Lasers Dragons And Keyboards

In this episode, we sit down with E. Stephen Burnett, who, along with Ben Wolf (see episodes 10 & 11), is the co-founder of the forthcoming e-magazine, Lorehaven. Stephen is a former print journalist who now helps run SpeculativeFaith.com and other faith-based websites that focus on fiction--including Lorehaven. He hails from Texas. In this episode: What Lorehaven is--and what it won't be. What is a flash review? Stephen's favorite version of Star Trek. Lorehaven's goal to create book clubs. The broader content goals of Lorehaven. Who should everyone be reading? What is Stephen watching? Wonder Woman? Anime?  Find all our show notes, links to previous episodes, and links to books discussed on our website: LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com

On this episode, we have Paul Smith, friend of previous guests, CW Briar and Jon Brhel. He's author of Jason and the Draconauts! Paul Smith lives in upstate New York with his wife and two sons, where he works with emotionally disturbed and mentally ill children. He earned a master’s degree in social sciences from Binghamton University in 1999. A lifelong love of science fiction, fantasy, and superhero stories influences Paul’s writing. His most recent work was a popular weekly online series that generated over 20,000 views. Jason and the Draconauts is his first novel.   In Episode 70: The pitfalls of pantsing The guys give Liberty a hard time for ditching her outline Liberty keeps bringing up Scrivener... Bluetooth keyboards! Why reading out loud is an important editing tool. Paul's techniques for battling writer's block and why he hates frustration. Paul's thoughts on conventions and selling books on them. Whether FB ads are worth the paper they're printed on... Including fandom quotes in our books! What do

On this episode, we have Paul Smith, friend of previous guests, CW Briar and Jon Brhel. He's author of Jason and the Draconauts! Paul Smith lives in upstate New York with his wife and two sons, where he works with emotionally disturbed and mentally ill children. He earned a master’s degree in social sciences from Binghamton University in 1999. A lifelong love of science fiction, fantasy, and superhero stories influences Paul’s writing. His most recent work was a popular weekly online series that generated over 20,000 views. Jason and the Draconauts is his first novel. In Episode 69: Writing for your kids Creating dragons! Who's going to argue with a dragon? D&D's influence in Paul's writing How to NOT plagiarise Aaron wants to read a story about Captain America riding a dragon Does the TARDIS have a loading bay? Black Ops Helicopters Sean Connery thoughts on conventions and selling books on them. Whether FB ads are worth the paper they're printed on... Including fandom quotes in our books! What do your

This week, we have Kristen Stieffel, author of the debut novel, Alara's Call. Kristen Stieffel is a freelance writer and editor specializing in science fiction and fantasy. She’s the associate editor of Havok, a flash fiction magazine focused on the speculative genres. Kristen provides author mentoring and a full range of editorial services in multiple genres for both the general market and the Christian submarket. Kristen is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and Christian Editor Connection and is a Word Weavers International mentor.   In Episode 68: Plotting! Pantsing! Who knows?! Start with the end in mind. He said WHAT?! Writing out of order. How do you K.O. a piece of paper? All hail the wonders of Scrivener! How MCs can change in the course of the book. Hurricane brain Write through the crap! Snacking! Tea! Bollywood! Classical Crossover music Kristen's longest trip for a writer's conference. Why do people complain about book prices? Gotta have the big parts in your novel first. Kriste

This week, we have Kristen Stieffel, author of the debut novel, Alara's Call. Kristen Stieffel is a freelance writer and editor specializing in science fiction and fantasy. She’s the associate editor of Havok, a flash fiction magazine focused on the speculative genres. Kristen provides author mentoring and a full range of editorial services in multiple genres for both the general market and the Christian submarket. Kristen is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association and Christian Editor Connection and is a Word Weavers International mentor. In Episode 67: Kristen's impetus for writing Alara's Call. How President Dwight Eisenhower factors in to Kristen's book. Kristen admits how long it took to write the book. How her setting was designed to fit the story. Mentor characters yelling at the main character's father! How long does it take to cremate a horse? (Aaron isn't telling PETA.) We get into an argument about Kristen's favorite spec fic quote. Aaron refrains from going full über-nerd! (We're all gr

We sat down with the delightful Sarah White, author of Halayda, but Josh couldn't join us. So it was up to Liberty to rein in Aaron! Or does he have to rein her in? Hmmm... Sarah Delena White writes epic fantasy, steampunk, and reworkings of mythology with complex characters, rich world-building, and a fine balance of poetry and snark. When she’s not writing or editing, she can be found making jewelry, singing Irish ballads, drinking tea, and working a variety of odd jobs. She occasionally remembers to eat and sleep, because those things are apparently important. She can be bribed with dark chocolate. Halayda is her debut novel. In Episode 66: Normally, we have rabbit trails. But this week, we have rabbit AND chicken trails! (That sounds worse than it is...) Plotting v pantsing ... and having a point she's working toward Deleted/bonus scenes! Sarah's use of a certain social media platform in her research The necessity of the right brand of Earl Grey tea. Twitter Hashtag Games! Irish folklore & ARROW  Fo

We sat down with the delightful Sarah White, author of Halayda, but Josh couldn't join us. So it was up to Liberty to rein in Aaron! Or does he have to rein her in? Hmmm... Sarah Delena White writes epic fantasy, steampunk, and reworkings of mythology with complex characters, rich world-building, and a fine balance of poetry and snark. When she’s not writing or editing, she can be found making jewelry, singing Irish ballads, drinking tea, and working a variety of odd jobs. She occasionally remembers to eat and sleep, because those things are apparently important. She can be bribed with dark chocolate. Halayda is her debut novel. In Episode 65: Sarah keeps very busy! Halayda's unique blend of subgenres and unique beginnings Yes, this is a kissing book! Sarah's research into Scottish & Irish faeries More questionable search histories! Aaron's rabbit trail about the difference between the Russian space program and NASA Liberty's rabbit trail about Apollo 13 Short word counts vs. long word counts!  For addi

This week, we talk with Deanna Fugett (not to be confused with Deanna Troi). We get right into it with a discussion about oddly named characters, and where some of these names come from (don't ask...) Next, because this is a speculative fiction show, we talk at length about Little House on the Prairie (Of course...) Liberty wasn't around this week to steer us back on track... (because she spontaneously combusted... well, that's our story, anyway...) We eventually got back on track (kind of...), and learned that Josh loves depressing endings (Aaron can't stand them...) Who's Deanna's favorite super hero? Is it Green Arrow? Super Grover? You'll have to listen to find out. Does Deanna prefer Scrivener? Word? Pen? Crayon? We also take a quick break to provide a public service announcement of things computers don't like (such as hammers and crumbs...) Lingo 101... We're thinking of making this a regular feature... And last, but not least, being eaten alive (metaphorically...) Some of Deanna's favorite authors: - L

After a way-too-long hiatus from publishing, we're finally getting back into the swing of things! On this episode of the show, recorded WAAAAAY back in the spring (we won't bring up Liberty's scheduling/production issues), we have with us the one and only Avily Jerome. We know Avily from the Realm Maker's conference, where she sometimes body-doubles President Donald Trump. But she's also an amazingly talented author who wrote The Heir. As you'll find out, Avily likes to laugh as much as we do, and her snarky brand of humor was a great fit with your hosts' funny bones. In Episode 64: Plotting or pantsing...and how her research affects this. Steve Irwin...Mermaid Hunter... Crazy NaNo+ word counts Avily and her organizational methods My Evil Mermaid How Avily deals with writer's block Dealing with people who don't like what you write. Develop a thick skin. Darkside Cookies As always, visit LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com for our full show notes and access to our back episodes!

After a way-too-long hiatus from publishing, we're finally getting back into the swing of things! On this episode of the show, recorded WAAAAAY back in the spring (we won't bring up Liberty's scheduling/production issues), we have with us the one and only Avily Jerome. We know Avily from the Realm Maker's conference, where she sometimes body-doubles President Donald Trump. But she's also an amazingly talented author who wrote The Heir. As you'll find out, Avily likes to laugh as much as we do, and her snarky brand of humor was a great fit with your hosts' funny bones. In Episode 63: Avily's book, The Heir, and her serial The Amulet Saga. Avily's favorite character, and that character's role. Josh's TBR list grows to over 2,000. How people in Avily's life have responded to her art. Christians don't have to write strictly Christian characters. Changing settings and how they change the story. Avily's favorite scenes in books. As always, find more detailed show notes as well as links to things discussed at Lase

This week, we hang out with second-time guest, Laura VanArendonk Baugh (try saying that one three times fast!) We last visited with Laura in episodes 39 & 40 (which you can find here). Last time we spoke, we discussed her Japanese culture books. But this time, she takes us to a different culture altogether with The Songweaver's Vow, which is a retelling of Ares and Psyche, but in the Norwegian culture rather than Greek. In this episode: Laura's unique view on fiction Laura's upcoming trilogy...that she may or may not be working on...an epic fantasy. (Angst porn!) Laura's research in Denmark. Nine months of winter and mead! Laura's take on Greek and Norse mythology. Having a reader warning on her books. On writing Loki. Who would Laura go on a quest with? Greek mythology is all about people having sex. Norse mythology is all about people on LSD. ~ Laura VAB Links Laura VanArendonk Baugh The Songweaver's Vow Details on our contest! Our first ever contest! Write a 1,000 or less fan fiction featurin

Author Amy Brock McNew Our guest tonight is Amy Brock McNew, who apparently can't stay away. Our hosts, though, I'm not sure about. We apparently have two Liberties, and one Josh... I think... Tonight's topic... Venison, and how delicious it is! ...uh, I mean, we're talking about Amy's second book, Reconciliation. *** SPOILER WARNING*** You might not want to listen to this podcast (Episodes 22 & 23) if you haven't read the first book in the series. Go read, then come back and listen to this episode. Go on... we'll wait... Wow, it's a little mushy in here as we talk about putting yourself back in old situations, re-living old hurts and fears as we put our characters in similar situations... and the healing that can come with dealing with those emotions. Enough of that, let's go hunt moose and squirrel! In this episode: Differences in writing Rebirth versus Reconciliation The catharsis of writing Prayer & forgiveness Russian Ninja Barbie! Amy's passion for helping women get out of human trafficki

We were delighted to have on the show with us horror authors Janeen Ippolito and Julia Busko this week, authors of Blood Mercy. In this episode... Characters and their quirks and how they may or may not resemble actual people. Favorite vampires! Being horror junkies Favorite scenes Dream actor casting! Questing! Doctor Who and our favorite doctors Gaming! Upcoming release (October 2017) Blood Mercy: The Darkest Stain   Links! Janeen Ippolito Julia Busko Blood Mercy The Dresden Files Mike Duran Christian Horror Uncommon Universes Press

We have a special mother-daughter show for you this week! Our guests are Donita K. Paul and her daughter, Evangeline Denmark. In this week's episode... Donita learns something new about her daughter right off the bat. We talk WIPs that sound really cool. Growing up with an author for a mom. Minigames! How Donita raised Evangeline with a love for words. Donita & Evangeline's collaborations, including their children's books. Living up to your mom's standards. Legacies. Catching Didactics. Other creative endeavors Favorite parts of the creative process. (We have some technical difficulties with Donita's feed--we apologize!) How to balance family & writing Having gifts you need to use as a wife and mother. How you need other writers to give you feedback. And, we explore some fun new questions! Links Donita K. Paul Donita's Facebook Evangeline Denmark Evangeline on Facebook The Dragon and the Turtle The Dragon and the Turtle go on Safari

This week we have with us Lauren Brandenburg, author of Orlo the Created! This sounds like an awesome middle grade steampunk book series, and we can't wait to get it to share with our kids...yeah, that's the reason. ;)   Episode 58 (Be Excited!): Plotting/pantsing Scrivener! Some of the cool features of Scrivener! Maps! Liberty continues having technical issues... Lauren's self-editing process & her editor -- and incorporating her editing into her homeschooling. Writer's block and a funny story How writing "Orlo" changed Lauren Lauren's unique approach to marketing (which probably not for everyone because of her market) Lauren's love of Harry Potter, and her recommendations for how a kid should read the books. Awesome rabbit trails! Links! Lauren Brandenburg Orlo the Created https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/antsylabs/fidget-cube-a-vinyl-desk-toy Nadine Brandes Rachelle Dekker Suzanne Collins (Overlander) Tarzan of the Apes (Edgar Rice Burroughs) Wicked Bible

This week we have with us Lauren Brandenburg, author of Orlo the Created! This sounds like an awesome middle grade steampunk book series, and we can't wait to get it to share with our kids...yeah, that's the reason. ;) In Episode 57: Orlo! We talk about the earlier books in the series, focusing on Boone. How much does Lauren love world-building? CS Lewis quotes! Having favorite characters. Lauren, Aaron, and Josh's aversion to coffee Lauren's mad ninja skills What Lauren avoided talking about in Orlo. Aaron's obsession with finding a Doctor Strange figurine. What Muppet is most like Lauren? And her main character? What's up for Lauren next? Liberty's got some technical issues (what else is new?)   Be sure to check out our website for additional shows and more extensive show notes! www.LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com 

We finally sat down to do our anniversary episode, and since we hadn't chatted lately, added in short discussions of the two best movies of 2016: Doctor Strange and Rogue One. It didn't take long for hilarity to ensue (really, so you expect any different from us?) as we had some frank discussion over the movies and our desire to see both again (pre-order anyone?) 18 stars for Doctor Strange from the three of us and 8.5 - 9 stars for Rogue One (since Aaron hadn't seen it yet!) After talking movies & books, we get into a recap of the last year and hint at what's coming up in 2017. Aaron hits his sugar high for the day, and turns into the LDK version of Twitchy from Hoodwinked. Liberty tries to be serious, but this is LDK. It doesn't last long! We have to be serious for a moment and thank our listeners for tuning in, and our guests for being willing guinea pigs, err, victims, err, to come on the show and hang out. We love doing the show and love sharing a bit of ourselves with you. We can't wait to see what

This week, we talk with Deanna Fugett (not to be confused with Deanna Troi). We get right into it with a discussion about oddly named characters, and where some of these names come from (don't ask...) Next, because this is a speculative fiction show, we talk at length about Little House on the Prairie (Of course...) Liberty wasn't around this week to steer us back on track... (because she spontaneously combusted... well, that's our story, anyway...) We eventually got back on track (kind of...), and learned that Josh loves depressing endings (Aaron can't stand them...) Who's Deanna's favorite super hero? Is it Green Arrow? Super Grover? You'll have to listen to find out.   As always, check out LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com for full show notes and links to things we discussed! 

Our guest this week was the Most Interesting Accountant in the World! He also goes by Chris Morris. Chris is a CPA who caters to artists and authors, using easy to understand terms. In Episode 53: Chris Morris, CPA Laughter immediately ensues when we get into a discussion about colors. Authors and other artists all need help with accounting and tax services. Chris' goal is to build his business to serve the author-entrepreneur community. Discussion on the special challenges that authors face. Rabbit trails on the most expensive pens! How to determine if expenses are business-related. How to treat your writing like a business. ID 10T errors Deductions that people miss Crazy things people have asked if they can deduct. Ben Wolf's marketing practices (Ep. 10 & Ep. 11) We get into a lot of the nitty-gritty of setting up businesses and funding your business when you're not making money yet. Should you hire a bookkeeper? Google & Taxes are not a good combination. ;) Oh $@!*# I'm Making Money, Now What

This week we have with us CW Briar, author of Wrath & Ruin, an anthology filled with spec fic ranging from horror to humorous sci-fi. We discuss gnomes--eep!   In Episode 52: CW & Liberty agree it's very difficult to write a mystery without an outline. How CW works around his career and his kids and using his commute to maximize his time. CW's preference for Word over Scrivener, and how he organizes it. How CW's job as an engineer informs his writing and outlining process. Stealing from your beta readers. Canadian mining practices in the 19th Century Cthulu! Learn to Love Editing Links! CW Briar Wrath and Ruin Brandon Sanderson Algernon Blackwood Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterston The Road by Cormac McCarthy Dragon Speaks! Epic Music from YouTube   As always, check out our show notes on LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com