Big Idea Category
The Big Idea: Tim Susman
Posted on January 15, 2021 Leave a Comment
Independence does not mark the end of a revolution, for a country or for an individual. This is a fact well illustrated in Tim Susman’s newest novel, The Revolution and the Fox. Read on to find out how a revolution turns out after the smoke clears. TIM SUSMAN: The fight is over and the good guys […]
The Big Idea: Tim Pratt
Posted on January 12, 2021 7 Comments
For Doors of Sleep, author Tim Pratt dreamed a little dream… and then another one, and another one, and another one after that. What does all that dreaming mean for the novel? Read on. TIM PRATT: Doors of Sleep is probably the most elevator-pitchy, high-concept thing I’ve ever written. It’s a multiverse adventure, following the […]
The Big Idea: Dan Koboldt
Posted on January 5, 2021 8 Comments
Have you ever wanted a pet dragon? If the answer isn’t yes, is it because you never thought it was possible? And now that the idea’s on the table, hey, do you want one now? Author Dan Koboldt shows us a world in which that’s possible in his newest novel, Domesticating Dragons. Read on to see […]
The Big Idea: Michael Mammay
Posted on December 29, 2020 4 Comments
We view ourselves in a certain way, because we live with ourselves on a daily basis. What happens when people see us differently, and can those differences fuel the plot of a book? This is one of the questions Michael Mammay asked himself for his novel, Colonyside. MICHAEL MAMMAY: The concept of a Big Idea […]
The Big Idea: Sam Hawke
Posted on December 16, 2020 1 Comment
The thing about “happily ever after” is that it skips over so much. What happens when you don’t skip “ever after?” Is it actually happy then? Sam Hawke has thoughts on that, as it relates to the newest installment of her Poison War series, Hollow Empire. SAM HAWKE: Winning was easy, young man, governing’s harder. […]
The Big Idea: Leonard Richardson
Posted on December 14, 2020 3 Comments
When the universe is at war, what is life like for those in caught in the middle? Author Leonard Richardson gives us a glimpse at those who are caught in the middle of a galactic war, but have their own stuff going on outside of the battle. Read on to hear more about his newest […]
The Big Idea: Alma Alexander
Posted on December 10, 2020 12 Comments
You know about werewolves, but if that’s all you know about, you don’t know the half of it… or in the case of the Were Chronicles, you don’t know the third of it. Here’s author Alma Alexander to provide the rest. ALMA ALEXANDER: This be one of those things that are a mystery rolled into […]
The Big Idea: Rachel Mans McKenny
Posted on December 8, 2020 4 Comments
Tired of reading about characters that are always perfectly optimistic and seem almost inhumanely bright and bubbly? Author Rachel Mans McKenny has a perfect main character for you in her newest novel, The Butterfly Effect. RACHEL MANS MCKENNY: It’s easier not to feel, right? I’d say this is one of the biggest lessons I’ve taken from […]
The Big Idea: Matthew Castleman
Posted on December 3, 2020 4 Comments
A near-lifelong, almost forgotten about idea of author Matthew Castleman’s ended up turning into his newest novella, Privateers of Mars. Read on to learn how a child’s drawing transmuted itself into a published work. MATTHEW CASTLEMAN: Mars will be free. It’s a trope well-trodden into the red sand, and for good reason. The Free Mars story […]
The Big Idea: Charlie N. Holmberg
Posted on November 24, 2020 3 Comments
The genesis of Spellbreaker is a short but critical line in a beloved story. What’s the line and why does it matter? Author Charlie N. Holmberg is here to reveal all. CHARLIE N. HOLMBERG: I am not exaggerating when I say nearly every single novel I’ve written has been inspired, in some way, by Studio […]
The Big Idea: B.J. Graf
Posted on November 23, 2020 2 Comments
Do we have destinies? Or are we agents of our own fate? These questions are a mystery, but one thing author B. J. Graf makes certain in her Big Idea is that life isn’t fair. Read on to hear about how these questions play a part in her newest novel, Genesys X. B. J. GRAF: […]
The Big Idea: JD DeLuzio
Posted on November 19, 2020 9 Comments
The word “con” has more than one meaning, and for JD DeLuzio’s debut novel, The Con, this is a very very relevant fact. Read on to discover more. JD DeLUZIO: A woman recalls the arrival of Haile Selassie to Jamaica in April of 1966, and the seven mystic white flying greyhounds that swept down from […]
The Big Idea: James Van Pelt
Posted on November 18, 2020 3 Comments
What would the inside of your head look like if someone went exploring in it? What is behind the closed doors of your mind? In author James Van Pelt’s Big Idea, he invites us to tour the back alleys of his creativity, and tells us of how he tries to fit all that into his […]
The Big Idea: Essa Hansen
Posted on November 17, 2020 2 Comments
When given a choice between adventure and stability, what would you choose? When staring the unknown in the face, do you choose to explore it, or stay in your comfort zone? Author Essa Hansen asks the tough questions in the Big Idea for her newest novel, Nophek Gloss. ESSA HANSEN: Which would you choose: a […]
The Big Idea: Nibedita Sen
Posted on November 16, 2020 1 Comment
In today’s Big Idea, editor Nibedita Sen delves deep into the nature of the anthology she’s worked on, Nebula Awards Showcase 54, to examine what it is, what it means, and how to do honor to the concept. NIBEDITA SEN: What’s the purpose of an awards showcase? For that matter, what’s the purpose of awards? […]
The Big Idea: Kimberly Unger
Posted on November 13, 2020 2 Comments
Do you worry about making a good first impression? How about a first impression with an alien race? Author Kimberly Unger discusses in her Big Idea just what would happen with these first impressions… if our emissaries weren’t necessarily the ones everyone expects them to be. Read on to hear more, and how it involves […]
The Big Idea: Ginger Smith
Posted on November 11, 2020 1 Comment
What does one do with themselves when their purpose is fulfilled? How do you adjust to a life you weren’t built for? In Ginger Smith’s newest novel, The Rush’s Edge, she explores finding meaning in a world so different from the one you’re accustomed to, and finding brotherhood along the way. GINGER SMITH: Sebastian Junger, has […]
The Big Idea: Emily C. Skaftun
Posted on November 10, 2020 1 Comment
In today’s Big Idea, author Emily C. Skaftun is thinking about death… for starters. With a book title like Living Forever & Other Terrible Ideas, perhaps this is not entirely surprising. EMILY C. SKAFTUN: Death! There is no bigger idea. The theme that emerged as I was putting together my favorite stories to create my […]
The Big Idea: Marshall Ryan Maresca
Posted on October 27, 2020 4 Comments
In Marshall Ryan Maresca’s newest novel, People of the City, seven heroes come together for an Avengers-style ultimate team up. Who are these heroes, and how does their chemistry make it all work? Read on. MARSHALL RYAN MARESCA: Five years ago, when my debut novel The Thorn of Dentonhill was released, it was the first step […]
The Big Idea: Elizabeth Bear
Posted on October 22, 2020 15 Comments
Things work… until they don’t. And when they don’t, what then? Elizabeth Bear has thoughts on this, and how they relate to her latest novel, Machine. ELIZABETH BEAR: Hello, everybody! Thanks for this moment of your time. I’m here to tell you about The Big Idea (or at least one or two of the big […]
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