Big Idea Category
The Big Idea: R.R. Virdi
Posted on August 18, 2022 Leave a Comment
All legends have an origin. Author R.R. Virdi tells us a bit about how stories change, shift, and adapt over time in the Big Idea for his newest novel, The First Binding. R.R. VIRDI: Something I wanted to tackle with The First Binding is the nature of stories: how they’re created, how they travel, change their […]
The Big Idea: Kate Heartfield
Posted on August 17, 2022 2 Comments
Author Kate Heartfield brings us an original story based in the wildly popular videogame series Assassin’s Creed universe. Come along as she unwinds the history of her newest novel, The Magus Conspiracy. KATE HEARTFIELD: Queen Victoria survived eight attempts on her life over the course of her reign, by seven assassins (one guy tried twice). […]
The Big Idea: Robin C. M. Duncan
Posted on August 10, 2022 5 Comments
Writers often use what they experience in their lives in their fiction; for Robin C.M. Duncan, a particular medical issue gave him an insight that informed his novel The Mandroid Murders. What was it and how did it have an impact on the writing? Read on. ROBIN C. M. DUNCAN: I began writing my novel […]
The Big Idea: Naseem Jamnia
Posted on August 9, 2022 2 Comments
When the odds are stacked against you, life can feel pretty overwhelming. Author Naseem Jamnia gives us a look into a world with a protagonist who has more than their fair share of hardships. Follow along in their Big Idea for their newest novel, The Bruising of Qilwa. NASEEM JAMNIA: I frequently rant about the […]
The Big Idea: Sarah Henning
Posted on August 8, 2022
In author Sarah Henning’s third and final installment of her The Kingdoms of Sand & Sky novels, The King Will Kill You, we’re taken on a journey through what real change looks like, and are shown how it is both quick and slow at the same time. SARAH HENNING: I’m extremely lucky that this is my third […]
The Big Idea: Jason Sizemore
Posted on August 5, 2022 2 Comments
Apex Magazine is running a Kickstarter to help fund their new year of publication, and editor Jason Sizemore asked if he could borrow the Big Idea stage here to talk about his publishing company, and the concept of fandoms in the current era. Here he is! JASON SIZEMORE: I have a hot take to share […]
The Big Idea: Sunyi Dean
Posted on August 4, 2022 3 Comments
What is fiction good for, anyway? Sunyi Dean has an idea, and in this Big Idea for The Book Eaters, she delves into it, and how our stories can cause us to change our lives. SUNYI DEAN: Back in August 2012, I was attending a teacher training course and got talking to a fellow trainee. […]
The Big Idea: Izzy Wasserstein
Posted on August 3, 2022 4 Comments
When events are on a precipice, where can we look for the support we need to help pull them back? Izzy Wasserstein has an idea, and in this Big Idea for All the Hometowns You Can’t Stay Away From, she’s ready to share with you what she thinks it might be. IZZY WASSERSTEIN: It all […]
The Big Idea: Greg van Eekhout
Posted on August 2, 2022 3 Comments
Even in fiction, pets are a big responsibility. Author Greg van Eekhout makes that extra clear in his new novel, Fenris & Mott, where we’re introduced to a new version of a particularly legendary dog. Follow along in this Big Idea as the author tells you a little about a dog ownership in a world […]
The Big Idea: Alan Smale
Posted on July 29, 2022 10 Comments
Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a NASA spacecraft! Come along in Alan Smale’s Big Idea, as he tells you about his new novel, Hot Moon, where an alternate history involving Russia and the moon has occurred. ALAN SMALE: I’m writing this blog post on one of my very favorite […]
The Big Idea: Dan Moren
Posted on July 28, 2022 2 Comments
In blank we trust. Who is that blank for you? Are you that blank for others? Trust is a valuable thing, and according to author Dan Moren, the lack of it is prevalent in his new novel, The Nova Incident. DAN MOREN: Who do you trust? It’s a harder question than you might think. Maybe because […]
The Big Idea: Ruthanna Emrys
Posted on July 27, 2022 6 Comments
The way our world is going now, there might not be much of future to look forward to. For author Ruthanna Emrys, she tried to imagine what that future could possibly look like in her new novel, A Half-Built Garden. Follow along as she talks about how we all can get there. RUTHANNA EMRYS: “We […]
The Big Idea: Jackson Bliss
Posted on July 26, 2022
Life is full of decisions, and sometimes those decisions can be tough. For author Jackson Bliss, making decisions was the driving force behind his newest novel, Dream Pop Origami. Read on to see how one’s decisions will impact the story. JACKSON BLISS: Dream Pop Origami is based on a single big idea I had in grad […]
The Big Idea: Clay Harmon
Posted on July 25, 2022 2 Comments
Power dynamics in relationships always have the capacity for drama… but what happens when some of that power is magical? Author Clay Harmon is thinking about this in his Big Idea for Flames of Mira. CLAY HARMON: Can members of a relationship exist on equal footing when power imbalances exist between both parties? This is […]
The Big Idea: Chris Gerrib
Posted on July 22, 2022 4 Comments
When robbing a bank becomes too mainstream, try hijacking a spaceship! Author Chris Gerrib tells us a little about how he came up with the idea for his newest thriller, One of Our Spaceships is Missing. CHRIS GERRIB: Stories sometimes have more than one Big Idea. For my latest novel, I had a lot of big […]
The Big Idea: Trent Jamieson
Posted on July 21, 2022 1 Comment
With all things in life, balance is the key. This is also true for author Trent Jamieson’s newest novel, The Stone Road. Follow along with this Big Idea to see how he found balance between novels, and in his own life. TRENT JAMIESON: A week after I turned forty, the seventh cranial nerve on the right-hand […]
The Big Idea: Will Wiles
Posted on July 20, 2022 4 Comments
Over time, little things can add up. This is the case for empires falling, governments collapsing, and sickness spreading. In Will Wiles’s Big Idea, he goes into detail about how being aware of these little things can lead to big changes. See what changes await in The Last Blade Priest. WILL WILES: Decay, that’s the thing. […]
The Big Idea: Zac Topping
Posted on July 19, 2022 4 Comments
“Better to bring a casserole to your neighbor’s house than a shotgun” is a Midwest saying that rings extra true in author Zac Topping’s new novel, Wake of War. Follow along in his Big Idea as he takes you through war-torn streets of the near-future — streets that are all too familiar. ZAC TOPPING: Crumbling, […]
The Big Idea: Alex White
Posted on July 18, 2022
Sacrifices in stories generally tend to be noble ones. Characters are made to suffer but always for the greater good. Author Alex White shows us that sometimes things are just plain bad, and sacrifices are no fun. So how do the main characters in August Kitko & The Mechas From Space manage to find any joy in […]
The Big Idea: Ryan Van Loan
Posted on July 15, 2022 1 Comment
In Ryan Van Loan’s third installment of The Fall of the Gods series, the author sheds light on an important fact: being smart doesn’t guarantee being wise. This makes a world of difference for the protagonist of The Memory in the Blood. RYAN VAN LOAN: My Big Idea for The Memory in the Blood began with a […]
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