Lawrence M. Schoen

Lately (for a project that I’ll talk about on this blog come November) I’ve been corresponding with a lot of past nominees for the Campbell Award. This has been great fun, and in several instances it’s allowed me to segue from that project to this blog and invite folks over to tell you about there meals. One such bit of serendipity is today’s guest Katharine Eliska Kimbriel.

Like a growing number of authors, Kat’s explored new avenues in publishing, bringing her backlist to ebooks via the wildly popular Book View Café, and in fact releasing the latest book, Spiral Path (volume three in her Night Calls series), on their website as well as the usual places just last Tuesday.

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Our guest this week is Beth Cato, and you’ve probably been reading her work for years without knowing it. She’s written inspirational essays for nearly a dozen of the Chicken Soup for the Soul volumes, including Chicken Soup for the Soul: Inspiration for Writers: 101 Motivational Stories for Writers – Budding or Bestselling – from Books to Blogs, which really brings things full circle in a way.

Beth has also written short stories for a long list of anthologies (such as a wonderful piece that I bought and published in the pages of Cucurbital 3). She has a great voice, and I encourage you to go out and read her work.

But neither soup nor short fiction is why she’s here gracing this blog today. We’re all about novels here, and tomorrow marks her formal transformation as a shiny new novelist with the launch of her first book, The Clockwork Dagger, from Harper Voyager. It’s action and adventure with assassins and airships, spies and steampunk, and much more. Buy a copy now and boost her release day sales; we’re going to want to ensure that her publisher demands more books from her.

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I have a really blessed life. I don’t acknowledge that often enough, either to myself, my loved ones, or the wider world. And I should, because one of the things remembering how good I’ve got things does, is it reminds me to share that good fortune, spread it around both deliberately and unconsciously. Or in terms probably more familiar to the readers of this blog, to pay it forward. I’ll definitely be setting aside some time today to do more of that.

In the meantime, let me tell you about this week’s guest. R. S. A. Garcia published her first novel, Lex Talionis, back in February of this year to a starred review in Publishers Weekly and some inspiring praise from other authors. Beyond that though, I don’t have much to tell you about her other than she lives in Trinidad and likes dogs (and really, that last bit is all that I need to know). I’m happy to have her here, and looking forward to what she’s going to write next.

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Welcome to September (and if you’re in the US, Happy Labor Day). I finished my novel revisions yesterday so I’ll be spending the day doing absolutely nothing! Well, okay, that’s not true, I’ll do my morning workout and maybe go to the local zoo to have a chat with some otters but really, that’s it. For those of you without access to otters, I present the latest installment of EATING AUTHORS instead.

Our guest this week is Danielle Ackley-McPhail. She’s probably best known for her work editing the Bad-Ass Faeries series, and she’s something of a legend at conventions up and down the northeast for organizing the most impressive book launches any small press has ever seen.

In addition to editing and being a short story writer, Danielle is also a novelist, and it’s here that she shows off one of the most impressive talents any author can possess: tenacity. Danielle doesn’t know how to quit. As an example of this, I offer up her Eternal Wanderings trilogy, each book of which was originally released by a different small press. Not only have her fans followed her from publisher to publisher, in under a week they’ve already funded a Kickstarter project to pay for a new novella in the series. I encourage you to check it out because if she’s applying the same enthusiasm to her stretch goals as she does to her book launches you won’t want to miss it.

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Last updated August 7, 2021

Welcome to the last Monday in August, which this year also happens to be the first Monday after LonCon3, the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention. If you were among the record numbers who attended this year’s Worldcon, then dropping in here at EATING AUTHORS will allow you to catch your breath. As for the rest of you, please breathe normally.

Our guest this week is Michael A. Ventrella, a member of that highly specialized fraternity, F/SF authors who are also lawyers. And given the behavior of most authors I’ve met, having Michael’s number in your contacts list is probably a good idea as it’s only a matter of time before we’re all going to need an attorney. Until then, let’s focus on Michael’s work in the genre. His most recent book, Bloodsuckers, blends classic vampiric tropes with something truly horrific: politics. Vampire fiction has been overmined in recent years, so it’s particularly gratifying to have a refreshing take, regardless of your political affiliations.

In addition to writing both short stories and novels, Michael’s also built a treasure trove of interviews with other authors, putting them on the spot with seemingly innocent questions — hmmm, maybe it’s not so easy to separate out the lawyer from the author. You’ll find them on his website, alongside an impressive collection of writing resources. Just another example of a writer paying it forward.

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Not only is it yet another Monday, but it’s the Monday marking the final day of the 72nd World Science Fiction Convention (aka, LonCon3), which means it’s also the day after the Hugos. Congratulations to Ann Leckie, Charlie Stross, Mary Robinette Kowal, and John Chu for their respective fiction wins, and to Sofia Samatar, for being the latest recipient of the Campbell Award (may you wear your tiara with pride). And of course, kudos to the finalists as well. Speaking as a past Hugo-Loser, this is one of those times when that stuff about “it’s an honor just being nominated” actually rings true.

Also, a hearty congratulations to Kansas City, Missouri,which has won the privilege and pain of running the 74th Worldcon (to be known as MidAmeriCon II). Save the dates: August 17 – 21, 2016.

Phew! Okay, let’s get to today’s EATING AUTHORS guest. Appropriately enough, I first met Emmie Mears at a dinner party, at a convention no less. She self-identifies as an Urban Fantasy Author, a Geek, a Gamer, and an Explorer. Her debut novel, The Masked Songbird, comes out on September 1st from Harlequin.

Emmie is also one of the forces behind the Searching for Superwomen hub, an ever-evolving conversation on women and their many roles in Geek culture. But don’t take my word for it, click the link and check it out yourself.
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What is it with Mondays? They keep happening. I feel like the guy who in a moment of weak judgment puts a saucer of milk out on the porch and now finds that damn cat showing up like clockwork. Trust me when I tell you that I’d be quite content to skip a few Mondays here and there. But no, the calendar lobbyists are too powerful. Or something like that.

Since it is another Monday, let’s make the best of it. Here to help with that is Leona Wisoker, an author who knows the value of a strong cup of coffee — note to self: do not leave a cup of coffee out on the porch, it will only attract writers . Her (four books and counting) science fantasy series Children of the Desert has been published by Mercury Retrograde Press. Leona is also the force behind The Scribbling Lion, a consortium of sorts that promotes the music and fiction of Danny Birt, Tom Doyle, Jonah Knight, Gail Z. Martin, Devo Spice, and of course her own work as well.

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