Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Infusing Politics into SFF with author Kate Elliott. During the episode, Kate deconstructs the meaning of politics in sci-fi and fantasy, including why SFF and politics meld so well, choosing political themes for your story/world, revealing politics through characters, political biases, nuance and empathy, in-groups/out-groups and “otherness”, using environment and geography to convey politics, “access” as a foundation for political structures and more.
Interview
SFF Addicts Ep. 158: Kate Elliott talks The Witch Roads, Burnout, Story Pacing & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly as they chat with bestselling author Kate Elliott about her new novel The Witch Roads, how SFF publishing has changed since the 1980’s, artificial intelligence and art, burnout and perseverance, experimenting with genre and form, magic and fungi in worldbuilding, character relationships and family dynamics, pacing and learning from different genres, Alexander the Great’s badass sister, Korean dramas and much more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 157: Constructing an Alternate History with P. Djèlí Clark, Mary Robinette Kowal & Sophie Burnham (Masterclass Panel)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly for a masterclass panel on Constructing an Alternate History, featuring authors P. Djèlí Clark, Mary Robinette Kowal and Sophie Burnham. During the panel, they lay out the foundations of alternate history stories, discussing what an alternate history is, what these stories can achieve, the divergence point, cause and effect, balancing real history vs. imagined history, bringing modern ideas/concerns into an alternate history, the legitimacy of history, historical research and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 156: Reading to Become a Better Writer with Evan Leikam (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a writing masterclass on Reading to Become a Better Writer with author/content creator Evan Leikam (AKA Book Reviews Kill). During the episode, Evan examines the relationship between reading and writing, including how reading shapes us, how to read as a writer, finding the time to read, reading however (and wherever) you can, reading for enjoyment vs. learning, improving your writing through the books you read, applying lessons and breaking the rules, writing craft books and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 155: Evan Leikam talks Anji Kills A King, Crappy Jobs, Video Games & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they chat with author/content creator Evan Leikam (AKA Book Reviews Kill) about his new debut novel Anji Kills A King, video games and storytelling, working crappy jobs and perseverance, structure and writing as a JOB, touring as a musician, shocking inciting incidents and setting the tone for a story, writing a character-driven story, gratitude, edibles and much more.
Author Chat: Mark A Ellis
Author bio: Mark A Ellis lives in Sheffield, England with his wife and two children. When not writing sci-fi he is usually reading it or climbing/cycling in the nearby Peak District. He is also a University Lecturer and holds a PhD in Responsible Leadership, a field in which he also publishes. Beyond the Treeline is his debut […]
SFF Addicts Ep. 154: How to Write Unlikable Characters with Joe Abercrombie (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn and Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on How to Write Unlikable Characters with bestselling author Joe Abercrombie. During the episode, Joe unpacks the core traits of unlikable characters, including what makes an unlikable character likable, why readers are fascinated by awful people, the process of creating an unlikable character, the importance of character voice, conveying character details through dialogue, morally gray character arcs, active vs. passive characters, revealing character vulnerabilities and flaws, reader investment, morally gray worlds, external conflict and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 153: Joe Abercrombie talks The Devils, Grimdark, Ensemble Casts & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn and Greta Kelly as they chat with bestselling author Joe Abercrombie about his new novel The Devils, first attempts at writing, working in film, TV and music video editing, the world of The First Law and gradual success, his opinions on grimdark, writing (absurdist) alternate history Europe, going down historical research rabbit holes, creating an eclectic ensemble cast, writing multiple POVs, giving characters distinct voices and much more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 152: Writing for Different Mediums with Luke Arnold (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Writing for Different Mediums with author/actor Luke Arnold. During the episode, Luke breaks down his approaches to four different mediums (prose, comics, screenwriting and video games), including expressing your creativity through various mediums, learning from other mediums, researching and understanding your medium, as well as comparing story structure, pacing, expectations, character development and worldbuilding across mediums.
SFF Addicts Ep. 151: Luke Arnold talks Whisper in the Wind, Acting, Noir & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly as they chat with author/actor Luke Arnold about his new novel Whisper in the Wind, the pros and cons of writing a series, character development in The Fetch Phillips Archives, his nostalgia for films and video games, lessons learned from acting, audiobook narration and voice acting, noir inspirations and tropes, urban fantasy and genre mashups, creating compelling mysteries, keeping setting/themes fresh and much more.
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.