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4/13/13 -- Death's Heretic Nominated for an Origins Award!

Just a quick update to mention that the nominations for the 2013 Origins Awards have been released, and Death's Heretic has been nominated for Best Game-Related Publication!

I'm honored to be ranked alongside so many other awesome products, and look forward to the final voting by Origins Game Fair attendees in June! 
 

3/12/13 -- Two Upcoming Signings Near Seattle!

Howdy, friends! Thanks to everyone who made Emerald City Comicon so much fun, and to all those who came out to the Ask the Book Editors panel with me, Phil Athans, Jak Koke, Nina Hess, and Fleetwood Robbins. Special thanks to the Topatoco crew as always for letting me join their comic gang for a weekend, plus Rich Young from Dynamite, the illustrious Jim Zub, and all the rest!

But what if you missed ECCC? Never fear--you can still come hang out with me twice this month at two different Seattle-area signings!

Monday, March 18th -- 6:00pm to 10:00pm
Games & Gizmos in Redmond (16150 NE 87th St Redmond, WA 98052)
Come join me, Jak Koke (Shadowrun), and Jenn Brozek (Shadowrun) as we hang out, sign books, and talk about games and media tie-in writing. It'll be super-casual, and there may be cupcakes!

Saturday, March 30th -- 11:00am to 1:00pm
Northgate Barnes & Noble (401 NE Northgate Way #1100, Seattle, WA)
It's Pathfinder Day at Barnes & Noble! Come get a book signed by me or Pathfinder RPG Lead Designer Jason Bulmahn, or stay to play some Pathfinder Society organized play. Ask your questions! Find out if Jason is really as tall as he looks! No one knows what might happen! 

2/9/13 -- New Story and Patrick Rothfuss Plugs Pathfinder!

I've just returned from my epic honeymoon in New Zealand, only to be greeted by a new publication--my story "Beheaded by Peasants" is now live at Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and you can read it for free by clicking on the banner above! The story--inspired by my work on Machine of Death--is about a princess in the post-apocalyptic Appalachian Empire, where all monarchs must visit a mechanical oracle and learn how they'll die before they're fit to rule. I'm extremely excited that BCS decided to pick it up, and hope you'll enjoy it!

In other news, just before I left, I was also fortunate enough to be able to help arrange some Paizo donations for author Patrick Rothfuss's Worldbuilders charity. On his blog about it, he had some choice words about Pathfinder:

"I’ve only recently started to dabble with Pathfinder, but I have to say that what I’ve seen has impressed me. A lot. Some of the advice in their books has changed the way I’ve thought about running a game, and even influenced my storytelling somewhat."

Given what a huge fan I am of The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear, that's high praise indeed. Thank, Pat!
 

12/28/12 -- Lou Anders reviews Death's Heretic!

Happy holidays, everyone! If you're wondering what sort of gift an author likes to receive, you really can't do any better than a positive review from Hugo Award-winning science fiction and fantasy editor Lou Anders! Check out what he had to say about Death's Heretic:

"The novel reads like (and actually is) a classic noir transposed to a fantasy setting, though not in the Jim Butcher sense... a unique, fascinating, engaging, and interesting fantasy work that I have no trouble recommending highly."

Needless to say, I'm overjoyed, and you can read the rest of his review over on his blog.
 

 12/16/12 -- Jennisodes and the USS Nimitz!

Making RPGs for a living is always awesome, but there are days when that fact really hits you in the face. Saturday was one of those days, when some Pathfinder fans who happen to also be high-ranking officers aboard the USS Nimitz--a nuclear-powered supercarrier, and one of the largest warships ever constructed by humanity--invited Paizo staff aboard for a thorough tour of the closest thing the real world has to a star destroyer. (That picture is me sitting in the boss chair--the miniboss chair is off to my right. Those are their actual titles.) It was a ton of fun, and I challenge anyone to stand on a machine three football fields long, powered by three nuclear reactors and capable of doing 50 mph while launching its 70 jets, and not geek out a little bit. Thanks again to Commander Paris Crenshaw and Lieutenant Commander Lucas Jung for leading a bunch of nerds around the most expensive object most of us will ever see in person.

In other news, Jennisodes did a new podcast interview with me in which we talk about... well, everything! From Pathfinder Tales to world design to pizza toppings and inspirational speeches, we hit it all, and you can listen to it here.
 

12/09/12 -- New Interviews and Upcoming Books!

Happy holidays, everybody! I recently did an interview with The Qwillery all about Death's Heretic and my various writing quirks, and you can read that over here. Additionally, Mike Williams at A-Game Magazine was nice enough to transcribe my "Ask An Author Anything" panel at Aethercon, so you can now read that as well.

On the new books front, Inner Sea Bestiary is hitting the shelves, for which I contributed a number of monsters. It's really a fantastic collection of Golarion-specific beasts from some of our best authors, and guaranteed to please fans of the setting.

Last but definitely not least, Paizo is helping out Goblinworks with rewards for their Pathfinder Online Kickstarter, and one of the big ones is a supersized megadungeon called The Emerald Spire, written by some of the most prestigious designers in the industry. Authors already revealed include me, Wes Schneider, Wolfgang Baur, Rich Baker, Lisa Stevens, and Keith Baker, but there are a ton more waiting in the wings. For each $100k the Kickstarter reaches, we'll be adding another dungeon level to the book, so there's literally no limit to how big this thing could get. But it'll only happen if the Kickstarter gets funded!
 

11/12/12 -- Sword & Laser Interview!

Pathfinder Tales author Dave Gross and I just finished a fun interview with Tom and Veronica over at Sword & Laser, in which we talked about things like writing in shared worlds, the origins of Pathfinder, Machine of Death, the books that inspire us, tips for folks taking a shot at NaNoWriMo (hint: just keep writing), and even the Secret Paizo Motto. Thanks to some sort of computer witchcraft, the episode is live less than two hours after taping, and ready for your enjoyment.

Tom and Veronica are delightful, and Dave and I were on our best behavior (I hardly swore at all, and only mentioned the word "porn" once!), so you should really consider checking it out!
 

11/05/12 -- World Fantasy and New Interviews!

I'm back from the odyssey that was this year's World Fantasy Convention, and as always, I can't thank enough the various friends, old and new, who made it such a blast. Yet while I'm concentrating on lying very still and trying not to expire from sheer exhaustion, there are two new interviews to check out!

First up, the Slice of SciFi radio show did an interview with me and Paizo Editor-in-Chief Wes Schneider, which in addition to showing up on satellite radio can also be watched as a webcast TV show. We talked about Pathfinder's origins, Pathfinder Tales, and the secret agenda behind writing Death's Heretic, which they were kind enough to call "a fantastic book." You can listen to or watch the interview here (starting around nine minutes in).

Second, the Know Direction podcast did an interview with me and Pathfinder Tales author Dave Gross about about his new book Queen of Thorns and my work designing Pathfinder's solar system, which you can listen to here.
 

10/21/12 -- Writing Excuses Interview & New Cover!

This past Gen Con, I was fortunate enough to be invited onto Writing Excuses, the amazing podcast for writers run by Brandon Sanderson, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Howard Taylor, as they recorded some episodes in front of a live audience. It was an absolute blast, and the interview is now live, so if you'd like to hear us shoot the breeze about Pathfinder, Death's Heretic, and tie-in fiction, click this link and go listen.

In other new, my latest Pathfinder adventure, The Asylum Stone, is set to hit stores on the 31st, so it seems like a great opportunity to show off the cover (courtesy of my friend Wayne Reynolds, one of the best fantasy illustrators in the business). Believe it or not, it didn't occur to me until right now that we're releasing a headless horseman cover on Halloween...

10/03/12 -- Benefit Concert and Geek Love

The Geek Love Kickstarter has finished, and at almost $33,000 dollars has succeeded far beyond anyone's wildest dreams, making it one of the best-funded publishing projects around! Thanks to everyone who supported it, and I hope that the huge amount of sexy nerdity the book (and audiobook!) contains will float your boat!

Seattleites--this Saturday I'll be playing at a benefit show for the Bike Shack, an awesome nonprofit that helps fix or build bikes for people for free, and which recently had all their tools stolen. I'll be playing a short "Greatest Hits" set with several special guests, and there are a ton of other bands involved, from eccentric back-porch stomp-along folk music to the danciest of techno. (It should be noted that I had no idea the organizers were putting my picture on the poster until they sent it to me--in my opinion, The Mongrel Jews and Foreign Friends are likely to steal the show!)

Details: 8017 1st Ave NE Seattle--the suggested donation is $5, sliding-scale bike tune-ups starts at 5:00, and music starts at 7:00. Expect much hilarity, raffles, a strip show or two, and general good times!
 

9/21/12 -- Geek Love and Alien Landscapes

Remember that Kickstarter I mentioned a few weeks ago, the one for a nerd-themed erotica collection that I wrote a story for? Well, not only is it funded, but at $22,000 and counting, Geek Love: An Anthology of Full Frontal Nerdity is now officially the most backed fiction anthology in Kickstarter history! If you're looking to get in on the fun, there are still 6 days left to back it and get an ebook, hardcover, or audio version, plus a variety of crazy Kickstarter rewards. Hats off to Shanna Germain and the rest of the Geek Love crew on their unprecedented level of success!

In other news, I also did a guest essay for Fantasist Enterprise's "What inspires you?" series. In mine, I talk about the wonders of concept art and alien landscapes, and reveal part of the mural my wife Margo is painting on our bedroom wall. You can read it here.
 

9/08/12 -- Free Zombies, Lovecraft, and More!

It's been a truly amazing week! First and foremost, Pseudopod has just released my post-apocalyptic zombie love story, "The Long Road to the Sea," as a free podcast. The story originally appeared in Catastrophia from PS Publishing, but now you can listen to it for free here. (If "free" isn't enough to sell you, Tangent called the story "A beautifully written story about people who, after dying, regain life, but not all of their humanity. A tragic tale of lost love.")

The next bit of awesome is the announcement that I'll be writing a story in the upcoming Lovecraftian Mythos anthology Madness on the Orient Express, which at the moment is only available as a stretch goal reward through Chaosium's Kickstarter to redo the classic Horror on the Orient Express. Don't miss out--click here to check out the details!

The final great piece of news is that Beneath Ceaseless Skies, the fabulous online magazine of adventure fantasy, has just purchased my story "BEHEADED BY PEASANTS," a piece inspired by my work on Machine of Death which deals with the burden of rule in the post-apocalyptic Appalachian Empire. The story is currently slated for early next year. Stay tuned!
 

9/03/12 -- Jennisodes Interview

Already missing Gen Con? Fortunately for you, you can relive part of the experience by listening to an interview that Jennisodes did with me and Paizo Editor-in-Chief Wes Schneider on the floor of the convention center in Indianapolis. Learn about the latest Paizo products, hear what it means to be an editor for Pathfinder, and listen to us gush over each other's books--all set to the background noise of thirty thousand gamers trying to move through a crowded exhibitor hall. It's like you're there!

You can listen to the interview here.
 

8/28/12 -- Geek Love

New short story sale! I've taken a momentary and slight detour from science fiction and fantasy to write some nerd-themed erotica for my friend Shanna Germain's upcoming anthology Geek Love: An Anthology of Full-Frontal Nerdity. My story is called "Raid Night," and is about a couple struggling with MMO addiction.

Wait, did I say MMO addiction? I meant sexy MMO addiction! Because everyone knows that there's nothing hotter than frustrated relationships!

Seriously, though--I'm honored to be included in the anthology alongside some really kick-ass authors and artists, and I hope you'll check it out. The ebook will be for sale in perpetuity once the book's released, but if you want one of the gorgeous hardback paper copies, you'll want to get in on the project's Kickstarter. Since the project was fully funded in just 5 days, anybody who signs on now is just helping to unlock awesome stretch goals. If you're the sort of person who likes sexy things, perhaps you want to check it out?
  

8/21/12 -- Gen Con Afterglow

Whew! Gen Con has come and gone, and I can safely say that this one was the best I've ever attended. Thanks so much to everybody who came by the booth or the panels to tell me how much they love Pathfinder or Death's Heretic--getting to actually interact with people who enjoy your work is one of the best parts of this job.

The con contained a number of surprises this year, including the chance to make new friends like Brandon Sanderson and Jim Zub. Yet perhaps the biggest surprise was when anthologist Jim Lowder stopped by to drop off a contributor copy for Beyond the Wall, a collection of essays about A Song of Ice and Fire. When I reminded him that I hadn't actually written for the book, he showed me the essay by YA author Susan Vaught, who quotes from my article "The Gray Zone: Moral Ambiguity in Fantasy." Never have I felt so scholarly! If you're a GRRM fan, you'll probably find a lot to chew on in this book, and you can also read my original essay for free over on Suvudu.

I'll post more about the show once I've had a bit more time to recover--in particular, I can't wait to show you all the episode of Writing Excuses Brandon was nice enough to invite me on to. But for now I'll just say thanks again for making this Gen Con the best ever!
 

8/14/12 -- Gen Con Schedule

It's that time of year again! In addition to being in the Paizo booth for most of the show, you can find me at the following panels and signings, all within the conference center itself. Most are completely free--come say hi or get a book signed!

Friday -- Noon -- Pathfinder Tales Author Summit
Room 243

Friday -- 2pm -- Worldbuilding 101
Room 244
(Since this one is with Brandon Sanderson, it's already sold out--hope you got your tickets!)

Friday -- 4pm -- Pathfinder Player Companions
Room 243

Saturday -- 9am -- Breaking into the RPG Fiction Market
Room 245

Saturday -- 10am -- Writing RPG Fiction
Room 245

Sunday -- 10am -- Secrets of Golarion
Room 243

Sunday -- 11am -- New Hero 2 Signing
Pelgrane Press/Stone Skin Press booth

8/9/12 -- Matrimonied!

I got married!

7/3/12 -- Why Authors Shouldn't Be Afraid to Speak Out

Hey everyone! I just published a new guest essay over at Inkpunks called "Masters of the Controverse: Why Authors Should Speak Their Minds." Too often in this business, authors (and politicians, and other public figures) are told that they should sanitize their images and never speak about controversial topics. Yet I believe that not only is it important for everyone to be able to address the issues that matter to them, but that, contrary to popular wisdom, doing so can actually lead to a stronger fan base.
 

6/22/12 -- Distant Worlds Sells Out!

Big news! As of this earlier this week, Paizo had only a hundred copies left of Distant Worlds, my guide to the Pathfinder campaign setting's solar system. It's exceptionally rare for a Pathfinder campaign setting book to sell out, not to mention in just a few months, so thanks to everyone for proving that people really do want science-fiction peanut butter in their fantasy chocolate!

Also of note: Quest for Fun, the Black Diamond Games blog, has posted an extremely positive review of Death's Heretic. Check it out!
 

6/10/12 -- Geek Nation Interview!

Nick Langley and the rest of the great folks at the newly launched Geek Nation have posted an extensive interview with me, talking about writing Death's Heretic and working in a shared-world like Pathfinder. Check it out!
 

6/3/12 -- New Hero Volume 2 Cover and Release Date

Stone Skin Press has just released the cover for The New Hero: Volume 2, which contains my post-Rapture western "Guns at the Hellroad." The book is currently slated to hit the streets in February 2013. Stay tuned!

I've also put a list of stories currently available for free in the writing section, with links to both text and audio versions--perhaps you're in need of some free fiction?
 

5/11/12 -- Escape Artists Triple Crown and New Interview!

Pseudopod, the ever-awesome horror podcast, has just bought the reprint podcast rights for my post-apocalyptic zombie love story "The Long Road to the Sea." Combined with with my stories "Ties of Silver" and "Overclocking" at its sister podcasts Podcastle and Escape Pod, that means I've achieved the coveted Escape Artists Triple Crown, with one story in each of their podcast genres! Can you tell I'm excited? Because I'm pretty excited!

In other news, if you're interested in reading what might be the most thorough interview with me ever written, Jeremy Jones of Flames Rising has a brand new opus in which we talk fantasy world-creation, the writing of Death's Heretic, which Pathfinder Tales authors would play what in a symphonic fantasy metal band, and more. Check it out!
 

4/19/12 -- Essay: Death to the Chainmail Bikini

New guest essay over at the newly relaunched Booklifenow! It's called "Death to the Chainmail Bikini," and it takes on the conventional wisdom that half-naked women on science fiction and fantasy covers sell books. Whether or not you're morally opposed to the practice, it still might be far less effective than you think...
 

4/15/12 -- Straight Outta Compton

I just found out that Death's Heretic is a finalist for the Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel, awarded by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Needless to say, I'm pretty excited! I should know the final verdict within the next few days, but given some of the other folks nominated, I'm ecstatic just to be a finalist. Stay tuned for more information!
 

4/14/12 -- Essay: Building Better Monsters Through Evolution

It's guest essay time again! My new post, "Rejecting Creationism: Building Better Monsters Through Evolution" is up at SF Signal, and discusses how thinking about creatures' adaptations to their environments can help you explain otherwise absurd monsters, design interesting new creatures from scratch, and  explore the societies that might logically form given creatures' physiological differences. Check it out!
 

4/5/12 -- Guest Essay: 9 Ways to Piss Off an Editor

I've got a new guest essay up at Inkpunks, and I think the title speaks for itself. Writers, take note and save yourself some rejection!
 

3/29/12 -- Norwescon Schedule!

I'm going to be at Seattle's Norwescon this year, and I'm on a ton of panels with some fabulous authors and game designers--if you'll be attending, come hang out and share your thoughts and questions!

Building a Balanced Mythos
Thursday, 5:00 pm
James L. Sutter (M), Benjamin Tate, Clinton J. Boomer, Kevin Radthorne

Out of Alignment: Moral Ambiguity in Gaming
Thursday 8:00 pm
James L. Sutter (M), Dustin J Gross, Clinton J. Boomer, Erik Scott de Bie

Writing Tie-In Fiction
Thursday 10:00 pm
James L. Sutter (M), Jennifer Brozek, Erik Scott de Bie

Ask the Developers: RPG/PnP
Friday Noon
Monte Cook (M), Jason Bulmahn, Robert J. Schwalb, James L. Sutter

Freelancing 101
Friday 4:00 pm
James L. Sutter (M), Wolfgang Baur, Stan!, Scott Gable

What I Wish Someone Had Told Me
Saturday 6:00 pm
Eileen Gunn (M), James L. Sutter, Mike Shepherd Moscoe, Nancy Kress, A. M. Dellamonica
 

3/23/12 -- Thanks, Reddit!

My Ask Me Anything interview on Reddit the other night was a blast! Thanks to everyone who participated for asking such thoughtful questions, and to the thousands of lurkers who decided my ramblings were momentarily more interesting than socially awkward penguin memes. I'm honored!

You can find all the questions and answers here.
 

3/18/12 -- Distant Worlds and Reddit AMA Interview!

Distant Worlds, my sourcebook about the solar system of the Pathinfer RPG campaign setting, is out at last! It's been a lot of fun watching folks react to some of the weirder elements, and a particularly thorough review can be found over on EN World.

Also, I'm going to be doing a live "Ask Me Anything" interview in the Reddit Fantasy forum at 5:00pm PST on Tuesday, March 20th--folks will be able to post questions all day, and then I'll show up and answer them in real-time. Come join the fun!
 

2/27/12 -- New Podcast, Free Audio Story, and More!

Free things first: Escape Pod just released a free audio version of my cyberpunk story "Overclocking"--check it out over here.

In addition, last week I had a chance to participate in an awesome SF Signal round table discussion on the state of modern sword and sorcery with Lou Anders, Jaym Gates, Violette Malan, Patrick Hester, and Scott H. Andrews, and you can listen in by clicking here.

Last but not least, Bryan Thomas Schmidt was kind enough to put the text of my December Twitter interview with SFFWRTCHT up over here--it's a little jumpy, as I attempted to field questions from every direction at once, but if you think brevity is the soul of wit, you can find it over here.
 

2/16/12 -- Guest Post: Technology in Fantasy

I've got a new guest post up at SF Signal discussing the problems inherent in setting technology levels when building a fantasy world, including particularly contentious technologies, anachronism, the question of magic, and more.

Also, have you seen the music video for "Do Your Fucking Dishes" yet? If not, click here!

2/08/12 -- Do Your Fucking Dishes

At long last, I'm finally able to unveil "Do Your Fucking Dishes," my hip-hop public service announcement for all those in group living situations. Click the image above to watch the music video (directed by the incredibly talented Andy Greenlee) and send it to those people in your life who need a little wake-up call, or click here to download the free MP3!
 

1/29/12 -- Distant Worlds

Since there's less than a month until Distant Worlds hits the shelves, I thought I'd show off the cover. This 64-page Pathfinder campaign setting sourcebook provides a gazetteer overview of Golarion's entire solar system, including the myriad strange societies that make their homes there. I started designing Golarion's solar system several years ago, so it was really fun to go back and flesh things out (and get a bit of science fiction peanut butter in our usual fantasy chocolate...)  
 

1/28/12 -- Signing Success!

Thanks to everyone who came out to Monday's UW Bookstore signing--it was a wonderful time, both the reading/signing and the afterparty. It was especially nice to see a mix of familiar faces and new ones, and the Q&A session was one of the most thoughtful I've participated in. All things considered, just about the best Monday an author could ask for!
 

1/18/12 -- The Skiffy and Fanty Show

The Skiffy and Fanty Show just released an extensive podcast interview with me about Death's Heretic, writing, world-building, the joys of hate mail, and more! Also, Charles A. Tan has a positive review of Death's Heretic up at Bibliophile Stalker. Both might make a nice diversion today, since much of the internet is on blackout thanks to PIPA and SOPA. (If you haven't written your government representatives about them yet, please do so!)

Also, don't forget that next Monday is the Seattle U Bookstore signing! 

1/16/12 -- Guest Essay: SF Stereotypes

I've got a new guest blog over at Apex Book Company called "A House Divided: Science Fiction Versus Fantasy." It's all about the stereotypes and prejudice fans of one subgenre have for the other, and vice versa. I went out and found a bunch of folks who enjoy one but not the other and asked them why they felt that way, and some of the answers were quite enlightening.

Also, if you still don't have plans for Monday, January 23rd (that's NEXT Monday) and you're in Seattle, come to my signing at the main University Bookstore at 7:00pm!

In somewhat less related news, yesterday was a snow day, which everyone in Seattle knows is a spontaneous holiday. I rode a sled through a stranger's hedge at 30 miles per hour while blowing a plastic trumpet. As far as I'm concerned, if your snow day doesn't end with shouts of "I'm in a tree! I'M IN A TREE!" you may need to reconsider your lifestyle.

1/11/12 -- SF Signal Interview & Signing

Charles Tan ran an extremely thorough interview with me over at SF Signal, covering everything from fiction and RPGs to who would win in a Paizo editorial cage match. Check it out!

Also, if you're in Seattle on Monday, January 23rd, I'll be doing a reading and signing at the UW Bookstore in the University District at 7:00pm. Come say hi!

1/3/12 -- 2011 Fiction Wrap-Up

2011 was an amazing year for me. The release of Death's Heretic (and its subsequent elevation to the #3 spot on Barnes & Noble's Best Fantasy Releases of 2011 list) is an obvious high point, but really, I've had a great string of good luck. Since it's also awards season, I thought I'd list all of my fiction that hit the streets this year. (Links point to pages where you can read or listen to that particular story for free.)

NEW RELEASES
Death's Hereitc (novel)
"Faithful Servants" (short story on Paizo.com)
"The Sharing" (short story in Broken Time Blues)
"Ties of Silver" (short story in Beast Within 2)
"Holding the Line" (short story in Human Tales)

REPRINTS
"Faithful Servants" (StarshipSofa)
"Ties of Silver" (Podcastle)
"Overclocking" (Descended From Darkness 2)
The Compass Stone (collaborative novel from Paizo)
"Prodigal Sons" (collaborative novella from Paizo) 

12/30/11 -- #3 on Barnes & Noble's Best Fantasy of 2011!

Barnes & Noble's official science fiction and fantasy blog just released its list of the Best Fantasy Releases of 2011, and Death's Heretic is #3! Just to give you some context, that's the same list that contains Patrick Rothfuss, Terry Pratchett, R. A. Salvatore, and more. They also call the book a "stellar first novel."

I'm still reeling a bit, and unbelievably honored. You can check out the article here.
 

12/15/11 -- "Ties of Silver" on PodCastle

Another podcast story? It's true! The illustrious PodCastle has just released "Ties of Silver," which I originally published in Beast Within 2: Predator & Prey, as a free podcast that you can listen to here. The story is a noir piece about a city where all werewolves and other lycanthropes are kept in a WW2-style ghetto and forced to take tinctures of silver to control their changing if they want to leave the reservation (a "solution" that also marks them by turning their skin blue).

Listening to it read by someone else, I'm really happy with how it turned out, so I hope you'll go listen!
 

12/13/11 -- SF Signal Guest Essay: Building Worlds

It's time for another big ol' guest essay over on SF Signal! This time it's Building Worlds: Using Astronomy to Create Interesting Settings--an overview of how considerations like a planet's shape, orbit, composition, and more can all contribute to making your setting rich and vibrant. Intended for authors and game designers of both science fiction AND fantasy!
 

12/07/11 -- StarShipSofa and Dead Robots!

The good folks over at StarShip Sofa did a podcast version of my new story "Faithful Servants" (a prequel to Death's Heretic), which is currently in the middle of its illustrated serial run at paizo.com. You can listen to it here or read it with pretty pictures here. One of those pictures is to the right--Eric Belisle's fabulous depiction of Salim, the novel's protagonist.

I also got to spend some quality time with the writerly folks over at Dead Robots' Society, where we chatted for an hour about writing in general and Death's Heretic in specific, and you can listen to that too!

I can't state enough how thankful I am for all the folks who've been helping me out recently and spreading the word about Death's Heretic. It's really a dream come true, in both the conventional sense and in the fact that it's absolutely surreal. Thank you, everyone!
 

12/05/11 -- Review at Examiner

Josh Vogt gave Death's Heretic a glowing review over at Examiner--extra heartening because he apparently didn't realize it was tie-in fiction when he first picked it up! Here's an excerpt:

"Excellent writing, a fascinating character, and a solid fantasy-mystery plot... Salim is a marvelous character to be introduced to this universe through. Neila is a great counterpoint... she avoids falling into the trap of being nothing more than a pretty face for Salim to rescue every other chapter. Refreshing, that. With its intriguing protagonist, twisted magics, and unique environments, it's well worth discovering..."  

Read the whole thing over here.
 

12/01/11 -- Interviews, Guest Essays, and New Free Fiction!

Another few weeks of rollercoaster awesomeness in my world. The summary, with links:

• The first chapter of "Faithful Servants," my novelette prequel to Death's Heretic that's being serialized for free on paizo.com, went live! Click here to check it out, and take a gander at Eric Belisle's awesome illustration of Ceyanan.
• My guest essay "The Gray Zone: Moral Ambiguity in Fantasy" went up over at Suvudu.
• You can now download a free sample chapter of Death's Heretic in PDF form or read it online.
• I got to do an in-depth podcast interview on Know Direction, in which we discuss writing and editing for Pathfinder Tales, the changing face of digital media, and more. You can listen to that over here.
• Parts Two and Three of my interview with Black Gate went live, and they also posted a really wonderful review.
• ...and the boys at Penny Arcade posted this little gem, which made all of us in the Paizo offices squee like you wouldn't believe. Yes, that's the Pathfinder Core Rulebook Tycho is holding.