Speculative Fiction Episodes
Jessica Bryant Klagmann - THIS IMPOSSIBLE BRIGHTNESS
In this interview, I chat with Jessica Bryant Klagmann about This Impossible Brightness, how she came up with the idea for this novel, climate change and incorporating it into the story, focusing on the idea of listening, echoes, genre mashups, …
Interview with Hugh Howey - WOOL
In this interview, Hugh Howey and I discuss Wool, the series' origin story, his unique publishing journey including self-publishing and then publishing deals with Simon and Schuster and subsequently Mariner, his involvement with Silo - the Apple+ TV adaptation of …
Interview with John Scalzi - STARTER VILLAIN
In this interview, John Scalzi and I discuss Starter Villain, infusing humor into his stories, including talking animals in this book, building on the tropes already existing in certain genres, the importance of book titles, his research, how his role …
Interview with Lisa Brideau - ADRIFT
In this interview, Lisa and I discuss Adrift, climate fiction, why she chose to set the book in 2038 and the world building she did, helping people gain an understanding of the importance of preserving and spending time in nature, …
Interview with Julie Carrick Dalton - THE LAST BEEKEEPER
In this interview, Julie and I discuss The Last Beekeeper, all of the world building she did for this book, why she chose bees, her own beekeeping experiences, the book's stunning cover, the font created just for this book, maintaining …
Peng Shepherd - THE CARTOGRAPHERS
Peng and I discuss The Cartographers, the true story about an event with a gas station map in the early 1900s that inspired a portion of this story, phantom settlements and how they have fallen out of favor now that …
Sarah Zachrich Jeng - THE OTHER ME
Sarah and I discuss The Other Me, constructing a new identity when an individual undergoes huge life changes, how so much of what happens in life is outside of people’s control, her favorite character and the character with whom she …
Sarah Pinsker - WE ARE SATELLITES
Sarah and I discuss We Are Satellites, what happens when a medical technology developed for one condition is used for another purpose or has a commercial application instead, how she chose to tell the story from four POVs, the ethical …
Christina Sweeney-Baird - THE END OF MEN
Christina and I discuss her debut novel The End of Men, publishing a book about a pandemic during the current pandemic, how the pandemic in the book is reverse engineered for her purposes, writing speculative fiction, what happens when there …