Who’s the best? YOU are the best for making season 2 of Sword and Laser video possible. You also get to decide who’s the best by voting in the GoodReads best fiction polls for Science Fiction and Fantasy. And G. Willow Wilson is the best, because she won an award. Find out who else won awards and why we think Ancillary Justice might snag one too!

QUICK BURNS    
    
Goodreads Best of 2013 semifinals voting begins for all categories including Science Fiction and Fantasy books.   
Explore the original manuscripts from ‘Frankenstein’ in your browser    
This Group Wants to Build a Museum of Science Fiction in Washington DC    
WINNERS: 2013 British Fantasy Awards 
WINNERS: 2013 World Fantasy Award    
Massive anthology of Twenty First Century science fiction hits shelves    
The Campbell/Hugo Conversion Rate    
    
CALENDAR
    
BOOK CHECK-IN    
    
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Sucked in by the beginning! (no spoilers)    
The world vs First impressions    
        
BARE YOUR SWORD    
    
Songs that remind you of books    
    
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES    
    
Orson Scott Card won’t see profits from the Ender’s Game movie    
    
Vote here!
    
ADDENDUMS

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 150,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature and featuring audio versions of many New York Times Best Sellers. For listeners of this podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook, to give you a chance to try out their service. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.  

This episode is brought to you by Squarespace, the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website or online portfolio. For a free trial and 10% off, go to squarespace.com and use offer code SWORD11.    

Direct link to podcast file!

 Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course get all the show notes at the original post from last year.

This week we introduce you to Nicholas Kaufman, author of the new book Dying Is My Business  among many others! We cover questions about writing in an urban-fantasy world, whether self-publishing is worth it, and mispronouncing names (we’ll give you one guess who started that topic…).

Nicholas Kaufmann’s website 
http://www.nicholaskaufmann.com/

Nicholas Kaufman’s Live Journal
http://nick-kaufmann.livejournal.com/

[GUEST POST] Nicholas Kaufmann on Why Some Boxes Should Never Be Opened
http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2013/10/guest-post-nicholas-kaufmann-on-why-some-boxes-should-never-be-opened/

Download the video here. 

Direct link to podcast!

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course get all the show notes at the original post from last year.

 

We’re back and our Kickstarter is funded!  Hooray! That means Sword and Laser video episodes will return. And if we make our stretch goal you might get even more! We’re also here to wrap-up Boneshaker by Cherie Priest and Kick-off our November book from NaNoWriMo victor and first-time novelist Ann Leckie, Ancillary Justice.

Direct download here!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: NyQuil
Veronica: Some kind of white wine

QUICK BURNS

Hey we launched a Kickstarter
Two new MISTBORN novels signed
Amazon Kindle Matchbook is live
Escape Pod, Podcastle and Pseudopod podcasts need your help
Neil Gaiman explains the worth and value of libraries

CALENDAR

BOOK KICK-OFF

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie
Inside ‘Ancillary Justice’: Q&A with Sci-Fi Author Ann Leckie
A Skillfully Composed Space Opera In ‘Ancillary Justice’
“Nothing quite clarifies your thoughts like thinking you’re about to die.” Ann Leckie’s Ancillary Justice

BOOK WRAP-UP

Boneshaker (Clockwork Century) by Cherie Priest

Themes: Steampunk & Apathy

What did you think of the ending?

BARE YOUR SWORD

NaNoWriMo 2013 Folder
Divide and Conquer: A NaNoWriMo Alternative

EMAIL

I love the podcast but I have one tiny correction to what Tom said about ebooks and libraries. At least at the library district where I work, we can only lend out one copy of an ebook to one patron at a time. In other words, the ebook works just like a physical book. We have to buy multiple licenses in order for more than one person to check out a particular title. Also, some publishes put a limit on the number of checkouts a title can have. After that limit is hit, we have to buy another copy of the ebook.

Keep up the great work!

Chris

ADDENDUMS

Get Tom’s new book ‘Lot Beta’ at tommerrittbooks.com

Sign-up for Veronica’s vampire-unfriendly gift box at quarterly.co.

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 150,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature and featuring audio versions of many New York Times Best Sellers. For listeners of this podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook, to give you a chance to try out their service. For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

This episode is brought to you by Squarespace, the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website or online portfolio. For a free trial and 10% off, go to squarespace.com and use offer code SWORD10.

 

All right folks.  Many of you asked for it so here it is. A kickstarter to raise money for a new season of Sword and Laser videos. 

They’ll be authors guides. They’ll be in the Space Castle with Lem. They’ll be freely available on multiple platforms including the video podcast. 

But they need you to back them to make them happen.

Back our Kickstarter now! (please) 

Bradley P. Bealieu, author of The Lays of Anuskaya,  was nice enough to take some time to chat with us about his books, his blogs and more. He’s even a podcaster! We milk for details about his forthcoming book Twelve Kings in Sharakhai and put a few of your questions to him as well. Enjoy!

Bradley P. Bealieu’s website Quillings.com

Download direct file here! 

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course get all the show notes at the original post from last year.

 

Are ebooks killing reading? Why do zombies exist? What is Veronica drinking? All of these– SOME of these questions, and more are answered on another thrilling edition of Sword and Laser.  

 WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Sutter Home Chardonnay

Veronica: Wine!

QUICK BURNS

WINNERS: 2013 Aurora Award

R. Scott Bakker completes THE UNHOLY CONSULT

Talking to Jo Fletcher About the British Invasion of U.S. Publishing

Video interview with Scott Lynch

Learn a New Language with this Animated Video Explanation of Elvish, Klingon, Dothraki and Na’vi

How L.A.’s “Last Bookstore” evolved from post-apocalyptic to magical

The Abomination of Ebooks: They Price People Out of Reading

CALENDAR

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

Sleepy Hollow on Fox

BOOK CHECK-IN

Boneshaker (Clockwork Century) by Cherie Priest

Boneshaker a Visual Guide (Spoiler-free Goodreads thread link)

BARE YOUR SWORD

You lost me at “zombies”

Did You Suffer Eighth Grade Syndrome?

Urban Fantasy Where to Start?

EMAIL

So I was just looking for a particular book that was recommended on the S&L video show a while ago. It’s actually out of print and there are no e-book or audio versions available. The only copies on ebay were expensive first editions. Since there are no viable options to give money to the author (in this case his estate) or the publisher/rights holder, what are your thoughts on pirating such hard-to-find works (i.e., searching for an unauthorized epub version)? – Eric

ADDENDUMS

Veronica Tuckerizations for Robot Army! A Tuckerization is when an author writes the name of a person into their story. Only 2 Veronica Tuckerizations are available. They’re priced at $100 a pop, but that gets you the Tuckerization as well as a copy of the anthology ebook. Back the Kickstarter!

Tom has a new book

[GUEST POST] Tom Merritt on His Science Fiction Retelling of King Arthur

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 150,000 downloadable titles across all types of literature and featuring audio versions of many New York Times Best Sellers. For listeners of this podcast, Audible is offering a free audiobook, to give you a chance to try out their service.For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

This episode is brought to you by Squarespace, the all-in-one platform that makes it fast and easy to create your own professional website or online portfolio. For a free trial and 10% off, go to squarespace.com and use offer code SWORD10.

 

Download the episode here.

Subscribe to the video encores as a podcast, and in iTunes!

And of course get all the show notes at the original post from last year.