Claim OwnershipPage Break with Brian McClellan
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© Brian McClellan
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Page Break is a collection of casual conversations between epic fantasy author Brian McClellan and fellow creative professionals—like two friends sitting down over lunch to discuss career, craft, family, and hobbies. Authorhood is a quiet sort of minor fame where the person behind the words is often obscured by the works they’ve created. Brian aims to use this podcast to find out more about his friends and colleagues.
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My guest this week is author Becky Chambers! Becky is known for her breakout science fiction Wayfarers series, which began in 2015 with A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Wayfarers books have been nominated for a whole bunch of awards, and won the Hugo for best series in 2019. Becky is also the author of the Monk and Robot series as well as a number of short stories.Becky and I chat about beekeeping and our love of the natural world, and the way hope and wonder helps fuel our writing. We also talk about the way fiction can explore nuance in a way the real world often ignores. Finally, we get into the way writers grow and change over time, and how we can fall into the rut of working on the same types of projects for the same audiences over and over again.Find Becky on her website. Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is author Beth Cato! Beth is known for her Clockwork Dagger series and Blood of Earth Trilogy, and is a widely-published science fiction and fantasy poet and short story writer. Beth also runs a wonderful recipe blog called Bready or Not. She has a new swashbuckling fantasy novel out on June 1st called A Thousand Recipes for Revenge.Beth and I chat about her upcoming book, and we talk about food. Seriously, we spend a good forty-five minutes talking about food so if you’re not prepared for this sudden culinary episode then you can get right out of here because Beth and I LOVE food. Beth is a cheese tourist, which is my new favorite thing. Enjoy my yummy conversation with Beth Cato!Find Beth on her social media or website. Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is audio narrator and bestselling author Travis Baldree. Travis is a former video game developer, having worked on well-known games like Torchlight and Torchlight II, and has built himself a new career narrating science fiction and fantasy–in particular Will Wight’s bestselling Cradle books. Travis recently broke into writing with his smash hit, the cozy fantasy Legends and Lattes. The sequel, Bookshops and Bonedust, is out this November.We talk extensively about an author’s varying relationship with the narrating process, as well at Travis’s journey through his three major careers. We also chat about the heart behind cozy fantasy and the future of Travis’s writing. Enjoy my conversation with Travis Baldree!Find Travis on his website and twitter.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is author Michael Stackpole. Michael has a long and fantastic career highlighted, among many things, by his work on the Star Wars X-wing books in the 90’s. He’s written in both his own original worlds and for intellectual properties, including Star Wars, Battletech, and World of Warcraft. As a long time gaming writer and enthusiast, he’s worked on both tabletop RPGs and computer games.Michael is kind enough to let my inner teenager gush about Star Wars and chat about his process in creating the X-wing books. We also discuss his work on the original Wasteland game and briefly touch on its influence on the Fallout universe. We get into a long conversation on the history of the entertainment industry and the scale and longevity of a writer’s fame. Enjoy my conversation with Michael Stackpole!Find Michael on Twitter and his patreon.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is the youtuber and instragramer known as Bookborn. Bookborn is a video essayist and reviewer primarily of science fiction and fantasy, engaging in deep dives on tropes, philosophical questions, community, authors, and more. She’s also one of the judges for the popular Self Published Fantasy Blog-off.Bookborn and I chat about the difficulty of gauging success on the internet and the emotional complications of reviewing media when you know there are real-life people on the other end. We also hit a bit of topical news regarding the way anger tends to sell so much better and how that messes with the view counts on her youtube channel. Enjoy my conversation with Bookborn!Find Bookborn on Youtube and Instagram.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest today is science fiction and fantasy author Ken Liu! Ken is known for his wonderful silkpunk epic fantasy series the Dandelion Dynasty and has written numerous award-winning short stories and novellas. He also speaks and consults all over the world on many different topics.Ken and I chat about his experience having a story adapted by Netflix’s Love, Death, and Robots and the glut of stories available to entertain us in the modern world. We talk extensively about his work as a futurist and the problems with trying to predict pretty much anything, in particular recent advances in artificial intelligence and what that means for the creative industries. Enjoy my conversation with Ken Liu!Find Ken on his website or social media.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is game developer Aaryn Flynn! Aaryn is the CEO of Inflexion Games, whose first title, Nightingale, will hit early release on Steam sometime this year. Aaryn spent much of his career at Bioware, where he worked his way up from tools programmer to Studio General Manager. He had his hands in a number of massive titles including the Mass Effect series, the Baldur’s Gate series, the Dragon Age series, Neverwinter Nights, Jade Empire, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.Aaryn and I get deep into the weeds on development of Nightingale, including game mechanics, the importance of nailing a certain vibe for the player, and the challenges and complexity of creating a new game from scratch. We cover Aaryn’s career at Bioware, and we talk about the use of early release for small developers and how any creative endeavor has to balance the business and creative sides in order to succeed. Enjoy my conversation with Aaryn Flynn!Check out Nightingale on Steam or their social media.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is author Max Gladstone! Max is best known to fantasy readers for his wonderful Craft Sequence. He’s written extensive serialized fiction with the Book Burners and the Witch Who Came in from the Cold, and has a huge backlist of short fiction published on Tor.com and in various magazines and collections. He’s also the co-author of This is How You Lose the Time War, a multi-award-winning novella.Max and I chat about the state of publishing a decade ago and how his unique approach to a fantasy series managed to sneak into a chaotic and changing industry. We take a long dive into rereading old sword and sorcery authors, the problems we find within them as educated adults, and the qualities we still love. Finally, we talk about the creative implications of showing off early drafts of a work-in-progress. Enjoy my conversation with Max Gladstone!Find Max on his website, Twitter, or pick up his books.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is artist, writer, and narrative designer Grace P. Fong! Grace has created art content for speculative fiction publications and promotional material for authors - including designing the weapons for my very own Powder Mage RPG - and has exhibited regularly at conventions. She’s also published short fiction in Uncanny Magazine. For her day job she’s worked as a narrative designer for Magic: the Gathering, and spent ten years as a senior technical artist on blockbuster movies and AAA video games.Grace and I chat about her work with movie and game studios as an animation problem-solver. We go over the insane complexity of these studios and the hard work that goes into rendering as much as a single frame of animation. We also swap medical stories and discuss the difficulty of dealing with healthcare when you’re working gigs, changing companies, or self-employed. Enjoy my conversation with Grace P. Fong!Find Grace on Twitter and her website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is author Piper J Drake. Piper is a prolific romance author who puts the saucy into all of our favorite SFF subgenres. She’s written a pair of suspense series in True Heroes and Safeguard, the science fiction Triton Experiment series, the paranormal London Shifters series, and many standalone novels and short stories. She has a new contemporary fantasy series, Mythwoven, coming in April 2023 with the first book Wings Once Cursed and Bound. Piper is also the cohost of the 20 Minute Delay podcast with Gail Carriger.Piper and I spend WAY too much time talking about food and tea before moving on to the tropes of the romance genre and the way she’s used them in her own writing. We also chat about Piper’s childhood love of science fiction and fantasy, the origin of her pseudonyms, and the challenges presented by moving between genres. Enjoy my conversation with Piper Drake!You can find Piper on her website or Twitter.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is author RR Virdi. Ronnie has written the urban fantasies Grave Report and Books of Winter, LitRPG Monster Slayer Online, and space western Shepherd of Light. He’s probably best known to epic fantasy fans for his new Tales of Tremaine duology, starting with the First Binding that came out in August of 2022.Ronnie and I chat about his time working as a mechanic and his love of cars, our authorial anxieties, and our massive lack of skills outside making up fantasy worlds. We discuss the challenges and foibles of indie publishing, and the way Ronnie jumps between writing multiple genres in the course of a single day. Enjoy my conversation with RR Virdi!You can find Ronnie on his website or twitter.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is comedy writer and podcaster Sean “Seanbaby” Reiley. Seanbaby is an old-school Cracked alumni known for his work with fellow Page Break guest Robert Brockway on 1900hotdog.com and its podcast, Dogg Zzone 9000. Seanbaby has also written and performed for Attack of the Show, Adult Swim, Cracked.com, and numerous internet venues.Seanbaby and I chat about the strange things he researches, trying to get the tone of a joke across in text, and the balance between creating and reviewing. We discuss good and bad faith in online discourse, as well as the need to punch down and the lines that Sean makes for himself when creating comedy around real people. We generally solve all the world’s problems, so enjoy my conversation with Seanbaby!You can find Seanbaby on Twitter or his website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is the prolific, award-winning science fiction and fantasy author Adrian Tchaikovsky. Adrian is known for his early epic fantasy, Shadows of the Apt, and for his lauded Children of Time series, the third book of which should be out by the time this podcast airs. He’s also got the brand-new stand-alone City of Last Chances and a whole massive backlist of novel and short stories.Adrian and I chat about his early career in the British legal system, our experiences transitioning to full time authors, and the way external conditions affect our writing. We talk about Adrian’s interest in zoology and the role insects have played in his writing, as well as the tropes in epic fantasy that irritate us. We also touch on propaganda, tribalism, and human psychology. Enjoy my chat with Adrian Tchaikovsky!You can find Adrian on Twitter or his website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, pick up some swag on Redbubble, or back the Montego Kickstarter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is New York Times bestselling author and wargame blogger Robison Wells! Rob is known for his breakout young adult suspense novel Variant and it’s sequel Feedback, as well as a number of other science fiction and fantasy novels. He also co-wrote The Warning with James Patterson, and now runs a popular wargame hobby website, the Wargame Explorer.Rob and I chat at length about the wargaming industry and its various quirks and foibles. We touch on Rob’s struggle to maintain his writing career with schizophrenia, and how much painting miniatures has helped him maintain and regulate his creative side. Enjoy my conversation with Robison Wells!You can find Rob on Twitter or his Wargaming Blog.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, pick up some swag on Redbubble, or back the Montego Kickstarter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is epic fantasy author Nicholas Eames! Nick is known for his breakout King of the Wyld and its sequel, the Bloody Rose. We chat about his forthcoming third book and the themes of the series, as well as our habits as writers—getting bogged down in details, leaning into the fantastical, and the hooks that bring the reader along for the ride. We also discuss eating out, our mutual love of video games, and music and the celebrity of music. Enjoy my conversation with Nicholas Eames!You can find Nicholas on Twitter or his website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is international bestseller Amie Kaufman! An author of science fiction and fantasy for young adults, Amie is known for her Starbound Trilogy and Unearthed series, which she co-wrote with Meagan Spooner; the Illuminae Files and Aurora Cycle, which she co-wrote with Jay Kristoff, and her Elementals trilogy.Amie and I chat about international travel, the joys of a quiet hotel room, and touring as a YA author. She tells me about her mutually-constructive relationship with her co-authors and the questions you ask yourself—and each other—when working with a creative partner. We also talk a bit about writing from a place of grief and let me tell you, listening back to this hit a little bit harder since my brother passed away last month. Enjoy my conversation with Amie Kaufman!You can find Amie on Twitter and her website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is Australian cosplayer Nichameleon! Nic is known for her massive presence on Twitter and Instagram, where she puts a sexy spin on favorite characters from pop culture around the globe. She also streams on Twitch and TikTok and designs her own clothing line with the Lonely Kids Club.Nic and I chat about bring proud of what you do for a living, the variety of small skills you need to learn to run a creative business, and the disconnect between our public and personal faces. We also talk about a recent injury she had during a photo shoot, as well as the challenges of being a content creator in a hyper-competitive field and how she tries to stand out. Find Nic on Twitter and Patreon.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is writer, artist and illustrator Ursula Vernon! Ursula and I talk about talk about gardening, Ursula’s love of anthropomorphic animals, and writing the books we want to read. We discuss just how weird early science fiction and fantasy could be and what happens when a beloved series that goes off the rails. We also dig into the business side of what we do – travel, making money, and the complications of printing and self-publishing. Enjoy my conversation with Ursula Vernon!Find Ursula on Twitter and her website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is video game narrative designer Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz! Mat is best known for his twelve years with CD Projekt Red where he worked as a quest designer and principal narrative designer on the Witcher 2, the Witcher 3, and Cyberpunk 2077. He has recently moved over to Riot Games where he is the principal narrative designer for their upcoming MMO.Mat and I chat about his time with CDPR and the challenges of leaving his friends and coworkers to move halfway around the world to work for Riot. We also discuss the complexity of designing quests and narrative for video games, coordinating with other departments and hitting deadlines, and accounting for millions of players while also telling a story. Enjoy my conversation with Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz!You can find Mat on Twitter.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guests this week are Howard and Sandra Tayler! Howard is best known as the writer and artist of the massively popular Schlock Mercenary webcomic, as well as one of the founding hosts of the Writing Excuses podcast. His wife Sandra has been his long-running partner, acting as editor, business manager, and jack-of-all-trades for Schlock Mercenary and other projects, as well as her own writing and presenting.The three of us chat about the genesis and development of their business and creative partnership and how that has gelled over the years with their marriage. We also talk mutual problem solving, learning self-care and structure, as well as the future of Schlock Mercenary and the Tayler’s other creative endeavors. Enjoy my conversation with Howard and Sandra Tayler!Find Howard on Twitter and at Schlock Mercenary.Find Sandra on Twitter and her website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1We kick off season two with my guest science fiction author Ty Franck. Ty is best known as one half of the writing partnership James SA Corey, creators of the wonderful Expanse books and producers and writers for the TV show of the same name. Ty also worked as a personal assistant for George RR Martin and has written for Star Wars and gaming properties.Ty and I chat at length about his partnership with Daniel Abraham, the other half his pseudonym, including where they started and how the work has evolved over time. We also talk about the complexities of making a TV show and the happy accidents that saw him and Daniel so heavily involved in its production. Enjoy my conversation with Ty Franck!Find Ty on Twitter or his podcast.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
My guest this week is author Django Wexler. Django is probably best known to my fans as a fellow progenitor of the current flintlock fantasy subgenre with his Shadow Campaigns series. He’s written the young adult Forbidden Library series and the Wells of Sorcery. Django’s newest book, Emperor of Ruin, number three in the Burningblade and Silvereye series, came out just last week and is available for purchase now! Django and his wife Casey also have writing craft discussions over on their Patreon.Django and I chat about our near-simultaneous start in flintlock fantasy and why we think the little subgenre took off when it did. We discuss Django’s education and pre-writing career, his work on very early artificial intelligence, and of course speculate on the exciting and sometimes scary state of AI today.Check out Django's newest book, Emperor of Ruin, follow him on Twitter, or check his website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is author, editor, and game designer Shanna Germain! Shanna is best known as the co-founder, co-owner, and managing editor of Monte Cook Games. Over her career she’s published everything from poems and articles to short stories and novels, as well as taught classes on publishing and writing. Her latest works include Numenera novels Tomorrow’s Bones and The Night Clave.Shanna and Brian chat about her work at Monte Cook Games, her changes in creative focus, and the choices one has to make between writing time, publication, and a secure day job. They also discuss the tricky relationship that authors have with their reviews, from random Twitter comments all the way to professional trade publications.Find Shanna on her website or social media.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Bradley Beaulieu! Brad is known for the Lays of Anuskaya, the Song of the Shattered Sands, and his scifi debut Absynthe under the pseudonym of Brenden P. Bellecourt.Brad and Brian talk about his early career, how characters change and develop during the writing process, and picking proper nouns and book titles that resonate with the reader without pushing them away. They also talk about Brad’s early career and his experience with smaller publishers, as well as his recent stroke and the recovery process.Find Brad on social media or his website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is urban fantasy author Stephen Blackmoore. Stephen is best known for his acclaimed Eric Carter series about a necromancer in modern day LA. He's also written tie-in fiction for video games and TV shows, numerous short stories, and was the creative director for the Fate of Cthulu ttrpg for Evil Hat Productions.Stephen and Brian talk about his infamous twitter horoscopes, the continued success of Eric Carter as well as some dark moments from the series, and the pros and cons of work-for-hire.Find Stephen on Twitter or his website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Guest host Dan Wells jumps in to make this week's episode all about Brian to celebrate the launch of his new book!Brian is best known for his Powder Mage Universe that spans six novels as well as numerous novellas and short stories. He's also written the ongoing Valkyrie Collections urban fantasy, and is normally the host of this podcast, Page Break with Brian McClellan. And as he's been beating you dear listeners over the head with these past few weeks, he's got a new book out this week! In the Shadow of Lightning is the first entry into a brand new epic fantasy universe, Glass Immortals.Dan and Brian talk extensively about Glass Immortals, including the evolution of the magic system and the various characters from early draft to what we now see on the page. They also talk about what becoming a published author did for Brian's self-confidence, the writerly skillsets he tried to expand for the new series, and the future of his novella-length spin-offs. Enjoy Dan’s conversation with Brian!Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Scott Lynch! Scott is the author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Lies of Locke Lamora and the follow-ups Red Seas Under Red Skies and The Republic of Thieves.Scott and Brian talk about the double-edged nature of being a writer during the pandemic, and the need to attend to your physical health even when you don’t want to. They also discuss Scott’s ongoing battle with mental health issues and how they’ve affected his career, both publicly and privately. Finally, Scott chats about where he’s at with his writing and what fans can hope to expect from him in the near future.Find Scott on Twitter or his website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is Youtuber Tim Hickson. Tim is the owner, writer, and performer of the wildly popular Hello Future Me channel, where he breaks down plot, characters, and worldbuilding. He’s also the author of two books on the subject: On Writing and Worldbuilding Volumes I and II.Tim and Brian talk about the pressures of success, Tim’s journey toward publishing his own fiction stories, the difficulty of pleasing yourself, fans, and algorithms all at once, and the cold hard reality of using art to pay your bills. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Tim Hickson!Find Tim on YouTube or support his Patreon.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is author Cherie Priest. Cherie is known for work that dips toes in a number of different genres, including horror, science fiction, southern gothic, fantasy, and steampunk. She’s best known for her Clockwork Century Universe that started with Boneshaker, and has also written the Eden Moore series, the Borden Dispatches, the Cheshire Red Reports series, and many other standalone novels and short stories.Cherie and Brian talk extensively about her childhood in a south and the way that has affected her adult life and career. They discuss oppressive religion, spiritualism, and take a lengthy detour down her adventures in urban exploring.Find Cherie on Twitter and her website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is science fiction author John Scalzi. John is known for a massive variety of work, including his early career as a reviewer and columnist, his bestselling breakout novel Old Man’s War, his time as president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and his well-known blog, Whatever.John and Brian talk about paradigm shifts in their industry, being a longtime public figure, and his well-publicized thirteen-book contract with Tor. They also talk about living and working in the Midwest, and the real nature of professional jealousy. Enjoy my conversation with John Scalzi!Find John on Twitter or his website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is novelist Katherine Arden. Katherine is known for her Russian-inspired historical fantasy the Winternight Trilogy, which begins with The Bear and the Nightingale, and her middle-grade series Small Spaces.Katherine and Brian chat about her life before getting published and her extensive world travels, as well as skiing, gardening, and what can make or break historical fiction. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Katherine Arden!Find Katherine on Twitter or her website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Brian Staveley. Brian is known for his award-winning Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne, the first book of which was The Emperor’s Blades, which came out in 2014.Brian and his fellow Brian talk about the solitary life of a writer, coming up with book titles, living in the countryside, and the challenges presented by different books in a series. They get into Brian’s past life as a poet and teacher, and his love of writing characters who are constantly bettering themselves. They also discuss their doppelganger careers, from sharing an agency to winning or being nominated for all the same awards.Find Brian Staveley on Twitter and his website.Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.*FYI, we had some major internet hiccups and lost all the video as well as the last fifteen minutes of this conversation. Big thanks to our sound engineer who has stitched it back together the best he could.* Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is fantasy author Naomi Novik! Naomi is best known for her massively successful Temeraire series in which dragons fight in the Napoleonic Wars and was, as Brian recounts in the episode, an early inspiration for his own writing. She’s also written the Scholomance trilogy, standalone novels Uprooted and Spinning Silver, and a host of short fiction.Naomi and Brian talk about international travel and attending conventions, Naomi’s love of fan fiction, her early work in video games, and writing characters—including non-humans—who think differently from modern people.Fina Naomi on Twitter and her website.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is fantasy author Samantha Shannon. Samantha’s career began at the age of twenty-one when she published the internationally-bestselling The Bone Season with Bloomsbury Publishing. There have been three more books in that series, as well as Samantha’s acclaimed stand-alone, The Priory of the Orange Tree.Brian and Samantha talk about authorial input into behind-the-scenes decisions, their unhealthy addictions, book length and complexity, and being thrust in front of crowds as introverts. They also chatted about Samantha’s relationship with the media attention around her debut novel, and the pressure that comes with being a young success. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Samantha Shannon!Find Samantha on Instagram or her website.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. For the very few of you who don’t know him, Brandon is one of the most prolific and successful authors working in science fiction and fantasy today. He is known for his massive interconnected Cosmere in which many different fantasy worlds exist in the same universe—including Mistborn, Elantris, and the Stormlight Archive. As of recording this intro, his Kickstarter for four secret novels has passed thirty million dollars and is by far the most successful Kickstarter in the history of the platform. Please note this interview was recorded before that went live, so they don’t cover the Kickstarter in this episode.Brandon and Brian talk about the overwhelming nature of success, running a massive business, his experience working with co-authors, his desire to leave touring behind, and plenty more!Find Brandon on Twitter or his website.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is author and streamer Janet Forbes. Janet is the CEO of World Anvil, an online worldbuilding platform for roleplayers and writers that she founded with her husband. She also streams Dungeons and Dragons for Wizards of the Coast, records writing and RPG advice on Youtube, and works as a freelance worldbuilder and author.Janet and Brian talk abut the genesis of World Anvil, writing for roleplaying games, dealing with the rapid growth of a company, and her background as a classically-trained musician and singer. They also talk about being a good game master, cooperative story-telling, and the occasional cultural differences you find playing RPGs. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Janet Forbes!You can find Janet on Twitter or at WorldAnvil.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Evan Winter. Evan is a former filmmaker whose first novel Rage of Dragons was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 best fantasy books of all time in 2020. The third book in his Burning series is out in 2023. Evan and Brian talk about his experiences with music videos, the side work of being a creative professional that distracts us from actually creating, how his background in marketing helped him launch his first book, and the psychological toll our work can take on us.Check out Evan on Twitter or his website.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is intellectual property agent Steve Fisher. Steve began his career in the research department of World News Tonight before becoming an agent and ultimately joining APA where he’s been since 1999. Steve’s specialty is working out deals that bring your favorite existing properties to TV and film.Steve and Brian talk about his career, the sheer scope of the TV and film industry compared to publishing, and of course the process with which a book becomes a show or film. They dig into the business side of page and screen and talk about rookie mistakes from property holders and the complications with dealing with artistic egos. They even touch on the Powder Mage deal that Steve facilitated for Brian!Check out Steve's agency, APA.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is author, comic writer, screenwriter, and blogger Chuck Wendig. Chuck’s early career began as a freelance RPG writer for over a decade before he broke into the novel scene with Blackbirds, Blue Blazes, Shotgun Gravy, and the Heartland Trilogy. He was tapped to write the Aftermath Trilogy to kick off the new canon in Disney’s Star Wars, bridging the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Chuck is also known for his ranting blog, Terribleminds.Chuck and Brian chat extensively about the internet: the early days, the strange sort of celebrity it spawns, and the way it changes constantly under your feet. They also discuss writing long books and the secrecy behind writing Star Wars. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Chuck Wendig!Find Chuck on Twitter, Instagram, and his website!Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is graphic designer Lauren Panepinto. Lauren is the creative director and a book designer for Orbit Books, where she has worked on covers for many of your favorite science fiction and fantasy authors including, by happy coincidence, Brian's! She’s also a vice president at Hachette Book Group and has written and lectured extensively about art and graphic design both online and in person at massive conventions, colleges, and art schools.Lauren and Brian talk extensively about the huge amount of work that goes into creating a book cover, often using the Powder Mage Trilogy and Gods of Blood and Powder as examples. They also talk about how Lauren’s nerdiness got her into design, how the state of diverse representation helps her stay in love with her job, the importance of self-insert, and why cover trends happen. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Lauren Panepinto!Find Lauren on Twitter and her website.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is tabletop game designer Chris Birch. Chris is the founder and publisher of Modiphius, a company that creates roleplaying games, board games, and war games in a diverse range of original and licensed properties including Dune, Star Trek, Fallout, Homeworld, Skyrim, Conan, James Bond, and more! Before founding Modiphius, Chris managed bands, tours, and night clubs for the dance music industry and ran a video game fashion label.Chris and Brian talk about Modiphius; the magnificent backlist of licensed properties they’ve been able to work with, how much sociability and the convention circuit matters to a gaming company, and how fantasy art has changed over the years. They also cover Chris’s past jobs, including how those experiences paved the way for Modiphius and how happy accidents drive both our personal and professional lives. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Chris Birch!Find Modiphius on Twitter and their website.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is Youtuber Logan Reese, better known by his online handle Runesmith. Logan gives viewers his comedic take on writing and Dungeons and Dragons on his Runesmith Youtube channel and has a liveplay series called Tall Tales. He also writes and produces supplemental modules for Dungeons and Dragons including the wildly successful Kickstarted “Stibbles’ Code of Companions” and “The Seeker’s Guide to Twisted Taverns.”Logan and Brian chat about Logan's Youtube channel, creative collaboration, writing for tabletop gaming, the burnout so common amongst weekly creators, and how algorithms and fan demand inevitably steer our professional lives. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Logan Reese!Find Logan on his Youtube channel or on Twitter, or check out one of his D&D supplements!Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is game designer and fantasy author James L Sutter. James is the co-creator of the Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games, and was the editor and developer for Paizo Publishing for over a decade where he oversaw Dungeon Magazine and the Pathfinder Tales novel line. James wrote for the Paizo world, and has published short stories and essays in a number of venues. He’s also written comics, tabletop gaming material, video games, and most recently sold a young adult romance. Most importantly, and we think key to his whole essence as a creator, James wrote and recorded the music for this podcast!James and Brian talk about roleplaying games, his love of music, having equity in one’s work as a writer, viewing the industry from both the creative and corporate sides, and the way the world has changed since they were kids and how that affects writing modern young adult books. Enjoy Brian's conversation with James L Sutter!Find James on his twitter or his website, and check out some of his books.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is literary agent Caitlin Blasdell. Caitlin began her career editing for Harvard Business School and Harper Collins before making the transition to her current job as a literary agent for Liza Dawson Associates where she has helped nurture and sell such clients as Charles Stross, Rebecca Zanetti, Zen Cho, and numerous others that include Brian himself!Brian chats with Caitlin about their professional relationship, the ups and downs of the publishing market, an agent’s role where business and creativity meet, and the way their industry has changed over the last decade. Caitlin was also kind enough to answer some of the more standard agent questions, such as what she’s looking for and what kills a query letter. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Caitlin Blasdell!Find Caitlin's submission guidelines and client list at her agency, Liza Dawson Associates.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is actor, writer, and comedian Maggie Mae Fish. Maggie is a wildly prolific writer having worked on projects for Cracked.com, College Humor, Screen Junkies, DreamworksTV, Amazon, and more. She also has a popular Youtube channel, Maggie Does Film Analysis. She’s won awards and shout-outs for her work from Sundance Labs, Coverfly, the LA Independent Film Festival, Polygon, and Forbes.Maggie and Brian talk about the acting ecosystem, generational expectations, film and culture from a woman’s perspective, and the unconscious baggage readers and viewers bring to their entertainment experiences. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Maggie Mae Fish!Find Maggie on Twitter, Youtube, or her website!Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is fantasy author—and a friend for many years—Robert Jackson Bennett. Robert’s career began back in 2010 with the award-winning Mr. Shivers and the Company Man, followed by The Troupe and American Elsewhere. He then took a turn into epic fantasy with the Divine Cities Trilogy, and is currently two books into the Founders Trilogy which concludes in June 2022 with Locklands.Robert and Brian talk about his early work in literary fantasy, keeping his day job while navigating his successful writing career, and his interests in technology, climate change, and politics. We also cover the way we use our writing to discover the way we feel about the world, and condensing real-world problems into digestible narratives. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Robert Jackson Bennett!Find Robert on Twitter, and pick up one of his books from Amazon or your favorite bookstore.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is youtuber and fantasy author Shad M. Brooks. Shad is known for his massively popular Youtube channel Shadiversity, where he dives into fantasy and medieval tropes, culture, and technology. Shad also talks more pop culture and reviews over on his other Youtube channel, Knights Watch. In addition to his video content, Shad is the author of the epic fantasy novel Shadows of the Conqueror, which came out in 2019.Shad and Brian talk about self-publishing, giving and receiving criticism, the sweet spot between realism and fantasy, expanding the scope of your business as a creative professional, and the process of learning and growing in public. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Shad M. Brooks!Find Shad on Youtube or Twitter, or find his book on Amazon or from your favorite bookstore!Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is novelist Helene Wecker. Helene is author of the best-selling and award-winning book, the Golem and the Jinni and its recent follow up, The Hidden Palace. Helene and Brian are also debut buddies—their first books came out the same month in April of 2013.Helene and Brian talk about writing classes and pursuing higher education for creative writing, the despair when a book just isn’t clicking, the loneliness of being a writer, and the way life can get in the way of a creative job. Enjoy his conversation with Helene Wecker!Find Helene on Twitter or grab her latest book from Amazon or your favorite bookstore.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is bestselling epic fantasy author and personal hero, Joe Abercrombie! Joe is known for his nine books in the First Law universe where he created fan favorite characters like Glokta and Logen Ninefingers. He has also written the young adult Shattered Sea Trilogy.Joe and Brian discuss video games, book tours, their most challenging books, and Joe’s background in film editing and what that brought to his writing career. They also talk about the male-centric cast of their debut novels—both where that came from, and how they developed as authors afterwards. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Joe Abercrombie!Find Joe on Twitter or grab one of his books from Amazon or your favorite bookstore.Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is Canadian actor Anthony Lemke! Anthony will be known to American audiences as the character of Three in the sci-fi drama Dark Matter and as Coach Marcus Gilday in the college sitcom Blue Mountain State. He has an extensive catalog of parts in television and film, and has acted in both English and French.Brian asks Anthony for advice on how to read a pilot script, and they talk at length about becoming best friends with insecurity, planning out your life as a creative, an actor’s relationship with the writer of a script, and how they try to understand people they may on agree with. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Anthony Lemke!Find Anthony on Twitter or check out his TV and film credits to discover a new show to watch!Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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