Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Brian Staveley. Brian is known for his award-winning Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne, the first book of which was The Emperor’s Blades, which came out in 2014. Brian and his fellow Brian talk about the solitary life of a writer, coming up with book titles, living in the countryside, and the challenges presented by different books in a series. They get into Brian’s past life as a poet and teacher, and his love of writing characters who are constantly bettering themselves. They also discuss their doppelganger careers, from sharing an agency to winning or being nominated for all the same awards. Find Brian Staveley on Twitter and his website. Find Brian McClellan at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold! Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble. *FYI, we had some major internet hiccups and lost all the video as well as the last fifteen minutes of this conversation. Big thanks to our sound engineer who has stitched it back together the best he could.* See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.