ways the “performative” experience and writing experience are linked, and how both Adam and Pat made their ways down a rather winding road to publication…and how their stories might be connected to those of other aspiring authors looking to be published.  We enjoyed this conversation with two funny and dynamic authors, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!  If you liked what you heard, don’t forget to check back soon for our roundtable discussion with Kelly Swails and Marc Tassin, both authors and heads of writing tracks at the Origins and Gen Con conventions, respectively.  We’ll also have a special announcement on that show, so make sure to tune in!  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Adam and Pat from this very discussion) are only available to our Patreon supporters, who have had some new folks join the ranks recently–so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  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 144 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about reading series and short stories with the legendary editor Ellen Datlow and author/editor Matthew Kressel, who co-host the KGB Fantastic Fiction series in New York City, looking at how each of our guests got involved in hosting KGB, how reading series have changed over the years, and what the live experience offers which other more canned or isolated experiences don’t.  We also talk about the process of constructing an anthology, and the difference between short and long fiction from a writing perspective.  We really enjoyed this conversation with two very interesting and active people in the genre, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!  If you liked what you heard, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll have a roundtable discussion with Adam Rakunas and Patrick Tomlinson.  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Ellen and Matt from this very conversation!) are only available to our Patreon supporters–so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  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 144 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about reading series and short stories with the legendary editor Ellen Datlow and author/editor Matthew Kressel, who co-host the KGB Fantastic Fiction series in New York City, looking at how each of our guests got involved in hosting KGB, how reading series have changed over the years, and what the live experience offers which other more canned or isolated experiences don’t.  We also talk about the process of constructing an anthology, and the difference between short and long fiction from a writing perspective.  We really enjoyed this conversation with two very interesting and active people in the genre, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!  If you liked what you heard, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll have a roundtable discussion with Adam Rakunas and Patrick Tomlinson.  And don’t forget that our Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including one from Ellen and Matt from this very conversation!) are only available to our Patreon supporters–so please head over there to hear more from our guests.  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 142 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Helene Wecker, focusing on her novel The Golem and the Jinni.  Helene talks about the reasons she eventually decided to write The Golem and the Jinni as a fantasy, what aspects of cultural interaction she found most interesting in writing the book, her methods of research and much more.  This was an interesting discussion about a really great book, 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 remember, both our writing technique shows and the Good, Bad and Ugly segments (including a new one from Helene!) are only available to our Patreon supporters, so please head over there to hear more about Helene and her work.  Thanks to all who have supported us, and thanks as always for listening to and spreading the word about the show!