Writers of the Future Podcast: Recent Episodes
John Goodwin
Providing writing tips and art advice from Contest Judges and Winners for writers and artists wanting to take their next step, along with needed inspiration to keep on going! Based on the world-famous Writers of the Future Contest created in 1983 by L. Ron Hubbard.
Ted Olczak, president of Printed Word Reviews, offers invaluable insights into the competitive world of independent publishing. The discussion dives into the strategic importance of literary awards and book reviews. Ted shares expert guidance on navigating programs like the Independent Press Award and the New York City Book Award. Listeners will learn how these accolades can significantly boost an author's visibility and credibility.Additionally, the episode covers the crucial role that professional book reviews play in a book's marketing. Whether you are an aspiring writer or an established indie author, this conversation provides actionable tips to help your work stand out in a crowded marketplace.
We also discuss Mission Earth Volume One, and Alex sees the Voltar confederacy as named after Voltaire, who L. Ron Hubbard considered a master of satire in the introduction to Mission Earth.We discuss Alex’s allure to satire, how he writes, and the social value of the sub-genre of comedy space opera.Learn more at https://alexshvartsman.com.
Owen Cotter is a radio host and on-camera presenter. He has appeared on major media such as ESPN, VH1, SiriusXM, Real Scene TV, and William Shatner’s My Outer Space TV. He is also the owner of SciFiction.com, the Hugo- and Nebula-award-winning SciFi literary project formerly owned by the SyFy Channel.ScyFiction.com showcases geek-chic news, reviews, interviews, events, and articles, and publishes the works of relevant artists and authors, becoming the go-to place for up-to-date news for the SciFi and Fantasy community.
Noble.Key features include:•Global Distribution: Reaches major international markets through extensive wholesale networks.•Format Variety: Prints high-quality paperbacks, hardcovers, and diverse trim sizes.•Wholesale Pricing: Allows authors to set standard discounts, making books attractive to physical bookstores.•Free Title Setup: Offers no-fee standard book creation to lower upfront costs.Learn more at www.ingramspark.com.
In this episode, Sarah Bean, Marketing Manager at Book Launchers, discusses the rapidly evolving world of self-publishing and provides quality advice on how to navigate getting your voice heard over the din of other authors wanting to be heard as well.Visit booklaunchers.com and check out what they have to offer for FREE for seven days .
Today’s guest is Illustrators of the Future winner Arthur Haywood. Arthur started as a graffiti muralist and saw his career explode from there. He is a reader who does judge books by their covers and so began sharing his stories through illustration. He is now focused on making book covers, as well as murals for libraries and schools to engage youth in reading.You can see his multi-faceted styles of art at www.arthurhaywood.com/
Court. Keith is a member of the board of advisors at NYU’s School of Professional Studies in the Center for Publishing, where he also teaches Analytics and Consumer Insights. Keith also serves on the boards of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and the AI firm, Inkbloom.Learn more at www.keithriegert.com/
Irvin Rodriguez is a visual artist whose work offers a synthesis of painting and drawing, inspired by the European masters and 19th-century painters, paired with the narrative influence and aesthetics of illustration and contemporary art. Rodriguez’s artistic practice spans multiple disciplines, from analog to digital media, resulting in figurative compositions and portraits that communicate individual and collective experiences.Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1988, Rodriguez graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a BFA in Illustration (2010), while simultaneously studying at the Grand Central Atelier (2008–2010), and later at the Art Students League of NY (2013–2016). Since then, Rodriguez has exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions in Europe, South America, and the United States, and was also the recipient of the 2016 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, the 2019 John F. and Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship, and the 2019 Donald Jurney Travel Fellowship. Over the years, he has developed into a compelling and versatile artist, with works in the film, comic book, publishing, and video game industries for clients like Naughty Dog, Lucasfilm, DC Comics, and Magic: The Gathering. He currently lives and works out of his studio in Los Angeles, California.Irvin was the 2011 recipient of the L. Ron Hubbard Golden Brush Award. He has been an Illustrators of the Future judge since 2023.In this episode, Irvin discusses his journey in a successful artistic career.Learn more at irvinrodriguez.com.
Julie Frost was a winner published in Writers of the Future Volume 32 with her werewolf short story “Cry Havoc.” She has an amazing story of how she won and the value of persistence.She recently published a novella, “Joy Shall Be In Heaven,” which was discussed in this interview. Through the genre of fantasy, she delves into morality, right and wrong, and consequences for one’s actions.Learn more at www.fantasticfiction.com/f/julie-frost/
This podcast was recorded during a lull in Tim Power’s schedule as one of the writing instructors at the Writers of the Future Workshop while the writer winners are busy with their 24-hour story. Tim was last on this podcast in episode #333. He is a three-time world fantasy award winner and is most known for his novels “The Anubis Gates,” “On Stranger Tides,” “Last Call,” and “Declare.” In this episode, we discuss his latest release, and my personal favorite, a dark fantasy, “The Mills of the Gods.”We also discuss his technique in creating his stories, researching some particular aspect of history, and then exploring from there. How he creates seamless transitions from factual history to his fantastical history. We also touch on why L. Ron Hubbard’s “Fear” is his favorite novel.Learn more about “The Mills of the Gods” at www.baen.com/the-mills-of-the-gods.html
Meet Illustrators of the Future winner Roddy Taylor, and Writers of the Future winners Brenda Posey and Thomas K. Slee, and learn their story of how they won the Contest and what it means to their future as creatives.
Meet Writers of the Future winners Mike Strickland, Shaun Stevenson, Michael Kuester, and Illustrators of the Future winners Nathan Deiwert, and Tracy Eire and learn their story of how they won the Contest and what it means to their future as creatives.
Golden Pen Award Winner Michael T. Kuester from Cincinnati, Ohio, with his story “In Living Color,” and Golden Brush Award Winner Bohuslav “Bafu” Argalas from Ruzomberok, Slovakia, with his illustration of the story “Saffron and Marigolds.”Michael is an engineer by day, a science fiction writer by night. An avid hiker and cooking enthusiast, he is a passionately curious individual and lives his life by the motto “In the twenty-first century, there’s no excuse for an unanswered question.” His story, “In Living Color,” evolved into a surprisingly personal allegory for social isolation, generational misunderstanding, and neurodivergence.Bafu began drawing before he learned to read or write. That passion led him to study art at the private school of Applied Arts in Zilina and later at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno, Czech Republic. Bafu creates illustrations and comics filled with humor, emotion, and a touch of the strange, hoping to make people smile, think, and drift away from reality—even just for a moment.Michael can be found at https://michaeltkuester.com/ Bafu can be found at https://www.bafu.art/
Join Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir, Susan Hanfield, Orson Scott Card, Jim Meskimen, Scott Peterson, most of the cast who voiced “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42,” in this podcast interview talking about what made this project special, why science fiction and fantasy are so important as a genre, and the value of celebrating creativity which is what Writers and Illustrators of the Future are all about.The other cast members were unable to participate due to prior commitments, but their creativity in their role in the audiobook is equally appreciated.The full cast along with stories they narrated are:Stefan Rudnicki narrated “Artistic Presentation,” “Shell Game,” “Skinny-Shins,” “The Creator’s Journey,” “In Living Color,” and “A Girl and Her Dragon: A Life in Four Parts.”Orson Scott Card read his bio and introduction.Gabrielle De Cuir narrated Jody Lynn Nye and Echo Chernick’s introductions as well as “Bloom Decay.”Janina Edwards narrated “Thickly.”Susan Hanfield narrated “Canary” and “A Girl and Her Dragon: A Life in Four Parts.”Kirby Heyborne narrated “Saffron and Marigolds,” “Dragon Visits,” and “As Long as You Both Shall Live.”John Lee narrated “The Triceratops Effect.”Jim Meskimen narrated “Form 14B—Application for Certification of Consciousness Transfer (Post-Mortem),” “Space Can,” “Collaboration,” and “Ghost Dog.”Scott Peterson narrated “A Ready-Made Bubble of Light.”This audiobook was produced by Skyboat Media. Edited, Mixed, and Mastered by Phaseshift. And the music was composed by Mark Isham.
Ron Clements was the keynote speaker in 2025 for our Writers and Illustrators of the Future Gala. We connected up again at LTUE - Life, the Universe, and Everything Symposium - in Provo, Utah, where we recorded this interview. Ron has been an animation director, screenwriter, and producer for Disney for four decades. Along with co-producer John Muster, he is the creator of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Moana, Princess and the Frog, and one of my favorites, Pete’s Dragon.In this interview, we discuss his journey to become one of the most successful animated movie producers of today and the process of creating animated movies. The story of how Robin Williams was brought on board for Aladdin was amazing!
Brandon Mull was a guest on this podcast a few years ago in episode #251. We met when he was the Toastmaster at The Life, the Universe, and Everything Conference, after which he sent me a copy of “Fablehaven,” which became the topic of our first interview. This interview is about his newest release, “Guardians: Forbidden Mountain,” an epic adventure fantasy that can be enjoyed by YA as well as adult readers. He normally takes 6 months to write a novel, but this one took 2 ½ years due to the story’s depth—and the fact that it is the first of a three-novel series. There are two hero journeys that gradually weave into each other. Mako Boughbreaker is along one path, and Arden is on the other side of the empire, walking her path. The book deftly addresses people's spirituality while weaving in the idea that one does have the choice to do the right thing—and that one’s actions have consequences, good or bad —which is important. Possibly even more so these days.Learn more at https://brandonmull.com/
thereby healing his body. As I enjoy discovering new magic systems, this was an especially nice treat.And I must say that I really enjoyed meeting Charlie at the Life, the Universe, and Everything Symposium, where this interview was recorded and discussing her journey as an author.Learn more at https://www.charlienholmberg.com/
1 NYT and USA Today bestselling author Tricia Levenseller was interviewed at the Superstars Writing Conference in Colorado Springs and discusses the various types of romance and specifically romantasy novels and what makes them so popular.NOTE: This was the first romance novel I ever read, which made the interview all the more interesting for me!We discuss her “villain love story,” “The Shadows Between Us,” and how she writes fantasy romance novels. She explained why the villainess-girl lead female character in a romance is so popular with the female audience.Find out more about Tricia at https://tricialevenseller.com
This interview was recorded in Provo, Utah, at the Life the Universe and Everything Symposium, with Elaine Cohen, pen name Elaine Midcoh, Writers of the Future Volume 39 winner, with her story “A Trickle in History.” Elaine’s earlier careers included being a lawyer and a college professor, but she now focuses on her writing. Her short story “On Behalf of Lake Owakeela” was recently published in the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, the Fiction Issue, having won the “Write Before Midnight” short fiction contest. It is a story that editor Kim Stanley Robinson commented had “A very knowing and expert feel.” In this interview, Elaine discusses how to research and write a fictional story on politically sensitive topics.Learn more: elainemidcoh.wordpress.com/
Joshua Essoe is a freelance editor with over a decade of full-time work under his belt.He has edited for bestsellers, Piers Anthony and David Farland, including the multi-award-winning novel, Nightingale. He’s also edited for Dean Lorey, lead writer of Arrested Development, Mark Leslie Lefebvre, former director at Kobo, USA Today bestsellers, Writers of the Future winners, and many other top-notch independents.He was the lead editor at Urban Fantasy Magazine from 2014-2015. From 2012-2015, he recorded the weekly writing podcast Hide and Create with co-hosts Michael J. Sullivan, Diana Rowland, Jay Wells, and Debbie Viguie.You can find Joshua teaching about editing, pitches, and writing back-cover copy every year at the Superstars Writing Seminars in Colorado. His approach to editing is to help you make your story the best version of itself it can be.Joshua is also a writer. He was a 2014 finalist in the Writers of the Future Contest and just released the third volume in a 5-book series, each covering two subjects of the most-common issues he sees in fiction writing as a full-time editor.Find his latest project at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshuaessoe/shazzwick-of-land-vol-1.
—an intense thriller—is not. And with the fact that she does write romantasy, it allowed discussing questions not previously asked including the difference between writing thrillers and romantasy.
Tim Waggoner is a multi-award-winning dark fantasy and horror author with a spattering of media tie-ins, now totaling over 60 novels.He’s also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.We discuss what attracts people to horror and why he enjoys writing it, and his horror novel, “The World Turns Red.”Visit Tim at TimWaggoner.com
In this episode, Lisa Mangum, a veteran editor and author, shares her extensive experience in publishing. She has worked as an editor at Deseret Book since 1997, and became the editorial manager at Shadow Mountain in 2014. She has authored four bestselling YA novels—including the Hourglass Door trilogy and After Hello—plus short stories, novellas, and a craft book inspired by Supernatural. She also edits anthologies for WordFire Press and teaches at writing conferences, including her unique UVU writing weekends in Capitol Reef National Park.The discussion centers on her book “Write Fearless. Edit Smart. Get Published.” emphasizing why even self-published or indie authors benefit from professional editing. Lisa explores key storytelling elements: the distinction between plot and story, various plot types, and narrative perspectives. She compares first-person, second-person, third-person limited, and third-person omniscient viewpoints, highlighting their relative strengths, challenges, and the genres where each thrives most effectively.
With over three million books published a year, how do you get your voice heard above the din of everyone else? Discovery remains one of the greatest challenges for both new and established writers. Whether it’s delivering your reader magnet, sending out advanced copies of your book, handing out eBooks at a conference, or fulfilling your digital sales to readers, BookFunnel does it all. They are in the business of building author careers, no matter where an author is on their journey.Damon Courtney, creator of BookFunnel, discusses why it was built and how it has been used globally to help build successful author careers.
Carell Augustus is a professional photographer whose career has taken him around the world to shoot some of the biggest stars on the planet. His celebrity clients have included Viola Davis, Beverly Johnson, Mariah Carey, Elizabeth Banks, Pierce Bronson, Meghan Markle, Serena Williams, Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, and more. He is also an author. Carell spent 10 years making his dream project come true. That dream was to reimagine famous Hollywood movie roles with black actors, with his coffee table book, “Black Hollywood: Reimagining Iconic Movie Moments.” This interview not only covers how he pulled off such an amazing product, but also the inspiration and drive to make it happen … no matter what.An L. Ron Hubbard essay on photography was also discussed, and how it applies to successful photography.Learn more at www.carellaugustus.com
Mike Sheffield is a 35-year Senior Software Engineer at Northrop Grumman Space Systems and a former U.S. Air Force Electronic Warfare Specialist. A passionate sci-fi fan, Mike joined the Heinlein Society in 2001, chaired its blood drive committee until 2010, has led the scholarship committee since 2012, served on the board from 2006–2014, and was the fourth Chair and President for its final four years.He discusses his love for science fiction, the origins of Heinlein-inspired blood drives at conventions (starting 1999 NASFiC), participation tips, the Heinlein for Heroes veteran book program, connections between L. Ron Hubbard and Robert A. Heinlein, thoughts on Final Blackout and Battlefield Earth, his favorite Heinlein works, the Writers of the Future legacy, and a message for global listeners.
stories, intriguing, powerful, and fully realized, often get overlooked simply because they don't match the expected lengths.Calendar of Fools, the small press founded by Writers of the Future alumni, aims to change that. Following the success of their previous anthology, Intergalactic Rejects—which gave rejected gems a second life—Missed-Fits provides a dedicated home for these literary oddities.This collection gathers brief, compelling visions from award-winning authors and emerging voices alike. The stories are fast reads that explore themes of incompatibility, things that are missing or out of place, and the beauty of narratives that don't quite belong. They prove that great storytelling isn't confined by arbitrary categories.This podcast episode announces the Kickstarter for this project. If it succeeds, an open call will invite submissions of these awkward-length tales to join with stories from established anchor writers.For readers, Missed-Fits offers a treasury of unique, otherwise-unpublished stories that slip between the cracks of conventional markets but deserve to be discovered. For writers, it's an invitation to embrace the unconventional lengths and let the story dictate its own size.Learn more by visiting www.kickstarter.com/projects/calendaroffools/missed-fits-a-calendar-of-fools-anthology
Writers of the Future first readers Leah Ning, Martin Shoemaker, Eric James Stone, and Coordinating Judge Jody Lynn Nye answer questions submitted by Contest entrants on what is looked for in stories submitted to the Contest. What excites them. What turns them off. What determines an Honorable Mention, Silver Honorable Mention, and Finalist. How stories are handled in genres that aren’t their favorite. And dozens of other questions.
Kevin J. Anderson is one of the rarest of creatives. As a writer, he started from the bottom and worked his way up to become an internationally bestselling author of over 190 books, 58 of which have been national or international bestsellers. He then became a publisher – Wordfire Press. Following this, he co-created the Superstars Writing Workshop. He is now also the director of a Publishing Graduate Program at Western Colorado University—the subject of this interview.Kevin has also been a Writers of the Future judge for over 25 years and a very trusted partner helping with the growth of the Contest.
Alan Smale is an astrophysicist and award-winning author (including “Writers of the Future Volume 13”) who recently retired from NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center after decades of groundbreaking work. Holding a Bachelor’s in Physics and a Ph.D. in Astrophysics from Oxford University, Alan moved to the U.S. in the late 1980s to collaborate with NASA. Three years ago, Alan joined the podcast to discuss “Hot Moon,” the thrilling launch of his alternate-history Apollo Rising series. This interview celebrates the release of “Burning Night,” the conclusion to the trilogy.We discuss the series’ blend of meticulous historical accuracy and bold “what-if” speculation, vividly recreating the high-stakes tension of the U.S.-Soviet rivalry in the 1970s and 1980s—this time extended to a secret lunar battlefield. Alan also shares insights on L. Ron Hubbard’s 1948 short story “240,000 Miles Straight Up,” an eerily prescient tale of superpower conflict on the Moon.Whether you’re a space history buff, a Cold War enthusiast, or a fan of hard-SF alternate history, this episode explores how real science, real geopolitics, and imaginative fiction collide in one of the most ambitious near-future series in recent years.Learn more at www.alansmale.com.
Bob Boze Bell has been a friend for over a decade and has provided various features on western titles by L. Ron Hubbard in True West Magazine. His work has appeared in Arizona Highways, Playboy, National Lampoon, the Arizona Republic, and True West magazine. For ten years (2002-2012), he produced a video version of True West Moments, which aired on the Westerns Channel.In this episode, we discuss what makes a Western story different from other genres, along with the role of research in good storytelling. Bob was ahead of the curve in using social media to grow the popularity of True West Magazine, which we also cover.BBB can currently be seen on the series “Gunslingers,” which runs on the American Heroes Channel. Triple B is also the President and executive editor of True West magazine, positions he has held since 1999.He has written a dozen books on Old West characters, including Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and Wild Bill Hickok, as well as a three-part series (so far) on Classic Gunfights, which appear in True West.Learn more about Bob and True West Magazine at blog.truewestmagazine.com/
Patrick Kidder is the editor-in-chief of Sally Port Magazine. Kidder shares his journey to becoming a full-time writer and publisher, inspired by gaps in family-friendly fantasy fiction. Together with his wife, he founded Forever Mountain Publishing and launched Sally Port Magazine—named after a castle’s side door—to provide an accessible entry point for diverse voices.The magazine specializes in clean fantasy stories suitable for all ages, emphasizing strong characters, layered narratives, and off-page handling of mature themes. Kidder discusses blind submissions, preferred lengths (5,000–9,000 words), themed issues, and his commitment to uplifting, hopeful tales without graphic content. The conversation also touches on editing practices, avoiding AI-generated work, and encouraging aspiring writers to submit to both Sally Port and the Writers of the Future Contest.Learn more at https://sallyportmagazine.com/
Design. In this interview, we discuss the value of art school and the impact of AI on art.Christina is an illustrator known for blending historical and natural themes across a wide range of projects. Her portfolio includes everything from numismatic designs (the study of coins, tokens, medals, and paper money) to illustrated cookbooks, rendered in various media such as graphite, watercolor, oil, and digital.Two 2026 United States coins will feature designs by Christina. The new quarter showcases scientist Dr. Vera Rubin. She also designed a new $1 coin depicting Native Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui as part of the Native American $1 Coin Program.Christina’s illustrations have been featured in publications such as the Society of Illustrators West, Spectrum Fantastic Art, ImagineFX, and 3x3 Magazine.And if that’s not enough, she is a wonderful person, and her students at Ringling are extremely fortunate to have her!Learn more at www.christinahess.com/about
In the beginning, there was no punctuation. Texts were written so that their letters ran together withnospacesorpunctuation and without any distinction between lowercase and capitals. It was up to the reader to discover where each word or sentence ended and the next began. Then, through orators and actors, marks were made to show pauses and stops and emphasis, and thus punctuation was born.Ian Randal Strock is the perfect guest for this topic. As a successful editor, author, and publisher, he has taken it upon himself to thoroughly research the history of punctuation and why it is so important to literature. In this interview, Ian discusses his book “Punctilious Punctuation,” and how bad punctuation is an immediate turn-off for an editor or reader. This leads to the importance of knowing the rules before breaking them.What is the solution for the current wave of language devaluing…especially as we witness on social media texting?The back cover copy says you will laugh and you will cringe, and this is certainly true. So, enjoy this very fun episode.BTW, ever wonder why commas and periods always must be inside quotation marks?Learn more at https://ianrandalstrock.com/
Ruby Lovell is an award-winning journalist, dynamic show host, and accomplished author whose career bridges the worlds of entertainment, media, and storytelling—making her the perfect guest for this podcast. Born in Sri Lanka, she has lived in the UK and the US and has traveled the world.We originally met at the Hollywood Christmas Parade, where Ruby was a media attendee. Ruby next attended and brilliantly covered that year's Writers of the Future Awards gala, creating a wonderful video segment on the event with her acclaimed series Right On LA! with Ruby Lovell.In this interview, we discuss her career as a journalist for the BBC and NTD News, her creation of a travel show sponsored by the BBC, and her transition into children’s book authorship.
Megan O'Russell is a YA author who transitioned from a successful career in theater to writing. We met on a panel at Dragon Con and agreed to do this podcast. We discuss her journey, the importance of storytelling, and the differences between traditional and indie publishing. Megan shares insights on empowering authors, navigating the editing process, and the significance of world-building in fantasy literature. We also explore the handling of romance and sexuality in YA, the supportive nature of the indie author community, and provide valuable advice for aspiring writers.Megan discusses her YA novel, “Ember and Stone,” which is a compelling example of YA romance and empowerment. Great examples of dealing with profanity without using profanity.Megan has set up a code to allow listeners to discover her fantastical worlds. All you need to do is go to https://meganorussell.com/discount/FUTURE50, add any ebook to your cart (no complete collections as they're already sold at a discount), and the code will be applied to each single ebook at checkout.
Jim Nettles is a well-established author of science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary fiction. However, in this interview, we delve into another aspect of Jim, as the founder of Author Essentials and Author Essentials Workshops.In this interview, we discuss his book, “Business Essentials for Writers”, and he shares his unique perspective on failure, emphasizing that not trying is the true failure.Additional topics include:- To be successful, though, you’ve got to understand how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together.- The “myth of the starving artist.” - Four focuses: Mindset; strategy; Tactical Actions; Operational Actions- We discuss the various types of editors and why you might need them. We also clarify editors vs. beta readers- In the new world of self-publishing, why are editors still important- Publicity: obscurity is the enemy of the authorLearn more at https://jamespnettles.com/
Bestselling fantasy author Katie Cross is one of the most comfortable authors I have ever read. “Miss Mabel’s School for Girls” is the first book in the Network Series.In this episode, Katie shares her journey as a writer, the inspiration behind her books, and the importance of engaging with readers. She discusses her unique approach to storytelling, character development, and the magic system in her works. Katie emphasizes the significance of mindset in overcoming challenges and the value of self-publishing. The conversation also explores the balance between family life and a writing career, as well as the impact of conventions on reader engagement.She can be found at https://katiecrossbooks.com/
Subrahmanian Seshadri, who goes by “Sesh,” is the CEO of Overleaf Books LLP and a member of the Educational Publishers Forum of the International Publishers Association, representing India, a country with a population of 1.4 billion. We discuss Writers and Illustrators of the Future and its importance to creative individuals in India. Sesh see's the value of the Contests for teh 213,000,000 middle school students. Both Contests are perfect fits for India, and we hope that new Indian voices will be discovered for the international stage.
for inspiring Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind—echoed in the name of Giraud's own daughter.Visit https://www.moebius.fr/ and https://www.instagram.com/moebius_production/?hl=en
Jeffrey Morris is a writer, director, and founder of FutureDude Entertainment, a production company that blends dazzling creativity with innovative storytelling. His goal … rekindling the human spirit through science fiction.He has produced an amazing documentary entitled THE EAGLE OBSESSION and is here in our Hollywood office as part of his screening tour. We discuss the purpose of the documentary: Reinspire that future that didn’t happen, addressing modern dystopia as a loss of hope after the Apollo program was halted once we walked on the moon.https://eagledocumentary.com/
F, such as whether the end justifies the means, and the consequences of violating the basic agreements of mutual trust and honesty between marriage partners.Learn more at https://stevenheumannauthor.com/
Becca Lee Gardner is one of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet! In this episode, she shares her origin story of the Dragon Champion series, born from the ritual of bedtime tales spun for her children. This is the first time writing children’s books has been discussed on this podcast.We also cover how one deals with force and conflict in books written for children ages 5-12. It is quite different than adult books – which she also writes.Learn more about Becca at https:beccaleeg.com/
Matthew Wolf is the creator of the epic adventure-fantasy series The Ronin Saga. He is releasing the fifth book in the series, “Heart of Flesh.” In this episode, we explore how he transforms myth into vivid reality, with the Ronin—a once-legendary team of nine, each with specific powers—now returning over a thousand years later. Each volume introduces another of the Ronin as the series progresses. His introduction of the nine dragons in this fifth volume adds rich depth and sets the stage for an epic good-versus-evil showdown. Matthew discusses his secrets for crafting compelling novel arcs that seamlessly contribute to the overarching story, revealing his approach to pacing that keeps readers hooked.We also discuss the Writers & Illustrators of the Future Contests and the impact of past masters, such as L. Ron Hubbard, as inspiration for authors like Matthew.Follow Matthew at www.matthewwolfauthor.com.
In this episode, we dive into the world of artificial intelligence with Stone Sanchez, the publisher of Spare Oom Press and a passionate computer geek. Stone is not only a technologist but also an avid reader, writer, and musician. Join us as we explore the growing influence of computer intelligence and its implications for creatives. Stone shares his insights on the threats AI poses to writers and artists and offers practical solutions to stay ahead in this rapidly evolving landscape.
Craig Miller, the first Director of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm Ltd., played a pivotal role during the creation of Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. As a publicist, writer, producer, and innovator, Craig crafted groundbreaking ways to engage and grow the Star Wars fanbase, helping cement its place as a cultural phenomenon. Beyond Star Wars, Craig has been a key figure in the Writers of the Future contest since its inception, and he shares insights from its early days.We also discuss Craig’s book, Star Wars Memories: My Time in the (Death Star) Trenches, a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes stories from his time in the Star Wars universe. From accidental mishaps to industry-defining moments, Craig’s tales are as entertaining as they are revealing.In this episode, we explore:1.How Craig landed the dream job of Director of Fan Relations for Star Wars.2.The scope of his role and what it meant to be the bridge between Lucasfilm and its passionate fans.3.His favorite interviews with Star Wars legends like Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford.4.Memorable filming locations and what made them stand out.5.The hilarious and chaotic story of how Craig accidentally shut down the state of Illinois’ telephone system.6.The epic saga of Kenner vs. Hasbro and the licensing misstep that rivals publishers rejecting Harry Potter.7.The impact and legacy of the Star Wars comics.
With her thought-provoking novels, Nancy Kress, acclaimed science fiction author and winner of six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, blends cutting-edge science with profound human questions. In this episode, we dive into her celebrated works, starting with “Beggars in Spain,” a gripping exploration of bioengineering, and “Tomorrow’s Kin,” where complex scientific concepts challenge readers to expand their vocabulary and imagination. We discuss how Nancy masterfully weaves real science into her narratives, her approach to tackling humanity’s response to intelligent extraterrestrial life, and the craft of writing compelling science fiction that resonates with both heart and mind. Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to her work, this episode offers a fascinating look at what it takes to create authentic, thought-provoking sci-fi. https://nancykress.com/PHOTO CREDIT: MARY GRACE LONG
Today’s guest is Wulf Moon, who many of you already know from any of our past three interviews since he was on as a Writer winner in Volume 35 back in 2019 with his short story “Super Duper Moongirl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler.”Wulf Moon won his first writing award at the age of 15 and has now won over 60 awards in writing and 30 in public speaking. He remains one the biggest supporters and promoters of Writers of the Future.As you can deduce from the title of this episode, we discuss tools you can use to raise the bar of your storytelling to new lofty heights.You can find him at https://driftweave.com/
How do you weave short stories into a cohesive novel? In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome back award-winning author Martin L. Shoemaker, a “Writers of the Future Volume 31” winner, to discuss his latest novel, “A Fine and Dangerous Season.”Martin shares his unique process of transforming a series of short stories, all written in October 2023, into a gripping, interconnected narrative. From his early success with “Unrefined” to co-authoring “How to Be a Dictator” with Kevin J. Anderson and his novel “Today I Am Carey,” Martin’s fourth appearance on our podcast dives deep into the art of storytelling. Learn practical techniques for blending short-form fiction into a novel-length masterpiece and get inspired by his creative journey. Learn more at https://shoemaker.space/.
Join us as Nev March, the first Indian-born winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Award for a First Crime Novel and 2024 NY Chapter chair, shares her journey into murder mystery. A departure from our usual SF&F, we explore new genres, as top authors recommend reading broadly.
Lydia Sherrer is a USA Today bestselling author and has published multiple novels, including “Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus,” a delightful urban fantasy with snarky humor. In this episode, we discuss writing urban fantasy fiction and how to add a bit of snark to make it even better.Learn more at www.lydiasherrer.com.
Nicole “N. V.” Haskell was a Writers of the Future winner in Volume 38 with her fantasy short story, “The Mystical Farrago.” Her recent novel, “The Malice of Moons and Mages,” is an epic fantasy novel, first in a series, where Nicole creates a world filled with magic but with special rules and laws. In this episode, we discuss how to world-build a magical realm and the importance of staying true to the system you have created.We also discuss Nicole’s special journey as an author, including her Writers of the Future win and subsequent workshop in Hollywood.Learn more about Nicole at nvhaskell.com.
Laurence O’Bryan is an author and the Founder of the International Dublin Writers’ Festival and BooksGoSocial. In this episode, we discuss how BooksGoSocial provides personalized book promotion with expert feedback, Amazon ad optimization, and extensive social media reach to boost sales. Galaxy Press uses this service, and we want to make this known to other creatives who want to realize more success in book sales.Learn more at bgsauthors.com/
Django Degree is the founder and CEO of Focus on Words, a book platform that gives authors full ownership of their work, royalties, and audience. He’s also the author of “I Hope You Wake Up” and “They Lied To You,” books that dive deep into truth, identity, and how we break free from the systems that shape us.His mission is clear: help authors reclaim their voice, rebuild broken systems, and eventually use the success of that work to fund a city for foster youth and orphans across the country.
Craig Martelle is an international bestselling author of thrillers and science fiction. His nonfiction book, Wit and Wisdom, provides incredible advice to authors. His first podcast interview was based on his thriller Ian Bragg Series. This interview is built around his book—a must-read for writers wishing to improve their game.He founded IASFA (Independent Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Authors), which we also discuss in this interview. If you are a science fiction or fantasy writer, this is a great group to join. Learn more here: https://iasfa.org/
Brittany “Bea” Jackson illustrated the New York Times bestselling picture books, “Parker Looks Up,” about America’s First Lady, and LeBron James’s “We Are Family,” and her own “Lilly’s Dream,” which she both wrote and illustrated.She is a former grand prize winner of the Illustrators of the Future Contest and was published in “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 24.” She has been a judge since 2021.We discuss how she developed her style as a self-taught artist, having begun as a fan fiction artist. We also discussed how she was discovered by a major publisher finding her through social pages.Visit www.beagifted.com/
Tom Wood is a fantasy art illustrator among the best-selling poster artists in the US and Canada. We met at the Dragon Con in Atlanta 10 years ago, where he exhibited at a booth next to ours. We became friends, then great friends. We also appreciated his desire to help other artists. We invited him and he has been an Illustrators of the Future judge since 2021. In “Writers of the Future Volume 41,” he wrote an article titled “An Artist’s Path,” describing his journey from very humble beginnings to being one of the most successful poster artists in North America, which we discuss in this episode.Learn more about Tom and his art at tomwoodfantasyart.com/
Robert J. Sawyer entered Writers of the Future and won three Honorable Mentions before disqualifying himself by selling professionally. We met 20 years ago at Torcon III, where he won his first Hugo award. The following year, he was invited to Hollywood to attend the Gala and subsequently invited to be a judge. He agreed and has been a judge for 20 years as of this interview.Find him at https://www.sfwriter.com/
Tim Powers is a three-time World Fantasy Award winner and Writers of the Future Contest judge and instructor. In this podcast, we discuss why fantasy has to be believable...and how to make that happen!
Sean Williams was a Writers of the Future winner in 1992 and published in Volume 9. He became a judge in 2003. He is a NYT bestselling author of 60 books and over 120 short stories for adults, young adults, and children.Sean wrote the cover story based on Craig Elliot’s cover art for “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Volume 41” titled “Under False Colours.”In this episode, we discuss his journey as a writer, which is an inspiration in and of itself to the amateur, and the importance of short stories in establishing oneself as an author.Sean is one of the nicest people you will ever know, and this episode will provide some insight into why.Learn more about Sean at https://seanwilliams.com/
Four Illustrators of the Future winners: CL Fors, illustrator of "A World of Repetitions"; Tremani Sutcliffe, illustrator of "Ascii"; Breanda Petsch, illustrator of "Karma Birds"; and Daniel Montifar, illustrator of "The Boy from Elsewhen." We discuss their journeys as artists, Illustrator Workshop week, illustration, and the Illustrators of the Future Forum. Sign up on the forum at https://writersofthefuture.com/forum/.
These eight winners from year 41 at the Writers & Illustrators of the Future workshop and awards gala: Seth Atwater, Jr., author of "A World of Repetitions," Jefferson Snow, author of "The Rune Witch," Joel C. Scoberg, author of "The Stench of Freedom," Sandra Skalski, author of "Slip Stone," T.R. Naus, author of "Storm Damage," Haileigh Enriquez, illustrator of "Storm Damage" and "Slip Stone," HeatherAnne Lee, illustrator of "Code L1," and Andrew Jackson, author of "Code L1."We discuss their journey as creative individuals and what makes the workshop so special for them and what Writers and Illustrators of the Future means to them and to the genre.
These four winners from year 41 at the Writers & Illustrators of the Future workshop and awards gala: David Hoffrichter, illustrator of "The Rune Witch"; Lauren McGuire, author of "Karma Birds"; Barlow Crassmont, author of "The Boy from Elsewhen"; and, Patrick MacPhee, author of "Thirty Minutes or It's a Paradox."
These four winners from year 41 at the Writers & Illustrators of the Future workshop and awards gala: Robert Lowell, author of "Kill Switch"; Jordan Smajstrla, illustrator of "Kill Switch"; CL "Cherrie" Fors, illustrator of "A World of Repetitions"; Ian Keith, author of "Blackbird Stone."We discuss their journey as creative individuals and what makes the workshop so special for them and what Writers and Illustrators of the Future means to them and to the genre.
Jonathan Merkh is the President and Publisher at Forefront Books. Andrea Fleck-Nesbit, president of the Independent Book Publishers Association and a previous podcast guest, introduced Merkh to the host. Merkh previously served as vice president and publisher at Thomas Nelson Publishers, led Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, and Guidepost. Jonathan has published nearly 100 New York Times bestsellers. In 2023, Publishers Weekly recognized Forefront Books as the second fastest-growing publisher in the United States, and Inc. Magazine included Forefront Books among the nation’s top fastest-growing companies.In this episode, we discuss the history of publishing, the need to have a platform as an author, the specialty niche that Forefront Books specializes in, and tips for writers of fiction and nonfiction.Learn more at www.forefrontbooks.com/
Isaac Stewart, once an independent author and artist, now serves as the Vice President of Creative Development at Dragonsteel Entertainment. Isaac designed and illustrated the interior art for Brandon Sanderson’s “The Way of Kings,” including the Alethi Women’s script, maps, Shallan’s and Navani’s notebook pages, and additional artwork. He also created the interior art for the Mistborn series, featuring the Steel alphabet, maps, and Allomantic table. Stewart is closely linked to two Cosmere characters: Nazrilof, a character he created and partially based on himself, and the cartographer Isasik Shulin, whose name derives from Isaac’s.Beyond his contributions to Sanderson’s works, Isaac is writing books, creating cartography, and designing book covers. He collaborated with Shawn Boyles on the webcomic “Rocket Road Trip.” Isaac and his wife, Kera, joined Dragonsteel Entertainment around 2013, with Isaac hired as an in-house artist before the publication of “Words of Radiance.”Isaac attended the Life, the Universe, & Everything (LTUE) annual booksales event, where he gifted the podcast host a copy of his book “Monsters Don’t Wear Underpants” and which became part of this podcast discussion.Learn more about Isaac at https://coppermind.net/wiki/Coppermind:Artists/Isaac_Stewart
Today’s guests are Jim, Tamra, and Taylor Meskimen along with Kirby Heyborne. The Meskimens were recorded in a studio in Los Angeles while Kirby was from his home in Utah. This episode discusses creating the Writers of the Future Volume 41 audiobook.Jim is an actor, comedian, and impressionist best known for his voice-over work in video games. His IMDB page has over 330 entries, some of which include Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Thundercats, Parks and Recreation, and Jib Jabs’ This Land is Your Land.Tamra is an actor who has appeared in shows such as Physical, American Crime Story, and General Hospital. She established an improv company devoted to improvising one-act plays and co-founded an acting school, The Acting Center, where she teaches and performs.Their daughter Taylor is also an actor accomplished in improv, dance, song, and film. When she isn’t in recording studios, she has performed for over a decade at venues throughout Los Angeles, narrating over 130 audiobooks, including Riverdale, Enders Game Alive, and Midnight Sun.Kirby Heyborne is an actor, musician, singer, songwriter, narrator, and comedian. He has also worked extensively as an audiobook narrator, having narrated more than 2,000 books.
On the evening of Thursday, April 10, 2025 at the 41st Annual Writers of the Future and the 36th Annual Illustrators of the Future L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards Gala in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Randyn C. J. Bartholomew from Brooklyn, NY was named the 2025 Grand Prize Writer Winner and Jordan Smajstrla of Boerne, TX was named the 2025 Grand Prize Illustrator Winner. Randyn C. J. Bartholomew said, “This is a dream come true! It’s hard to imagine; it’s wild! I think the most important thing I learned this week is that there’s a community of people doing this. It’s not you or me sitting alone at laptops anymore. Thank you!”Jordan Smajstrla said, “I am so honored to have been chosen. I wouldn’t be here without my writer. His story is the foundation of my illustration. Arts is one of the most important things in life. If you are driven to create, create. Don’t let anyone stop you or tell you you aren’t good enough. Artistic expression brings people together and makes the world a better place. Never stop.”This interview was recorded at the Loews Hotel in Hollywood, California, the morning following the Awards Gala.
Robert Hatch has over thirty years experience as a director/producer/writer of dramatic films, documentaries, and television series, and his films have received over three hundred awards and honors from film festivals in the U.S. and internationally.He stated that he is always on the lookout for new material to turn into movies.
David Howard, renowned for his screenplay of DreamWorks’ Galaxy Quest, brings a wealth of experience from television and live theatre. Interestingly, his spot on the podcast isn’t just due to his film industry credentials. The mix-up between Galaxy Press and Galaxy Quest, a common occurrence at conventions where fans routinely confuse the two, made him an especially relevant guest when the opportunity presented itself at the Life, the Universe, and Everything Symposium in Provo, Utah.This interview covers the nuances of scriptwriting—highlighting what works well and what doesn’t. But more to the podcast’s purpose, we discuss the themes and creative process behind David’s delightful young adult fantasy novel, Penumbra.
Jen Finelli is a physician and injured adventurer. Her real-life adventures have ranged from the funny and silly (like getting herself locked in a German nunnery by accident) to the beautiful (like scuba diving with sharks) to the severe and tragic (like breaking her spirit as she held the dying and watched sexual assault victims suffer without justice).So she often writes fantastical science fiction with a real-life military, medical, or combat edge. When she is not doing that, she plays with trauma and pain and hope.Marie Whittaker, the Exec Dir of Superstars, reached out with what an amazing guest Jen would be. And so, please meet Jen Finelli, who just published her five-book series with WordFire Press.https://byjenfinelli.com/
Michael La Ronn built a writing career publishing 10-12 books per year while raising a family, working a full time job, and even attending law school classes in the evenings. In this interviews, we discuss how he has juggled all this and maintained a very positive outlook.Learn more at www.michaellaronn.com
Today’s guest is Edward Ashton, author of "Mickey 7" along with his most recent title "The Fourth Consort."His novel, "Mickey 7" has been made into the just released movie "Mickey 17."When Edward is not writing his international bestselling novels, he enjoys cancer research, teaching quantum physics to sullen graduate students, and whittling.https://www.edwardashton.com/
Dave Butler, pen name DJ Butler, and David Afsharirad have created a new publisher, Ark Press. Dave Butler was a guest on episode 246, discussing navigating right and wrong in storytelling.Ark Press mission is to provide stories where humans win in the end.In this episode, we discuss a new press called Ark Press and an exciting writing competition—America 2076—to be published in 2026. That’s why it's speculative fiction.Learn more at https://x.com/ark_press
Toni Weisskopf is an American science fiction editor and the publisher of Baen Books. She has won the Phoenix Award, the Rebel Award, and the Neffy Award for best editor. She uses the nom de plume T. K. F. Weisskopf as an anthology editor.Writers of the Future and Toni initially met in New York in 1989, where she was a volunteer helping at the Awards event! She has since worked with Jim Baen, working under him as an editor and wearing every hat in a publishing house. With Jim’s passing, Toni became the owner and publisher of Baen Books and is going strong! She was earlier on this podcast in episode 100.In this episode, we discuss the future of publishing.
Z.S. “Zac” Diamanti, per his own bio, went to college forever and has too many pieces of paper on his wall as a result. He is a USAF veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and has worked in ministry for 10 years.Zac came highly recommended by Superstars organizers. And rightly so. The “Guard in the Garden” is a cozy fantasy, a subgenre that has not been addressed before on this podcast. What is fascinating is how he successfully used cozy fantasy to deal with the aftermath of war. And I must say, I have not cried this much over a story for a long time!https://zsdiamanti.com/
Marc Cameron is a former US Marshal and author of the Arliss Cutter novels, the Jericho Quinn series, and the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan books starting with "Power" and "Empire."His law enforcement career has spanned over thirty years, from uniformed police officer to mounted patrol officer and detective before becoming a US Marshal, where he served as a Deputy, Fugitive Task Force Commander, Supervisory Deputy, Senior Inspector, and Chief. In this interview, we discuss his latest novel, “Bad River," and writing thrillers and how he has used life experience to create amazing stories.https://marccameronbooks.com/
Scot Noel was a guest earlier, which you can listen to on episode 210. Scot was a Writers of the Future Volume 6 winner in 2010 and has since gone on to write more SF and created DreamForge, now in its fourth year. He has also spent quite some time working in computer science, specifically AI, and likens it to the parable of the two blind men describing an elephant, which we discuss in this interview.
Douglas Richards was a guest earlier in episode 211. In it, we discuss the blur between science and science fiction and the theme will continue in this episode. His most recent book, “The Breakthrough Effect,” was written as ChatGPT made its official appearance and so is very relevant.
David Hankins was a “Writers of the Future Volume 39” winner in 2023 with his short story “Death and the Taxman.” In this interview, we discuss science fiction comedy vs. satire and its value to the overall genre.He has since gone on to create a series based on his short story. The first was appropriately titled “Death and the Taxman,” and the second, now releasing, “Death and the Dragon.” He was a guest earlier as a winner and you can hear him in episodes 238 and 239 with fellow winners following the awards gala.Learn more about David at davidhankins.com/
Victoria Sutherland created Foreword Reviews Magazine in 1998. Since its inception, Foreword Reviews has never strayed from its mission to help booksellers and librarians discover great books from indie presses. Authors may not know that librarians need a trade review to order books, which is what Foreword Reviews is. They include 100–125 reviews per bi-monthly issue.Anyone listening to this podcast will receive a 15% discount for any Foreword service using discount code “WOTF" at www.ForewordReviews.com.
Steve Smith is the President and Publisher of Sky Turtle Press/Oasis Family Media. He began his publishing career in 1984.Throughout the 1990s, he was active in licensing entertainment industry properties for publishing projects, working with Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, and Sony Pictures.This interview discusses the importance of family-friendly content and the evolution of print books to audiobooks.
Adam Schomer is a filmmaker who created “Selling Superman,” which is the basis of this podcast interview.He is president of i2i Productions and goes to extreme lengths to follow stories that empower.His documentaries include award winners: “The Highest Pass,” “The Polygon,” “One Little Pill,” “Women of the White Buffalo,” and the documentary I watched, “Selling Superman,” about a family whose father collected comics … tens of thousands and including Issue #1 of Superman valued somewhere between $3-4M!Check out the documentary at https://www.sellingsuperman.com/
Andrea Fleck-Nisbet is the CEO of IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Assn), which is growing rapidly. After this interview with Andrea, it is no wonder why. She is a significant force of nature and, from my perspective, a major reason for this growth. In this interview, we discuss Indie publishing as well as author publishing. (She corrected me when I used the term self-publishing.)We discuss IBPA, its importance to the future of publishing, and its importance to authors and indie publishers.Learn more at www.ibpa-online.org/
Elise Stephens credits much of her storytelling influence to a lifelong love of theater and childhood globetrotting. Her work focuses on themes of family, memory, and finding hope after a devastating loss. I originally met her when she won the Writers of the Future competition in 2018 with her short story “Untrained Luck” appearing in Writers of the Future Vol 35.When I learned of her book, “Forecast,” her invitation to this podcast was assured.Her fiction prose is so easy to read and her sense of character is so authentic. Her’s was a book I greedily devoured.Learn more about Elise at www.elisestephens.com/
Myke was a Writers of the Future Contest winner in volume 19 with his story “Blood and Horses.” He is an American author of fantasy, science fiction, and nonfiction. His series includes the Shadow Ops, Reawakening, and Sacred Throne. His career also involves television, and he has appeared on the CBS reality show Hunted and the Discovery Channel series Contact.Myke Cole is a fire/rescue responder in New York’s Hudson Valley. He has spent a long career in the military, intelligence, and law enforcement.When I reached out to him, he told me he was more about writing nonfiction these days. So today, we discuss his most recent publication, “Steel Lobsters: Crown, Commonwealth, and the Last Knights in England.”Steel Lobsters covers the complete history of England’s last knights, from the seeds of their creation in Hesilrige’s experience as a young cavalry officer to their final defeat at Roundway Down in July 1643.
Sean is the President of Dreamscape Media.He is also the President of the Audio Publishers Association.We met in Frankfurt recently at the Book Fair and finalized this interview.Audiobook growth kept the publishing industry growing during the pandemic, so I am very excited to speak with Sean about the growth of audiobooks as an industry. We also discuss the growth of AI generated audiobooks in the industry as a viable solution for books that would not otherwise ever be made as an audiobook.
Scott won the Writers of the Future Contest in volume 28 with his story “Insect Sculptor.” He is the Founder of NewMyths eZine, one of only a few online magazines that continue to pay writers, poets, and artists for their contributions.He was a guest on this podcast on episode 57 in early 2020, just before the pandemic hit.In this interview, we discuss writing with multiple first-person points of view as well as his new YA novel, “Memories of Lucinda Eco,” which demonstrates this technique.You can find “Memories of Lucinda Eco” at www.amazon.com/Memories-Lucinda-…nes/dp/1939354269And you can find Scott here: www.scotttbarnes.com/about-me
Jason Kelly, the CEO of Sounded, an audiobook company, was interviewed at the Frankfurt Bookfair. We addressed the fact that AI audiobooks are now a reality. In fact, Audible created 40,000 AI audiobooks last year using synthetic voices.We discuss how AI (synthetic voices) can be set up to not violate narrator rights and how it works. We also discuss how companies violate copyright laws by using a clone model (a celebrity voice synthesized by AI), and, thus, the authors need to know what they are getting into. If you are an author wanting to get your book created as an audiobook but have a very limited budget, then perhaps Sounded is a resource for you. https://www.sounded.com/
This interview was recorded at the Frankfurt Bookfair in Frankfurt, Germany.Cory Verner created Christian Audio as a solution to having something good to listen to on his daily 3-hour commute from San Diego to Orange County in California. He grew his company to the point where he was ready to move on and sold it to Recorded Books, at which point he decided to create his new company, ONE Audiobooks. He also has Verity Audio Productions, specializing in Spanish, and works with other audiobook publishers. We discuss the value of audiobooks with a good message, not preaching, but like PG or PG 13-type stories.He also created Zoundy.com, a site that allows authors to create and use an audiobook as a free giveaway to build reviews for their books, which can be posted on Goodreads and Amazon.NOTE: We used the term “SaaS” in the interview, which means “Software as a Service.”We also discuss the growth of the audiobook industry and the models used to discover audiobooks. Visit oneaudiobooks.com/
Dennys Ilic is a genuinely beautiful person who has, for the past 18 years, pursued his passion as a professional photographer. He is also a celebrated Leica photographer.He has become internationally renowned as an editorial portrait photographer, best known for his edgy and soulful images. He has worked with clients including A-list actors Daniel Radcliffe, Jason Momoa, Halle Berry, Charlie Hunnam, Viola Davis, Keanu Reeves, Glenn Close, Ryan Reynolds, Cindy Crawford, Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Karl Urban, Edward James Olmos, Rosario Dawson, Lawrence Fishburne, Mary McDonnell, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Hart, Lou Diamond Philips, as well as Joel Silver, David S. Goyer, and Peter Jackson, to name a few. Dennys has been instrumental in publishing five successful hard-cover photographic art books and is in preparation for creating the Star Trek Discovery Coffee-Table Book. Today, we will talk about MEN OF SCIENCE FICTION.See his work at https://leicagalleryla.com/gallery-view/dennys-ilic/
Angelique Fawns has published multiple short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and DreamForge Anvil. She has also published several dark fantasy compendiums titled MYTHICAL MONSTERS. I read several of her short stories in BOOK 3 OF THE HORROR LIGHT SERIES and found them perfect for entertaining Halloween reads.She also compiled a publication listing all short story markets titled THE GUIDE OF ALL GUIDES, which we will discuss.Learn more at www.Fawns.ca
Joe Davis competed for the US in the winter sliding sport of Skeleton at the Olympic Park (1999-2003).For the last few years, he has enjoyed sharing the stories and history of Park City and Utah in general as an Anchor and Reporter for the NBC affiliate KSL and as the former Host of the Mountain Morning Show on PCTV (Park City Television). In addition, he proudly continues serving as a Public Affairs Broadcast Journalist for the United States Air Force.Joe Davis is a long-term supporter of Writers of the Future having done dozens of interviews with me, Contest winners, and judges.In this interview, we discuss how to do a successful interview. What is important to provide? What should you not do?
We recorded this podcast at the Writers of the Future panel at FanX Salt Lake 2024 with an amazing list of panelists.Beginning with me as the moderator, it included S.M. Stirling, Larry Niven, Rebecca Moesta, Kevin J. Anderson, Darci Stone, and Eric James Stone.And as promised in the promotion for the panel, a recently discovered video interview with Ray Bradbury from the very first Writers of the Future Gala in 1985 was played. While you can listen to his interview on this podcast, you can go to the Writers of the Future YouTube page on the playlist Advice From a Master: Ray Bradbury. https://youtu.be/7KLWpR0lohI?feature=sharedSo, here we are at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City.
Ian Randal Strock was assistant editor at Analog and Asimov for half a dozen years in between a long career as an editor, author, and publisher. He is now the owner, publisher, and editor-in-chief of Gray Rabbit Publications, LLC, and its speculative fiction imprint, Fantastic Books.In this interview, we discuss the history of short fiction magazines, going back to the Golden Age of Science Fiction. We also discuss the importance of short fiction to a writer’s career and discovery.AND, a delightful new release by Ian hitting the shelves December 3, 2024, titled, "Wandering Through Time."Learn more about Ian at https://ianrandalstrock.com/
Jessica Brawner is an author of fiction and nonfiction, spanning topics from topical books on improving social interactions to urban fantasy and steampunk tales. She has experience in both traditional publishing and self-publishing but prefers the latter.We met through a common friend, now her husband, Steven L. Sears, who has been a guest on this podcast.She recently released her latest novel, “Tattoos on Dead Tree Flesh, " which I thoroughly enjoyed and am anxious to discuss. What a title! (Pay attention and you will have an ah-ha moment when you realize what it means!)www.jessicabrawner.com
Marc Scott Zicree has written for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sliders, Babylon 5, Smurfs, He-Man, Real Ghostbusters, and much more.But the reason I invited him to this podcast is that Marc Scott Zicree is the author of the most comprehensive book on the original series, "The Twilight Zone Companion." A TV series I enjoyed as a child but had no idea of what went into the series that made it so entertaining or its impact on so many people! And I still remember those chilling opening and closing monologs by Rod Serling.We discuss how Rod Serling created this series as a result of being censored for attempting to discuss current social issues on programming he was writing.Find his book, "The Twilight Zone Companion" wherever books are sold.
S.M. Stirling writes in multiple genres and has over 10 NYT bestsellers. In this interview, we discuss writing alternate history, the need for research, and how to do this research.His latest novel, "To Turn the Tide" addresses the last successful period of the Roman Empire before the Germanic tribes invaded and sacked it.We discuss Type A invention and Type B invention which plays a key part of the novel.We also discuss two of L. Ron Hubbard's favorite books, "Typewriter in the Sky" and "Slaves of Sleep."Learn more at smstirling.com/books/to-turn-the-tide/
I am here at the Tampa Convention Center attending the 2024 Tampa Comic Con with this week’s guest, James Rosone. We met up here last year at this convention and recorded a podcast interview which you can find as interview 247.James Rosone is the Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of military thriller and science fiction. He's an Iraq War veteran who served 3.5 years in a combat zone as a military interrogator and contractor.I completed his Monroe Doctrine series—all 9 volumes—and find near future military SF (I hope it’s SF) is the most chilling of any type of story I have read. I also read the first volume of his 11-volume Into the Stars series—not so near future.In this interview, we discussed how he arrived at writing in the genre he chose, what his process has been as a self-published author to become a top 100 Amazon author—close to making 7 figures a year—and how he does his research for the technology he uses in his novels.https://frontlinepublishinginc.com/
Elliott Haimoff, is a biologist, primatologist and documentary filmmaker. In 1990 he founded Global Science Productions to develop and distribute educational television programs and news segments about space, biology, health, sports and nature. And now, over 200 documentaries with dozens of awards later, I am now interviewing him on one of several books he was written: SPACE PIONEERS: CONVERSATIONS WITH THE MEN OF APOLLOWe initially met several years back as we were releasing our Stories from the Golden Age. He would frequent our Saturday night live theatre. He also shot a documentary on Pulp Fiction, which heavily featured L. Ron Hubbard as one of the masters of Science Fiction’s Golden Age.
Anthony Goff is the President of Blackstone Publishing. I met Anthony when we shared spots on the Audio Publishers Assn Board of Directors in the early 2010s when he was the audio publisher at Hachette. He has been involved in publishing and the growth of the audiobook industry for three decades and is very knowledgeable about its history and growth and what's in store in the future. We also discuss how to get your book published as an audiobook—what to do and what not to do.
Meghna Pant is recognized as one of India’s best writers by several international and national publications. And she is the first female to ever write a war novel in India.She is an author, feminist, journalist and speaker and has won a variety of awards for her contribution to literature, gender issues, and journalism. In 2012, she won the Muse India National Literary Awards' Young Writer Award for her debut novel "One-and-a-Half Wife."I met her perhaps 15 years ago in Los Angeles. We’ve been friends on social media. When I saw a post about the book we will be discussing, I reached to invite her as a guest to this podcast.And I am very happy I did. I hope you are as well.https://www.meghnapant.com/
Jim, Tamra, and Taylor Meskimen along with British actor Victoria Summer, recorded the "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 40" audiobook. Listen as they discuss how they create the voices that bring these stories to life.We also discuss the value of art in creating a safe space to experience life outside our comfort zone.
2024 Writers of the Future Workshop instructors, Jody Lynn Nye and Robert J. Sawyer, discuss how they can't give back very readily but can pay forward. We discuss what Jody and Rob along with the other judges do to pay forward. Because these winners are the writers we will be reading in the future.
Shahid Mamoud and Lezli Robyn, Publisher and Editor of Galaxy's Edge Anthology (formerly Magazine), discuss editors and their role and value in creating the best possible story...and a whole lot more!Learn more at www.galaxysedge.com/
Orson Scott Card is the author of Ender's Game series and dozens of other novels. In this podcast we discuss his start as an author and how he developed the concept of "Ender's Game" and have it became the beloved book it is today.Mr. Card has also been a Writers of the Future Contest Judge for over three decades.Learn more about Orson Scott Card and his works at http://www.hatrack.com/
Craig Elliott is In the animation industry. He has worked primarily as the production designer for Marvel, Disney and Dreamworks, designing animated films such as Hercules, Mulan, The Emperor’s New Groove, Treasure Planet, Shark Tale, Flushed Away, Bee Movie, Enchanted, Monsters vs. Aliens, and The Princess and the Frog as well as other upcoming features. This means he runs the entire art department that designs a movie or TV show. In this interview, we discuss the process of creating animated movies as well as his growth as an artist.See his art at https://www.artstation.com/elliott
Writers of the Future 40 winners Lance Robinson ("Five Days Until Sunset"), Stephannie Tallent ("Live and Death and Love in the Bayou"), and Tom Vandermolen ("Nonzero") meet on the last day of the Writer Workshop Week (this being the second winner podcast) and we discuss their personal journeys and the value of the Contest to aspiring writers.We also discuss the value of the Contest to the military as two of the speakers are ex-military.Learn about each of them at:Lance Robinson - https://lancerobinsonwriter.comStephannie Tallent - http://www.stephannietallent.comTom Vandermolen - https://tomvandermolen.com
Writers of the Future 40 winners James Davies, Amir Agoora, Kal M, John Eric Schleicher, and Galen Westlake meet on the last day of the Writer Workshop Week and we discuss their personal journeys and the value of the Contest to aspiring writers.We discuss the importance of dealing with self-rejection and how to come up with amazing story ideas.Learn about each of them at:James Davies: https://www.jd-writes.com/Amir Agoora: https://amiragoora.com/Kal M: twitter.com/kalmyourselfJohn Eric Schleicher: https://www.jeschleicher.com/Galen Westlake: https://www.galenwestlake.com/
Bill Fawcett has just published a near-future military science called "Never Again," and it is very scary! https://chriskennedypublishing.com/book/never-again/ Bill has been a professor, teacher, corporate executive, and college dean. His entire life has been spent in the creative fields and managing other creative individuals. He is one of the founders of Mayfair Games, a board and role-play gaming company. As an author, Fawcett has written or coauthored over a dozen books and dozens of articles and short stories. As a book packager, a person who prepares series of books from concept to production for major publishers, his company, Bill Fawcett & Associates, has packaged more than 250 titles for virtually every major publisher.
Kathryn Raaker is the Founder and CEO of Tri-State Connection, a Global Multimedia and PR Company. She has been a trailblazer in the media industry for over three decades.Her son, Robert Taggart, is a journalist and author.Together, they worked together as a mother and her son as a writing team.https://kathrynraakersworld.com/
Mark Leslie Lefebvre is our most recent Writer Contest judge.Dean Wesley Smith, also a judge, has Mark by four decades, being the first person to be awarded by Writers of the Future in that very first year!Together, these two have been at the forefront of the evolution of publishing, now known as indie publishing or self publishing. Once frowned upon as vanity, self publishing and indie publishing have proven to be the means for more and more authors to become million dollar a year successful authors.So you will do well to bend an attentive ear to this podcast and listen to what these gents have to say.Mark Leslie Lefebvre: markleslie.ca/Dean Wesley Smith: deanwesleysmith.com/
Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood traveled to LA to celebrate his son's Illustrators of the Future win.In this interview we discuss the importance of the arts to society and what he has done in Pennsylvania with the arts to improve society.
Jack Nash won the Golden Pen Award for his story, "Son, Spirit, Snake." Tyler Vail won the Golden Brush Award for his illustration of the story, "Squiddy." In this interview, we discuss their personal journey's to finally winning the top award for aspiring writers and artists.Jack Nash: www.JackNashStories.comTyler Vail: www.Tylervail.com
Echo Chernik and I discuss the history of the Illustrators of the Future Contest, where it has gotten to, and where it is going and how it is that we are able to select the best new talent in illustration around the world.https://www.echo-x.com/
Davina Powell is the Consumer Marketing Services Manager for Ingram Content Group.She is a creative sales and marketing expert known for connecting publishers and authors to key audiences using Ingram iD.Learn more at IngramiD.comShe has spent more than 10 years in the digital marketing space developing new resources that ensure publishers', booksellers', and authors' marketing budgets are used in a productive way.
This episode features Jody Lynn Nye, and we discuss 40 years of Writers of the Future, its impact on the genre, and what she is looking for as the Coordinating Judge.
John Brown was a winner published in Writers of the Future Volume 13 with his story “The Scent of Desire” under his penname Bo Griffin. I met up with him again last year at LTUE and when I saw he would be back, I asked that he send me a book to read so I could have him on as a guest.His bio says he writes action-packed thrillers and epic fantasies with characters you want to cheer for. After interviewing him, I discovered it is Magic Realism that he writes. He currently lives with his wife and four daughters in the hinterlands of Utah where one encounters much fresh air, many good-hearted ranchers, and the occasional wolf.
I’m here at Superstars Writing Conference in Colorado Springs. This is a podcast panel, meaning I am recording this podcast as I interview SoundBooth Theater founder Jeff Hays and international bestselling author Craig Martelle in front of a live audience.Jeff Hays is a prolific narrator and producer, and CEO of Soundbooth Theater, a full-service audio production company that specializes in multicast audiobooks and Cinematic Audio.Craig Martelle is the author of around 190 books. I am familiar with his Ian Bragg Thriller Series, covered in a separate podcast interview. He is also one of the geniuses behind the 20 Books to 50K Conference created by Michael Anderle.
Stephen Kotowych was a writer winner for Writers of the Future Volume 23 in 2007. He recently edited and published “The Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction Volume 1” anthology. It comprises 37 stories and poems and is 100% Canadian.He has a Kickstarter for Volume Two that will run from March 19 through April 16. The link for the prelaunch is: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kotowych/years-best-canadian-fantasy-and-science-fiction-volume-two?ref=en3uxl
Storm Humbert and fellow Writers of the Future winners created a publishing company called Calendar of Fools. They compiled a book containing only of rejects, not because they weren't good, but because they weren't right for where they were submitted. So, this project is to give these great stories a second chance!They created a Kickstarter for the project, which you can find here: www.kickstarter.com/projects/innerworkings/intergalactic-rejects-a-calendar-of-fools-anthologyIn this interview, I am with Storm Humbert and fellow winner John Campbell, along with contributor Hillbilly, as we discuss how stories can live on.
Liza Trombi is the Editor-in-Chief of Locus Magazine. In this interview, we discuss the history of Locus and its importance to the SF&F field.We also announce a fundraiser that Locus is running and that I encourage you to check out at www.LocusMag.com or go directly to https://igg.me/at/locusmag2024
Mark Leslie wrote a 10,000-word short that began his Canadian Werewolf series. In this interview, we discuss going from a story, to a novel, to a series, to collaborating with spin-offs.Yogi Berra famously stated, "When you come to a fork, take it." We discuss how accurate this is as advice as you become more knowledgeable as a storyteller. We discuss how this can be accomplished.
In this interview done at Superstars 2024 in Colorado Springs, CO, David Weber discusses his journey to becoming the bestselling author, including "Honor Harrington," and we also address his coming to grips with being the new "old guard" of science fiction and fantasy authors.I really enjoyed this interview. He is not only a great author, but a very lovely man.
Craig Martelle has taken his more than twenty years of experience in the Marine Corps, his legal education, and his business consulting career to write compelling stories. He recommended the first in his Ian Bragg Thriller Series, “The Operator,” which I read and thoroughly enjoyed.But his bio also says he writes sf, urban fantasy, YA fantasy, and regular fantasy as well as thriller.But today, it's all about the thriller!
I met up with Jim Butcher at the Superstars Writing Conference in Colorado Springs. He is the creator of The Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new series, the Cinder Spires. We talk about his journey to becoming a bestselling author and any backstories of the characters in his Dresden series.Much more insight into why he is the incredible author that he is.
Deon McAdoo, Key Accounts Sales Manager for Ingram Spark.IngramSpark is an online self-publishing company that allows you to print, globally distribute, and manage your print and ebooks.I knew very little about Ingram Spark before this interview but rapidly learned what an amazing tool this is for authors wanting to get their books published and distributed--EVEN IN BOOKSTORES!
Joni Labaqui has been the Contest Director since 1995. In this episode, we discuss both Contests, starting with what it was like in 1995 and how it has grown.We also discussed each of the Coordinating judges for both Contests.
I met Rebecca Hardy, pen name for Rebecca Hardy, after she wrote a blog post on the cameras of Battlefield Earth.She was subsequently a guest just over a year ago with her debut novel, “House of Lost Wives.” She is a writer, photographer, and artist working in London while residing in West Sussex, England.She has just come out with her second novel, “The Merchant’s Daughter,” again written in first person. As I am routinely cautioned about writing in the first person, I wanted to revisit the subject with someone who successfully uses first-person narrative.www.rebeccadanese.com/rebecca_hardy_author.php
Jo Henry is the managing director of Bookbrunch, a daily news service and information site for the book industry.She has worked in the book industry for over 40 years, starting at the literary agency A.M Heath; she has worn probably every possible hat in the publishing industry. She joined BookBrunch in 2018. Jo was co-founder of the Book Marketing Society and a former chair of both the Book Society and the Book Trade Charity.
Judith Anderle, who, along with her husband, Michael, has built an indie publishing empire and created the 20BooksTo50K annual conference.In this interview, we discuss publishing, AI, and copyright law as it currently stands in January 2024.
Alex Shvartsman is from Ukraine and came to the US as the USSR was collapsing and now lives in New York. With English as his third language, he read voraciously and began writing in his thirties. He sold 100 short stories before venturing into novels. He loves to write.He also holds the distinction of having been #3 in the world in Magic the Gathering.He was originally published in Galaxy's Edge magazine as published by Mike Resnick (WOTF judge).We discuss how he writes snarky (satire, humor) fantasy and sci fi.Visit Alex at alexshvartsman.com and receive the free ebook "Explaining Cthulu to Grandma."
The first half of this interview is with José Sánchez & Chris Arias at the Writers of the Future Awards week. The second half is with Chris, who has had a whirlwind of excitement and recognition after he returned to Costa Rica.
Barbara Lund was the Writers of the Future Golden Pen Award-winning author for Volume 37 and writes sci-fi and fantasy. But I really enjoyed her sci-fi detective procedural "Platform 8."She has a full-time job, is a mom, and gives her formula for being able to write and publish as well—working out priorities.Learn more at barbaralund.com/new-page
Michael Johnson has many years of experience in publishing, technology, and educational distribution. He is currently Vice President of Content at Benetech, a global company that creates software for social good in the areas of education, employment, and social inclusion. In other words, Michael assists in making your stories and art accessible to anyone, regardless of their circumstances. Michael has been involved with many publishing evolutions that were feared to be the end of publishing, such as eBooks, only to find publishing emerging all the stronger. As long as there are humans reading stories, there will be publishing.We cover accessibility in publishing and define the term and its importance in the coming years.We also discuss AI in book publishing - plagiarism.
Allow me to introduce you to Matthew Wolf, an incredible epic fantasy author. We discuss his origins as an author, inspiration, and creating vivid characters and storylines. And let me recommend the Ronin Saga.Follow him at MatthewWolfAuthor.com
I met Pak Gallego at the Frankfurt Book Fair and learned that he created board games and card games: writing, designing, and working out the math needed to create a game. And I immediately wanted to have him on as a guest as I had never discussed gaming (creating of) with anyone!So meet Gak Gallego from Barcelona, Spain.
Gray Levett began his career as a photographer shooting bands such as Jethro Tull, Kinks, Genesis and expanded from there to creating one of the most well-known Nikon camera shops in London, Gray's of Westminster. He researched the history of photography before publishing his books, as well as for each issue of his magazine.
Jim Meskimen is a voice actor known for voicing Deadshot, Ultron, and Kuruk. As a professional actor for nearly thirty years, Jim has appeared in the films Apollo 13, The Grinch, Frost/Nixon, The Punisher, Not Forgotten, There Will Be Blood and many others. Some of Jim’s TV credits include Friends, Whose Line is it, Anyway?, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Castle, Lie to Me and Rules of Engagement.We discuss how to create voice in characters that actually work in writing stories.Check out this video showing how fast he can change celebrity voices! www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rPKeUXjEvE
I met Brandon Mull at Life the Universe and Everything conference last year in Provo, Utah, and we immediately hit it off. He was such a super nice guy and I wanted to have him as a guest on this podcast as I felt he would be an inspiration to this podcast's listeners. He sent me the first volume of "Fablehaven" and "Candy Shop War" and I really enjoyed reading them. I told several several of my fellow staff at Galaxy Press about Brandon and they began reading and raving about his books.I know you are going to enjoy this podcast because I sure did!Learn more about Brandon at https://brandonmull.com/
Lazarus Black was first an accomplished professional artist before tackling his true love -- writing. He applied himself to learn his craft. He eventually won the Writers of the Future Contest. Now he has published his first novel. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to have him on as a guest and introduce him to fans of this podcast.Enjoy!www.lazarus.black/
Dr. Charles E. Gannon on writing hard science fiction.He is a Distinguished Professor of English (St. Bonaventure University) and was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in American Literature & Culture from 2004-2009.His series includes hard-sf interstellar epic (the Caine Riordan series, set in his Terran Republic universe, nominated for three Nebulas, two Dragons, and winner of the Compton Crook Award)Along with about 50 other SF writers (such as Larry Niven, Ben Bova, John Hemry/Jack Armstrong, and Greg Bear), he is a member of SIGMA, the "SF think-tank" that advises intelligence and defense agencies (www.sigmaforum.org). In his role as a subject matter expert on advanced military/defense/intel concepts, he has been featured on the Discovery Channel, NPR, Fox, and a wide variety of other national media outlets.
Ringling College of Art & Design has produced several Illustrators of the Future winners. This interview is with two of the reasons why.James Martin, professor of illustration in the illustration dept. He’s been an illustrator, mostly in the movie industry, and worked on movies like "Titanic."Dominic Avant majored in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design. He worked in movie animation at Disney on many feature films including "Mulan." He has been at Ringling for 17 years. I first saw Dominic in a TV interview as one of Zaine Lodhi's (Illustrator winner) teachers.So when attending the Tampa Comic Con, I asked if I could interview both of these gentlemen and they graciously accepted and I trust you will enjoy what they had to say as much as I did!https://www.ringling.edu/
Top 100 Amazon author James Rosone returns to discuss his Monroe Doctrine Series and how he researches near-future warfare tying in newly evolving technologies leading to a very questionable future.He provides his techniques on how he has remained a top 100 Amazon author for several years.
D.J. Butler (Dave) is a novelist living in the Rocky Mountains. He worked as a securities lawyer at a major international firm and in-house at two multinational semiconductor manufacturers before taking up writing fiction in 2010.He is a lover of language and languages, a guitarist and self-recorder, and a serious reader. He is married to a powerful and clever novelist and together, they have three devious children.Dave is published by Baen, Knopf, and WordFire Press. He writes adventure fiction for all ages. He writes for young readers under the name Dave Butler. Read about his writing projects at http://davidjohnbutler.com.
Dennis E. Taylor's bio simply states that he is a retired computer programmer, an enthusiastic snowboarder, and an inveterate science fiction reader.His Bobiverse Trilogy steps on any authoritarian, political, or religious toes. We discuss his satire as a lead-up to our upcoming relaunch of Mission Earth. It was written in multiple first-person points of view. Fascinating!Having read "We Are Legion (We Are Bob)" in the Bobiverse trilogy, I now understand his writing satire.
Brian Lee Duree was an Illustrators of the Future winner in volume 9. Due to vision complications, he had to transfer from painting to writing and has since become a bestselling writer of science fiction. In this podcast, we discuss how Brian never lost his desire for creativity despite anything thrown at him. His is a story of persistence that can inspire anyone!
Bea Jackson is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Parker Looks Up. Bea attended the College for Creative Studies and is the grand prize winner and returned alumni of L. Ron Hubbard's Illustrator of the Future Award of 2007 and now a Contest Judge.In this podcast we discuss her very humble beginnings as an artist to her very successful career and the importance of humility.See her work at www.beagifted.com/
Martin Shoemaker is an author and programmer and winner of Writers of the Future (Volume 31). In this episode, Martin discusses his opinion on the unwritten rules of Writers of the Future, which you can also find at WritersoftheFuture.com/blog.
Roger Christian won an Academy Award for creating the look of the STAR WARS universe - including the iconic lightsaber - and established a long collaboration with GEORGE LUCAS. He directed 2nd Unit on RETURN OF THE JEDI, and STAR WARS; EPISODE I; THE PHANTOM MENACE. Lucas commissioned BLACK ANGEL, Roger’s debut as a Writer/Director to release with STAR WARS: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK in cinemas.
In this interview, we discuss Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey" with STAR WARS' Luke Skywalker, and BATTLEFIELD EARTH'S Jonnie Goodboy Tyler.
David Hankins, "Death and the Taxman," TJ Knight "The Fall of Crodendra M," Spencer Sekulin "Children of Desolation," and Samuel Parr "The Last History" are all winners published in "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 39."
They have all written very different stories with very different and are all winners.
David Hankins - davidhankins.com Spencer Sekulin - spencersekulin.net
Meet four winners and listen to them give their personal journeys to win the Contest and published in "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 39": Elaine Midcoh, author of "A Trickle in History" (www.baen.com/pr-jbmmssa-2022-winner) J.R. Johnson, author of "Piracy for Beginners" (jrjohnson.me) Sarah Morrison, illustrator of "Death and the Taxman" (sarahmorrisonillustration.com) April Solomon, illustrator of "Moonlight and Funk" (AprilSolomonArt.com)
Robert J. Sawyer, the Dean of Canadian Science Fiction, which the Ottowa Citizen dubbed him. He’s won all three of the science fiction field’s top honors for his best novel of the year—the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. As well as 11 Canadian science fiction and fantasy awards, the Auroras.
If any of you remember seeing the ABC series Flash Forward, it was based on his novel of the same name.
Today’s guest is Echo Chernik, Illustrators of the Future Coordinating Judge. I’m not even putting down her bio because she’s got so much experience in every form and aspect of art. What I’m covering in this interview is what does she look for? What makes for winning art? What makes for somebody to actually come into consideration and move up the ranks as an Honorable Mention and as a Finalist, and ultimately a winner of the Contest?
Lezli Robyn is the editor of Galaxy’s Edge Magazine and assistant publisher at ARC Manor.
She was brought into the field by Mike Resnick and introduced to the major names in science fiction and fantasy. She has picked up Mike's mantle in helping writers.
We discuss how to deal with an editor providing do's and don'ts on how to present yourself and your work to an editor.
LezliRobyn.com
I’m here with Nnedi Okorafor, one of our previously published finalists in volume 19 and now a judge. We talk about many of the things she has done in her life leading up to her amazing career. Her books included Binti, Akata Witch, Who Fears Death, Akata Warrior, and Lagoon. She has also written in the Shuri universe for Marvel.
CEO of Dan Farr Productions and owner of FanX Salt Lake, Tampa Comic Con, Atlanta Comic Con, and Indianapolis Comic Con was this year's keynote speaker for the Writers & Illustrators of the Future Volume 39 Gala. His topic was pop culture and in this interview we discuss the importance of writers and illustrators in creating the characters and stories that your favorite actors perform. We also cover the value of pop culture in breaking down walls and bringing people together.
Bob Bly is referred to as THE direct response copywriter for the digital age. We have used him for several years at Galaxy Press. In addition to helping us at Galaxy Press, he has also worked with other "start-ups" such as IBM, AT&T, Intuit, Forbes, Medical Economics, and ITT.
McGraw-Hill calls him “America’s top copywriter.”
The Direct Marketing Association awarded him the Gold Echo, and the American Writers and Artists Institute voted Bob Copywriter of the Year. He has taught copywriting at New York University and is the author of over 100 published books, including The Digital Marketing Handbook, The Copywriter’s Handbook, PR For Dummies
And as for this interview...he is also the author of the SCIENCE FICTIONARY: A Dictionary of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.
While I consider each of my episodes special, this one is especially near and dear to my heart. Lydia van Vogt has been a friend for many years and is one of the loveliest ladies I know. The photo is me with Lydia at the Writers of the Future Gala. She was a German translator for General Eisenhower in Germany in WW II, then granted her US citizenship once he became President. She then became a Channel model. She is the widow of Golden Age of Science Fiction author and Science Fiction Grand Master A.E. van Vogt. And she has just turned 96.
How about this as our topic for this episode: A hideous idol. An ancient slumbering evil. A murderous cult.
Today’s guest is John Haas. This is his third appearance on this podcast.
Three years ago, in episode 20, when he had just won: John is from Ontario, Canada, and entered the Writers of the Future Contest 10 times over a 10-year period. He won the Contest with his Lovecraft-influenced horror story, "The Damned Voyage." His goal is to transition to a full-time writer.
Then again, 1 1/2 years ago, in episode 122: John Haas has wanted to be a pro writer for most of his life … but life kept getting in his way. He kept persisting and now finds himself on the cusp of realizing that dream. For any who aspire to living their dream, whatever that dream, listen to this episode of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast with Writers of the Future winner and author John Haas. After all, dreams can be made to happen.
And now, with episode 229: As I prepared for this interview, I was trying to reconcile why I have had him on more than any other winner. He is Canadian and a super nice guy and writes some pretty intense horror. Somewhat of a contradiction that I will hopefully resolve in this interview.
This interview was recorded the morning following the Awards Gala for "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 39." Dave Henrickson was the Golden Pen Award-winning author with his story "White Elephant," and Dao Vi was the Golden Brush Award-winner illustrator for his illustration of the story "The Last History." We discuss their trajectories to becoming the grand prize winners.View Dao Vi art at https://daovi1215.artstation.com/
I originally met Steve Pantazis in 2015 when he was published in Writers of the Future Volume 31 with his very clever story, “Switch.”I have been nagging him for about eight years now, asking for his novel. Well, he has not only provided that novel, he has done so in spades with a nine-book epic fantasy series entitled The Light of Darkness of which I read the first volume.We discuss his journey, starting 40 years ago, in creating this series.Up to the launch of this series, he has published short stories in Nature, Galaxy’s Edge, and Intergalactic Medicine Show.
Jim, Tamra, and Taylor Meskimen have recorded nearly 500 audiobooks, including "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 39." They discuss what makes this audiobook such a great listen for all age groups - Boomers to Gen Z - and how it has stories that appeal to everyone.We discuss the importance of imagination and the value of audiobooks in contributing to developing imagination.
This week's guest is a longtime friend, Mark Leslie (Lefevbre) who I have had on as a guest a few times already discussing his Canadian Werewolf series, which I really enjoy!I've never discussed book ratings and what makes something children vs YA vs Christian vs all the other categories. How sex and violence are handled in the different categories. And what is the equivalent of a Motion Picture Rating System for books to let an audience know what they are getting? I've not addressed this in any of my past interviews.I will also do some research into different categories of romance vs erotica. Also what target audiences/ages would an author write for to reach the different audiences?
Brian Herbert, author of “Dreamer of Dune,” a book about his father Frank Herbert, discusses his relationship with his father, Frank’s growth from aspiring to international bestselling author, and Brian’s own journey as a bestselling author.
Actors Keli Daniels, Neil Angevine, Taylor Meskimen, Jim Meskimen, Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart Simpson), Noelle North, Tamra Meskimen, R.F. Daley perform L. Ron Hubbard's circus fantasy story "If I Were You" for the Contest judges, volume 39 writers and illustrator winners.Circus midget Little Tom Little learns from a book on black magic how to switch bodies. When he jumps into the body of the lion tamer, he finds himself caught in the center ring surrounded by dozens of savage cats and quickly realizes that his craving for height just may have led him to a gruesome death.
Susan Kroupa was initially published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 10 as a winner with the story “The Healer.”She has since gone on to write "The Doodlebugged Mysteries," featuring a Labradoodle as a principal character, as well as "Treetalker." Her fiction has also appeared in Realms of Fantasy, Bruce Coville's Shapeshifters, and a variety of anthologies. She has lived and taught on both the Hopi and Navajo reservations and written for The Arizona Republic and High Country News.Learn more about Susan at: susankroupa.com/
Daniel Yocom is a professional book reviewer. We met at the LTUE (Life, the Universe, and Everything) conference on a panel on getting reviews. Daniel is also involved with the League of Utah Writers, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating community, and empowering the writing and publishing goals of members, whether they be novices or professional. Something very near and dear to my Writers of the Future heart!Reviews are a very important part of the publishing process, and we will be discussing this along with the League of Writers Utah.
Brian C. Hailes was an Illustrators of the Future Winner in 2002, volume 18. He illustrated L. Ron Hubbard’s story, The Idealist, a few years ago.He is the creator of "Draw It With Me," and is also the award-winning writer/illustrator of the illustrated novels, "Blink," "Defender of Llyans," and "Avila," two graphic novels, "Dragon’s Gait" and "Devil’s Triangle," and the children's picture books "Skeleton Play" and "Don’t Go Near the Crocodile Ponds." We discuss his journey to becoming an artist. "Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality." – Brian C. HailesLearn more at www.hailesart.com/
Dave Sheets is the CEO of Indie Book Services. He has been in the publishing industry for over 25 years, working in all facets of publishing, and has turned his experience and expertise into his company, Indie Book Services.In this podcast, we discuss each step of the book production cycle, from helping write the story (ghostwriting or co-writing) all the way through to printed books.Dave can be reached at dave@indieauthorbookservices.com and by phone at (719) 641-7862
Today’s guests are Marie Whittaker, Mark Stallings, Todd Fahnestock, and Quincy J. Allen, who co-create the Eldros Legacy fantasy series.Marie Whittaker enjoys teaching about publishing and project management for writers. She is Associate Publisher at WordFire Press and Director at Superstars Writing Seminars. She is the creator of The Adventures of Lola Hopscotch. In 2021, she co-founded the epic fantasy world of Eldrose Legacy – the subject of this podcast.Mark Stallings is an Amazon Best Selling author living in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He is a writer of Chinese martial arts fiction called Woo-Sha (Wuxia), Fantasy, Thrillers, and Military Sci-Fi. Mark released the first book in the Silver Coin Saga, The Elements, Eldrose Legacy, and the 4Horsemen Universes.Todd Fahnestock is a fantasy writer for all ages and winner of the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age Award. His bestselling The Wishing World series began as bedtime stories for his children, and his other epic fantasy series include: Threadweavers, The Heartstone Trilogy, and The Whisper Prince Trilogy. Quincy J. Allen is a National Bestselling cross-genre author with a wide assortment of publications under his belt. His media tie-in novel Colt the Outlander: Shadow of Ruin was a Scribe Award finalist in 2019, and his noir sci-fi novel Chemical Burn was a Colorado Gold Award finalist in 2010.
I met Kevin Ikenberry at Superstars in Colorado Springs and was amazed at how many common connections we shared. He has over twenty-five years of experience in space science education, including managing the U.S. Space Camp program and serving as an executive of two Challenger Learning Centers.Kevin is the internationally bestselling author of The Protocol War series featuring Colorado Book Award finalist "Sleeper Protocol," which Publisher’s Weekly called “an emotionally powerful debut,” and the sequel "Vendetta Protocol."Kevin is also the author of nine bestselling "Peacemaker" novels in the Four Horsemen Universe as well as the military science fiction novel Runs In The Family and the thriller Super-Sync. Kevin has also contributed to the Nebula-award nominated Caine Riordan series by Charles E. Gannon and his alternate history novel, "The Crossing," written with Eric Flint.Learn more at https://kevinikenberry.com/
Storm Humbert was a Writers of the Future Volume 36 winner and published in multiple magazines. Most recent is The Librarian, a collection with Air and Nothingness Press, and Of Wizards and Wolves, a tribute anthology for David Farland, published with WordFire Press.In this podcast, we discuss a Kickstarter for the "Inner Workings Anthology, A Calendar of Fools."The following description was provided by Storm:"Inner Workings" is an anthology filled with 16 stories from award-winning authors, but that's not all it is. "Each of these stories is accompanied by a craft essay meant to explore or explain a specific element of craft that was featured in that story. The goal here is to entertain and excite with our fiction, but also to educate with the essays--to help would-be writers grow in their craft by understanding things in a way that simply experiencing them on the page might not achieve. "Basically, we want to do as we've been taught to do and pay it forward. In winning Writers of the Future, we had the opportunity to learn from incredible authors, but we also got to meet each other. Since then, we've found each of us has something to teach the others, and that's what we want to do with 'Inner Workings.' We want to share with burgeoning writers the things we've been sharing between ourselves."We want to open up this wonderful community we've found for everyone to enjoy."
Raymond Porter is an American actor and audiobook narrator who is most widely known for portraying the DC Comics villain Darkseid in Zack Snyder's Justice League.But for this interview, he was best known as the voice talent for Jonathan Maberry's "Joe Ledger Series" and for Andy Riddle's "Project Hail Mary" which we discussed. I also learned that Ray had narrated several L. Ron Hubbard Stories of the Golden Age voices!We had a lot of fun and he explained what works and doesn't work in storytelling from his perspective as a voice actor.
James Artemis Owen is an amazing artist and brilliant author. He is known for his creator-owned comic book series "Starchild," and his fantasy series, “The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica” titled “Here, There be Dragons,” which I just finished reading in preparation for this very fun interview!Learn more at: jamesaowen.com/
Today’s guests are William Joseph Roberts, AKA Hillbilly, and Ben Tyler Smith. Hillbilly is an award-winning author for the JTF Legends. He is also an editor and publisher of Three Ravens Publishing. Ben is a writer of sf & f and is one of the co-publishers of Three Ravens Publishing.Their dream has been to help other authors get published and we became best of friends since virtually meeting during the pandemic when Hillibilly took the Writers of the Future Online Workshop, then meeting him at DragonCon last year, and now spending time at Superstars 2023.This is their story of building Three Ravens Publishing.
Ron Collins was a very enthusiastic writer winner back in 1998. His is one of our iconic photos for Writers of the Future with him kissing his framed certificate after having been announced.He was initially published in WOTF 14 as a finalist with the story “The Disappearance of Josie Andrew” and then the following year as a winner in volume 15 with his story “Out of the Blue.” He has since gone on to write at least two dozen novels in multiple genres, sci-fi, fantasy, and political thriller.In this interview, we tackle space-based science fiction centered around his Stealing the Sun Series, which evolved from his 24-hour story written at the Writers of the Future Workshop.Learn more at https://typosphere.com/
Douglas E. Richards discusses the blur between science and science fiction. He speaks to the furious pace of progress, and how he's come to believe that almost nothing is out of reach. This is a topic covered in his recent novel, "Portals."We also discuss addiction, not drugs, but all forms and how it fits into "Portals."DIA is researching "Traversable Wormholes, Stargates, and Negative Energy" and the speed with which science fiction is moving to science fact.Learn more at www.douglaserichards.com/
Scot Noel was published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 6 in 1990, which helped launch a very successful career as a writer and in starting his own science fiction and fantasy magazine, DreamForge. This is his story. He also reveals what he is looking for from authors wanting to be published.Scot views the world with the perspective that the glass is half full and the future will always be better.He has created a special offer for podcast listeners:https://dreamforgemagazine.com/wotf/The first 50 new print subscribers get a free copy of Worlds of Light & Darkness, and the first 50 digital subscribers get a print back issue. (offers limited to US only)Discover DreamForge at https://dreamforgemagazine.com/
J.L. George lives in Cardiff, Wales, and writes weird and speculative fiction. She was a winner published in Writers of the Future Volume 36 with her story "Catching My Death" and has just released her novel, "The Word" (www.amazon.com/Word-JL-George-ebook/dp/B09C52NZ38). She also writes contemporary/urban fantasy as Louise Long.We discuss the importance of having great titles for your work.We discuss the power of language and how it affects a population while presenting a cautionary tale of what may lie ahead for us as social media disinformation creates such divisiveness.You can reach her at https://jlgeorgewrites.wordpress.com/
Illustrators of the Future winner Natalia Salvador, from Spain, discusses her new illustrated children's book and how she is creating her career as an artist. She started as a self-taught artist who then studied art in college but quit her art after being told that illustration wasn't valid. It required family and friends to get her to create her art again.See her art at www.nataliasalvador.es/
This is my second interview with Hgh Howey. I've now read three of his books: Wool, Sand, and the just-released Across the Sand. They are all science fiction thrillers. But they allude to a not-too-distant future, never stated but knowable of a world turned upside down but moving forward.We tackle superstition vs technology and the lessons taught by the nomads that you are the only one holding yourself down.Plus the function of morality and integrity as an author.Learn more about Hugh at: hughhowey.com/
Rebecca Hardy (penname for Rebecca Danese) is a writer, photographer, and artist working in London while residing in West Sussex, England. "The House of Lost Wives" is her debut adult novel set in 1813, pre-Victorian England, which relies upon the existence of ghosts that only the protagonist can see.We discuss her journey to becoming a published author and why she chose the route she did. Hers is a very interesting story to arrive as a published author, and I am very happy I could interview her.I initially met her after she wrote a blog post on the cameras of Battlefield Earth.Learn more at www.rebeccadanese.com/
Jonathan Mabery is a New York Times best-seller, five-time Bram Stoker Award-winner, recipient of the Inkpot Award, three Scribe Awards, and was named one of the Today’s Top Ten Horror Writers.He is the author of the Joe Ledger series, with which I am most acquainted.He is the creator, editor, and co-author of V-Wars, a shared-world vampire anthology adapted into a Netflix series. And we will address the role of research in how this series came about.We met at Superstars earlier this year, and I found him to be an incredibly nice person who I am excited to have on this podcast.Discover his works at www.jonathanmaberry.com/
Artem Mirolevish was born in Minsk, Belarus. He traveled to the United States when he was 17. Artem won Illustrators of the Future in 2007 and was published in Volume 23 has participated in over 100 solo and group exhibitions in museums, galleries, and art fairs worldwide, including solo shows in England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, Japan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Latvia, and the USA. In this interview, we discuss his painting in surrealism and creating a career so that he survives with his family completely as an artist. We also discuss how to work with galleries as an artist.The trick to being a successful illustrator is to process others' ideas so they become yours. When you illustrate their ideas, you do it for yourself, not for them.Discover his art at www.artemart.com.
Hank Garrett published an autobiography, "From Harlem Hoodlum to Hollywood Heavyweight," and this interview discusses his journey through life and creating this book.Hank was inducted into the Wrestling Hall of Fame, the Martial Arts Hall of Fame, and has received a New York Film Critics Award and Lifetime Achievement Award.Some of you old enough will know him as Officer Nicholson on the TV Series Car 54 Where Are You?And pretty much everyone will know him as the postman in Three Days of the Condor with Robert Redford.He openly acknowledges Sammy Davis Junior for helping save his life.You can find his book here: https://harlemhoodlum.com/
Brian Trent, who I originally met almost 10 years ago when he was a Writers of the Future winner, published in volume 29 with his story “War Hero.”His work appears in the New York Times bestselling Black Tide Rising series, Weird World War series, Analog Science Fiction, Fact, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, The Year’s Best Military and Adventure SF, Escape Pod, Galaxy’s Edge, and in 2019 he was the winner of Baen Books’ Readers’ Choice Award. A lot of water has passed under the bridge since we met back in 2013. He just published a fantastic novel that I read in preparation for this podcast, “Red Space Rising.” It was based on his winning Writers of the Future short story, which we discuss.https://briantrent.com/
Thomas Vital was Exec VP of SciFi Channel and produced over 350 movies. He now has gone independent, making his own movies. www.imdb.com/name/nm1973942/
We discuss a movie he is producing a movie called "57 Seconds" starring Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson, based on a short story he read called "Lucifer" by E.C. Tubb.
We discuss what TV and movie series buyers are looking for in Intellectual Property. Original work is great, but books, short stories, and graphic novels are better.
Then we discuss how a script is created from the story.
Today is a very special show in celebration of episode # 200.
During the Writers of the Future Volume 38 workshop week, a live performance of L. Ron Hubbard’s “The Professor Was a Thief” was presented to the Contest winners and judges.
Why "The Professor Was a Thief"? Because it is the L. Ron Hubbard story included in Writers of the Future volume 38.
So sit back and enjoy the performance. It’s only 30 minutes, and it will be followed by a Q&A with actors R.F. Daley, Travis Oates, and Roger Scott.
Elizabeth Wein was a Writers of the Future Volume 9 and later a #1 NYT bestselling author of "Code Name Verity" and discusses her career as an author and her trajectory to success. She transitioned from Arthurian legend to science fiction -- including a Star Wars novel -- and thrilling adventure.
Her storytelling is character driven and she explains how she goes about doing this.
She became a pilot using her royalty advance from her second book to pay for it. Her knowledge as a pilot played a key role in "Code Name Verity."
Learn more at www.elizabethwein.com/
From science to science fiction: Jeffrey A. Carver, Edward M. Lerner, Alan Smale, Edward Willett discuss their journey from aspiring writers to award-winning and bestselling authors. We cover how they transitioned technical careers to hard sci-fi, alternate history, and space opera. Jeffrey A. Carver: www.starrigger.net/ Edward M. Lerner: www.edwardmlerner.com/ Alan Smale: www.alansmale.com/ Edward Willett: https://edwardwillett.com/
The Illustrators of the Future Panel was held at the Salt Lake City FanX Convention in a packed hall and is now turned into a podcast.
The panel pictured from l to r: Xiaomeng Zhang, Nick Jizba, Emily Jones-Goodwin, and Brian C. Hailes.
The first half of the panel was discussions on how to create a career as an artist, and the second half was open mic Q&A.
Enjoy!!
The Writers of the Future Panel was held at the Salt Lake City FanX Convention in a very packed hall.
The panel pictured from l to r: Darci Stone, Eric James Stone, Todd McCaffrey, Brandon Sanderson, John Goodwin, Wulf Moon, Kary English, Z.T. Bright, and Martin Shoemaker. Plus, a 5-minute video from Anne McCaffrey on Writers of the Future and her tips to writers.
The first half of the panel was discussions on creating short stories, and the second half was open mic Q&A. We almost got through every question.
Enjoy!!
Evan Leikam, perhaps better known by the handle "Book Reviews Kill," is a pioneer TikToker with around 150k followers.
In this podcast, we discuss how to create a TikTok brand and the value of BookTok.
Find Evan on TikTok and Twitter at @BookReviewsKill; Instagram @Book_Reviews_Kill
In this episode, Crystal Crawford discusses the new Amazon episodic publishing platform - Vella. Crystal has been involved with Vella since its implementation a year ago and answers many questions regarding the platform.
Vella is one of the fastest-growing publishing platforms and is very much worth checking out as a reader and author.
It provides a new revenue stream for authors who can make a very sizable income monthly.
Reach Crystal at www.ccrawfordwriting.com/
Brian D. Meeks is a full-time author—writing mystery, thriller, YA, SF, and humor/satire.
But...
The reason I invited Brian to this podcast is his understanding of data analytics to bring conversion rate to publishing and...
how to master Amazon descriptions.
Learn more at SouthBeachDesk.com
Z. T. Bright is a Writers of the Future winner with his story "The Magic Book of Accidental City Destruction: A Book Wizard’s Guide."
He was the winner of the inaugural Mike Resnick Memorial Award and was published in Galaxy’s Edge magazine in 2021. He writes anything speculative, ranging from sci-fi short stories to middle-grade fantasy novels. Writers of the Future was his second sale.
“The Magic Book of Accidental City Destruction: A Book Wizard’s Guide” was inspired by the power of the internet and social media to both disseminate information and create social divisions like never before in history. It seems to him we all need to examine our relationship with these tools . . . before it’s too late (dun, dun, dun!).
Ken Liu is a multiple Hugo Award-winning American author of science fiction and fantasy. His epic fantasy series, “The Dandelion Dynasty,” is the first work in the “silkpunk” genre, which he created.
AMC's "Pantheon" was created around the Singularity-based stories in “The Hidden Girl,” a collection of short stories by Ken.
His story, “The Paper Menagerie,” is the first piece of fiction to win three literary genre awards: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the World Fantasy Award.
Ken was a published finalist in 2003 with the story “Gossamer.” That was the year we had the event in Beverly Hills, and Chick Corea performed, plus three grandmasters of science fiction: Robert Silverberg, Fred Pohl, Hal Clement attended.
He also consults and speaks publicly on various subjects such as cryptocurrency, futurism, implications of new technologies (5G, GPT-3, nanomaterials, etc.), science fiction, virtual reality, and sustainable storytelling.
N.V. Haskell is a winner published in "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38" with her story, "The Mystical Farrago." Nicole has been in healthcare for 30 years as an occupational therapist and loves people and has developed an understanding that translates into amazing character development in her award-winning storytelling.
Learn more at https://NVHaskell.com
Echo Chernik is one of the most diverse and successful artists you will ever meet. In this interview, she will discuss the business of illustration and art, including how to charge for one's work. She attended Pratt Institute and has been a working artist all of her adult life and has built a very successful career, and wants to share her hard-won advice.
Writers of the Future winner Em Dupre and Illustrators of the Future winner Jim Zacarria discuss working together for "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38." We also discuss their journey to winning the Contests and what they plan for their future.
Scott Dickey is the CEO of Podium Audio.
Podium is probably the fastest growing audio publisher globally, mainly focusing on Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Romance. The company gained international notice for turning once unknown author Andy Weir’s e-book “The Martian” into one of the most successful audiobooks in the world.
In this podcast, we discuss the Podium model and how authors can potentially take advantage of this to get their books made into audiobooks.
https://podiumaudio.com/
Jody Lynn Nye is a New York Times bestselling author and the Writers of the Future Coordinating judge and discusses her vision of the future of science fiction and fantasy and the role and value it can have in forming the future of civilization.
She also gives what she is looking for in stories for the Contest.
See her works at: jodynye.com
Desmond Astaire is the Gold Award winner for Writers of the Future Volume 38. He is career Air Force who also aspires to a career as an author. Learn more at www.desmondastaire.com.
Craig Alanson publishes 3 novels a year. He went from being a paid accountant writing code to a full-time author making 6 figures after only 6 months—as a self-published author! He created "Expeditionary Force" as a reaction to the “plucky band of soldiers with rifles defeat an alien invasion” trope. These stories are so serious, straight ahead, and unrealistic—how can human soldiers on the ground defeat an alien assault, when the aliens can nuke us from orbit? "I set out to write a military space opera that was a hell of a lot more fun. Enjoy."
M. Elizabeth Ticknor and Rebecca E. Treasure discuss the importance of friendship in writing and making their dream of being authors happen. We discuss their journeys, overcoming self-doubt, and persevering to win the Contest.
Larry Elmore become an Illustrators of the Future judge in 2012 and is routinely a highlight anytime he attends the annual workshop.
Larry discusses how the original D&D art came to be and, following this, Dragonlance art. Larry talks about how he can just look at something, duplicate the shape, and draw it from memory.
Dean Wesley Smith is one of the most prolific authors today, a master of selling the first draft of his stories. He was the first Writers of the Future winner to be awarded in the history of the Contest. In this podcast, he covers writing what you want to write, what you have fun with. He discusses what today are called "guidelines." In L. Ron Hubbard's day, these were called taboos, which he discusses in his how-to article called "Boos and Taboos." In addition to creating his own worlds, Dean has written "Star Trek," "Spider-Man," "X-Men," "Iron Man," and "Men in Black" novels and ghostwritten dozens of others.
Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, wrote and did her own voice-over for her book, "I'm Still a 10-Year Old Boy" and she is also an artist and sculptor. We discuss her growth and subsequent influence as an artist which includes my favorite chapter, "Six Salient Steps to Successful Survival," which is very applicable to the aspiring writer and artist...and we talk about all 6 steps!
The UK is very important to Writers and Illustrators of the Future! Illustrator grand prize winner volume 37 Dan Watson (top), writer winner volume 36 J. L. George (center), and writer winner volume 38 Michael Panter (bottom)were interviewed during the workshop week where we discussed their individual journeys to winner and what they plan to do in the future. Dan Watson: danwatsonart.com/ J. L. George: jlgeorgewrites.wordpress.com/ Michael Panter: michaelpanter.com/
Growing up in Jamaica, Michael Talbot had always had a strong desire to inspire and speak to others through art. In 2012 he left his home country to live in the US and began pursuing his artistic dreams. He earned his BFA in illustration and graphic design with a minor in animation at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, and has since been working as a Boston-based freelance artist on a wide range of projects, exhibitions, and showcases. Michael believes that all art is interconnected in some facet; informing, complimenting and/or enhancing each other. And although his passion and interest for storytelling is forefront in his practice and craft, he tends to draw from his knowledge in as many areas of study as possible to help strengthen this process. Whenever possible, he uses his rich cultural background from his early life in Jamaica to infuse, improve, and “season” whatever project he tackles, often mixing both digital and traditional media.
https://talbotsart.com/home.html
Martin L. Shoemaker, a winner in Writers of the Future Volume 31, announces a new book, "Ulla," based on "The War of the Worlds" storyline, and the use of Kickstarter to help with the book's release.
Reach Martin at https://shoemaker.space/
International bestselling author and Writers of the Future Contest Judge, Kevin J. Anderson never wanted to be anything but an author his entire life. We discuss the conclusion of the Clockwork Angels Trilogy, "Clockwork Destiny," which Kevin considers to be the best book he has ever written out of his 175 published books. We also discuss the importance of storytellers and the importance of transparency in storytelling, that you are so absorbed in the story that you can just enjoy and be involved in the story. Learn more about Kevin at www.wordfire.com.
James Rosone is the Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of the Red Storm Series and World War III military thriller series. He's an Iraq War veteran who served 3.5 years in a combat zone as a military interrogator and contractor. You can write the best book in the world and no one reads it. Or you can write a garbage book and everyone reads it. It comes down to marketing. And how to do that is what we discuss. His website: https://www.frontlinepublishinginc.com/
Mike Jack Stoumbos is a teacher who wanted to be an author. This is his story on transitioning from a full-time teacher/part-time writer to a part-time teacher/full-time writer.
Mike is a winner published in "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 38," with his anti-bullying story "The Squid is my Brother."
Visit Mike at www.mikejackstoumbos.com
(bottom to top) C Winspear (WOTF 36 Gold Award winner), Michael Gardner (WOTF 36), and JA Becker (WOTF 37) all won Writers of the Future. They all share amazingly different journeys that led them to Hollywood to celebrate becoming winners. And boy do we have a lot of fun!
Damon Courtney (writing under the alias Damon J. Courtney) wrote an epic Fantasy series, Dragon Bond, that he desperately wanted to give to the world (whether they liked it or not). He had already published two books, and now the third and final book in his (to him) magnificent trilogy was complete. But, how to find readers… And so begins the story of Book Funnel. BookFunnel delivers more than 2 million ebooks every month for indie authors just like you. Go to BookFunnel.com
Canadian Dean of Science Fiction Robert J. Sawyer says to take a breath. Write the stories that are important to you. Stories that only you can tell. He also gives his reason why he recommends that you submit to Writers of the Future. Learn your craft. Practice. Get really good. Then you can be good enough to sell.
Meet the grand prize winners for 2022 published in Writers of the Future Volume 38. Zaine was ready to quit art and tells how he overcame a total feeling of despair. Desmond tells of what he finally did that took him out of his almost-writer state to being a winner.
WATCH ART REVEAL HIGHLIGHTS HERE: https://youtu.be/Kduoo37wwH0
Each year, the illustrators set up their art in a large room, and then the authors are let in and must find their story's art at which point the illustrator introduces themself to the author. It is a very emotional event and one I hope you will enjoy listening to.
In this interview, we talk with international bestselling author Hugh Howey. We discuss self-publishing vs indie publishing vs traditional publishing; how his earlier work ethic, gaining experience doing all forms of jobs, affected his later ability as an author; and, his experience working at a bookstore and its impact on his writing choices. We also cover how his novel "Wool" came to be.
Philippa Werner is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Scribecount, overseeing the customer interaction, content, and overall service side of the company. Her main objective is to ensure copyright holders never miss out on royalties owed to them! With 19 novels to her name, including 2 USA Today Bestsellers, Philippa speaks the complicated language of indie-author very well. You can reach Philippa here: philippa.werner@scribecount.com
Laura Crenshaw, Founder & CEO of Mythulu.com. Mythulu mission is to stabilize and expand the storytelling industry.
The world is hungry for new stories. You're ready to tell them. Our goal is to be the belt to your Batman. Check out what else we're about to slip into your arsenal:
Explain your decks, the premise of how they were created and all the perceptics they use.
Learn more at https://mythulu.com/
When not writing, Marta Sprout loves skiing big mountains, scuba diving, and snorkeling with 40’ whale sharks. She teaches at the police academy and has done training scenarios with cadets and SWAT. In addition to the pursuit of an accurate and credible story, the bond she has with law enforcement, military, and firefighters comes from a deep respect for those who put themselves in harm’s way to protect total strangers.
She has one personal story that rocked her world that set the direction of her life which we will discuss a bit later in this podcast.
Today, writing thrillers gives us all a safe way to unravel why some are violent, to honor victims and bravery, and to wonder what you or I would do in the shoes of a hero.
Judith Anderle, who along with her husband, Michael, has built an indie publishing empire and created the 20Booksto50K annual conference.
We discuss a topic not covered before in the 3 years of this podcast: publishing contracts and publishing rights
Michael Anderle is a top 30 Bestselling Amazon Author and CEO of LMBPN Publishing. He has used what he learned from his first two decades reading science fiction and fantasy to segue into writing Urban Fantasy and Military Fiction in the next decade. We discuss his Kurtherian Gambit, and one of my favorite characters of fiction--Bethany Anne, along with how he has grown as an author and helped so many other authors along the way.
Irmak (Max) Cavun has been creating art all her life, using anything she could draw with on anything she could draw on. She now runs creative teams in creating games at USC and loves working with artists to bring out their best in creating art. Discover the art of Irmak at irmakcavun.com or email her at irmakcav@gmail.com.
Nina Kiriki Hoffman was a winner from the very first volume of Writers of the Future and later became a Contest judge. In this interview, she covers writer's block and how to deal with it. She also discusses how if you want to write short stories try taking characters from your novel and write something about that character before they got to the book, i.e. a right of passage before they became a character in the novel. Write a story about them and you get to know your character that much better when you write your novel. Learn more about Nina at fantasticfiction.com/h/nina-kiriki-hoffman/
Listen to the Writers and Illustrators of the Future podcast on writing with Writers of the Future winners Zack Be (WOTF 36), Storm Humbert (WOTF 36), and Luke Wildman (WOTF 37)on what winning has meant to them and how to become an author.
If you enjoy military thrillers as well as science fiction, you will love Jeff Edwards. Jeff served over two decades in the US Navy where he was an Anti-Submarine Warfare Specialist and Chief Petty Officer.
He specializes in writing about ordinary men and women working together to do extraordinary things which was something he experienced in his military career.
In his own words, Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s the determination that some things are more important than fear.
Listen to this week’s Writers and Illustrators of the Future podcast with special guest Jeff Edwards.
Douglas E. Richards is a multiple New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of science-fiction thrillers that have sold over two million copies. I was initially introduced to him through his book “Seeker” which left a very refreshing view on the future of humanity. After reading Seeker, I asked him for a recommended next read and he suggested the newly released “Unidentified” a book that opens and closes with the author participating on a large podcast. He had me at the word "podcast"! He has gone from being a biotech executive and Director of biotechnology licensing with a BS in microbiology from the Ohio State University, and a master's degree in genetic engineering from the University of Wisconsin--where he engineered mutant viruses now named after him--and an MBA from the University of Chicago. Learn more at www.douglaserichards.com/
Tom Wood is a world-class fantasy art illustrator who is among the best-selling poster artists in the US and Canada. Art is hard work. If you want to be good at it, it’s an obsession. The “Tom Wood Fantasy Art” brand has sold millions of products since 2005. Tom’s creations of dragons and medieval, death-defying warriors have become iconic images of fantasy culture across America, Europe, and Asia. In addition as a commercial artist, Tom’s clients have included well-known companies: Warner Brothers, Disney, NBA, NFL, MLS, Reebok, Gatorade, and the NCAA as well as ICP (Insane Clown Posse) and The Gathering of the Juggalos. He became an Illustrators of the Future judge in 2021. His work can be found at www.meridiandesignworks.com/
Filipina – American author, artist, educator, and a new mother, Anj Dockrey, was recently published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 37 with her story, “Argentum.” She has been entering the Writers of the Future Contest for nearly two decades and now having won has a wonderful story of persistence and dedication to finally achieving her goal that I wanted to share with you.
Kary English was published in WOTF 31 and has since become the First Reader for Writers of the Future. The goal of this podcast is to cut down on Contest rejects so we discuss the do's, don'ts, and WTF for submitting to the Writers of the Future Contest.
A.G. Riddle has become a household sensation within our offices with his Origin Mystery Series series. Writing under a pseudonym, Gerry, along with his wife and partner Anne, are better known in the publishing world as AG Riddle. He released his first novel, The Atlantis Gene, in March of 2013. It became the first book in The Origin Mystery Trilogy. He also released his fourth novel, Departure, which follows the survivors of a flight that takes off in the present and crash-lands in a changed world. Riddle was born and raised in a small town in North Carolina and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. No matter where he is, he tries to set aside time every day to write and answer e-mails.
Learn more at www.AGRiddle.com
Brittany "Bea" Jackson discusses her career from aspiring artist, to winning the Illustrators of the Future Golden Brush Award, to multiple NYT bestselling children's books, and now Illustrators of the Future Judge.
Meet Jenna Moreci, bestselling author, and YouTube influencer. We discuss three important tips to reach GenZ and Millennials whether you are an author or marketer and you will soon realize why Jenna's YouTube platform is so popular! Learn more at www.jennamoreci.com/ and www.youtube.com/channel/UCS_fcv9kBpDN4WWrfcbCrgw
Dean Wesley Smith was the first writer to be awarded by Writers of the Future in volume 1. He has been a Contest judge and is one of the most prolific writers alive today. We discuss how he emulated L. Ron Hubbard's speed and ability to cross genres. In celebration of his 70th birthday, Dean is publishing 70 novels in one year!
Two of our most recent Gold Award winners, writer winner Barbara Lund with her story “Sixers” in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 37, and illustrator winner Anh Le with his illustration of “Stolen Sky” in Volume 36, discuss their career, the workshop week, what it was like to win the grand prize, and their plans for the future.
In this podcast Wulf Moon, a mentor, and Brittany Rainsdon, mentee, discuss the value of a good mentor and how it differs from writing groups and beta-readers.
Salt Lake City Fan-X is one of the largest pop-culture events in the United States. This year there were over 40,000 fans, hundreds of exhibitors and celebrities, several hundred panels and events, and a barrel full of protocols to deal with. And the man who oversees all of this is Blake Casselman, the Director of Programming. Listen as we discuss what goes into to making a successful convention and why the SLC FanX works so well.
A feeling of anticipation hung in the air of the Hollywood Roosevelt as the Illustrator winners of L. Ron Hubbard’s Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests revealed their art to the writer winners at one of the special events during a week-long workshop attended by the annual winners of both Contests. In a world where new artists – whether authors or illustrators desperately in need of that vote of confidence to persist and not give up – have the L. Ron Hubbard Writers and Illustrators of the Future Contests to provide that much-needed recognition.
Over 250 fans joined us in Salt Lake City, Utah for FanX—one of the largest pop-culture events in the United States—for an hour-long Writers of the Future panel titled "Writers of the Future: Learn How to Engage Readers” featuring Contest judges Brandon Sanderson, David Farland, S.M. Sterling, and winners Eric James Stone and Darci Stone while I acted as the moderator.
The first half was moderator questions to the panel, the second half was devoted to audience Q&A which made for an amazing panel.
While recently attending Dragon Con in Atlanta, I was able to meet up with the convention CEO and good friend, Pat Henry. I have known Pat since he was a comic store owner when he was first creating Dragon Con with several of his friends.
In this podcast, we discuss what makes DragonCon different than other events, why it is so important to writers and artists, and how conventions help establishing, building, and continuing a career in Science Fiction and Fantasy.
Alexi Vandenberg is a marketing specialist with his company Rabid Fanboy Marketing. He has also created a traveling bookstore called Bard’s Tower that tours from convention to convention, bringing some of the hottest talent in pop culture entertainment to book lovers. We connected up in Atlanta at Dragon Con and again in Salt Lake City at Fanx. We discuss marketing and the value of conventions and what types are great for book sales.
So you can draw, paint and sculpt. But how do you turn that into a profession you can support yourself with? Award-winning artist and Illustrators of the Future judge Dan dos Santos and illustrator winner, Bruce Brenneise, discuss the Contest and tips on the business of art, from creating portfolios to working with art directors.
S.M. Sterling, Jody Lynn Nye, Kevin J. Anderson with moderator John Goodwin discuss how to become one of the 12 winners to be published in the annual anthology? Writers of the Future judges and bestselling authors discuss the Contest, tips on story prompts, and short fiction. Then in the 2nd half, enjoy Q&A.
In this episode, we tackle a very sensitive subject, often used, and more often misused in science fiction – politics.
And to talk about it is Joe Montaldo -- the host of multiple award-winning shows: UFO Paranormal, News on the Flip Side, and the Centralist Radio Show.
Science fiction is an inherently political genre, in that any future or alternate history it imagines is either a wish about how things should be or a warning of what could happen.
Todd McCaffrey is a multiple New York Times and indie bestselling author. His mother, Anne McCaffrey, turned over the Dragon Riders of Pern series to Todd and we have fun discussing the passing of that torch. As a successful indie author, we cover the pros and cons of traditional versus independent publishing and some tips on how to be a success as an indie author.
Robin Whitten is the Editor and Founder of AudioFile Magazine, the premier publication for the audiobook industry.
Audiobooks is the fastest-growing segment in the book publishing industry which fact makes having Robin as a guest so special. I don’t know that anyone knows audiobooks better than her and in this interview, we will discuss the history of the audiobook industry.
David Farland is a multiple New York Times bestselling author and Writers of the Future Coordinating Judge. He has been dubbed the Story Doctor as he has mentored so many of today’s bestselling authors from Brandon Mull (Fablehaven), Brandon Sanderson (Wheel of Time), and Stephenie Meyer (Twilight). We discuss what to look for in a writing instructor. From there we cover how to plot a novel, how to analyze an audience, how to actually draft a novel, and revising a story to greatness
Michele Cobb is the Executive Director of the Audio Publishers Association, the Director of Audio Publishing for LA Theatre Works, and the Publisher of Audiofile Magazine. She has become for all intents and purposes the spokesperson for the Audiobook Industry.
Audiobooks have become the largest growth segment of the publishing industry. In our interview, we discuss how this has come to be and how you can publish your own audiobook.
This week’s guest is internationally bestselling author Katherine Kurtz. Combining her study of medieval English at university with the popularity of J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, she evolved a new sub-genre of world fantasy called historical fantasy set in close parallels to our own medieval period and featuring “magic” that much resembles what some of us might call extrasensory perception.
She has gone on to author 16 historical fantasy novels in the Deryni series, as well as occult and urban fantasy.
We have a very special episode for you this week. Roger Christian is an Academy Award-winning art director for the very first Star Wars movie: A New Hope. He was later nominated for an Oscar for his work on Alien. He directed second unit on Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, The Sender, and Nostradamus. He was also the director of the movie Battlefield Earth. There has been so much false information about the movie over the years that he wanted an opportunity to discuss the facts of the movie, and as Roger puts it to put the truth out there.
Special guests Michelle Desrochers and Amelia Pisano, are hosts of “The Outer Realm.” We not only talk about their specialties, Michelle with her vast experience in the paranormal, helping with TV shows and movies to get it right, And Amelia with her remote viewing to help save children, We also discuss right and wrong ways to treat the subject of the paranormal in writing fantasy and dark fantasy with examples in books, television, and movies.
Andrew Gulli is the editor-in-chief of The Strand Magazine, one of the most established and popular journals of mystery fiction active today. Mystery Sci-Fi has been a popular genre being a mix of both Science Fiction and Mystery. In this episode, we will discuss examples of what has worked and what hasn’t work in mystery sci-fi as well as discuss all different types of mystery sub-genres.
Many questions over the years on the need to promote oneself have been addressed. But I’ve never addressed the role of an actual publicist. In this show of the Writers & Illustrators of the Future Podcast, meet Mickey Mikkelson from Creative Edge Publicity and we will discuss how having a “brand” works, when does it become important for an author or artist, and what is the role of a publicist to boost your career?
Robert Hogg is the Deputy Mission Manager for NASA's Mars 2020 project, NASA’s latest Mars rover. The Perseverance will search for signs of past life on Mars using seven advanced instruments. In addition to the science of the mission, we discuss what would happen if the rover, while drilling, found evidence of earlier alien civilizations. We have a lot of fun. And you will too.
Brittany Rainsdon is a registered nurse, a young mother of four, and is working very hard at becoming a published author. She has won the Writers of the Future competition and is published in Deep Magic magazine and selected for their Best Of issue. In this episode, we discuss how Brittany has overcome real-life issues to pursue her dream of becoming a published author. http://rainsdonwrites.com/
Dan dos Santos has been a professional artist for over two decades and has been an Illustrators of the Future Judge since 2019.
You will have certainly recognized his art if you are a book reader – from Dan Brown, Danielle Steele, and Patricia Briggs, to Brandon Sanderson, Diana Rowland, and JK Rowling. He has worked for clients such as Disney, Universal Studios, Activision, Boeing Aircraft, Scholastic Books, Random House, and DC Comics.
And we have a wonderful time discussing tips for aspiring artists or for people interested in learning more about art and the importance of art education for a career in art.
Ace Antonio Hall – pen name Nzondi – is an American urban fantasy and horror writer. His novel, Oware Mosaic, won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Young Adult Fiction.
He is a former Director of Education for NYC schools and the Sylvan Learning Center.
I initially met Nzondi through the Greater Los Angeles Writers Society, when he, as Vice President, made a presentation on the 80th Anniversary of L. Ron Hubbard as a professional author.
In this episode of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast, Nzondi, will discuss the need for a good headshot, a good bio that interests, and how to present yourself for that all-important good first impression.
This week’s guest is Mary Jane Popp and she talks about KISS (Keeping It Simple Stupid) of doing media interviews and promoting yourself. She has worked in radio and television for over 40 years as a reporter, producer, and talk show host. She is now the host of the syndicated radio magazine show “Poppoff” out of Sacramento, California. So be sure to listen to the next episode of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast with Mary Jane Popp as she provides insight into how to effectively promote yourself through the media.
Kimberly Quigley has had a lifetime of experience in the media industry beginning with print and runway modeling as a teen. Her work soon evolved into writing and directing short films and TV programming. I met her as the Creator and producer of the celebrity interview show The Red Booth – which she grew from local TV to now being broadcast in multiple countries. In this interview, we continue to explore do’s and don’ts of how to give a good media interview as well as how to pitch your story for TV and movies.
At some point in your career as a writer or artist, you will need to tackle being interviewed by the media. So what makes a good interview and what makes a bad interview? How do you prepare for one? And what is a reporter or show host looking for? In our next episode of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future podcast, we ask long-time show host, Frank MacKay. He has interviewed presidents, senators, judges, and famous actors. Listen in as Frank MacKay breaks down how to do a good interview.
In this interview, S.M. Stirling discusses how history is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to be plausible. History doesn't. As the saying goes, you can't just wait for the Inspiration Fairy to sprinkle you with idea-dust. She's very fickle. At least not if you're a professional. So says multiple New York Times best-selling author S.M. Stirling. Learn where his amazing ideas come from … whether mystery, thriller, science fiction or fantasy.
Andy Dibble, as an undergraduate, completed four majors—religious studies, philosophy, Asian studies, and computer science—and published a paper on two of India’s great epics, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata Purana. He holds a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. In this episode, we will be discussing religion in science fiction.
John Haas has wanted to be a pro writer for most of his life … but life kept getting in his way. He kept persisting and now finds himself on the cusp of realizing that dream. For any who aspire to living their dream, whatever that dream, listen to this episode of the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast with Writers of the Future winner and author John Haas. After all, dreams can be made to happen.
Edgar Rice Burroughs was best known for Tarzan of the Apes and John Carter of Mars. He failed in nearly every enterprise he tried. And yet he became one of the most successful adventure writers in history! In this interview you will learn about Edgar Rice Burroughs from adventurer to reporter to world class author with our very special guests, the president of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Jim Sullos, and Director of Publishing, Christopher Paul Carey.
Michael Z. Williamson is an author who writes both military fiction and science fiction and is best known for his libertarian-themed Freehold series, exploring military and political themes as well as first contact with alien beings. With 25 years of service in the Army and Air Force, he has consulted on military matters and disaster preparedness for Discovery Channel and Outdoor Channel and is Editor-at-Large for Survivalblog. www.facebook.com/Michael-Z-Williamson-115086425180711
Otto Penzler has been involved with publishing since 1975, when he founded The Mysterious Press, dedicated to publishing the best books by the best authors. We talk about the one vital element in storytelling that is common to all genre-fiction and that sets a story above others and makes it timeless.
In this podcast, we discuss the Power of Story in society, that a successful society is a society of successful stories. Our guest, David Doering, creator of the Life, the Universe and Everything convention, addresses how all human endeavors are storytelling. We will cover all forms of storytelling from gossip … to biography … to history … to criticism … to fiction … and its antithesis, censorship, and book burning.
Many know Frank Frazetta as the godfather of fantasy art noted for comic books, paperback book covers, paintings, posters, record album covers, and other media. While his work is world-renowned, what about the man, or in this case, the grandfather? Sara Frazetta is the granddaughter of Frank Frazetta and founder of Frazetta Girls, a family initiative dedicated to maintaining the legacy of Frank Frazetta. If you are a fan of fantasy art, you won’t want to miss this episode.
What do you ask someone who knows virtually everything there is to know about the pulp fiction era and its impact on today’s popular fiction? Anything and everything. That’s what I tried to do when he was the keynote speaker at Writers of the Future Awards ceremony a few years ago. And that’s what I attempt on this episode of the Writers & Illustrators of the Future Podcast with our very special guest, editor, author, and publisher of Murania Press, and my good friend, Mr. Ed Hulse.
What began as a childhood hobby grew into a full-fledged passion. It eventually led Pat Henry, along with a few friends, to co-found Dragon Con, one of the largest fantasy conventions in the world in Atlanta, Georgia, of which Pat is now CEO. We will discuss why conventions are important to a writer and artist and why DragonCon is one of the biggest supporters of Writers & Illustrators of the Future.
Kevin J. Anderson has published more than 165 books, 56 of which have been national or international bestsellers. He has written numerous novels in the Star Wars, X-Files, and Dune universes. He has been a judge for Writers of the Future for 25 years and has a simple philosophy: I’m successful at this, but I feel it’s important to pay forward to the next generation of writers.” He also teaches a Masters Program in Publishing which we discuss. www.wordfire.com
India has recently taken the #2 spot behind the United States with students participating in the Writers of the Future Online Workshop and Bhagyashree Prabhutendolkar is the driving force behind that. She is a published author, illustrator, public speaker, and the founder of Youth Magazine, an international youth-led publication aimed to bring positive change in the world. She is a former recipient of ‘The Hindustan Times Scholarship Award’ and her work has been published in prominent newspapers such as Hindustan Times, Times of India, Mumbai Times and she was nominated for the Crossword Book Awards '19 as well. She was also selected as Yale University's Yale Young Global Scholars 2021. She can be found at youthmag.net and https://www.facebook.com/digambar.prabhutendolkar.9
The Space Western Science Fiction sub-genre has had great success beyond the page in the television and movie industries—Longmire, Firefly, Serenity, Avatar, not to mention Han Solo, Bobba Fett and the Mandalorian. To make western sci-fi work, though, you have to know what makes the western work and that’s our guest in the next episode of the Writers of the Future Podcast. Learn how the sci-fi west was won with this week’s guest, Dakota Livesay.
Dr. Beatrice Kondo is the Assistant Program Director for the Masters of Science program in Biotechnology at Johns Hopkins University. Yes, the same university providing up to date information on the current pandemic. Biotechnology is now moving so fast that a lot of the science that not so long ago was just fiction is now part of our daily lives. If you are an author and are interested in biotechnology in your science fiction, then you will enjoy this episode.
Combine a Master's degree in history with a quarter-century working as a longshoreman, truck driver, auto worker, steelworker, meatpacker, glassblower, and machinist to become an international top-selling science fiction and alternate history author and you have Eric Flint.
Mark Leslie Lefebvre is a Canadian author, professional speaker, and bookseller who talks about passion and getting published. Storytelling is all about "story" and this has to be your ultimate drive and passion as a writer. We also discuss his novel "A Canadian Werewolf in New York" and his homage to Spider-Man! As a Canadian, Mark provides advice to the aspiring Canadian author which he then bridges over to any aspiring writer. Learn more about Mark Leslie at http://markleslie.ca
Joe Montaldo and John Goodwin discuss Joe's long term desire to write a story and how he has been taking the L, Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Online Workshop to accomplish this as his New Year's Resolution.
In this interview with Bill Fawcett, we discuss the history and future of publishing. We discuss the repeated "collapse" of publishing going back to the 1930s and how it continues to evolve. As an author Bill Fawcett has written or co-authored over a dozen fiction books plus close to one hundred articles and short stories. Bill collaborated on several mystery novels with Chelsea Quinn Yarbro including the Authorized Mycroft Holmes novels. He interviewed for and edited two oral histories of the US Navy SEALs "Hunters and Shooters" and "The Teams." As an anthologist, Bill has edited or co-edited over 40 SF anthologies. Bill Fawcett & Associates has packaged over 400 books science fiction, fantasy, military, non-fiction, and licensed books for major publishers.
Steven L. Sears is one of Hollywood's most successful and productive screenwriters. He wrote for Riptide, Xena, Sheena, Swamp Thing, A-Team, Stingray, Starbuck, The Highwayman, Raven, and others. In this interview, Steven discusses how he became a screenwriter along a path that he did not expect. We discuss what is lazy writing. He also defines dynamic writing and its importance in succeeding as a writer, no matter what type of writing you want to pursue. https://www.facebook.com/steven.l.sears
Wulf Moon was a published winner in Writers of the Future and discusses the value of diversifying income streams to survive no matter the circumstances. He is also the moderator of the Writers of the Future Forum and discusses how it is a tool to help grow as a writer as you are with other writers who want to help each other.
Discover Wulf Moon at www.driftweave.com
UK author Roger Ellory is a thriller author who discusses the book that started him along a successful path as a professional writer, "L. Ron Hubbard: The Writer." It contained essays and articles by Mr. Hubbard on the craft of writing which are as applicable now as when he wrote them, regardless the genre one decides to write in. One essay, "The Manuscript Factory," addresses output and how to achieve it. Mr. Hubbard produced 50,000 words a month, which Roger has taken to heart and he has written 50,000 words per month himself since becoming a writer.
In William Shakespeare's home in London, there are a series of questions posed, nicely written on leather, and placed on a wall in his residence. One of the questions was "Is Shakespeare the most translated author in history?" Lifting up the leather, the answer reads, "No, that honor belongs to L. Ron Hubbard."
Roger discusses the passion necessary to write a book that generates sufficient enthusiasm to engage a reader.
He was first published in 2002 and has now published 15 novels, winning numerous awards globally and translated into 26 languages.
Picasso responded to a question as to why he still painted perched on a ladder at 82 when a doodle on a napkin could sell for a quarter-million dollars: "Inspiration exists but it has to find you working." You need to keep yourself working, keep yourself motivated.
Any creative faculty is like a muscle. If you don't exercise it, it won't get strong. So you have to write to build it.
He recommends "A Quiet Belief in Angels" as his first book and I wholeheartedly agree! It's an amazing read.
Learn more about him at www.rjellory.com
Charles Gannon is an award-winning SF author with his Tales of the Terran Republic series as well as being a Distinguished Professor of English. We discuss believable world-building, xeno-world-building, exosapients (aliens), and exobiospheres (other inhabitable planets).
Discover all of his works at charlesegannon.com/wp/
Lezli Robyn is the editor of Galaxy's Edge Magazine and Assistant Publisher at Arc Manor, and she discusses her introduction to science fiction and what she now looks for to be published in her publications and what a rejection from a magazine means.
The value of short fiction to getting discovered, building one's name, and maintaining one's audience, especially with magazines going digital, is increasing the popularity of short fiction as it provides bite-sized escapes from the world.
Learn more about Lezli at lezlirobyn.com
Scot Noel was published in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 6 in 1990 which helped launch a very successful career as a writer and in starting his own science fiction and fantasy magazine, DreamForge. This is his story. He also reveals what he is looking for from authors wanting to be published.
Writers of the Future and Toni originally met in New York in 1989 where she was a volunteer helping at the Awards event! She has since worked with Jim Baen, working under him as an editor and wearing every hat in a publishing house. With Jim's passing, Toni became the owner and publisher of Baen Books and is going strong! In this interview, we talk about the future of publishing and we also talk about one of her book projects from 1995, "Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts."
With a Bachelors in Physics and a Ph.D. in astrophysics from Oxford in England, Alan Smale came to America in the late 80s to work with NASA and never went back. In addition to being a research scientist with NASA, Alan writes alternate history and historical fantasy, and is an a capella vocalist. He was a WOTF 13 winner with his story, "Wings." Alan discusses his process in writing alternate history and the extent of his research to provide an accurate base and then weave in his alternate history aspect. He also covers how he manages a full time job with NASA, performing his music, and writing...including an immense amount of research that results in a lengthy novel a year. Discover his many works at www.alansmale.com
Lazarus Chernik has been an art director for over 20 years working with Fortune 100 giants as well as small businesses in need of reaching their next level. He was asked to discuss do's and don'ts of working with an art director. He provides key and vital things artists need to know to work with an art director and things to avoid. He does this by explaining what the art director's job is and explaining what the artist's job is.
Larry discusses how to write hard science fiction and pitfalls to avoid based on what he learned in writing "Ring World." He does concede that readers will forgive a mistake if it's a really good story.
We also discuss his laws of collaboration and what is important to make collaboration work, discussing writing with Jerry Pournelle.
Larry also explains how he became an author and the two times he felt like a real writer.
Discover the various works by Larry at www.larryniven.net
Nancy Kress is the author of thirty-three books, including twenty-six novels, four collections of short stories, and three books on writing. Her work has won six Nebulas, two Hugos, a Sturgeon, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award, and has been translated into two dozen languages, including Klingon. In addition to writing, Kress often teaches at various venues around the country and abroad, including a visiting lectureship at the University of Leipzig, a 2017 writing class in Beijing, and the annual intensive workshop Taos Toolbox, which she teaches every summer with Walter Jon Williams. In this interview, Nancy discusses world-building addressing these key topics: 1. How much do you have to do? 2. When? 3. How? What are the resources? Who and how is the authority? What is the power line? What is the finance line? How are resources allocated? How is authority enforced? Who has rights? What are the caste levels in that society?
A great start to Nancy's writing is her novel, the near-future speculative fiction "Beggars in Spain." If you prefer thrillers is "Stinger." For space opera read "The Probability Series."
Dave Chesson created Kindlepreneur to help authors get started with Amazon. In our interview, he discusses the evolution of self-publishing and the relevance of self-published authors comparing them to free-agents in sports. Self-publishing makes it easier for a publishing house to know who to take on. Self-publishing used to be the junior varsity team but this has evolved.
The con to self-publishing includes such things as no backing of a publishing house; not have access to specific editors, no professional formatting, to name just a few of the points. With self-publishing, you need to learn to do these things yourself and have to learn marketing.
Extremely important whether with a publisher or not, is to learn how to market and the importance of building an email list that will enable you to grow on other social platforms.
Go to kindlepreneur.com as a way to get started and also to reach out to Dave.
Echo Chernik is a freelance artist who has diversified her skills and creates art in all mediums which is important from her experience as she is able to ride with any bumps in the economy and changes in demand. In addition to being well known in corporate America for brands such as Celestial Seasonings tea packaging, she also created two now-famous decks of playing cards for Name of the Wind by Pat Rothfuss (WOTF 18).
Echo is the coordinating judge for the Illustrators of the Future Contest and enjoys sharing her hard-won advice to assist aspiring illustrators. She is a big believer in different styles and diversity in art, which is why the last volume had winners from Iran, Turkey, Viet Nam as well as the US, Can, and the UK.
She discusses what she looks for in Contest submissions: your own style, skill, and is it telling a story with the illustration, and send the art YOU want to do. And send in your own art, no plagiarism -- we do check for plagiarism.
Visit her website at www.echo-x.com
Liz Busby is a mom, homeschooler, SF critic, and superfan, and this interview was done to provide a perspective to writers on what fans are looking for in an author: turn-on and turn-off. We also discuss how to deal with religious themes in SF&F, its origin, and the current trend. Who does religion right in their SF&F? - Brandon Sanderson with his Stormlight Archive, - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
We also discuss her favorite stories in L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 36: "Educational Tapes" by Katie Livingston "A Word That Means Everything" by Andy Dibble "Trading Ghosts" by David A. Elsensohn
Find her at lizbusby.com/
Meet Elizabeth Chatsworth, originally from the UK and now living in the US, the first winner from WOTF 37 to be interviewed. After a successful career in marketing in the UK, Elizabeth began writing as a late-in-life second career writing fiction in her late 40s. She has now won Writers of the Future, sold her first novel, and was very happy to tell the story of how she approached learning to write. We also discuss the creation of steampunk as a subgenre and reference the article by Tim Powers. https://elizabethchatsworth.com
We met Sean Patrick Hazlett in 2017 when he was a winner in Writers of the Future Volume 33 with his short dark fantasy (horror) story, "Adramelech." He is an Army veteran with the elite 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, a finance executive in SFO Bay area, with an AB in history and BS in electrical engineering from Stanford University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. In this podcast we discuss creating horror and dark fantasy and the form he likes.
Sean is the editor of "Weird World War III" which combines real-world paranormal with dark fantasy. He acknowledges the late Mike Resnick for providing him with the knowhow to create this anthology.
Visit Sean at seanpatrickhazlett@wordpress.com
Craig Elliott is an illustrator, visual development artist, and layout artist who works in the animation industry. After graduating from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California in 1996, he went on to work on numerous films for Disney Feature Animation, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon, and Fox Animation Studios. He is now the Director of Animation for Netflix and is now a judge for the Illustrators of the Future.
Cassandre was an illustrator winner in volume 30 where she painted two pieces of art for that volume. And this year, she created the art for the L. Ron Hubbard story, "Borrowed Glory," where she was her own model for both people in the painting. She believes that art and writing can change the world. The interview was done at a Panera Bread Restaurant in Chicago. Discover her art at www.cassandrebolan.com
Martin Shoemaker is a winner published in volume 31, with his story "Unrefined," a sub-genre he refers to as Neo-Apollo, a concept based on the next era of space exploration after the Apollo generation where humanity is struggling to reach the stars.
He now has well over 60 publications including 3 novels. "Today I am Carey" is a ground-breaking novel following his award-winning short story, "Today I am Paul."
Martin was ready to give up writing several years ago on January 1. A reject came back on December 31, the day before his "deadline", so he still had one last day before officially giving up on writing. So he submitted the story to Writers of the Future and forgot about it. A few months later, he received a call that he was a finalist and that Jerry Pournelle really liked his story. So he continued writing and submitting and did not give up. He submitted 13-14 times before finally winning.
Martin is incredibly enthusiastic to help others trying to break into the writing business, helping with the Writers of the Future Forum found at www.writersofthefuture.com.
Martin is now Assistant Editor Galaxy's Edge Magazine and is able to pay it forward, providing an avenue for new writers to get a start.
Discover Martin at shoemaker.space He can be reached at martin@TheUMLGuy.com
Stoney Compton was a winner in 1993, published in WOTF 9, with his story, "Messages." Stoney writes historical fiction and alternate history published by Ring of Fire Press with Eric Flint, a co-winner in volume 9. He discusses the importance of good research in writing either genre. He also discusses self-publishing vs traditional publishing. Discover his books at StoneyCompton.com
Nnedimma Nkemdili "Nnedi" Okorafor (WOTF 18) grew up a great student and athlete, competing semi-pro Tennis. As a result of a surgery, she was paralyzed from the waist down. She turned to writing. The very first story she wrote was the character in her winning story Windseekers published in volume 18. She could fly, which was special to Nnedi who could not walk at that time. She became a Contest judge in 2013 and provided her first how-to essay for the contest, "The Sport of Writing." Her philosophy: if you don't love the craft and art of it, you'll never experience this pure form of success. It grows from that love. Her take on a blank page: if you fear something, you give it power over you. She also explains Nnedi Rule #1: Don't look a novel in the eye until you are done with your first draft. She is now writing screenplays for Hollywood comics in the Black Panther universe with her Shuri books for Marvel. Discover her writing at Nnedi.com.
Mark Payton was an Illustrators of the Future winner in volume 25. At 57, he is now back in school studying graphic illustration. Currently, he is one of four production artists of the Star Trek fan film Axanar and has created illustrations for social media promotion and portraits of the cast of the first part of the production called, "Prelude to Axanar." Mark discusses the history of Axanar, the thousands of fans who have supported it, and the battle with CBS and Paramount to continue producing the fan movie. Here is the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1W1_8IV8uhA Beyond this, Mark has been doing spot character design work for non-profits, the Salvation Factory, and magazine illustrations of turn-of-the-century architecture for the "Landmark Society of Western NY."
@mpgraphics https://mpgraphicillustration.blogspot.com/
Melissa Yuan-Innes (WOTF 16) loved reading and writing as a child. She was taught to play "the safe" game for her career. So she put off being a writer. Instead, she became a medical doctor working as an emergency room doctor. That accomplished, she returned to seriously addressing her writing and has gone on to publish nearly 15 novels in SF, Fantasy, and Medical Thrillers (as Melissa Yi).
At her Writers of the Future Workshop, Tim Powers told her that she had to ground him with all five senses to get him to believe. Immerse me in your environment to make me accept the fantastic. Taking this to heart, she has certainly accomplished this as in the short story - a good Melissa primer - "Fairy Tales are for White People" https://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-are-White-People-ebook/dp/B01L6EDECE
Find her books at melissayuaninnes.wordpress.com
Brittany Jackson had a different set of artistic goals when she started out with her career: comics or video games. She eventually realized that for a bright future she would have to make changes. With the constantly changing art environment, she has evolved and is making a living illustrating children's books as a full-time artist, with an agency representing her.
For FB and IG she can be found at @beagifted.
James C. Glass, the 1991 Grand prize winning author (WOTF 7) has written 10 novels and 4 compilations, primarily hard science fiction. His first love was writing which transitioned to education for a career with twin Masters in Astronomy and Physics and then a PhD in Physics. After a long successful career, kids grown up, he transitioned back to writing in 1987 when he published his first story. He entered WOTF initially in 1987 after being introduced to the Contest by Algis Budrys, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, and Dean Wesley Smith.
www.author-jamesglass.com
Jean-Paul Garnier is a poet, science fiction author and has become an indie bookstore owner ⎯ Space Cowboy Bookstore in Joshua Tree, CA ⎯ to pay back the joy he has gotten from science fiction. He talks about the value of science fiction, both as a fan, writer, and bookstore owner. He discusses how his involvement with Writers of the Future has paralleled his involvement with science fiction. Check out his bookstore, currently selling online, at spacecowboybooks.blogspot.com He can be reached at spacecowboybooks@gmail.com
Michael Michera, from Warsaw, Poland, was Illustrators of the Future Golden Brush Award winner for volume 33. He worked three weeks on the art he submitted to win. That is his work ethic: it requires hard work to be in the right place at the right time. And he has several examples to prove how this works. Since winning the Contest, he has been extremely busy to the point of not looking for new work as it comes to him. Here are some of tips: 1. Believe in yourself. 2. Artists are frequently shy, but you should endeavor to be everywhere. Post your art every place where it can be found. 3. In addition, have a good website. 4. Put ONLY your best work in your portfolio. 5. Be honest about deadlines with your clients.
www.artstation.com/michera
Multiple World Fantasy Award-winner Tim Powers discusses suspense in storytelling. How do Ian Flemming, Dean Koontz, Michael Connelly do it? They don't tell you. Luckily Hubbard did. It's a whole article. You know suspense when you read it. But with this article it helps crystalize with the examples and descriptions, you can see where you fall short and are so half-way to doing it." The essay is available in the free L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Online Workshop. www.writersofthefuture.com/writing-workshop
Dustin Panzino won Illustrators of the Future in 2011 when he was 19. Two judges in particular, Cliff Nielsen and Steven Hickman, made an impression on him to move beyond being a gallery artist with his oil paintings. He now survives well through his art as a full time profession. He transitioned from being a traditional oil painter to many other styles, including digital. When the shut down occurred, it took a few weeks to adjust his attitude, which has a lot to do with being successful during the current times. He also discusses the importance of setting goals as an artist and then moving forward and how social media has helped to keep him visible and selling. He discusses the importance of a portfolio for the type of art you want to pursue. He can be found on Instagram: inkwell_illustrations Twitter: @inkwell_ILLust Facebook: @inkwell_illustrations
Corry Lee graduated with a PhD in Physics from Harvard, but had wanted to be a writer since a young girl. She was published in Writers of the Future Volume 28 with her story, "Shut Down." Writing short fiction has improved her craft of writing overall. Now, as a PhD physicist, award winning science teacher, data geek, mom, and with the support of her husband, she has now released her first fantasy novel, "Weave the Lightning" (Solaris Books)
www.corrylee.com
Our first-ever illustrator winner from Iran, Mason Matak, talks about the importance of art in Iran and the challenges he has in practicing art as a profession. He has a message for his fellow countrymen who pursue art. But his message is actually for anyone who loves creating art. You can find Mason at: Facebook: mohamadhossein.matak Instagram: @mason_matak
Multiple World Fantasy Award-Winning Author ("Last Call" and "Declare") and author of "On Stranger Tides," Tim Powers has been a Writers of the Future judge for over 30 years. In this interview, he discusses the craft of writing fantasy, both World Fantasy, and Urban Fantasy. www.TheWorksofTimPowers.com
David Farland discusses L. Ron Hubbard's writing essay, "Manuscript Factory" and how it was an eye-opener for him. His instructors in college had been hobby-writers and didn't write to make a living. He used this advice to help build his very successful career as a writer with his own manuscript factory. You can read this and several other essays, along with 13 videos featuring David Farland, Orson Scott Card, and Tim Powers in "L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Online Workshop" available for free here: https://www.writersofthefuture.com/writing-workshop/
Multiple NYT bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson has been a Writers of the Future Judge since 1996 and now teaches a Masters Program at Western Colorado University. In this interview, we talk about publishing in today's world from writing, to the need for agents, to self-promotion, and what the future holds. Oh yeah, we also talk about Writers of the Future and its impact on science fiction & fantasy.
Mike Wood won Writers of the Future in 2009 and was published in volume 25 which provided him his first trip to the US. Now having completed a career he has set a new direction, that of an author.
David D'Amico was a Writers of the Future winner in volume 27. He has retired his job to embrace his lifelong dream of being a published author. This is his journey.
Learn more about David at dadamico.com
Sean Williams has been very successful with his story collaborations. He originally read an article on collaboration by Larry Niven who famously co-wrote with Jerry Pournelle. This interview takes what he learned from that essay and expands on that theme with his own experience. Sean also covers this subject in more detail in his article entitled "Making Collaboration Work for You or Co-Writing with Larry and Sean" published in Writers of the Future Volume 36. International bestselling author Sean Williams was a Writers of the Future winner in volume 23 and became a Contest judge in 2003. Aurealis has called him "the premier Australian speculative fiction writer of the age."
Diane Dillon has been an Illustrators of the Future Judge since 1998. She along with her husband Leo (now deceased) lived by this motto: “Dream the dream, aim for the best you can do, and make the next job better than your last.” In this interview, we discuss how she and Leo began their career in art and design, as students at Parsons and the amazing obstacles they had to overcome to survive as artists. She provides personal stories that can help other aspiring artists. When we recorded this interview, she had only just found out that she had won the well-deserved Chesley Lifetime Achievement Award.
Orson Scott Card discusses L. Ron Hubbard's writing essay "Magic Out of a Hat" and how it is as valid today as it was when he wrote it. He compares the styles and techniques of several early masters and why Hubbard's work remains memorable. You can read this and several other essays, along with 13 videos featuring David Farland, Orson Scott Card, and Tim Powers in "L. Ron Hubbard's Writers of the Future Online Workshop" available for free here: https://www.writersofthefuture.com/writing-workshop/
Matthew Rotundo (WOTF 25) wrote his first story when he was 8 years old and later in life remembered that story and became certain he wanted to be a writer. In this interview, he explains how to start a story and then watch it totally change direction as he proceeded with his trilogy, "Petra: The Prison World Revolt." You can reach Matthew at matthewsrotundo.com
Ken Scholes was rejected 75 times before his first story sale. After winning Writers of the Future in 2005, he sold his first novel within a year, got an agent and sold a 5-book series, "The Psalms of Isaak." He has been a gospel singer, preacher, a multiple award-winning writer, and a performing musician. He is a single dad with 10-year-old twins, still writes, and performs his own music as well around Portland!! Ken talks about his journey, successes and losses, and how he maintains his #1 priority, "I have to create." Learn more about Ken at www.KenScholes.com and discover his music at KenScholes.com/music
Illustrators of the Future Golden Brush Award winner Bea Jackson (vol 24) has been creating art all her life. She discusses the importance of communicating the words of the author through her art. She approaches digital art using traditional methods which she explains. She is an introvert who must step out of her comfort zone to meet new people, nerves, shakes, and all! But it has paid off. She tries to learn from other artists, who she doesn't see as competition. She recently had her illustration book "Parker Looks Up" hit the NYT bestseller list and became a finalist in the NAACP Achievement Awards. As regards the Illustrators of the Future Contest, her simple advice is, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. Enter the Contest." You can see her art at www.beagifted.com
Jason Fischer (WOTF 26 winner, 2010) is a speculative fiction writer from South Australia who himself is on the autism spectrum. He runs Spectrum Writing (SpectrumWriting.com.au) to mentor young people anywhere on the autism spectrum who aspire to be a storyteller. He is predominantly recognized as a writer in the science fiction, fantasy, and horror genres. He talks about the value of Writers & Illustrators of the Future for students he works with as everyone is welcomed to enter and the only judging done is on the story or art submitted! Jason can be reached at jasonfischer.com.au and argonauticapress.com
Laurie Tom is a Chinese American living in Southern California. She won Writers of the Future in 2010 and was published in volume 26. She starting writing when she was 12 and has been writing 10 years before submitting her first story to F&SF and promptly got her first reject. Her skill eventually caught up with her enthusiasm. She can't not write. She is a compulsive outliner for her short stories which makes for amazing short fiction.
You can find Laurie at www.curiousfictions.com/authors/52-laurie-tom Or on Twitter @writerrat
Kary English originally entered Writers of the Future as a high school student, quit, resumed after a successful career and discovered that a favorite author, Brad Torgerson, was a winner and the forum moderator. After several more entries, she won the Contest and a few years later was invited by Dave Farland to be Contest First Reader...and here is her story. Oh yeah, listen to her Neil Gaiman story at the 9 minute mark. :) www.karyenglish.com
Writers of the Future Coordinating Judge David Farland discusses how your novel doesn't have to just be a novel and how you can take it to the next level as an intellectual property generating considerable additional revenue. davidfarland.com
Terry Madden was published in WOTF 30. Trained in biology and chemistry combined with a background in screenwriting and historical fiction, she has shifted gears and is currently working on a science fiction adventure. She provides tips on how to move forward as a writer, whether short fiction or novels. www.terrymaddenwrites.com
Tom Doherty, Publisher of Tor, talks about the history of science fiction book publishing. He also publishes most of the Writers of the Future judges and discusses the value of the Writers of the Future program.
Robert Silverberg was first published in 1955 at the tail end of science fiction's golden age. He has always and only been a writer and so has lived his dream. He got to know the pro's of the time and discusses his relationship with them. He was one of the first judges for Writers of the Future. Bob speaks about the current trends in SF, good and bad.
Scott T. Barnes, winner WOTF 28 in 2012, is Samurai swordsman, editor of NewMyths Magazine while maintaining his own writing career. He discusses how he has handled life and writing with his daughter recently coming down with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) which has made him feel emotions he didn't feel he was capable of. You can find Scott at ScottTBarnes.com or NewMyths.com.
Orson Scott Card describes how he went from screenwriting to writing books and how Ender's Game was conceived. He also answers questions posed by several fans: how he views writer's block, dealing with the pain of the protagonist, what happened to the TV series "Extinct," and a whole lot more. As a Writers of the Future judge, he also talks about the value of the Contest to a career as a writer. Learn more about Orson Scott Card at www.hatrack.com.
Brad Torgersen, who won the 2019 Dragon Award for Best SF Novel of the Year, talks about his win, gives writing tips, discusses how Writers of the Future has impacted his writing career, and how to be a writer while deployed in the military.
www.bradrtorgersen.com FB @BradTorgersen
Jody Lynn Nye is a prolific short story and novel writer as well as being a Writers of the Future judge. We all have problems with confidence as a writer. Jody offers some tips on how to deal with it. She also shares considerable experience in handling social media and dealing with trolls. She also talks about what it was like to co-write with Anne McCaffrey.
Facebook: @JodyLynnNye Web: jodynye.net
Brianna Winner at SLC FanX talking about her path to becoming a writer, from a bullied 12-year-old along with her sister Brittany, to an award-winning-author. Let her journey be your inspiration! Discover the Winner Twins at www.winnertwins.com
Elise talks about how to be a writer as a new mom, even though that was several years ago now. She discusses the incredible mood swings, sleep deprivation, and total love for her child, yet feeling lost without being able to write—and how she ultimately overcame it and worked out how she could write. Elise was a winner in volume 35 with her story, "Untrained Luck" and can be reached at www.EliseStephens.com.
Savannah College of Art & Design in Atlanta, SCAD, graduate Jennifer Ober talks about what she learned from her week at the Illustrators of the Future as well as being a "con virgin" with this being her first time attending a convention. Discover Jennifer's amazing art at oberillustrations.com
Writers of the Future 35 writer winner, Carrie Callahan, has been writing since she was a child and talks about her journey to become a professional writer. Despite the poverty in her youth, she has persisted and is now a professional. She has always had to write and has always wanted to be a writer. She has learned that writing as an author is different than writing as a writer and that writing is a muscle you can flex and strengthen. Learn more at: carriecallahan.com
Ciruelo Cabral began creating his art in Buenos Aires, Argentina and moved to Barcelona, Spain where he became a world-famous fantasy artist, specializing in dragons. Art is not just a career. You need to know what kind of person you are as an artist. You need to keep the passion you started with. Ciruelo is now an Illustrators of the Future judge helping new artists and a regular guest of DragonCon, where this interview is being conducted. Ciruelo can be found at http://www.dac-editions.com/
Echo Chernik is the Coordinating Judge for the Illustrators of the future Contest discusses what the Contest looks for in illustration submissions. It must be illustration vs fine art. She then defines the difference between illustration & art. Lazarus addresses the agency side of illustration: can it tell a story and is it executed well.
Science fiction fantasy landscape artist Bruce Brenneise (volume 34 winner)talks about art direction and the importance of setting your ego aside. You are fulfilling someone else's vision. You are selling creative problem solving to a client. "If I have a disagreement, I take a beat, let any anxieties calm down, then have a calm professional discussion on the best route to take for the project." He recommends biting your tongue until you build a rep as an artist. The sooner you can figure out what kind of artist you are, the better, as you will find clients that will be best for you. Learn more at www.BruceBrenneise.com
Robert J. Sawyer, Dean of Science Fiction in Canada, discusses the importance of diversity in science fiction and fantasy and the value of Writers of the Future in providing a smorgasbord of techniques and styles in writing SF&F and the importance of paying it forward to the community as unique to the genre.
Brian C. Hailes was an Illustrators of the Future winner in 2002. We met up at Salt Lake City FanX and had a chance to talk about his career and thoughts for aspiring artists. With an art career, people don't care what kind of degree you have, they want to see your stuff. Can it sell. Can you make them money? The portfolio is key. They aren't going to hire you if you have a doctorate degree. And you need to tailor your portfolio to the account you are going to pitch. Stay true to your passion and the style that you are best at. Validation is a key part of the Illustrators of the Future Contest and being taught by world-class artists. It is the Academy Awards of Writers and Illustrators. You have to be a great artist. Have to meet your deadlines. Have to be good to work with. You can usually get away with two of the three if you are an established artist. If you are a new artist, you need to have all three. Contact Brian at hailesart.com
Listen to the panel recorded at Salt Lake City FanX 2019. How do you write short stories that sell? Writers of the Future judges, Kevin J. Anderson, Jody Lynn Nye, Todd McCaffrey, Contest winner Brian Lee Durfee, and Galaxy Press staff Emily Goodwin and John Goodwin discuss the Contest, tips on story prompts and short fiction. They then answer questions from the audience. One hour long.
Larry Elmore, while working for TSR Inc. help set the standards for gaming art by creating covers for Dungeons & Dragons, AD&D, Star Frontiers, and Dragonlance. He has freelanced since 1987, creating cover art and commissions and has been an Illustrators of the Future judge since 2012. In this interview, Larry provides what he considers very important ̶ there is no silver spoon to being an artist. It takes hard work, finding the points you are weak in and working to fix them, and ultimately doing the best you can.
Learn facts and figures of how blood donations save lives in this interview with Galen Unold, Director of the LifeSouth Community Blood Centers, in this interview at the DragonCon Heinlein Memorial Blood Drive where nearly 1,000 copies of L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 35 were donated to be given to blood donators. Also, learn more about the long-term friendship between Mr. Heinlein and Mr. Hubbard
Listen to the panel recorded at DragonCon2019. How do you become one of the 12 winners to be published in the annual anthology? Writers of the Future judges, Kevin J. Anderson, Rebecca Moesta, Larry Niven, Jody Lynn Nye, Tim Powers, Brandon Sanderson, Robert J. Sawyer, discuss the Contest, tips on story prompts and short fiction. They then answer questions from the audience. One hour long.
Many aspiring writers give up before ever realizing their dream of being a published author. Martin Shoemaker did. Then he gave up on giving up and made it. This is his story. It could be yours too! This is his journey to becoming a Writer of the Future.
Wulf Moon talks about the importance of establishing your brand, including social media, selling your books at every opportunity, being positive and making friends. He gives several examples of how to do this. He is the author of "Super-Duper Moongirl and the Amazing Moon Dawdler" published in "L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 35." He also encourages you to join the Writers of the Future Forum which he credits as being a major assist to winning the Contest.
Rob Prior discusses his art, becoming an artist, how to make it, his studying under Frank Frazetta, why Illustrators of the Future is important. He gives his perspective on diversifying one's talent across several forms of art. And he gives his tips for the aspiring artist.
Illustrators of the Future winner Daniel Reneau (2013) is a pop-culture concept designer for KidRobot. He says that as a winner, the Illustrator Workshop gave him perspective on how to approach art and direct his focus. He discusses hurdles he has had to overcome but ultimately how he is living his dream. Daniel can be reached at danielbdemented.carbonmade.com
DawnRay Ammon and Jenna Eatough wanted a convention that provided the opportunity to take intensive classes and workshops in writing and art for speculative fields from creative professionals. And so they created Fyrecon, offering over 180 workshops and classes by published authors and artists.
Learn more at Fyrecon.com or on Facebook @Fyrecon.
Bob Defendi (Writers of the Future winner volume 19) talks about the adage that "it takes 10 years to become an overnight success" and the value of having your own ready-made audience.
Initially an Illustrators of the Future winner in 1993, (Writers of the Future Volume 9), Brian Lee Durfee illustrated for Dungeons & Dragons and "Magic The Gathering." With partial loss of vision in one eye, Brian switched gears and is now a successful published novelist of epic fantasy. Brian talks about how he made the transition.
Kathleen Dalton-Woodbury was a published finalist in Writers of the Future vol 9 back in 1993 who has since gone on to run Orson Scott Card's "Writer's Workshop" and "Forum" at HatRack.com. She explains Orson Scott Card's 3 rules for storytelling: 1. Faith - Oh, yeah?; 2. Hope - So what?; and, Clarity - Huh?
Writers of the Future winners Eric James Stone and Darci Stone provide their advice to aspiring writers and how Writers of the Future brings fresh perspective and new ideas to science fiction—which is one of the hottest tips to winning the Contest.
Preston Dennett tells his amazing story of entering Writers of the Future 47 times since 1986 before finally winning. His is a story of trying, giving up and then giving it another shot. Writers of the Future books and the Forum where he learned about himself in the "Topanga Canyon" story.
Yingying comes from a traditional Chinese background where art isn't encouraged as a career. She discusses her journey in becoming an award winning artist. Winning this competition has given her confidence she needs to continue pursuing her career in art.
Sam Kemp has always wanted to be an artist for as long as he can remember. He has persisted reaching for his dream despite his parents wanting him to be a doctor or a lawyer. He explains how handling one's self confidence as an artist is vital as he had tortured himself due to lack of it. Enjoy the journey of learning art.
Rustin Lovewell is an immunologist and started writing as a means to decompress after a day in the lab. He is now an award winning author. He also has a piece of advice for aspiring writers: don't let fear of rejection stop you.
Qianjiao Ma, nicknamed "Q," came to America from China to study when she was 18. Hers is a very uplifting story of persistence, dedication and overcoming barriers to win Illustrators of the Future and now work for a major animation studio at Warner Bros.
Award winning illustrator Alexander Gustafson talks about how you can sometimes wallpaper your house with rejection slips. His motto: "Never quit. Never give up."
Mica Scotti Kole has been writing since a child. She is determined to make it as a professional writer. She is someone to watch for! She also runs the Twitter account "Free Writing Events" where she found out about Writers of the Future.
Writers of the Future winner Kyle Kirrin discusses what he learned from Brandon Sanderson and the value of a quarterly contest.
Josh Pemberton was schooled in traditional art before discovering illustration, science fiction & fantasy. Discover the amazing art of Josh at www.joshpemberton.com.
Emerson Rabbitt discusses his art and provides simple advice: If its something you want to do, keep at it. Discover the amazing art of Emerson at www.artstation.com/e_rabbitt.
Dean was the first writer to ever be awarded by Writers of the Future 35 years ago. He is now an international bestselling author in multiple genres and talks about how we are now in the NEW pulp era of publishing and the importance of writing clean first drafts and the downside of rewrites.
John is from Ontario, Canada and has entered the Writers of the Future Contest 10 times for the past 10 years. He won with his Lovecraft influenced horror story, "The Damned Voyage." His goal is to transition to a full time writer.
Jennifer has been an artist since she was 6, but had to register as a business when she turned 16 due to her success as an illustrator. She has a simple message for anyone wanting a career as an artist: Practice, practice, practice and follow your passion. Discover Jennifer's amazing art at www.oberillustrations.com.
Carrie has been a writer since she could first write and talks about the importance of not self-rejecting with her own examples as well as Stephen King and his novel "Carrie" (who she was named after.)
Alice Wang is in 10th grade and is the youngest illustrator winner in the Contests history. She has a special message to young artists.
Allan has only been serious about art since 2011 and will provide inspiration to anyone looking at transitioning from doodling to art as a career. He now works as assistant to American science fiction & fantasy artist Todd Lockwood.
Award winning artist Vytautas Vasiliauskas talks about his journey from university in Lithuania to university in the United Kingdom and then to France and finally deciding he wanted to be an artist as a career. He is now back home in Lithuania, pursuing his career as an artist and has a special message in his native tongue.
Christine talks about how she is able to pursue her career as an Illustrators of the Future winning artist, while raising a baby with the help of her very supportive husband. She transitioned from molecular cell biology to art, having realized she could still help people--through her art. Discover the fantastical art of Christine at www.christinerhee.com.
David has only seriously pursued a writing career the past 5 years, following a mathematics career and raising a family. He is a Writers of the Future winner after 19 entries. He is living proof that it is never too late to pursue one's dream as a writer and how to overcome self-doubt and rejection.
Christopher talks about writing fantasy and having so little confidence in himself as a writer that it took 4 years to find that he had been an honorable mention in Writers of the Future (he had stopped reading his emails!) at which point he became excited to be a writer again, submitted and won the contest.
Alex talks about how the art industry is hard to survive in, that most graduates of art school don't become artists, and how winning Illustrators of the Future came at a time when he was ready to quit his dream of being an artist. Learn more about the art of Alex at www.illustratedpixels.com.
Elise talks about her story "Untrained Luck," how she is able to balance being a young mom and a writing career, and the middle-eastern conflict backstory to her award winning story.
Andrew talks about his story "Thanatos Drive," how he discovered this writing contest, and how he came to be a science fiction writer.
Aliya talks about the art that she submitted and won with and then how she painted the art that won the grand prize illustrator award. Discover the award winning art of Aliya at www.aliyachen.com.
Kevin and Rebecca began their careers by entering the Contest and "pro'ing" out (selling a novel disqualifying them from entering again). With over 50 bestsellers, they talk about how to become a professional writer with hard-won lessons not taught anywhere else on the business of writing.
I know a truth: The difference between success and failure is getting up one more time than you have fallen. Read more about Wulf Moon at: https://www.writersofthefuture.com/one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-by-wulf-moon/
Dean is an international bestselling author, an editor, and teaches creative writing. He uses the "Topanga Canyon" story about never giving up while relaying what magazine editors look for. Preston was "Topanga Canyon" and finally won after 47 entries to Writers of the Future.
Bob Eggleton talks about the importance of art and its role in society. Learn more about Bob at www.bobeggleton.com.
Orson Scott Card, Tim Powers, David Farland review the just completed Writers of the Future workshop.
David Farland talks about the Writers of the Future Contest and what he looks for in story submissions.
An interview on Writers and Illustrators of the Future with the Contest Director, Joni Labaqui