Nonfiction

Interview: Hugh Howey

Hugh Howey is a self-described “bum,” who for the past twenty years has bounced from job to job—computer repair, roofing, yacht captain, bookstore clerk. In his spare time he wrote science fiction, and after growing impatient with the long waits and uncertain rewards of traditional publishing, he began self-publishing his work on Amazon.com. Just a few years later, his post-apocalyptic novel Wool, typed out in a storage room during his lunch breaks at the bookstore, was earning him over $100,000 a month on Amazon, had secured him a six-figure book deal from Simon & Schuster, and had been optioned for film by Ridley Scott, director of Blade Runner and Alien.

In July 2013 (Issue 38)

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Ursula K. Le Guin

by Jude Griffin

My child, your Elder will now tell you of a time long, long before you were born, an age of darkness, in which our People of the Sci-fi had no women. Among the People were only men. The men did all things well and bravely. They went where no man had gone before. But women they knew not, except as depicted upon the covers of their magazines, having large breasts and screaming.

In July 2013 (Issue 38)

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Carlie St. George

by Amber Barkley

Years ago, in one of my creative writing classes, another student asked what the plural of “nemesis” was, and it sparked this big debate, not just about the correct word, but if you could ever have more than one nemesis and if a word like nemesis should even have a plural form. So I start thinking about superheroes, naturally, because I’m a geek, and that’s kind of what I do, and I start wondering if a superhero could just decide to replace his nemesis if he ever actually succeeded in killing him.

In July 2013 (Issue 38)

Nonfiction

Interview: Austin Grossman

by The Geek’s Guide to the Galaxy

Austin Grossman’s first novel, Soon I Will Be Invincible, was nominated for the John Sargent Sr. First Novel Prize, and his writing has appeared in Granta, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times. He is a video game design consultant for Arkane Studios, and he has written and designed for a number of critically acclaimed games, including Dishonored, Ultima Underworld II, System Shock, Trespasser, and Deus Ex. His second novel, You, came out from Mulholland Books earlier this year, and his short fiction has also appeared in John Joseph Adams’s anthologies Under the Moons of Mars and The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination.

In July 2013 (Issue 38)

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Laura Friis

by Jude Griffin

The story was inspired by a picture of a ship I found and carried around with me for ages. I often use pictures for prompts, and I always knew I wanted to write about this ship because it just looked so alive and spectacular in the picture, with its sails and flags blowing in the wind and people rushing about on deck.

In July 2013 (Issue 38)

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Ryan North

by Christie Yant

The theme of knowing your own death isn’t one I’d explored before […] but I find it fascinating. Knowing how but not when, and knowing that “how” could easily only make sense after you’ve died (yay, ironic interpretations of words): that’s awesome. What’s most interesting about the book [This is How You Die] is, unexpectedly, how the stories aren’t mostly morbid and sad. “Cancer” is (hopefully) a funny story, and there’re lots more that approach it in the same way.

In July 2013 (Issue 38)

Artist Showcase

Artist Showcase: Jarreau Wimberly

by Galen Dara

Jarreau Wimberly is a freelance artist who studied Illustration at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. He started his career working for game companies such as Fantasy Flight Games, Wizards of the Coast, and Blizzard, focusing on role-playing, board, and collectable card games. The majority of this work is in the fantasy and science fiction genres (A Game of Thrones, Magic: The Gathering, World of Warcraft). Some of his other notable projects include producing the package art for the 25th anniversary G.I. Joe toys, and illustration work used in the promotion of the second Hulk film.

In July 2013 (Issue 38)

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Adam-Troy Castro

by Robyn Lupo

[The story] springs from certain questions that have always bothered me: Namely, why an omnipotent being would want to be praised all the time, how profoundly empty that experience had to be, how omnipotence would almost certainly go along with sadism. The story puts these questions on the head of a boy instead of a deity, but let us be honest: Most definitions of a supreme being describe a very lonely and petulant creature whose only entertainment is watching an ant farm and occasionally poking it with a stick.

In July 2013 (Issue 38)

Author Spotlight

Author Spotlight: Margo Lanagan

by Earnie Sotirokos

I’m in the process of clearing the decks of contracted stories. I think I need to take a deep breath and write a few stories that are not on demand and not to deadline. I’ve had a few years of taking on a lot of short-story commitments, and I need to just write a few stories that arise naturally, that insist on being written for their own sake. I have no idea what they will be.

In July 2013 (Issue 38)