Big Idea Category
The Big Idea: Aaron Sofaer
Posted on December 1, 2023 2 Comments
Author Aaron Sofaer needed to do some worldbuilding for the novel Quill & Still, and in this case, there was no point in doing it halfway. Come along as Sofaer goes into detail about what it takes to make a kingdom from scratch — and that has also existed for a millennium. AARON SOFAER: Quill […]
The Big Idea: Felicia Day
Posted on November 30, 2023 12 Comments
As children, we often dream of being a special one, even The Chosen One — but as a practical matter, how would being that special actually be? Especially if life threw you some curveballs on the way to Chosenhood? It’s a thought Felicia Day has considered, in her life, and in her new audio drama, […]
The Big Idea: Paige E. Ewing
Posted on November 28, 2023 1 Comment
Fayetteville may not have been on your radar as a hotbed of fae activity, but as Paige E. Ewing is here to tell you, it’s the place to be for her novel, Explosive Chemistry. PAIGE E. EWING: When Solifu, the impossibly ancient Egyptian mystic, held her tiny spider-kin daughter in her arms, she knew she […]
The Big Idea: Alvaro Zinos-Amaro
Posted on November 22, 2023 4 Comments
Some writers have a “thing” – a niche, a trick, or a trope that they make their own. And then some other writers… wander. In this Big Idea for Being Michael Swanwick, a non-fiction exploration into the life and works of the multiple-award-winning author, Alvaro Zinos-Amaro explains how Swanwick’s thematic diversity is, indeed, his thing. […]
The Big Idea: Naomi Kritzer
Posted on November 21, 2023 10 Comments
How is the ocean like space? Naomi Kritzer knows, and in her new novel, Liberty’s Daughter, she uses those similarities to the advantage of her tale – and for the adventure her protagonist finds herself on. NAOMI KRITZER: Liberty’s Daughter takes place on a seastead – a collection of micronations in human-made structures floating in […]
The Big Idea: M V Melcer
Posted on November 20, 2023 4 Comments
Do you like puzzles? M V Melcer has puzzles for you – in space, no less – and a reason for the protagonist in Refractions to go literally lightyears from home to figure them out. MV MELCER: I’ve always been drawn to puzzles, to books that keep you guessing what’s really going on, that make […]
The Big Idea: Marie Brennan
Posted on November 16, 2023 8 Comments
When history and myth provide you a tale that is… unsatisfying, what is one to do? If one is Marie Brennan, and the story is The Waking of Angantyr, the answer is: reimagine. MARIE BRENNAN: I wanted the story I was promised. When I was a senior in college and working on my thesis, I […]
The Big Idea: Sharon Shinn
Posted on November 15, 2023 6 Comments
We sometimes say that someone with a talent has been “blessed,” but what happens when blessings are more real and concrete than just a note of admiration for skills? Sharon Shinn has been thinking about blessing for the world in which her new novel Whispering Wood exists, and is here now to share her thoughts. […]
The Big Idea: Cory Doctorow
Posted on November 14, 2023 6 Comments
In today’s Big Idea, Cory Doctorow talks about his new novel The Lost Cause, but he also talks about why so many of science fiction writers work in the genre at all. Both topics are, unsurprisingly, fascinating. CORY DOCTOROW: Danger is scary, but helplessness is scarier. For the 45 years since we were first warned […]
The Big Idea: Nick Bantock
Posted on November 9, 2023 4 Comments
Nick Bantock’s Big Idea for The Corset and the Jellyfish is intentionally short. NICK BANTOCK: In my ‘umble opinion, we the children of the 21st century, waste words appallingly. We are rarely succinct, and often fail to articulate our true meaning. This leads to confusing emails, gibberish texts and clumsy conversations. We speak, but we […]
The Big Idea: David D. Levine
Posted on November 7, 2023 5 Comments
The circle of inspiration: The work of others inspires creators to make work of their own, which in turn inspires another set of creators. David D. Levine is here to talk about a work that inspired his latest, The Kuiper Belt Job, and how it came to make a difference in his own creation. DAVID […]
The Big Idea: Ryk Spoor
Posted on November 2, 2023 2 Comments
Author Ryk Spoor is back on the blog for the debut of his new novel, and first book of The Spirit Warriors trilogy, Choosing the Player. How does this trilogy fit in with and intersect with his other works? Read on to find out. RYK SPOOR: The publication of Choosing the Players – the first volume […]
The Big Idea: Greg van Eekhout
Posted on November 1, 2023 3 Comments
Is death truly the end? Not for the kids in The Ghost Job! Author Greg van Eekhout is bringing you a tale from beyond the grave(s) of his main characters who aren’t letting a little death stop them. Follow along in his Big Idea to see just how this “haunting” idea formed. GREG VAN EEKHOUT: The […]
The Big Idea: Elly Swartz
Posted on October 31, 2023 1 Comment
Sometimes, a good thing takes longer than you might thing. Elly Swartz knows a little about this, and in today’s Big Idea, she explains why Hidden Truths was worth the wait. ELLY SWARTZ: There are moments in life that define us. Moments in life that imprint on our hearts. But what happens when those moments […]
The Big Idea: Annie Carl
Posted on October 30, 2023 3 Comments
Author Annie Carl is on a mission to bring the disabled writing community into the spotlight with her newest anthology, Soul Jar, written entirely by disabled authors. Come along in her Big Idea as she tells us how she came up with the idea for this anthology, and what led to her desire to make […]
The Big Idea: Greta Kelly
Posted on October 26, 2023 2 Comments
Well-worn phrases can still have life in them, as author Greta Kelly discovered in the writing of her latest, The Queen of Days. What maxim has her attention, and will it have yours? Read on to find out. GRETA KELLY: Blood is thicker than water. It’s an idiom so well worn we barely even have […]
The Big Idea: Bethany Jacobs
Posted on October 25, 2023 3 Comments
Most great stories revolve around a compelling hero. Author Bethany Jacobs has taken a different approach in her new novel, These Burning Stars. Follow along in her Big Idea to see how she ended up crafting a devious, toxic, and likeable villain. BETHANY JACOBS: The funny thing about big ideas is that you often only discover […]
The Big Idea: Michael Mammay
Posted on October 23, 2023 5 Comments
People are people and they will do what people will do — but would a change in circumstance and environment change that, for better… or worse? This is the question Michael Mammay confronts in the Big Idea for his novel Generation Ship. MICHAEL MAMMAY: I’ve had the idea for Generation Ship since 2018 when I […]
The Big Idea: Alex Shvartsman
Posted on October 20, 2023 1 Comment
When opportunity comes knocking, author Alex Shvartsman is quick to answer the call. Follow along in his Big Idea for the second novel in his Conradverse Chronicles, Kakistocracy, to see just how he started crafting this sequel. ALEX SHVARTSMAN: Sometimes you have to work at coming up with the big idea for your next-in-series, and […]
The Big Idea: Dan Moren
Posted on October 18, 2023 2 Comments
For some, there is magic in the ordinary. For others, magic is the ordinary. Such is the case for the main character of author Dan Moren’s newest novel, All Souls Lost. Follow along in his Big Idea as he expands a bit on the mystical world of magic and technology. DAN MOREN: Every speculative fiction […]
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