FanFiAddict
A gaggle of nerds talking about Fantasy, Science Fiction, and everything in-between. They also occasionally write reviews about said books. 2x Stabby Award-Nominated and home to the Stabby Award-Winning TBRCon.
Every Friday, we’re highlighting a panel from the TBRCon2025 all-virtual SF/F/H convention, looking back on the incredible variety of discussions that we had the honor of hosting.
This week, join moderator/book reviewer Eleni Argyró and authors Fonda Lee, Andrea Stewart, Sebastien de Castell, J.S. Dewes, SourpatchHero and Luis Magalhaes
Every Friday, we’re highlighting a panel from the TBRCon2025 all-virtual SF/F/H convention, looking back on the incredible variety of discussions that we had the honor of hosting.
This week, join moderator/author A.J. Calvin and authors Sebastien de Castell, David Green, Samantha Mills, Brent Lambert and Taran Matharu for a TBRCon2025 panel on “Fantasy Trends Over the Last Decade & Where We’re Headed Next”.
I’ve decided to do something a little different than my usual top five for this year’s top reads given that, while I may not have totaled an awful lot of books over the past year, the majority were pretty dang great. So, I figured I’d treat you to a longer list and the ensuing cover extravaganza! As always, if I’ve reviewed these here, I’ll link that to the book title so you can have some fun with my longer rambles, if you so wish.
With a solid mix of various subgenres, you will find highly anticipated sequels, standalones, or brand-new series openers that hold onto you from beginning till the end.
Hello again dear reader or listener, I hope you’re enjoying your Sunday! I once again have literary appetizers for you.
Since I recently received a (very amusing) spam bot comment on one of my old list posts, I thought I might as well make a part 2 given it’s been three years! As you can guess from the title, I felt like listing the very first (or first few) lines from books currently on my shelves, that I found especially captivating for one reason or other. Maybe they’re particularly ominous, or amusing, or intriguing, but in each case, they set the tone incredibly well.
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a mini-masterclass on Swashbuckling Fantasy with author Sebastien de Castell. During the episode, Sebastien plays the daring hero by laying out the essentials of swashbuckling, including how he defines it, famous examples of swashbuckling (like The Three Musketeers and The Princess Bride), the interaction between swordplay, action and stakes, how to pace a swashbuckling story, applying humor to swashbuckling, heroes, villains, contrast and more.
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they chat with author Sebastien de Castell about his new novel Play of Shadows, his career trajectory and being a bard, channeling your experiences into writing, traveling, culture and language, writing witty dialogue and banter, found family, worldbuilding approaches, shared worlds and much more.
Play of Shadows is many things, just like its crew of colourful characters, but most of all, it is a fast-paced joy-ride from start to finish, filled to the brim with swashbuckling action, multilayered protagonists, bombastic and/or bawdy personalities, and self-aware melodrama, that is in no way held back by the dark events and ominous foes it presents.
Every Friday, we’re highlighting a panel from the TBRCon2024 all-virtual SF/F/H convention, looking back on the incredible variety of discussions that we had the honor of hosting.
This week, join moderator/blogger David Walters and authors Sue Burke, Sebastien de Castell, Lucy Holland and Bryan Wilson for a TBRCon2024 panel on “How to Write Great Endings.”
Other than a Masterclass in creative and devastating insults, Crucible of Chaos is the prelude to De Castell’s upcoming series, A Court of Shadows, set once again in the Greatcoats universe, and oh how I’d missed Tristia and its mottle mix of travelling magistrates. Truly dear reader, I can’t even begin to explain to you what the original tetralogy means to me so I won’t try it now. Suffice it to say that this standalone mystery thriller works as an excellent bridge between what came before and what is yet to entertain and possibly hurt us. I for one am dying to see what the author has planned, starting this March.
Join authors David Wragg, Sebastien de Castell, J.S. Dewes, Marina J. Lostetter and Julia Vee for another FanFiAddict author roundtable! During the discussion, these five talented authors share their takes on CHARACTER THROUGH DIALOGUE, unpacking the ways in which dialogue and character are intertwined, how to best convey a character through the words they speak, what goes said versus unsaid, making dialogue sound unique to each character and more.
Every week, we are highlighting a panel from TBRCon2023, looking back on the amazing variety of panels that we had the honor of hosting.
This week, join moderator/author Andrea Stewart and authors Kevin Hearne, Rebecca Roanhorse, Sebastien de Castell, Alexander Darwin and Moses Ose Utomi for a TBRCon2023 author panel on “Querying, Agents & Traditional Publishing.”
