Storypunks Podcast

This interview with the author who coined the term cyberpunk covers everything you'd hope it would, and then some. Bruce's term inspired all the other punk genres we celebrate on this show, including steampunk. No big deal!

Bruce shares some exciting new projects and updates (if you're already a Bethke fan, you're going to really love what he announces!).

Bruce also shares what he's looking for in submissions to his Friday Challenge opportunity for authors.

And if all this wasn't enough, he also supplies THE best reaction I've ever heard to a brief technical timeout in our conference call, so I left that in the recording. It's pretty awesome.

J. Scott Savage is a middle grade and YA author with a great hook: steampunk and dragons!

His Mysteries of Cove series is a wonderful story if you're looking for your next read, and we also discuss plenty that will be of interest to writers and other creators. As a highlight, we talk about how he became a "school visit extraordinaire" (more than 1500 schools!).

Join us for a fun interview!

This week I interview Beth Cato, a steampunk author with dieselpunk leanings.

Beth has a fascinating Blood of Earth series set in an alternate San Francisco, and her Clockwork Dagger series is "Final Fantasy meets Agatha Christie" (inspired by Murder on the Orient Express, hello!), among many other interesting works. We talk all about it in this episode.

Also, Beth has a unique approach to her author blog, where she's incorporated another passion of hers: baking! Come learn about her Bready or Not posts, which have a nice side benefit of helping her market her stories.

Join us!

Elly Blue created a genre she's dubbed feminist bicycle science fiction.

So cool!

You're going to love this interview, where we talk about solarpunk, ecopunk, and many other aspects of utopian and dystopian futures.

Elly is a co-owner of Microcosm Publishing, so we also talk about editing as well as the open submissions for the next Bikes in Space anthology.

I have decided to give a quick update at the beginning of every show, so this is when I'll describe what I'm working on.

I wasn't sure I'd do this at first, but the timing is nice because I'm entering my "Structural Phase" of a pretty hefty work in progress.

Listen to the episode or visit my website (CindyGrigg.com) for a description of my work in progress. If you'd like to get involved as a beta reader with input on a story, please fill out the form at CindyGrigg.com.

Learn more by listening to or watching the episode!

Dan Wells has written many novels and other fictional works you can find at TheDanWells.com.

Here's a list of questions I asked Dan in Episode 2.

• Me: In this show, we discuss "the punks", and today we're focusing on cyberpunk. Since everyone defines them a little bit differently, what's your take on the defining the term and what do you feel qualifies as cyberpunk?
• Me: Tell us about each of your cyberpunk books or series and why readers should check them out. Specifically, what themes do your books focus on?
• Me: As I've begun reading Bluescreen, I'm blown away by how well you write a cast of diverse characters. What kind of research, tools, or other planning goes into pulling that off as an author?
• Twitter: Sean‏ @SeanTaillon - What evolutions he's gone through in regards to storytelling. Personal eureka moments in regards to overall craft or a specific story.
• Twitter: Ben Lane Hodson‏ @BenLaneHodson - How do you do your tech research for your cyberpunk books?
• Phone: Robert from Denver - How do you keep an ongoing series fresh with new ideas? Also, writing can be difficult, so I'm looking for inspiration about the payoff. What's the most rewarding thing for you about finishing so many stories?
• Me: Anyone who visits the About tab on Dan's website TheDanWells.com can read some really fun and more in-depth biographical tidbits than I covered in the bio. I found myself blown away by everything you've been up to, Dan! So, what's your secret for writing productivity? How do you get so much done?!
• Me: Why is cyberpunk important right now? Why does the world today need more cyberpunk?

Look forward to another interview next week! I am so excited to be sharing these interviews with you.