The Thinking Man

The Thinking Man

Bradford Walker contrasts the thinking man's pulp hero with the more familiar Man of Action over at PulpRev.com. The Fighting-Man is the default protagonist, but there are other archetypes. They arose out of defining themselves against the Fighting-Man, often in the form of a tradeoff: he's really good at (X)…
September 12, 20175 Comments
IT (2017)

IT (2017)

Art by Rabbittooth My low opinion of Hollywood, particularly their creative bankruptcy, is a matter of public record. Having exhausted the reserves of creative capital amassed by better men, the high priests of our culture are reduced to churning out one bland carbon copy sequel, remake, reboot, re-imagining, etc. after…
September 11, 201714 Comments
A Consistent Theme

A Consistent Theme

Having listened to the latest episode of Geek Gab: On the Books, blogger Bradford Walker notes a common theme running through my podcast episodes and blog posts. If there is one consistent theme to a lot of Brian's posts at his blog, and his episodes of this podcast, is that…
September 8, 20179 Comments
DBZ Syndrome

DBZ Syndrome

Author JD Cowan warns writers against making the same mistake with superpowered heroes that Toriyama did with Dragon Ball Z. There's always been a problem getting superpowers across in fiction. For instance, Superman has almost no defined limits to his abilities, which is fine for a Superman tale but it…
September 7, 201711 Comments
The Dragon Awards with Daniel Humphreys

The Dragon Awards with Daniel Humphreys

Geek Gab: On the Books returns tonight with special guest Dragon Award nominee Daniel Humphreys. Tonight, Daniel and I will be discussing this year's Dragon Awards--both the escalated controversy and the stunning results. Join us at 6:00 PM Eastern to chat lie with two Dragon-nominated authors. I'm expecting lots of…
September 6, 20172 Comments
The Story of a New Author

The Story of a New Author

Ultra-prolific indie author Dean Wesley Smith, he of Pulp Speed fame, tells the story of every debut tradpub novel you see advertised in Locus or Publishers Weekly. Here is the story… — Author spent years wanting to be a writer. — Author rewrote that “special snowflake novel,” following all guidelines,…
September 5, 201713 Comments
2017 Dragon Award Winners

2017 Dragon Award Winners

Dear Kairos readers, it's my pleasure to present YOUR 2017 Dragon Award recipients! Best Science Fiction Novel Babylon’s Ashes, by James S.A. Corey Best Fantasy Novel (Including Paranormal) Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge, by Larry Correia and John Ringo Best Young Adult / Middle-Grade Novel The Hammer of Thor, by Rick…
September 4, 201730 Comments
Editing Defined

Editing Defined

Publishing is an old industry that's assembled its own internal lexicon. As you'll find with any trade, publishing jargon can be difficult for laymen--and even authors--to decipher. A widely misunderstood term is the deceptively simple title of editor. When most people; again even some authors, hear the word "editor", they…
September 1, 20176 Comments
Reviews Matter

Reviews Matter

Reader Xavier draw our attention to an older but still relevant article explaining why book reviews are crucial to an author's success. One reason authors may find it such a struggle to get reviews is because readers may not realize how important they actually are. As authors, we know the…
August 31, 20176 Comments
Simpsons Fall

The Fall of the Simpsons

Super Eyepatch Wolf charts the meteoric rise and precipitous fall of perennial TV fixture The Simpsons. The video proves an objective decline in the quality of the series, explains what made it work in the early years, and reveals how the creative team dropped the ball. Required viewing for anyone…
August 30, 201717 Comments