A Three-Part Nightborn Interview Conducted by Phoebe Yeh

My editor at Random House Children's Books, the wonderful Phoebe Yeh, conducted a three-part interview with Yours Truly to celebrate the release of Nightborn. Part one, "On Norse Mythology, Strong Female Heroines, and Gaming," debuted on the website Brightly. Part Two, "On World Building," appeared on Suvudu. Part Three covers my research trip to Norway, and what being an editor taught me about being a writer. You can read it on SF Signal.

Mind Meld: The Intersection of SF/F Games and Genre Fiction

Today I am participating in a Mind Meld over at SF Signal on the subject of "The Intersection of SF/F Games and Genre Fiction." A group of science fiction and fantasy authors, including Matt Forbeck, Elizabeth Bear, Myke Cole, and others, discussing the back and forth between gaming and genre fiction writing. Lots of good stuff in the discussion. Please everyone check out the post. You won't be surprised to see that my own response leads off talking about Skyrim.

SF Signal Interview

This morning, I am interviewed by the wonderful Kristin Centorcelli for SF Signal. We talk about RPGs, Norway, children's literature, and more. And through the generosity of Random House Children's Books, there's a contest to win 1 of 5 copies of Frostbornas well.

Read the enormously titled, "A Chat with Lou Anders about World Building, Influences and What Makes FROSTBORN so Special (PLUS: Giveaway!)"

The Motown Version of David Bowie’s “Starman”

Thanks to John DeNardo, a Motown Version of "Starman" from some alternate timeline:

The Eternal Champion

Today's SF Signal Mind Meld asks what "Science Fiction Biographies We Would Like to See Published" There are great answers from John Joseph Adams, Gardner Dozois, Gary Farber, Gordon Van Gelder, and Farah Mendlesohn. I'm also in there, somewhere in the middle, giving my usual spiel about why Michael Moorcock is the single most important figure in 20th Century Literature and how the entire multiverse would come unraveled if you went back in time and prevented his birth. There are two great books that deal with Moorcock already, both written by Colin Greenland. The first is Entropy Exhibition: Michael Moorcock and the British 'New Wave' in Science Fiction, written in 1983 and being the first critical assessment of the New Wave movement, and the second is Michael Moorcock: Death Is No Obstacle, a book length interview with Moorcock. Both are long out of print, and I'd like to see them both reissued, at least in ebook format. But neither is quite a biography of the great man.

Heaven's Shadow: An Interview with David S. Goyer and Michael Cassutt

The SF Signal Pocast hits its 60th episode today. Always a great podcast, this week's episode is either improved or debased by the introduction of... me. SF Signal kindly asked me to interview David S. Goyer ( Academy Award-nominated screenwriter of the blockbuster films The Dark Knight and Batman Begins) and Michael Cassutt (The Twilight Zone, Red Moon) about their new novel Heaven's Shadow. Both authors impressed me mightily with their knowledge about both classic and contemporary literary SF and the ideas they have brought to bear in Heaven's Shadow. Please check out the podcast and the book.

SF Signal Podcast: The Borders Bankruptcy

First, everyone needs to listen to this podcast from SF Signal, featuring a round table discussion with Alan Beatts (owner of independent bookstore Borderlands Books), Chris Roberson and Alison Baker (owners of publisher Monkeybrain Books) and author Cat Valente. The subject is "What the Borders Bankruptcy Means for Brick and Mortar Bookstores" and the discussion is something everyone concerned about the health, quality, and diversity of literature should hear.

Then you need to go to this post on the blog Reluctant Habits, where Edward Champion has posted an invaluable List of Independent Alternatives to Closed Borders Bookstores. This is a list of all the Borders stores being closed and independent stores nearby (with their proximity in miles).

Then put 2 and 2 together.

Super Harmony - The Super Hero Dating Service

Via SF Signal:

Star Wars Talk to Your Kids PSA

Via SF Signal:

SF Signal Podcast: The Future and Impact of eBook Publishing

Episode 26 of the SF Signal Podcast marks their inaugural "virtual convention panel." Yours Truly, Mike Resnick, Sue Lange, John Picacio and hosts Patrick Hester and Jon DeNardo discuss the future and impact of eBook Publishing. I think it went rather well, if I do say so myself. The episode is available at the link above, and on iTunes.

The SF Signal Podcast (Episode 001): Interview with Lou Anders

Nice Logo!

SF Signal has launched a podcast. In this inaugural outing, The SF Signal Podcast (Episode 001): Interview with Lou Anders, Patrick Hester, John DeNardo, JP Frantz, John Anealio and Karen Burnham discuss the new exclusivity deal between Kindle and a host of authors represented by Literary Agent Andrew Wylie and how this could affect eBook sales and purchases of genre titles if similar deals become the norm. Later, John DeNardo and JP Frantz, sit down with Yours Truly, editorial Director of Pyr books, to chat about my recent projects and anthologies.

SF Signal's MIND MELD: What 'Sword and Sorcery' Means to Me

Art by Benjamin Carre

The latest SF Signal Mind Meld is up, and this one asks the question, "How do you define the sub-genre of 'Swords and Sorcery'?" For answers, they turn to the contributors (and co-editors) of my recent anthology, Swords & Dark Magic: The New Sword & Sorcery. Answers come from such luminaries as Michael Morcock, Joe Abercrombie, Garth Nix (whose answer takes the form of a poem!), CJ Cherryh, Glen Cook, Bill Willingham, JK Parker, Tanith Lee, Tim Lebbon, James Enge, Scott Lynch, Jonathan Strahan, and Yours Truly.

The entire post is well worth reading, though I think I'm going to find myself quoting Moorcock's "Captain Blood meets Cthulhu" quite a bit in the coming days.

Whole Lotta Lou

SF Signal's latest MIND MELD is a brilliantly-informative round robin asking a Who's Who of anthologists, "Can you describe what goes on behind the scenes - from conception to publication -- when creating a short fiction anthology?" There is much wisdom to be had in part one and part two. I am in part three, using their question as an excuse to talk about whatever I felt like and not really answering it.

Meanwhile, I'm up twice at Tor.com talking about the fact that a band has named itself after Mark Chadbourn's Age of Misrule series, and reviewing George Mann's The Affinity Bridge (while sneaking in the first public shot of Ghosts of Manhattan).

SF Signal: My Thoughts to Your Thoughts

SFSignal has revived the single question group interviews that I so loved from the now defunct Meme Therapy blog. Their new feature is called, appropriately enough, the Mind Meld, and Yours Truly is honored to be in the second installment, along with Matthew Jarpe, Tobias S Buckell, Andrew Wheeler, and David Louis Edelman, answering the question, How has the internet impacted your ability to sell books and what impact do you see it having in the future?

Teaser: "It's been pretty obvious for some time that we've moved from top-down marketing to peer-to-peer referral, and you can make a strong case that the shift in the paradigm isn't just coming but has already occurred."