Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

Order [book in series=yearoffirstbook.book# (eg 2014.01), stand-alone or one-author collection=3333.pubyear, multi-author anthology=5555.pubyear, SFM/MM=5000, interview=1111]: 5556

Rename this horrible cover!

Now, you know we love Jack Vance — he’s one of our favorite speculative fiction authors — but some of the covers on his books are truly atrocious.

This one here, in fact…

We think the title Space Opera is just too generic for this striking cover. Can you help us rename it?

Here’s the description, if it helps:

Space Opera — (1965) A society matron underwrites the interstellar tour of an Earth opera company, performing Beethoven, Mozart and Rossini for bewildered human and alien audiences on a kaleidoscopic range of planets.

March 28th, 2013. Kelly Lasiter | Jack Vance | Thoughtful Thursday | 14 comments |

Writing the Apocalypse

Today we welcome Laura Bickle, author of Embers, Sparks, and the YA novel The Hallowed Ones. The Outside, a sequel to The Hallowed Ones, will be released later this year. Laura also writes the DARK ORACLE series under the name Alayna Williams. Her question for you today is: Where do you want to be when the apocalypse hits? One commenter wins a copy of The Hallowed Ones.

One of the great things about writing is getting to ask those “what-if” questions.

March 14th, 2013. Kelly Lasiter | Alayna Williams, Laura Bickle | Thoughtful Thursday | 13 comments |

Hugh Howey: It’s the end of the world as we know it

Today we welcome Hugh Howey, author of the WOOL books, recent favorites of mine. If you haven’t read them, you really must! Unless, that is, the world ends tomorrow… And if it doesn’t, we’ll send one commenter the Kindle version of the WOOL omnibus or a book from our stacks.

It starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane — Lenny Bruce is not afraid.

So begins R.E.M.’s classic hit about the end of the world.

December 20th, 2012. Ruth Arnell | Hugh Howey | Thoughtful Thursday | 10 comments |

Max Gladstone: Oh gods!

Today we welcome Max Gladstone, author of Three Parts Dead which I found to be inventive and enjoyable. Max wants to know how you feel about gods as characters in speculative fiction. One commenter will win a hardcover copy of Three Parts Dead. Thanks for joining us, Max!

When my book Three Parts Dead came out, as I trawled around reading reviews, I was intrigued by the number of comments on my book’s use of gods. Turns out people have pretty strong feelings about gods in science fiction and fantasy,

November 22nd, 2012. John Hulet | Max Gladstone | Thoughtful Thursday | 12 comments |

Thoughtful Thursday: Fantastic Beings

Today we welcome Pati Nagle who writes the BLOOD OF THE KINDRED (here’s my review of The Betrayal) and the IMMORTAL series. Pati wants to talk about cool fantasy creatures. One commenter wins an ebook copy of Pati’s latest novel Dead Man’s Hand, which was released a couple of weeks ago, and a print copy of her latest YA fantasy novel, Eternal.

I hear a lot of grumbling these days about sparkly vampires, and I wonder if readers are getting tired of vampires in general,

November 15th, 2012. Kelly Lasiter | Pati Nagle | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 30 comments |

Mary Sue/Gary Stu – Valid Critique or Cynic’s Bandwagon?

Today we give the platform to one of my favorite authors, Janny Wurts. She wonders if you think the Mary Sue / Gary Stu critique is being overly applied by cynical critics these days. Two commenters win copies of both The Curse of the Mistwraith and Initiate’s Trial, the first and most recent books in Janny’s THE WARS OF LIGHT AND SHADOW.

Lately, the Mary Sue or Gary Stu label for book characters who seem ‘too good to be true’ is used freely by professional and amateur reviewers alike as a slur that implies a literary fault.

November 8th, 2012. John Hulet | Janny Wurts | Thoughtful Thursday | 23 comments |

Thoughtful Thursday: On the Road or In Your Head?

Today we welcome Annie Wilder, author of Trucker Ghost Stories: And Other True Tales of Haunted Highways, Weird Encounters, and Legends of the Road, a perfect book for this Halloween season. Like all of us, Annie wonders whether these stories are really true, and maybe you can help answer that question. One commenter will win a copy of Trucker Ghost Stories. I’ll be interviewing Annie sometime soon, so stay tuned for that.

I write true ghost story books, and one of the things I’m most often asked is how I respond to people who don’t believe in ghosts.

October 18th, 2012. Steven Harbin | Annie Wilder | Giveaway!, Thoughtful Thursday | 17 comments |

Phillipa Bornikova: Happy Endings

Today we welcome Phillipa Bornikova whose first novel This Case is Gonna Kill Me has recently been published by Tor. Phillipa has been the story editor of a major network television series, a horse trainer, and an oil-company executive. She lives in the Southwest. And she likes happy endings. Comment below for a chance to win a copy of This Case is Gonna Kill Me which Kelly has reviewed here.

Why do happy endings get such a bad rap? I’m not talking about sappy, unrealistic endings,

October 11th, 2012. Guest | Phillipa Bornikova | Thoughtful Thursday | 13 comments |

Pass the rolls to Alex Hughes

Today we welcome debut author Alex Hughes, who has a question for you. Her novel Clean will be released next week. One commenter will win a copy of Clean.

I’m Alex Hughes, debut author of the book Clean. I’m also a huge foodie. There’s nothing that makes me happier than sitting down with a gourmet meal — in a restaurant, of course, but especially in my own kitchen. There’s something therapeutic about cooking, about playing with a new recipe and making something delicious.

August 30th, 2012. Justin Blazier | Alex Hughes | Thoughtful Thursday | 9 comments |

The Gaming Gateway: Gencon 2012

Justin goes to Gencon!

My comrades and I arrived at the Indianapolis Convention Center at 9:00am. We had an hour to kill before the main hall opened and the running of the nerds commenced. Thousands of gamers rushed towards their favorite booths to get in line for those convention-exclusive goodies. I, too, had a booth in mind, and I joined the masses in a brisk walk/run to the Privateer Press booth. PP makes a miniatures game called Warmachine that I like to play, and this year they had some minis I wished to acquire.

August 25th, 2012. Justin Blazier | Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss | SFF Reviews | 5 comments |

Next SFF Author: Ben Aaronovitch

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