Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Writing Assassins & Contract Killers with bestselling author James Islington. During the episode, James pinpoints the target, discussing why assassin media is so popular, real vs. fictional depictions of assassins/contract killers, why assassin characters work so well in SFF, differences between assassins and contract killers, the fundamentals of motives/targets/clients/methods, centering a plot around an assassination, tonal consistency, the psychology (and backstory) of an assassin, morality and reader empathy, assassin training montages, researching assassins (i.e. ruining your search history) and more.
Saga Press
SFF Addicts Ep. 218: James Islington talks Scion, Cyberpunk Influences, The Hierarchy & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they chat with bestselling author James Islington about his new novel Scion, Blade Runner and cyberpunk influences, the Deus Ex video game series, morally gray protagonists, dystopian technologies, the reality vs. fiction of immortality, The Justice of One and The Hierarchy series, palate cleansers and writing for yourself, transitioning from a full-time career to writing, going from self-publishing to traditional publishing, finding success in your career, the importance of a good agent, dark humor, odd couples and more.
Review: Scion by James Islington
Synopsis: John Wick meets Blade Runner in this fast-paced cyberpunk thriller by the #1 NYT bestselling author of The Will of the Many. My job, when you think about it, isn’t so different from a lot of people’s. I have to deal with a ton of boring planning. Inconvenient hours. Some pretty awkward face-to-face interactions. […]
SFF Addicts Ep. 215: Parenting in Speculative Fiction with Laura E. Weymouth (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Parenting in Speculative Fiction with author Laura E. Weymouth. During the episode, Laura lays down the law of the (fictional) house, discussing being a parent AND a professional writer, the stereotypes of SFF parents, good and bad parental role models, writing believable parent characters, how parenthood can be intertwined with plot, teaching children empathy/morality through SFF stories, portraying community and partnership on the page, toxic vs. healthy relationships, the challenges of portraying motherhood in fiction, using spec fic to envision new ways of parenting, parental nostalgia and more.
Review: Scion by James Islington
Synopsis: John Wick meets Blade Runner in this fast-paced cyberpunk thriller by the #1 NYT bestselling author of The Will of the Many. My job, when you think about it, isn’t so different from a lot of people’s. I have to deal with a ton of boring planning. Inconvenient hours. Some pretty awkward face-to-face interactions. And like most of […]
SFF Addicts Ep. 214: Laura E. Weymouth talks The Castle & the Cloister, Religion, War, Lyrical Prose & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they chat with author Laura E. Weymouth about her new novel The Castle & the Cloister, cultural identity and rootedness, the intersection of politics/religion/war, incorporating themes of religion and competing faiths into fantasy, kinghood and tyranny, shifting trends and surviving in publishing, writing YA vs. adult fantasy, lyrical prose that isn’t overindulgent, unreliable narrators and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 208: Incorporating Music into SFF with Peter Orullian (Writing Masterclass)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson as he delves into a writing masterclass on Incorporating Music into SFF with author/musician Peter Orullian. During the episode, Peter strikes a narrative chord, discussing the intersection of music and storytelling, novelizing concept albums for bands, lyricism and the musicality of prose, copyright and including songs or lyrics in a story, adding music/songs to audiobooks, writing characters who ARE musicians, music in our world vs. secondary worlds, musical magic systems and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 207: Peter Orullian talks Songs of the Dead, Collabing with Brandon Sanderson, Xbox & More
Join host Adrian M. Gibson as he chats with author Peter Orullian about his new novel Songs of the Dead, collaborating on the book with Brandon Sanderson, rock and metal culture, history and multi-layered worldbuilding, musical magic and factions of the living vs. the dead, creative fluidity, video games and working at Microsoft/Xbox, the publishing industry and corporate culture, Unbroken and Kickstarter success, the triumphs of community, Christmas movies and sincerity, understanding your antagonists, metalheads, starving artists and more.
Review: We Dance Upon Demons by Vaishnavi Patel
Synopsis From the New York Times bestselling author of Kaikeyi, a galvanizing stand-alone contemporary fantasy following a burnt-out reproductive health care worker as she fights back against escalating attacks on her clinic and the malevolent forces in hot pursuit of her newly acquired power. As a reproductive health care worker in Chicago, Nisha is barely staying afloat in […]
Review: River of Bones and Other Stories by Rebecca Roanhorse
Synopsis: A stunning collection of award-winning fantasy and science fiction short stories from the New York Times bestselling author of the Between Earth and Sky trilogy—including a new novella set in the world of Trail of Lightning. Rebecca Roanhorse’s first publication, “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience™”, was awarded both the Nebula and Hugo award […]
On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield
On Sundays She Picked Flowers is a haunting, provoking fairytale-like story. An absolutely stunning debut!
Review: Wretch by Eric LaRocca
Synopsis: After his husband dies, Simeon Link finds himself overcome by grief and seeking comfort in an unusual support group called The Wretches, who offer an addictive and dangerous source of relief. They introduce Simeon to a curious figure known as Porcelain Khaw—a man with the ability to let those who are grieving have one […]