Comics writer/author Charlie Huston stops by to chat about his new supernatural crime noir fantasy novel Catchpenny. He talks about how fantasy was his first fiction interest, how that influenced some of the crime story ideas he had later (including television ideas), and how that led to this story. Charlie talks about using the mirrors as a key element of Sid’s abilities and the use of spells, magic and supernatural elements to build characters who live in the gray areas of society. He also...

Supernatural thriller author Ginny Myers Sain returns to talk about her newest book, One Last Breath. Ginny turns to Florida to tell this story of mystery, the supernatural and death, and she explains why the smaller off-the-beaten-path locations appeal to her as settings for these dark Gothic tales. She also talks about her research into free diving and her fascination with these divers, while building the world around this small town with an infamous unsolved murder and the search to solve...

Fantasy author Amélie Wen Zhao talks about her newest book, Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White, the concluding volume of her “Song of the Last Kingdom” duology (coming January 2, 2024). Inspired by mythology from ancient China with some historical elements mixed in, the duology is based in a colonized land whose magic has been hidden to protect it from the colonizing peoples, and Amélie talks about developing the demon gods and their interactions with the world, how the magic system is based...

Speculative fiction author Chikọdịlị Emelụmadụ stops by to talk about her debut fantasy novel Dazzling. She talks about her fascination with the stories of the Leopard Societies in colonial West Africa, and their influence in and protection of those communities, and how Dazzling came from those histories, and how her story comes from fitting a couple of young women into this secret society in different ways. Chikọdịlị also talks about the welcoming reader reception of Dazzling and how it’s...

Fantasy author L. L. McKinney talks about concluding her Nightmare-Verse trilogy, the possibility of revisiting the world later, and writing other stories. She talks about her love for this world & its characters but also looking forward to moving on to new stories (but maybe only for a while), the adventures in getting the second & third books published, finding the right artist to capture Alice and the Nightmare-Verse, and more. Elle also talks about her love for Nubia and how she...

Old Norse and Old English lecturer and researcher Dr Tom Birkett stops by to talk about his latest, “Legends of Norse Mythology”, an illustrated middle grade reference. Tom goes into how he got into teaching medieval literature, Old English and Old Norse, and how that led to his interest in Viking history and Norse mythology. His studies led him to creating this book on Norse mythology for middle grade readers, and he talks about how he chose which heroes and legends to include in this book,...

Author and journalist Tom Huddleston talks about his new book “The Worlds of Dune: The Places and Cultures that Inspired Frank Herbert”, a detailed exploration of the influences behind the worlds and world-building of Dune. Tom talks about researching the sources and history that Frank Herbert was referring to and reading about while he was writing “Dune”, and about organizing this book into a cohesive and readable form for fans and new readers alike. We also wander into comparing the...

Editors Shane Hawk and Ted Van Alst Jr are here to to talk about their new collection, “Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology”, how the anthology came together, the search for established and new voices to include, and more. They also talk about their hopes for the future of promoting Indigenous fiction from as many tribes and cultures as we can include, and in mediums beyond prose fiction. Shane Hawk: shanehawk.com, (Twitter) @shanehawkk Theodore Van Alst, Jr:...

With the new movie Oppenheimer in theaters enthralling audiences, award-winning science fiction author Robert J. Sawyer is here to talk about the newly released trade paperback edition of his alternate history / secret history novel “The Oppenheimer Alternative”. He talks about the inspiration for this story coming more from “A Life Inside the Center” by Ray Monk rather than from “American Prometheus” by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, and picks at some of the story choices Christopher Nolan...

Producer-Director-Author Paul Salamoff is here to talk about the process in adapting his own story from a novel into a graphic novel, seeking a way to tell this story in the best way possible, and what it has been like to to explore different creative ways to tell the story in an ever-expanding way. The life of “The Silent Planet” began as a screenplay for a movie Paul wanted to make, but budgetary concerns led to a rethinking what might be the best way to tell this story. He goes into how...

Kat Howard stops by to talk about the second book in her “Unseen World” fantasy thriller series, “A Sleight of Shadows”. The stories take place in an alternate New York City which includes a secret group of powerful magicians, and our protagonist Sydney’s battle to take down The House of Shadows has consequences. In Book 2, the nature of magic in this world seems to be failing, and figuring out why sends her towards more discoveries. Of course, power does not stay quashed by those who want...

Peggy Rothschild stops by to talk about the second book in her Molly Madison mystery series, “Playing Dead”. “Playing Dead” continues just a few months after “A Deadly Bone to Pick”, and we follow Molly training her expanding pack of dogs for agility competitions and scent tracking competitions where she once again stumbles across a murder. Her personal life & love interests clash and with her involvement in the crime, and of course, shenanigans ensue. Check out the first interview with...

Menna van Praag stops by to chat about the second book in her “Sisters Grimm” series, Night of Demons and Saints. “Nights of Demons and Saints” picks up 3 years after the battle in Everwhere, and the sisters have gone their own separate ways different journeys in search of answers, and healing. The sisters must deal with grief and death and must once again prepare to battle demons the night of their 21st birthday, when their powers will heightened. Menna talks about how dealing with traumas...

Katelyn Monroe Howes is an LA based award-winning writer, an Emmy-nominated documentarian, and co-founder 1/27 PICTURES, a documentary production company. THE AWOKEN is her debut novel, and explores what can happen when someone’s existence becomes a challenge to society’s updated norms through no fault of their own. She talks about her experiences and what inspired her to write a story about what happens if people who are cryogenically preserved are brought back to life into a society where...

Thriller author Mark Greaney stops by to talk about his newest, a standalone thriller ARMORED, and a little bit about The Gray Man series now that an adaptation is available on Netflix. Mark talks about the research he did into Mexican cartels for this story, about traveling to the places that will feature in his stories to get a personal feel for them, about what led him to wanting to write thrillers and more. ARMORED is available now from Berkley in hardcover, ebook and audiobook...

Sarah Pearse stops by to talk about her latest murder mystery, THE RETREAT, about Detective Elin Warner, and coming up with another secluded location to set this story. She also talks about Elin and the history of sanatoriums in the setup in the first novel, THE SANATORIUM, as well as a lively discussion about repurposed institutions… how is that ever a good idea? THE RETREAT will be available in print, ebook and audiobook July 19, 2022 from Penguin Random House. Web:...

Meg Hafdahl and Kelly Florence stop by to talk about their “The Science of” series, the newest of which will be “The Science of Witchcraft” in October, and “The Science of Agatha Christie” in 2023. They talk about doing research for the book topics and supporting information, the things that excite them about horror, the work they do for their Horror Rewind podcast, and so much more. Web: kellyflorence.com/books/, meghafdahl.com, Podcast: horrorrewind.com/about Twitter:...

Epic fantasy author David Dalglish stops by to talk about his newest book, THE BLADED FAITH, first in the new “Vagrant Gods” trilogy. He talks about how epic fantasy became his reading & writing wheelhouse, his self-publishing journey, the learning curve while switching from Microsoft Word to Scrivener for his writing, and more. The sequel, THE SAPPHIRE ALTAR, will be available in January 2023. Web: ddalglish.com Twitter: @thatdalglishguy Is epic fantasy something you ever loved, or...

Mystery author Peggy Rothschild stops by to chat about A DEADLY BONE TO PICK, the first book in her new series, her new protagonist, former police officer turned dog trainer Molly Madison, and the dogs she wrangles. Peggy talks about the inspiration for Molly’s life in this book, continuing the pattern of cozy mysteries being a point where our protagonists find themselves needing to restart their lives, the research for the types of dogs she wanted in the story, and much more. Yeah, you...

Science fiction author Rob Hart stops by to talk about his newest novel, “The Paradox Hotel”, along with the ideas of time travel as a commercial revenue stream, and the many forms grief can take while one is still processing what happened. There’s so much you can do when throwing a locked room murder mystery at a slightly unstable house detective in a hub for time travel tourism while a negotiation to privatize said technology is going on. Rob talks about the role that community and found...

Fantasy author Sue Lynn Tan stops by to talk about “Daughter of the Moon Goddess”, Book 1 in her new duology. She talks about her fascination with myths and legends as her favorite stories while growing up, how those myths inspired her to tell her own stories, how writing these stories informed her editing process, and more. “Daughter of the Moon Goddess”, Book 1 of The Celestial Kingdom Duology, is now available in all formats, and Book 2, “Heart of the Sun Warrior” will be released...

Thriller author Nick Petrie stops by to talk about the seventh and newest book in his Peter Ash series, “The Runaway”. Nick talks about the history and development of Peter Ash as he’s working through his PTSD, why he’s attracted to telling stories featuring veterans, and making sure his characters are complex yet easy to connect with and care about while not being super-heroic, and more. Web: nickpetrie.com Twitter: @_nickpetrie_ Instagram: @_nickpetrie_ What type of protagonist is your...

Fantasy author Genevieve Gornichec stops by to talk about “The Witch’s Heart”, and how her studies led her to exploring Norse mythology by reading the older interpretations of the Eddas and reimagining Angrboda’s place in the old myths. She’s fascinated by how many female entities are in the older who are entirely overlooked, and perhaps their stories will eventually all be told and retold. Yes, Genevieve wants to write a few more of their stories. And don’t miss the audiobook excerpt:...

Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms (collaborating as M. A. Carrick) return to talk about the second book in their “Rook & Rose” fantasy trilogy, The Liar’s Knot. Marie & Alyc talk about the growth of continuing their collaboration, focusing more on the three main protagonists/characters, deepening their personalities and the intrigues, and watching the characters move through the secrets that have already been revealed to the readers. They also talk about laying the groundwork for the...