Episodes

  • 297. Ian Randal Strock: The Importance of Short Fiction

    297. Ian Randal Strock: The Importance of Short Fiction
    Oct 5 2024
    Ian Randal Strock was assistant editor at Analog and Asimov for half a dozen years in between a long career as an editor, author, and publisher. He is now the owner, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Gray Rabbit Publications, LLC, and its speculative fiction imprint, Fantastic Books. In this interview, we discuss the history of short fiction magazines, going back to the Golden Age of Science Fiction. We also discuss the importance of short fiction to a writer’s career and discovery. AND, a delightful new release by Ian hitting the shelves December 3, 2024, titled, "Wandering Through Time." Learn more about Ian at https://ianrandalstrock.com/
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    58 mins
  • 296. Jessica Brawner Tattoos on Dead Tree Flesh

    296. Jessica Brawner Tattoos on Dead Tree Flesh
    Sep 28 2024
    Jessica Brawner is an author of fiction and nonfiction, spanning topics from topical books on improving social interactions to urban fantasy and steampunk tales. She has experience in both traditional publishing and self-publishing but prefers the latter. We met through a common friend, now her husband, Steven L. Sears, who has been a guest on this podcast. She recently released her latest novel, “Tattoos on Dead Tree Flesh,” which I thoroughly enjoyed and am anxious to discuss. What a title! (Pay attention and you will have an ah-ha moment when you realize what it means!) www.jessicabrawner.com
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    59 mins
  • 295. Marc Scott Zicree: How Twilight Zone Handled Censored Subjects

    295. Marc Scott Zicree: How Twilight Zone Handled Censored Subjects
    Sep 21 2024
    Marc Scott Zicree has written for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sliders, Babylon 5, Smurfs, He-Man, Real Ghostbusters, and much more. But the reason I invited him to this podcast is that Marc Scott Zicree is the author of the most comprehensive book on the original series, "The Twilight Zone Companion." A TV series I enjoyed as a child but had no idea of what went into the series that made it so entertaining or its impact on so many people! And I still remember those chilling opening and closing monologs by Rod Serling. We discuss how Rod Serling created this series as a result of being censored for attempting to discuss current social issues on programming he was writing. Find his book, "The Twilight Zone Companion" wherever books are sold.
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    1 hr
  • 294 S.M. Stirling Researching Time Travel Alternate History

    294 S.M. Stirling Researching Time Travel Alternate History
    Sep 14 2024
    S.M. Stirling writes in multiple genres and has over 10 NYT bestsellers. In this interview, we discuss writing alternate history, the need for research, and how to do this research. His latest novel, "To Turn the Tide" addresses the last successful period of the Roman Empire before the Germanic tribes invaded and sacked it. We discuss Type A invention and Type B invention which plays a key part of the novel. We also discuss two of L. Ron Hubbard's favorite books, "Typewriter in the Sky" and "Slaves of Sleep." Learn more at smstirling.com/books/to-turn-the-tide/
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    1 hr
  • 293. James Rosone Researching Hi-Tech Near-Future Sci-Fi

    293. James Rosone Researching Hi-Tech Near-Future Sci-Fi
    Sep 7 2024
    I am here at the Tampa Convention Center attending the 2024 Tampa Comic Con with this week’s guest, James Rosone. We met up here last year at this convention and recorded a podcast interview which you can find as interview 247. James Rosone is the Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of military thriller and science fiction. He's an Iraq War veteran who served 3.5 years in a combat zone as a military interrogator and contractor. I completed his Monroe Doctrine series—all 9 volumes—and find near future military SF (I hope it’s SF) is the most chilling of any type of story I have read. I also read the first volume of his 11-volume Into the Stars series—not so near future. In this interview, we discussed how he arrived at writing in the genre he chose, what his process has been as a self-published author to become a top 100 Amazon author—close to making 7 figures a year—and how he does his research for the technology he uses in his novels. https://frontlinepublishinginc.com/
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    59 mins
  • 292. Elliott Haimoff Conversations with the Men of Apollo Space Program

    292. Elliott Haimoff Conversations with the Men of Apollo Space Program
    Aug 31 2024
    Elliott Haimoff, is a biologist, primatologist and documentary filmmaker. In 1990 he founded Global Science Productions to develop and distribute educational television programs and news segments about space, biology, health, sports and nature. And now, over 200 documentaries with dozens of awards later, I am now interviewing him on one of several books he was written: SPACE PIONEERS: CONVERSATIONS WITH THE MEN OF APOLLO We initially met several years back as we were releasing our Stories from the Golden Age. He would frequent our Saturday night live theatre. He also shot a documentary on Pulp Fiction, which heavily featured L. Ron Hubbard as one of the masters of Science Fiction’s Golden Age.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • 291. Anthony Goff, President Blackstone Publishing on Growth of Audiobooks

    291. Anthony Goff, President Blackstone Publishing on Growth of Audiobooks
    Aug 20 2024
    Anthony Goff is the President of Blackstone Publishing. I met Anthony when we shared spots on the Audio Publishers Assn Board of Directors in the early 2010s when he was the audio publisher at Hachette. He has been involved in publishing and the growth of the audiobook industry for three decades and is very knowledgeable about its history and growth and what's in store in the future. We also discuss how to get your book published as an audiobook—what to do and what not to do.
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    1 hr
  • 290. Meghna Pant, One of India's Most Celebrated Authors

    290. Meghna Pant, One of India's Most Celebrated Authors
    Jul 30 2024
    Meghna Pant is recognized as one of India’s best writers by several international and national publications. And she is the first female to ever write a war novel in India. She is an author, feminist, journalist and speaker and has won a variety of awards for her contribution to literature, gender issues, and journalism. In 2012, she won the Muse India National Literary Awards' Young Writer Award for her debut novel "One-and-a-Half Wife." I met her perhaps 15 years ago in Los Angeles. We’ve been friends on social media. When I saw a post about the book we will be discussing, I reached to invite her as a guest to this podcast. And I am very happy I did. I hope you are as well. https://www.meghnapant.com/
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    1 hr