The Speakeasy: Conversations with the #WritingCommunity

Welcome to the show! In this episode, guest co-host E. L. Lyons and I get to spend some time with author N.C. Scrimgeour about her new novel in the fantasy series, "Sea of Souls". Thanks for sitting down with us and having a listen. Since we've saved you a spot here at The Speakeasy, sit back, relax, and click Play. Ciao!

Referenced during the Episode:

-SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, run by author Mark Lawrence)

-Shauna Lawless (Irish author of Irish mythology & folklore, the "Gael Song" saga; also a previous podcast guest)

-Mass Effect (military science-fiction video game, created by Casey Hudson)

-Natalie Kelda (Danish ESL author of "River in the Galaxy" and others in her Inner Universe series)

-Robin Hobb (pen name of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden, American author of speculative fiction)

-RIB boat (Rigid Inflatable Boat, high-performance with rigid hull and inflatable tubes)

-Steven William Hannah (Scottish author of fantasy and science fiction/horror, and a previous podcast guest)

-Anthony Ryan (Scottish author of fantasy and science fiction, and a previous podcast guest)

-Joshua Scott Edwards (American author of fantasy and science fiction, and a previous podcast guest)

-"Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype" by Clarissa Pinkola Estés

-"Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil" by V.E. Schwab

-"Hungerstone" and "Bitterhorn" by Kat Dunn

-"Last Tale of the Flower Bride" by Roshani Chokshi

-"Mad Max" (series of films)

-Amber Toro (American science fiction and fantasy author)

Welcome to the podcast! In this episode, guest co-host Craig Terlson and I chat with author Thomas Trang about his debut novel, "Dark Neon & Dirt". As seems our wont, the conversations always expound on life, our influences in reading and writing, and many more things. Thanks for sitting down with us and having a listen. Click Play, we've saved you a spot here at The Speakeasy. Ciao!

Referenced during the Episode:

-Ted Flanagan (American author)

-Philip K. Dick (American Science-Fiction author b. 1928 - d. 1982)

-Edward Hopper (American painter b. 1882 - d. 1967)

-M.E. (Martine) Proctor (Belgian-American Crime-Fiction author; see her podcast earlier)

-Dennis Miller (American comedian)

-George Santayana (Spanish philosopher b. 1863 - d. 1952)

-Carlos Santana (American musician b. 1947)

-"Muttley" (Fictional cartoon dog created in 1968 by Hanna-Barbera Productions)

-"Heat" (1995 Crime/Thriller film with Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Val Kilmer)

-"The Killer" (1989 Action/Crime film by John Woo)

-Don DeLillo (American author b. 1936)

-Jennifer Egan (American author b. 1962)

-"The Bear" (American TV series)

-"Breaking Bad" (American Crime/Drama TV series)

-Paul Burke (host of Crime Time FM podcast)

-Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (Italian painter b. 1571 - d. 1610)

-"The Sopranos" (American Crime/Drama TV series)

-Joe Lansdale (American author b. 1951)

-Elmore Leonard (American author b. 1925 - d. 2013)

-Vince Vaughn (American actor)

-J.K. Simmons (American actor)

-"Surf City Acid Drop" by Craig Terlson; Book 1 in his Luke Fischer crime novel series

-Charles Willeford (American author b. 1918 - d. 1988)

-Don Winslow (American author b. 1953)

-James Crumley (American author b. 1939 - d. 2008)

-Ron Earl Phillips (editor of Shotgun Honey online magazine and book publisher)

-Steve Erickson (American author b. 1950)

-Haruki Murakami (Japanese author b. 1949)

-Roberto Bolaño Ávalos (Chilean author b. 1953 - d. 2003)

-Kurt Vonnegut (American author b. 1922 - d. 2007)

-Thomas Pynchon (American author b. 1937)

-Eugene Luther Gore Vidal (American author b. 1925 - d. 2012)

Welcome to the show! On this episode, guest co-host Stephen J. Golds and I get together with author Ted Flanagan to chat about his debut novel, "Every Hidden Thing". As usually happens, our conversations expound on life, our influences in reading and writing, and so much more. Won't you join us and have a listen? Click Play and we'll see you there at The Speakeasy. Ciao!

Referenced during the show:

-Authors: Raymond Chandler, Dorothy Highsmith, James Ellroy, David Peace, Wiley Cash, John Vercher, Sergio de la Plata, Leonard Garner, Mike Royko (journalist), Coy Hall, Raymond Carver, Philip K. Dick, Laura Hird, William Faulkner, Craig Terlson, Michael Dolan, William Gay, Larry Brown, Nelson Algren, Dashiell Hammett, Paul Murray, Paul Lynch, Kevin Berry, Rachel Kushner, Philip Kerr, Jack O'Connell, John Dufresne, Seamus Heaney

-M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts)

-Tough (Tough Crime) magazine

-Winding Road Stories (Michael Dolan, publisher)

-"Story Engineering" by Larry Brooks

-Broken River Press (publishers of William Boyle's "Gravesend")

-Editions Gallmeister (publishers in France; Francois Guerif, Editor)

In this episode, Guest Co-Host Joshua Scott Edwards and I spend some time chatting with B.S.H. (Bethany) Garcia about her debut novel, just-released sequel, and prequel novellas!

It's a delightful conversation exploring the similarities and differences readers and writers all share in one way or another, underpinned by our love of storytelling. Click the "Play" button and join us, won't you? Cheers!

For Reference:

-Joshua Scott Edwards (joshse.com)

-Bethany Sharon Herold Garcia (bshgarcia.com)

-novel cover artist Jeff Brown (jeffbrowngraphics.com)

-The Broken Binding (thebrokenbinding.co.uk) UK-based online bookstore

-Scrivener (literatureandlatte.com/scrivener/overview) writing software tool

-Obsidian (https://obsidian.md) note-taking software app

-Microsoft's OneDrive cloud storage and file sharing

-Google Docs (word processing and sharing)

-"From The Ashes" (prequel novella to "Of Thieves & Shadows") by B.S.H. Garcia

-"From The Depths" (followup prequel novella) by B.S.H. Garcia

Come join my guest co-host, Eryn McConnell, and I as we sit down with our guest, UK-based Science Fiction author Stark Holborn, for a lovely chat together.

Here is a handy list of some of the things referenced during the Episode:

-"The Woestynn Chronicles" (novella series by Eryn McConnell)

-Tor Publishing (tor.com)

-Luna Press Publishing (lunapresspublishing.com)

-PS Publishing (pspublishing.co.uk)

-Ghost Orchid Press (ghostorchidpress.com)

-Rebecca Yarros (author)

-The Arthur C. Clarke Award (a British award for Best Science Fiction novel of the previous year)

-Martin MacInnes (2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award winner for his novel "In Ascension")

(Short List for 2024 Arthur C. Clarke Award:

-Lavanya Laskshminarayan "The Ten Percent Thief"

-Emily Tesh "Some Desperate Glory"

-Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenya "Chain Gang All-Stars"

-Ray Nayler "The Mountain in the Sea" [previous guest!]

-Isabel Waidner "Corey Fat Does Social Mobility")

-Influential authors: Brian Aldiss, William H. Burroughs, Hermann Hesse, Doris Lessing, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, Philip K. Dick, and The Gollancz Emporium's Classic Masterworks books

-Jean Valjean & Javert (characters from Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables")

-Stars and Sabres Publishing (led by authors Jendia Gammon & Gareth Powell)

-Alan Moore (author of the graphic novel series "The Ballad of Halo Jones")

-Julia Lloyd (cover designer at Titan Books)

In this episode, my guest co-host is the wonderful Anthony Ryan. Join us as we chat with Historical Fantasy author Shauna Lawless, whose debut novel is "The Children of Gods & Fighting Men". It is the book one in the Gael Song trilogy, and at this recording she is set to release book three.

Below is a list of referenced names/titles you might find of some interest. Thanks for listening, and if you enjoy the show, please click the Follow button and share it with your friends. Cheers!

For Reference:

-Head of Zeus (independent publishing house based in London, England)

-J-James Ellroy (American crime fiction author)

-"Highlander" (1986 movie with Christopher Lambert & Sean Connery)

-"The Last Kingdom" (Netflix series)

-"Game of Thrones" (novels by George R.R. Martin, and HBO series)

-Philippa Gregory (historical fiction author of "The White Queen")

-Brandon Sanderson (high fantasy and science fiction author)

-Subterranean Press (publishing company based in Burton, Michigan, USA)

-"Fireheart Tiger" (novella by author Aliette de Bodard)

-"The Sun Eater" (series of novels by Christopher Ruocchio)

-Joan of Arc (1412 - 1431, France)

In this Episode, guest co-host Martine Proctor and I spend some time chatting with crime/dirty realism and noir thriller author Stephen J. Golds. Come join us as we unpack their writing journeys and sometime co-editing efforts with Punk Noir Magazine, for which Stephen is Editor-In-Chief.

Episode references:

-Shotgun Honey (online magazine: shotgunhoney.com)

-Bristol Noir (helmed by John Bowie; bristolnoir.co.uk)

-"A Contrarian Conversation in Hell's Kitchen" short story by Stephen J. Golds, published by Bristol Noir

-Stephen's writing influences: Charles Bukowski, John Fante, James M. Cain, Tobias Wolff, Sarah Kane, and Jim Thompson.

-Rock and a Hard Place magazine (rockandahardplacemag.com)

-Authors mentioned: Raymond Carver, B.F. Jones, Eric LaRocca, S. Craig Zahler, and Paul D. Brazill

-"The Jacket" by Jack London

-Outcast Press (publisher of "Shadows Slow Dancing in Derelict Rooms")

-SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off) curated by author Mark Lawrence

I'm join on this episode by guest co-host Ed Greaves, New Zealand-based author of "Daughter of the Beast", book one in the Vyshivka Trilogy. Come spend some time with us as we chat with Ed's fellow Kiwi and debut author Nick Horvath.

Below is a list of referenced names/titles you might find of some interest. Thanks for listening, and if you enjoy the show, please click the Follow button and share it with your friends. Cheers!

For Reference:

-SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off, found on Twitter and organized by author Mark Lawrence)

-"Gorky Park" by Martin Cruz Smith

-"Archangel" by Robert Harris

-Ernest Hemmingway

-HBO's "True Detective" TV Series

-actor Liam Neeson's "Taken" movie(s)

-"Bloodborne", one of the "Dark Souls" video game trilogy

-"Dungeon Crawler Carl" by Matt Dinniman

-"Dante's Inferno" by Dante Alighieri

-"The Rain", a Danish post-apocalyptic/psychological thriller/SF series (Netflix)

-Womp Stomp Filsm (wompstompfilms.com)

-"The Evil Dead" movie by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell

-Hard Case Crime, an American imprint of hardboiled crime novels, founded in 2004 by Charles Ardai and Max Phillips

-"The Combat Codes" by Alexander Darwin

-"Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy" by Jostein Gaardner

-Harlan Coben, author

-Nick Horvath's website: sledgevsbooks.com/

In this episode, my guest co-host is once again the wonderful E.L. Lyons. Come join us as we chat with New York Times best-selling author of broad scale epic Fantasy and Science Fiction author Anthony Ryan.

Below is a list of referenced names/titles you might find of some interest. Thanks for listening, and if you enjoy the show, please click the Follow button and share it with your friends. Cheers!

For Reference:

-E.L. Lyons (author of "Starlight Jewel")

-SPFBO (Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off, found on Twitter and organized by author Mark Lawrence)

-Interzone (British Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine: https://ttapress.com/interzone/

-David Gemmell (author of "The King Beyond The Gate", "Waylander", and others)

-Robert Paul "Tad" Williams ("Memory, Sorrow and Thorn" series of books)

-Breaking the fourth wall (speaking directly to the reader in an "aside" or "authorial interjection")

-Grimdark (subgenre of speculative fiction, with a tone, style, or setting that is particularly dystopian, amoral, and violent)

-Joseph Edward Abercrombie (Fantasy writer and film editor, author of "The First Law" trilogy and other novels)

-George R.R. Martin (author of epic Fantasy series "A Song of Fire and Ice" adapted into HBO's Game of Thrones)

-Brent Weeks (Fantasy author, known in part for the "Lightbringer" series)

-Steven Brand (audiobook narrator)

-Anthony Ryan's blog: http://anthonyryan.net

Spend some time with us talking about some Dark Fantasy, as co-host Steven William Hannah joins me in chatting with New Zealand author E C (Ed) Greaves.

Below are some referenced names and/or titles you might be interested in following up on at some point.

Thanks so much for listening, and we hope you enjoy the show!

For Reference:

-E.L. Lyons (author of "Starlight Jewel")

-YourPaperQuest (subscription book box curated by Steven William Hannah)

-Tom Mock (author of "The Long Nights", and more)

-Mark Lawrence (author and organizer of SPFBO competitions; the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off)

-Joshua Scott Edwards (author of "An Ocean of Others")

-Nick Horvath (author of "Sledge VS the Labyrinth")

-Joseph Campbell (author and teacher in field of comparative mythology)

-David Gemmell (author of "Waylander", "The King Beyond the Gate" and others)