Speculate!

Welcome back for Episode 29 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  This week we conclude our series of shows on Night Shade Books‘ anthology The Book of Cthulhu with a discussion about some of the writing techniques used in the stories we focused on during this sequence.  We enjoyed reading this anthology […]

Welcome back for Episode 28 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our sequence of shows on Night Shade Books‘ anthology The Book of Cthulhu with an interview of two contributors to the volume, Laird Barron and John Hornor Jacobs.  Like our interview with editor Ross Lockhart, this […]

Welcome back for Episode 27 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our sequence of shows on Night Shade Books‘ new anthology, The Book of Cthulhu, with a discussion with its editor Ross Lockhart.  But as Ross proves in this wide-ranging interview, he knows a lot more about […]

Welcome back for Episode 26 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we start a new sequence of shows on the new anthology from publisher Night Shade Books and editor Ross Lockhart, The Book of Cthulhu, investigating (gulp!) the Elder Gods with our reaction to stories by Laird Barron, Elizabeth […]

Welcome to Episode 25 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  We’re just about ready to start posting our next sequence of shows on The Book of Cthulhu, but we didn’t want to leave our loyal listeners content free for another week–so this week we’re happy to present a talk Greg did at […]

Welcome to Episode 23 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we bring you a series of interviews done with authors attending Gen Con, one of the largest fantasy / science fiction / gaming conventions in the world.  Robert Farnsworth, Don Bingle, Jerry Gordon, Paul Genesse, Maurice Broaddus, Elizabeth Vaughan […]

Welcome to Episode 22 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about some of the nominees for the Hugo, to be awarded this coming weekend at Worldcon in Reno, focusing in particular on short stories and graphic novels.  We hardly have a crystal ball, but (as usual) we […]

Welcome to Episode 20 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we wrap up our series of shows on Aliette de Bodard’s Harbinger of the Storm with a discussion of some of the writing techniques she utilizes in the book…and some suggestions about how aspiring writers can put similar techniques […]

Hello again, and welcome to Episode 19 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we continue our series of shows on the work of Aliette de Bodard by interviewing the author herself about Harbinger of the Storm, covering topics from Aztec culture to the ways mysteries and thrillers can enhance […]

Welcome back for Episode 18 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  Recently back from Wellspring Workshop, in this episode we begin a series of shows on the work of Nebula, Hugo and Campbell nominee Aliette de Bodard, focusing in particular on her book Harbinger of the Storm.  If you like what you […]

Welcome to Episode 17 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about Wellspring, an invite only novel writing workshop being held in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and involving eleven speculative fiction authors (including your humble hosts Greg and Brad!), along with a more extended conversation about workshop models, MFA […]

After a brief hiatus, we’re back with Episode 16 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk to New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson about the conclusion of his epic fantasy trilogy Terra Incognita, his tie-in work in universes from Star Wars to Star Trek to Dune, […]

Welcome to Episode 15 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we wrap up our look at Eclipse Four, Night Shade Books’ newest anthology, with a discussion of some of the writing techniques demonstrated in some representative stories by Michael Swanwick, James Patrick Kelly and Andy Duncan.  If you enjoy […]

Welcome to Episode 14 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk to two luminaries of speculative fiction, James Patrick Kelly and Michael Swanwick, about their stories for Night Shade Books‘ new anthology Eclipse Four, their careers in science fiction and fantasy and what they’re working on for the […]

Welcome back for Episode 13 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we interview editor extraordinaire Jonathan Strahan on his editing career, his philosophy on constructing an anthology and his work with Night Shade Books‘ newest story collection, Eclipse Four.  We even get a chance to talk to him about […]

Hi all, Welcome back for Episode 12 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we start a new sequence of discussion/interview/discussion shows on the new anthology from publisher Night Shade Books and editor Jonathan Strahan, Eclipse Four, concentrating in particular on stories by Michael Swanwick, James Patrick Kelly, Andy Duncan […]

Welcome to Episode 11 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we talk about the life of a bestselling fantasy author with, well, a bestselling fantasy author!  Pat Rothfuss, whose sequel to his acclaimed debut novel The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man’s Fear, has hit #1 on the […]

Welcome to Episode 10 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode we look at some of the writing techniques in N.K. Jemisin‘s Nebula-nominated novel The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms…and how aspiring writers can learn from those techniques to improve their own work.  If you like what you hear, please check back […]

Welcome to Episode 9 of Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans.  In this episode, the second of our sequence on The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, we interview the book’s author N.K. Jemisin about both process and product.  We cover a good deal of ground during the interview, talking about psychology, politics and magic within […]