The Dragon Page "Cover to Cover"

Conversations with Authors of Science Fiction and Fantasy

Summer Brooks

Cover to Cover #361A: Dr Michio Kaku

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Interview: Mike, Brian and Mike talk with Dr Michio Kaku, world-renowned theoretical physicist, about his book Physics of the Impossible, which examines the technologies of science fiction that don’t exist today, and differentiates between which ones can exist today, which ones could exist with large technological and scientific advances, and which ones are truly impossible because they violate known laws of physics.

Want to have fun arguing about the impossible ones? Pick up this book and bring up the topics with your geek friends!

Roger Zelazny Collections from NESFA Press

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The New England Science Fiction Association is the group behind Boskone and NESFA Press, and during 2009, they are publishing the collection stories of Roger Zelazny. Volume 1: Threshold and Volume 2: Power & Light are already available. Coming in July 2009: Volume 3: This Mortal Mountain Volume 4: Last Exit to Babylon Coming in […]

Cover to Cover #358A: Gail Z. Martin

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Interview: Gail Z. Martin returns to the show to talk about the third book in the “Chronicles of the Necromancer” series, Dark Haven.

Gail also chats about her writing process when dealing with such a deep and vibrant world and a large number of characters.

Sometimes, the outline just has to be left behind in order to get the story told properly.

Cover to Cover #357A: Remembering Dave Arneson

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Mike and Mike remember Dave Arneson, co-creator of “Dungeons & Dragons”, and close friend to Mike Stackpole and all gamers.

Discussion: Trampas reports that Wizards of the Coast has removed access to all electronic (PDF) versions of their entire catalog of D&D products because of rampant piracy of those products, leading into a wide discussion about delivery models, piracy and related electronic options.

Cover to Cover #354A: Jim Butcher

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Interview: Mike and Mike chat with the inestimable Jim Butcher about his latest Dresden Files novel, Turn Coat. They talk about the search for storylines, the growth of characters, and the present and future potential for abuse of a character, and more.

Does writing a long series change the way a writer approaches the process of a new story, or of writing in general?

Cover to Cover #353B: J. C. Hutchins

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Mike and Mike talk with J. C. Hutchins about his new project “The Brink”, and tells us all about the merging of his new novel, Personal Effects: Dark Art, with an alternate reality game, and the social networking angle built up around the promotion of the book and the alternate world.

Cover to Cover #352A: David J. Williams

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Mike and Mike chat with David J. Williams about The Mirrored Heavens, a futuristic tale of global espionage and intrigue, including agents battling in powered armor. David talks about writing this sort of tale for a post-9/11 consciousness, with many people being conditioned to heightened states of fear and obedience; the way the different story lines in the book criss-cross, the technology of that world, the upcoming sequel The Burning Skies, and more.

Cover to Cover #351A: Brian D’Amato

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Interview: Mike and Mike chat with Brian D’Amato about his new book, In The Courts of the Sun. This is the first of the Sacrifice Game series, the story follows Jed DeLanda, a Mayan math prodigy in 2012, who agrees to help his mentor decipher a newly discovered Mayan Codex — by sending his mind back in time to learn more about the “sacrifice game” in the hopes of saving the world.

Brian talks about the extensive research into Mesoamerica and the Mayan language, the theories and prophecies surrounding Dec 21, 2012 and the end of current cycle of the Mayan Calendar, and more!

Cover to Cover #350A: Amber Benson

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Interview: Mike, Mike and Lorrie talk with Amber Benson about Life After Buffy(tm)… being an author and the differences between working on solo novels and on the collaborations with Christopher Golden.

Amber also talks about how she wanted to venture into the realm of supernatural story-telling, but not following the typical tropes in current urban fantasy trends.

Her newest novel, Death’s Daughter, focuses on Calliope Reaper-Jones, the daughter of Death, who has to step into the role of CEO of Death Inc after her father’s kidnapping.

Cover to Cover #349A: Justin Gustainis

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Interview: Evil Ways, the second book in the Morris/Chastain Investigations series is out, and Justin Gustainis joins us to talk about where the characters have gone since the first book, and a few things he has planned for them in future books. We also touch on the fact that Quincey Morris, the main protagonist, doesn’t have any supernatural powers, and how readers have responded positively to that different take on the urban fantasy setting.

Cover to Cover #348A: Matthew Stover

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Interview: Matthew Stover joins us this week to talk about his two newest books, Star Wars: Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor and Caine Black Knife.

Matt gives us a little back story on “The Acts of Caine” series with a little overview of the world in Heroes Die, in which the main character is a bad guy in the truest entertainment sense of the word. The sequel to Caine Black Knife is currently in the works! Keep your eye out for His Father’s Fist…

Cover to Cover #347A: Daniel Suarez

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Daniel Suarez joins C2C this week to talk about his book, Daemon and the unusual journey to publishing that the book took: from rejection to self-published to grassroots blogger word of mouth to an article in WIRED to a mainstream publishing house to a Hollywood option for a film adaptation.

Daniel talks about how this experience helped him gain some insight into how publishers view projects, and the online marketing strategy spearheaded by his wife Michelle, and how that directed and organic marketing approach gained a momentum of its own.

Cover to Cover #343A: Elizabeth Bear

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Interview: Mike and Mike chat with Elizabeth Bear about her latest book, All the Windwracked Stars.

It’s the story of the last surviving Valkyrie after Ragnarok, and her quest 2000 years later to finish the battle against the darkness and save the world from a final apocalypse. They’re calling it a periapocalyptic Norse noir steampunk cyberfantasy.

Cover to Cover #340A: J. F. Lewis

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Interview: This week, Mike, Lorrie and Mike chat with author J. F. Lewis about his “Void City” series, and how the popularity of the first book, Staked, was the catalyst for his getting kicked out of their church.

Jeremy recounts how his writing a vampire novel containing a strip club and evangelical werewolves raised concerned with his church’s elders, and how that discussion led to calls for his excommunication (and possible stoning?)