Welcome to Episode 76 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we present the final installment of our triptych of shows on the work of Tim Powers with a discussion of some of the writing techniques used in his latest novel Hide Me Among The Graves, looking at the artful use of mystery, creating and fulfilling an implied contract between writer and reader, immersing oneself in the world being created, learning the value of both giving and receiving critiques, and being comfortable with the kind of writer you are–all things represented by and in Tim’s work.  If you like what you see and hear, don’t forget to check back in two weeks when we’ll talk about the joys and sorrows of writing workshops with veteran writers (and fellow Codexians) Cat Rambo and Luc Reid.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 75 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the work of Tim Powers by talking to the man himself, who obliges us with a fascinating look into both his process of writing novels–where we discover that self-doubt can sometimes work better than self-confidence when it comes to motivation–and how he wrote his latest work, Hide Me Among The Graves.  We also get some insight into how Tim conducts historical research, why he likes poetry so much, and how constraints can foster creativity (and how a deadline can sometimes be considered “flexible”), all during a really enjoyable and illuminating interview that we hope you find as interesting as we did.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our final show in the triptych, a discussion of some of the specific writing techniques used in Hide Me Among The Graves.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 74 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a new triptych of shows on the work of Tim Powers, focusing in particular on his most recent novel Hide Me Among The Graves–a “vampire ghost story” set in Victorian England starring poets, artists, prostitutes, and even a veterinarian.  What’s not to love?  As we touch on during our discussion, this is a book which rewards careful reading and knowledge of the genre, and between that and the historical research for which Tim is famous there’s a whole lot to chew on.  If you enjoy the discussion, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview the author of this fantastic mix of real and supernatural himself.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 73 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk to author Brian McClellan about his debut epic fantasy series The Powder Mage Trilogy from Orbit Books, starting with Promise of Blood.  We talk about his writing process, his inspiration for the series, and how he grew from a student in Brandon Sanderson‘s creative writing course at BYU to an author with a hot new series with a lot of buzz…and what lessons he learned along the way.  This was a fun interview to conduct–and finding out that a flintlock grenade launcher “is an actual thing” was worth the experience by itself!  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for the beginning of a new triptych on the work of  Tim Powers.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

A few episodes back, in Episode 68, we spoke with Matt Forbeck and Lee Moyer on Kickstarters. In this episode, we dig deeper into the “hybrid author,” someone who publishes both traditionally and via self-publishing. Michael Sullivan, the author of the Riyria Chronicles and the Riyria Revelations, is joined by his wife, Robin Sullivan, the “architect of Michael’s career,” and they talk to us about the ins and outs of being a hybrid author. Michael also has a Kickstarter running right now for his Hollow World novel, a standalone novel that, as you’ll hear in our episode, didn’t quite fit the traditional publishing model.

And speaking of Kickstarters, be sure to check out Brad’s Kickstarter for The Flames of Shadam Khoreh, the concluding volume in his Lays of Anuskaya trilogy.

Join Greg and Brad as we talk writing using Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm’s short story collection, The Inheritance & Other Stories, as inspiration. We talk about writing “the other” with low human-oriented reference, altered awareness as story scope expands, character arcs, and more. We also give, and allow us to repeat it here, a huge thank you to all our supporters who gave us a nod in the Hugo preliminary voting. Here’s hoping we make it onto the short list, but either way, we couldn’t have gotten here without your help. Thanks for your comments and for spreading the word as far as you have. We appreciate it very much.

Welcome to Episode 70 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we present the second installment of our triptych on the work of Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm with our interview of both writers–all wrapped up in one person!  We cover a lot of ground with Robin and Megan, discussing (among other topics) the origin of her pseudonyms, where she finds her inspiration, the differences between writing novels and short stories and how to best represent the voice of a cat.  Robin’s graciousness and mastery of the craft is evident throughout, and we hope you enjoy listening to the interview as much as we enjoyed conducting it.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our final episode in the triptych, discussing some of the writing techniques Robin and Megan use in The Inheritance and Other Stories.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word (and if you haven’t already done so, please head here for details on how you can nominate Speculate! in the Hugo Awards Best Fancast category–the deadline is Sunday, March 10th)!

Welcome to Episode 69 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  With this episode we begin a new triptych of shows on the work of Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm, looking at the 2011 short story collection The Inheritance and Other Stories–the first time both pseudonyms have been brought together in one volume.  In particular we talk about Lindholm’s stories “A Touch of Lavender” and “The Fifth Squashed Cat,” along with Hobb’s stories “The Inheritance” and  “Cat’s Meat”; although both names belong to one author, the voices and emphases are quite different, and we look at both those differences and the assured touch of a speculative fiction master evident throughout all of the book.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll continue the triptych with our interview of Robin Hobb/Megan Lindholm herself.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

P.S. Time is running out to nominate Speculate! in the Hugo Awards Best Fancast category–the deadline is only a week away, on Sunday, March 10th, so if you haven’t already done so, please head here for all the details…and thanks!

Welcome back for Episode 68 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we focus for the third time on the state of the speculative fiction field with special guests Matt Forbeck and Lee Moyer, concentrating this time around on the impact of Kickstarter and other crowdsourcing systems on the world of fantasy and science fiction.  Both Matt and Lee have run highly successful Kickstarters in the past year, and over the course of our discussion we look at the implications of Kickstarter for all of us:  is this system going to replace the traditional methods of getting a book or game to market, or can it work side by side with those methods?  What are its potential pitfalls (and how can you avoid them)?  And if you succeed, what comes next?  We cover all these bases and a few more during the course of our discussion, and we hope you’ll find it as enlightening as we did.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back for our next episode, the first in a triptych on the work of Robin Hobb.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word!

Update: here are links to Lee’s whitepaper on Kickstarters, including the introduction:

http://leemoyer.wordpress.com/2012/06/20/kickstarter-what-does-it-all-mean/

http://leemoyer.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/kickstarter-white-paper-part-1/

http://leemoyer.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/kickstarter-white-paper-part-2/

Welcome to Episode 67 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we present the second half of our interview with authors Peter V. Brett and Myke Cole, as they talk more about their friendship (and the coolest gifts any authors could ever get), different methods and places of writing, and what they would (or wouldn’t tell) the younger versions of themselves if they had the opportunity.  If you enjoy what you hear, make sure to check out Part One of the interview, and don’t forget to check back for our next episode when we’ll talk about the state of the field with Michael Stackpole and Matt Forbeck.   Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 66 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we present the first half of an interview with authors Peter V. Brett and Myke Cole, long time friends and successful speculative fiction authors both with new books due out within the next month.  We hadn’t expected the interview to run as long as it did, but we found what they had to say about Dungeons and Dragons, the ups and downs of a writing career, and the impact of September 11th on their lives and work so interesting that we just had to keep the tape running.  If you enjoy what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll post the second half of the interview.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word!

Hi everyone. As the co-hosts of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans, we spend most of our time on the show interviewing, analyzing and discussing the work of other people in the speculative fiction field. But now, we’re asking for something a little different. Nominations for the 2013 Hugo Awards are being accepted now, and although we’re not big fans of shameless self-promotion, we figure if we didn’t ask, you might not know that we are eligible to be nominated in the Hugo’s Best Fancast category.

If you are an attending or supporting member of LoneStarCon3, the Worldcon coming up this August, an attending or supporting member of Chicon, last year’s Worldcon, or an attending or supporting member of LonCon3, next year’s Worldcon, you’re eligible to nominate for any or all of the Hugo Awards. And it’s easy–simply go to the nomination page (http://www.lonestarcon3.org/hugo-awards/hugo-nom.html), type in your name and the PIN sent to you by LonestarCon, and nominate for as many of the awards as you like–including, we hope, Speculate! in the Best Fancast category.

We do this show because we love talking about the field in which we write and study, speculative fiction; interviewing authors, artists, and editors, and getting to analyze the work they produce, is a great thrill for us. But the main reason we enjoy doing the show is it gives us a chance to communicate with all of you—to present our show to a lively and ever-growing audience.

Getting nominated for a Hugo—to say nothing of winning one!—would allow us to broaden that reach and communicate with even more fans of one of the most fascinating genres of literature we have. So we would greatly appreciate it if you could nominate Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans by heading over to the nomination page.

The deadline is Sunday, March 10, 2013, which is coming soon–so please do it as soon as you can! And thanks from both Greg and Brad to all of you for your feedback, enthusiastic support, and of course listening to the show! We look forward to giving you some great ones in the year ahead.

Thanks for tuning in, and of course for nominating!

Welcome to Episode 65 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we kick off 2013 with an interview of author Howard Andrew Jones, who writes both original world novels and books set in Paizo‘s Pathfinder universe, adding to our ever-growing list of speculative fiction authors who enjoy gaming almost as much as they enjoy writing!  We cover the influences on Howard’s work (including an abiding interest in 1,001 Arabian Nights), his fascination with the short story writer and novelist Harold Lamb, and the differences between writing an original world book like The Bones of the Old Ones and a shared world book like Plague of Shadows.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back for our next episode when we’ll again talk about the state of the field, this time with authors Michael Stackpole and Matt Forbeck.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word!

Note:  As you’ll hear at the end of this episode, nominations are now open for the 2013 Hugos, and Speculate is eligible in the Best Fancast category.  Needless to say we’d be super-excited to be nominated for a Hugo (to say nothing of winning one), largely because it would give us the ability to speak to that many more listeners every show, and if you feel like the show deserves some recognition, please consider voting for Speculate.  The nomination form and rules can be found at the LoneStarCon3 Hugo Nomination page–and if you do decide to vote for our show, thanks!

Welcome to Episode 64 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, our final one of 2012, we conclude our triptych of shows on Joe Abercrombie‘s Red Country with a discussion about some of the specific writing techniques used in the novel, examining aspects of setting, character development, determining the place of a book’s characters in the world they inhabit and the importance of writing what you love.  We conclude with wishes for a happy and peaceful holiday season, never more necessary than in the wake of the horrific tragedy at the elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut; we pay tribute to the victims at the end of the episode.

If you like what you hear, please spread the word, and thanks for all your support in 2012.  We’ll be back in the new year with new shows examining the speculative fiction genre which we love.  Until then, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all!

Welcome to Episode 63 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on Joe Abercrombie‘s Red Country with an interview of the author himself, who confesses his early love for role playing games, his desire for something more out of his epic fantasy (specifically:  grit, emotional range and humor), and his investment in the world he’s built and in which he wants to remain.  Joe’s got a lot of interesting things to say about the usual parameters of epic fantasy, and this was a fun interview to conduct.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll conclude our triptych with a discussion of a few of the more notable writing techniques used in Red Country.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 63 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  Join us as we begin a new triptych of shows on the work of Joe Abercrombie. In this episode, as we review Red Country, Brad and Greg find themselves at opposite ends of the fantasy-western continuum, a phenomenon we didn’t even know existed much less applied to us before reading Abercrombie’s latest book. We also talk about our impressions of the three main characters, the no-nonsense Shy South, the quiet giant Lamb, and Temple the Not So Heroic. Don’t forget to check in with us next week when we speak with the man himself, Joe Abercrombie. Until then, please share and enjoy!

I’ve only listened to this (Speculate!) one once or twice, as it’s a recent discovery for me. But I can tell it’s going to end up in my regular rotation. It seems smooth and well-organized, and long enough to get into a subject in some depth, with a nice mix of review-style discussion, interviews and talk about craft.

Follow this link to see what Kate has to say about several other fine podcasts like SF Squeecast, Writing Excuses, Coode Street, and SFSignal. Thanks for the kind words Kate!

Welcome to Episode 61 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  We set a new record for single episode participation in this show with four distinguished guests: Brenda Cooper and E.C. Myers (authors of The Creative Fire and Quantum Coin, respectively), freelance editor Gabrielle Harbowy, and Pyr Books‘ editorial and art director Lou Anders speak for an hour on what has made Pyr such a successful speculative fiction imprint, where it’s been and where it’s going in the future.  This wide ranging discussion also looks at the finer points of how good editors work with good authors, how important a good cover is to an equally good book, and what makes Dragon Con such a scary (and amazing!) event every year.  Our shows normally don’t run this long, but we hope you’ll agree the extra discussion we got with all of these fine people was worth the extra time.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll start a new series of shows on the work of Joe Abercrombie.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 60 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we (virtually) sit down for a discussion with urban fantasy authors Amber Benson and Anton Strout for a discussion of why they love doing what they do, why urban fantasy continues to appeal to such a wide audience and what the future looks like for the subgenre–and why they’re fired up to talk about it even after an exhausting go-round at New York Comic Con!  If you like what you hear, make sure to check back next week when we’ll begin a new triptych of shows on the work of Joe Abercrombie.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 59 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we conclude our triptych of shows on the Beneath Ceaseless Skies magazine with a look at a few of the specific writing techniques used in the stories from the two issues we discussed during this series, focusing on ways to establish tone through language, work against reader expectations, use vignettes to engage the reader, and put together surprise endings–ones which don’t have to rely simply on the progression of the plot.  If you enjoy the conversation, don’t forget to check back next week for an interview with urban fantasy authors Amber Benson and Anton Strout.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Photo courtesy of the excellent Al Bogdan.

Welcome to Episode 58 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our triptych of shows on the Beneath Ceaseless Skies magazine with an interview of its publisher and editor-in-chief Scott H. Andrews, who has a lot of interesting stuff to say about the origins of the magazine, his editorial philosophy, and why literary adventure fantasy is a seriously underserved portion of the speculative fiction market.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll conclude our triptych with a discussion of some writing techniques employed in stories published in Beneath Ceaseless Skies.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 57 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  After a busy summer of convention-going, workshops and interviews, we get back to our usual routine by going back to the beginning (so to speak), as we start our first triptych of shows on a short fiction magazine since our inaugural series of episodes last year.  Despite being in operation for only four years, Beneath Ceaseless Skies has already racked up an impressive list of authors, stories and awards, and we take a look at stories from the two most recent issues to see what all the buzz is about.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview Scott H. Andrews, BCS‘s editor-in-chief and publisher.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

We had a wide variety of responses that may in fact help you. What were some of your “Ah ha!” moments? Please share in the comments. As always, please enjoy, and thanks for spreading the word.

Welcome back for Episode 55 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we take a second look at the state of the speculative fiction field with special guests Mary Robinette Kowal, former vice-president of SFWA and Hugo-award winning writer, and Michael Underwood, North American Sales and Marketing Manager for Angry Robot and the author of Geekomancy.  Our discussion (recorded at the recently concluded GenCon) covers a variety of topics, focusing particularly on new ventures in e-publishing, marketing strategies, and the differences between an author’s online and offline personas, and we hope you’ll find the conversation as interesting (and helpful) as we did.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for a series of short interviews with the intrepid participants in the Wellspring Workshop 2012.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 54 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we conclude our quadtych of shows on the work of Saladin Ahmed with a look at some of the specific writing techniques used in his debut novel Throne of the Crescent Moon, focusing on narrative pace and character description, misdirection, filling in the world, character development, and cultural portrayals.  If you enjoy what you hear, don’t forget to check back soon for a series of short interviews from GenCon and the Wellspring workshop.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome to Episode 53 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our trademarked “quadtych” of shows on Throne of the Crescent Moon, the new sword and sorcery book by Saladin Ahmed, with an interview of the author himself. Saladin was one of our first interviews, way back in Episode 2, and it was fun to catch up with him now that he’s a published novelist. We talk to Saladin about his inspirations, the place of politics in fiction, and one of the many Easter eggs in Throne. Easter egg, you say? Yes, but you’ll need to listen to the episode to find out what. If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll discuss writing technique inspired by our read of Throne of the Crescent Moon. Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Photo courtesy of the talented Al Bogdan.

Welcome back for Episode 52 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our sequence of shows on Throne of the Crescent Moon, the new sword and sorcery book by Saladin Ahmed, with an interview of DAW Books president, editor-in-chief and veteran observer of the field Betsy Wollheim.  In this discussion Betsy explains what she enjoyed the most about editing Saladin’s book, but also ventures farther afield to talk about her general editorial philosophy, what authors most need to remember about what they choose to write and what the future of the industry looks like–and why she’s bullish on the potential of E-books and digital publishing. If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview Saladin himself.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome back for Episode 51 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a new triptych plus one (is that a quadtych?) of shows on the work of Saladin Ahmed, who previously appeared on Episode 2 of Speculate! as we discussed one of his short stories; this time we’re looking at his debut novel Throne of the Crescent Moon, a sword and sorcery tale which NPR calls “Lord of the Rings meets Arab Spring.”  With a line like that, how could we resist taking our own look at a book with dervishes, ghuls, and a fantastic city with an Arabian flair?  If you enjoy the discussion, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll be conducting an interview with the book’s editor, DAW president Betsy Wollheim.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome back for Episode 50 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  We celebrate turning 50 (that sounds less ominous when we’re talking about episode numbers, somehow) with an interesting interview with Ian Tregillis, author of the alternative history series The Milkweed Triptych (he likes that last word as much as we do).  Here we get a chance to talk to Ian about alternative history, how Nazis and warlocks make a cool mixture for speculative fiction purposes, and other miscellaneous subjects like covers, audiobooks and batboys, not necessarily in that order.  If you like what you hear, don’t forget to tune in next week when we’ll start our next triptych of shows on Saladin Ahmed‘s Throne of the Crescent Moon.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

Welcome to Episode 49 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we bring you a series of interviews done with authors and editors attending Origins, which along with Gen Con is one of the oldest gaming industry conventions in the world.  Origins recently started its own writing track (called The Library), and we got to talk to a good mix of new and veteran attendees, hearing from Mike Stackpole, Jennifer Brozek, R.T. Kaelin, Steven Saus and Jean Rabe on what makes the convention experience generally and Origins specifically a worthwhile one for speculative fiction authors and fans.  If you like what you hear, make sure to tune in two weeks from now when we’ll be starting a new triptych of shows on Throne of the Crescent Moon, the new novel from Saladin Ahmed.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome back for Episode 48 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we conclude our series of shows on the work of Ian McDonald with a look at a few of the specific writing techniques used in The Dervish House, particularly his approach to cinematic writing, evoking all the senses, worldbuilding and atmosphere, using contrasting characters and points of view to establish a (reasonably) objective truth, and not being afraid of science–or even educated guesses about what science might reveal in the future–in writing science fiction.  If you enjoy what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week for our series of short interviews from Origins 2012.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

(Side note:  During the show Brad refers to a roundtable he recently participated in over at SF Signal with a host of SFF luminaries including Elizabeth Bear, Charles Stross and recent Speculate! guest Rob Ziegler, moderated by Jeremy Lassen.  There are a lot of interesting insights to be gleaned from the discussion, and if you find today’s episode interesting we recommend you head here for more.)

Welcome back for Episode 47 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans. In this episode we continue our series of shows on Ian McDonald’s The Dervish House as we interview the author himself on subjects from research to language to writing process–and how at times seducing the reader is a better way to go than making everything obvious up front. If you enjoy our discussion with Ian, make sure to check back next week when we release our final episode in this triptych, an analysis of some of the writing techniques used in the book. Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome back for Episode 46 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we begin a new triptych of shows on the work of BSFA-winning author Ian McDonald, discussing our reaction to his Hugo-nominated book The Dervish House–a book about near-future Istanbul which is as dense, and fascinating, as the city in which it is set.  If you enjoy the discussion, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll interview Ian about his book and his process for researching and writing it.  Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!

Welcome back for Episode 45 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we add another really interesting guest to our interview mix as we talk to Brent Weeks, bestselling author of the Night Angel trilogy, who covers aspects of the writing life, learning from the work of other authors, and even how fame has its own drawbacks (hint: no more posting your vacation plans on Facebook!).  If you like what you hear, make sure to check out more of Brent’s work, and don’t forget to come back next week when we begin our next triptych of shows on the work of Ian McDonald.  Until then, thanks as always for listening to the show, and please continue to spread the word!

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!

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!

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!

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!

Sincerely,

Greg and Brad.

(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!)

(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!)

UPDATE: Be sure to check out Mark’s portfolio in our Art Gallery. He graciously gave us permission to share some of his wonderful pieces. Thanks, Mark!