Show Notes: Samuel R. Delany

Michael and Michael weigh in on the Amazon-MacMillan kerfuffle.

If you want to add your thoughts and opinions, call in and leave a voicemail!

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Interview: Our guest today is acclaimed Hugo and Nebula award-winning author Samuel R. Delany.

He is currently a professor of English and Creative Writing at Temple University, and his most recent book is the revised edition of The Jewel-Hinged Jaw, published by Wesleyan Press.

The talk ranges from science fiction as societal predictors; sexuality; the growth and changes that writers might experience or choose; the history of science fiction criticism, the teaching of writing, and more.

Feedback Wanted: Do you have any input on the new Apple Tablet, or on the e-book scuffle between Amazon and MacMillan? Let your opinion be heard!

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Promo: Buffy Between the Lines
Promo: Babylon Podcast
Link: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #395A: Samuel R. Delany [41:10m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (564)

Kage Baker passed away from cancer on Sunday, and I’m still not sure how to process that. It’s taken me this long to figure out what I want to say.

I’ve known Kage for over 10 years, though we hadn’t chatted via email in a few years. I’d only just found out she was ill a few hours before finding out she was gone. The realization that there’s a finite number of her stories yet to come, that I won’t be able to invite her back on “Cover to Cover” to chat about them, is slowly sinking in.

Her early Company novels are amongst the small handful of books I’ve bought multiple times, in order to place them into the hands of friends that would enjoy them, but who had never heard of them, and probably wouldn’t remember to check for them the next time they went book shopping. The stories worked their own magic on those friends, who never needed more reminders to check for Company tales.

There’s a wonderful overview and appreciation of her stories from this past summer over at Green Man Review, and many thanks to whomever took that photo… I had to use it.

There’s a lovely tribute to Kage by Marty Halpern, mostly about how he came to edit Black Projects, White Knights, amongst other memories. For his work on that collection, I think I will someday have to give him a hug and a kiss.

I remember asking Kage years ago why Graveyard Game was only available in the UK and why Mendoza in Hollywood was so impossible to find. I remember how antsy and excited I became when she told me that I only had to wait another year or so, because Tor was going to eventually rerelease the early Company novels as well as continue the series.

I remember her mailing a couple copies of Black Projects, White Knights back to me, having forgetten to sign them before doing so, and the huge laugh we both got out of that.

I remember the cover proofs she sent me of the new trade versions of In the Garden of Iden and Mendoza in Hollywood, and the snarky but amused commentary she’d written on them.

I remember her telling a bunch of us on an old forum that she was going to be in a segment on a Food Network program, and I remember hunting through the TV listings, hoping to TiVo it (even though she really didn’t want any of us to see it). I remember the discussion about Victorian food, and the jokes about spotted dick in particular. I don’t remember if I saved a copy of it to vhs or dvd for her, or for anyone else.

Even though I have her stories on my shelves to continue to enjoy along with the happy and funny memories, I will dearly miss Auntie Kage.

Link: Kage Baker

Show Notes: Daniel Suarez

Michael R. Mennenga has been doing Dragon Page “Cover to Cover” for 8 YEARS NOW.

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Discussion: Daniel Suarez, author of Daemon and Freedom (TM), joins Mike and Mike for the entire show!

Beyond talk about writing stories that resonate with technology professionals and defense strategists alike, the discussion ranges from social networking, potential uses and abuses of Internet technologies, the ever-evolving (and now impossible to eradicate) sophistication of spam and bots, transhumanism, gene mods and the law, and more.

(Be sure to read Michael Hickerson’s review of Daemon)

Feedback Wanted: Stackpole wants to hear your input on whether or not he should dive in and buy one of the new Apple Tablets! Also, what would it take for you to jump into the pool and get a device? Call in or email and share your thoughts on the topic.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Promo: I Should Be Writing
Promo: Short Cummings Audio
Link: Daniel Suarez
Link: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #394A: Daniel Suarez [35:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1737)

Show Notes: Mondo Library Segment

Remember, donate if you can… it keeps the studio running strong.

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The Library: The randomly generated library list this week: Starfist: Double Jeopardy by Dan Craig and Dave Sherman; By the Mountain Bound by Elizabeth Bear; Eclipse Three edited by Jonathan Strahan;
Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes; The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman; Shadowrise by Tad Williams; Flirt by Laurell K. Hamilton;

Listener Review: Barry J. Northern brings us a review of And Another Thing… by Eoin Colfer.

The Library, continued: Freedom by Daniel Suarez; Star Wars: Crosscurrent by Paul S. Kemp; Warriors edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois; A Flight into Darkness by Sarah Ash; Blackout by Connie Willis.

Feedback Wanted: Stackpole wants to hear your input on whether or not he should dive in and buy one of the new Apple Tablets! Also, what would it take for you to jump into the pool and get a device? Call in or email and share your thoughts on the topic.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Promo: PodCulture
Link: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #393B: New Reads for A New Year [28:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1748)

Show Notes: Gail Z. Martin

Discussion: Mike and Mike chat about the anticipation surrounding the announcement about Apple’s new device (rumored to be called either iSlate or iPad); also about Amazon.com’s announcement about their new 70% royalty for Kindle products; and some new developments in electronic editions of textbooks and a possible shift in e-book pricing from major publishers.

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Interview: Gail Z. Martin, author of “The Chronicles of the Necromancer” series, revisits the Dragon Page to chat about the most recent volume Dark Lady’s Chosen.

Gail also talks about the social networks surrounding her books and universe, and about her spring Con and Festival travel schedule… if you drop by, tell her you heard her on The Dragon Page!

Feedback Wanted: Stackpole wants to hear your input on whether or not he should dive in and buy one of the new Apple Tablets! Also, what would it take for you to jump into the pool and get a device? Call in or email and share your thoughts on the topic.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Promo: How To Grow Your Geek
Promo: Variant Frequencies
Link: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #393A: Gail Z. Martin [33:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1808)

Press Release from Amazon.com:

Amazon.com announced details of a new program that will enable authors and publishers who use the Kindle Digital Text Platform (DTP) to earn a larger share of revenue from each Kindle book they sell. For each Kindle book sold, authors and publishers who choose the new 70 percent royalty option will receive 70 percent of list price, net of delivery costs. This new option will be in addition to and will not replace the existing DTP standard royalty option. This new 70 percent royalty option will become available on June 30, 2010.

Delivery costs will be based on file size and pricing will be $0.15/MB. At today’s median DTP file size of 368KB, delivery costs would be less than $0.06 per unit sold. This new program can thus enable authors and publishers to make more money on every sale. For example, on an $8.99 book an author would make $3.15 with the standard option, and $6.25 with the new 70 percent option.

Link: Press Release: Amazon Announces New 70 Percent Royalty Option for Kindle Digital Text Platform

Hollywood entertainment firms have agreed to settle an age discrimination lawsuit brought by 165 television writers over the age of 40. The $70 million settlement is the largest of its kind.

The named defendants include television networks ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, and several high-profile production companies and talent agencies.

Link: Yahoo News: TV writers to get $70M in age-discrimination case

Show Notes: Questions from the Listeners

Voicemail: DanDan in Spokane relates how Amazon.com stock prices went down in anticipation of the announcement of Apple’s new tablet device (Jan 27); Alison from LA wants to know what Mike and Mike think about the Harlequin foray into a vanity press line, and the resulting outrage raised by various professional writers groups.

Remember, money flows to the writer.

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Voicemail: Mauri from Michigan wants to know if there’s a difference between a rewrite and an edit; Stephanie from Oahu enjoys Terry Goodkind’s “Sword of Truth” book series and “Legend of the Seeker”, the TV series based on the books, but she wants to know how much control or say an author does or doesn’t have over an adaptation of their work; Dave tells the guys how much he enjoys the Dragon Page, and exhorts the other listeners to donate to the show; Jim from Indianapolis thinks that Mike and Mike were lying when stating that Google is violating copyrights by scanning and putting books and excerpts out there (but they kinda are… public domain books are okay, copyrighted works are not);

Trampas is also excited about that new Stephen Baxter/Arthur C. Clarke book, The Light of Other Days; Lejon from Chandler surmises that the success of the iPod Touch is because of the wide array of apps available for it, and the ease of obtaining them; Vincent from CA is looking for resources that will help him set up his PC to connect with Second Life and website for his future works; Mauri from Michigan weighs in on the Cory Docotorow project.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Promo: I Should Be Writing
Link: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #392B: Questions from the Listeners [31:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1873)

Crime novelist Robert B. Parker, best known for his “Spenser” novels, died Monday morning at his Cambridge home, at the age of 77.

While he wasn’t a fan of the “Spenser: For Hire” TV series inspired by his novels, another character of his, Jesse Stone, has been a moderate success as TV movie adaptations starring Tom Selleck in the lead role. A new Jesse Stone novel is due out next month.

Link: Yahoo News: ‘Spenser’ novelist Robert Parker dies at age 77

Show Notes: Jake Black, co-author of The Official Ender Companion

Discussion: Barry from England relates how well social networking sites have helped increase awareness and cross-promotion with other authors, and Mike and Mike talk about how social networks is shifting the traffic quality coming to view the author blogs and websites.

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Interview: Jake Black, co-author of The Official Ender Companion, joins Mike and Mke to chat about the definitive encyclopedia of the Ender universe. Jake talks about his introduction to and immersion into the stories and characters of the “Ender’s Game” universe, the process of making sure all of the facts and data were accurate and complete, and more.

Jake also tells us about his upcoming comics, and other projects to look for later this year.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Promo: Short Cummings Audio
Link: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #392A: Jake Black, "The Official Ender Companion" [28:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2081)

Show Notes: The Laryngitis Make-Up Show

Mike Stackpole bought himself a Sony e-reader for Christmas, and while traveling for the holidays, people didn’t ask him what that gadget was, but which one he’d purchased and why. How cool is that?

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Discussion: Todd from Utah comments on copyrights and intellectual property, surmising that the stories should belong to the creator forever, but the ideas, story settings and created worlds shouldn’t belong to the creator. Both Mikes disagree that those elements can successfully be separated from story, and Stackpole explains the difference between “work for hire” done in a universe created by someone else and “fanfic”.

The Library: New books for the New Year! King of RPGs by Jason Thompson; The Spirit Lens by Carol Berg; Starbound by Joe Haldeman; Through Stone and Sea by Barb and JC Hendee; Arms Commander by L. E. Modesitt, Jr; Sleeplessness by Charlie Huston

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Promo: How To Grow Your Geek
Promo: I Should Be Writing
Link: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #391A: E-Readers and Copyrights [34:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1974)

Show Notes: Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Discussion: Red Shirt from Iowa is curious how many other Dragon Page listeners did NaNoWriMo 2009; Trampas wants to know where story ideas can safely be culled from if fanfic is considered “off limits”; Anna agrees that information needs to be free and openly available, but creators of entertainment should definitely keep getting paid

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Interview: This week, Kris Rusch joins Mike and Mike to talk about her newest book, Diving into the Wreck, just out from Pyr Books. This book grew from a series of space adventure novellas that had previously been serialized in Asimov’s.

Discussion also includes Kris’ Freelancer’s Survival Guide, and some chat about the multimedia influence on the evolution and revolution of news and writing.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Promo: Car-ology: Are you a Car-ologist?
Promo: Bite On This: A Vampire Diaries Podcast
Link: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #390A: Kristine Kathyrn Rusch [29:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2449)

Show Notes: Lou Anders, Pyr Books

Discussion: Tim relates how Darcy has been utilizing the tools put forth in Stackpole’s “The Secrets” podcast to better appreciate the stories she’s been reading and the work that goes into creating them; Trampas would like to know methods how professional authors can “get thicker skin”, especially when interacting with fans

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Interview: This week, Lou Anders, Editorial Director at Pyr, joins Mike and Mike to talk about some of his many projects coming up: With Great Power… is an anthology of superhero stories; Swords and Dark Magic which is a major swords & sorcery anthology co-edited with Jonathan Strahan

Pyr titles to look forward to in 2010 include the US releases of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s fantasy/steampunk hybrid series, Shadows of the Apt, and the concluding volumes in Kay Kenyon’s The Entire and The Rose series, Justina Robson’s Quantum Gravity series, and Mike Resnick’s Starship series.

What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Promo: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #389A: Lou Anders [32:12m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2360)

Show Notes: Christmas Library

The Library: In case you need some last-minute books to grab as gifts this year, here are some options that might fit the bill!

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Volume 1 by Diana Wynne Jones; Under in the Mere by Catherynne M. Valente, with illustrations by Jeremy and James Owen; Burning Shadows by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro; The House of the Stag by Kage Baker; Metal Gear Solid 2 by Raymond Benson; Destroyer of Worlds by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner; Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton; The Light of Other Days by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter

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What do you think about submitting writing related questions to “Cover to Cover”? What do you think about having authors read chapters as part of the show? Call in or email in with your thoughts!

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space can be found on the Third Life Books island in the Wind River Territory, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, frequent author readings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. Find the island here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wind%20River%20Territory/50/129/22

Link: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame by Michael R. Mennenga

 

 Cover to Cover #387B: Christmas Library [19:56m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2165)

Welcome to the final serialized installment of J.C. Hutchins’ human cloning thriller 7th Son: Descent. If this is your first exposure to our free serialization of 7th Son, you can easily catch up by experiencing the story via links found at J.C.’s About 7th Son page. You can also dive in right away, thanks to…

THE STORY SO FAR: The battle concluded at Folie a Duex, with devastating results. Hugh Sheridan revealed a final secret to Father Thomas. In this final episode, the Beta clones’ mission concludes … or does it?

Check out this week’s installment below. If you’re enjoying this serialized experience, support the book by purchasing a copy at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Borders, or printing this PDF order form and presenting it at your favorite bookstore. You can learn more about the book at J.C.’s site.

READ “7TH SON” Part 10

 7th Son: Descent, Part 10: Download (2171)