The GM Showcase: Alchemy and Intrigue Along the Red River (Salt in Wounds)

This week, I'm one of the players on The GM Showcase podcast.  

"Alchemy and Intrigue Along the Red River" is a Dungeons and Dragons Fifth Edition role playing game being run by JM Perkins and featuring Chris Thompson, Phil Mainprize, Jeremy Land, and Yours Truly as the players.

The adventure takes place in and around Perkin's own creation, Salt in Wounds, an incredible city that was actually built on the back of a bound Tarrasque.  I'm playing Shestendeliath Orlamorn, a green dragonborn fifth level Herbwarden, a type of Alchemist, which is a character class created by Rich Howard and available on DriveThruRPG via Tribality Publishing.

This was a very fun adventure in a truly unique (and somewhat disturbing) world. Check it out! Be sure to check out the Salt in Wounds setting and the Alchemist class as well, and keep your eyes open for Perkin's forthcoming Kickstarter.

Paul Durham and I: Telling Lies to Children (podcast)

I'm a guest today on episode 6 of author Paul Durham's wonderful new podcast, Telling Lies to Children. It's a great day for it, as Skyborn (Thrones & Bones book 3) just debuted! As Paul puts it, we talk about "we talk about Lou's many accents, video-gaming as inspiration, and the utility of collapsible Viking helmets."

You can follow the above link or listen on iTunes. It was a great talk and I hope you'll check it out!

Podcast: DM-Nastics 33: By Odin’s Beard!

Today I'm a guest on the Dungeon Master's Block. I join host DM Neal for DM-Nastics 33: By Odin’s Beard!, a short DM-Nastics session in which we discuss a fictional clan inspired by my previous appearances on the podcast and then Neal and I put our heads together and come up with a new clan of our own.  This was a short, fun exercise in world-building. Check it out!

Podcast: The Once & Future Podcast interview

Today, I am a guest on Episode 108 of The Once & Future Podcast. Host Anton Strout gets me to open up about a lot of things, from my time in Hollywood, to my time as an editor, to the recent passing of David Bowie, to the Muppets, Star Trek, Babylon 5, and the fantastic effect of playing Spider-Man 2 video game. And of course we talk a lot about the Thrones & Bones series. Please, check it out!

Podcast/LiveCast: One Fantastic Week

Today, I was honored to be a guest on the One Fantastic Week podcast, which livestreamed a Thrones & Bones-related interview with me, after which I joined hosts Samuel Flegal and Peter Mohrbacher in critiquing a succession of very interesting artist portfolios. You can watch the entire thing here!

Podcast: Creation & Inspiration Part Two

I'm back on Dungeon Master's Block this morning with the second half of our "Creation &

Inspiration" talk, this time with a list of Top Ten ideas for stories and games. DM Mitch and DM Chris have some utterly fabulous ideas as well! We really had a lot of fun bouncing scenarios off each other. Check it out.

Podcast(s): RPG Gamer Dad Podcast and Dungeon Master's Block

Once again, I'm a guest on not one but two fantastic podcasts, this time The RPG Gamer Dad Podcast and Dungeon Master's Block. 

On The RPG Gamer Dad Podcast, we continue our live-action role play session of the Atomic Robo: The Roleplaying Game from Evil Hat Productions. Mike Olson, the creator of Atomic Robo RPG, is the GM. Shanna Germain of the fabulous Monte Cook Games is Helen ‘Nightingale’ McAllister. Devon Kelley of the Sharkbone Podcast is Donovan ‘Jack Tarot’ McAllister. And RPG Gamer Dad is Professor Pierson. And I am the Atomic Robo himself! (You can hear Part One here.)

I'm also making my first ever appearance on Dungeon Master's Block today, talking with Chris and Mitch about All Things World Building, for gamers and writers alike. We go indepth as to how I created the World of Qualth for my Thrones & Bones novels. It was a fabulous conversation with two really insightful and interesting guys (their podcast is always chocked full of useful ideas) and I'm thrilled to be on it! 

Check out both shows! 

Podcast(s): RPG Gamer Dad Podcast and the Cornell Collective

This week, I'm a guest on not one but two fantastic podcasts, The RPG Gamer Dad Podcast and The Cornell Collective. And I'm joined by some other really spectacular guests.

On The RPG Gamer Dad Podcast, I am playing the title character in the fabulous Atomic Robo: The Roleplaying Game from Evil Hat Productions. The game is based on the incredible comic series--one of my all time favorite comics--from Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener. It's about a sentient robot created by Nikola Tesla in 1923, whose adventures span nearly a century of tales. Cut from the same cloth as Doc Savage, Buckaroo Banzai, and Tom Strong, it's one of the zaniest and best things to come out of comics in years. The whole thing is online to read for free now, though frankly I prefer to give these guys my money. The role playing game, meanwhile, is powered by the Fate Core System, a fantastic storytelling game in with which I've fallen in love and which I use to power my own home campaign, set in the world of my Thrones & Bones novels. For this episode (which is Part One of our adventure), Mike Olson, the creator of Atomic Robo RPG, is the actual GM. Shanna Germain of the fabulous Monte Cook Games is Helen ‘Nightingale’ McAllister. Devon Kelley of the Sharkbone Podcast is Donovan ‘Jack Tarot’ McAllister. And RPG Gamer Dad is Professor Pierson. It was an incredibly fun session to play, and I'm glad it's made for a great show as well.

On The Cornell Collective, my dear friend of many years, Paul Cornell (of Doctor Who and Marvel comics fame, and many other things), sits down to chat with myself, our mutual friend Joseph Mallozzi (executive producer of such wondrous shows as Stargate: Universe and Dark Matter), and the delightful comic book artist Emma Vieceli (she of the critically acclaimed independent web series, Breaks, Doctor Who for Titan comics, IDW's Jem & the Holograms, and much besides.) We discuss our secret Geek origins, the influences in our respective works, and horrendously embarrassing moments from each of our careers.

I'm really happy with both podcasts, but particularly  so as on each I got to have fun with such wonderful and exciting people, friends old and new. Please check them out!

Podcast: Let's Get Busy

Today, I am a guest on the fabulous Let's Get Busy podcast, hosted by super librarian Matthew

C. Winner, aka The Busy Librarian. I've been a big fan of Let's Get Busy for a while now, so I was very excited to get to talk to Matthew. He's a great host, and he got me to talk in depth about all the world building that went into the writing of Frostborn and Nightborn.We also talk about gaming, and whether the cornucopia  of technological resources available to kids today are a distraction or a boon (you can guess where we both fall). I'm very proud of the interview, and I hope you'll check it out.

How to Succeed in Evil

I am a guest on the latest episode of Patrick McLean's How to Succeed in Evil podcast, talking about villains, dragons, The Joker, the earlobes (or lack thereof) of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Frostborn and Nightborn, and more! In addition to being a podcaster host, Patrick is the author of the How to Succeed in Evil series about an Evil Efficiency Consultant named Edwin Windsor. 

Adventues in SciFi Publishing: Nightborn

Today, I am a guest on the Adventures in Scifi Publishing podcast episode 307, talking about Nightborn, world building, writing for middle readers, transitioning from one side of the desk to another, and role playing games, among other things. Shout outs to Rpg G Amer-Dad and a big discussion of Evil Hat Productions' Fate (role-playing game system). Check it out here!

Thrones & Bones for the Fate Accelerated RPG Episode 3

The third and final installment of RPG Gamer Dad's live Thrones & Bones role playing game (powered by Evil Hat's Fate Accelerated RPG) has gone up today, along with an interview with Yours Truly! I cannot tell you how cute RPG Gamer Boy is, nor how utterly honored, flattered, and tickled I've been by this whole thing. I'm truly grateful to the RPG Gamer Family for all they've done.

Meanwhile, for those coming in late, part one can be found in episode 35 and part two in episode 37. And for those wanting to play in the Thrones & Bones world themselves, RPG Gamer Dad and RPG Gamer Boy's character sheets for Karn and Thianna can be found here.

Thrones & Bones for the Fate Accelerated RPG Episode 2

The RPG Gamer Dad​ Podcast continues with part two of its actual role playing game set in the world of Frostborn (Thrones and Bones​ 1) and using the Fate Accelerated RPG​ from Evil Hat Productions​! The episode (#37) also features an interview with Mike Olson​, designer of the Atomic Robo​ RPG. Check it out!

Meanwhile, for those coming in late, part one can be found in episode 35. And for those wanting to play in the Thrones & Bones world themselves, RPG Gamer Dad and RPG Gamer Boy's character sheets for Karn and Thianna can be found here.

Thrones and Bones Fate Accelerated Character Creation and Live Play

I've mentioned before that the incredible podcast, the RPG Gamer Dad Podcast, was working on a series of episodes featuring a game of Evil Hat's wonderful Fate Accelerated role playing game system rules set in the world of my Thrones & Bones novels.

Well, it debuted this week! Episode 35 features the character generation, in which RPG Gamer Dad and RPG Gamer Boy stat out Karn and Thianna from my novel Frostbornand a three-headed troll. Then we get to listen to the first part of the actual play, in which RPG Gamer Boy plays Karn and RPG Gamer Uncle plays Thianna. 

I cannot tell you how honored I am by all this, nor how smart and cute RPG Gamer Boy is! 

But if that weren't enough, the episode also features a great interview with Chris Hanrahan of Evil Hat Productions!!!

Please check it out. 

Crash Landing with Comic Book Outsiders

I am a guest today on the new podcast Crash Landing, spinoff of Comic Book Outsiders. 

The premise of this show, "Each episode we trap a guest on our crashing spaceship. They have one hour to salvage humanity's most important cultural artefacts before we maroon them on the planet of their choice. Crashing his landing craft this week is author, Lou Anders."

I had a wonderful time talking with host Scott Grandison and plugged many wonderful artifacts of earth culture in the process. Please check it out.

Reality Bomb: The Doctor Who Season Finale

I am a guest today on the 17th episode of Reality Bomb, a Doctor Who podcast. We discuss the

recent season finale and a host of related topics.

On the seventeenth episode of Reality Bomb we have another supersized episode featuring our final panel review of Series 8 that includes Lori Steuart, Jon Arnold and Children's Fantasy author Lou Anders (Thrones and Bones: Frostborn). We also have a conversation with Cat Smith and Lindsey Mayers about Missy / The Master. And Titan's Doctor Who tenth Doctor comic book writer Nick Abadzis tries (and possibly fails) to get The Twin Dilemma into the Gallery of the Underrated. All this plus Listeners' Letters, poltical attack ads you need to hear... and host Graeme Burk gets an offer he can't refuse!

Podcast: Speculate! The Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans

I'm a guest this week on Speculate! the Podcast for Writers, Readers, and Fans. Hosts Brad and Greg talk with me about Frostborn,the various games (board, card, and online) spun around the book series, Norway, and editing the editor. Check it out!

They say:

In this episode we talk for the second time to Lou Anders, former editor at Pyr Books during an award-winning career and author of Frostborn,the first book in the middle grade fantasy series Thrones & Bones. We talk about what it’s like to transition from editor to author, how Lou’s somehow managed to get even busier in his new career, and why Kermit the Frog serves as an inspiration…even in Norway! We really enjoyed chatting with Lou again, and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Sit, Write, Bleed... Talk!

Today, Sit.Write.Bleed posts a review of Frostborn (Thrones and Bones).I'm very gratified by the

words, which, though not without criticism, say:

This isn't my Hobbit, but after reading it twice through, I am almost certain it would have been if I was eleven in 2014. Anders has crafted a tale filled with ages-old themes and lessons that I think are often missing from a lot of today's fantasy, be it Middle-Grade or Adult. Friendship, Courage, Intelligence, and Trust--these are things that are often assumed to be in the background of every children's novel, but rarely are they talked about openly and pursued passionately, let alone done well. I believe this to be a major reason why I dislike Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series so much--when it is done out in the open it is too campy to my taste, and when it hidden in the background I just don't care. Anders falls more in with JK Rowling and Lloyd Alexander, so much so with the latter that I almost felt like I was reading The Book of Three (another classic everyone should read.) To put a point on it, I was taken on a great adventure and learned something.

Meanwhile, I'm interviewed on Adventures in SciFi Publishing. I used to be a frequent guest of the show, though haven't been on since host/founder Shaun Farrell stepped away. Now Shaun has returned (yay!) and I join him, Moses Siregar, and Brent Bowen for a discussion of:

• Worldbuilding with the help of modern technology;
• Gaming culture and how that works in medieval societies;
• The distinction between YA and middle grade writing;
• Traveling to Norway to research the setting and cultural inspiration for Norrengard;
• Working with Robert Lazzarreti;
• The incredible video game found on the Thrones and Bones website, not mention other media tie-in products and experiences!
• Fractal Terrains 3, which Lou used to design his world;
• Shooting Vikings (context in the interview!);
• How important gaming can be to developing world-building skills. Lou loves Skyrim, by the way;
• Testing the module for the Thrones and Bones game with Howard Andrews Jones, Howard Tayler, Scott Lynch, Dave Gross, and Saladin Ahmed.

Podcast: James Enge on Adventures in SciFi Publishing

James Enge, author of A Guile of Dragons (A Tournament of Shadows, Book 1), is a guest of Adventures in SciFi Publishing as part of an indepth, two part interview. Here is Part One and Part Two (and the episodes are available for download on iTunes).


They discuss Jack Vance, writing political fiction without pushing political agendas, how his University colleagues view his novels, writing “Philosophical romance shot through with elements of horror and morbidity,” the potentially negative impact of higher education on imagination, writing for popular appeal and much more.

Speculate hosts Pyr Roundtable Podcast

Today, episode 61 of Speculate: The Podcast for Writers, Readers and Fans, features a special roundtable podcast with Pyr editorial director Lou Anders, Pyr authors Brenda Cooper (The Creative Fire) and E.C. Myers (Fair Coin and Quantum Coin), and freelance copyeditor Gabrielle Harbowy. They say:


"We set a new record for single episode participation in this show with four distinguished guests: Brenda Cooper and E.C. Myers (authors of The Creative Fire and Quantum Coin, respectively), freelance editor Gabrielle Harbowy, and Pyr Books‘ editorial and art director Lou Anders speak for an hour on what has made Pyr such a successful speculative fiction imprint, where it’s been and where it’s going in the future. This wide ranging discussion also looks at the finer points of how good editors work with good authors, how important a good cover is to an equally good book, and what makes Dragon Con such a scary (and amazing!) event every year. Our shows normally don’t run this long, but we hope you’ll agree the extra discussion we got with all of these fine people was worth the extra time. If you like what you hear, don’t forget to check back next week when we’ll start a new series of shows on the work of Joe Abercrombie. Until then, thanks as always for listening, and please continue to spread the word about the show!"