Join host Adrian M. Gibson and guest authors/artists Jeff Brown, Rachel St Clair, Philip C. Quaintrell and Scott Palmer for an Indie Appreciation Month panel on Cover Art & Book Design. During the panel, Jeff, Rachel, Philip and Scott discuss what cover and book design are, creating a visual brand, the importance of typography and fonts, interior formatting and design, what makes a good vs. bad piece of art, due diligence and art/design no-nos, cover legibility and visual impact, evolving cover trends, setting reader expectations, commissioning artists, book titles, costs/budgeting, communication, timelines and more.
SFF Addicts
SFF Addicts Ep. 209: Portal Fantasies with Seanan McGuire & Micaiah Johnson (Masterclass Panel)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly for a masterclass panel on Portal Fantasies, featuring guest authors Seanan McGuire and Micaiah Johnson. During the panel, they open the door to portal fantasies, discussing what a portal fantasy is, the appeal of this subgenre, fundamental elements of portal fantasies, age markets and genre fatigue, portal sci-fi and secondary worlds, who has access to portals, establishing the rules of your portal, differentiating the “real” world and the “other” world(s), revealing the “new” of the portal world to readers, reflecting our own world through alternate worlds 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.
SFF Addicts Ep. 206: The Art of the Short Story with Isabel J. Kim (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on The Art of the Short Story with award-winning author Isabel J. Kim. During the episode, Isabel gets to the short of it, discussing what a short story is, examples of masterful short stories, short fiction as a testing ground, comparing short-form vs. long-form fiction, approaching theme, plot and structure in short stories, characterization/worldbuilding in a condensed word count, conciseness and pacing, editing and trimming stories down, selling your short stories on the professional market, the role of short story collections and anthologies and more.
Charms Charts And Conspiracies ( Gretons Marvellous Maps Book 2) by David Green.
Synopsis Greton of Willow returns in this sequel to the cozy fantasy neurodivergent sensation, ‘Magic, Maps, and Mischief’, a perfect read for lovers of ‘Legends and Lattes’, ‘The Teller of Small Fortunes’, and ‘Under The Whispering Door’. Within the idyllic city of Barrow’s Hill, the elderly, autistic map maker Greton of Willow is living his […]
Magic Maps and Mischief ( Gretons Marvellous Maps Book 1) by David Green.
Review Wow. David Green continues to impress his fans with his writing style. Whether it be epic fantasy, urban fantasy or his new cozy neurodivergent fantasy novel Magic, Maps and Mischief. And let me tell you. Grab yourself a cup of tea a biscuit, of your choice and buckle up for one of the most […]
SFF Addicts Ep. 205: Isabel J. Kim talks Sublimation, Immigrant Experiences, Technothrillers & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they chat with award-winning author Isabel J. Kim about her debut novel Sublimation, fleshing out a short story into a novel, the immigrant experience, writing multiple versions of the same characters, tech corporations and technothrillers, writing 2nd-person perspective, book deals and bidding wars, TV adaptations, weird internet culture, studying copyright law and more.
EXCERPT: Ch. 2 of A Murder Most Fungal (The Hofmann Report #1.5) by Adrian M. Gibson
Adrian M. Gibson’s new Fungalverse standalone novel A Murder Most Fungal releases in just a few weeks, so what better time to get another taste of the story itself! Last month, the fine folks at Grimdark Magazine revealed the first chapter, and now we are very excited to show off chapter two.
Review: Death Show Colossus by Bill Adams
Synopsis 20 Climbers. 20 Watchers. 5 Hunters. 1 Colossus. After both their parents die during the live broadcast of the Tournament of the Colossus, Quinne promises to always keep Benn safe. Even from the deadly Hunters who scour the slums for those who can wield magic. But when Benn’s rare ability manifests during a public […]
SFF Addicts Ep. 204: Drawing from Global History with Shannon Chakraborty (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson & Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Drawing from Global History with bestselling author Shannon Chakraborty. During the episode, Shannon traverses the world, discussing global interconnectedness across time, using SFF to shine a light on history, deciding on a historical time/place for your story, knowing when to deviate from history, author responsibility and intentions, accessible approaches for research, historical authenticity, academics/historians and more.
Review: Perils of the Past by Kane Williams
Synopsis THE PAST LIES AHEAD. Bloodied knuckles. Sword cuts. Aching limbs. With each day of training in a mountain temple, Antarna draws closer to the power she’ll need if an assassin strikes once more. Never again will she be helpless. When magic ravages the temple, the lives of her friends and the future of the […]