Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Real Cultures as Inspiration with author Gabriela Romero Lacruz. During the episode, Gabriela unpacks different facets of culture, including what culture means, countercultures, SFF as a reflection of our world, immersive worldbuilding, pulling from real cultures vs. creating your own, research, cultural appropriation and more.
Masterclass
SFF Addicts Ep. 60: Science in Fantasy with Kritika H. Rao (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Science in Fantasy with author Kritika H. Rao. During the episode, Kritika hypothesizes about the role of science, including how she incorporated science into her debut novel, balancing science with philosophy and esotericism, how science can affect character, plot, language and worldbuilding, science tropes and stereotypes, the work of Michael Crichton and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 56: Worldbuilding 101 with Martha Wells (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Worldbuilding 101 with bestselling author Martha Wells. During the episode, Martha unravels the intricacies of worldbuilding, including what it means, why well-crafted worlds are important for stories, first steps for worldbuilding, research vs. creativity, keeping track of details, how to convey information through description, avoiding infodumping, drawing maps, naming shit and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 54: Aliens & First Contact with Christopher Paolini (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Aliens & First Contact with bestselling author Christopher Paolini. During the episode, Christopher explores the mysteries of aliens, including why humans are fascinated by them, why first contact makes for fantastic story fuel, creating species and environments, science and our understanding of reality, alien tropes, reader emotions, empathetic aliens and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 52: Revision & Rewriting with Sue Burke (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Revision & Rewriting with author and translator Sue Burke. During the episode, Sue breaks down the nitty gritty of revision, including why it’s an important part of the writing process, approaches to first drafts, tools for revision and rewriting, how to keep track of characters and scenes, killing your darlings and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 50: Animal Companions with Andrea Stewart (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Animal Companions with fantasy author Andrea Stewart. During the episode, Andrea explores the furry foundations of animal companions, including why they’re so well suited for SFF, using real animals vs. creating new creatures, what animal companions can bring to a story and its characters, writing from the POV of animals, anthropomorphism, empathy and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 48: Morally Gray Characters with Fonda Lee (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Morally Gray Characters with award-winning SFF author Fonda Lee. During the episode, Fonda shares her “problematic faves” and untangles the moral complexity that we often find in fictional stories, including what draws us to morally gray characters, what compels authors to write them, stories that lend themselves well to moral grayness, the fine line between morally gray and evil, incorporating moral frameworks into worldbuilding and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 44: Post-Apocalyptic Fiction with Chuck Wendig (Mini-Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Post-Apocalyptic Fiction with author Chuck Wendig. During the episode, Chuck digs into some fundamentals of the genre: what attracts people to apocalyptic narratives, how writers can tap into larger societal fears (like AI and nuclear war), fungi and fungal pandemics, the importance of hope in dire circumstances, creating believable characters in apocalyptic scenarios and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 42: Writing Beginnings with Chelsea Abdullah (Mini-Masterclass)
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.
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. 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.