Show Notes: T. A. Pratt

Many thanks to all of the listeners who have been donating. Your support is truly appreciated.

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!

Interview: This week, Mike and Mike talk with Tim Pratt about the newest book in his Marla Mason series, Dead Reign.

Tim talks changing gears and in writing his fiction, and changing names as a way to help market the Marla Mason books (to appeal to female readers more). Marla even has her own website, and you can keep tabs on her via Twitter!

Discussion: Stackpole tells us about a new deal coming from Random House about their new rates for electronic books, and then tells us what’s wrong with the way they’re trying to go about building up their electronic book (PDF) inventory. Since Amazon and other electronic distributors can pay more per book than Random House is offering, what the motivation here?

Check out the new Dragon Page “C” show, streamed live into Second Life, on Fridays at 4pm Pacific Time… you never know who might show up!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Link: Tim Pratt
Link: Marla Mason: Sorceress. Crime Boss. Badass.
Promo: Dragon Page With Class
Promo: Second Shift Podcast

 

 Cover to Cover #337A: T. A. Pratt [32:21m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1816)

Thanks to BenBella Books, The Dragon Page is giving away 2 signed copies of Lawrence Watt-Evans’ Discworld compendium, The Turtle Moves!: Discworld’s Story Unauthorized!

To enter, just send an email to contest [at] dragonpage [dot] com and put “Discworld” in the subject line.

Be sure to include your name and shipping address in the body of the email. Any entries submitted without name and mailing address information will be disqualified and discarded.

One entry per email per day. This contest is open to residents of the US and Canada.

Contest begins today, November 17, 2008 and will run until midnight Pacific time December 5, 2008.

Good luck!

Show Notes: Lawrence Watt-Evans

Brian Richardson from What the Cast? joins Mike and Mike today, and he’s preparing Mitt Zombie’s concession speech for the 2008 presidential campaign.

They also discuss the passing of Michael Crichton, and his contributions to both television and fiction, and the curious happenstance of why certain novels with science fiction elements are not marketed as science fiction, and not listed in the science fiction sections of bookstores. This leads to a discussion about why many people believe they have to be highly educated in order to read and enjoy science fiction stories.

Why does the perception that the “average” person has a disdain for the “intellectual” (a societal extension of the high school brain-vs-jock conflict) plague society still? Why are some stories not considered science fiction when their topics are obviously so? This leads to a quick argument about why CSI isn’t considered scifi, so try to contain your comments!

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!

Interview: This week, Mike, Summer and Mike talk with Lawrence Watt-Evans about The Turtle Moves!: Discworld’s Story Unauthorized, an “unauthorized” compendium of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, from BenBella Books.

The Turtle Moves! is an extensive reader’s guide for the Discworld universe, containing a bibliography of novels and short stories and detailed synopses of them, essays about the use of magic and physics in Discworld, commentary on the characters, creatures and humor in the series, and more. Lawrence tells us about how this project came about, his fascination with the Discworld series, and the extensive research that went into putting this compendium together.

Discussion: Another round of changes to “Cover to Cover” is coming up… more diversity of segments, and a teeny bit more structure in those segments, and a call for more listener provided content.

Check out the new Dragon Page “C” show, streamed live into Second Life, on Fridays at 4pm Pacific Time… you never know who might show up!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Link: Lawrence Watt-Evans: The Misenchanted Page
Promo: Dragon Page With Class
Promo: Second Shift Podcast

 

 Cover to Cover #336A: Lawrence Watt-Evans [31:23m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2291)

Show Notes: Art Reflecting Life

Discussion: Mike and Mike talk about the potential impact of the 2008 US Presidential Elections on the non-fiction and fiction landscape of the next few years, based on some of the literature shifts in decades past. Without going into personal political opinions, let’s speculate on how or if these results influence speculative fiction trends.

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? Tell us how you’re doing!

Listener Review: Tim Low brings us a review of the coffee table compendium The Prince Valiant Page by Gary Gianni.

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!

The Library: It’s been a while! Fast Forward 2 edited by Lou Anders; Orson Scott Card’s InterGalactic Medicine Show by Edmund R. Schubert and Orson Scott Card. The last one leads to a long chat about alternative publishing venues, and different ways to get more stories out to the readers at the same time more money comes back to the hands of the authors.

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Promo: Dragon Page With Class
Promo: How To Grow Your Geek

 

 Cover to Cover #335B: Art Reflecting Life [27:04m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (2015)

Show Notes: Making A Difference

Lorrie, Megan, Joyce, and Noemi are joined by co-workers Brad, Jan, and Deborah, as well as, Jessica, their school psychologist.

Each of the educators discuss why they chose special education over general education.

Jessica answers the question, “When & why would a student be brought to the school psychologist.

Do you have questions you’d like the teachers to talk about on future shows? The teachers have their own voicemail line now! Call in and ask your questions: 206-202-2673!!

 

 With Class #31: Making A Difference [29:46m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3224)

Show Notes: Feedback Blowout!

Voicemail: Tim Low relays some suggestions for YA books that aren’t “dumbed down”, and Darcy recommends The Secret Life of Bees, the Ember series, and a new series by R. A. Salvatore; Shane in Sydney lets us know that Aussie chain Angus & Robertson now has a POD machine located in the stores, for people to get reasonably priced copies of out-of-print novels; Mari from Michigan sends her thanks for C2C leading her to investigate e-books, which has led to a research paper topic for her; Trampas adds to the discussion about “dumbed down” YA books with a comment on the later removal of sex scenes; Trampas reflects on “getting unplugged”, and suggests that writing itself is his way of unplugging.

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!

More Voicemail: Sandy from MD tells us what books and movies inspire her 14-yr-old; Tim Low enjoys hanging out in Second Life and likes to surprise everyone by not knowing what his wife and daughter are going to dress his avatar up in; Trampas asks if the guys can talk more about writing in different subgenres; Jason recommends avoiding Baby Einstein and seeking out “Dora the Explorer” for younger kids, and “Avatar: The Last Airbender” for older kids and adults; Tim Low has a suggestion for all the new writers listening to C2C: do a lot of research before you start writing for kids, because many of the issues are still the same; Anna lets Mike Stackpole know how to let Amazon know that they’ve got incorrect data on the books he’s has written, so Delicious Library will be correct; Jason from AK also loves Delicious Library and tells us how to connect it to Address Book to track loaned items; Gary in Atlanta gives us LibraryThing.com as a free option for those who can’t use Delicious Library; Trampas gives us 2 books that fall into the “fail” category of technical execution; Halley enjoyed the Joe Abercrombie interview, and comments on the special “Paperback Dreams” on PBS, and the loss of all the locally owned bookstores in his area of Philadelphia.

Discussion: Check out the new Dragon Page “C” show, streamed live into Second Life, on Fridays at 4pm Pacific Time… you never know who might show up!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Promo: Dragon Page With Class

 

 Cover to Cover #335A: Feedback Blowout! [33:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (5269)

Show Notes: Feedback from Everyone

Voicemail: Trampas comments on the changes and expansions with Dungeons & Dragons and Forgotten Realms, changing the landscape in order to start anew in several places, and enacting time jumps in other places; James listens to us while walking the streets of exotic foreign cities, and wants to know if we’ve ever considered talking with Samuel R. Delany and Gene Wolfe; Mark from KY is happy that Dragons of the Hourglass Mage will be coming out after all, in 2009; Tim Low extolls Book Exchange as a place to get rid of used books (there’s also Book Mooch); Justin from Dead Robots Society asks Stackpole for tips about efficiently eliminating dialogue tags; Tim Low is impressed with the avatar choices available for him in Second Life; Doc from Des Moines reports on a reorganized Borders floor layout.

Are you participating in NaNoWriMo? Tell us how you’re doing!

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!

Discussion: Mike, Lorrie and Mike chat about Burned by Ellen Hopkins — about the impact of the book, and how she’d want to talk to a kid about after they’ve read this. The style is unique and Lorrie loved the unique way of telling the story (in a journal-like fashion), but the continual parade of bad things happening to the main character, Pattyn, and the bleak and vaguely veiled implications of the ending disturbed her, of how it might affect a teen who’d read the book without having an outlet to talk with someone about.

The discussion turns to the different levels of coping skills, in both adolescents, teens and adults, and possible ways to handle things when you observe warning signs of destructive or self-destructive behaviors.

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Promo: Dragon Page With Class

 

 Cover to Cover #334B: Feedback from Everyone [38:17m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (5347)

The world of genre fiction has lost two major names in the past week, Tony Hillerman on Oct 26, and Michael Crichton on November 4.

Hillerman gained acclaim for his mysteries featuring Navajo investigators Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, and was named a special friend of the tribe by the Navajo Tribal Council for his tribal portrayals at a time when most Americans believed that the native tribes were still primitive and uncivilized peoples.

Crichton had directed feature films, and created the TV series ER — which is currently in it’s 15th and final season on NBC — in addition to the top-selling techno-thriller novels he’d written.

They both will be missed, but their words will continue to speak to readers for many many years to come.

Link: Acclaimed author Tony Hillerman dies at 83
Link: Michael Crichton: Science inspired his fiction
Photos by Kelly Campbell and Jim Cooper

Show Notes: Charlie Huston

Voicemail: Scooter Ross lets Mike and Mike know that the B.C. comic strip isn’t being reprinted, but have new strips being drawn by his grandson, which leads to a long conversation about books, profits, and publishing’s bottom lines.

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!

Interview: This week, Mike, Summer and Mike talk with Charlie Huston about Every Last Drop, the newest novel in his series about the vampire PI Joe Pitt, and the horror noir world he’s created where vampires are born from contracting the Vyrus.

Charlie tells us how Joe has ended up “in exile” in the Bronx and is trying to work his way back into enough good graces so he can go back to Manhattan without being killed; and how Joe starts getting closer to some of the most closely guarded secrets of the clans, all leading up to some explosive revelations in the planned 5th and final book in the series.

Discussion: Check out the new Dragon Page “C” show, streamed live into Second Life, on Fridays at 4pm Pacific Time… you never know who might show up!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Link: The Official Charlie Huston website
Promo: Dragon Page With Class
Promo: And Here’s to You by Brian Webber

 

 Cover to Cover #334A: Charlie Huston [38:09m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (5502)

Show Notes: Tor.com

Discussion: Mike and Mike field a request for opinion about Stephanie Meyer’s statement that she’s not going to publish her next novel in the Twilight series, Midnight Sun, because it’s already been leaked onto the Internet, and is considering giving up writing altogether because of this situation.

She has decided to make the draft that’s being illegally distributed freely available to everyone from her website, but she’s also decided not to complete the novel any time soon (Read the posting from Aug 28, 2008 for more details).

Related links:
Stephenie Meyer’s ‘Midnight Sun’ postponed indefinitely
Stephenie Meyer’s ‘Midnight Sun’ Leaked On the Internet

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!

Interview: This week, Mike and Mike talk with Pablo Defendini and Irene Gallo, two of the producers behind the new Tor.com Scifi Community about how the new project came to be, and how this site is far more than just a marketing tool for Tor Books… it truly is a cross-publisher community of authors and artists, featuring original written and audio fiction, editor and author blogs, and much, much more.

Discussion: Check out the new Dragon Page “C” show, streamed live into Second Life, on Fridays at 4pm Pacific Time… you never know who might show up!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Promo: Computer King
Promo: Dragon Page With Class

 

 Cover to Cover #333A: Tor.com [36:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (5658)

Show Notes: Just What Does The Principal Do?

Lorrie, Megan, Joyce, and Noemi, interview Gayle Galligan.  Gayle is the Principal of Paseo Hills School, as well as, an educator of educators at ASU.

Gayle tells the ladies, at what point in her life, she knew she wanted to be a teacher (and reveals a surprising talent).  She also shares her philosophy on administration requirements, and her responsibilities as school principal.

The discussion ranges from favorite and least favorite parts of the job, to a personal story, shared by Joyce.

Do you have questions you’d like the teachers to talk about on future shows? The teachers have their own voicemail line now! Call in and ask your questions: 206-202-2673!!

Promo: How To Grow Your Geek

 

 With Class #30: Just What Does The Principal Do? [21:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3483)

Show Notes: Edward M. Lerner

Discussion: Mike and Mike chat it up while streaming the show into Second Life, covering some updates on Mike S’ ebook sales, including the increasing numbers to iPhone and iPod Touch users, plus the evolution of book reading gadgets (see the Plastic Logic website).

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!

Interview: This week, Mike and Summer talk with Edward M. Lerner about Juggler of Worlds, the next book about the Puppeteers. He tells about how the story has progressed from Fleet of Worlds, and the more mysteries about what’s happening to the humans and the Kzinti.

Edward also has a new book in his own universe, Fool’s Experiments, which will be out in November. This story is a near-future tale about the impact of the quest to create artificial life and it’s evolution into artificial intelligence, and how accidents happen despite the best intentions and careful precautions.

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Link: Plastic Logic
Promo: The Legion of Lethargic Super Geeks
Promo: Variant Frequencies

 

 Cover to Cover #332A: Edward M. Lerner [39:50m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (5812)

Show Notes: The Growth of the Artist

Mike M has rediscovered his lost stories, and is planning to jump back into them full bore, and is newly passionate about the importance of doing regular system backups. This leads into a conversation about how an artist or a writer will grow and change over the course of just doing their work. How hard is it to resurrect an old project, one written earlier in your artistic process?

Also, both Mikes are embarking on a plan to get Summer into Second Life for “office hours” of some sort. But what in the world would she talk about?

Don’t forget, NaNoWriMo is coming up very soon!

Listener review: Tim Low gives us a review of Hooked: A Thriller About Love and Other Addictions by Matt Richtel, a thriller that’s a first novel for Matt Richtel, and has sufficiently impressed Tim.

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!

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Promo: Dragon Page With Class

 

 Standard Podcast [12:14m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (5733)

Review by Darcy Anna Low

Cover:
“It is green here and very big. Light comes from the sky….”

In the riveting sequel to the highly acclaimed “City of Ember”, Jeanne Duprau explores the nature of conflict and the strength and courage necessary to overcome it.

Hi, first I need to say that there are going be spoilers in my review. I can’t help it, there just no way to talk about it and not spoil the first book for you. So if you have not read it yet, I’m just letting you know.

(Read more…)

Show Notes: Joe Abercrombie

Discussion: Mike Stackpole picks several huge bones about Michael Palmer’s The First Patient. Huge bones about plotting, pacing, and more… spoilers are included, but in spite of the major problems Mike S has with this book, he recommends it as an example for writers to break down and see what not to do when crafting a story.

If you want to discuss something you think is a bad book, send us a breakdown. Remember, it has to be a technical discussion about what didn’t work, and not just an opinion that you didn’t like the story or the author.

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!

Interview: This week, Mike, Summer and Mike talk with Joe Abercrombie about Last Argument of Kings, the third book in The First Law Trilogy. We talk about the characters and the more contemporary feel of their speech, the more intimate nature of relationships and intrigues, and about how the buzz about these stories surround the writing style of the battle scenes.

Take a world with a Tolkienesque feel, take some characters with deeper shades of grey and black, throw in some more twists upon the expectations from common tropes, and a world with a darker noir feel, and you’ve got an idea about what you’re in for when you read the books in The First Law Trilogy.

Coming up in June 2009, Joe has a new book coming out, Best Served Cold.

Second Life Info: FarPoint Media’s Second Life space is now the penthouse suite of Third Life Books, the place for SL versions of Michael A. Stackpole’s writings, and many other goodies, including a Wednesday night writing workshop. You can find the castle at http://slurl.com/secondlife/beraudes/203/151/49. Come see the castle roof pool!

FarPoint Forums: Head on over to the FarPoint Forums and join in the discussions on Dragon Page topics, and for most of your favorite FPM shows!

Link: Joe Abercrombie
Promo: With Class: A Podcast for by Teachers
Promo: How to Grow Your Geek

 

 Cover to Cover #331A: Joe Abercrombie [37:03m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (6216)