Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Writing Beginnings with author Chelsea Abdullah. During the episode, Chelsea shares her takes on the intricacies of openings: why beginnings are so important (for both readers and agents/editors), balancing character and worldbuilding in an opening chapter, the pros and cons of prologues, kick-ass first lines, writing beginnings for multiple POV characters and more.
Interview
SFF Addicts Ep. 41: Chelsea Abdullah talks The Stardust Thief, Folklore, Discovery Writing & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they chat with author Chelsea Abdullah about how she got into writing, her debut novel The Stardust Thief, folklore inspirations and 1001 Nights, discovery writing and (not) planning things, writing The Ashfire King on contract, reverse outlining and much more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 40: Audiobook Narration with Travis Baldree (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Audiobook Narration with author/narrator Travis Baldree. During the episode, Travis lays out everything there is to know (and hear) about narration: the appeal of narrating and listening to books, the exploding popularity of audiobooks, narrating Will Wight’s Cradle series, his recording equipment and preparation process, what it’s like working with authors, costs and methods for hiring a narrator and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 38: Discovery Writing with H.M. Long (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass with author H.M. Long, where she explores the process of discovery writing. During the episode, Hannah explains the concept of discovery writing, how it became her go-to writing approach, the benefits of discovery writing for workflow, plot and worldbuilding, spontaneity in storytelling, editing while drafting, potential challenges and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 37: H.M. Long talks Barrow of Winter, Dark Water Daughter, Writing as Therapy & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they chat with author H.M. Long about her origins in SFF and reading, why she started writing, the many books she wrote before getting published, the origins of Hall of Smoke, how she expanded that book into a series, her new books Barrow of Winter and Dark Water Daughter, plus pirates, salamanders and much more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 36: Being a Debut Author with M.J. Kuhn (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn for the very first SFF Addicts mini-masterclass, where M.J. lays out the good, bad and ugly of being a debut author. During the episode, she delves into the many books she wrote before getting published, why she chose traditional publishing, querying agents and putting books on submission, working with editors and cover designers, the difficult road to book two, marketing, challenges, bright moments and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 35: M.J. Kuhn talks Among Thieves, Video Games, Redwall & More
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and his new co-host M.J. Kuhn as they chat about M.J.’s writing career: how she got into writing fiction, her debut novel Among Thieves, Brian Jacques’ Redwall series, Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed and video game inspirations, character-driven narratives, morally grey characters, writing multiple POVs and more.
Author Chat: Aliette de Bodard
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and award-winning author Aliette de Bodard for a chat about her new book The Red Scholar’s Wake, books in translation, Vietnamese history and language, her Universe of Xuya series, worldbuilding, childbirth, sentient spaceships, sapphic romance, family, food as memory and much more.
Author Chat: Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki & Zelda Knight (Editors of Africa Risen)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and award-winning editors/authors Sheree Renée Thomas, Oghenechovwe Ekpeki and Zelda Knight for a chat about their new anthology Africa Risen: A New Era of Speculative Fiction, as well as the evolution and meaning of the anthology’s title, the story selection process, offering a platform for new African and diaspora authors, storytelling traditions, community building and much more.
Author Chat: Lavie Tidhar
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and award-winning author and editor Lavie Tidhar for a chat about his new releases Neom and The Best of World SF Vol. 2, growing up in Israel, writing about the Middle East, international sci-fi, tackling challenging themes with humor, robots and Asimov’s ‘Three Laws of Robotics’, L. Ron Hubbard, messiahs and much more.
Author Chat: Mary Robinette Kowal
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal for a chat about her new novel The Spare Man, her Glamourist Histories and The Lady Astronaut series, the modern space race, building off of Dashiell Hammett’s book The Thin Man (and its movie adaptations), what makes a good mystery, committed couples, compelling characters, dogs, puppeteering and much more.
Author Chat: Luke Tarzian
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and self-pub author Luke Tarzian for a chat about his new novelette A Cup of Tea at the Mouth of Hell, Luke’s art background and book/cover design work, mental health and grief, the self-publishing community, balancing satire and emotion, writing as therapy and much more. Of course, as is always the case with Luke, things get pretty naughty by the end.