Big Idea Category

The Big Idea: Howard Andrew Jones

History is often an inspiration for fantasy, but as Howard Andrew Jones explains in this Big Idea for Lord of a Shattered Land, how that inspiration hits can be a surprise, even for the author himself. HOWARD ANDREW JONES: It seemed like such an obvious what-if question I couldn’t believe no one had written about […]

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The Big Idea: Jacqueline Carey

Author Jacqueline Carey is no stranger to the sort of fandom that thrives on fringes, but in this Big idea for her latest novel, Cassiel’s Servant, Carey explains how that fame and fandom exists for reasons that many might not expect. JACQUELINE CAREY: Kushiel’s Legacy is a cult fan favorite. It must be true, because […]

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The Big Idea: J.D. Blackrose

There are things in the world we wish we had the power to change, but as J.D. Blackrose explains in this Big Idea for Wish Magic, wishing for that power, and having it, are two different things entirely. J.D. BLACKROSE: What’s it like to be powerless when you’re used to being in control? And how […]

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The Big Idea: Josh Rountree

What is the legend in The Legend of Charlie Fish? Is it about a man? Is it about a myth? Is it about something in-between? Author Josh Rountree is here to answer everything about this tale of the old west, with a twist in its tail.  JOSH ROUNTREE: Here’s my dark secret about The Legend […]

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The Big Idea: Sheila Jenne

Authors often use the past for inspiration. But what point does the inspiration of earlier days become a problem for the setting our author wants to write for? It’s a question Sheila Jenne confronts in this Big Idea for Black Sails to Sunward. SHELIA JENNE: My dad has two major obsessions: space and the sea. […]

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The Big Idea: Jennifer Estep

Author Jennifer Estep is back with another Big Idea for the second installment in her Galactic Bonds series. Come along to see how writing the second book of a series is actually preferable for her, and how much she enjoyed the process of bringing us Only Good Enemies. JENNIFER ESTEP: Only Good Enemies was released earlier […]

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The Big Idea: Stephen Blackmoore

If we don’t remember history, we are doomed to repeat it. But what happens when the past comes crashing into the present? Author Stephen Blackmoore plays with this idea in the ninth novel of his Eric Carter series, Cult Classic. Follow along in his Big Idea to see how he picked which cult to highlight in […]

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The Big Idea: Jayne Cowie

There is profit to be made off of violence. What if there was a way to profit off of preventing violence, as well? Author Jayne Cowie takes us into the world of her new novel, One of the Boys,  to show us how violence is a treatable, fixable thing there. Read on to see the details […]

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The Big Idea: Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Tea is best enjoyed with friends. So is revenge! Author Kemi Ashing-Giwa brings us a tale of tea, friendship, revenge, and so much more in her new novel, The Splinter in the Sky. KEMI ASHING-GIWA: There wasn’t one singular idea that sparked The Splinter in the Sky; it was more of a situation. For the first […]

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The Big Idea: Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle

You start with an old idea, and from this old idea, you can create something new. So Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle learned, as they looked to legends from their heritage for the new novel Ebony Gate. JULIA VEE and KEN BEBELLE: When we started writing what would become Ebony Gate, we took inspiration from […]

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The Big Idea: Stephen Aryan

As a child, author Stephen Aryan wanted to see people like him in fantasy books, but rarely did. Now that he writes books himself, he made sure to represent his roots in his new novel, The Judas Blossom. Follow along in his Big Idea to see how this first installment of the trilogy came to […]

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The Big Idea: Rachel Cantor

As much as people love the classics, sometimes they need an update. Luckily, author Rachel Cantor is here to bring us a modernized look at the Brontës in her new novel, Half-Life of a Stolen Sister. Follow along in her Big Idea to see how she swapped out the 1800s for the modern era. RACHEL […]

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The Big Idea: Gourav Mohanty

Author Gourhav Mohanty is on a mission, one that takes on the heritage of his nation, and his own ambitions for story telling. In this Big Idea, he tells you how he’s combined both for his novel Sons of Darkness. GOURAV MOHANTY: The idea seems simple enough at first glance. Ask any Indian reader, however, […]

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The Big Idea: Gregory Lynch, Jr.

The story of The Black Scorpions is a story of wartime and those who served in it, but as co-author Gregory Lynch, Jr. tells us in this Big Idea, it’s also a story of families, of fathers and sons, and of waiting until the right elements have come together to finally tell a tale. GREGORY […]

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The Big Idea: Brenda W. Clough

When one is a writer, laziness can be a virtue. Skeptical? Here’s author Brenda W. Clough to explain how laziness was key to creating the story of A Door in His Head. BRENDA W. CLOUGH: The wise writer is efficient because she’s lazy. She puts a lot of work into cooking up a universe, and […]

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The Big Idea: Robin C. M. Duncan

How plausible do you need to be in your speculative fiction? It’s a question that interests Robin C.M. Duncan quite a bit, and this Big Idea for The Carborundum Conundrum, one well worth digging into. ROBIN C. M. DUNCAN: How much does realism matter in Science Fiction stories? My second novel, The Carborundum Conundrum (Yes, […]

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The Big Idea: Madison Davis

Stories are meant to connect those in our lives to us, even if those stories are about death. Author Madison Davis brings us a Big Idea about connection, community, and grief. Follow along as she tells us what led to the creation of The Loved Ones. MADISON DAVIS: I’ve written about the deaths in my family […]

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The Big Idea: Liz Kerin

How much does real life inform a book about dark, magical creatures? As Liz Kerin explains in this Big Idea for her novel Night’s Edge, sometimes, a lot more than you might expect. LIZ KERIN: Full disclosure: I never set out to write a vampire book. But here we are, and it feels right. I […]

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The Big Idea: J. R. Dawson

Home is where the heart is. Author J. R. Dawson is going through some big changes, and shares in their Big Idea how the new novel, The First Bright Thing, ties in to what they (and perhaps you) is going through. J. R. DAWSON: A Spark is a very big idea in a very small […]

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The Big Idea: Nicole Kornher-Stace

The things we love inspire us. Such is the case in author Nicole Kornher-Stace’s Big Idea, where they talk about a classic childhood favorite that set the groundwork for the idea behind her newest novel, Flight & Anchor. NICOLE KORNHER-STACE: So when I was little, I had this vintage hardbound copy of The Boxcar Children […]

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