Posted on July 6, 2023 3 Comments
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 […]
Posted on February 23, 2023 7 Comments
They say good things come to those who wait. They also, however, say that the waiting is the hardest part. In both cases, Susan McDonough-Wachtman has reason to understand each aphorism, and in this Big Idea for the aptly-named Snail’s Pace, she explains why. SUSAN McDONOUGH-WACHTMAN: I started writing Snail’s Pace in 1984. 1984! I […]
Posted on July 7, 2023 3 Comments
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, […]
Posted on June 23, 2023 4 Comments
Surprise! I have a new EP of electronic music out! As most of you know, a short story of mine, “Slow Time Between the Stars,” will be out next Tuesday as part of the “Far Reaches” collection, along with stories by James SA Corey, Nnedi Okorafor, Veronica Roth, Ann Leckie and Rebecca Roanhorse. When I […]
Posted on March 15, 2022 34 Comments
Finally! My newest book, The Kaiju Preservation Society, is out and in the world (or at least, in the US and Canada, the UK edition comes out on Thursday). It’s available in Hardcover and eBook, and also in Audio, read by Wil Wheaton. You can get it at your local bookseller, or online: Amazon|Barnes & […]
Posted on November 29, 2021 94 Comments
Welcome to the first day of the Whatever Shopping Guide 2021 — Our way of helping you folks learn about cool creative gifts for the holidays, straight from the folks who have created them. Today’s featured products are traditionally published books (including graphic novels and audiobooks); that is, books put out by publishers who ship books to stores […]
Posted on September 19, 2023 30 Comments
The waiting is over! Starter Villain, my latest novel, is out today in North America (Sept. 21 in the UK), and is available in print, ebook and audio. However you want it, you can get it! It’s available at your local bookstore, and I encourage you to get it there, but here are some additional […]
Posted on August 22, 2023 2 Comments
Author Caye Marsh was treading in unfamiliar territory when she became a mother, and the feelings that came with it ended up being the seed for her newest novel. Follow along in her Big Idea to see how being a mother assisted in forging the path for Peace In The Sky. CAYE MARSH: Sometime in the […]
Posted on July 18, 2022 6 Comments
I was curious about getting my musical compositions onto streaming services, and I was recommended DistroKid to do this — for a flat annual fee they will get your music up onto just about every service that streams music. I went ahead and used my most recent musical track (now subtitled “The Vince Clarke Fan […]
Posted on April 5, 2023 2 Comments
While strong emotions like sadness or grief can be powerful motivators for writing, author Courtney LeBlanc was determined not to let the heaviness of her poems overwhelm her reader, and turned to a fellow poet for help. Come along in her Big Idea to see how she solved her problem, and structured Her Whole Bright Life. […]
Posted on September 1, 2023 5 Comments
When you read a novel, you might think you know who the villain might be. But in Dwain Worrell’s new novel Androne, whoever and whatever you think that villain is, it’s not that. Probably. DWAIN WORRELL: ANDRONE | ən-drōn | Noun Imagine we were at war, millions of casualties, protesters on the White House lawn, […]
Posted on February 28, 2023 2 Comments
Sometimes, when you start writing a novel, the book is about one thing. As the writing and editing process goes on, however, the book will reveal itself as being about, if not something else entirely, at least, something more. What was that “more” for J.A. Tyler in his novel Only and Ever This? Come find […]
Posted on June 6, 2022 2 Comments
Today’s Big Idea is Super-Sized, because author Dave Creek has not just one, but two, new books out in the world, released simultaneously. How did this happen and how do his books — Watcher of the Skies and Chanda’s Homecoming — relate to each other? Dave is here to give you all the details about […]
Posted on July 14, 2023 2 Comments
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 […]
Posted on December 1, 2022 9 Comments
Author Leah Vernon knows something about persistence, as this Big Idea about the years-long struggle to publish the story that would become The Union tells you. What is the story that motivated her through all this time? Read on to discover. LEAH VERNON: What would you do with boundless privilege? The kind of privilege that […]
Posted on June 12, 2023 2 Comments
Author Pierce Freelon shares with us his new children’s book, which sheds some light on going through tough changes in life. Read through his Big Idea to see the inspiration behind Daddy & Me, Side by Side. PIERCE FREELON: My father has a cosmic presence. He passed away after a struggle with a neurodegenerative disease called […]
Posted on November 15, 2022 2 Comments
We all know Albert Einstein — he’s the personification of “scientist” in the minds of most of us — but as always, there’s more to the icon (and the man!) than we expect. Jim Ottaviani explains what this means in this Big Idea for his (with artist Jerel Dye) graphic novel retelling of the life […]
Posted on May 16, 2023 1 Comment
Some things are worth the wait, as Jacqueline Vogtman found out in Girl Country, her short story collection. Time and circumstance changed it from what it once was to something new, with a particular theme running through the whole thing. JACQUELINE VOGTMAN: My book, Girl Country, is a collection of short stories, and while the […]
Posted on April 25, 2023 2 Comments
Some stories beg to be written, and sometimes characters do the same. In author Kat Howard’s case, she intentionally left a door open for her character to walk through so she could write her again. Read on to see how this turned into her newest novel, A Sleight of Shadows. KAT HOWARD: Dear Reader: I’m afraid […]
Posted on October 12, 2022 1 Comment
Author Jason Denzel knows the challenge of enticing readers to one book — but what about an entire trilogy. With this Big Idea about the final installment in his Mystic Trilogy, Mystic Skies, Denzel is going to give it a shot… and be sure to check out the book trailer at the end. JASON DENZEL: […]
Whatever Everyone Else is Saying