Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Bradley Beaulieu! Brad is known for the Lays of Anuskaya, the Song of the Shattered Sands, and his scifi debut Absynthe under the pseudonym of Brenden P. Bellecourt. Brad and Brian talk about his early career, how characters change and develop during the writing process, and picking proper nouns and book titles that resonate with the reader without pushing them away. They also talk about Brad’s early career and his experience with smaller...

Brian's guest this week is urban fantasy author Stephen Blackmoore. Stephen is best known for his acclaimed Eric Carter series about a necromancer in modern day LA. He's also written tie-in fiction for video games and TV shows, numerous short stories, and was the creative director for the Fate of Cthulu ttrpg for Evil Hat Productions. Stephen and Brian talk about his infamous twitter horoscopes, the continued success of Eric Carter as well as some dark moments from the series, and the pros...

Guest host Dan Wells jumps in to make this week's episode all about Brian to celebrate the launch of his new book! Brian is best known for his Powder Mage Universe that spans six novels as well as numerous novellas and short stories. He's also written the ongoing Valkyrie Collections urban fantasy, and is normally the host of this podcast, Page Break with Brian McClellan. And as he's been beating you dear listeners over the head with these past few weeks, he's got a new book out this week! In...

Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Scott Lynch! Scott is the author of the critically-acclaimed and best-selling Lies of Locke Lamora and the follow-ups Red Seas Under Red Skies and The Republic of Thieves. Scott and Brian talk about the double-edged nature of being a writer during the pandemic, and the need to attend to your physical health even when you don’t want to. They also discuss Scott’s ongoing battle with mental health issues and how they’ve affected his career, both...

Brian's guest this week is Youtuber Tim Hickson. Tim is the owner, writer, and performer of the wildly popular Hello Future Me channel, where he breaks down plot, characters, and worldbuilding. He’s also the author of two books on the subject: On Writing and Worldbuilding Volumes I and II. Tim and Brian talk about the pressures of success, Tim’s journey toward publishing his own fiction stories, the difficulty of pleasing yourself, fans, and algorithms all at once, and the cold hard reality...

Brian's guest this week is author Cherie Priest. Cherie is known for work that dips toes in a number of different genres, including horror, science fiction, southern gothic, fantasy, and steampunk. She’s best known for her Clockwork Century Universe that started with Boneshaker, and has also written the Eden Moore series, the Borden Dispatches, the Cheshire Red Reports series, and many other standalone novels and short stories. Cherie and Brian talk extensively about her childhood in a south...

Brian's guest this week is science fiction author John Scalzi. John is known for a massive variety of work, including his early career as a reviewer and columnist, his bestselling breakout novel Old Man’s War, his time as president of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and his well-known blog, Whatever. John and Brian talk about paradigm shifts in their industry, being a longtime public figure, and his well-publicized thirteen-book contract with Tor. They also talk about living and...

Brian's guest this week is novelist Katherine Arden. Katherine is known for her Russian-inspired historical fantasy the Winternight Trilogy, which begins with The Bear and the Nightingale, and her middle-grade series Small Spaces. Katherine and Brian chat about her life before getting published and her extensive world travels, as well as skiing, gardening, and what can make or break historical fiction. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Katherine Arden! Find Katherine on Twitter or her...

Hey everyone! Just a quick hello and update for everything going on in the Brianverse! IN THE SHADOW OF LIGHTNING Preorder Campaign: https://read.macmillan.com/promo/intheshadowoflightningpreorder/ Les Imaginales: https://www.imaginales.fr/invites/mcclellan-brian/ Promise of Blood in French: https://www.amazon.fr/dp/2493405048/ The Crimson Campaign in Spanish: https://www.amazon.com/dp/8418711442/ Play Valheim: https://www.valheimgame.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out...

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...

Brian's guest this week is fantasy author Naomi Novik! Naomi is best known for her massively successful Temeraire series in which dragons fight in the Napoleonic Wars and was, as Brian recounts in the episode, an early inspiration for his own writing. She’s also written the Scholomance trilogy, standalone novels Uprooted and Spinning Silver, and a host of short fiction. Naomi and Brian talk about international travel and attending conventions, Naomi’s love of fan fiction, her early work in...

Brian's guest this week is fantasy author Samantha Shannon. Samantha’s career began at the age of twenty-one when she published the internationally-bestselling The Bone Season with Bloomsbury Publishing. There have been three more books in that series, as well as Samantha’s acclaimed stand-alone, The Priory of the Orange Tree. Brian and Samantha talk about authorial input into behind-the-scenes decisions, their unhealthy addictions, book length and complexity, and being thrust in front of...

Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Brandon Sanderson. For the very few of you who don’t know him, Brandon is one of the most prolific and successful authors working in science fiction and fantasy today. He is known for his massive interconnected Cosmere in which many different fantasy worlds exist in the same universe—including Mistborn, Elantris, and the Stormlight Archive. As of recording this intro, his Kickstarter for four secret novels has passed thirty million dollars and is...

Brian's guest this week is author and streamer Janet Forbes. Janet is the CEO of World Anvil, an online worldbuilding platform for roleplayers and writers that she founded with her husband. She also streams Dungeons and Dragons for Wizards of the Coast, records writing and RPG advice on Youtube, and works as a freelance worldbuilder and author. Janet and Brian talk abut the genesis of World Anvil, writing for roleplaying games, dealing with the rapid growth of a company, and her background as...

Brian's guest this week is epic fantasy author Evan Winter. Evan is a former filmmaker whose first novel Rage of Dragons was named as one of Time Magazine's 100 best fantasy books of all time in 2020. The third book in his Burning series is out in 2023. Evan and Brian talk about his experiences with music videos, the side work of being a creative professional that distracts us from actually creating, how his background in marketing helped him launch his first book, and the psychological toll...

Hey everyone! Here's your very first Page Break Supplemental - just a quick catchup of everything going on in the Brianverse at the moment. Kern Country Library Event - March 18th 2022 at 8pmPreorder links for IN THE SHADOW OF LIGHTNINGBrian's March TV/Film pick: The Legend of Vox Machina on AmazonBrian's March gaming pick: Deep Rock Galactic See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Brian's guest this week is intellectual property agent Steve Fisher. Steve began his career in the research department of World News Tonight before becoming an agent and ultimately joining APA where he’s been since 1999. Steve’s specialty is working out deals that bring your favorite existing properties to TV and film. Steve and Brian talk about his career, the sheer scope of the TV and film industry compared to publishing, and of course the process with which a book becomes a show or film....

Brian's guest this week is author, comic writer, screenwriter, and blogger Chuck Wendig. Chuck’s early career began as a freelance RPG writer for over a decade before he broke into the novel scene with Blackbirds, Blue Blazes, Shotgun Gravy, and the Heartland Trilogy. He was tapped to write the Aftermath Trilogy to kick off the new canon in Disney’s Star Wars, bridging the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. Chuck is also known for his ranting blog, Terribleminds. Chuck and...

Brian's guest this week is graphic designer Lauren Panepinto. Lauren is the creative director and a book designer for Orbit Books, where she has worked on covers for many of your favorite science fiction and fantasy authors including, by happy coincidence, Brian's! She’s also a vice president at Hachette Book Group and has written and lectured extensively about art and graphic design both online and in person at massive conventions, colleges, and art schools. Lauren and Brian talk extensively...

Brian's guest this week is tabletop game designer Chris Birch. Chris is the founder and publisher of Modiphius, a company that creates roleplaying games, board games, and war games in a diverse range of original and licensed properties including Dune, Star Trek, Fallout, Homeworld, Skyrim, Conan, James Bond, and more! Before founding Modiphius, Chris managed bands, tours, and night clubs for the dance music industry and ran a video game fashion label. Chris and Brian talk about Modiphius; the...

Brian's guest this week is Youtuber Logan Reese, better known by his online handle Runesmith. Logan gives viewers his comedic take on writing and Dungeons and Dragons on his Runesmith Youtube channel and has a liveplay series called Tall Tales. He also writes and produces supplemental modules for Dungeons and Dragons including the wildly successful Kickstarted “Stibbles’ Code of Companions” and “The Seeker’s Guide to Twisted Taverns.” Logan and Brian chat about Logan's Youtube channel,...

Brian's guest this week is game designer and fantasy author James L Sutter. James is the co-creator of the Pathfinder and Starfinder roleplaying games, and was the editor and developer for Paizo Publishing for over a decade where he oversaw Dungeon Magazine and the Pathfinder Tales novel line. James wrote for the Paizo world, and has published short stories and essays in a number of venues. He’s also written comics, tabletop gaming material, video games, and most recently sold a young adult...

Brian's guest this week is literary agent Caitlin Blasdell. Caitlin began her career editing for Harvard Business School and Harper Collins before making the transition to her current job as a literary agent for Liza Dawson Associates where she has helped nurture and sell such clients as Charles Stross, Rebecca Zanetti, Zen Cho, and numerous others that include Brian himself! Brian chats with Caitlin about their professional relationship, the ups and downs of the publishing market, an agent’s...

Brian's guest this week is actor, writer, and comedian Maggie Mae Fish. Maggie is a wildly prolific writer having worked on projects for Cracked.com, College Humor, Screen Junkies, DreamworksTV, Amazon, and more. She also has a popular Youtube channel, Maggie Does Film Analysis. She’s won awards and shout-outs for her work from Sundance Labs, Coverfly, the LA Independent Film Festival, Polygon, and Forbes. Maggie and Brian talk about the acting ecosystem, generational expectations, film and...

Brian's guest this week is fantasy author—and a friend for many years—Robert Jackson Bennett. Robert’s career began back in 2010 with the award-winning Mr. Shivers and the Company Man, followed by The Troupe and American Elsewhere. He then took a turn into epic fantasy with the Divine Cities Trilogy, and is currently two books into the Founders Trilogy which concludes in June 2022 with Locklands. Robert and Brian talk about his early work in literary fantasy, keeping his day job while...