Month: September 2012

Author Interview Series #66 – James Kahn

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Oh, the power of social networking. A couple of weeks ago, I was attending the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold writers’ conference, learning about things like social networking, promotion, etc. Since I launched into the Twitterverse and punched the ion engines back in March, I’ve been getting a steady, daily stream of new followers. That’s just how it works. So I was monitoring my incoming followers between panels at the conference, and then I see James Kahn come through as new follower. When I was twelve, I read the novelization of Poltergeist. It scared the crap out of me.Continue readingAuthor Interview Series #66 – James Kahn

Author Interview Series #65 – Nick Mamatas

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A couple of years ago I was attending the World Fantasy Convention, and at such events, amidst streams of late-night alcohol springs, a person can chance to meet quite a number of interesting people. Why do you think I go to conventions? At just such a party I encountered Nick Mamatas, discovered his first published novel, Move Under Ground, was Cthulhu meets Kerouac, and I was intrigued. From there, it’s obvious that he is a busy guy. Aside from two novels, he has also edited or co-edited Clarkesworld magazine and several anthologies. His book Starve Better is a collection of witty,Continue readingAuthor Interview Series #65 – Nick Mamatas

Hijacking Faith – Guest Post by Betsy Dornbusch

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By now lots of people know about Mitt Romney’s Gaffe.  Well, the whole campaign has pretty much been one big Gaffe, right? But if any missed the latest, this is the money quote from a secret recording at a fundraiser with millionaires: “There are 47% of the people who will vote for the president no matter what… These are people who pay no income tax. My job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” This quote, nor Mr. Romney’s way of thinking, doesn’t shock me. IContinue readingHijacking Faith – Guest Post by Betsy Dornbusch

Author Interviews Revisited – Jack Ketchum

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I first became aware of the name Jack Ketchum whilst reading On Writing Horror, a collection of essays and articles by everyone who’s anyone in the horror genre. (Previous interviewees Joe Lansdale, Jeanne Cavelos, Ramsey Campbell, and Richard Dansky also have essays in this book.) Jack’s essay, “Splat Goes the Hero: Visceral Horror” was one of those that opened my eyes to what good horror fiction is. It’s not just splattering viscera; it’s making the reader care whether a character’s viscera is about to be splattered. If there is any writing advice that I have completely embraced, it is thisContinue readingAuthor Interviews Revisited – Jack Ketchum

New Giveaways for Fall

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Hey, folks! Check out the new book giveaways on Goodreads. Both end on September 19! Goodreads Book Giveaway Heart of the Ronin by Travis Heermann Giveaway ends September 19, 2012. See the giveaway details at Goodreads. Enter to win Goodreads Book Giveaway     Rogues of the Black Fury   by Travis Heermann   Giveaway ends September 19, 2012. See the giveaway details at Goodreads.   Enter to win  

Author Interview Series Redux

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Having just returned from World Con, I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of writing as a career, what it takes to create one, build one, sustain one. One cannot attend an event like World Con (or World Fantasy, for that matter) and not find that one is up to one’s waggling fanboy eyebrows in the likes of George R.R. Martin, John Scalzi, Robert Silverberg, Ellen Datlow, and many other luminaries of the speculative fiction field.