The Worldshapers: interviewing science fiction & fantasy authors

April 17, 2022April 17, 2022

Episode 108: Roy M. Griffis

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An hour-long conversation with award-winning writer Roy M. Griffis, author of historical, alternate-history, and the humorous Cthulhu, Amalgmated fantasy cycle, as well as poetry, plays, and screenplays.

Website
www.roymgriffis.com

Facebook

Roy M. Griffis’s Amazon Page

The Introduction

Roy “Griff” Griffis calls himself a “Storyteller” for a lot of reasons.

He decided to be a writer when he was ten and never looked back. Along the way, he’s done all the usual starving artist jobs (janitor, waiter, bookstore clerk) and a few unusual ones (he was the 62^nd Aviation Rescue Swimmer in the US Coast Guard––he doesn’t just write action-adventure, he lived a little of it himself).

He’s written poetry, plays, and screenplays. He’s also the author of twelve novels, including the epic historical fiction saga By the Hands of Men and the alternative history series The Lonesome George Chronicles, as well as the comic fantasy Cthulhu, Amalgamated cycle. In 2018 he received the first The John Milius Screenwriting Award for his original film script Cold Day in Hell.

April 3, 2022April 3, 2022

Episode 107: Sherrilyn Kenyon

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An hour’s chat with New York Times #1 and internationally bestselling author Sherrilyn Kenyon, author of numerous popular series, with more than 70 million books in print worldwide.

Website
sherrilynkenyon.com

Facebook
@MySherrilyn

YouTube
@DarkHunterSeries

Twitter
@mysherrilyn

Pinterest
@sherrilynkenyon

Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Amazon Page

The Introduction

Defying all odds is what #1 New York Times and international bestselling author Sherrilyn McQueen writing as Sherrilyn Kenyon does best. Rising from extreme poverty as a child that culminated in being a homeless mother with an infant, she has become one of the most popular and influential authors in the world (in both adult and YA fiction), with dedicated legions of fans known as Paladins–thousands of whom proudly sport tattoos from her numerous genre-defying series.

Since her first book debuted while she was still in college, she has placed more than 80 novels on the New York Times list in all formats and genres, including manga and graphic novels, and has more than 70 million books in print worldwide. Her current series include: Dark-Hunters®, Chronicles of Nick®, Deadman’s Cross™, Eve of Destruction™, Nevermore™, Lords of Avalon® and The League®.

Over the years, her Lords of Avalon® novels have been adapted by Marvel, and her Dark-Hunters® and Chronicles of Nick® are New York Times bestselling manga and comics and are #1 bestselling adult coloring books.

A Small Sampling of Covers

March 27, 2022March 29, 2022

Episode 106: Richard Paolinelli

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An hour-long chat with award-winning science fiction and fantasy novelist and short-story writer, publisher, and podcaster Richard Paolinelli.

Website
scifiscribe.com

Facebook
@scifiscribe

Richard Paolinelli’s Amazon Page

The Introduction

Richard Paolinelli began his writing journey as a freelance writer in 1984 and gained his first fiction credit serving as the lead writer for the first two issues of the Elite Comics sci-fi/fantasy series Seadragon.

After nearly a quarter of a century in the newspaper field, in 2010, Richard retired as a sportswriter and returned to his fiction-writing roots. Since then he has written several award-winning novels, two non-fiction sports books, and has appeared in over 20 anthologies including eight of the 11-book Tuscany Bay Books’ Planetary Anthology Series and five Sherlock Holmes collections. He also blogs and writes some fan fiction on his website and is co-owner of Tuscany Bay Books.

He runs weekly features on his website, including an occasional podcast, and serves as a regular co-host on LA Talk Radio’s The Writer’s Block. He sometimes leads the show whenever Jim Christina’s horse runs off and leaves him stranded in the middle of the desert.

He currently resides in Western Colorado.

March 13, 2022March 13, 2022

Episode 105: Marshall Ryan Maresca

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An hour-long conversation with fantasy and science-fiction writer Marshall Ryan Maresca, author of the Maradaine Saga : four braided series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine.

Website
www.mrmaresca.com

Twitter
@marshallmaresca

Instagram
@mrmaresca

Marshall Ryan Maresca’s Amazon Page

The Introduction

Marshall Ryan Maresca is a fantasy and science-fiction writer, author of the Maradaine Saga: Four braided series set amid the bustling streets and crime-ridden districts of the exotic city called Maradaine, which includes The Thorn of Dentonhill, A Murder of Mages, The Holver Alley Crew and The Way of the Shield, as well as the dieselpunk fantasy, The Velocity of Revolution.

He is also the co-host of the Hugo-nominated, Stabby-winning podcast Worldbuilding for Masochists, and has been a playwright, an actor, a delivery driver and an amateur chef. He lives in Austin, Texas with his family.

February 27, 2022February 27, 2022

Episode 104: Gail Z. Martin

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An hour-long conversation with Gail Z. Martin, prolific author of urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk, and more.

Website
ascendantkingdoms.com

Twitter
@GailZMartin

Facebook
@WinterKingdoms

YouTube
@GhostWriter45

Gail Z. Martin’s Amazon Page

Gail Martin, Dreamspinner Communications

Gail Z. Martin writes urban fantasy, epic fantasy, steampunk and more for Solaris Books, Orbit Books, Falstaff Books, SOL Publishing and Darkwind Press. Urban fantasy series include Deadly Curiosities and the Night Vigil (Sons of Darkness). Epic fantasy series include Darkhurst, the Chronicles Of The Necromancer, the Fallen Kings Cycle, the Ascendant Kingdoms Saga, and the Assassins of Landria.

Together with Larry N. Martin, she is the co-author of Iron & Blood, Storm & Fury (both Steampunk/alternate history), the Spells Salt and Steel comedic horror series, the Roaring Twenties monster hunter Joe Mack Shadow Council series, and the Wasteland Marshals near-future post-apocalyptic series. As Morgan Brice, she writes urban fantasy MM paranormal romance, with the Witchbane, Badlands, Treasure Trail, Kings of the Mountain and Fox Hollow series. Gail is also a con-runner for ConTinual, the online, ongoing multi-genre convention that never ends.

Below, just a small sample of cover art . . .

February 13, 2022February 13, 2022

Episode 103: Simon Rose

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An hour-plus chat with Simon Rose, author of eighteen middle-grade novels, including the Flashback series, the Shadowzone series, and the Stone of the Seer series, plus eight writers’ guides and more than 100 nonfiction books.

Website
www.simon-rose.com

Twitter
@SimonRoseAuthor

Instagram
@sorcerorsletterbox

YouTube Channel

Simon Rose’s Amazon Page

Simon Rose graduated from university with a degree in history and is also a graduate of the Institute of Children’s Literature of West Redding, CT. Born in the UK, he moved to Canada in 1990 and has lived in Calgary, Alberta ever since.

His first novel for middle grade readers, The Alchemist’s Portrait, was published in 2003, and has been followed by many more novels and series, most recently The Stone of the Seer series. He’s also the author of The Children’s Writer’s Guide, The Working Writer’s Guide, The Time Traveler’s Guide, and The Social Media Writer’s Guide, is a contributing author to The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction Volume One, and has written many non-fiction books.

Simon also offers a number of services for writers, including editing, manuscript evaluation, coaching, mentoring, and writing workshops, in addition to copywriting services for the business community. He’s an instructor for adults with the University of Calgary and offers online workshops for both children and adults. He also offers a wide variety of presentations, workshops, and author-in-residence programs for schools and libraries, as well as virtual author visits.

A regular presenter at conferences and festivals, Simon has served as a juror for the Governor General’s Literary Awards for Children’s Literature, the Saskatchewan Book Awards, the Parsec Awards, and the Sunburst Awards for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. He’s the founder of Children’s Authors and Illustrators on Facebook, managed the Calgary Children’s Book Fair and Conference, served as the Writer-in-Residence with the Canadian Authors Association, is a member of the Calgary Association of Freelance Editors, and served as the Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI Western Canada.

January 30, 2022January 30, 2022

Episode 102: Edward M. Lerner

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An hour-long conversation with Edward M. Lerner, Canopus Award-winning and Locus, Prometheus, and Hugo Award-nominated author of space opera, near-future technothrillers, and non-fiction.

Website
edwardmlerner.com

Facebook
@EdwardMLerner

Edward M. Lerner’s Amazon Page

The Introduction

Edward M. Lerner worked in high tech and aerospace for thirty years, as everything from engineer to senior vice president, for much of that time writing science fiction as his hobby. Since 2004 he has written full-time.

His novels range from near-future techno-thrillers, like Small Miracles and Energized, to traditional SF, like Dark Secret and his InterstellarNet series, to (collaborating with Larry Niven) the space-opera epic Fleet of Worlds series. Lerner’s 2015 novel, InterstellarNet: Enigma, won the inaugural Canopus Award “honoring excellence in interstellar writing.” His fiction has also been nominated for Locus, Prometheus, and Hugo awards. His most recent novel is the SF adventure Déjà Doomed.

Lerner’s short fiction has appeared in anthologies, collections, and many of the usual SF magazines and websites. He also writes about science and technology, notably including Trope‑ing the Light Fantastic: The Science Behind the Fiction.

January 16, 2022January 17, 2022

Episode 101: Sarah A. Hoyt

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An hour-and-a-half interview with Sarah A. Hoyt, Prometheus- and Dragon Award-winning author of more than 30 novels of science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction.

Websites
sarahahoyt.com
accordingtohoyt.com

Facebook
@sarah.a.hoyt

Twitter
@SarahAHoyt

Sarah A. Hoyt’s Amazon Page

The Introduction

Sarah A. Hoyt was born in Portugal and raised her family in Colorado. In between, she has held some improbable jobs – she thought it was a requirement to write science fiction – ranging from dishwasher to multilingual scientific translator, and she’s published more than thirty novels in science fiction, fantasy, mystery and historical fiction.

Her first published novel, Ill Met By Moonlight was a finalist for the Mythopoeic Award. Her first space opera, Darkship Thieves won the Prometheus. She also won a Dragon for Uncharted, an alternate Lewis and Clark expedition (Now with magic, and oh, yeah, Coyote) co-written with Kevin J. Anderson.

Arguably her best-selling book is Guardian, co-written with Larry Correia.

She’s currently writing the script for the latest comic book iteration of Barbarella.

Her plans for the next thirty years consist of writing a lot more.

January 2, 2022January 2, 2022

Episode 100: Michaelbrent Collings

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An hour-long chat with Michaelbrent Collings, internationally bestselling author of thriller, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, romance, humor, young adult, and middle grade works.

Website
writteninsomnia.com

Facebook
@MichaelbrentCollings

Twitter
@mbcollings

YouTube
@michaelbrentcollingsauthor

Michaelbrent Collings’s Amazon Page

The Introduction

While he is best known for horror (and is one of the most successful indie horror authors in the world), Michaelbrent Collings has also written internationally-bestselling thriller, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, humor, young adult, and middle grade works, and romance.

In addition to being a bestselling novelist, Michaelbrent has also received critical acclaim: he is the only person who has ever been a finalist for a Bram Stoker Award, a Dragon Award, and a RONE Award, and he and his work have been reviewed and/or featured on everything from Publishers Weekly to Scream Magazine to NPR. An engaging and entertaining speaker, he is also a frequent guest at comic cons and on writing podcasts like Six Figure Authors, The Creative Penn, Writing Excuses, and others.

December 19, 2021December 20, 2021

Episode 99: Mark Leslie Lefebvre

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An hour-long chat with Mark Leslie Lefebvre, author of the Canadian Werewolf Series as well as many non-fiction books drawing on his quarter century of experience in writing, publishing, and bookselling.

Website
markleslie.ca

Twitter
@MarkLeslie

Facebook
@MarkLeslieAuthor

Instagram
@markleslielefebvre

YouTube
@markleslielefebvre

Mark Leslie Lafebvre’s Amazon Page

The Introduction

Although he is still afraid of the monster under the bed, Mark Leslie (Lefebvre) regularly writes about ghosts, monsters, and other things that go bump in the night with speculative fiction that has been described as fitting on an episode of The Twilight Zone. He has been writing since the mid 1980s and had his first short story published in 1992, the same year he graduated from university and started working in the book industry.

His first published horror story, “Phantom Mitch” received Honorable Mention in The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror and his first non-fiction paranormal exploration, Haunted Hamilton earned him a nomination for a Hamilton Literary Award.

Mark is the author of more than thirty books, the editor of a number of anthologies, a series of books about the business of writing and publishing, and, most recently, the “Canadian Werewolf” series of novels. He lives in Waterloo, Ontario where he splits his time between writing and as a book industry representative and consultant.