Dead Men Tell No Tales

Dead Men Tell No Tales

For our 100th episode, Geek Gab reviews the latest entry in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. The verdict may surprise you. Take a listen! And don't miss the next episode of Geek Gab: On the Books. I'll be discussing characterization with author Justin Knight. Be there this Wednesday, May…
May 29, 2017
Amazon Terrifies the Big 5

Amazon Terrifies the Big 5

A friend alerted me to an article published by Vox.com which purports to show that Amazon is an evil monopoly bent on destroying the publishing industry. I greatly enjoyed this story, and not just because it's rife with the usual Amazon zombie memes. Here, Vox.com take their butthurt over the fact…
May 25, 201711 Comments
How to Write Action

How to Write Action

How much action is enough? Is character important to fun, engaging action? Is Dan Brown any good at writing action scenes? Find out on the latest episode of On the Books with Declan Finn, author of the Love at First Bite series. Action flows quickly and keeps the reader on…
May 24, 20175 Comments
Newquist on The Secret Kings

Newquist on The Secret Kings

Author Russell Newquist reviews Soul Cycle Book III: The Secret Kings. I need to begin this review by offering my friend Brian Niemeier a sincere apology. I promised him this review a long time ago. [Full disclosure: I received a review copy free of charge.] In my defense: The Secret…
May 23, 2017
Alien Covenant

Alien Covenant

On this episode of Geek Gab, Daddy Warpig sees Alien Covenant so you don't have to. I also briefly discuss the classic mafia film The Godfather. Have a listen. And remember: thanks to Ridley Scott you will never get to see this movie: Or this one: Niemeier's skill with the…
May 22, 20174 Comments
The Last Megastars

The Last Megastars

Reader Michael Gross chimes in on my post about the tragic death of Chris Cornell with comments on the music industry that are so incisive, they merit his own guest post: Music started to worsen in the 90s as the music industry sabotaged itself (so to speak) as sales declined…
May 19, 201710 Comments

RIP Chris Cornell

Moments like these really drive home the fact that the music of your youth isn't just in the past. It's dead. Sure, some of the big acts from back in the day are still touring and recording. But the music industry has long since moved on from the days when…
May 18, 201719 Comments
How to Write Nonhuman Characters

How to Write Nonhuman Characters

How should writers approach designing nonhuman species? What is the best way to write nonhuman characters so that they will be three-dimensional individuals while still being alien? Yakov Merkin, author of the new epic sci-fi novel A Greater Duty joined me on Geek Gab: On the Books to share his thoughts…
May 17, 2017
Rolling Funnels into Buckets

Rolling Funnels into Buckets

Publishing consultant Michael Shatzkin notes that literary agents and big publishers aren't doing enough to help authors develop their digital platforms. A major difference between book publishing today and book publishing 25 years ago is the practical power of the author brand in marketing. Multi-book authors can not only build…
May 16, 20173 Comments

Violence. Action. Conflict.

It's that time again. Not that pointing out contemporary film makers' unforced errors ever gets old. This week, Daddy Warpig reviews Guy Ritchie's new King Arthur/gangster mashup film. Then I join my co-hosts in lamenting TV and movies' obsession with Refusing the Call and their bad habit of conflating violence,…
May 15, 2017