Lawrence M. Schoen

Welcome to a soggy Monday morning, as Philadelphia, PA (and much of the US Atlantic Coast) is caught in the grip of the meteorological conflagration that the media has dubbed the FrankenStorm: the juxtaposition of Hurricane Sandy and one or more lower pressure areas coming in from the west. Personally, I’m agog that the sensationalists on television and radio haven’t trotted out their preferred sobriquet and called it the Storm of the Century.

Meanwhile, here at my blog we don’t need hyperbole and fancy graphics to catch your attention because we have the genuine article, a new installment of EATING AUTHORS, none the worse weather. Our guest today is Julie E. Czerneda who won me over when I first encountered her Species Imperative trilogy ( Survival, Migration, and Regeneration). You know how it is when you stumble across a new author and become hooked? That was me a few years ago. I devoured Julie’s work in a nonstop binge that took me through her Stratification trilogy (Reap the Wild Wind, Riders of the Storm, and Rift in the Sky), and then back through her earlier fiction.

In addition to her breathtaking work as a novelist, Julie has edited numerous anthologies and has earned a reputation for her work in developing scientific literacy using science fiction. Coming early in 2013, she’ll be breaking new ground with a Fantasy novel, A Turn of Light, the first volume of the forthcoming Night’s Edge trilogy.

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Hello, and welcome to another episode of EATING AUTHORS. I’m a bit tired, having just returned from a weekend visit to my graduate alma mater, Kansas State University, my first trip back there in twenty-four years. Wow. Talk about changes! But that’s not why you’re here, though it does provide a nice segue for introducing today’s featured author, none other than Kij Johnson.

I first met Kij in Lawrence, Kansas, when I was a participant in James Gunn’s two-week writers’ workshop. One of the highlights of that time was a wonderful dinner in the KU Faculty Club with Jim, Kij, Chris McKitterick, Frederik Pohl, and Betty Hull. I had pheasant-under-glass (because, you know, it was on the menu and I’d always wondered…).

Back in the day, I knew Kij for her enjoyable adaptations of Japanese mythology. More recently she’s overwhelmed the Science Fiction and Fantasy scene with one brilliant award-winning story after another. “26 Monkeys, Also the Abyss” won the 2008 World Fantasy Award and was a finalist for the Nebula, Hugo, and Sturgeon (Kij withdrew from this last, because she’s one of the jurors), “Spar” won the 2009 Nebula Award, and was a finalist for the Hugo, Locus, and Sturgeon (and again, Kij withdrew), “Ponies” tied for the 2010 Nebula Award, and most recently “The Man Who Bridged The Mist” won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 2012 for Best Novella.

Her latest book, out just last month, is At the Mouth of the River of Bees: Stories, which reprints all those award-winning stories, and more. Go get a copy, right now!

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I spent the weekend at Capclave, a very enjoyable convention with a special place in its heart for small press publishing. Good people, good panels, good parties. It really seems a shame for it to end, but Monday has dawned and I’m back home. Of course one thing that makes the transition a bit easier is the weekly installment of EATING AUTHORS.

Our guest today is Steve Bein, whose first novel, Daughter of the Sword, came out less than two weeks ago.

Steve’s publicist has had him on a blog tour since then, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve already seen the highlights of his C.V., but for those among you who haven’t let me just say that he holds a Ph.D. in philosophy and teaches Asian philosophy and Asian history, as well as the occasional course in science fiction. He dabbles in various martial arts (more than twenty, or so I’ve heard), enjoys rock climbing, scuba diving, skiing, and apparently most outdoorsy activities. He’s probably been up for hours doing something athletic before this post even appeared on the blog (whereas I am sleeping in, and blaming it on a weekend of convention over-indulgence).

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Welcome back to another Monday session of Eating Authors, the blog segment that tempts your tummy even as it appeals to your need to read… or something like that. Our guest today is author and editor Nick Mamatas who in just a few days will be showing up as a GoH at Capclave, a convention that I plan on attending as well.

Nick’s edited several anthologies, both on his own and accompanied by such folk as Jay Lake and Ellen Datlow. He also put in two years as the editor at the online magazine Clarkesworld (full disclosure: I submitted to that magazine during his tenure there. Nick did not buy my story).

Switching hats, he’s also authored of two collections and three novels, including the recently released Bullettime. And then there are the essays that Nick is famous for, ranging from his discussion of his experiences writing term papers for college students to his book of advice for would-be writers, Starve Better.

He’s also known throughout the internet for his strong and well articulate opinions on the full range of controversial and hot-button topics that keep the web hopping. I find that even when I don’t agree with Nick’s view on something, I can’t help but respect his conviction. So, it’s only natural that I’d want to find out what his most memorable meal was.

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