Big Idea Category
The Big Idea: Griffin Barber
Posted on May 7, 2021 2 Comments
The difference between a tyrant and a king is found in if he is a ruler or a leader. But what makes a leader? Author Griffin Barber begins to answer this question in his Big Idea. Follow along as he tells you of his newest tome, 1637: The Peacock Throne, and how to write a […]
The Big Idea: James L. Cambias
Posted on May 6, 2021 11 Comments
Sometimes a writer’s big idea is something that a single novel cannot hope to contain — even if that novel can give that idea a hell of a good start. Acclaimed author James L. Cambias came across one of those really, really big ideas, and he’s here to explain how The Godel Operation is just […]
The Big Idea: John Gwynne
Posted on May 4, 2021 3 Comments
In author John Gwynne’s Big Idea, he tells us of not only his love for Norse mythology, but also of his passion to write something fantastic that will evoke an array of emotions within his readers. Follow along as he describes what some of those emotions are, and how they contributed to writing his newest […]
The Big Idea: A. J. Smith
Posted on May 3, 2021 1 Comment
Reading can be a form of escapism, but so can writing. Author A. J. Smith’s tells us about his experience with this in the Big Idea for his newest novel, The Sword Falls. Delve into his journey with fantasy writing, and see just how quickly a hobby can turn into a profession. A. J. SMITH: […]
The Big Idea: Jonathan Glancey
Posted on April 30, 2021 9 Comments
Today’s Big Idea is a little different, with a large visual component. That’s because today’s big idea is about visual ideas. Jonathan Glancey, co-author of Logomotive: Railroad Graphics and the American Dream, walks us through the images of railways through the years, and what they mean for the companies who used them, and the people […]
The Big Idea: Corry L. Lee
Posted on April 29, 2021 2 Comments
Are you the hero or the villain in your own life’s story? How about in someone else’s story? This is a key question in Corry L. Lee’s newest addition to The Bourshkanya Trilogy, The Storm’s Betrayal. Dive in to her Big Idea to see just how morally grey a protagonist can be. CORRY L. LEE: I […]
The Big Idea: PJ Manney
Posted on April 28, 2021 1 Comment
Can we rewrite our culture? Author PJ Manney asks the tough questions about humanity and society in the Big Idea for her newest novel, (Con)science. Follow along as she explains what it means to be human in an ever-evolving world PJ MANNEY: I’m not great at following directions. In theory, I should write my Big […]
The Big Idea: Bruce Sterling
Posted on April 27, 2021 14 Comments
Science fiction writers dream of different worlds… and sometimes miss the complexities of the one they’re on. Can we imagine this world, and who we might be somewhere else on it? It’s something Bruce Sterling has given more than a little thought to, and how his new book Robot Artists & Black Swans came about. […]
The Big Idea: Katherine Cowley
Posted on April 23, 2021 9 Comments
Appearances are deceiving. This is especially true in Katherine Cowley’s newest novel, The Secret Life of Miss Mary Bennet. Dive in to her Big Idea, and learn how there can be more to a person than shows on the surface. KATHERINE COWLEY: The first time I read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, I was eleven years […]
The Big Idea: Elly Bangs
Posted on April 22, 2021 1 Comment
People often say that we, as a species, need to come together. To put our differences aside and work as one. Elly Bangs weighs in on this opinion in her Big Idea for her newest novel, Unity. Follow along with her as she tells us about different kinds of unity, and how it affects individualism. ELLY […]
The Big Idea: Cavan Scott
Posted on April 21, 2021 2 Comments
For today’s Big Idea, writer Cavan Scott looks at his own past favorites in pop culture and how they inform the stories he is telling, none more so than the new collection of his indie comic, Shadow Service. CAVAN SCOTT: “A man is the sum of his memories, you know. A Time Lord more so.” […]
The Big Idea: J.S. Dewes
Posted on April 20, 2021 2 Comments
Science fiction can take its inspiration from unlikely sources, but for The Last Watch, the debut novel from author J.S. Dewes, the inspiration came from what might seem an especially unlikely source. And yet, that inspiration took the author to the very edge of the universe. J.S. DEWES: “I’ll fly a starship across the universe […]
The Big Idea: James Fell
Posted on April 19, 2021 11 Comments
Sometimes, things don’t turn out the way you want them to. But as James Fell tells us, that’s not always a bad thing. Follow along as he explains how failure can be for the best in his Big Idea for his newest book, On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down. JAMES FELL: I thought […]
The Big Idea: Caroline Hardaker
Posted on April 13, 2021
If memory serves correctly, it doesn’t ever really serve correctly. Follow along with Caroline Hardaker as she tells us just what that means in the Big Idea for her first book, Composite Creatures. CAROLINE HARDAKER: The Fallibility of Memory Have you ever told a story about something that happened to you, only for a friend to […]
The Big Idea: Oliver K. Langmead
Posted on April 8, 2021 1 Comment
‘ When you think of things that may outlive you, do you think of your children, your students, maybe even your pets? In Oliver K. Langmead’s Big Idea, he tells you of something else that will outlive you: trash. These objects we throw away, as well as climate change, play a huge role in the […]
The Big Idea: Leah Cypess
Posted on April 7, 2021 3 Comments
Sometimes stories aren’t really about the main character: it’s the side characters and their stories that make the main character’s world so vibrant. Author Leah Cypess gives one of these side characters a voice in the first novel of her Sisters Ever After series, Thornwood. LEAH CYPESS: Many years ago, I wrote a book that I thought had […]
The Big Idea: Nancy Werlin
Posted on April 6, 2021 11 Comments
Missing conventions in these unprecedented times? So is New York Times best-selling author Nancy Werlin. Follow along as Werlin takes you on a tour through her train of thought in creating her newest novel, Zoe Rosenthal Is Not Lawful Good, which began with a convention. NANCY WERLIN: The Big Idea: I just want to hang […]
The Big Idea: Thomas K. Carpenter
Posted on April 1, 2021 2 Comments
Ever feel like “the algorithm” just knows too much? Would you trust an algorithm with something as important as space travel? In Thomas K. Carpenter’s newest Audible Original, Saturn’s Monsters, AI has the potential to make much more dangerous calculations than just advertising bizarre things to you. THOMAS K. CARPENTER: All data lies. I’m an engineer […]
The Big Idea: Michael Muntisov
Posted on March 31, 2021 4 Comments
Have you ever considered going vegan, or living a zero-waste lifestyle for the sake of the environment? It might be a good idea, especially if we get judged later in life for how we fought against climate change in our past. In Michael Muntisov’s newest novel, The Court of Grandchildren, the choices we make today […]
The Big Idea: Yaroslav Barsukov
Posted on March 30, 2021 2 Comments
In this Big Idea for Tower of Mud and Straw, author Yaroslav Barsukov looks at potentially-fraught relationships, and how he approached them for his Nebula award-nominated novella. YAROSLAV BARSUKOV: Game of Thrones may have faded from the public consciousness, but the scar tissue remains. Incest on the small screen no longer makes us drop our […]
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