Author: Travis

Upcoming Appearances

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As Heart of the Ronin, the Print Version, has now gone live, I will appearing at the following locations in coming weeks.  If you’re in the Omaha metro area, stop by for some candy and conversation! Reading UNO Writers Series – University of Nebraska at Omaha Writing Center – Arts and Sciences Hall Room 150, March 26, 6:30-8:00 P.M. Book Signings Borders – Shadow Lake, Papillion, Nebraska -March 28, 1:00-2:00 P.M. Confluence Bookstore and Bistro – Bellevue, Nebraska – March 28, 2:30-4:00 P.M. Barnes & Noble – Oak View Mall, Omaha, Nebraska – Thursday, April 9, 7:00 P.M. Special ThanksContinue readingUpcoming Appearances

Author Interview Series #43 – Jay Lake

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In accordance with what Jay Lake says below about his typical choice of attire, when we met he was wearing a shirt that looked like it was on fire. Definitely makes one stand out in a crowd of authors, particularly at World Con when authors are so thick on the ground. Since that time, I have put one of Jay Lake’s books in my two-foot tall stack of Books to be Read, and I hear comments on the Net and in Podosphere to the effect that, “This guy is pretty freakin’ good.”  He made a splash when his work startedContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #43 – Jay Lake

New Review for Heart of the Ronin

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Appearing now, a new review at Fantasy Book Critic. Here’s a brief excerpt. “Full of sword battles, intrigue, romance and fantastic elements blending well with historical ones, Heart of the Ronin is a very impressive opening in the Ronin Trilogy. It’s also a page turner that you can’t put down and will leave readers begging for more.” You can read the rest here.

Author Interview Series #42 – Scott Sigler

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In 2007, I heard an interview with a guy named Scott Sigler on one of the many writer podcasts that I listen to. The things he was saying about publishing, about podcasting, about the way that new writers have to work extra hard to get out there and let their audiences find them, all this really struck a chord in me as a writer with a book coming out soon. Scott is one of the pioneers of fiction podcasting.  He started out some years ago with a mass market publishing deal for his novel Earthcore, a deal which subsequently fellContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #42 – Scott Sigler

Author Interview Series #41 – Joe Haldeman

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If you’ve been reading science fiction for any length of time, you know the name of Joe Haldeman, one of the Elder Masters of science fiction. He’s the author of numerous novels, but the one I know, and the one he’s best known for, is The Forever War, a story about how war changes the soldier so completely that he can never go back to the way things were. With two long, slogging wars still ongoing, today’s reality makes the book as current now as it was near the close of the Vietnam era. I remember this book as oneContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #41 – Joe Haldeman

Author Interview Series #40 – Lisa Mantchev

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Need I reiterate that one can meet the most interesting people at Cons? In the very final interview with folks I was fortunate enough to meet at World Con, allow me to introduce an up and coming new writer in the spec-fic community, Lisa Mantchev.  At the Weird Tales party, I encountered a statuesque woman attending the official Weird Tales table and showing off a unique selection of intriguing art.  Another one of those, “Oh, you’re a writer, too?” conversations later, and we arrive here at this interview. I know I’ll be looking for her book, Eyes Like Stars inContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #40 – Lisa Mantchev

Author Interview Series #39 – Elizabeth Moon

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Some years ago, a friend shoved a trilogy of books called The Deed of Paksennarion, by Elizabeth Moon, into my hands. It had a great main character named, of course, Paksennarion.  Since that time, I’ve watched Elizabeth Moon’s books explode across bookstore shelves, and she has since branched off into space opera and hard SF, winning a Nebula Award for her book The Speed of Dark. I also happen to know that she sings in a really big choir and was stressing about getting it just right when I contacted her about this interview. Getting it just right is somethingContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #39 – Elizabeth Moon

Reviews for Heart of the Ronin

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No interview this week, as my queued list from World Con has finally come to the end.  But don’t fret.  More interviews are coming soon from Joe Haldeman, Elizabeth Moon, and Jerry Pournelle, so look for those in coming weeks. I would like to take this opportunity to toot my own horn a little and share with you a review of my novel, Heart of the Ronin, that appeared in this week’s Publishers Weekly. **************************************** Heart of the Ronin Travis Heermann, Five Star, $25.95 (442p) ISBN 978-1-59414-779-1 A fusion of historical fiction and adventure fantasy, the first volume of Heermann’sContinue readingReviews for Heart of the Ronin

Author Interview Series #38 – Tobias Buckell

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Best wishes go out for a speedy recovery this week to the subject of our interview, Tobias Buckell.  Soon after we conducted our interview, Toby suffered a heart embolism that left him hospitalized.  Such a medical condition is actually one of the dangers of the writing life. Spending long hours planted in a chair with little physical activity puts a person at risk for blood clots, so get out there and exercise, people! Tobias Buckell is a professional blogger and speculative fiction writer, born and raised in the Caribbean on numerous tropical islands, and has successfully published stories in severalContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #38 – Tobias Buckell

Author Interview Series #37 – Cynthia Felice

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Now, nearing the end of 2008, I’m finally coming to the end of the interviews with authors I happened to encounter at the World Con back in August.  I sat in on a panel on where various authors discussed the business end of writing professionally, and one of them was Cynthia Felice.  When I asked her if she would be willing to give an interview, she quite graciously agreed, in spite of the fact that she very rarely grants interviews. So I feel fortunate and honored to have her grace the little 1s and 0s that give shape to BloggingContinue readingAuthor Interview Series #37 – Cynthia Felice