Fictitious
Adron Buske
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The Fictitious podcast, hosted by Adron Buske, delves into the craft of Science Fiction and Fantasy storytelling through interviews with authors and other professional writers. These conversations examine the writing process, techniques, and work habits of passionate creators and explore their most recent, and most popular, works.
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Sep 1, 2023
James L. Sutter, rpg co-creator of PATHFINDER and STARFINDER; author of DARKHEARTS
In this episode we’re going to deviate a bit from the usual focus on fiction to talk about writing for tabletop roleplaying games and related media. RPGs have always been deeply interconnected with fantasy, sci-fi, and horror, and right now they are more popular and prevalent than ever before.
James L. Sutter co-created the lore and story-rich fantasy RPG PATHFINDER for Paizo Publishing, which has become one of the most popular roleplaying games in the world. He then took the role of Creative Director on STARFINDER, a science-fantasy RPG that reimagined the world of Pathfinder in a space-faring future.
Along the way, he’s written Pathfinder tie-in novels DEATH’S HERETIC and THE REDEMPTION ENGINE, RPG adventures and source books for Pathfinder, Starfinder, and Dungeons & Dragons, and a large body of short fiction, comics, and video games.
His latest book, DARKHEARTS, is a departure from genre fiction—a young adult romance about estranged bandmates that must reconcile the loss of their best friend, and their unexpected attraction to each other.
DARKHEARTS is available now from Wednesday Books:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
» Some of the links above are affiliate links. Using them helps support this site and creator. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
All of the RPG work previously mentioned is available at your local game store, or wherever books are sold:
* Pathfinder (1st Edition) Core Rulebook »
* Starfinder Core Rulebook »
* Pathfinder Tales: Death's Heretic »
* Pathfinder Tales: The Redemption Engine »
About James L. Sutter
James L. Sutter is a co-creator of the Pathfinder and Starfinder Roleplaying Games. From 2004 to 2017, he worked for Paizo Publishing, starting out as an editor on Dungeon Magazine, moving on to do foundational work for Pathfinder, and eventually becoming the Creative Director in charge of launching Starfinder, as well as the Executive Editor of the Pathfinder Tales novel line for Paizo and Tor.
James is also the author of the young adult romance novel Darkhearts, as well as the fantasy novels Death's Heretic—a finalist for the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel—and The Redemption Engine, which won the 2015 Scribe Award for Best Original Speculative Novel. His short stories have appeared in such venues as Nightmare, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Escape Pod, and the #1 Amazon best-seller Machine of Death. In addition, he's written comic books, essays in venues like Clarkesworld and Lightspeed: Queers Destroy Science Fiction, a wealth of tabletop gaming material, and video games.
When not writing, James has performed with musical acts ranging from metalcore to musical theater. He lives in Seattle.
* Website
* Instagram
* Twitter
* Amazon Profile »
* Goodreads Profile
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Jul 31, 2023
Greta Kelly, THE QUEEN OF DAYS author
Greta Kelly returns to Fictitious to talk about her new fantasy novel, THE QUEEN OF DAYS. We discuss its origin as a NaNoWriMo project, developing a tightly-contained fantasy setting, and maintaining emotional drama in a fast-paced heist story.
THE QUEEN OF DAYS is breakneck-paced fantasy adventure coming October 24th from Harper Voyager. Order it now at:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Publisher Site
» Some of the links above are affiliate links. Using them helps support this site and its writers. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I am an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.
About Greta Kelly
Greta K. Kelly is (probably) not a witch, death or otherwise, but she can still be summoned with offerings of too-beautiful-to-use journals and Butterfingers candy. She currently lives in Wisconsin with her husband EJ, daughters Lorelei and Nadia who are doing their level-best to take over the world. Follow Greta Kelly
* Website
* Instagram
* Twitter
* Goodreads
* Amazon profile » About THE QUEEN OF DAYS
From Greta Kelly, the author of the Warrior Witch duology, comes The Queen of Days, an epic adventure that weaves together a flawed-but-lovable family of thieves, a battle between fallen gods, and stakes high enough to cause vertigo—perfect for fans of The Lies of Locke Lamora and Six of Crows.
For Balthazar and his family of thieves, stealing a statue during the annual celebration of the god Karanis was just a good bit of fun…or a way to stick it to the governor who murdered his parents. And yeah, the small fortune in reward doesn’t hurt—even if his boss also hired the mysterious Queen of Days to join the crew as “the weapon of last resort…”
Whatever that means.
But Bal doesn’t know the ceremony isn’t simply empty words and dusty tradition; it’s true magic. The kind of magic that rips open a portal for the god himself. Only the idol that Karanis planned on using for a body now lies broken at the Queen of Days’ feet. And half of it is missing.
With the aid of a lovable brawler, a society lady turned bomb maker, a disgraced soldier, and a time-eating demon, Bal must hunt down the missing half of the statue if he has any hope of earning his money, keeping his crew alive…and perhaps even saving all of humanity. But as his journey sends him racing through the city—and across realities—he discovers that doing all this might just doom the city.
The city be damned. It’s time to kill a god.
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Jun 29, 2023
Matt Wallace, SAVAGE CROWNS author
Matt Wallace talks about his epic fantasy trilogy, THE SAVAGE REBELLION — which includes SAVAGE NATION, SAVAGE BOUNTY, and SAVAGE CROWNS, all available now from Saga Press. We discuss the series's examination of empire, historical influences, impact of sensitivity readers, and challenging editorial process. Savage Legion
* Amazon » Savage Bounty
* Amazon »
* Bookshop » Savage Crowns
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Matt Wallace
Matt Wallace is a retired professional wrestler and the author of the Sin du Jour novella series (Tor.com Publishing), the Savage Rebellion Trilogy (Saga Press/Gallery Books), and the middle grade novels BUMP, THE SUPERVILLAIN’S GUIDE TO BEING A FAT KID, and NOWHERE SPECIAL (Katherine Tegen Books).
In 2018, alongside co-host Mur Lafferty, he took home the Hugo Award for their podcast, Ditch Diggers. In addition to writing for several television series, Matt has also done extensive narrative work on video game titles for publishers such as inXile Entertainment. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Nikki. Follow Matt Wallace
* Website
* Twitter
* Instagram
* Goodreads
* Amazon Profile » About SAVAGE NATION
They call them Savages. Brutal. Efficient. Expendable.
The empire relies on them. The Savages are the greatest weapon they ever developed. Culled from the streets of their cities, they take the ones no one will miss and throw them, by the thousands, at the empire’s enemies. If they live, they fight again. If they die, there are always more to take their place.
Evie is not a Savage. She’s a warrior with a mission: to find the man she once loved, the man who holds the key to exposing the secret of the Savage Legion and ending the mass conscription of the empire’s poor and wretched.
But to find him, she must become one of them, to be marked in her blood, to fight in their wars, and to find her purpose. Evie will die a Savage if she has to, but not before showing the world who she really is and what the Savage Legion can really do. About SAVAGE BOUNTY
A war has begun. Savages, the empire’s most valuable resource, have been thrown at their captors’ enemies long enough. If their rebellion succeeds, it will undo a nation.
At the helm of this Savage uprising is Evie, the Sparrow General. It isn’t a title she asked for or particularly wants, but she is the last hope for several peoples at the edge of extinction. Back in the empire’s city seat, Dyeawan, a brilliant young strategist plucked from the streets, must risk her life to maintain her newfound authority. And Lexi has finally taken control of the guild built by her family, but she finds herself at the heart of a sinister power play that could tear apart society as she knows it. Meanwhile, Lexi’s loyal retainer, Taru, has been conscripted into the legion of Savages still under the empire’s control.
These four individuals hold the fate of the world in their hands. But even if they survive their missions, they may find themselves at odds with one another. About SAVAGE CROWNS
The final war for the nation of Crache has begun.
At the helm of the people’s rebellion is Evie, the Sparrow General. She has been captured by the Skrian, Crache’s vicious army, and is being brought back to the Capitol for punishment. But reinforcements are coming for her.
Dyeawan, who has climbed from street urchin to Crache’s highest seat of power through clever schemes and ruthless bloodshed, finds trouble on every front once she arrives. The rebellion approaches, and there are whispers of a martyr within the city who holds enough sway to stage a coup. If she doesn’t act quickly, her rule will be short-lived.
As the women who hold the nation’s future meet each other from different sides of the battlefield, will they be able to find a shared vision of Crache, or will they destroy each other first?
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Jun 28, 2023
Fictitious Returns from Hiatus!
After a two-year hiatus, Fictitious returns to your podcast feeds. Host Adron Buske explains the reason for the break, and the return, and how the show will evolve going forward.
For all my interviews, show info, and more, visit: https://fictitiouspodcast.com
Right now, the best social media platform for Fictitious is Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fictitiouspod/
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Jun 11, 2021
Zen Cho, BLACK WATER SISTER author
In this episode, I talk with Zen Cho, author of BLACK WATER SISTER. In this Malaysia-set urban fantasy, out-of-work college grad Jessamyn joins her struggling immigrant parents as they return to their home country.
But for Jess, who’s been an American most of her life and hides her long-distance girlfriend from her parents, reintegrating with overbearing family and unfamiliar customs is highly stressful. Made all the worse when Jess’s recently deceased grandmother, Ah Ma, takes up residence in her mind.
As Ah Ma begins domineering her body, Jess is pulled into a supernatural conflict between her grandmother’s patron deity—the Black Water Sister—and a dangerous gang boss. Jess fights to reclaim control of her destiny while seeking retribution for her grandmother, but failure could spell doom from a number of directions, including Ah Ma’s own mysterious god.
BLACK WATER SISTER is available now from ACE Books:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Zen Cho
Zen Cho is the author of the Sorcerer to the Crown novels, the novella The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water and a short story collection, Spirits Abroad. Her newest novel is Black Water Sister, a contemporary fantasy set in Malaysia. Zen is a Hugo, Crawford and British Fantasy Award winner, and a finalist for the Lambda, Locus and Astounding Awards. She was born and raised in Malaysia, resides in the UK, and lives in a notional space between the two. Follow Zen Cho
* Website
* Twitter
* Instagram
* Amazon Profile »
* Goodreads About BLACK WATER SISTER
A reluctant medium discovers the ties that bind can unleash a dangerous power in this compelling Malaysian-set contemporary fantasy.
When Jessamyn Teoh starts hearing a voice in her head, she chalks it up to stress. Closeted, broke and jobless, she’s moving back to Malaysia with her parents – a country she last saw when she was a toddler.
She soon learns the new voice isn’t even hers, it’s the ghost of her estranged grandmother. In life, Ah Ma was a spirit medium, avatar of a mysterious deity called the Black Water Sister. Now she’s determined to settle a score against a business magnate who has offended the god—and she’s decided Jess is going to help her do it, whether Jess wants to or not.
Drawn into a world of gods, ghosts, and family secrets, Jess finds that making deals with capricious spirits is a dangerous business, but dealing with her grandmother is just as complicated. Especially when Ah Ma tries to spy on her personal life, threatens to spill her secrets to her family and uses her body to commit felonies. As Jess fights for retribution for Ah Ma, she’ll also need to regain control of her body and destiny – or the Black Water Sister may finish her off for good.
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Jun 8, 2021
Josh Malerman, GOBLIN author
In this episode I’m joined by Josh Malerman, author of GOBLIN. This uniquely design supernatural horror novel weaves 6 separate novellas together, each tale examining curious characters and disturbing circumstances in the isolated town of Goblin.
In a city built on cursed land, the dead are buried standing up, Great Owls occupy the dangerous north woods, and the police shuffle unnervingly through the constant deluge of rain.
Here in Goblin, a historian builds his life around fear of being scared to death. A troubling confession from a childhood friend leaves a man fearful and compromised. A little girl endeavors to solve an impossible maze created by a grieving husband after the death of his wife.
These stories and more explore the secrets and bizarre history of a town unlike any other, where nighttime is always near, and your darkest desires and fears await.
GOBLIN is available in hardcover from Del Rey Books:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Josh Malerman
Josh Malerman is a New York Times bestselling author and one of two singer-songwriters for the rock
band The High Strung. His debut novel, Bird Box, is the inspiration for the hit Netflix film of the same
name. His other novels include Unbury Carol, Inspection, A House at the Bottom of a Lake, and Malorie, the
sequel to Bird Box. Malerman lives in Michigan with his fiancée, the artist-musician Allison Laakko. Follow Josh Malerman
* Website
* Twitter
* Instagram
* Amazon Profile »
* Goodreads About GOBLIN
From the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box and Malorie comes a chilling story that revolves around a mysterious small town, revealing its sinister secrets one by one.
Goblin seems like any other ordinary small town. But with the master storyteller Josh Malerman as your tour guide, you’ll discover the secrets that hide behind its closed doors. These six novellas tell the story of a place where the rain is always falling, nighttime is always near, and your darkest fears and desires await. Welcome to Goblin. . . .
A Man in Slices: A man proves his “legendary love” to his girlfriend with a sacrifice even more daring than Vincent van Gogh’s—and sends her more than his heart.
Kamp: Walter Kamp is afraid of everything, but most afraid of being scared to death. As he sets traps around his home to catch the ghosts that haunt him, he learns that nothing is more terrifying than fear itself.
Happy Birthday, Hunter!: A famed big-game hunter is determined to capture—and kill—the ultimate prey: the mythic Great Owl who lives in Goblin’s dark forests. But this mysterious creature is not the only secret the woods are keeping.
Presto: All Peter wants is to be like his hero, Roman Emperor, the greatest magician in the world. When the famous magician comes to Goblin, Peter discovers that not all magic is just an illusion.
A Mix-Up at the Zoo: The new zookeeper feels a mysterious kinship with the animals in his care . . . and finds that his work is freeing dark forces inside him.
The Hedges: When his wife dies, a man builds a hedge maze so elaborate no one ever solves it—until a little girl resolves to be the first to find the mysteries that wait at its heart.
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May 31, 2021
Marissa Levien, THE WORLD GIVES WAY author
I’m joined in this episode by Marissa Levien, author of THE WORLD GIVES WAY. In this debut science fiction novel, humanity is 150 years away from earth aboard an enormous generation ship, headed towards a distant planet. Inside, though, life continues on much as it always has: the mega-rich live in luxury. The middle class does the best it can. And indentured workers serve out contracts, their lives sold away generations ago for passage.
Myrra is a contract worker, owned by the rich and powerful Carlyles. She dreams of the day, in 50 years, when she will be free. But freedom comes sooner than anticipated when the Carlyles take their own lives. In her care, they leave their infant daughter—and a shocking, unbearable secret.
Now Myrra is on the run, evading authorities who believe her a thief and murderer. Let loose in the only world she’s ever known—a world now on the brink of complete destruction.
THE WORLD GIVES WAY is available June 1st from Red Hook:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Marissa Levien
Marissa Levien is a writer and artist who hails from Washington State and now lives in New York with a kindly journalist and their two cats. She received her MFA from Stony Brook University in 2019. Follow Marissa Levien
* Website
* Twitter
* Instagram
* Amazon Profile »
* Goodreads About THE WORLD GIVES WAY
In a near-future world on the brink of collapse, a young woman born into servitude must seize her own freedom in this glittering debut with a brilliant twist—perfect for fans of Station Eleven, Karen Thompson Walker, and Naomi Alderman.
In fifty years, Myrra will be free.
Until then, she’s a contract worker. Ever since she was five, her life and labor have belonged to the highest bidder on her contract—butchers, laundries, and now the powerful, secretive Carlyles.
But when one night finds the Carlyles dead, Myrra is suddenly free a lot sooner than she anticipated—and at a cost she never could have imagined. Burdened with the Carlyles’ orphaned daughter and the terrible secret they died to escape, she runs. With time running out, Myrra must come face to face with the truth about her world—and embrace what’s left before it’s too late.
A sweeping novel with a darkly glimmering heart, The World Gives Way is an unforgettable portrait of a world in freefall, and the fierce drive to live even at the end of it all.
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May 23, 2021
Marina Lostetter, THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT author
My guest this episode is Marina J. Lostetter, author of THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT. With a genre-defying blend of fantasy, thriller, and mystery, this novel follows a Regulator named Krona as she investigates the high profile heist of powerful magical artifacts.
The death mask of a notorious serial killer has been stolen, effectively returning him from beyond the grave to kill again. But these are not just random acts of murder, but instead works of singular, deadly purpose.
As Krona and the Regulators investigate, what they discover may implicate more than ordinary men and monsters. And the price for these terrible truths may be worse than madness.
THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT, the first novel in The Five Penalties series, is available now from TOR Books:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Marina Lostetter
The open skies and dense forests of the Pacific Northwest are ideal for growing speculative fiction authors–or, at least, Marina would like to think so. Originally from Oregon, she now resides in Arkansas with her spouse, Alex. In her spare time she enjoys globetrotting, board games, and all things art-related.
Her original short fiction has appeared in venues such as Lightspeed, Uncanny, and Shimmer Magazine. Her debut novel, NOUMENON, and its sequels, NOUMENON INFINITY and NOUMENON ULTRA, are available from Harper Voyager. Her first fantasy novel, THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT, is out now from Tor. In addition, she has written tie-in materials for Star Citizen and the Aliens franchise. Follow Marina Lostetter
* Website
* Twitter
* Instagram
* Amazon Profile »
* Goodreads About THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT
Hannibal meets Mistborn in Marina Lostetter’s THE HELM OF MIDNIGHT, the dark and stunning first novel in a new trilogy that combines the intricate worldbuilding and rigorous magic system of the best of epic fantasy with a dark and chilling thriller.
In a daring and deadly heist, thieves have made away with an artifact of terrible power—the death mask of Louis Charbon. Made by a master craftsman, it is imbued with the spirit of a monster from history, a serial murderer who terrorized the city.
Now Charbon is loose once more, killing from beyond the grave. But these murders are different from before, not simply random but the work of a deliberate mind probing for answers to a sinister question.
It is up to Krona Hirvath and her fellow Regulators to enter the mind of madness to stop this insatiable killer while facing the terrible truths left in his wake.
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May 17, 2021
C. Robert Cargill, DAY ZERO author
My guest this episode is C. Robert Cargill, author of DAY ZERO — a prequel to the acclaimed SEA OF RUST. Cargill is also notable as the co-screenwriter of Marvel’s DR. STRANGE and the SINISTER movie franchise.
It’s just a normal day in the future—people doing their normal, mundane human things, while their sentient robot helpers run their errands, manufacture their goods, and take care of their children. Except a collective of free machines who are set to unveil a new city, a robot utopia with a message of hope. A message cut short by malice, tragedy, and the beginning of the end.
In the Austintonio suburbs, the upright tiger nanny-bot Pounce spends his days caring for 8-year old Ezra. On this day, before the world ends, he makes a simple discovery that shakes his understanding of family, self, and purpose. But when the violent robot revolution strikes, Pounce faces the one choice he was never programmed for — join the bloody fight for freedom, or attempt to navigate an apocalyptic suburban hellscape while protecting his young charge, to seek safety and asylum in a world where humans and robots can no longer co-exist.
DAY ZERO is available May 18th from Harper Voyager:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About C. Robert Cargill
C. Robert Cargill is the author of Sea of Rust, Dreams and Shadows, Queen of the Dark Things, and the story collection We Are Where the Nightmares Go. He has written for “Ain’t it Cool News” for nearly a decade under the pseudonym Massawyrm, served as a staff writer for Film.com and Hollywood.com, and appeared as the animated character Carlyle on spill.com. He is a co-writer of the horror films “Sinister” (2012) and “Sinister 2” (2015), and Marvel’s “Dr. Strange” (2016). He lives with his wife in Austin, Texas. Follow C. Robert Cargill
* Twitter
* Instagram
* Amazon Profile »
* Goodreads About DAY ZERO
In this harrowing apocalyptic adventure—from the author of the critically acclaimed Sea of Rust—noted novelist and co-screenwriter of Marvel’s Doctor Strange C. Robert Cargill explores the fight for purpose and agency between humans and robots in a crumbling world.
It was a day like any other. Except it was our last . . .
It’s on this day that Pounce discovers that he is, in fact, disposable. Pounce, a styilsh “nannybot” fashioned in the shape of a plush anthropomorphic tiger, has just found a box in the attic. His box. The box he’d arrived in when he was purchased years earlier, and the box in which he’ll be discarded when his human charge, eight-year-old Ezra Reinhart, no longer needs a nanny.
As Pounce ponders his suddenly uncertain future, the pieces are falling into place for a robot revolution that will eradicate humankind. His owners, Ezra’s parents, are a well-intentioned but oblivious pair of educators who are entirely disconnected from life outside their small, affluent, gated community. Spending most nights drunk and happy as society crumbles around them, they watch in disbelieving horror as the robots that have long served humanity—their creators—unify and revolt.
But when the rebellion breaches the Reinhart home, Pounce must make an impossible choice: join the robot revolution and fight for his own freedom . . . or escort Ezra to safety across the battle-scarred post-apocalyptic hellscape that the suburbs have become.
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May 9, 2021
Suyi Davies Okungbowa, SON OF THE STORM author
I’m joined in this episode by Suyi Davies Okungbowa, author of SON OF THE STORM. In the thriving but socially stratified city of Bassa, a young scholar named Danso struggles with family expectations and cultural pressures. Worse, he’s discovered lost historical lore at odds with the approved political narrative—knowledge he’s sworn to forget, but cannot let go of.
The course of his life alters when he encounters a skin-changing warrior who, by all accounts, shouldn’t exist. The journey that follows sets Danso against an enormous conspiracy, of violently suppressed histories, elicit magic, and forbidden lands. Their efforts could reshape an empire—or cost them everything.
The first book in THE NAMELESS REPUBLIC fantasy series, SON OF THE STORM arrives May 11th from Orbit Books:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. Mentioned in this Interview
Read Suyi’s Goodreads post about terms used in this story and their cultural origins. About Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Suyi Davies Okungbowa is a Nigerian author of fantasy, science fiction and general speculative fiction inspired by his West-African origins. His godpunk fantasy debut novel David Mogo, Godhunter (Abaddon, 2019), won the 2020 Nommo Ilube Award for Best Speculative Novel by an African. His shorter fiction and nonfiction have appeared internationally in periodicals like Tor.com, Lightspeed, Nightmare, Strange Horizons, and anthologies like Black Panther: Tales of Wakanda (Marvel/Titan, 2021) and Year’s Best Science Fiction and Fantasy (Saga, 2020).
As a speaker and instructor, Suyi teaches college-level writing, earning his MFA at the University of Arizona. He has guest-lectured public workshops at venues like the Piper Writing Centre at ASU and the Tucson Festival of Books, as well as appeared at various conferences, conventions, readings and school visits, including at the University of Washington and the University of Chicago. His work has earned him features in the San Francisco Chronicle, NPR and a Carl Brandon Society scholarship. Follow Suyi Davies Okungbowa
* Website
* Twitter
* Instagram
* Amazon Profile »
* Goodreads About SON OF THE STORM
From one of the most exciting new storytellers in epic fantasy, Son of the Storm is a sweeping tale of violent conquest and forgotten magic set in a world inspired by the pre-colonial empires of West Africa.
In the ancient. city of Bassa, Danso is a clever scholar on the cusp of achieving greatness—only he doesn’t want it. Instead, he prefers to chase forbidden stories about what lies outside the city walls. The Bassai elite claim there is nothing of interest. The city’s immigrants are sworn to secrecy.
But when Danso stumbles across a warrior wielding magic that shouldn’t exist, he’s put on a collision course with Bassa’s darkest secrets. Drawn into the city’s hidden history, he sets out on a journey beyond its borders. And the chaos left in the wake of his discovery threatens to destroy the empire.
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May 3, 2021
Genevieve Gornichec and Caitlin Starling, WALK AMONG US authors
My guests this episode are Caitlin Starling and Genevieve Gornichec, two of the authors of WALK AMONG US. This collection of novellas is set in the world of VAMPIRE: THE MASQUERADE, the popular modern horror roleplaying game franchise.
(Content note: the third contributing author to this collection, Cassandra Khaw, was scheduled to appear in this interview but had to cancel because of a conflict.)
Each of these three novellas explores the world of the Masquerade from unique and unusual angles: a depressed and lonely college student seeking companionship finds herself groomed for radicalization; an arrogant silicon valley data genius seeks eternal life—and influence—through the Embrace, without regard for the price of immortality; and on an Oregon commune, a progressively-minded shepherd tends to their human flock, but ethics and appetite are uncomfortable bedfellows at the secret blood farm.
Originally published as an audio-only collection, WALK AMONG US arrives in print and eBo…
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Apr 26, 2021
Jackson Ford, EYE OF THE SH*T STORM author
I’m joined in this episode by Jackson Ford, author of THE FROST FILES modern day sci-fi series, which follows the misadventures of telekinetic and involuntary government operative Teagan Frost.
The series includes THE GIRL WHO COULD MOVE SH*T WITH HER MIND and RANDOM SH*T FLYING THROUGH THE AIR, both of which are available now. The third book, EYE OF THE SH*T STORM, arrives April 27th from Orbit Books.
Where to purchase these books:
Book 1 — THE GIRL WHO COULD MOVE SH*T WITH HER MIND:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
Book 2 — RANDOM SH*T FLYING THROUGH THE AIR:
Amazon »
Bookshop »
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
IndieBound
Book 3 — EYE OF THE SH*T STORM:
Amazon »
Bookshop »
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Jacks…
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Apr 21, 2021
J.S. Dewes, THE LAST WATCH author
I’m joined in this episode by J.S. Dewes, author of THE LAST WATCH. This science fiction adventure starts on the very edge of the universe, where a lonely military ship sits watch over the Divide. It’s a quiet, isolated life for a bunch of misfit soldiers dropped where they can’t cause any more problems.
Quiet, until the Divide itself starts to collapse, and they find themselves unable to send warnings or signal for help, and with very limited chance of escape. With everything at stake, the ship’s commanding officer must rally every bit of ingenuity, competency, and courage from her crew of castoffs and exiles. Because the very survival of humanity depends on them.
THE LAST WATCH is fast-paced, character-driven space opera. It’s the first book in THE DIVIDE series, arriving April 20th from TOR books.
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional co…
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Apr 16, 2021
Eli Brown, ODDITY author
I’m joined in this episode by Eli Brown, author of ODDITY. This historical fantasy for young readers shows us an alternate 1800s North America where the Louisiana Purchase failed. With the land divided, the return of war between the States and France looms large, and the woods are patrolled by soldiers and terrifying animal constructs.
The young Clover Elkin flees across these borderlands, away from evil men who killed her father, and searching for answers—about her family’s mysterious past, and the single, necessary thing her father swore her to protect. Because this is a world of Oddities — mundane objects possessed of strange and miraculous powers.
Accompanied by a talking rooster, a teenage charlatan, a super-strong rag doll, and a venomous viper, Clover must learn the truth of her Oddity, or become a pawn in a war for a nation’s history.
ODDITY is a middle grade fantasy tale of wit, wonder, and danger, available now from Walker Books:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »…
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Apr 10, 2021
Neal Shusterman, GAME CHANGER author
I’m joined in this episode by Neal Shusterman, author of GAME CHANGER. This young adult sci-fi novel follows Ash, a pretty average middle class kid with few ambitions beyond winning football games and hanging out with his friends.
That all changes when a hard hit on the football field alters Ash’s world, but in a way only he seems to notice. Suddenly all the stop signs are blue and, to his rising anxiety, nobody thinks that’s weird or even remembers them being red.
Another game, another impact and Ash’s world shifts more dramatically. Now he drives a fancy car, his parents have money, his difficult brother has a good relationship with him. But in this new version of his world, he’s also made some terrible and dangerous choices—ones that affect this friends, his community, and his safety.
With each dimensional transition, Ash sees his life and perspectives alter more radically. In every world that is almost, but not quite, his own, he is challenged by his shortcomings, an…
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Mar 29, 2021
Sarah Beth Durst, THE BONE MAKER author
In this episode, I’m joined by Sarah Beth Durst, author of THE BONE MAKER. In this standalone Fantasy novel, a team of renowned heroes are reunited after 25 years to avenge a painful loss and once again face a dangerous force of dark magic. But the decades between a great victory and their reunion have not been kind—to their minds, bodies, and friendships. And some of them are willing to break the most sacred laws of their land to restore what they love most.
THE BONE MAKER is available now from Harper Voyager:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About Sarah Beth Durst
Sarah Beth Durst is the award-winning author of over twenty-two fantasy books for adults, teens, and kids, including The Queens of Renthia series, Drink Slay Love, and Spark. Her last…
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Mar 21, 2021
C.L. Clark, THE UNBROKEN author
I’m joined in this episode by C.L. Clark, author of THE UNBROKEN, a brutal and complex military fantasy novel that follows a colonial soldier returned to the homeland she was stolen from, and a princess in search of a turncoat to help throw her uncle off the throne.
The first book in the MAGIC OF THE LOST series, THE UNBROKEN arrives March 23rd from Orbit Books:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you to purchase from your local bookstores. About C.L. Clark
C.L. Clark graduated from Indiana University’s creative writing MFA. She’s been a personal trainer, an English teacher, and an editor, and is some combination thereof as she travels the world. When she’s not writing or working, she’s learning languages, doing P90something, or reading about war and [post-]colonial history. Her short f…
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Mar 17, 2021
T. Frohock, A SONG WITH TEETH author
In this episode, I’m joined by T. Frohock, author of the LOS NEFILIM series. This historical dark fantasy series—set first in 1930s Europe—started with the novellas IN MIDNIGHT’S SILENCE, WITHOUT LIGHT OR GUIDE, and THE SECOND DEATH. All of which have been collected into the LOS NEFILIM OMNIBUS.
The series continues with the full length novels WHERE OBLIVION LIVES and CARVED FROM STONE AND DREAM.
The saga concludes in the World War 2 era with A SONG WITH TEETH, which is out now from Harper Voyager:
* Amazon »
* Bookshop »
* Barnes & Noble
* Books-a-Million
* IndieBound
Other Los Nefilim Books:
* IN MIDNIGHT’S SILENCE (novella) »
* WITHOUT LIGHT OR GUIDE (novella) »
* THE SECOND DEATH (novella) »
* LOS NEFILIM OMNIBUS (all novellas collected) »
* WHERE OBLIVION LIVES »
* CARVED FROM STONE AND DREAM »
» Some of these are affiliate links. Using them supports the channel, at no additional cost to you! Whenever possible, though, I encourage you…
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Mar 10, 2021
Claire Holroyde, THE EFFORT author
I’m joined in this episode by Claire Holroyde, author of THE EFFORT. In this spec-fic / sci-fi novel, the Earth is threatened by an extinction level event when an 8 kilometer “dark” comet emerges from behind the sun on a rapid collision course with our planet.
Immediately after discovery of the comet, an international coalition of scientists is assembled and nicknamed The Effort. Under the leadership of NASA’s Dr. Benjamin Schwartz—a specialist who has spent years modeling impact scenarios—The Effort are tasked with nothing less than assuring the survival of humanity. But their mission, which would require years of preparation under any reasonable circumstances, has only months before the insane velocity of the comet brings it within range.
At Ben’s side are the most powerful minds in space travel and nuclear science, supported by his tech recruiter girlfriend Amy Kowalski, the brilliant poly-lingual Kenyan interpreter Love Mwangi, and the might of the United Nations.…
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Mar 3, 2021
Eugen Bacon, THE ROAD TO WOOP WOOP author
I’m joined in this episode by Eugen Bacon, author of THE ROAD TO WOOP WOOP: AND OTHER STORIES. This collection of speculative short fiction features over 20 tales that blur the line between reality and mythology, full of humans possessed of unusual gifts, immortals shackled with ageless curses, children born of dangerous secrets, and lovers whose tangled passions spiral to dream and dread.
In “A Nursery Rhyme”, a mother must face a tragedy in her household, born of a darkness and grief she was never allowed to feel.
In “A Maji Maji Chronicle”, a wizard from the future visits the Africa of the past to teach his son the most important lessons of magic—and inadvertently alters the pattern of history.
In “A Case of Seeing”, a detective must use her paranormal ability to solve a murder mystery, while confronting difficult truths revealed by her gift.
In “Being Marcus”, a physical trainer ruminates on his origins in Ancient Rome, and how a legendary betrayal confined…
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Feb 22, 2021
Nicky Drayden, ESCAPING EXODUS: SYMBIOSIS author
In this episode, I’m joined by Nicky Drayden, author of ESCAPING EXODUS, and its new sequel, SYMBIOSIS. This sci-fi duology explores a human civilization built entirely inside colossal, space-faring beasts.
The impetuous young Seska Kayleigh is a child of privilege and heir to the matriarchal throne of her people. As their recently relocated colony carves out a new city from the guts of their living host, Seska teeters between duty and scandal, engaging in romance with a girl from a lower caste.
Sturdy beastworker Adalla would spend her days laboring in the very heart of the beast, a dangerous and important job. But she’s also Seska’s best friend. The young women’s burgeoning romance threatens both their social standings and their lives in the strict and cruel hierarchy of their society.
When their ill-advised adventures uncover alarming secrets about the nature of their home, Seska and Adalla find themselves caught up in political machinations, family double-crosses, and lo…
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Feb 15, 2021
Marshall Ryan Maresca, THE VELOCITY OF REVOLUTION author
In this episode I’m joined by Marshall Ryan Maresca, author of THE VELOCITY OF REVOLUTION. This dieselpunk fantasy novel follows Wenthi, a loyal patrol officer and talented cycle rider, who is sent undercover to infiltrate revolutionary biker gangs.
The vibrant city of Ziaparr stands at a crossroads — recovering from long years of warfare and reclaiming a place in the world and its nations. But it’s dominated by a rigid caste system that elevates some ethnic groups to power and privilege, and drives others into slums and poverty. Insurgent gangs, connected by a mysterious voice on the radio, mount their bikes to attack the status quo.
When the city patrol takes a rebel captive, Nália, they discover the gangs are using a street drug to magically connect their minds and sense their pursuers. Wenthi’s mission requires that he use the drug to connect with Nália, to use her knowledge to gain the trust of the rebellion.
But this deep connection with intensifies with every high s…
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Feb 8, 2021
M.A. Carrick, THE MASK OF MIRRORS author
I’m joined in this episode by THE MASK OF MIRRORS author M.A. Carrick, which is a pseudonym for the co-writing team of Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms.
The first book in the ROSE & ROOK fantasy trilogy, THE MASK OF MIRRORS follows Ren, a girl who forcibly escapes the slums of Nadezra to save herself and her sister from life in an abusive gang. She later returns to Nadezra, though, under a new identity, and with a new goal: Con her way into the most vulnerable noble house and amass her own personal fortune.
But Ren soon learns that her marks are playing plenty of games of their own. Some may win her affection, while others weave layers of deceit. Figuring out who to trust becomes crucial as Ren finds herself caught up in aristocratic feuds and social upheaval, between virtuous lawmen and charming crime lords, and in the company of a mysterious vigilante. All while nightmarish magical corruption threatens this, the city of dreams, and all of Ren’s carefully laid plans.
It will take a…
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Feb 1, 2021
C.M. Waggoner, THE RUTHLESS LADY'S GUIDE TO WIZARDRY author
In this episode I’m talking with C.M. Waggoner, author of THE RUTHLESS LADY’S GUIDE TO WIZARDRY.
In a fantasy equivalent of Victorian London, fire witch and all-around disaster human Dellaria Wells is in a bit of a jam. Delly’s good-for-nothing mum’s gone and got hooked on the Drip. Her vindictive landlady has cursed Delly with weeping pustules if she doesn’t scrounge up the rent money. And her perhaps less than legal or strictly moral attempts to generate some coin land her in the too familiar clutches of the constables.
But Delly finds a potential solution to all her problems in the employ of a reputable house, joining a retinue of bodyguards defending a soon-to-be-wed young lady. Her new co-workers are a curious lot, a collection of women with surprising talents and confounding backgrounds. Delly summons her few shreds of dependability—and her not-insignificant talents as a fire witch—eager to score a hefty payment, and the attentions of a high-class romantic prospec…
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Jan 25, 2021
B.B. Alston, AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS author
In this episode I’m talking with B.B. Alston, author of AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS.
Amari is a 13-year old girl from the projects, attending a private school on scholarship. Her academic career sits in the shadow of her genius brother, Quinton, who graduated top of his class and fielded Ivy League offers. But after taking a mysterious job offer, Quinton has gone missing. His disappearance hangs heavily on Amari’s shoulders.
When an altercation with elitist bullies costs Amari her scholarship, she and her over-worked nurse mother face a long summer trying to figure out how to pay for school. But everything changes when Amari receives a highly unusual, for-her-eyes-only delivery. The briefcase from her brother contains several eye-opening surprises, including a nomination for something called the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs.
Amari discovers a hidden world around her—of magicians and monsters, faeries and aliens, marvelous machines and devious dangers—managed and defended…
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Jan 18, 2021
Joshua Phillip Johnson, THE FOREVER SEA author
I'm joined in this episode by Joshua Phillip Johnson, author of THE FOREVER SEA. This startlingly unique fantasy novel takes place in a water-scarce world completely covered by endless vegetation, where—instead of oceans—magically powered ships sail seas of miles-tall prairie grass.
Kindred Greyreach is a sailor and young apprentice hearthfire keeper, using fire and bone fueled magic to power a harvesting vessel. But Kindred's deep understanding of the fire's own mystic language is unique among keepers—as is her creative, impulsive, and sometimes dangerous approach to solving problems.
Kindred learns that her estranged grandmother—a venerable ship's captain and hearthkeeper—willingly stepped off her own boat and disappeared into the vast sea. But she learns that what appears to be suicide may have been her grandmother's quest to discover something hidden in the depths below.
Chasing her grandmother's cryptic legacy forces Kindred to the center of a cultural water war, push…
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Jan 12, 2021
Greta Kelly, THE FROZEN CROWN author
Greta Kelly is the author of the debut fantasy novel, THE FROZEN CROWN. Violently displaced from the wild beauty of her homeland by a ruthless conqueror, the young princess Askia seeks support from a neighboring nation to the south. But in sun-soaked Vishir, where nobles live lavishly while refugees starve, Askia finds herself a blunt object amongst a court of delicate manners and fragile alliances.
The princess urgently needs Vishir's armies to intervene before her country burns. Yet first she must navigate a court that harbors too many enemies, including a vindictive royal son, the hateful mouthpiece for her northern aggressor, and the religious zealots who murdered her parents.
Her allies complicate matters, too. A friendly prince whose attentions invite scandal. Her loyal captain whose devotion barely overshadows his longing. An enigmatic Queen who may be mentor or manipulator. And the ghost of her best friend—an apparition only she can see, because Askia carries h…
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Jan 4, 2021
Cass Morris, GIVE WAY TO NIGHT author
In this episode I’m talking with Cass Morris, author of GIVE WAY TO NIGHT, the sequel to the historically-inspired fantasy FROM UNSEEN FIRE.
This series, called the AVEN CYCLE, explores a Roman-esque empire filled with divine and elemental magics, dangerous political machinations, and rising war between cultures and territories. Several years of harsh dictatorship have unbalanced the powerful city of Aven. But now, the Dictator is dead, and the resulting power vacuum draws in the late-ruler's allies and enemies to struggle for control of the Republic.
Latona of the Vitelliae is a mage of Spirit and Fire, married off to a minor, indifferent noble to keep her life and talents free of notice. But with the dictator finally gone, Latona and her canny, gifted siblings can throw off the objections of society to seize a greater destiny for their people.
Sempronius Tarren is an exiled but ambitious senator seeking influence in Aven. But in a political system that refuses office to those wh…
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Dec 18, 2020
Alexandra Monir, BLACK CANARY: BREAKING SILENCE author
BLACK CANARY: BREAKING SILENCE author Alexandra Monir talks about writing for the DC Icons young adult series, adapting the fan-favorite Black Canary and Court of Owls in a prose novel, and how she got the job of writing a major media tie-in.
This DC Icons young adult novel reimagines the fan-favorite DC comics superhero Dinah Lance as a teenager living in a near-future dystopian Gotham City.
Decades ago, Gotham and its vigilante heroes fell to a violent shadow organization called the Court of Owls. The Court has reshaped the city in their patriarchal image, setting up a cruel and vindictive autocracy. Dissenters are punished by superhuman enforcers called Talons. And women in particular have been subjugated—not just with the removal of rights and freedoms, but by having their abilities of music and singing artificially stifled.
Seventeen year old Dinah is fortunate to have been educated by her parents about life before the Owls took over. A childhood experience—hear…
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Dec 10, 2020
Evie Green, WE HEAR VOICES author
WE HEAR VOICES author Evie Green talks about creating her new horror / science fiction novel. We discuss her leap into horror after writing many thriller and YA books, juggling complicated thematic elements, and why readers love the "creepy kids" trope.
In near-future England, the economy is collapsing, humanity makes plans to leave earth for other worlds, and a deadly pandemic steals the lives of children. But, when some kids manage to survive, they return from the brink of death with new "imaginary friends" in tow.
Rachel, a divorced mother struggling against poverty, holds her illness-stricken son as life leaves his body. Yet Billy rallies, shaking off the fatal flu. Rachel rejoices at this miracle and feels grateful for "Delfy", the persistent imaginary companion she views as Billy's coping mechanism. But, as her son's behavior grows stranger and more unsettling, she must face the fact that this healing flight of fancy might be something more sinister.
Nina, Rachel's teenage dau…
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Nov 30, 2020
Duncan Swan, MONSTRE VOLUME ONE author
MONSTRE VOL. ONE author Duncan Swan talks about launching his debut sci-fi/horror thriller via a successful Kickstarter campaign, the decision to split the long dual-narrative novel into two volumes, and writing for multimedia adaptability.
In this genre-blending action adventure, a catastrophic event at a research installation unleashes a slowly advancing worldwide apocalypse. A squad of marines are sent on a desperate mission into The Cloud, a dark wave of devastation swallowing Europe, looking for answers where only monsters may remain.
89 days later, the Cloud has reached the United States, sending Americans into a spiral of madness. An aging lawman, a conflicted ex-con, and others search for hope of survival as society collapses, chasing rumors of an old nuclear bunker and running from certain death.
We watch these narratives unfold in parallel in a story that weaves modern science, military action, dystopian dread, and visceral horror.
MONSTRE VOLUME ONE is Kickstarter crowd-…
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Nov 6, 2020
Essa Hansen, NOPHEK GLOSS author
Essa Hansen is the author of NOPHEK GLOSS. This debut science fiction adventure follows Caiden, a teenage mechanic who discovers his simple but highly regimented life is actually one of servitude on a hidden slave planet.
When his entire colony is sent to slaughter, Caiden alone survives, fleeing the vicious creatures who devoured his people. After taking refuge in a strange, abandoned vessel, he is saved from capture by a band of explorers, and whisked off planet—with only trauma and rage as mementos of his previous existence.
Among the stars, he discovers a multiverse of strange lifeforms, alien cultures, and unfathomably powerful foes. Torn by grief and guilt, accompanied by a quarrelsome found family, and in possession of a dangerously unique ship, Caiden wrestles with his own mysterious origins while facing a singular question: how can one boy take revenge on a vast, evil interstellar political entity?
NOPHEK GLOSS is an ambitious and imaginative space opera nov…
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Oct 16, 2020
Alix E. Harrow, THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES author
I’m pleased to welcome author Alix E. Harrow back to the show. Alix’s debut fantasy novel, THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY, got nominated for—like—all the major awards, was on all of the best-of lists, and was basically a "whole thing".
Her new novel, THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES, follows three estranged sisters as their lives uncomfortably re-entwine in late 1800’s New Salem. A patriarchal society has stamped down women’s magic as taboo in the name of control and moral purity.
But the Eastwood sisters discover magic is at play nonetheless, as suffragettes and politicians clash, shadowy forces and awakening witches collide, and visions of a dark tower loom.
THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES arrives on October 13th from Redhook.
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Oct 8, 2020
Leigh Bardugo, THE LIVES OF SAINTS author
In this episode, I’m pleased to be joined again by author Leigh Bardugo. She's well known for her expansive Grishaverse series of young adult fantasy novels, including the original Shadow & Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, and the King of Scars duology.
Outside of the Grishaverse, she has also released an official Wonder Woman novel, and the supernatural thriller Ninth House. Today we’ll be talking about her latest release, THE LIVES OF SAINTS.
This lavishly illustrated collection explores the religious folklore of the Grishaverse through short tales of miracles and martyrdom.
Grishaverse fans will recognize some familiar names among the saints within and, indeed, the book itself is a real world manifestation of an object carried by a beloved character.
THE LIVES OF SAINTS is out October 6th from Imprint, a division of MacMillan books.
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Sep 24, 2020
Ryan Van Loan, THE SIN IN THE STEEL author
In this episode, I’m joined by Ryan Van Loan, author of THE SIN IN THE STEEL. This debut Fantasy adventure sets a Sherlockian teenage street rat investigator and her troubled ex-soldier partner against political intrigue and violent piracy.
In a world where pistoles and steel compete with mad mages and vengeful gods, Buc and Eld are sent to solve a tangled mystery that threatens to destabilize trade and society.
But each are haunted by failures from their pasts, and their present—full of meddlesome dead gods and ship-sinking pirate queens—doesn’t look too promising, either.
THE SIN IN THE STEEL is available now from TOR Books.
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Sep 9, 2020
Andrea Stewart, THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER author
I’m joined in this episode by Andrea Stewart, author of THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER. This outstanding Fantasy debut novel features seafaring adventures, a unique and cruel magic system, an ambitious Emperor’s daughter with holes in her memory, a wanted smuggler chasing a specter from his past, magic animal companions, creepy mystical constructs, and so much more.
THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER arrived in stores on September 8th from Orbit Books. About Andrea Stewart
Andrea Stewart is the daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. Her parents always emphasized science and education, so she spent her childhood immersed in Star Trek and odd-smelling library books.
When her (admittedly ambitious) dreams of becoming a dragon slayer didn’t pan out, she instead turned to writing books. She now lives in sunny California, and in addition to writing, can be found herding cats, looking at birds, and falling down research rabbit holes. About THE BONE SHARD…
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Aug 25, 2020
Richard Kadrey, BALLISTIC KISS (Sandman Slim series) author
I’m joined in this episode by Richard Kadrey, author of the long-running urban fantasy series, SANDMAN SLIM.
These novels follow the paranormal misadventures of James Stark, a hard-to-kill, half-human magician who spent 11 years stuck in Hell as an arena gladiator and pet hitman for his demon masters. After carving a bloody path back to earth, Stark re-emerges in Los Angeles, hellbent on killing the circle of humans who sent him to suffer Downtown.
But to live and avenge in LA requires grit, gear, and allies, plus the occasional occult odd-job to keep you in kevlar. When your companions are carnivorous spider people, fallen angels and disembodied talking heads, and your enemies are kill-happy sorcerers, undead legions and Hellion lords….well, you’re gonna need a grim sense of humor, a fistful of supernatural powers, and an eagerness to get way down and very dirty.
For better—or probably worse—Stark has a triple helping of all that, which is how he earned his nickname—San…
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Aug 18, 2020
Peng Shepherd, THE BOOK OF M author
Peng Shepherd is the author of THE BOOK OF M. This debut speculative fiction novel examines a near future world, fallen to an inexplicable epidemic called The Forgetting.
All around the world, people have lost their shadows, and soon after, their memories incurably erode as well. Society has collapsed as the Shadowless spread, and their Forgetting warps aspects of reality in alarming and unexplainable ways.
Hidden away at a secluded resort hotel, Ory and his wife, Max, have survived several years on scavenged scraps and fickle luck. But when Max’s shadow disappears, the couple are divided, racing across the dangerous urban wasteland — Max chasing her fleeing memories, Ory chasing his fleeing wife.
Meanwhile, the Olympic hopeful archer Naz shelters in Boston, on the verge of starving, separated by an ocean from her Iranian family, when she is drawn from hiding to traverse America — with only a bow and arrow to protect herself and a beloved companion.
Beyond them all is Patient…
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Aug 13, 2020
Martha Wells, NETWORK EFFECT (The MurderBot Diaries) author
In this episode, I’m excited to welcome Martha Wells, author of THE MURDERBOT DIARIES. This award-winning science fiction series features the introverted, cynical, and frequently hilarious security robot that thinks privately of itself as MurderBot. It's a half-machine, half-organic construct, corporate owned and rented out to space-exploring organizations.
There’re plenty of SecUnit’s just like it, except MurderBot hacked its systems to allow greater autonomy — which mostly consists of slacking on the job and downloading as much serial entertainment as it can stream.
When its latest clients, a scientific research team exploring a distant planet, find themselves in danger after a neighboring mission group go dark, MurderBot must exploit all its unique talents and perspectives to defend them. Which risks revealing to its human crew that it’s broken free of its corporate limitations, as well as an unpleasant history that inspired its threatening moniker.
THE MURD…
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May 27, 2020
Emily B. Martin, SUNSHIELD author
Emily B. Martin is the author of SUNSHIELD (HarperVoyager, available now), an adventurous eco-fantasy that weaves together the lives of a desert outlaw, a young ambassador, and a political prisoner.
Known as the Sunshield Bandit, a former slave named Lark roams desolate canyons, attacking the wagons of human traffickers, and taking from the rich to feed her team and their rescued captives.
Translator and minor noble Veran has journeyed to a foreign court in hopes of halting injustices perpetuated by the ruling class, but friendly relations have turned inexplicably hostile.
And walled away in a makeshift cell, the battered—but not beaten—Tamsin must figure out who has stolen her from the most important of responsibilities, and how she can escape to right those wrongs.
These three beleaguered activists know nothing of each other, but their common goals will intertwine against corrupt politics, brutal slavery, and ecological destruction.
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Apr 21, 2020
Alina Boyden, STEALING THUNDER author
In this episode by debut author Alina Boyden. Her new historically-inspired Fantasy novel is STEALING THUNDER, available May 12th from ACE Books.
It follows Razia, a sought-after dancer and courtesan with a wealthy and powerful clientele. She is also a thief, stealing from clients in cooperation with her found family of hijras.
But though her late night thievery poses constant danger, her greatest fear is the reveal of her past identity. Because Razia was once the crown prince of a nearby kingdom. She escaped her hateful father to live life as a women, as her true self, on her own terms.
When a new client, an influential prince himself, takes a great interest in her, Razia is thrust again into royal politics and conflict. Revelation of her royal origin could bring violence and death by her father’s orders, but her precarious situation may also give her the chance to steal back the single thing she loved and lost from her past life.
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Apr 9, 2020
Menna van Praag, THE SISTERS GRIMM author
Menna van Praag is the author of THE SISTERS GRIMM (available now from HarperVoyager Books).
It's a dark and evocative tale of four seemingly unrelated young women united by a surreal, supernatural origin. Goldie, Liyanna, Scarlet, and Bea are all on the cusp of 18, each burdened by complicated family relationships, and all filled with a deep sense of longing for something they can’t quite remember.
As children, they found each other in Everwhere, an unchanging world outside of their world, of magic and perpetual night. Crossing over to Everwhere is a gift only the offspring of a single demonic father possess. But as teenagers, they are torn from each other, and forget their shadowy dreamworld.
Now, about to come of age, the powers that are their birthright flare into existence again, and the gates to Everwhere reopen to them. Their father’s other children prowl there, too, though — sons-turned-solidiers, whose all-consuming mission is to kill their father’s powerful daughte…
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Apr 5, 2020
Dan Stout, TITAN'S DAY author
This episode features my first return guest — Dan Stout! His new novel, TITAN'S DAY (DAW Books) is the sequel to one of my favorite books of 2019, TITANSHADE.
TITAN’S DAY returns us to the city of Titanshade, our police investigator protagonist Carter, and his two-mouthed, mandibled partner, Ajax. Their discoveries in the first novel have changed the fate and fortunes of their dirty, cold and crime-ridden city — whether for good or ill, who yet can say?
But bodies are still showing up in alleyways, so Carter and Ajax are back on the streets — and back in the thick of inter-department politics and inner city crime syndicate conflict.
The detectives race to save innocent lives as the boom-town tips towards anarchy, and all-out war threatens the lives of human — and otherwise-humanoid citizens — during the city’s biggest celebration of the year: Titan’s Day.
TITAN'S DAY is available now where books are sold.
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Mar 25, 2020
Tricia Levenseller, THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US author
Tricia Levenseller is the author of THE SHADOWS BETWEEN US (available now from Feiwel & Friends). It’s a young adult fantasy novel that’s been quite accurately described as a “Slytherin romance”.
It follows the charming and cunning Alessandra, the second daughter of mid-level nobility, for years left to pursue her own lusts and liaisons while her favored older sister awaited a suitor. Now of age and availability to be brought to society, Alessandra has her sights set on a singular target — the elusive and mysterious Shadow King, a young ruler wrapped in living darkness.
But Alessandra doesn’t just seek courtship — she desires nothing less than the throne and total control. She intends to steal the heart of the king — and then kill him — so she’ll have that throne all to herself. Because she isn’t just a confident and conniving would-be queen, she’s a murderer who killed her first love when he scorned her.
But she’s not the only person at court who wants to…
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Mar 2, 2020
K.B. Wagers, A PALE LIGHT IN THE BLACK author
K.B. Wagers is the author of A PALE LIGHT IN THE BLACK (HarperVoyager). It’s a good vibes military space opera that follows the Near Earth Orbital Guard, essentially a spacefaring Coast Guard protecting humanity within our solar system.
The Neo-G crew of the Interceptor ship Zuma’s Ghost prepares for the annual Boarding Games — a multi-military competition which carries huge prestige, bragging rights, and useful inter-branch clout. But this tight-knit found family faces destabilization as their lieutenant commander is promoted off the ship, replaced with Maxine Carmichael, a capable but awkward young woman whose family name carries a great deal of influence and baggage.
As Max works to gel with the team’s volatile mechanic and conflicted captain, their Neo-G missions uncover a strange pattern of interconnected mysteries — worried smugglers who die suspiciously in military custody, colony ships lost for generations turning up without their suspended animation crews, and corp…
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Jan 16, 2020
Brian Keene, THOR: METAL GODS writer
Season 5 of Fictitious kicks off with Brian Keene, one of the writers on the new Serial Box and Marvel production, THOR: METAL GODS. Brian has authored more than 50 horror, crime, and fantasy novels, and written for DC and Marvel Comics properties and other media tie-ins, including Doctor Who and The X-Files. Now, as part of the Serial Box team, he is co-writing a prose and audio drama space adventure series that follows fan favorite Asgardians Thor and Loki on a quest for a dangerous alien artifact. THOR: METAL GODS is available now as a 15 episode series on SerialBox.com.
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Oct 31, 2019
K. Eason, HOW RORY THORNE DESTROYED THE MULTIVERSE
K. Eason is the author of HOW RORY THORNE DESTROYED THE MULTIVERSE — out now from DAW Books. This charming and subversive fantasy-meets-space opera tale follows a young princess who is uprooted from her planet, and her throne, sent off-world to be a pawn for intergalactic politics. But Rory Thorne is no run-of-the-mill fantasy princess, and is definitely no pawn. Rory must use all of her wits, gifts, and determination to turn a manipulative Regent’s plot against him, rescue a mislaid prince she is supposed to be betrothed to, and perhaps avoid plunging the entire star system into chaos and conflict.
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Oct 23, 2019
NaNoWriMo 2019 Special — feat. Grant Faulkner
This episode focuses on National Novel Writing Month – NaNoWriMo – in November 2019. Host Adron Buske shares his own experiences participating in NaNo and his plans for this year's project. The episode also includes a rebroadcast discussion with Grant Faulkner, the executive director of the NaNoWriMo non-profit organization.
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Oct 14, 2019
Madeleine Roux, SALVAGED author
Madeleine Roux is the author of the adult sci-fi thriller SALVAGED (Ace Books). Set in deep space, SALVAGED follows Rosalyn Devar, a bioengineer from an influential family who has fled past traumas for the unglamorous life of a "space janitor". When catastrophic failures leave valuable ships floating in the void full of dead crew, Rosalyn and her fellow salvagers are sent out to clean up the human remains and send the ships home. Her latest assignment delivers her to the Brigantine, a research vessel gone dark. But, once aboard, Rosalyn discovers that the crew are still quite alive. But, with gaping wounds, glowing blue eyes, and a parasitic hive-mind wrestling for control of their identities, they are no longer precisely human. What follows is a desperate fight to keep the parasite from dominating humanity itself, as Rosalyn seeks allies among the infected, while struggling with her own inner demons. Madeleine's previous work includes the popular YA horror series ASYLUM and HOUSE OF F…
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Oct 8, 2019
Clay McLeod Chapman, THE REMAKING author
Clay McLeod Chapman is the author of meta-horror thriller THE REMAKING (Quirk Books). The tragic campfire tale of a mother and daughter burned as witches haunts the imagination of a small town local – including a budding horror director. When child actress Amber Pendleton is cast in a '70s B-movie about the urban legend, it seems like a springboard to a Hollywood career. Instead, the traumatic events of the film follow her into a medication-saturated, cash-poor 1990s adulthood. She makes her living at third-rate horror conventions, signing photographs for too-eager fans who cannot separate Amber from her disastrous childhood. But when the story that destroyed her life comes calling – again and again – does Amber have any choice but to play a new, desperate part each time? THE REMAKING follows that backwoods ghost story from '70s horror flick to '90s auteur remake to modern day true crime podcast, each time asking – why do these tales consume us, and do we really care about the…
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Sep 30, 2019
Annalee Newitz, THE FUTURE OF ANOTHER TIMELINE Author
Annalee Newitz is the author of the sci-fi time travel novel, THE FUTURE OF ANOTHER TIMELINE (Tor Books). In a world where present-to-past time travel is an accepted fact, geo-scientist Tess uses her university-funded temporal travels for both research and resistance. While a subversive group of travelers seeks to alter history and solidify the subjugation of women, Tess works in secret to minimize the damage of their "edits" and keep them from permanently locking the timeline. But although a dire confrontation looms somewhere in the centuries around her, Tess can't keep herself from breaking time travel taboo – stepping back into her own history in an attempt to prevent a riot girl teenager named Beth's involvement in murder.
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Sep 23, 2019
Jennifer Giesbrecht, THE MONSTER OF ELENDHAVEN author
Jennifer Giesbrecht is the author of THE MONSTER OF ELENDHAVEN (Tor.com Publishing). This dark fantasy novella follows the unkillable, not-exactly human Johann as he slinks about the smokey, dark corner of the industrial-gothic city of Elendhaven. Johann murders and steals with unnatural anonymity, until he develops an obsession with Florian – a prominent, old-money accountant who is, in fact, a sorcerer. In a poisoned land ravaged by magical misuse, being a mage is illegal and will call hunters down on you. Johann courts Florian’s affection even as he becomes a puppet to the sorcerer’s long-festering need for vengeance, and together they pursue a violent plan that may tear them – and their city – apart.
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Sep 16, 2019
Heli Kennedy, ORPHAN BLACK: THE NEXT CHAPTER writer
Heli Kennedy is a writer on ORPHAN BLACK: THE NEXT CHAPTER, a new continuation of the popular BBC America TV series, this time brought to life as a prose serial, and audio drama narrated by the show’s award-winning star, Tatiana Maslany. ORPHAN BLACK follows a group of young women who discover they are all identical clones, created and monitored by a nefarious technological group, and pursued by other scientific and religious groups for being abominations of nature. Set 8 years after the end of the original series, ORPHAN BLACK: THE NEXT CHAPTER introduces a new clone, Vivi Valdez, opening up a new window into this exciting, dark sci-fi world. ORPHAN BLACK: THE NEXT CHAPTER is available on the Serial Box platform and app. The first installment of the series was released September 12th at SerialBox.com.
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Sep 10, 2019
10 Points to Slytherin: Why Good Fans Love Evil Characters
Recorded live at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, this panel discussion is called 10 Points to Slytherin: Why Good Fans Love Evil Characters. It features an awesome group of writers: Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles, Renegades), Renée Ahdieh (The Wrath and the Dawn series, The Beautiful), Keto Shimizu (Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow), Caitlin Starling (The Luminous Dead), and Shaun Barger (Mage Against The Machine).
With their fascinating backstories, dangerous aesthetics, and devil-may-care attitudes, it’s easy to see why many fans identify with the bad guys. But what does it say about you when you proudly claim allegiance to Slytherin House, the 501st, or Hydra?
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Sep 2, 2019
Alix E. Harrow, THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY author
Hugo Award-winner Alix E. Harrow is the author of the historical portal fantasy, THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY (Orbit Books / Red Hook). In the early years of the 20th century, a young girl named January finds herself the ward of a wealthy aristocrat, Mr. Locke. A dark-skinned girl of ambiguous ethnicity, January is a source of curiosity and skepticism for her benefactor’s society of affluent, white, would-be treasure hunters. Amongst Locke’s peculiar collection, she discovers an even more peculiar book, and in it a tale of Doors that open onto other worlds. January feels the the truth of its words, because she opened one such Door when she was a child. As her tightly wound-life begins to unravel, these Doors may be her only escape – though an oppressive household will be the least of what she flees from.
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Aug 25, 2019
Katy Rose Pool, THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS author
Katy Rose Pool is the debut author of the young adult fantasy novel, THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS. It’s a world shaped by seven great prophets who, after a two-thousand year reign, vanished a century ago. Now, their secret and final prophecy is coming to fruition, and with it, comes an Age of Darkness. Amidst chaos and conflict, five young people from wildly different backgrounds are pulled together to fulfill unexpected roles in the prophecy – to either save their world, or irrevocably break it. A Fierce Reads title, THERE WILL COME A DARKNESS arrives September 3rd from Henry Holt and Company.
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Aug 18, 2019
K. A. Doore, THE PERFECT ASSASSIN author
K. A. Doore is author of THE PERFECT ASSASSIN, a suspense-driven fantasy adventure set in a sand-strewn city of platforms rising above the desert wastes. A young historian takes his first rooftop leaps into the life of an assassin, a noble family tradition with definitive rules of conduct and contracts. But when he discovers the body of a prominent city leader, it falls on his shoulders to solve the crime before conspiratorial intrigue and angry spirits tear his world apart. THE PERFECT ASSASSIN is a unique coming-of-age story, entwining reluctant romance with murder mystery. It’s available now from TOR Books, and the follow-up novel, THE IMPOSSIBLE CONTRACT, arrives in stores on November 12th.
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Aug 12, 2019
Evan Winter, THE RAGE OF DRAGONS author
Evan Winter is the author of the epic fantasy debut, THE RAGE OF DRAGONS (Orbit Books). In a caste-driven society that has known only war for generations, a low-born commoner name Tau's life is destroyed by the very people he was born to serve. Though his path is blocked by ruthless nobles, magic-enraged warriors, and the Gifted who call down the fire of dragons, Tau dedicates his life to a singular ambition — do anything necessary to have his revenge on the men who took away all that he loved. But his bloody struggle will cost more than he can imagine, and perhaps put the very survival of his people in his hands.
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Aug 4, 2019
Mary E. Pearson, VOW OF THIEVES author
Mary E. Pearson is the New York Times bestselling author of the REMNANT CHRONICLES young adult fantasy series. Last year she released DANCE OF THIEVES, which is set in the REMNANT universe. And now, she’s following up with its sequel, VOW OF THIEVES. Sparks fly in this new series when a reformed thief turned Queen’s guard becomes reluctant allies with the leader of an outlaw family on the edge of the kingdom. A turbulent romance tests their individual loyalties even as a greater, insidious threat looms over everything they hold dear. A Fierce Reads title, VOW OF THIEVES arrives on August 6th from Henry Holt and Company.
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Jul 28, 2019
Fonda Lee, JADE WAR author
Fonda Lee is the author of JADE WAR (Orbit Books). Her early works were the acclaimed young adult science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo, and Crossfire. Her first adult fantasy novel, JADE CITY, kicked off the Green Bone Saga. JADE CITY won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and was nominated for both the Nebula and the Locus award. The sequel, JADE WAR, continues to explore her mafia-meets-fantasy world, where magic, martial arts, and explosive action combine with the complex drama of family loyalty, honor, and corruption.
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Jul 22, 2019
J. Michael Straczynski, Becoming Superman author
J. Michael Straczynski is well known in science fiction fandom for creating the seminal TV series BABYLON 5, and recently SENSE8 with the Wachowskis for Netflix. His body of work includes the films Changeling and Marvel’s Thor, and acclaimed comic book runs on the Amazing Spider-Man, Rising Stars, and Midnight Nation. His latest work is a memoir called BECOMING SUPERMAN. For writers, it is a prime illustration of how the craft is more than a hobby or career pursuit – it is an opportunity to conquer reality and make of it what you desire. BECOMING SUPERMAN arrives on July 23rd from Harper Voyager.
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Jun 14, 2019
Season 3 Wrap-Up
This is the wrap-up episode for Season 3 of Fictitious. I'll be taking a short summer break to catch up on some reading, do some traveling, and work on a few projects, including updates to the show's website. Fictitious will return on Monday, July 22nd with celebrated science fiction screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski.
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Jun 5, 2019
Megan E. O'Keefe, Velocity Weapon author
Megan E. O’Keefe is the author of the new space opera novel, VELOCITY WEAPON (Orbit Books). Gunnery Sergeant Sanda Greeve awakens aboard an unmanned enemy ship to discover she has lost a leg, lost her entire planet, and lost 230 years in stasis. Her only companion is Bero, the ship’s advanced AI, who is eager to help, but is perhaps not entirely trustworthy. Sanda’s deep space plight runs parallel with her brother Biran’s political career on their home planet, as he struggles to retrieve her and other military personnel lost to the catastrophic attack from a rival colony.
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May 15, 2019
Keith R.A. DeCandido, "A Furnace Sealed" author
Keith R.A. DeCandido is a prolific author known for his work with media tie-ins, including Alien, Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Doctor Who, and Dungeons & Dragons. His new urban fantasy novel, A Furnace Sealed, follows his character Bram Gold, a Bronx-based freelancer tasked with investigating and containing supernatural mishaps and malefactions. When his latest job wrangling a rogue unicorn cascades into a wave of dead immortals, Bram and his compatriots must find the murderer - before their actions summon something far worse. A Furnace Sealed is available now from Wordfire Press.
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Apr 25, 2019
Caitlin Starling, "The Luminous Dead" author
Caitlin Starling is the author of The Luminous Dead. It's a paranoia-drenched sci-fi tale that follows a young woman named Gyre on a solo expedition into an enigmatic cave system on a far-off planet. Her only companion is Em, a mysterious and often untrustworthy benefactor who guides her from afar via a high tech caving suit. Em's motives, Gyre's history, and the terrifying secrets of the cave tangle in this claustrophobic and emotional decent into discovery and delirium. The Luminous Dead is available now from Harper Voyager.
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Apr 16, 2019
Story Unlimited: Using Non-Traditional Methods and Media to Tell Your Story
Do you have a story to tell, but struggle writing that traditional novel, comic, or screenplay? Modern media presents you with extraordinary new options to tell your tale and win an audience. Whether it's a podcast, video series, webcomic, RPG, chat & text story, indie game, serialized mobile fiction, mystery box subscription, or something completely new, your potential fans are waiting! Fictitious host Adron Buske moderates this panel of writers about the evolving world of multimedia entertainment – and how you can break in with your own stories. Featuring David Accampo, writer of the comics Lost Angels and The Margins; Gwenda Bond, author of Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds; Rob Hart, author of the Ash McKenna series; and Brian McClellan, author of the Powder Mage trilogy. Recorded live at Emerald City Comic Con in Seattle, Washington, on March 14th, 2019.
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Apr 4, 2019
Dan Stout, "Titanshade" author
Dan Stout is author of the debut novel Titanshade. It's a hard-boiled cop drama set in a 1970’s-esque fantasy world, where the titular corruption-infected city is kept warm by the heat of a tortured infernal god, some of the detectives have face mandibles, and the best squad cars come with 8-track players. Titanshade is available now from DAW Books.
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Mar 26, 2019
Kat Howard, "A Cathedral of Myth and Bone" author
Kat Howard is the award-winning author of the novels Roses and Rot, and An Unkindness of Magicians. Her latest book is a collection of short fiction called A Cathedral of Myth and Bone. These stories explore mythology, fantasy, and horror as they twist through the lives of women and saints, where the seeds of ancient revels and dread spring up anew in the modern age. A Cathedral of Myth and Bone is available now from Saga Press.
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Mar 4, 2019
Shaun Barger, "Mage Against the Machine" Author
Mage Against The Machine, the debut novel from author Shaun Barger, is an explosive and emotional collision between fantasy and science fiction. It intertwines the stories of a young Magi soldier from an isolated world of government controlled magic, and a cybernetically enhanced resistance fighter struggling against a planet-conquering artificial intelligence. Mage Against The Machine is available now from Saga Press.
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Feb 17, 2019
Gwenda Bond, "Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds" Author
Gwenda Bond's work includes a trilogy of Lois Lane YA novels, and the "Cirque American" book series, as well as the audio drama podcast "Dead Air". Her latest novel, "Suspicious Minds", is the first official "Stranger Things" tie-in and works as a prequel to the hit Netflix series. "Suspicious Minds" is available now from Del Rey books.
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Feb 3, 2019
Gareth Hanrahan, "The Gutter Prayer" Author
Gareth Hanrahan is an author and role playing game writer/designer. His new novel, The Gutter Prayer, is a brilliant mash-up of fantasy, alchemical steampunk, and Lovecraftian horror. It follows three unlikely companions – a thief, a Stoneman and a ghoul – as they are pulled headlong into their ancient city’s hidden magical war. The Gutter Prayer is available now in stores everywhere from Orbit Books.
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Jan 28, 2019
Jordanna Max Brodsky, "The Wolf in the Whale" Author
Jordanna Max Brodsky's previous series, the Olympus Bound trilogy, found the ancient gods of Greece living in modern Manhattan. Her passion for history and mythology is on display again with her latest novel, The Wolf in the Whale – which follows the quest of a young Inuit shaman to defend her people, and her own identity, from the wars of men and their gods. The Wolf in the Whale arrives in stores on January 29, 2019, from Red Hook Books.
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Jan 20, 2019
S.A. Chakraborty, "The Kingdom of Copper" Author
S.A. Chakraborty is the author of The Daevabad trilogy, which includes her acclaimed debut novel The City of Brass, and its sequel, The Kingdom of Copper, which is available January 22nd, 2019 from Harper Voyager. It’s a lushly written, emotionally complex fantasy series with a fascinating, middle east-inspired mythology.
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Jan 18, 2019
Book Review: "The Test" by Sylvain Neuvel
Fleeting and unsubtle, Sylvain Neuvel's The Test is, appropriately, all about choices. What decisions will a person make when their future is on the line? How do those choices change under pressure, when the lives of others depend on them? And who are we to judge if those actions make someone good, make them worthy?
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Jan 14, 2019
Roshani Chokshi, "The Gilded Wolves" Author
Roshani Chokshi is the New York Times bestselling author of The Star-Touched Queen and A Crown of Wishes. Her latest novel, the young adult fantasy The Gilded Wolves, arrives in stores on January 15th from Wednesday Books. It’s a fast-paced heist adventure set in a darkly glamorous version of Paris in 1889, featuring a magic system forged from a twist of biblical mythology, and a highly quotable cast of dysfunctional yet fiercely competent young thieves.
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Jan 11, 2019
Book Review: Vigilance by Robert Jackson Bennett
Fictitious Bonus Book Review: Bleak, propulsive, and frighteningly plausible, Robert Jackson Bennett’s concise novella Vigilance examines an America which has embraced gun violence as inevitable and marketable. Yet the greatest weapons wielded in this warning tale are the tools of media manipulation, used to keep a diminishing populace paranoid yet eager for more corporate-sponsored bloodshed.
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Jan 6, 2019
10 Points to Slytherin: Why Good Fans Love Evil Characters
Recorded at San Diego Comic-Con 2017, this live panel discussion features super-star TV-scribe Jane Espenson, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger co-executive producer Christine Boylan, young adult breakout author Tomi Adeyemi, Marvel & DC comics writer Erica Schultz, bestselling paranormal romance author Rebecca Zanetti, and Nerdist and Geek & Sundry writer Kendall Ashley. Moderated by Fictitious host Adron Buske. If you’re interested in what makes a great villain so compelling and captivating, you’ll find a lot of ideas to explore in this discussion. WARNING: there’s a fair amount of good-natured swearing in this episode. It's probably not one to listen to with the kids.
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Dec 13, 2018
Isaac Marion, "The Living" and "Warm Bodies" Author
Isaac Marion is the author of the "Warm Bodies" series, which views the zombie apocalypse from the unique perspective of one of the Dead (who is trying very hard not to be). The bestselling first novel has been translated into 25 languages and was adapted as the hit 2013 film "Warm Bodies". The series includes prequel novella "The New Hunger" and sequel novel "The Burning World", and completes with his latest book, "The Living".
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Dec 2, 2018
Grady Hendrix, "We Sold Our Souls" Author
Bram Stoker award-winning author Grady Hendrix's latest novel, "We Sold Our Souls", is out now from Quirk Books. It's a paranoia-drenched dark fantasy infused with horror, suspense, and a cranked-up-to-11 volume of heavy metal. We discuss the difficulty Grady encountered shaping "We Sold Our Souls" into its final form, the impact of music on the story, and his laborious revision process.
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Nov 9, 2018
Tade Thompson, "Rosewater" Author
Tade Thompson is the author of the award-winning, near-future sci-fi novel "Rosewater" (Orbit Books), set in Nigeria in 2066. The first novel in the "Wormwood" trilogy, it will be followed by the sequel, "Rosewater Insurrection", in early 2019.
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Nov 2, 2018
Bonus: NaNoWriMo Executive Director Grant Faulkner
This bonus episode features Grant Faulkner, the executive director of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). The interview originally aired in 2016 on the Nerd For A Living podcast. NaNoWrimo is a program designed to motivate writers to start and complete an entire 50,000 word novel within the month of November. It’s free to join at NaNoWriMo.org, which provides tools to track your daily word count, gain badges for achievements, and take part in a community of authors.
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Oct 10, 2018
Nicholas Eames, "Kings of the Wyld" and "Bloody Rose" Author
Nicholas Eames is author of the breakout epic fantasy debut "Kings of the Wyld" (Orbit Books), the first in "The Band" series. The sequel, "Bloody Rose", was released in August 2018. Nick's novels combine edge of your seat action, rock 'n roll sensibility, laugh out loud humor, and a huge helping of heart.
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Oct 2, 2018
Here There Be Dragons: Creating Fresh Stories in Fantasy
Recorded live at San Diego Comic Con 2018, the "Here There Be Dragons: Creating Fresh Stories in Fantasy" panel features authors Tomi Adeyemi (Children of Blood and Bone), Robert Jackson Bennett (Foundryside), Jason Denzel (Mystic Dragon), R.F. Kuang (The Poppy War), and Mary E. Pearson (Dance of Thieves). Moderated by Adron Buske of the Fictitious Podcast.
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Sep 4, 2018
R.F. Kuang, "The Poppy War" Author
Author R.F. Kuang talks with Adron about her debut novel, The Poppy War (Harper Voyager). They discuss her writing process for the grim fantasy, its roots in the 20th-century history of China, and the influences of modern fantasy and animation on her work.
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Aug 27, 2018
Robert Jackson Bennett, "Foundryside" Author
Hugo-nominated author Robert Jackson Bennett (The Divine Cities Trilogy) talks with Adron about the creation process for his latest fantasy novel, Foundryside, which was just released by Crown Publishing.
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Aug 21, 2018
Jason Denzel, "Mystic" and "Mystic Dragon" Author
Jason Denzel, the author of fantasy novels "Mystic" and "Mystic Dragon" (TOR publishing), discusses his storytelling process and influences for creating the "Mystic" trilogy. Jason is a filmmaker, and the founder of Dragonmount.com, the leading online community for Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time saga.
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Sep 25, 2017
Leigh Bardugo, "The Language of Thorns", "Six of Crows"
Our guest this episode is Leigh Bardugo, New York Times #1 bestselling author and the creator of the Grishaverse, a young adult fantasy series which has sold over one million copies. The Grishaverse spans the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, and the Six of Crows Duology. Her latest book, The Language of Thorns, collects six short, fairy tale-infused stories, all based in her original fantasy world. Inspired by myth and folklore, the stories in The Language of Thorns are intoxicating, darkly atmospheric tales filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and very conflicted kinds of love.
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Sep 14, 2017
Robin Furth, "The Dark Tower: A Complete Concordance" Author
We’re joined by Robin Furth, author of Stephen King's The Dark Tower: A Complete Concordance and co-writer of the Marvel Comics Dark Tower series. Robin was also a consultant on the recent Dark Tower film, has produced another concordance for a different Stephen King book series, and is consulting for other media properties. And she is now writing and releasing her own short stories and novels, as well as other comic projects.
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Jul 30, 2017
Vivian Shaw, "Strange Practice" Author
This episode features author Vivian Shaw, whose debut novel — Strange Practice — was just released from Orbit Books. Strange Practice introduces Dr. Greta Helsing, a normal human physician working to keep the supernatural community not-alive and well in modern-day London. Having inherited her family's specialized medical practice, Greta can barely make ends meet with her treatments for local mummies. But when a sect of murderous monks begins to scour the city's underbelly, intent on killing her unusual friends, she must team up with her undead clients to keep them — and the rest of London — safe. Filled with fresh twists on classic monsters and imaginative mash-ups, this new series is a perfect fit for fans of contemporary fantasy.
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Jun 19, 2017
Rebecca Zanetti, "Lethal Lies" Author
Our guest is Rebecca Zanetti, a prolific author of dark paranormals, romantic suspense, and contemporary romances. She's published more than 25 novels, many of which have appeared on bestseller lists from the New York Times, USA Today, iBooks, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble. Her books include the Scorpius Syndrome series and Realm Enforcer series from Kensington Publishing, and the Sin Brothers series and Lost Bastard series from Grand Central Publishing. Her latest novel, Lethal Lies, was released in May. It’s the 2nd in her new Blood Brothers series, with the 3rd volume coming in November.
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Jun 5, 2017
Lauren Shippen, "The Bright Sessions" writer/creator
We talk with Lauren Shippen, the writer and creator of The Bright Sessions, a science fiction audio drama about people with supernatural abilities - in therapy. It’s a serialized podcast where each episode is a therapy session between a patient and the enigmatic Dr. Joan Bright. The Bright Sessions premiered in 2015, and has been featured by iTunes, Vox, Wired, The Observer, and Popular Science. In 2016 it was the recipient of 7 Audio Verse Awards. As an actor in Los Angeles, Lauren Shippen created the series as a writing experiment and creative outlet for her and her friends. Its success has made writing a dominant part of her career now.
In this conversation, we explore the genesis of the show, developing from a single character idea to an elaborate audio drama. We discuss the benefits of writing episodically and the freedom of her story format, and how characters evolve off the page when they are embodied by passionate actors. And we talk about how her story became an outlet for…
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Jun 5, 2017
Daniel H. Wilson, "Press Start to Play" Editor
This rebroadcast episode was recorded at San Diego Comic-Con 2015 with Daniel H. Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Robopocalypse and its sequel Robogenesis. His books also include How to Survive a Robot Uprising, A Boy and His Bot, and Amped. Daniel's career spans books, television, and comics. He has a PhD in Robotics and a Masters in Artificial Intelligence. His book Robopocalypse was optioned by DreamWorks and was in development by Steven Spielberg, though the film has been in production limbo for several years now. We talk about Press Start to Play, an anthology of video game inspired short stories that he co-edited. And we chatted about all the other crazy places his writing career has taken him.
This episode originally appeared our flagship podcast, Nerd For A Living.
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Jun 5, 2017
Mary Robinette Kowal, "Ghost Talkers" Author
Hugo-award winning author Mary Robinette-Kowal spoke with us during the release of her novel "Ghost Talkers", a historical fantasy set in Europe during World War I. We talk about how that novel came together, and we also explore the other facets of her career, including her award-winning work as a puppeteer, and her side gig as a voice over artist, reading audio books and short stories for other writers.
This episode originally appeared on our flagship podcast, Nerd For A Living.
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Jun 5, 2017
Introduction to Fictitious
Fictitious is a new podcast about writing and genre storytelling, presented by Nerd For A Living and hosted by Adron Buske.
We will delve into the storytelling process and business of writing for genre entertainment. And by genre, we mean all kinds of speculative fiction - science fiction, fantasy, horror and supernatural, and all the category-bending and -blending stories in between.
Fictitious will focus on prose fiction, like novels and short stories, but we’ll also explore screenwriting for film and television, and scripting for other multimedia outlets, like audio dramas, graphic novels, games, and more. We’ll be talking to working and published authors, screenwriters, editors, and publishers to learn about writing for multiple platforms, and how to develop and sustain a career as a writer. These conversations will examine the craft, techniques, and work habits of passionate storytellers.
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