Orson Scott Card is the author of Ender's Game series and dozens of other novels. In this podcast we discuss his start as an author and how he developed the concept of "Ender's Game" and have it became the beloved book it is today.Mr. Card has also been a Writers of the Future Contest Judge for over three decades.Learn more about Orson Scott Card a…

Craig Elliott is In the animation industry. He has worked primarily as the production designer for Marvel, Disney and Dreamworks, designing animated films such as Hercules, Mulan, The Emperor’s New Groove, Treasure Planet, Shark Tale, Flushed Away, Bee Movie, Enchanted, Monsters vs. Aliens, and The Princess and the Frog as well as other upcoming fe…

Writers of the Future 40 winners Lance Robinson (“Five Days Until Sunset”), Stephannie Tallent (“Live and Death and Love in the Bayou”), and Tom Vandermolen (“Nonzero”) meet on the last day of the Writer Workshop Week (this being the second winner podcast) and we discuss their personal journeys and the value of the Contest to aspiring writers.We al…

Writers of the Future 40 winners James Davies, Amir Agoora, Kal M, John Eric Schleicher, and Galen Westlake meet on the last day of the Writer Workshop Week and we discuss their personal journeys and the value of the Contest to aspiring writers.We discuss the importance of dealing with self-rejection and how to come up with amazing story ideas.Lear…

Bill Fawcett has just published a near-future military science called "Never Again," and it is very scary! https://chriskennedypublishing.com/book/never-again/ Bill has been a professor, teacher, corporate executive, and college dean. His entire life has been spent in the creative fields and managing other creative individuals. He is one of the fou…

Kathryn Raaker is the Founder and CEO of Tri-State Connection, a Global Multimedia and PR Company. She has been a trailblazer in the media industry for over three decades.Her son, Robert Taggart, is a journalist and author.Together, they worked together as a mother and her son as a writing team.https://kathrynraakersworld.com/…

Mark Leslie Lefebvre is our most recent Writer Contest judge.Dean Wesley Smith, also a judge, has Mark by four decades, being the first person to be awarded by Writers of the Future in that very first year!Together, these two have been at the forefront of the evolution of publishing, now known as indie publishing or self-publishing. Once frowned up…

Welcome Back! Connor and Dustin are back and jumped right into the Conference Finals, of course talked about the Red Wings as the Griffins are currently on a playoff run for the Calder Cup. The prospect pool is churning and looking forward to the offseason to see whats happening contractually and what youngsters will we see take the ice. Dustin bro…

Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood traveled to LA to celebrate his son's Illustrators of the Future win.In this interview we discuss the importance of the arts to society and what he has done in Pennsylvania with the arts to improve society.By John Goodwin

Jack Nash won the Golden Pen Award for his story, "Son, Spirit, Snake." Tyler Vail won the Golden Brush Award for his illustration of the story, "Squiddy." In this interview, we discuss their personal journey's to finally winning the top award for aspiring writers and artists.Jack Nash: www.JackNashStories.comTyler Vail: www.Tylervail.com…

Echo Chernik and I discuss the history of the Illustrators of the Future Contest, where it has gotten to, and where it is going and how it is that we are able to select the best new talent in illustration around the world.https://www.echo-x.com/By John Goodwin

Davina Powell is the Consumer Marketing Services Manager for Ingram Content Group.She is a creative sales and marketing expert known for connecting publishers and authors to key audiences using Ingram iD.Learn more at IngramiD.comShe has spent more than 10 years in the digital marketing space developing new resources that ensure publishers', bookse…

This episode features Jody Lynn Nye, and we discuss 40 years of Writers of the Future, its impact on the genre, and what she is looking for as the Coordinating Judge.By John Goodwin

Connor and Dustin talk about the Wings Season, while overall they finished strong, theres still that issue of the losing streak they went on during Larking absence. It shows the lack of depth in the center position and hopefully thats something that Yzerman looks to strengthen this offseason via prospects or trades/free agents. Raymond surely put o…

John Brown was a winner published in Writers of the Future Volume 13 with his story “The Scent of Desire” under his penname Bo Griffin. I met up with him again last year at LTUE and when I saw he would be back, I asked that he send me a book to read so I could have him on as a guest.His bio says he writes action-packed thrillers and epic fantasies …

I’m here at Superstars Writing Conference in Colorado Springs. This is a podcast panel, meaning I am recording this podcast as I interview SoundBooth Theater founder Jeff Hays and international bestselling author Craig Martelle in front of a live audience.Jeff Hays is a prolific narrator and producer, and CEO of Soundbooth Theater, a full-service a…

Stephen Kotowych was a writer winner for Writers of the Future Volume 23 in 2007. He recently edited and published “The Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction Volume 1” anthology. It comprises 37 stories and poems and is 100% Canadian.He has a Kickstarter for Volume Two that will run from March 19 through April 16. The link for the prelau…

Storm Humbert and fellow Writers of the Future winners created a publishing company called Calendar of Fools. They compiled a book containing only of rejects, not because they weren't good, but because they weren't right for where they were submitted. So, this project is to give these great stories a second chance!They created a Kickstarter for the…

Liza Trombi is the Editor-in-Chief of Locus Magazine. In this interview, we discuss the history of Locus and its importance to the SF&F field.We also announce a fundraiser that Locus is running and that I encourage you to check out at www.LocusMag.com or go directly to https://igg.me/at/locusmag2024By John Goodwin

Mark Leslie wrote a 10,000-word short that began his Canadian Werewolf series. In this interview, we discuss going from a story, to a novel, to a series, to collaborating with spin-offs.Yogi Berra famously stated, "When you come to a fork, take it." We discuss how accurate this is as advice as you become more knowledgeable as a storyteller. We disc…

The Wings have had an interesting end of February and early March. They had a winning streak moving into their West Coast trip and have recently lost 3 straight(ironically after announcing the recent jersey partnership). For the first time in a long time the Wings find themselves in a Wild Card spot. However when you evaluate the recent signings by…

In this interview done at Superstars 2024 in Colorado Springs, CO, David Weber discusses his journey to becoming the bestselling author, including "Honor Harrington," and we also address his coming to grips with being the new "old guard" of science fiction and fantasy authors.I really enjoyed this interview. He is not only a great author, but a ver…

Craig Martelle has taken his more than twenty years of experience in the Marine Corps, his legal education, and his business consulting career to write compelling stories. He recommended the first in his Ian Bragg Thriller Series, “The Operator,” which I read and thoroughly enjoyed.But his bio also says he writes sf, urban fantasy, YA fantasy, and …

I met up with Jim Butcher at the Superstars Writing Conference in Colorado Springs. He is the creator of The Dresden Files, the Codex Alera, and a new series, the Cinder Spires. We talk about his journey to becoming a bestselling author and any backstories of the characters in his Dresden series.Much more insight into why he is the incredible autho…

Connor and Dustin jump right into discussing the current status of the Wings. With only 2 games back from the All Star Break there wasn't too much to dive into but they are needing to keep with their winning ways if they want to make the playoffs. Currently holding on to the last Wild Card Spot, the wings look to finish strong on their West Coast t…

Deon McAdoo, Key Accounts Sales Manager for Ingram Spark.IngramSpark is an online self-publishing company that allows you to print, globally distribute, and manage your print and ebooks.I knew very little about Ingram Spark before this interview but rapidly learned what an amazing tool this is for authors wanting to get their books published and di…

Joni Labaqui has been the Contest Director since 1995. In this episode, we discuss both Contests, starting with what it was like in 1995 and how it has grown.We also discussed each of the Coordinating judges for both Contests.By John Goodwin

Dustin and Connor of course break down the recent Lions game, because we are Detroit based and I think everyone was talking about it. They had one amazing season and something to be proud about! Connor being the more analytical person wasn't as hard on Aaron Glenn as Dustin was. We think the Lions have created a solid team and cant wait to see how …

I met Rebecca Hardy, pen name for Rebecca Hardy, after she wrote a blog post on the cameras of Battlefield Earth.She was subsequently a guest just over a year ago with her debut novel, “House of Lost Wives.” She is a writer, photographer, and artist working in London while residing in West Sussex, England.She has just come out with her second novel…

Connor and Dustin are back after taking time for a quick Winter Break, with Christmas and New Years its always hard to find a time to record. But the boys are back and so are the Red Wings. The Wings have been playing an elevated level hockey that was reminiscent to how they started the season. They have found their way back into playoff contention…

Jo Henry is the managing director of Bookbrunch, a daily news service and information site for the book industry.She has worked in the book industry for over 40 years, starting at the literary agency A.M Heath; she has worn probably every possible hat in the publishing industry. She joined BookBrunch in 2018. Jo was co-founder of the Book Marketing…

Judith Anderle, who, along with her husband, Michael, has built an indie publishing empire and created the 20BooksTo50K annual conference.In this interview, we discuss publishing, AI, and copyright law as it currently stands in January 2024.By John Goodwin

Alex Shvartsman is from Ukraine and came to the US as the USSR was collapsing and now lives in New York. With English as his third language, he read voraciously and began writing in his thirties. He sold 100 short stories before venturing into novels. He loves to write.He also holds the distinction of having been #3 in the world in Magic the Gather…

Connor and Dustin finally connect after a good holiday season with their families. One of the hot topics was of course the Joseph hit on Larkin and the Perron aftermath. Dustin and Connor both echo Larkins comments about the Player Safety Board being so inconsistent that most of the players have little to no idea what will get supplemental suspensi…

The first half of this interview is with José Sánchez & Chris Arias at the Writers of the Future Awards week. The second half is with Chris, who has had a whirlwind of excitement and recognition after he returned to Costa Rica.By John Goodwin

Barbara Lund was the Writers of the Future Golden Pen Award-winning author for Volume 37 and writes sci-fi and fantasy. But I really enjoyed her sci-fi detective procedural "Platform 8."She has a full-time job, is a mom, and gives her formula for being able to write and publish as well—working out priorities.Learn more at barbaralund.com/new-page…

Michael Johnson has many years of experience in publishing, technology, and educational distribution. He is currently Vice President of Content at Benetech, a global company that creates software for social good in the areas of education, employment, and social inclusion. In other words, Michael assists in making your stories and art accessible to …

This week was a quick episode, while Kane took the ice and skated he remained scoreless however had multiple opportunities. The Wings let up 4 goals after scoring their own 4 goals to lose in OT via the Sharks. The Wing needs to tighten up if the expect to remain a conversation for the playoffs, especially with the recent Kane signing. Connor was a…

Allow me to introduce you to Matthew Wolf, an incredible epic fantasy author. We discuss his origins as an author, inspiration, and creating vivid characters and storylines. And let me recommend the Ronin Saga.Follow him at MatthewWolfAuthor.comBy John Goodwin

I met Pak Gallego at the Frankfurt Book Fair and learned that he created board games and card games: writing, designing, and working out the math needed to create a game. And I immediately wanted to have him on as a guest as I had never discussed gaming (creating of) with anyone!So meet Gak Gallego from Barcelona, Spain.…

The hot news of the week is the recent signing of Patrick Kane. Connor and Dustins expectations are similar in that you are getting a low cost high caliber player. Is he going to be superstar Kane like we are use to seeing? Only time will tell. I think its best to go into this at finding another solid scoring piece. How do you think this shakes up …

Gray Levett began his career as a photographer shooting bands such as Jethro Tull, Kinks, Genesis and expanded from there to creating one of the most well-known Nikon camera shops in London, Gray's of Westminster. He researched the history of photography before publishing his books, as well as for each issue of his magazine.…

The Red Wings with almost a quarter of the season played are really right where most analysts had us at the start of the season unlike the Oilers... However after a hot start from the Red Wings with Alex Debrincat starting the season on pace for 100 Points things have slightly cooled. That being said the Red Wings are currently in the Top 5 of most…

Jim Meskimen is a voice actor known for voicing Deadshot, Ultron, and Kuruk. As a professional actor for nearly thirty years, Jim has appeared in the films Apollo 13, The Grinch, Frost/Nixon, The Punisher, Not Forgotten, There Will Be Blood and many others. Some of Jim’s TV credits include Friends, Whose Line is it, Anyway?, Fresh Prince of Bel Air…

I met Brandon Mull at Life the Universe and Everything conference last year in Provo, Utah, and we immediately hit it off. He was such a super nice guy and I wanted to have him as a guest on this podcast as I felt he would be an inspiration to this podcast's listeners. He sent me the first volume of "Fablehaven" and "Candy Shop War" and I really en…

The Red Wings are off to a hot start being 2nd in the Atlantic Division. Larking and Debrincat are clicking and we finally have true 2nd and third lines. Thoughts and prayers out to Adam Johnson and his friends and family. Dustin and Connor talk about neck guards and the implementation of them in multiple leagues around the world. Dustin and Connor…

Lazarus Black was first an accomplished professional artist before tackling his true love -- writing. He applied himself to learn his craft. He eventually won the Writers of the Future Contest. Now he has published his first novel. I enjoyed it so much I wanted to have him on as a guest and introduce him to fans of this podcast.Enjoy!www.lazarus.bl…

Dr. Charles E. Gannon on writing hard science fiction.He is a Distinguished Professor of English (St. Bonaventure University) and was a Fulbright Senior Specialist in American Literature & Culture from 2004-2009.His series includes hard-sf interstellar epic (the Caine Riordan series, set in his Terran Republic universe, nominated for three Nebulas,…

What a way to start a season! After coming out with a loss to New Jersey the wings have been nothing but HOT since. Yzermans offseason signings have started to find their footings in the Yzerplan. The first line with Debrincat, Larkin, Raymond has been nothing but on fire. Currently Alex is on pace to score 100+ goals this season. The Larkin haters…

Ringling College of Art & Design has produced several Illustrators of the Future winners. This interview is with two of the reasons why.James Martin, professor of illustration in the illustration dept. He’s been an illustrator, mostly in the movie industry, and worked on movies like "Titanic."Dominic Avant majored in illustration at the Rhode Islan…