We’re calling this week and next week “Dragon*Con Delays”. Because of the travel involved and the reduced recording time, you’ll get Show #277A this week, and Show #277B next week, and we’ll return to a regular schedule the week after.

Discussion: Michael S talks about the great stuff at GenCon, and about the podcasting hazards that con travel present, given that everyone and their grandmother will be heading to Dragon*Con. Mike S talks about some of the D*C panels he’ll be on,

Interview: Michael, Summer and Michael talk with Austin Grossman about Soon I Will Be Invincible, and he tells us how the book came about. Basically, mainstream literature would be far better if everyone in the stories had superpowers, and combining comic book stories and prose storytelling styles seems to be where more stories are waiting to be told.

Story Craft Discussion: Bill Morton from The Dragonlance Canticle asks for some advice on handling the writing of a story whose timeline jumps around. Michael and Michael also talk about using magic systems, and how to think about not overusing magic in the worlds you build.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Can you do a 3-minute audio book review? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Book title, author, publisher, cost
• Must have been published within the past calendar year
• Why did you like the book?
• What about the book will you remember a year from now?
• Why do you want to recommend this book to other potential readers?

Don’t forget, you can also comment on books listed in The Library… look through the listings and feel free to post your thoughts and comments there.

Promo: SciFi Smackdown
Promo: Variant Frequencies

Welcome to more “Cover to Cover” for your week! And a full house shows up: Michael, Michael, and Summer are on tap to field the first bit of feedback, listener submitted reviews, and discussion on a specific topic or two if the questions come in.

We are not breaking off a separate voicemail show… this double shot is something a little bit different. Show A will continue to be about writing, publishing, and interviews with authors, while Show B will focus on listener feedback, but also contain book reviews and commentary, plus other informative segments.

Don’t forget, you can also comment on books listed in The Library… look through the listings and feel free to post your thoughts and comments there.

Feedback and Discussion: Michael S. suggests submitting book reports as reviews, to try to wrangle extra credit. Run with this at your own risk!

Todd in Orem comments on the interview with Anne McCaffrey, and wants to know if a missing third book in her Dragonriders of Pern series exists. Red Star, Red Planet wasn’t the book Todd thought it was, but according to ISFDB’s Anne McCaffrey listing, the book Todd’s thinking of might not be placed in the series where he previously thought it was. Todd, feel free to check out the ISFDB and let us know if any of those books or short stories fit what you are looking for.

Can you describe in one minute or less a book you’ve forgotten or lost and are trying to find again? Let us know, and try to help you find it!

Eric in Sydney picked up Jim Butcher’s “Codex Alera” series based on the interview he heard here, and can’t believe we got him hooked a new series.

Listener Review: Lou Sytsma reviews Robert J. Sawyer’s Rollback (Robert J. Sawyer interview about Rollback)

Can you do a 3-minute audio book review? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Book title, author, publisher, cost
• Must have been published within the past calendar year
• Why did you like the book?
• What about the book will you remember a year from now?
• Why would you recommend this book to other potential readers?

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Promo: What the Cast?
Promo: Comics Radar
Link: Internet Science Fiction Database

Welcome to more “Cover to Cover” for your week!

We are not breaking off a separate voicemail show… this double shot is something a little bit different. Show A will continue to be about writing, publishing, and interviews with authors, while Show B will focus on listener feedback, but also contain book reviews and commentary, and some other informative segments.

Discussion: Michael M reminisces about the beginnings of The Dragon Page, since we’re approaching 6 years of his doing this show. The gang also tackles a voicemail from John in Edinborough on whether or not world-building is really necessary (since M. John Harrison threw out the opinion on his blog that it was unnecessary in science fiction). For the most part, we disagree, but that’s what keeps things fun and interesting.

Interview: Michael, Summer and Michael talk with acclaimed and award-winning horror/suspense author Tom Piccirilli about his latest book, The Midnight Road, and he tells us about his awards and near-miss awards, what goes into writing scary stories, moving from writing straight horror stories into crime and suspense stories, and more.

There’s also a trailer for Midnight Road… go check it out!

The Library: We’ve hit the lull of incoming books, so there’s nothing new for The Library this time around. However, we return with a followup on the POD discussion from a few episodes ago, based on a voicemail comment from Scott in Flagstaff and his positive experience with Lulu.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Can you do a 3-minute audio book review? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Book title, author, publisher, cost
• Must have been published within the past calendar year
• Why did you like the book?
• What about the book will you remember a year from now?
• Why do you want to recommend this book to other potential readers?

Don’t forget, you can also comment on books listed in The Library… look through the listings and feel free to post your thoughts and comments there.

Link: Tom Piccirilli
Promo: Variant Frequencies
Promo: Fortress Draconis

Welcome to more “Cover to Cover” for your week! And a full house shows up: Michael, Michael, Summer, Brian and Tim are on tap to field the first bit of feedback, listener submitted reviews, and discussion on a specific topic or two if the questions come in.

We are not breaking off a separate voicemail show… this double shot is something a little bit different. Show A will continue to be about writing, publishing, and interviews with authors, while Show B will focus on listener feedback, but also contain book reviews and commentary, plus other informative segments.

Can you do a 3-minute audio book review? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Book title, author, publisher, cost
• Must have been published within the past calendar year
• Why did you like the book?
• What about the book will you remember a year from now?
• Why would you recommend this book to other potential readers?

Don’t forget, you can also comment on books listed in The Library… look through the listings and feel free to post your thoughts and comments there.

Feedback and Discussion: Snowcat loves the prologues in GRRM’s Song of Ice and Fire series, and points out how necessary they are; Anna in WA on POD quality and how they may not hold up to library use; Dan from Des Moines asks about writers groups, and how published authors feel about them; Jason from We Are Not Cool thanks us for increasing his reading pile and his podcast subscriptions.

The Library: Michael, Summer, Michael and Brian talk about new additions to the Library: KOP by Warren Hammond; Starfist: Firestorm by David Sherman and Dan Cragg; The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (mmpb reissue); Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor; Slan by A. E. Van Vogt (tpb reprint classic); God’s Demon by Wayne Barlow; In War Times by Kathleen Ann Goonan; Slan Hunter by A. E. Van Vogt and Kevin J. Anderson; The Space Opera Renaissance (trade issue) edited by David Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer; The Book of Joby by Mark J. Ferrari; Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Ravens of Avalon by Diana L. Paxson; The SFWA European Hall of Fame edited by James Morrow and Kathryn Morrow.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Promo: Variant Frequencies

Welcome to more “Cover to Cover” for your week!

We are not breaking off a separate voicemail show… this double shot is something a little bit different. Show A will continue to be about writing, publishing, and interviews with authors, while Show B will focus on listener feedback, but also contain book reviews and commentary, and some other informative segments.

Interview: Michael, Brian and Lorrie talk with British author Amanda Hemingway about the final book in her Sangreal Trilogy, The Poisoned Crown, widely acclaimed as the best of the series. She’s also working on a new series based on an occassionally recurring character in some of her earlier works.

Amanda also writes under several different pseudonyms to cover the variety of story styles that she writes in, but not all of them are available in the US, so if her premises intrigue you, you’ll have to do a little digging to find some of the other books.

Discussion: Michael, Michael and Summer discuss how huge Comic-Con has become, with the expansion of panels and promotions, and how maybe the movie business has completely changed the focus and feel of Comic-Con. Scifi is here to stay, people.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Can you do a 3-minute audio book review? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Book title, author, publisher, cost
• Must have been published within the past calendar year
• Why did you like the book?
• What about the book will you remember a year from now?
• Why do you want to recommend this book to other potential readers?

Don’t forget, you can also comment on books listed in The Library… look through the listings and feel free to post your thoughts and comments there.

Link: Amanda Hemingway
Promo: Reviews for Riches Contest
Promo: Fortress Draconis

Welcome to more “Cover to Cover” for your week! And a full house shows up: Michael, Michael, Summer, Brian and Tim are on tap to field the first bit of feedback, listener submitted reviews, and discussion on a specific topic or two if the questions come in.

We are not breaking off a separate voicemail show… this double shot is something a little bit different. Show A will continue to be about writing, publishing, and interviews with authors, while Show B will focus on listener feedback, but also contain book reviews and commentary, plus other informative segments.

Can you do a 3-minute audio book review? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Book title, author, publisher, cost
• Must have been published within the past calendar year
• Why did you like the book?
• What about the book will you remember a year from now?
• Why would you recommend this book to other potential readers?

Don’t forget, you can also comment on books listed in The Library… look through the listings and feel free to post your thoughts and comments there.

Feedback and Discussion: McCoy recommends Soon I Shall Be Invincible by Austin Grossman; Will the Computer Guy on his misdirected voicemail message, and gives a high recommendation on James Patrick Kelly’s audiobook version of “Burn”; Snow Cat lists books that moved him: Earth Abides by George Stewart, and The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell; Snow Cat requests future interviews with John Ringo and Lois McMaster Bujold; Tim in Missouri with kudos on the work on the podcasts, and comments on introducing younger readers to old school scifi, and wants some feedback on how the books are selected for store shelves (older vs newer); Zach Ricks comments on global warming (head over to Freshly Green for deeper discussion); Will the Computer Guy comments on Seth Harwood’s podiobooks and episode lengths.

Recent Reads: Tim and Brian list the books they’re currently reading: Acacia, Plague Years, and the rush to buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Review: Trampas Whiteman reviews Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword by Tee Morris.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Promo: Dragon’s Fire, Wizard’s Flame
Promo: Comics Radar

Welcome to more “Cover to Cover” for your week! That’s right… everything we’ve been hinting at and warming you up for the past month is here.

Twice as much “Cover to Cover” every week. The “A” show will be sent out on Mondays, the “B” show will be sent out on Thursdays, and maybe there’ll still be a little of something in both shows for you all to listen to.

We are not breaking off a separate voicemail show… this double shot is something a little bit different. Show A will continue to be about writing, publishing, and interviews with authors, while Show B will focus on listener feedback, but also contain book reviews and commentary, and some other informative segments.

Can you do a 3-minute audio book review? Here’s what we’re looking for:

• Book title, author, publisher, cost
• Must have been published within the past calendar year
• Why did you like the book?
• What about the book will you remember a year from now?
• Why do you want to recommend this book to other potential readers?

Don’t forget, you can also comment on books listed in The Library… look through the listings and feel free to post your thoughts and comments there.

Interview: Michael, Summer and Michael talk with Australian author Marianne de Pierres about her latest book, Dark Space, the first book in her new series “The Sentients of Orion”. She’s created a new universe, different from the world in her Parrish Plessis series, one where the races are in a technological race to talk with God, who was discovered in deep space after an ship on a mining exploration run suffers a navigational failure and drifts off course.

The Library: Michael, Michael and Summer go through a few more new arrivals to the studio: Undertow by Elizabeth Bear; Territory by Emma Bull; Till Human Voices Wake Us by Mark Budz; The Gospel of the Knife by Will Shetterly; Ragamuffin by Tobias Buckell; Garden of the Purple Dragon by Carole Wilkinson.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Marianne de Pierres
Link: YouTube: “Dark Space” book trailer
Promo: Daughter of the Sun
Promo: Fortress Draconis

Michael and Michael talk a little about doing the work of writing… the outlining, the rewriting, the rediscovery of the emotional impact of what you’re writing, and more.

July 2007 is “Cover to Cover” Double Feature Month! That’s right, you’re getting two interviews in each show. This is what happens when there are too many authors to talk to and not enough weeks in the year for a weekly show.

Interview: Michael and Michael talk with Gail Z. Martin about The Summoner, the first book in her new series “The Chronicles of The Necromancer”. It’s all about an orphaned prince who must learn how to master a rare magical ability, avenge his murdered family, and reclaim the kingdom that had been stolen from him.

Interview: Michael and Michael next talk with Phil Rossi about his podiobook “Crescent”, currently one of the fasting growing podcast novels out there. It’s based on a space station, and is a little bit ghost story, a little bit romantic action-adventure, and a little bit mystery all rolled into the same story.

Phil seems to have made a creative shift from music to fiction, but he hasn’t drifted too far away from his musical roots. Head over to his website and uncover more.

The Library: Michael, Michael and Brian go through the newest arrivals to the studio: The Devil’s Right Hand by Lilith Saint Crow; Sandworms of Dune audiobook by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert, The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman; Conquerer by Stephen Baxter; The Mirador by Sarah Monette; The Mirror of Worlds by David Drake; Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch; In At the Death by Harry Turtledove; Shadowpuppets audiobook by Orson Scott Card.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Chronicles of the Necromancer
Link: Phil Rossi Experience
Promo: PodCulture
Promo: ScapeCast: Variant Frequencies

Michael and Michael delve into a discussion about publishing issues with traditional venues, POD venues, and the pitfalls in between that authors may fall into… all explained by Michael M’s personal experiences with his publishing adventures. They also cover other alternate outlets for storytelling that are cropping up thanks to new technologies that exist and that may not yet exist.

July 2007 is “Cover to Cover” Double Feature Month! That’s right, you’re getting two interviews in each show. This is what happens when there are too many authors to talk to and not enough weeks in the year for a weekly show.

Interview: Michael and Summer talk with Emma Bull and Will Shetterly, husband and wife Tucson transplants as they drop by the studio at the beginning of their joint book tour for their respective new novels Territory and Gospel of the Knife.

Gospel of the Knife is a followup to Will’s acclaimed story Dogland, and Territory is a paranormal spin on the events leading up to and about the events around the gunfight at the OK Corral. Will tells us about the problems and distractions he ran into doing research for this “freaky Biblical history”, and Emma tells us about the attraction of writing about the Old West, and how easy it is to throw in supernatural and paranormal “secret histories” for many of the tall tales and legends from that time.

Find the next stop on their tour, and if you can, drop by and say Hi!

Listener Feedback: What were the books on your must read lists the past year? And keep submitting your opinions on Lord of the Rings compared to The Fionavar Tapestry.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: QWERTY Ranch: Emma Bull and Will Shetterly
Link: Bull and Shetterly Book Tour Info
Promo: ScapeCast: Feedback: A Hero’s Calling
Promo: ScapeCast: Variant Frequencies

Michael and Michael tackle some voicemail feedback this week, before jumping into this week’s with the double dose of interviews:

Voicemail: Beth in San Diego comments on politics in SF and her A+ influential SF stories; Scott in Flagstaff has questions about POD publishers like Lulu; Trucker Cylon wonders what the heck we’re talking about when Mike complains about running out of time in the show; thanks for Stackpole about his works and asks him if his Star Wars books are available in unabridged audio; Cylon Trucker comments on pen name usage; Jason from The Nut Gallery enjoyed Stackpole’s anecdote about the red stripes showing up at conventions.

July 2007 is “Cover to Cover” Double Feature Month! That’s right, you’re getting two interviews in each show. This is what happens when there are too many authors to talk to and not enough weeks in the year for a weekly show.

Interview #1: Michael and Brian talk with internationally acclaimed comic book author Mike Carey about his new novel The Devil You Known. It’s a supernatural thriller, and the first book of a planned six-book series about an exorcist who’s far more detective than priest, and the dangers in the line of work he’s chosen.

Mike is currently on tour in the US, so stop by if he’s coming to a town near you:

PORTLAND
July 17th, 7:30pm Powell’s, Burnside

SEATTLE
July 18th, 3:00pm The Signed Page, Online Signing
July 18th, 7:00pm University Bookstore

SAN FRANCISCO
July 19th, 7:00pm Borderlands

BERKELEY
July 20th, 7:00pm Comic Relief of Berkeley

LOS ANGELES
July 23rd, 5:00pm Book Soup
July 24th, 7:30pm Barnes & Noble, Encino
July 25th, 12-2:00pm Golden Apple Comics

SAN DIEGO
July 26th – 29th Comic-Con

Interview #2: Next up, Michael and Michael talk with Canadian author Lynda Williams about Righteous Anger, the follow up to Courtesan Prince and the shared Okal Rel universe these stories and other works of hers and other writers inhabit. She also talks about getting feedback from many places, as well as the unexpected rush of teen readers who’ve come to the books. Do you have an idea to add to the website project, or possibly something to submit to the anthologies? Ask and see what happens!

Listener Feedback: What were the books on your must read lists the past year? And keep submitting your opinions on Lord of the Rings compared to The Fionavar Tapestry.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Mike Carey (Orbit UK), Mike Carey
Link: Lynda Williams
Link: EDGE Science Fiction
Promo: ScapeCast: Stolen Life Contest
Promo: ScapeCast: Comics Radar
Promo: Chowder Radio

The crew is a little punchy from doing extra long shows. ‘Nuff said.

Voicemail: Peter Jackson may not be working on the film adaptation of “The Hobbit”; Chris from Glen Burnie on how the novel “Starship Troopers” changed his viewpoint about political involvement; Will the Computer Guy on bringing up your kids with an appreciation of geekdom; a question on marketing materials that authors should consider when promoting their books, and if they look at total sales vs library rentals; Kurt the Camera Guy weighs in on the Laurell K. Hamilton series and how it’s changed over recent years, and how you the reader may have changed more than you realize.

July 2007 will be “Cover to Cover” Double Feature Month! That’s right, you’ll get two interviews in each show. This is what happens when there are too many authors to talk to and not enough weeks in the year for a weekly show.

Interview #1: Michael, Summer, Brian and Michael talk with Anne McCaffrey about what it’s like to write in a universe that’s so well and widely known, the lengths she goes to to research her stories; and what it’s like to open up her Pern universe to new stories by her son, Todd. She also tells us about working with the Writers of the Future to help bring along the next next generation of writers and storytellers.

Interview #2: Next up, talk with award-winning historical novelist David Anthony Durham about Acacia, his first foray into epic fantasy with a multicultural story rich in mythology and history of a kingdom under siege, and the tale of exiled children determined to undo their father’s legacy of a tyrannical rule, and rebuild their kingdom into one based on freedom and dignity. It’s the first in a series, but the next book will not be completely dependent on this one… but go read this one anyway!

Listener Feedback: What were the books on your must read lists the past year? And keep submitting your opinions on Lord of the Rings compared to The Fionavar Tapestry.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Anne McCaffrey
Link: David Anthony Durham
Promo: Sweet Sorrow
Promo: Parsec Awards 2007: Nominations now open!

Michael and Michael discuss development purgatory when it comes to creating story ideas for a universe other than your own (mainly, the Lucasfilm properties). And Mike Stackpole will be hosting the “Cover to Cover” party room Sunday night at Dragon*Con 2007, so drop on by!

July 2007 will be “Cover to Cover” Double Feature Month! That’s right, you’ll get two interviews in each show. This is what happens when there are too many authors to talk to and not enough weeks in the year for a weekly show.

Interview #1: Michael, Summer, Brian and Michael talk with James Patrick Kelly, who tells us about the convoluted journey of BURN from print to podcast, back to print to Nebula Award. The podcast version was nominated, and won the award for the novella category.

You can download the PDF or the Podcast Jim’s website

Interview #2: Next up, Michael, Summer and Michael talk with Seth Harwood about his upcoming podcast “This is Life”, the sequel to the crime noir podcast, “Jack Wakes Up”.

Both of those podcasts are available Seth’s website

The Library: Michael, Summer, Brian and Michael tackle the newest entries into the Library this week: Harm by Brian Aldiss, Not Flesh nor Feathers by Cherie Priest; BSI Starside: Death Sentence by Roger McBride Allen; In War Times by Kathleen Anne Goonan; The Well of Shades by Juliet Marillier; The Unexpected Apprentice by Jody Lynn Nye; Outrageous Fortune by Tim Scott; Dreamquest by Brett Hartiger; He Loves Me, He Loves Me Hot by Stephanie Rowe; Maledicte by Lane Robbins; Fleet of Worlds by Larry Niven and Edward M. Lerner; The New World by Michael A. Stackpole.

Listener Feedback: What were the books on your must read lists the past year? And keep submitting your opinions on Lord of the Rings compared to The Fionavar Tapestry.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: James Patrick Kelly
Link: James Patrick Kelly Reads Himself
Link: Seth Harwood
Promo: Daughter of the Sun by Lonnie Ezell
Promo: Sweet Sorrow
Promo: Fortress Draconis

Voicemail: Chris from Glen Burnie asks about author signings and what types of inscriptions appeal more to the author doing the signing; Chris again, applauding Mike S on parental responsibility regarding your own children’s reading materials; Julio from NY on authors taking advantage of the rise of the zombies.

Interview: Michael, Brian and Michael talk with the force of nature that is JC Hutchins, and the upcoming third volume of his 7th Son Trilogy, debuting on July 7, 2007. The guys talk about how 7th Son became a podcast, and how the promotional monster combination of Hutch and Sigler was borne and grew into the cosmic force that it is today.

Will we see a sequel to 7th Son, or will JC move on to new projects? The big tease won’t tell us yet.

The Library: Michael, Summer and Michael tackle the newest entries into the Library this week: War in the Air by HG Wells, Dark Space by Marianne de Pierres; Embraced by Darkness by Keri Arthur; Deepwood by Jennifer Roberson; Queen of Candesce by Karl Schroeder; Mother of Lies by Dave Duncan; Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman; Winterbirth by Brian Ruckley; Kushiel’s Justice by Jacqueline Carey

Listener Feedback: What were the books on your must read lists the past year? And keep submitting your opinions on Lord of the Rings compared to The Fionavar Tapestry.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: JC Hutchins “7th Son Trilogy”
Promo: 2007 Parsec Awards
Promo: Podculture

Voicemail: Mike M. jumps us immediately into voicemails, and Curt from the Wandering Geek Podcast gets cut off before he can finish asking his question; a vote for “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” as an all-time favorite; Cynthia in KC wants to know what happens if a character you’ve created turns into one you don’t like when you’re nearing the end of your book; a few questions about author typecasting, and the use of obtuse character behavior in stories; Andrew calls in with “The Giver” as one of his additions to the list of life-changing books; Blind Geek is happy that the interview with Robert J. Sawyer led him to read “Rollback” and the inside joke he read therein; Rich in Detroit comments on Mike and Mike’s dislike of prologues, which leads into a discussion about where the action in a story should start vs prologues and infodumps; Elena in Vegas on fiction making you think; Will the Computer Guy recommends a zombie story called “Discovered Country”.

Interview: Michael, Summer, Michael and Brian chat with Kelley Armstrong about her latest Otherworld novel, “No Humans Involved”, and her interpretation of necromancer as Jaime Vegas takes the forefront in her own story this time around.

Kelley also tells us about her other book coming out later this summer, “Exit Strategy”, a crime thriller featuring a female law enforcement officer turned hitwoman, with not one speck of paranormal to be found anywhere in the story.

The Library: No new Library entries… Mike says we’re out of time.

Listener Feedback: What books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are, and keep submitting your opinions on Lord of the Rings compared to The Fionavar Tapestry.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Kelley Armstrong
Promo: Moldawer in the Morning
Promo: Fortress Draconis by Michael A. Stackpole

Michael, Summer, and Michael talk about Orbit’s media kit to promote their Fall 2007 debut as a US imprint, which opens with a major lineup of new books, including new titles from Kevin J. Anderson, Iain M. Banks and more.

The discussion about pseudonyms continues, and Mike S. sheds his opinions and experiences with how publishers look at an author’s publishing histories and how psuedonyms may allow an alternative to being rejected, or to breaking into a completely different genre to help with marketing. Mike S. also gives us a history lesson on how returnable books have changed the ways authors are losing out on money that the publishers are eating on returns.

Interview: Michael, Summer, and Michael chat with John Klima, editor of the short story collection “Logorrhea”, a bold play on storycrafting where he sent a list of Scripps Spelling Bee winning words to a select list of authors and asked them to write a story based on and inspired by the word they picked in addition to incorporating the word into the story.

John tells us how his previous editing experience, and his work as the managing editor for Electric Velocipede helped him pull this together, and pick the talented lineup of writers who’ve contributed to this anthology.

The Library: No new Library entries this time.

Voicemail: Mike M. reads an email question from Mark asking why gel pens aren’t the greatest instrument to use for book signings, and Mike S. reiterates why gel pens are no where near being his preference for long signing sessions.

Listener Feedback: What books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are!

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Electric Velocipede
Link: Electric Velocipede Blog
Link: Orbit Books
Promo: Fortress Draconis by Michael A. Stackpole
Promo: FarPoint Media

Michael Stackpole gives us all a brief but colorful health update, and we discuss the possible implications of the podcast version of James Patrick Kelly’s “Burn” winning the Nebula Award. So while the podcast version may have won the award, it’s not likely that SFWA is opening its heart to the idea of opening up nominations to any qualifying podcast.

There’s also some discussion about SFWA, and what goes on behind the nominations curtain.

Voicemail: C. A. Sizemore on SF, Fiction and politics; Chris on life-changing books; Will the Computer Guy on Jim Butcher’s interview; Jeremiah on life-changing books; Brian on items for the list of A+ books.

Mike, Summer and Mike list some other books that influenced them at various points in their lives, and still affect them to this day.

Listener Feedback: What books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are!

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Promo: Tag in the Seam

Michael, Summer, Brian, and Mary field a question about when’s the right time for a writer to use a pseudonym, and after a long discussion, we still don’t have a real answer, but most of us think it’s a dead or dying practice.

Interview: Michael, Summer, Brian and Mary welcome Charlaine Harris to the studio, since she’s stopped in Phoenix during the book tour for All Together Dead, the latest in her Southern Vampire series.

Charlaine tells us how she moved from writing conventional mysteries to writing what she calls rural fantasy, the building of the universe that Sookie inhabits, and working with the characters Sookie Stackhouse and Harper Connelly.

She also tells us a little about the adaptation of the Southern Vampire series into “True Blood”, the original series for HBO, written and produced by Alan Ball, and how excited she is to see the sets being built to bring to life the world in her books, and how happy she is that Alan really “gets it”, how she’s happy with the casting and the storyline so far.

She’s coming back to Phoenix in September as the Guest of Honor for CopperCon, and will be in Saratoga Springs in November to attend World Fantasy Con.

The Library: New arrivals to the studio this time around: Wraith by Phaedra Weldon, Strange Candy by Laurell K. Hamilton, Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin, The Man With the Golden Torc by Simon R. Green, Breakaway by Joel Shepherd, The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton, Brasyl by Ian McDonald, Changeling by Yasmine Galenorn, Foundling: Monster Blood Tattoo by D. M. Cornish, Heart of Valor by Tanya Huff, Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop, Key to Conflict by Talia Gryphon.

Voicemail: Bill from Dragonlance Canticle gives us a rundown of the books that influenced his reading and his life. Did you prefer “The Lord of the Rings” over “The Fionavar Tapestry” at all? Summer would like to hear your comments…

Listener Feedback: What books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are!

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Charlaine Harris
Promo: Nina Kimberly the Merciless by Christiana Ellis
Promo: Podcasting: Now and Beyond: The Podcasting Track at Dragon*Con
Promo: Comics Radar

Michael and Michael are once again left alone, and run with a full show dedicated to voicemail feedback from excited listeners:

Voicemail: Will the Computer Guy tells us some more of his favorite series: The Dragonlance series and GRRM’s “Wild Cards” series; Brian in Sacramento gives us a mini review of Lian Hearn’s “Tales of the Otori” series; Chris the Fixed Kitty asks about using prologues and their possible necessity in multiple books in a series; John in Tampa comments on authors imposing their beliefs in their fiction, and an example of how that can backfire; Will again, commenting on politics and scifi, and asks a question on how to plan a novel; Nick from Brisbane comments on the overabundance of vampire and werewolf novels on the shelves these days, and wonders if there is a trend in that sort of flooding that consumers can influence or not; Indiana Jim comments on the Tad Williams interview, and on the laughter; more comments on the Tad Williams interview, and the science/religion points in there; Robert from NH on the Joe Murphy tribute show; Wesley from OH on when authors may cross the line in preaching in their fiction; Lee from Houston asks Stackpole to elaborate on the shift from smaller-length novels to the thicker novels of today; Lambo asks for suggestions on how to handle religious topics in the works of fiction he’s working on.

Listener Feedback: What books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are!

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Promo: The Gmail Podcast
Promo: Variant Frequencies

Michael, Brian, Tim and Michael do a quick intro to a fun in-studio interview with SF author John Scalzi. Seriously, it’s a hit-and-run hi/bye.

Listener Feedback: What books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are!

Interview: Michael and Summer welcome John Scalzi into the studio, since he’s stopped in Phoenix during his whirlwind book tour to promote “The Last Colony”, following the protagonists, John and his wife Jane, after they’re asked by the Colonial Union to lead the establishment of a brand new colony, and the ulterior motives they uncover along the way.

John also tells us about how the stories in this trilogy evolved and grew despite the fact that a trilogy was never the intended direction, and how this final installment of the “Old Man’s War” trilogy is not exactly the last story set in that universe.

We hear about International Pixel-stained Technopeasant Day, and the story behind why so many authors stood up for giving work away for free in order to promote the sales of more of their work. It’s a good thing, and every example we’ve experienced has worked, in varying degrees to be certain, but it has worked.

A Twitter question pops up about Ficlets, and John tells us what ficlets are — short stories that are 1024 characters long — and community encouragement to expand on the story-telling in an organic and unpredictable way. It’s a “Build Your Own Adventure” style writing exercise taken to fun extremes.

Also still on the shelves in hardcover is “The Android’s Dream”, which can be described as being a story about political machinations and assassinations, achieved through the use of farts. Now, you’ve got to go read it to see for yourself how that turns out.

The Library: New arrivals to the studio this time around: Death’s Head by David Gunn, Titans of Chaos by John C. Wright, Goblin Hero by Jim C. Hines, River of the World by Chaz Brenchley, The Hunger by Scott Nicholson, Antagonist by Gordon R. Dickson and David W. Wixon, Midnight Tides by Steven Erickson, All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: John Scalzi
Link: Ficlets
Promo: Chuck Chat Technorama
Promo: Variant Frequencies

Michael and Michael run the show this week, and respond to the buildup of listener commentary, and Mike Stackpole throws out a story description that he’s searching for the author/title for.

Voicemail: Trampas weighs in about political views overwhelminig the story in the fiction; Indiana Jim comments on a discussion about writing fiction about on a topic that you cannot endorse personally in the real world; Zack on books containing overly preachy moments; Robin also talks about the line between being preachy and not being preachy; Will lists several of his reading essentials: Foundation by Asimov, Fuzzy Papers by H. Beam Piper, Battlefield Earth, and one unknown title that he’ll get back to us on.

Listener Feedback: What books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are!

Interview: Michael, Summer, Brian, Michael and Tim talk with award-winning Australian author Adrian Bedford about his latest book, “Hydrogen Steel”, which Tim eagerly read through for review.

Adrian tells us all about creating the universe of “Hydrogen Steel”, and creating the characters that live there as the story flows back and forth between a detective mystery and a hard scifi story, and about the award nominations it’s garnered so far.

For more details on the book, see Tim Adamec’s review.

The Library: New arrivals to the studio this time around: Righteous Anger by Lynda Williams, The Heart of the Stars by Kate Forsyth, No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong, Logorrhea edited by John Klima, Kitty Takes A Holiday by Carrie Vaughn, Dreaming the Serpent Spear by Manda Scott, Divergence by Tony Ballantyne, Karma Girl by Jennifer Estep.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: K. A. Bedford’s blog
Link: EDGE Online Catalog: HYRDOGEN STEEL
Promo: Renard’s Menagerie: The Journal of Anthropomorphic Fiction
Promo: Variant Frequencies

Michael, Summer, Brian, Michael S, and Tim are excited about Jim coming by. We really need a “no caffeine” rule for the boys on days when we have in-studio guests.

Voicemail: Indiana Jim comments on the books that changed his life, and Summer and Tim run with the lack of being impressed by “Lord of the Rings” in print, and everyone teases Stackpole a bit; Indiana Jim has a Star Wars technical question for Stackpole, which leads to us talking about retrofitting corrections into the Star Wars Universe.

Listener Feedback: What books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are!

Interview: Michael, Summer, Brian, and Evo are joined in studio with Jim Butcher, the New York Times best-selling author of the hot Dresden Files series, and the Codex Alera series. The newest Dresden files book is “White Night”, and the newest Codex Alera book is “Cursor’s Fury”.

Jim tells us all about what inspired him to create the Dresden Files series, and we have Laurell K. Hamilton, Cast A Deadly Spell, and the first season of “Buffy” to thank for these. We also talk about the television series adaptation aired on SciFi Channel, and the impressions made by rushing the show into and through production, and Jim talks about his hopes for a season 2, including his desire to write a script for an episode, working with Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and getting on-screen in the background of an episode.

We also hear a few more details about his 20-case plan for the Dresden Files novels, the possibility of collaborations on future stories and the possibility of opening the Dresden Files universe up to other writers, so maybe we’ve created a larger monster.

Evo applauds Jim’s universe in the Codex Alera series, since it’s one of those rare fantasy series that has impressed Evo and that he continues to read, and Jim tells how that universe came into being (with a literary argument on the internet, of course). It’s all about combining the Lost Roman Legion and Pokemon. Run with it.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Jim Butcher Official Website

Michael, Summer, Brian and Michael discuss tax season for writers and other independently sufficient workers, and talk a little bit more about the hornets nest that was shaken up by some of our previous political commentary and attempts at humor. There’s more SF talk than politics talk, but there’s no bashing, just examining the politics of current science and how that’s reflected in possible futures, as might be seen in SF TV and literature.

Listener Feedback: What do you think about this topic? Also, what books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are!

Interview: Michael, Summer, Brian and Michael talk with Patrick Rothfuss, the hottest new fantasy author out there, and his debut novel, The Name of the Wind. Brian’s book review reflects his appreciation of the story-telling style in this book, and has been anticipating this chat for quite some time.

Pat tells us all about how he did everything wrong and still churned out a wonderful story that knocked the socks off many genre and industry luminaries, about how to figure out how long a story really should be, and the experience of learning how to sign your name in a book over and over again. And the dangerous possibilities of not checking your backpack before you get on the airplane.

The Library: New to the studio this week we have Seraphs by Faith Hunter, The Quest for the Trilogy by Mel Odom, Dragonqueen by Jayel Gibson, Farseed by Pamela Sargent, Rollback by Robert Sawyer, Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Patrick Rothfuss Official Website
Promo: George Hrab’s Geologic Podcast
Promo: Podcasting and Beyond: The Dragon*Con Podcasting Track

This is an all feedback and commentary show!

Michael, Summer, Brian and Michael chat about many things: the secrets behind saving your wrists during a high-traffic book signing: Flair Pens. Sharpies don’t do the job, ball point pens drag, gel pens fade, metallic ink pens can flood, so what do you do? And why won’t companies that produce writing utensils step up and sponsor writers and even books or book series?

Listener Feedback: Indiana Jim loves the way Mike’s mind works; Trampas relates an anecdote on how a soldier drew inspiration from Dragonlance Chronicles and ended up saving lives in Afghanistan; Anna in WA commenting on postage rates increases and how it affects people who use media mail; author Pat Rothfuss is looking for us; Dave from UT adds comments on the potential overexposure and decline of the superhero genre.

Keep letting us know what books changed your life, what books are your A+ books, and what your personal essential books are!

The Library: New additions to the studio library this week are: Acacia by David Anthony Durham, Halo: Ghosts of Onyx audiobook by Eric Nylund, Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews, The Borderkind by Christopher Golden, The Last Colony by John Scalzi, The Devil You Know by Mike Carey.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Dragonlance Canticle
Link: SciFi Smackdown
Promo: Cup Car Update

Michael, Summer, Brian and Michael discuss where the line may be between an author’s viewpoints merely coming across in the fiction, and the author delving into full-blown preaching and grandstanding. The conversation also touches on the possible cultural impacts stories and fables have and whether or not messages in those tales may or may not endorse non-standard mores and viewpoints, despite the fact that the fictional world differs greatly from the real world.

Listener Feedback: What do you think about this topic? What books changed your life, and what books are your A+ books? Keep letting us know what your personal essential books are!

Interview: Michael, Summer and Michael talk with super-busy author and podcaster Mur Lafferty about her latest shows and books.

Geek Fu Action Grip is the home of her serialized fiction stories, “Heaven”, it’s sequel “Hell”, and it’s upcoming continuation “Earth”. She’s still writing the popular and humorous essays there as well. I Should Be Writing is still going strong, with author interviews and writing tips, and her work with Psuedopod, the horror short fiction companion to Escape Pod. She’s also working at Lulu Press, and continuing to collect rejection slips while shopping her novel around.

And we put out the suggestion for someone to start a podcast called “The Rejection Slip”, to let writers vent about the rejection letters they receive. Mur and Summer are way too busy, so don’t even think about it…

Seems like the place to be Memorial Day Weekend will be Baltimore, MD, attending Balticon 41. Seems like all the cool podcasting kids will be there this year.

The Library: New to the studio this week we have Dawn by Tim Lebbon, No Regrets by Shannon K. Butcher, Sword of the Deceiver by Sarah Zettel, Beyond the Gap by Harry Turtledove, Thirteen by Richard K. Morgan, The Naming of the Dead by Ian Rankin, Keeping It Real by Justina Robson.

Submitting Listener comments: If you have any suggestions or comments, please let us know! “Cover to Cover” has it’s own call-in line, 206-350-READ! That’s 206-350-7323, or just email Michael with a comment you’ve recorded yourself!

Link: Mur Lafferty
Link: Balticon
Promo: Geek Label
Promo: George Hrab’s Geologic Podcast

Raise a root beer in memory of Randy Innuendo.

Song: “Mason Rocket” by Beatnik Turtle