My Favorite Bit

When I met Lee Moyer, I was fairly new to the convention circuit and he was delightful and helped me meet people. He also showed me his portfolio which was staggering and made me drool just a little. At some point, he showed me his Literary Pinup calendar, which didn’t have a home at that […]

THE YEAR IS 1910. Eighteen-year-old Will Edwards has landed a prestigious apprenticeship at Detroit’s Tesla Industries, the most advanced scientific research center in the United States. It’s a plum prize for a young man who dreams of a career in the new science of Otherwhere Engineering. But his father doesn’t want him to go. And

Sometimes I feel like I’m introducing you to My Favorite People, as is the case with Monte Cook. His writing reflects all the things that I like about him as a person, smart, sly, and makes you think. He is an amazing worldbuilder and creates landscapes and cultures that seem real. Best of all he

When I was living in New York, I was invited to join the writing group Altered Fluid. E.C. Myers is one of the members and is smart, articulate, and just a nice guy. He’s also a darn fine writer. Today he’s going to tell you about his Favorite Bit of his new novel, Quantum Coin. E.C.

This week, we have Maurice Broaddus to talk about his series The Knights of Breton Court, which is sort of “The Wire meets Excalibur.” So much love for these. Now, for full disclosure, Maurice is a friend and has edited my short fiction, which means that it was a relief that the man can write.

This week my guest is Erec Stebbins to talk about his debut novel from Seventh Street Books. The publisher’s description is: An American bin Laden. An FBI agent. Connected by a terrible loss on 9/11, they now confront each other over acts of vengeance so horrific, the world is brought to the brink of war.

Sandra Tayler is one of my favorite people. She has an utterly charming children’s book out called Hold on to Your Horses. I’m not going to say too much, because when Sandra explains why she wrote the book, you’ll understand why I think it is so wonderful. Here’s her Favorite Bit. SANDRA TAYLER: The moment

My guest this week is Steve Bein to talk about his debut novel, Daughter of the Sword. The publisher’s description of the novel is: Mariko Oshiro is not your average Tokyo cop. As the only female detective in the city’s most elite police unit, she has to fight for every ounce of respect, especially from her new

I’m reading Tina Connolly’s debut novel Ironskin and loving it. It’s been described as Jane Eyre with fairies, and I can see why, but that doesn’t do justice to the fascinating world building that she’s done in creating a world where the Great War was fought against the Fae. Here’s Tina to talk about her Favorite

I got to talk to Janci Patterson about her new YA novel Chasing the Skip when we recorded a Writing Excuses episode with her. The way she approached writing this book was completely fascinating and I so much enjoyed talking to her. While that episode isn’t up yet, you can listen to her talk to the

This week, we have Chris Holm talking about his newest book from Angry Robot, The Wrong Goodbye. It is described as recasting the battle between heaven and hell as Golden Era crime pulp. Sounds cool, eh? So what is Chris Holm’s Favorite Bit? CHRIS HOLM: My main character, Sam Thornton, is a Collector – a reaper of sorts,

Michael Cassutt and David Goyer’s first collaboration Heaven’s Shadow was a combination of a mystery and an action thriller set in space, but with our current levels of technology. Thanks to Michael’s work in non-fiction dealing spaceflight, there is a gritty reality to these books. The new one, Heaven’s War promises to do that boldly going thing we are

Today we have a middle reader for your consideration, The Sword of Six Worlds, by Matt Mikalatos. Here’s how the book is described. Validus Smith has three goals. Stay alive. Save the world. Finish her homework. For centuries the paladins protected the Earth from a creeping darkness known as the Blight. That all changed when a

For full disclosure, Brent is a friend of mine and I beta-read The Blinding Knife. I liked it so much that I’m re-reading the published version. This, my friends, is what epic fantasy can be when a writer is on. You’ve heard me geek about The Black Prism which was book 1. It has a moment that

Today we have Chuck Wendig with his new horror novel Mockingbird from Angry Robot. From page one, he gives you vivid dialogue and a view into someone who is deeply unhappy. She can, after all, see when and how someone is going to die if she touches them. Being a horror novel, her life goes downhill