Episode 44 of Speculate!-Rob Ziegler Writing Discussion

by on May 2, 2012 in Writing Discussion

Welcome back for Episode 44 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we conclude our series of shows on the work of Rob Ziegler with a discussion of some of the specific writing techniques used in his book Seed, looking at how gutsy writing with an attention to narrative voice and tone, muscular prose laced with moments of grace, and unity of message and theme makes Seed as good as it is–and how you might be able to use such techniques in your own work.  If you enjoy what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our interview with Brent Weeks, author of the Night Angel trilogy and other books.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

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Episode 43 of Speculate!–Rob Ziegler Author Interview

by on April 25, 2012 in Author Interviews

Welcome back for Episode 43 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our series of shows on the ecopunk novel Seed, interviewing author Rob Ziegler about his interest in the subject of climate change, his thoughts about grace within savagery, and why he’s glad he doesn’t always have to think about things like nano-toilet paper (it makes sense in the interview…trust us).  Rob is as thoughtful a speaker as he is a writer, and we hope you enjoy what he has to say; if you do, we also hope you’ll check back next week, when we’ll release our concluding show of this triptych (on some of the writing techniques demonstrated in Seed).  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

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Episode 42 of Speculate!–Rob Ziegler Novel Review (Seed)

by on April 18, 2012 in Novel Reviews

Welcome back for Episode 42 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we start a new sequence of shows on the work of speculative fiction author Rob Ziegler, giving our reaction to and review of his book Seed, a new ecopunk novel from Night Shade Books which punches you in the solar plexus…and that’s just the beginning for this stunning vision of a bleak future.  If you enjoy the discussion, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview Rob about his book and his thoughts about what our actual future might look like. Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

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Episode 41 of Speculate!–Part Two of The State of the Field, with Special Guest Paul Genesse

by on March 28, 2012 in Miscellaneous

Welcome back for Episode 41 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our look at the impact of E-books and independent publishing on the field of speculative fiction with part two of our talk with author and editor extraordinaire Paul Genesse, focusing here on what makes a book a book, what the kids must think of all of this, and what’s next for our genre. If you enjoy the discussion, don’t forget to check back for our next episode when we’ll begin another triptych of shows on Seed, the new novel from Rob Ziegler.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

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Episode 40 of Speculate!–Part One of The State of the Field, with Special Guest Paul Genesse

by on March 21, 2012 in Miscellaneous

Welcome back for Episode 40 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we take a step back from our usual blend of reader response and writer analysis to look at the state of the speculative fiction field more generally, enlisting friend and fellow speculative fiction author and editor (in both traditional and independent modes) Paul Genesse to broaden the discussion.  Our conversation went so long that we decided to split the show into two parts (we think an eighty minute episode would be a little extreme); in part one, we focus most of our attention on E-books and self-publication, looking at trends in the field and where we think things may head next.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for part two of our discussion with Paul.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

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An Appeal to Our Good Listeners

by on March 9, 2012 in Miscellaneous

Voting for the Hugos is now well underway. To our faithful listeners, if you feel like we deserve some recognition for this show, please consider voting for Speculate in the Best Fancast category. The nomination form and rules can be found at the Chicon 7 Hugo Nomination page. And if you do decide to vote for our little show, you have our thanks.

Sincerely,

Greg and Brad.

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Episode 39 of Speculate!-Brandon Sanderson Author Interview

by on March 7, 2012 in Author Interviews

Welcome back for Episode 39 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our run of great guests with our interview of Brandon Sanderson, bestselling epic fantasy author.  This is one of our longer interviews, but when you have someone who can talk so easily and interestingly about magic systems, issues of balance in epic fantasy, the different stages of a writing career and what it’s like to complete the magnum opus of a speculative fiction legend, you sort of need to keep the tape rolling and enjoy the ride.  Brandon also touches on teaching and podcasting in this wide-ranging discussion…and even admits that an inbox of fifty thousand unread E-mails can be a little overwhelming.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our first “state of the field” discussion with friend and fellow speculative fiction author Paul Genesse.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

(Side note: As we’ve mentioned before, Speculate! is eligible for nomination in the Best Related Work category of the Hugo awards, and if you’re eligible to nominate and feel so inclined, we would be honored to receive your support.  The nominating deadline is 11:59 PST on March 11, 2012, so please head over there as soon as you can if you’re interested…and thanks!)

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Episode 38 of Speculate!-Todd Lockwood Artist Interview

by on February 29, 2012 in Artist Interviews

Welcome back for Episode 38 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we present our third artist interview, this one with giant of the field Todd Lockwood.  Todd, who did the cover for Brad’s upcoming book The Straits of Galahesh, gives us a look into what inspires him about the field of speculative fiction, why he still doesn’t mind being known as the “dragon guy” in some circles and how the field has changed over his long career–and why the chance to paint Stephen Colbert as a paladin was too good to pass up.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll head back to the world of literature to interview another major player in speculative fiction, Brandon Sanderson.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

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Episode 37 of Speculate!-Mark Hodder Writing Discussion

by on February 15, 2012 in Writing Discussion

Welcome back for Episode 37 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we conclude our series of shows on the work of Mark Hodder with a discussion of some of the specific writing techniques used in his book The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack, looking at how the use of characters as foils, attention to theme, meditations on empire and other aspects of writing make Strange Affair such an interesting and enjoyable book…and how aspiring writers can learn to apply these techniques in their own work.  We’ll be taking a break next week, but if you enjoy what you hear don’t forget to check back in two weeks for an interview with artist Todd Lockwood, and be on the lookout for our interview with Brandon Sanderson.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

(Side note: As you’ll hear at the end of this week’s show and will be seeing in more detail in an upcoming post, Speculate! is eligible for nomination in the Best Related Work category of the Hugo awards.  Obviously there are a lot of worthy candidates to be nominated for something like this, but we thought you might not know if we didn’t say that we’d love to join that list.  So if you’re a member of last year’s, this year’s or next year’s Worldcon, please head over to the official site before March 11, 2012 and consider nominating us (and others of the many choices in all the categories) in the Best Related Work category…and thanks!)

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Episode 36 of Speculate!-Mark Hodder Author Interview

by on February 8, 2012 in Author Interviews

Welcome back for Episode 36 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our sequence of shows on the work of Mark Hodder with an interview with the author himself.  Mark’s fascinating insights on writing generally, steampunk specifically, and the role of theme in a story–how much punk should you have in your steam?–made this one of our most enjoyable interviews to date, and we hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.  If you enjoy the interview, don’t forget to check back next week for our concluding show of this triptych, a discussion of some of the writing techniques used in Mark’s book The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 43:23 — 39.7MB)

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