Full Contact Nerd Interviews: Recent Episodes
Cris Alvarez
I interview writers, artists, actors, academics, game designers and more about creating science fiction, fantasy, horror, and other genre entertainment.
Travel and murder in this new thriller – Book tour interview with Andrea Bartz Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3jyDWvo Interview Timeline Andrea Bartz is a Brooklyn-based journalist and author of We Were Never Here,…Read More
Artist and Author Brian Catling discusses his writing and his art Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3rmzinv Interview Timeline Brian Catling is a poet, sculptor, painter, and performance artist. He makes installations and paints portraits…Read More
Post-apocalyptic science fiction with Gene Doucette Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3jkRmfS Interview Timeline Gene Doucette has authored more than twenty sci-fi and fantasy titles. He recently released The Apocalypse Seven. We spoke about the…Read More
An Insider Look at The Last Kids on Earth Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2Tdg7PS Interview Timeline The Last Kids on Earth is a popular multi-media franchise. Thunderbird Entertainment and Atomic Cartoons produce the Last…Read More
How nerds protect the earth despite being marginalized – Interview with Anthony Lioi Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3fY5MPM Interview Timeline Anthony Lioi studies and teaches popular culture. He wrote a work on the ecology…Read More
How to scare yourself with horror and other creepy nuggets – Interview with Josh Malerman Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3tPnJoA Interview Timeline Josh Malerman is a New York Times bestselling author and one…Read More
Why Murderbot is tough to write and other sci-fi secrets – Interview with Martha Wells Check the book out here https://amzn.to/33EmJJ3 Interview Timeline Martha Wells has written many fantasy and sci-fi novels, short fiction and…Read More
Why Project Hail Mary is awesome and other sci-fi nuggets – Interview with Andy Weir Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3nVHQ3f Interview Timeline Andy Weir spent over two decades as a software engineer before publishing…Read More
How modern alternative horror films have divided critics and fans with David Church Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3dUl6x6 Interview Timeline David Church is a film and media scholar specializing in genre studies, taste cultures,…Read More
How colonialism and politics shaped Indian science fiction with Suparno Banerjee Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2Q7IMVH Interview Timeline Suparno Banerjee has been a life long fan of science fiction. He studied science fiction and…Read More
How a deep-nerd comic book writer ended up writing for the Sonic TV series with Justin Peniston Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3a84i3f Interview Timeline Justin Peniston has a deep love of comic books and…Read More
How the Japanese imperial system inspired a sci-fi book series with Juliette Wade Check the book out here https://amzn.to/39KwCbD Interview Timeline Juliette Wade loves to learn and has degrees in both anthropology and linguistics. She…Read More
The strange rivalry between British fantasy writers with Hadas Elber-Aviram Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3wdpdeu Interview Timeline Hadas Elber-Aviram has loved fantasy since she was small and studied as a graduate student. She recently…Read More
How a slow-burning idea of a lonely cabin in the woods became a sci-fi novel with David Arnold Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3997wTw Interview Timeline David Arnold spent many years as a freelance musician…Read More
How female cross-dressing intrigued the British literary world with Ula Klein Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3cuWmcM Interview Timeline Ula Lukszo Klein is Director of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh.…Read More
How Sweden adopted French knightly romances and Europeanized itself with Sofia Loden Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3ccvKgt Interview Timeline Sofia Loden is a Pro Futura Scientia XII Fellow at Stockholm University and the Swedish…Read More
How Nicole Glover wrote a fantasy novel about historic Philadelphia and the Underground Railroad Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3uUG4lY Interview Timeline The Conductors is Nicole Glover’s debut novel. She is a fantasy fan and…Read More
What Calamity Jane’s life might really have been like – Interview with Western author K. Lyn Wurth Check the book out here https://amzn.to/37Croh8 Interview Timeline K Lyn Wurth has written many western stories and novels…Read More
Where did Edgar Allan Poe live and create his masterpieces with Scott Peeples Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3qo7cXD Interview Timeline Scott Peeples is a professor of literature and has written three books on Edgar…Read More
How a spider queen won a Bram Stoker award for her first novel with Sarah Read Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2Naauis Interview Timeline Sarah Read is author of the 2019 Bram Stoker award for…Read More
Secrets and successes of an award winning monster writer with Owl Goingback Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2MdOm72 Interview Timeline Owl Goingback has been writing for over thirty years and has released many types of…Read More
How to develop characters for screenplays with Brian Herskowitz Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3iZJv3Z Interview Timeline LEARN HOW TO DEVELOP SCREENPLAY CHARACTERS. Brian Herskowitz is a screenwriter and producer and has many credits to…Read More
Elizabeth Bear interview about her sci-fi novel “The Machine” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3qGQ2VS Interview Timeline Elizabeth Bear is a prolific sci-fi and fantasy writer. She’s the Astounding Award, a Hugo, and other awards…Read More
How the evil and the dead may save the world in a new horror novel with Jonathan Janz Check the book out here https://amzn.to/39n98tX Interview Timeline Jonathan Janz has written over a dozen novels focusing…Read More
Jonathan Lethem interview about his latest science fiction novel “The Arrest” Check out this book here https://amzn.to/32Mys8m Interview Timeline Jonathan Lethem is a prolific short story and novel writer. He’s written eleven novels and his…Read More
Brian Herskowitz discusses approaches to outlining a screenplay Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3iZJv3Z Interview Timeline LEARN HOW TO STRUCTURE A SCREENPLAY. Brian Herskowitz is a screenwriter and producer and has many credits to his…Read More
Jane Gilmartin interview about her science fiction novel “The Mirror Man” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2TLldjI Interview Timeline Jane Gilmartin has always been a sci-fi fan starting with Star Trek. She’s worked as a…Read More
Arkady Martine interview about her debut award winning sci fi novel “A Memory Called Empire” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3jBmW5H Interview Summary Arkady Martine has been writing short stories for a decade. Last year…Read More
Thilde Kold Holdt interview about her Viking Fantasy Novel “Northern Wrath” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/357Kx8N Interview Summary Thilde Kold Holdt loves Norse culture since she herself is a Viking. She turned her love…Read More
Brian Herskowitz explains structure in a screenplay Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3iZJv3Z Interview Summary LEARN HOW TO STRUCTURE A SCREENPLAY. Brian Herskowitz is a screenwriter and producer and has many credits to his name…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/337W0FG Simon Stephenson has worked as a doctor and then as Hollywood screenwriter for Pixar. He’s written a science fiction novel about an android trying to write a Hollywood screenplay…Read More
How a fantasy author made the successful switch to science fiction with Adrian Tchaikovsky Check the book out here https://amzn.to/35WNqLM Interview Timeline Adrian Tchaikovksy has written a series of fantasy novels but recently turned his…Read More
David Wellington interview about his science fiction novel “The Last Astronaut” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/35vVtyQ Interview Timeline David Wellington has been writing fantasy for years [and] before turning his hand to science fiction.…Read More
Alice James interview about her vampire mystery novel “Grave Secrets” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2R2nXI6 Interview Timeline Alice James has followed a fascinating path to writing and publishing her first novel. She’s worked in…Read More
Ellen Datlow interview about her Horror, fantasy, and sci-fi book “Edited By” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/32D4McZ Interview Summary Ellen Datlow has been editing horror, fantasy, and science fiction short stories and novellas for…Read More
Brian Herskowitz talks about How to Write Screenplays Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3iZJv3Z DO YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO WRITE A SCREENPLAY? Interview Summary Brian Herskowitz is a screenwriter and producer and has…Read More
Somaiya Daud interview about her space fantasy fiction novel “Court of Lions” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2DE3tlW Interview Timeline Somaiya Daud loves high fantasy and science fiction. She has taught the subject and she’s…Read More
Melanie R. Anderson and Lisa Kroger discuss Horror and Speculative Fiction Interview Summary Check the book out here https://amzn.to/31nsZDK Melanie R. Anderson and Lisa Kroger have both extensively studied speculative and horror fiction. They’ve…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2BEn6Jn Derek Kunsken has worked as a scientist and a diplomat and has been frequently published in sci-fi short story magazines. He’s about to release a hard science fiction novel…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2CKiHVT Nisi Shawl has written and edited speculative fiction for years and recently won the 2020 Locus Award for best anthology for her edited work New Suns. We spoke about…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2CHOJ4j Mary-Robinette Kowal has worked [as a] in puppetry for 25 years and has written science fiction for over 10 years. She recently published the third book in her lady…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2AFVwuO L.E. Modesitt, Jr. has held a wide range of jobs. In 1973 he published his first story and since then he’s published numerous science fiction and fantasy novels. His…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/38gJft7 Dr. Elyce Helford has spent years, studying, writing on, and teaching popular culture. She’s studied and written about anime, Octavia Butler and now most recently on the director George…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/37Z9jZM Richard Hand and Jay McRoy have both been studying horror and gothic for many years. They recently co-edited a book of essays on Gothic Film and I got to…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/37yFNd6 Jess Nevins regularly writes on genre subjects. He recently wrote a book on horror fiction in the 20th century. We discussed the book and horror fiction across the world.…Read More
Bethany C. Morrow interview about her fantasy novel “A Song Below Water” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/3cIdzNQ Interview Timeline Bethany C. Morrow writes speculative fiction and young adult fiction. Her debut novel was Mem…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2XfgNnG M.R. Carey has been writing comics and novels for over two decades. He’s written for DC Comics and has written nearly a dozen novels. His most well-known novel is…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2XzK8rM Lawrence Light is both a financial journalist and a mystery writer and has been both for many years. He, with co-author David Hagberg, combined these two subjects and wrote…Read More
Caroline Stevermer interview about her fantasy novel “The Glass Magician” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2LER41f Interview Timeline Caroline Stevermer writes historical fantasy and is best know for her Scholarly Magic series and River Rats.…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2LpArXn Ilana C. Myer is a former Jerusalem based journalist turned novelist. She has wrapped up her Harp and Ring Sequence with the third book The Poet King. We discussed…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2WtYIRg Austin Moorhead is a financial reporter and a gamer. He decided it would be really fun to embed himself into the Overwatch League and write a book about it…Read More
Veronica Roth interview about her fantasy science fiction novel “Chosen Ones” Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2y32eKh Interview Timeline Veronica Roth is well known for her successful Divergent series of books which were also put…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2xHNTCx Max Barry has authored six novels including science fiction. He also developed the popular nation simulation game NationStates. He’s recently published a new science fiction novel Providence and we…Read More
Check the book out here https://amzn.to/2yda3MY Dr. Simone Brioni is a professor of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature. He’s written and taught on the subject of migration and Italian colonialism. He recently co-authored a book…Read More
Check out Attack on Titan Season One here https://amzn.to/2JpD3U3 Bryce Papenbrook has been doing voice acting since age 6 and has over 250 credits to his name. We spoke about his work, his inspirations, and…Read More
Check out his work in One Piece: Stampede here. Daman Mills is a professional anime voice actor with over 120 character credits to his name. We sat down at Anime USA 2019 and spoke about…Read More
Rebecca Thompson is a physicist who loves to teach and write about science. She spoke once about the science of Game of Thrones and then turned the idea into a really, cool book. We spoke…Read More
Faye Mata interview at Anime USA 2019 – Video Game and Anime Voice Artist Interview Timeline Faye Mata is a voice actress with over 60 credited roles in anime and video games. We discussed her…Read More
Keith Silverstein has been a voice artist for over 30 years with almost 400 credited roles to his name. He’s worked on anime, videogames, animation, radio and more. The role he says he is most…Read More
Barry Luokkala is a physicist and physics professor with Carnegie Mellon. He wrote a book on science and science fiction after he found that students enjoyed the class so much and he had enough material…Read More
Joel Adams is an artist who worked on character designs for King of the Hill. He’s worked on numerous other character design and animation projects and we talked about his work, inspirations, and the state…Read More
Jim Martin is a lifelong puppeteer. He was Garry Gnu on the Great Space Coaster and he worked on Sesame Street for 22 years. We talked about his distinguished career and his efforts to save…Read More
Master Replicas Group is a producer of museum quality replicas from science fiction, science and other popular entertainment. I spoke with two of their senior members, Steve and Karl, at the GPCC 2019. 0:38 –…Read More
Christopher Priest has been a comic book writer for over 40 years and has worked for both Marvel and DC. He’s written for Deathstroke, Justice League, Vampirella and many other titles. He also helped to…Read More
Mel Croft and John Youskauskas are both space program enthusiasts who have previously written a book on the NASA space program. They recetly wrote another book on space shuttle payload specialists and we discussed this…Read More
Dr. Jeffrey Sconce specializes in radio, tv, and film studies and is an assistant professor in communications studies. He’s written many books on the subject and we discussed his latest book on electricity, paranoia and…Read More
Tom Sito has been a film animator for decades and has worked on some of Disney’s biggest films. He teaches animation and is also a member of the Motion Picture Academy where he is also…Read More
John Bisney has worked as a reporter, on news radio, in public relations and is a NASA enthusiast. We talked about the latest book he has co-authored “The Space’Age presidency of John F. Kennedy” which…Read More
Dr. Shane McCorristine received his Ph.D. in history and now teaches at Newcastle University. His focus is on the “night side” of human experience. This means the study of social attitudes towards death, dreams, ghosts,…Read More
Andrew Linde worked in the music industry until he decided to commit himself full-time to indie game development. He’s been working on Avaria for a few years now and we talked about the game…Read More
Today I deviate from my normal interview format and instead do a scene by scene analysis of Season 2 Episode 1 of one of my favorite shows, The Orville. I look at the concepts, artistic…Read More
Jeff Bond has written multiple books on science fiction shows and movies. He was executive editor of Geek magazine, Senior Editor at CFQ, and he writes about film music for the Hollywood Reporter. We talked…Read More
Sean Moreland teaches English at the University of Ottowa. His main field of research is Anglo-American literature from the late 18th century to present. He particularly enjoys Gothic, horror and weird fiction and is involved…Read More
Charles Exley and Michael Tangeman are academics who both study Japanese language and literature. They both have an interest in Japanese mystery fiction and the three of us spoke about their latest project, a collection…Read More
Christopher Paul teaches at the Seattle University where he focuses on applying tools rooted in rhetorical analysis to elements of new media, especially video games. We discussed his latest book on meritocracy in video games.…Read More
Joe Packer is a communications academic and became interested in how pessimism is expressed in popular culture. He co-wrote a book on the subject and we discussed it. 0:56 – Joe talks about how he…Read More
Lee Gambin has been writing about movies and especially horror movies for the last 15 years. We spoke about his latest book on the famous werewolf horror movie “The Howling.” 0:49 – Lee talks about…Read More
Sean Gerrish is a software engineer and has worked as an engineer for Teza Technologies and as an engineering manager for machine learning and data science teams at Google. We spoke about his latest book…Read More
Gabriel Eljaiek-Rodriguez teaches Spanish and Latin American studies at the New School in Atlanta, GA. We spoke about his latest book on the politics of Latin American horror films. 1:04 – Gabriel talks about how…Read More
Scott Poole is a professor of history in American pop and folk culture with a heavy emphasis on horror studies. We talked about his latest book that examines the effect World War One had on…Read More
Joe Haldeman is a prolific sci-fi writer who has won numerous awards for his work. His most significant novel is The Forever War which also had two follow on novels. His trilogy has recently been…Read More
M. Keith Booker studies and teaches culture and literature. He worked as an engineer for many years before turning to the literary arts. He also has a passion for Star Trek and “nerd” stuff and…Read More
Shawn Malley is a Canadian professor interested in the Victorian period. We talk about his latest book that discusses the intersection between archaeology, science fiction and spectacle. 1:45 – Shawn talks about how he got…Read More
Tom Sito has been a film animator for decades and has worked on some of Disney’s biggest films. He’s written a book on Disney history based on interviews with Disney animators who were working there…Read More
Nicholas Parisi is a musician and vocalist and serves on the board of the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation. He’s recently written a book analyzing almost all of Rod Serling’s work and we discuss the book…Read More
Dr. Sami Schalk is an academic who studies race, gender and disability in contemporary American literature and culture. We spoke about her latest book on science and speculative fiction as it relates to her studies.…Read More
Liz Denlinger co-curates the Shelley collection of the New York Public Library system. She has helped develop a new exhibition on Frankenstein and has put together a visual history of Frankenstein for it. We discuss…Read More
Dr. Marc DiPaolo is an English literature academic who likes to write on pop culture. We discuss his latest book deals with climate fiction as found in sci-fi and fantasy books and video entertainment. 1:26…Read More
Eva Horn is a researcher who is interested in how various kinds of disasters are presented in literature, television, and film. We talk about her latest book on the subject. 1:28 – Eva talks about…Read More
Professor Sam Gill has studied dance, religion and science fiction for decades. He’s written books on the subject and here we discuss his latest book on religion and artificial intelligence. 1:50 – Sam Gill talks…Read More
Peter Williams is a Jamaican-born Canadian actor best known to sci-fans as Apophis on Stargate SG-1. Peter has done a number of roles in movie and tv and we spoke at Shore Leave 2018 about…Read More
Jonathan Risner is Assistant Professor of Spanish at Indiana University Bloomington. He discovered Argentine horror and wondered how much of the country’s brutal dictatorship impacted that country’s horror films. We discuss his book on the…Read More
Touba Ghadessi is an Associate Professor of Art History at the Wheaton College Massachusetts. We spoke about her book on how the “monstrous” form was portrayed in 16th and 17th century art found among noble…Read More
Peter Kelamis is a Canadian actor who’s done a lot of voice acting and live acting. He’s best known for his roles in Stargate Universe and as Rolf in Ed, Edd, and Eddy. He’s also…Read More
Chase Masterson was an actress on Star Trek Deep Space Nine for five years and is currently an activist with the Pop Culture Hero Coalition anti-bullying organization. She and coalition member Raymond Litster spoke to…Read More
Michael and Denise Okuda worked as graphic designers on Star Trek The Next Generation. They’ve also worked on a number of other Star Trek media projects and have written various books on Star Trek. In…Read More
Shawn Ashmore is a Canadian actor best know to comic book fans as iceman of the X-Men film series. He’s done horror, drama and animation work. I spoke with him at Shore Leave 2018. 0:57…Read More
Aron Eisenberg is an actor and filmmaker who is probably best known to sci-fi fans as Nog on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He and I spoke at Shore Leave 2018 about acting. 1:01 –…Read More
Author Greg Bear has had and continues to have a prolific and successful career as a sci-fi and fantasy writer. Blood Music is one of his more famous novels and he also helped co-found the…Read More
Molly Glover is a game developer for Fantasy Flight Games. I spoke to her at Escape Velocity 2018 about how she got into the business, her inspirations, the gaming business and what she does in…Read More