Speculative Fiction Episodes

In this interview, I chat with Jessica Goldstein about Retro, why readers are fascinated by time travel stories, what inspired her to write this novel, the sense of foreboding she creates on the page, choosing the time periods her characters would travel to, our love for nostalgia, and much more. Jessica's recommended reads are: The Children by Melissa Alpert Books by Robert Caro The Fountain by Casey Scieszka Looking for some great summer reads? Check out my printable 18-page Summer Readin...

In this interview, I chat with Portia Elan about Homebound, her publishing journey, having Homebound selected as Scribner's Lead Read for spring, marketing in the publishing world, her research, what the editing process was like and how it changed the story, and much more. Portia's recommended read is Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett. Looking for some great summer reads? Check out my printable 18-page Summer Reading Guide ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for a tip of your...

In this interview, I chat with Scott Carson about ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Departure 37, categorizing this book, his pseudonym and how it came about, how the rhetoric around AI parallels that of the nuclear arms race, tying his timelines together, our relationship with technology, his research, and much more. Scott's recommended reads are: The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb by Garrett M. Graff Thanks so mu...

In this interview, I chat with Catherine Chidgey about The Book of Guilt, how she came up with the ideas for this one, choosing who would tell the story, the hardest part of writing the book, her multiple covers, creating an alternative world, and much more. Catherine's recommended reads are: Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood Haven by Emma Donoghue Thanks so much to those of you who have donated to the show. Donate to the podcast ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on Ve...

In this interview, I chat with Bruce Holsinger about Culpability,⁠ why his publishing date moved up by three months (now we know it's an Oprah pick!), the research he conducted for this one, P(doom) numbers, his stunning cover, and much more. Bruce's recommended reads are: Dream State by Eric Puchner Rejection by Tony Tulathimutte Trust by Hernan Diaz Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner Small Rain by Garth Greenwell Looking for some great summer reads? Check out my printable 1...

In this interview, I chat with Nicholas Binge about Dissolution, coming up with his stellar ending, his writing process, pursuing how memory works and what loss of memory can do, balancing the science fiction elements with storytelling, the love story at the heart of the book, his title and cover, and much more. Nick's recommended reads are: Playground by Richard Powers There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm Looking for some great winter reads? Check out my printable 17-page 2025 Winter R...

In this interview, I chat with Jessica Bryant Klagmann about This Impossible Brightness, how she came up with the idea for this novel, climate change and incorporating it into the story, focusing on the idea of listening, echoes, genre mashups, and much more.

In this interview, Hugh Howey and I discuss Wool, the series' origin story, his unique publishing journey including self-publishing and then publishing deals with Simon and Schuster and subsequently Mariner, his involvement with Silo - the Apple+ TV adaptation of the Wool trilogy, the incredible success of Silo on Apple+, and much more.

In this interview, John Scalzi and I discuss Starter Villain, infusing humor into his stories, including talking animals in this book, building on the tropes already existing in certain genres, the importance of book titles, his research, how his role as a film critic influenced Starter Villain, and much more.

In this interview, Lisa and I discuss Adrift, climate fiction, why she chose to set the book in 2038 and the world building she did, helping people gain an understanding of the importance of preserving and spending time in nature, how her day job informs her writing, and much more.

In this interview, Julie and I discuss The Last Beekeeper, all of the world building she did for this book, why she chose bees, her own beekeeping experiences, the book's stunning cover, the font created just for this book, maintaining hope, and much more.

Peng and I discuss The Cartographers, the true story about an event with a gas station map in the early 1900s that inspired a portion of this story, phantom settlements and how they have fallen out of favor now that people have moved to relying on electronic maps, how the use of maps changed once online maps became popular, why writing a mystery differs from writing other fiction, the hardest part of writing the book for her, and much more.

Sarah and I discuss The Other Me, constructing a new identity when an individual undergoes huge life changes, how so much of what happens in life is outside of people’s control, her favorite character and the character with whom she identifies the most, her previous life as a rock musician, and much more.

Sarah and I discuss We Are Satellites, what happens when a medical technology developed for one condition is used for another purpose or has a commercial application instead, how she chose to tell the story from four POVs, the ethical and moral issues related to using technologies in new and cutting edge ways, making sure her medical device would be realistic, and much more.

Christina and I discuss her debut novel The End of Men, publishing a book about a pandemic during the current pandemic, how the pandemic in the book is reverse engineered for her purposes, writing speculative fiction, what happens when there is a huge gender imbalance, and much more.