The Functional Nerds Podcast

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Shannon Lawrence, author of Myth Stalker: Wendigo Nights.

About Myth Stalker: Wendigo Nights: When Selina Moonstone, a Myth Stalker, gets a late night call from her mentor about a Wendigo problem, she arms up and heads to Canada, only to find out the Wendigo is someone close to her.

Accustomed to facing off with the all too real creatures of Native American mythology, Selina changes gears from destruction to frantic search for a cure. Working against her is the fact that there is no known way to rid a person of the Wendigo spirit once it has begun the consumption of the victim’s soul. In her youth, she learned the hard way that extermination is the only answer.

With her loved one’s transition to Wendigo imminent, Selina must fight her own lifelong training as a Myth Stalker in order to find another way. She gathers a mismatched group of allies, including a charming Sin Eater and a conceited mercenary Cryptid hunter from her past, and embarks on a mission to find a solution before it’s too late.

About Shannon Lawrence: A fan of all things fantastical and frightening, Shannon Lawrence writes in her dungeon when her minions allow, often accompanied by her familiars. She writes primarily horror and fantasy. Her stories can be found in several anthologies and magazines, and her collections, Blue Sludge Blues & Other Abominations and Bruised Souls & Other Torments, are available in stores. You can also find her as a co-host of the podcast “Mysteries, Monsters, & Mayhem.” When she’s not writing, she’s hiking through the wilds of Colorado and photographing her magnificent surroundings. Though she often misses the Oregon coast, the majestic and rugged Rockies are a sight she could never part with. Besides, in Colorado there’s always a place to hide a body or birth a monster. What more could she ask for? Find her at thewarriormuse.com or mysteriesmonstersmayhem.com.

This week’s picks:

Links:

© 2024 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 610-With Shannon Lawrence appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

This week, Patrick and Tracy ring in the new year by chatting with J.T. Evans, author of HIVE DREAMS.

About HIVE DREAMS: Aell the bladesinger is a former gladiatorial slave.

Stiles the lockwhisperer is a streetwise cat burglar.

Trying their best to get by but always embroiled in trouble and chaos, they form a formidable duo with a strong bond of friendship and a sense of duty to the run-down neighborhood they live in.

Aell and Stiles are offered a generous sum of coin to enter the Hive, Stiles’s childhood home, and capture creatures that feast on the brains of killers. The coin is to be spent to acquire Aell’s brother’s freedom from slavery. During their adventures they stumble into more trouble than they asked for by becoming embroiled in machinations of the Hive’s downtrodden and triggering a trap set by a long-time enemy.

About J.T. Evans: J.T. Evans writes fantasy novels. He also dabbles with science fiction and horror short stories. He is the former president of Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group and Pikes Peak Writers. He is the author of the Modern Mythology and Flashing Blades series.

This week’s picks:

Links:

© 2024 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 609-With J.T. Evans appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome GennaRose Nethercott, author of Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart (and other stories).

About Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart (and other stories): The stories in Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart are about the abomination that resides within us all. That churning, clawing, ravenous yearning: the hunger to be held, and seen, and known. And the terror, too: to be loved too well, or not enough, or for long enough. To be laid bare before your sweetheart, to their horror. To be recognized as the monstrous thing you are.

In these lush, strange, beautifully written stories, GennaRose Nethercott explores human longing in all its diamond-dark facets to create a collection that will redefine what you see as a beast, and make you beg to have your heart broken.

About GennaRose Nethercott: GENNAROSE NETHERCOTT is the author of a novel, Thistlefoot, and a book length poem, The Lumberjack’s Dove—selected by Louise Glück as a winner of the National Poetry Series.

A proud member of the Grim & Mild team, she helps create the podcasts Lore and Harlots—the latter of which she also hosts. When she isn’t touring nationally and internationally performing strange tales (sometimes with puppets in tow), she lives in the woodlands of Vermont, beside an old cemetery.

This week’s picks:

Links:

© 2023 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 608-With GennaRose Nethercott appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Mur Lafferty, author of CHAOS TERMINAL.

About CHAOS TERMINAL: Mallory Viridian would rather not be an amateur detective, thank you very much. But no matter what she does, people persist in dying around her—and only she seems to be able to solve the crime. After fleeing to an alien space station in hopes that the lack of humans would stop the murders, a serial killer had the nerve to follow her to Station Eternity. (Mallory deduced who the true culprit was that time, too.)

Now the law enforcement agent who hounded Mallory on Earth has come to Station Eternity, along with her teenage crush and his sister, Mallory’s best friend from high school. Mallory doesn’t believe in coincidences, and so she’s not at all surprised when someone in the latest shuttle from Earth is murdered. It’s the story of her life, after all.

Only this time she has more than a killer to deal with. Between her fugitive friends, a new threat arising from the Sundry hivemind, and the alarmingly peculiar behavior of the sentient space station they all call home, even Mallory’s deductive abilities are strained. If she can’t find out what’s going on (and fast), a disaster of intergalactic proportions may occur…

About Mur Lafferty: Mur’s books are available in stores, online retailers, and through her website. Check out Solo: A Star Wars Story for the details that you wanted expanded from the movie, and check out I Should Be Writing if you need a supportive writing workshop in the form of a book.

In 2017 Mur released Six Wakes, a clone murder mystery in space that nominated for the 2018 Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, and Bookburners, a collaboration effort about a group of demon hunters for the Vatican. Bookburners continues through five total seasons, available at Realm.

The Shambling Guide to New York City won the 2014 Manly Wade Wellman Award, and Mur was lucky enough that its sequel, Ghost Train to New Orleans, won the 2015 Manly Wade Wellman Award!

Mur has been a podcaster since December, 2004, and since then won the Podcast Peer Award, three Parsec Awards, and in 2015 was inducted into the Podcaster Hall of Fame. Mur’s show Ditch Diggers (with Matt Wallace) won the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Fancast. Mur’s longest running show is I Should Be Writing (17 years strong as of August 2022!)

This week’s picks:

Links:

© 2023 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 607-With Mur Lafferty appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

This week, Patrick and Tracy are sharing a list of holiday gifts the nerd – functional or otherwise – in your life might enjoy! And some they might not…

The Great Holiday Gift List (2023 Edition):

Links:

© 2023 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 606-Just Us and the Holiday Gift List appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Michael Sims, editor of The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries.

About The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries: For The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries, writer and anthologist Michael Sims did not summon the usual suspects. He sought the unfamiliar, the unjustly forgotten, and little-known gems by writers from outside the genre. This historical tour of one of our most popular literary categories includes stories never before reprinted, features rebellious early “lady detectives,” and spotlights former stars of the crime field—Austrian novelist Auguste Groner and prolific American Geraldine Bonner among them. For twenty-first century connoisseurs of crime, The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries celebrates how the nineteenth century added a fierce modern twist to the ancient theme of bloody murder.

About Michael Sims: Michael Sims is the author of Arthur and Sherlock, which was a finalist for the Edgar from the Mystery Writers of America, the Gold Dagger from the Crime Writers Association of Great Britain, and numerous other awards; Adam’s Navel, which was a New York Times Notable Book and a Library Journal Best Science Book; The Story of Charlotte’s Web, which was chosen by the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and other venues as a Best Book of the Year. His latest of several anthologies is The Penguin Book of Murder Mysteries, which received a starred review in Publishers Weekly and just this week was recommended by the New York Times Book Review.

This week’s picks:

Links:

© 2023 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 605-With Michael Sims appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Alex Bledsoe, author of Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit, Cunning Women, and Wild Magic.

About Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit, Cunning Women, and Wild Magic: Skyboat Media presents Give the People What They Want and Other Stories of Sharp Wit, Cunning Women, and Wild Magic,an original collection of short stories from Alex Bledsoe.

First, you’ll return to the noir fantasy world of Eddie LaCrosse, a sword jockey not afraid to get his hands dirty in order to get the job done—for twenty-five gold pieces a day, plus expenses. Then comes stories from the whimsical, musical realm of the Tufa, a mysterious race of fairies living in the Appalachian backwoods of East Tennessee. When you emerge from the Tufa’s Cloud Country, it’s time to peek into the lives of small-town reporter Ry Tully and the unlikely love of his life, Tanna, a powerful, blind witch who can only see when there are fireflies around. And then for something completely different! Join the odd pair of Linda Fontana and T.S. Bunch, friends from childhood who grew up to be big-game hunters, as they track down jaguars in Matto Grosso and rhinos in the African grasslands; and then attend an unfortunate photoshoot at a zoo with a tiger who is very unhappy to be used as a prop. Finally, sink your teeth into a panoply of weird and wonderful stories about vampires, fairies, and deals with the devil; and be prepared to be scared with a previously unpublished novella, The Last First Zombie.

Featuring tales from across genres and across Bledsoe’s career, Give the People What They Want is ideal for old fans and new listeners alike!

About Alex Bledsoe: Alex grew up in west Tennessee an hour north of Graceland (home of Elvis) and twenty minutes from Nutbush (birthplace of Tina Turner). He’s been a reporter, editor, photographer and door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman.

He now live in a Wisconsin town famous for trolls, writes before six in the morning and tries to teach his two kids to act like they’ve been to town before.

This week’s picks:

Links:

© 2023 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 604-With Alex Bledsoe appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Kevin Hearne, author of A CURSE OF KRAKENS.

About A CURSE OF KRAKENS: Seeker and Sower

Fighter and Friend

Sailor and Explorer

About Kevin Hearne: KEVIN HEARNE hugs trees, pets doggies, and rocks out to heavy metal. He also thinks tacos are a pretty nifty idea. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling series the Iron Druid Chronicles, the Seven Kennings trilogy that begins with A PLAGUE OF GIANTS, and co-author of the Tales of Pell with Delilah S. Dawson.

This week’s picks:

Links:

© 2023 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 603-With Kevin Hearne appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Stephen Aryan, author of THE JUDAS BLOSSOM.

About THE JUDAS BLOSSOM: 1260, Persia:

Due to the efforts of the great Genghis Khan, the Mongol Empire covers a vast portion of the known world. In the shadow of his grandfather, Hulagu Khan, ruler of the Ilkhanate, is determined to create a single empire that covers the entire world. His method? Violence.

His youngest son, Temujin Khan, struggles to find his place in his father’s bloody rule. After another failure, Temujin is given one last chance to prove himself to Hulagu, who is sure there is a great warrior buried deep inside. But there’s something else rippling under the surface… something far more powerful and dangerous than they could ever imagine…

Reduced to the position of one of Hulagu’s many wives, the famed Blue Princess Kokochin is the last of her tribe. Alone and forgotten in a foreign land, Kokochin is unwilling to spend her days seeking out trivial pursuits. Seeking purpose, she finds herself wandering down a path that grants her more power than a wife of the Khan may be allowed.

Kaivon, the Persian rebel who despises the Mongols for the massacre of his people, thirsts for revenge. However, he knows alone he cannot destroy the empire. When given the opportunity to train under the tutelage of Hulagu, Kaivon must put aside his feelings and risk his life for a chance to destroy the empire that aims to conquer the world.

About Stephen Aryan: Stephen Aryan is an award winning fantasy author. He has written two trilogies, the Age of Darkness, and the Age of Dread, plus a prequel novella, set in the magic-infused world of Mordana.

He has also written the Quest for Heroes duology, The Coward and The Warrior, published by Angry Robot Books.

His latest novel, The Judas Blossom, is the first instalment in a Persian-inspired historical fantasy trilogy, The Nightingale and the Falcon.

This week’s picks:

Links:

© 2023 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 602-With Stephen Aryan appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Alice Bell, author of GRAVE EXPECTATIONS.

About GRAVE EXPECTATIONS: Almost-authentic medium Claire and her best friend, Sophie, agree to take on a seemingly simple job at a crumbling old manor in the English countryside: performing a seance for the family matriarch’s 80th birthday. The pair have been friends since before Sophie went missing when they were seventeen. Everyone else is convinced Sophie simply ran away, but Claire knows the truth. Claire knows Sophie was murdered because Sophie has been haunting her ever since.

Despite this traumatic past, Claire and Sophie are still unprepared for what they encounter when they arrive at the manor: a ghost, tragic and unrecognizable, and clearly the spirit of someone killed in a rage at the previous year’s party. Given her obsession with crime shows—not to mention Sophie’s ability to walk through walls—Claire decides they’re the best people to solve the case. And with the help of the only obviously not-guilty members of their host family—sexy ex-policeman Sebastian and far-too-cool non-binary teen Alex—they launch an investigation into which of last year’s guests never escaped the manor’s grounds.

What follows is somewhat irregular detective work involving stealing a priest’s cassock, getting too drunk to remember to question your suspect, and of course, Chekhov’s sparkly purple dildo. As Claire desperately tries to keep a lid on the shameful secret that would definitely alienate her new friends, the gang must race against their own incompetence to find the murderer before the murderer finds them.

About Alice Bell: ALICE BELL grew up in South West England, in the sort of middle-of-nowhere where teenagers spend their weekends drinking Smirnoff Ice in a field that also has at least one horse in it. In 2018 she became the deputy editor of Rock Paper Shotgun, a popular PC gaming website. In 2019 she was named one of the 100 most influential women in the UK games industry. After spending several years in London, Bell now lives in Cork, Ireland, where she watches giant ships, makes crochet animals, and plays video games where you can set things on fire and make elves kiss. She has probably read more detective fiction and watched more episodes of Midsomer Murders than you.

This week’s picks:

Links:

© 2023 Patrick Hester

The post Episode 601-With Alice Bell appeared first on The Functional Nerds.