Join host Adrian M. Gibson as he delves into a writing masterclass on Memory & Time with bestselling author Mark Lawrence. During the episode, Mark unlocks the secrets of the mind, including how memory and time play into the human experience, the relationship between memory and identity, forgetting and how memories change across time, the role of emotions in forming memories, collective stories and history, unreliable narrators and narratives, flashbacks and non-linear story structures, revealing the passage of time and more.
Harper Voyager
SFF Addicts Ep. 195: Mark Lawrence talks Daughter of Crows, Assassin Schools, SPFBO & More
Join host Adrian M. Gibson as he chats with bestselling author Mark Lawrence about his new novel Daughter of Crows, writing an older protagonist, showing a character across their life, new twists on assassin schools, evoking an eerie atmosphere, drawing inspirations from pagan mythologies, the meaning of “grimdark,” the evolution of self-publishing and SPFBO (the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off), working in mathematics, hard science, “detail porn” and more.
Review: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty
Synopsis Amina al-Sirafi should be content. After a storied and scandalous career as one of the Indian Ocean’s most notorious pirates, she’s survived backstabbing rogues, vengeful merchant princes, several husbands, and one actual demon to retire peacefully with her family to a life of piety, motherhood, and absolutely nothing that hints of the supernatural. But […]
SFF Addicts Ep. 185: Building a Supporting Cast with Nicole Glover (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a writing masterclass on Building a Supporting Cast with author Nicole Glover. During the episode, Nicole gets by with a little help from her friends, exploring what a supporting cast is, secondary character archetypes/tropes, dynamics between the protagonist and supporting characters, conveying character backstory, the motivations and goals of the supporting cast, balancing character development and skills, creating supporting “baddies” and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 184: Nicole Glover talks The Starseekers, the Space Race, Murder Mysteries & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & M.J. Kuhn as they chat with author Nicole Glover about her new novel The Starseekers, the Murder & Magic series, falling in love with SFF and writing, alternate history and blending genres, the Space Race and 1960s history, blending magic with math/science, writing a series of standalones, using the past to discuss modern concerns, the fun of murder mysteries, crafting compelling main characters and much more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 171: Surviving the Midlist (or Not?) with David Wragg (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn and Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Surviving the Midlist (or Not?) with author David Wragg. During the episode, David dishes on the (often harsh) realities of the midlist, including what “the midlist” is, the debut experience and expectations, (lack of) investment in authors, earnings/expenses/marketing, social support and community for midlisters, what success means, book submissions, the “midlist death spiral”, the value of midlist titles/authors, moving goalposts, persistence and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 170: David Wragg talks The Iron Road, Parenting, Humor, the Wild West & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn and Greta Kelly as they chat with author David Wragg about his new novel The Iron Road, the Tales of the Plains series, parent/child relationships, blending Wild West themes/aesthetics with a fantasy world, balancing darkness and humor, lessons learned from mediocre jobs, crappy first novels and midlife crises, managing a large cast of characters and much more.
Review: The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Synopsis: Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months. Food is running low and there has been no sign of rescue. But just as the survivors consider deliberately thinning their number, the castle stores are replenished. The sick are healed. And the divine figures of the Constant Lady and her Saints have arrived, despite […]
SFF Addicts Ep. 150: Writing Nature & Wildnerness with Hannah Kaner (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Writing Nature & Wilderness with bestselling author Hannah Kaner. During the episode, Hannah ventures out into the wilds of storytelling, including incorporating your natural surroundings into fiction, drawing influence from environments you’ve never visited, using landscape/environment to enhance story elements, awe and the unknown, nature as a character, the economy of nature and its resources, agency and control in the natural world, elemental magic, spirits and monsters, cities in contrast to nature and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 149: Hannah Kaner talks Faithbreaker, Gods, Perseverance & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly as they chat with bestselling author Hannah Kaner about her new novel Faithbreaker, completing The Fallen Gods Trilogy, perseverance and the marathon of publishing, querying and what to look for in an agent, the challenges of writing a series, community and pushing yourself, creating a pantheon of gods, writing about faith and religion, opening scenes, multiple POVs, character relationships, pilgrimage, trust and much more.
Review: Babel by R.F. Kuang
Synopsis Traduttore, traditore: An act of translation is always an act of betrayal. 1828. Robin Swift, orphaned by cholera in Canton, is brought to London by the mysterious Professor Lovell. There, he trains for years in Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, all in preparation for the day he’ll enroll in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute […]
SFF Addicts Ep. 76: Plotting 101 with Greta Kelly (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Plotting 101 with author Greta Kelly. During the episode, Greta plots out the essentials for outlining a novel, including what plotting and outlining are, how it can help stimulate your creativity and focus, evolving plotting processes, planning character and story arcs, tools/methods/software for plotting, going from outline to first draft to edits, helpful writing resources and more.