Writers Drinking Coffee

Timothy Kimo Brien is a poet, podcaster, and all-around artist. He joins us to talk about the importance of creativity, of writing poetry and stories and how doing art feeds the soul and enhances life in every direction. Enjoy a poem from one of his chap books and check out his work! … Continue... Episode 154 – Interview with Timothy Kimo Brien

In celebration of Dr. Heather Rose Jones' new story release, "The Language of Roses", and of her wonderful sapphic study and blog, we discuss fairy tales as story starts, the Heroine's Journey, some wonderful authors, and the difficulty of writing when one's routines are changed. … Continue... Episode 153 – The Language of Roses

Stephen Wise is a screenwriter and creative services producer for a TV station. He co-wrote a Batman screenplay that got turned into an audio drama, and describes the adventures of dealing with big studios as well as offering screenwriting and characterization tips. His screenplays have won numerous awards or been finalists, semifinalists, quarterfinalists, etc. at film festivals. … Continue...

Chris Jones started his career as a sports writer, who branched out into other journalism, then editing, and wrote one of the best books we love on the business end of your writing career. Chris writes the truth: There is no 3-minute montage that works to make you a bestselling author. And his biggest lesson from 20 years of professional writing is that you have to go all business once you submit...

SpaceMan Sam, a proud advocate and expert on Space Tourism, talks with Dave and John about Adventure Tourism and book writing. He provides a lot of good information both historical and looking forward about upcoming travel opportunities, and explains the need for a Good Zero Gravity Cocktail glass. His book writing advice is surprisingly simple. … Continue... Episode 150 – Space Touris...

Episode 149 - Interview with Madeleine Holly-Rosing Madeleine is an author, screenwriter, and the driving creative force behind Boston Metaphysical Society comes to talk about how to write a graphic novel, run a kickstarter, create a podcast, and finish projects you start! Her Steampunk imagination has extended into novellas, novels, podcasts, and of course a graphic novel collective that spans ov...

We sat down with Ukrainian author RB Lemberg to talk about their book The Four Profound Weaves, which was a Nebula, Ignyte, and Locus award finalist. It is a story of two mature (for a wonderful change) transgendered people going off on an heroic journey to discover who they are and what they can do in the Birdverse world. … Continue... Episode 148 – Interview with RB Lemberg

Jennifer Nestojko, writer, poet, teacher, and bard discusses some of her new works with us and recommends some excellent reading. She schools John with facts on writing, and highlights symbolism, women, and disability, though not all together. We had a very good time talking with her, and you will have a good time listening to her! … Continue... Episode 147 – Interview with Jennifer Ne...

Sumiko Paulson is a polymath of creative endeavors, from short stories and graphic novel drawing through editing, writing, and journalism. They have received awards and scholarships for writing horror novels and stories, and are a clear voice for the narrative and perspective of black writing with a particular twist of adding the erotic to the fearful. … Continue... Episode 146 – Black...

Sheryl, a regular in the SF Bay Area science fiction/fantasy scene, both for writing and fiber arts (costuming and knitting) talks with us about her new books. She refers the question of "Why don't werewolves and vampires get along?" to her books, and discusses not only where she gets her ideas from, but how she refines them. We discuss aspects of writing and promotion. … Continue... Episode...

E.C. Ambrose joins us to talk about her upcoming book Drakemaster, a historical fantasy set in China that combines astronomy, magical devices, and a solid dose of historic research - using a fantastic variation of Su Song’s astronomical clock of 1090 CE. For those that love eastern lore, historic study, and a hearty dose of fantasy that tinges on thrillers set in the past, this book is for you! Wh...

Today we talk with Chris Lowry of Beyond Cataclysm, discussing Press both in the book and coffee form, upcoming projects, and half a squirrel. Many good questions are answered, including: Why beyond cataclysm? What is ISBN Coffee? Why a T-Rex? Which meaning of Die, and what DOES it mean? And again, how did we randomly get to Half a Squirrel? Join us as we discuss writing and coffee! … Contin...

Dr. Kate Gale is a poet, publisher, and lyricist among many other roles, and has released a new book of poetry. We talk to her about poetry, opera, class, the press, and Medusa, and she reads the poem "Those Who Love Medusa". … Continue... Episode 142 – Interview with Kate Gale

In this episode, we interview Adrian Grady, who we know as a singer, and learned about as a songwriter, author, publicist, consultant, and other roles and titles in the Creative field. She gives excellent advice to artists and creators of all types and describes some of the philosophy behind her new book, and the genre of sexpunk. Check out her music and writing, and her stories here! … Cont...

enise Tanaka has just finished a fascinating view of the turn-of-the-century marriage and life of writer Louise Cann and artist Yasushi Tanaka - at a time when it was frowned on for an American woman to marry a foreigner. She tells us all about research and writing this story, which is a fascinating insight into both the history of women’s rights and the treatment of mixed marriages at the time. E...

Emmy Nordstrom Higdon joins us to talk about the publishing biz, especially challenges of the current global supply chain. If you ever wondered what Dostoevsky and Charmin have in common, Emmy happily explains the connection between wood pulp, garbage, shipping, and trans-oceanic trade. No country is an island of self-sufficiency, so come learn interconnectedness of all things required to get a ne...

In which we cheer our own Chaz for finishing the first two books of his trilogy, find out what’s next, and acquire a taste for hearty British-Martian recipes. We discuss the idea of arcing a trilogy where there's one plot arc vs an episodic series. Karen can finally talk about her recent publications as well. Hooray! … Continue... Episode 138 – Mars Attacks! A Trilogy

Laura Frankos has just finished a time-travel novel in which a man goes back in time and saves the lives of all his favorite Broadway lyricists, composers, and producers. It is a beautiful love letter to all things in musicals of the early golden ages; from cows to “what if Gershwin had lived?” questions. Run out and buy it today! … Continue... Episode 137 – Laura Frankos the Broadway...

Welp, Jeannie's house had Covid19, and she didn't do much for a couple weeks. She did write a story, though, after a long night watching hockey and then having a fever dream. "Pond Hockey in Hell" is a love song. … Continue... Episode 136 – Pond Hockey in Hell

What technologies have changed in the modern era that make older stories seem quaint, or even to the young, incomprehensible? Jeannie, Dave, and author Berry Kercheval sit down to talk about how descriptions and tech can become outdated with time - sometimes in a way that’s funny, and sometimes in a way that renders the description unrelatable in the modern world. Or maybe they were impossible to...

Cat English has written four novels, with the first about to release for general sales in February. This first book, “Briefly Yours”, is a very graphic biography of the life story of a call girl in Manchester who uses a lot of her profits to run a cat rescue organization. This interview is NSFW and very frank in discussions around descriptions of sex, brothels, and how people mistreat animals – wi...

In the shadows of both the beeriest and brightest cities in America lurk crime and corruption. One well dress civilized man wearing a snap brim fedora fights against the forces of evil. Who is this man? David S. Pedersen has written some wonderful noir detective stories, and been short listed for the Lambda awards. He is an amateur architect, and doesn't know why they are called snap brim fedoras...

Mark Shaiken was an attorney for four decades before retiring to write books. He writes character-driven stories about bankruptcy, intrigue, and all the bad things that can happen once you start lying to your lawyer. Mark talks about his research and organization, and how he plans his plots out thoroughly so that (for a delightful change in the industry) even lawyers could love his books for their...

Josh Rountree writes sci fi, fantasy, and horror short stories that excite us for the way he uses America as “a character that fights and claws and screams its way through most of my stories. Sometimes a hero and sometimes a villain. Broken but hopeful. Trying to figure things out.” Josh is a frequent choice for fantasy and horror award noms, and has a great slant on the craft of short story writi...

Gail Carriger has been one of the driving forces in bringing back Steampunk, mixing it with comedy and a hearty dose of supernatural romance, and there you are! Hooked! She talks with us about the heroine’s journey, writing science fiction, how to keep yourself inspired, and more. … Continue... Episode 130 – Interview with Gail Carriger