Fictitious

I’m joined in this episode by Claire Holroyde, author of THE EFFORT. In this spec-fic / sci-fi novel, the Earth is threatened by an extinction level event when an 8 kilometer “dark” comet emerges from behind the sun on a rapid collision course with our planet. Immediately after discovery of the comet, an international coalition of scientists is assembled and nicknamed The Effort. Under the leadership of NASA’s Dr. Benjamin Schwartz—a specialist who has spent years modeling impact scenarios—The Effort are tasked with nothing less than assuring the survival of humanity. But their mission, which would require years of preparation under any reasonable circumstances, has only months before the insane velocity of the comet brings it within range. At Ben’s side are the most powerful minds in space travel and nuclear science, supported by his tech recruiter girlfriend Amy Kowalski, the brilliant poly-lingual Kenyan interpreter Love Mwangi, and the might of the United Nations. Against them are political power structur

I’m joined in this episode by Eugen Bacon, author of THE ROAD TO WOOP WOOP: AND OTHER STORIES. This collection of speculative short fiction features over 20 tales that blur the line between reality and mythology, full of humans possessed of unusual gifts, immortals shackled with ageless curses, children born of dangerous secrets, and lovers whose tangled passions spiral to dream and dread. In “A Nursery Rhyme”, a mother must face a tragedy in her household, born of a darkness and grief she was never allowed to feel. In “A Maji Maji Chronicle”, a wizard from the future visits the Africa of the past to teach his son the most important lessons of magic—and inadvertently alters the pattern of history. In “A Case of Seeing”, a detective must use her paranormal ability to solve a murder mystery, while confronting difficult truths revealed by her gift. In “Being Marcus”, a  physical trainer ruminates on his origins in Ancient Rome, and how a legendary betrayal confined him to an everlasting cycle of longing and lone

In this episode, I’m joined by Nicky Drayden, author of ESCAPING EXODUS, and its new sequel, SYMBIOSIS. This sci-fi duology explores a human civilization built entirely inside colossal, space-faring beasts. The impetuous young Seska Kayleigh is a child of privilege and heir to the matriarchal throne of her people. As their recently relocated colony carves out a new city from the guts of their living host, Seska teeters between duty and scandal, engaging in romance with a girl from a lower caste. Sturdy beastworker Adalla would spend her days laboring in the very heart of the beast, a dangerous and important job. But she’s also Seska’s best friend. The young women’s burgeoning romance threatens both their social standings and their lives in the strict and cruel hierarchy of their society. When their ill-advised adventures uncover alarming secrets about the nature of their home, Seska and Adalla find themselves caught up in political machinations, family double-crosses, and lower caste uprisings. Can their love

In this episode I’m joined by Marshall Ryan Maresca, author of THE VELOCITY OF REVOLUTION. This dieselpunk fantasy novel follows Wenthi, a loyal patrol officer and talented cycle rider, who is sent undercover to infiltrate revolutionary biker gangs. The vibrant city of Ziaparr stands at a crossroads — recovering from long years of warfare and reclaiming a place in the world and its nations. But it’s dominated by a rigid caste system that elevates some ethnic groups to power and privilege, and drives others into slums and poverty. Insurgent gangs, connected by a mysterious voice on the radio, mount their bikes to attack the status quo. When the city patrol takes a rebel captive, Nália, they discover the gangs are using a street drug to magically connect their minds and sense their pursuers.  Wenthi’s mission requires that he use the drug to connect with Nália, to use her knowledge to gain the trust of the rebellion. But this deep connection with intensifies with every high speed ride. Nália haunts his mind eve

I’m joined in this episode by THE MASK OF MIRRORS author M.A. Carrick, which is a pseudonym for the co-writing team of Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms. The first book in the ROSE & ROOK fantasy trilogy, THE MASK OF MIRRORS follows Ren, a girl who forcibly escapes the slums of Nadezra to save herself and her sister from life in an abusive gang. She later returns to Nadezra, though, under a new identity, and with a new goal: Con her way into the most vulnerable noble house and amass her own personal fortune. But Ren soon learns that her marks are playing plenty of games of their own. Some may win her affection, while others weave layers of deceit. Figuring out who to trust becomes crucial as Ren finds herself caught up in aristocratic feuds and social upheaval, between virtuous lawmen and charming crime lords, and in the company of a mysterious vigilante. All while nightmarish magical corruption threatens this, the city of dreams, and all of Ren’s carefully laid plans. It will take all her talents and cunning

In this episode I’m talking with C.M. Waggoner, author of THE RUTHLESS LADY’S GUIDE TO WIZARDRY. In a fantasy equivalent of Victorian London, fire witch and all-around disaster human Dellaria Wells is in a bit of a jam. Delly’s good-for-nothing mum’s gone and got hooked on the Drip. Her vindictive landlady has cursed Delly with weeping pustules if she doesn’t scrounge up the rent money. And her perhaps less than legal or strictly moral attempts to generate some coin land her in the too familiar clutches of the constables. But Delly finds a potential solution to all her problems in the employ of a reputable house, joining a retinue of bodyguards defending a soon-to-be-wed young lady. Her new co-workers are a curious lot, a collection of women with surprising talents and confounding backgrounds. Delly summons her few shreds of dependability—and her not-insignificant talents as a fire witch—eager to score a hefty payment, and the attentions of a high-class romantic prospect amongst the bodyguards. What looks lik

In this episode I’m talking with B.B. Alston, author of AMARI AND THE NIGHT BROTHERS. Amari is a 13-year old girl from the projects, attending a private school on scholarship. Her academic career sits in the shadow of her genius brother, Quinton, who graduated top of his class and fielded Ivy League offers. But after taking a mysterious job offer, Quinton has gone missing. His disappearance hangs heavily on Amari’s shoulders.  When an altercation with elitist bullies costs Amari her scholarship, she and her over-worked nurse mother face a long summer trying to figure out how to pay for school. But everything changes when Amari receives a highly unusual, for-her-eyes-only delivery. The briefcase from her brother contains several eye-opening surprises, including a nomination for something called the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs.  Amari discovers a hidden world around her—of magicians and monsters, faeries and aliens, marvelous machines and devious dangers—managed and defended by the Bureau. As a young recruit

I'm joined in this episode by Joshua Phillip Johnson, author of THE FOREVER SEA. This startlingly unique fantasy novel takes place in a water-scarce world completely covered by endless vegetation, where—instead of oceans—magically powered ships sail seas of miles-tall prairie grass. Kindred Greyreach is a sailor and young apprentice hearthfire keeper, using fire and bone fueled magic to power a harvesting vessel. But Kindred's deep understanding of the fire's own mystic language is unique among keepers—as is her creative, impulsive, and sometimes dangerous approach to solving problems. Kindred learns that her estranged grandmother—a venerable ship's captain and hearthkeeper—willingly stepped off her own boat and disappeared into the vast sea. But she learns that what appears to be suicide may have been her grandmother's quest to discover something hidden in the depths below. Chasing her grandmother's cryptic legacy forces Kindred to the center of a cultural water war, pushes her past safe seas to a mythic pir

Greta Kelly is the author of the debut fantasy novel, THE FROZEN CROWN. Violently displaced from the wild beauty of her homeland by a ruthless conqueror, the young princess Askia seeks support from a neighboring nation to the south. But in sun-soaked Vishir, where nobles live lavishly while refugees starve, Askia finds herself a blunt object amongst a court of delicate manners and fragile alliances.    The princess urgently needs Vishir's armies to intervene before her country burns. Yet first she must navigate a court that harbors too many enemies, including a vindictive royal son, the hateful mouthpiece for her northern aggressor, and the religious zealots who murdered her parents.    Her allies complicate matters, too. A friendly prince whose attentions invite scandal. Her loyal captain whose devotion barely overshadows his longing. An enigmatic Queen who may be mentor or manipulator. And the ghost of her best friend—an apparition only she can see, because Askia carries her own carefully guarded secret. Sh

In this episode I’m talking with Cass Morris, author of GIVE WAY TO NIGHT, the sequel to the historically-inspired fantasy FROM UNSEEN FIRE.  This series, called the AVEN CYCLE, explores a Roman-esque empire filled with divine and elemental magics, dangerous political machinations, and rising war between cultures and territories. Several years of harsh dictatorship have unbalanced the powerful city of Aven. But now, the Dictator is dead, and the resulting power vacuum draws in the late-ruler's allies and enemies to struggle for control of the Republic. Latona of the Vitelliae is a mage of Spirit and Fire, married off to a minor, indifferent noble to keep her life and talents free of notice. But with the dictator finally gone, Latona and her canny, gifted siblings can throw off the objections of society to seize a greater destiny for their people. Sempronius Tarren is an exiled but ambitious senator seeking influence in Aven. But in a political system that refuses office to those who possess magical talent, he

BLACK CANARY: BREAKING SILENCE author Alexandra Monir talks about writing for the DC Icons young adult series, adapting the fan-favorite Black Canary and Court of Owls in a prose novel, and how she got the job of writing a major media tie-in.   This DC Icons young adult novel reimagines the fan-favorite DC comics superhero Dinah Lance as a teenager living in a near-future dystopian Gotham City.   Decades ago, Gotham and its vigilante heroes fell to a violent shadow organization called the Court of Owls. The Court has reshaped the city in their patriarchal image, setting up a cruel and vindictive autocracy. Dissenters are punished by superhuman enforcers called Talons. And women in particular have been subjugated—not just with the removal of rights and freedoms, but by having their abilities of music and singing artificially stifled.   Seventeen year old Dinah is fortunate to have been educated by her parents about life before the Owls took over. A childhood experience—hearing the forbidden, beautiful, impossi

WE HEAR VOICES author Evie Green talks about creating her new horror / science fiction novel. We discuss her leap into horror after writing many thriller and YA books, juggling complicated thematic elements, and why readers love the "creepy kids" trope. In near-future England, the economy is collapsing, humanity makes plans to leave earth for other worlds, and a deadly pandemic steals the lives of children. But, when some kids manage to survive, they return from the brink of death with new "imaginary friends" in tow. Rachel, a divorced mother struggling against poverty, holds her illness-stricken son as life leaves his body. Yet Billy rallies, shaking off the fatal flu. Rachel rejoices at this miracle and feels grateful for "Delfy", the persistent imaginary companion she views as Billy's coping mechanism. But, as her son's behavior grows stranger and more unsettling, she must face the fact that this healing flight of fancy might be something more sinister. Nina, Rachel's teenage daughter, splits her time betw

MONSTRE VOL. ONE author Duncan Swan talks about launching his debut sci-fi/horror thriller via a successful Kickstarter campaign, the decision to split the long dual-narrative novel into two volumes, and writing for multimedia adaptability. In this genre-blending action adventure, a catastrophic event at a research installation unleashes a slowly advancing worldwide apocalypse. A squad of marines are sent on a desperate mission into The Cloud, a dark wave of devastation swallowing Europe, looking for answers where only monsters may remain. 89 days later, the Cloud has reached the United States, sending Americans into a spiral of madness. An aging lawman, a conflicted ex-con, and others search for hope of survival as society collapses, chasing rumors of an old nuclear bunker and running from certain death. We watch these narratives unfold in parallel in a story that weaves modern science, military action, dystopian dread, and visceral horror. MONSTRE VOLUME ONE is Kickstarter crowd-funding success and is avail

Essa Hansen is the author of NOPHEK GLOSS. This debut science fiction adventure follows Caiden, a teenage mechanic who discovers his simple but highly regimented life is actually one of servitude on a hidden slave planet.   When his entire colony is sent to slaughter, Caiden alone survives, fleeing the vicious creatures who devoured his people. After taking refuge in a strange, abandoned vessel, he is saved from capture by a band of explorers, and whisked off planet—with only trauma and rage as mementos of his previous existence.   Among the stars, he discovers a multiverse of strange lifeforms, alien cultures, and unfathomably powerful foes. Torn by grief and guilt, accompanied by a quarrelsome found family, and in possession of a dangerously unique ship, Caiden wrestles with his own mysterious origins while facing a singular question: how can one boy take revenge on a vast, evil interstellar political entity?   NOPHEK GLOSS is an ambitious and imaginative space opera novel that arrives November 17th from Or

I’m pleased to welcome author Alix E. Harrow back to the show. Alix’s debut fantasy novel, THE TEN THOUSAND DOORS OF JANUARY, got nominated for—like—all the major awards, was on all of the best-of lists, and was basically a "whole thing". Her new novel, THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES, follows three estranged sisters as their lives uncomfortably re-entwine in late 1800’s New Salem. A patriarchal society has stamped down women’s magic as taboo in the name of control and moral purity. But the Eastwood sisters discover magic is at play nonetheless, as suffragettes and politicians clash, shadowy forces and awakening witches collide, and visions of a dark tower loom. THE ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES arrives on October 13th from Redhook.

In this episode, I’m pleased to be joined again by author Leigh Bardugo. She's well known for her expansive Grishaverse series of young adult fantasy novels, including the original Shadow & Bone trilogy, the Six of Crows duology, and the King of Scars duology. Outside of the Grishaverse, she has also released an official Wonder Woman novel, and the supernatural thriller Ninth House. Today we’ll be talking about her latest release, THE LIVES OF SAINTS. This lavishly illustrated collection explores the religious folklore of the Grishaverse through short tales of miracles and martyrdom. Grishaverse fans will recognize some familiar names among the saints within and, indeed, the book itself is a real world manifestation of an object carried by a beloved character. THE LIVES OF SAINTS is out October 6th from Imprint, a division of MacMillan books.

In this episode, I’m joined by Ryan Van Loan, author of THE SIN IN THE STEEL. This debut Fantasy adventure sets a Sherlockian teenage street rat investigator and her troubled ex-soldier partner against political intrigue and violent piracy. In a world where pistoles and steel compete with mad mages and vengeful gods, Buc and Eld are sent to solve a tangled mystery that threatens to destabilize trade and society. But each are haunted by failures from their pasts, and their present—full of meddlesome dead gods and ship-sinking pirate queens—doesn’t look too promising, either. THE SIN IN THE STEEL is available now from TOR Books.

I’m joined in this episode by Andrea Stewart, author of THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER. This outstanding Fantasy debut novel features seafaring adventures, a unique and cruel magic system, an ambitious Emperor’s daughter with holes in her memory, a wanted smuggler chasing a specter from his past, magic animal companions, creepy mystical constructs, and so much more. THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER arrived in stores on September 8th from Orbit Books. About Andrea Stewart Andrea Stewart is the daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. Her parents always emphasized science and education, so she spent her childhood immersed in Star Trek and odd-smelling library books. When her (admittedly ambitious) dreams of becoming a dragon slayer didn’t pan out, she instead turned to writing books. She now lives in sunny California, and in addition to writing, can be found herding cats, looking at birds, and falling down research rabbit holes. About THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER The emperor’s reign has

I’m joined in this episode by Richard Kadrey, author of the long-running urban fantasy series, SANDMAN SLIM. These novels follow the paranormal misadventures of James Stark, a hard-to-kill, half-human magician who spent 11 years stuck in Hell as an arena gladiator and pet hitman for his demon masters. After carving a bloody path back to earth, Stark re-emerges in Los Angeles, hellbent on killing the circle of humans who sent him to suffer Downtown. But to live and avenge in LA requires grit, gear, and allies, plus the occasional occult odd-job to keep you in kevlar. When your companions are carnivorous spider people, fallen angels and disembodied talking heads, and your enemies are kill-happy sorcerers, undead legions and Hellion lords….well, you’re gonna need a grim sense of humor, a fistful of supernatural powers, and an eagerness to get way down and very dirty. For better—or probably worse—Stark has a triple helping of all that, which is how he earned his nickname—Sandman Slim, the monster who kills monste

Peng Shepherd is the author of THE BOOK OF M. This debut speculative fiction novel examines a near future world, fallen to an inexplicable epidemic called The Forgetting. All around the world, people have lost their shadows, and soon after, their memories incurably erode as well. Society has collapsed as the Shadowless spread, and their Forgetting warps aspects of reality in alarming and unexplainable ways. Hidden away at a secluded resort hotel, Ory and his wife, Max, have survived several years on scavenged scraps and fickle luck. But when Max’s shadow disappears, the couple are divided, racing across the dangerous urban wasteland — Max chasing her fleeing memories, Ory chasing his fleeing wife. Meanwhile, the Olympic hopeful archer Naz shelters in Boston, on the verge of starving, separated by an ocean from her Iranian family, when she is drawn from hiding to traverse America — with only a bow and arrow to protect herself and a beloved companion. Beyond them all is Patient RA, victim of an accident that le