Michael Swanwick‘s been around a long time, seen a lot of things and written a lot of stories. In fact, to use a classic cliché, he’s probably forgotten more about writing genre fiction than most authors remember and he’s got the hardware to prove it – how does 5 Hugos, a Nebula (along with a few more nominations), a Theodore Sturgeon, and a World Fantasy Award sound? On top of all of this, he’s got to hang out with a Koala at some point in his life and had stories published by Penthouse. If that isn’t enough to qualify him for your attention, I don’t know what is.

He’s known for taking conventions of the genre and spinning on their head, often with thought provoking and comical results. His latest novel, The Dragons of Babel is his riff on the classic quest-fantasy, only this time it includes Dragons that double as fighter jets, motorcycles and a post-industrial version of the Fey World.

So check out the interview and you’ll find out why Michael Swanwick is the best author you’ve never heard of… yet. And when you’re done, be sure to head on over to his terrific blog, Flogging Babel, to further find out just why you should care about him.

So, without further adieu, Michael Swanwick, everyone!
Read More »

You may have noticed (based on the photo greeting you to the left) that Drew Bowling’s young. Not only is he young, but he’s a good looking, college-age guy who one might expect has better things to do – say traipsing the streets of Madrid, his life stuffed into a backpack, a beautiful woman hanging off his arm – than write Fantasy. You might also be worried that a hip, good looking college kid should stay far away from the writing scene. Well, Bowling’s not afraid to show you why you’re wrong.

Last year’s debut, The Tower of Shadows, surprised me by offering a quick, punch novel (so much a rarity in the Epic Fantasy genre these days), peppered with terrific prose, almost poetic at times, and really made me sit up and notice an author who is sure to make some waves as he grows and refines his craft.

Drew and I have been working on this interview for a good while now, so it’s with pleasure that I can finally bring it to the table. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Read More »

Earlier this year La Gringa, muse over at The Swivet and new literary agent with FinePoint Literary Management, sent out a press kit promoting David Keck’s first novel, In The Eye of Heaven, and its sequel, In a Time of Treason, and several of us who received the packages decided to get together and do a group interview with Keck. I think many of you (Malazan fans especially) will be interested to find out about the strong connection between Keck and Steven Erikson.

Much love goes out to David Keck, La Gringa, Robert (from Fantasy Book Critic), Tia (from Fantasy Debut) and Graeme (from Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review) for all the hard work in putting together what turned out to be a great interview.

I’m eagerly looking forward to reading David’s first novel, In The Eye of Heaven soon, so keep an eye out for a review somewhere down the road. If you’re interested in getting your hands on signed copies of David’s novels, be sure to head HERE to enter Tia’s giveaway for a chance to win one of two sets!

You can find the full interview (which I fully encourage you to read!) over at Fantasy Book Critic or by clicking HERE.

Joe Abercrombie can weave a tale and people are starting to take notice. His first novel, The Blade Itself, just recently released in the United States, is the best selling novel in Pyr, his publisher’s, catalog and, as Joe himself would be the first to admit, it damn well deserves it.

I’ve brought Joe back for round two (the first interview can be found HERE) and he proved no less witty, no less charming, and no less arrogant than the first time around. So, in other words, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! I’m currently reading the third (and final) volume of The First Law Trilogy, so be on the lookout for a review soon, but in the meantime grab a bowl of popcorn and listen to what Joe has to say.
Read More »

Shawn Speakman is a good friend of mine. I recently wrote a testimonial about him (HERE) and since it proved so popular, I thought a terrific way to complement it would be to interview him. Speakman’s a hard working author-to-be who’s been around the publishing industry for a long time and has rubbed shoulders with some of the genre’s biggest names (Richard Morgan, Terry Brooks, R.A. Salvatore, Robin Hobb, Steven Erikson and Patrick Rothfuss, to name a few).

It may seem strange for me to interview an as-yet-unpublished author, but once you read what Speakman has to say, you’ll see he has a lot of knowledge about the industry, a strong philosophy when it comes to writing and an interesting story with regards to how he became web master, and friend, to Terry Brooks, one of the heavyweights of the Fantasy World.

Enjoy!
Read More »