March 22, 2013

Author Guide: Peter F. Hamilton!

March 22, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

More on our guest, Peter F. Hamilton!

Website:
http://www.peterfhamilton.co.uk/
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/PeterFHamilton1
Goodreads:
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

March 21, 2013

International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club!

March 21, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

Hey ladies! If you've been looking for more geeky-inclined female friends, check out the International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club. Here's how it works:

This is a new project for us and we are figuring it out as we go along. We are just two nerdy dames reaching out into the vast, tangled web to see if we can find some new friends and help others find new friends too. The basic idea is you fill the form in, then we will collate everyone's info and we then we'll match you up with someone in the same age range with similar interests to you. Then you can swap addresses and get putting pens to paper!

Sounds like fun! Sign-up is open through April 1st, so get to it!

March 19, 2013

S&L Podcast - #123 - Power couples!

March 19, 2013/ Tom Merritt

If you're not too offended but the first few minutes you're going to love this episode. It's not as bad as that sounds, but we both need help choosing words right there at the top. But THEN we get excited about new Scott Lynch, Westeros History, and Benedict Cumberbatch reading Neil Gaiman out loud.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Fat Tire Amber Ale
Veronica: Pinot Noir of some sort. From her big sack of wine.

QUICK BURNS
Coming Soon: “The Mammoth Book of Time Travel SF” Edited by Mike Ashley
Gene Wolfe’s New Novel “The Land Across” Sounds Like It Might Be Politically Charged
Publication date confirmed for THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES
More details on THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE
J. K. Rowling’s Pottermore to launch on PlayStation Home

CALENDAR

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere
Veronica Mars movie!

BOOK CHECK-IN
Power Couples

NEXT BOOK
Dragonriders of Pern: (just Dragonflight if you don't have time for all three)

BARE YOUR SWORD
BSFA Awards answer
200 Significant Science Fiction Books by Women, 1984–2001
Veronica's panel at Engadget Expand

EMAIL
I was wondering if Sword and Laser was ever going to cover Military Science Fiction, like the epic Honor Harrington series by David Weber or The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. David Weber has another wonderful series, Safehold. I've read all of the books in the series and would love to see your take on them. Thanks for the wonderful show, Mark

ADDENDUMS

This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

Download direct file

March 15, 2013

Self-Publishing, Synergy, and R.A. Salvatore!

March 15, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

The author of 22 NYT Best Sellers, creator of Drizzt Do'Urden, and all around fantasy genre luminary R.A. Salvatore joins us to talk what's next for the Drow Ranger, John Fogerty, and why you should quit writing (if you can). Enjoy!

More on our guest, R.A. Salvatore:
Website: http://www.rasalvatore.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/R_A_Salvatore
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Season One of S&L Video coming to an end!

March 14, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

As many of you may know from the most recent audio podcast, the video edition of S&L is coming to an end (for now). Huge thanks to Geek & Sundry for making the whole thing possible, for our friends at Pixel Corps for the production and post-production services (and for being awesome in general), and to Fonco Creative for bringing our set (and Lem) to life!

Tom and I are looking into new ways to keep the show alive going forward, so don't fret! We have our hands full right now will getting the anthology off the ground, but we promise you we're working on it.

Episodes of the video show will continue through the end of March, and you can always keep up with the book club on Goodreads and the audio podcast!

Thanks for watching!

March 12, 2013

The BIBLIO-MAT is not people!

March 12, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

Podcast listener Jacob wanted to let us know that there aren't actually people passing out the books from within the Biblio-Mat in Toronto. It's actually... automated! With mechanisms! And such!

March 11, 2013

Kushiel's Legacy, Jacqueline Carey, and More!

March 11, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

Author of the Kushiel's Legacy series, Jacqueline Carey, joins us to talk the inspirations behind her immensely popular series, the power of writing in the first person, and Veronica tries not to butcher anyone's name. Enjoy!

S&L Podcast - #122 - Interview with Michael J. Sullivan

March 05, 2013/ Tom Merritt

We have a lovely chat with author Michael J. Sullivan, get down and dirty about Downbelow Station and celebrate the coming end of our YouTube video season!

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Boont Amber Ale
Veronica: Rioja Conde de Valdemar Crianza

QUICK BURNS
Hooray for an amazing season of YouTube videos. Thanks for all the fish!
Your 2013 SF/F Award Nomination Awareness Post: Readers and Fans
Adam Whitehead's Hugo Nominations 2013 THANKS ADAM!!
VIDEO: Watch SF Legend Brian Aldiss Talk About Writing & The Passage of Time
Scott Lynch update on THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES

CALENDAR

INTERVIEW
Michael J. Sullivan

BOOK CHECK-IN
Downbelow Station by C. J. Cherryh

ADDENDUMS

Subscribe to our podcast!
Direct episode download link

March 01, 2013

"Downbelow Station" - March Book Club Kick-Off & Your Feedback!

March 01, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

We dive into CJ Cherryh's classic Downbelow Station, try to settle the age old question of "which was better: the book or the movie?" and give you the inside scoop on how to become a part of the first ever Sword & Laser anthology! Enjoy!

Discussion Links:
Book vs. Movie: http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
A Night in Lonesome October review by Aaron: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzN4XJ...

Anthology Submission Guidelines: http://swordandlaser.com/anthology/

Book Release Calendar: http://swordandlaser.com/calendar/

Subscribe to Geek and Sundry: http://goo.gl/B62jl

March 01, 2013

Now accepting anthology submissions!

March 01, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

We are now officially accepting story submissions for the S&L Anthology! All of the guidelines are detailed here. PLEASE READ THEM.

SERIOUSLY. READ THEM!

OK, now that's out of the way, have fun and good luck! We can't wait to read your stories!

February 25, 2013

February Book Club: Bridge of Birds Wrap-Up & Your Feedback!

February 25, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

It's time to find out what everyone thought of Number Ten Ox, and check in on Goodreads for suggestions on good old-fashioned popcorn sci-fi and amateur cartography for our favorite fantasy realms. Enjoy!

More on our February pick, Bridge of Birds:
On GoodReads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15...
Hughart Fan Site: http://www.barryhughart.org/books.htm

Discussion Links:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...
http://afantasyreader.blogspot.com/20...

"Magical Realism in BoB" by Timm:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDVIjM...

February 19, 2013

S&L Podcast - #121 - A bird too far

February 19, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

It's time for a substantive down-to-Earth deep discussion of Bridge of Birds. And Veronica now feels better about pronouncing things.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Jameson's
Veronica: Cono Sur Cabernet Sauvignon

QUICK BURNS
Stephen Donaldson delivers last-ever THOMAS COVENANT novel
An incredibly thorough analysis of how frequently words and characters appear in J.R.R. Tolkien’s books
Make your own pulp magazine covers
Love Of Classics Inspires Raygun Chronicles Kickstarter Anthology Project
THE CITY AND THE CITY on stage in Chicago

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
Does science fiction lack good criticism?

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
George R.R. Martin expands on HBO deal
Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle is coming to Syfy

BOOK CHECK-IN
Pretty Ping Rape? (Spoilers)
A Slight Flaw in His Character...

EMAIL

Gaiman narrates the audio book Odd and the Frost Giants. Its a great audiobook. Andrew R.

FYI. Not sure if this will be "fresh" enough to cover on the S&L audio show next week... Eric W (Goodreads follow-up)

ADDENDUMS

T-shirts, get your t-shirts heeeere!

Subscribe to our podcast!
Direct episode download link

February 15, 2013

Treacherous Spies, Trilogies, and Trudi Canavan!

February 15, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

Author of "The Black Magician" trilogy, Trudi Canavan, joins us to talk her Millennium's Rule trilogy, upcoming stand alone works, and her appreciation of fan works. Cheers!

More on our guest, Trudi Canavan:
Website: http://www.trudicanavan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrudiCanavan
Pintrest: http://pinterest.com/trudicanavan/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

More on Trudi's works:
The Black Magician trilogy:http://www.goodreads.com/series/44134...
The Traitor Spy trilogy: http://www.goodreads.com/series/52664...
The Age of Five : http://www.goodreads.com/series/40418...

"Sucker Punching the Audience" by Aaron: http://youtu.be/GO__-fXUhRg

February 14, 2013

S&L t-shirts now available!

February 14, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

Screen Shot 2013-02-14 at 1.03.16 PM.png

I don't know who this woman is, but she's wearing one of our new t-shirts! You can buy them here over on /loot, and thanks to the wonderful Scott Johnson for hosting them!

February 08, 2013

Stormlight, Steelheart, Sanderson, and more!

February 08, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

Brandon Sanderson joins us to talk his upcoming Rithmatist, the Legion film adaptation, and why he was the right guy for the job when it came to finishing Robert Jordan's epic Wheel of Time series. Cheers!

More about our guest, Brandon Sanderson:

On the Web: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/BrandSanderson
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrandSanderson
On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
His Blog: http://www.brandonsanderson.com/blog

S&L Podcast - #120 - Book Blind Dates

February 05, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

We get the message and beef up the book discusiion. But the news is full of trailers and the feedback is full of awesome. But will Veronica Hughart the book? And if she did, what would that mean?

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: 2009 Toscana IGT "1967"
Veronica: Glenmorangie

QUICK BURNS
Book Trailer: “Etiquette & Espionage” by Gail Carriger
TOC: ‘Dangerous Women’ Edited by Gardner Dozois and George R.R. Martin
Amazing Stories returns, as a social network for fandom (with stories)
Animated Fiction: Neil Gaiman Reads His Zombie Story “Down Among the Dead Men”
Locus 2012 Recommended Reading List
Book Trailer: “The Daylight War” by Peter V. Brett

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
Welcome new forum mod, Josh!
Memoirs Found in a Bathtub $1.99 today
Violent character names
Book Blind Date

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
Behind-the-Scenes Game of Thrones Video Explores Iceland as Setting for ‘Beyond the Wall’

BOOK CHECK-IN
The Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart

EMAIL
Hi Tom & Veronica.
I love your show(s) and the GoodReads group. On the podcast I listened to today, Tom said that he would like to pick a science fiction novel by a female author. Ursula K. LeGuin was mentioned, but I'd like to see something more contemporary. May I suggest God's War by Kameron Hurley? I've started reading it and it's something really different. It's kind of like Joe Abercrombie writing SF taking place on a planet with a female dominated society. The primary SF elements are genetic engineering and colonization of other planets. It's not an easy read and it's very dark, but it seems pretty good. I've paused it because it's so intense, so I need an incentive to finish.
Keep up the great work!
Sandi

***

I saw this and immediately thought it would make a great news piece for your show!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/354009039/beyond-words-a-year-of-daydreams-fantasy-author-ca
I am behind on my youtube episodes so if you have already covered this, please FORGIVE ME! I just saw it (I think Brandon Sanderson linked to it on his twitter) and thought it was AWESOME! Anyway, love your show and the podcast,
Sincerely
Jeane Ess

ADDENDUMS
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

Download the MP3 below!

S&L Podcast - #120 - Book Blind Dates

February 01, 2013

February Book Club: Bridge of Birds Kick-Off & Your Feedback!

February 01, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

Thanks to an overwhelming response to one of Aaron's recent Whiteboard Review, we're kicking off our February pick, Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart! Plus, we check in over on GoodReads to talk Gaiman, refreshing Science Fiction, and libraries that don't have any books.

More on our February pick, Bridge of Birds:

On GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15177.Bridge_of_Birds

Hughart Fan Site: http://www.barryhughart.org/books.htm

Discussion Links:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1167500-digital-libraries

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1067161-neil-gaiman-starter-book

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1167079-need-to-expand-my-horizons

"Reconsidering Goblins" by Aaron:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-dJ-BKgTgA

January 25, 2013

S&L January Book Club: Old Man's War Wrap-Up & Your Feedback!

January 25, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

It's time to wrap up our January pick, John Scalzi's Old Man's War, check in with everyone over on GoodReads, and get momentarily excited for a new excerpt from GRRM...before remembering that its still going to be a long wait for Winds of Winter. Enjoy!

More on our January pick, Old Man's War:

On GoodReads:http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51964.Old_Man_s_War

From John Scalzi's Blog: http://whatever.scalzi.com/about/books-by-john-scalzi/

Discussion Links:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1163392-bored-woodless

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1163460-grrm-new-extract-of-the-winds-of-...

http://georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1160339-what-do-you-guys-think-about-brea...

"A Once Crowded Sky" Review by Aaron:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuSKLG61lbk

January 22, 2013

S&L Podcast - #119 - Pronounce this...

January 22, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

We have a whole lot of award finalists to tell you about and Veronica bravely tries to pronounce their names. We also wonder how much said is too much said.

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?
Tom: Car Men Air Camenere, Chile
Veronica: Something red

QUICK BURNS
TOC: ‘The Fearsome Journeys: The New Solaris Book of Fantasy’ Edited by Jonathan Strahan
Harper/Voyager UK to Release SF/F Classics with Beautiful Minimalist Covers
Tad Williams completes latest novel
Great science fiction authors tell us which novels they wish they’d written themselves
FINALISTS: 2012 BSFA Award
FINALISTS: The 2012 Kitschies

CALENDAR

BARE YOUR SWORD
Veronica's Reddit AMA
The battle against 'sexist' sci-fi and fantasy book covers
Jim Hines Group Cover Pose
Living in a Fantasy world

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
New GAME OF THRONES video

BOOK CHECK-IN
Use of "said"

ADDENDUMS
This podcast is brought to you by Audible.com the internet’s leading provider of audiobooks with more than 100,000 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.

S&L Podcast - #119 - Pronounce this

January 18, 2013

Books, Brooks...And More Books: Our Interview with Terry Brooks!

January 18, 2013/ Veronica Belmont

Terry Brooks, the mastermind behind the world of Shannara, joins us to discuss what's coming up in the Dark Legacy of Shannara, his ventures into standalone e-books, and the advice he'd give to new fantasy authors.

More about our guest, Terry Brooks:

On the Web: http://www.terrybrooks.net/

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/officialbrooks

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialterrybrooks

On G+:https://plus.google.com/u/0/106756046894387044266/posts

On Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9629.Terry_Brooks

Sword and Laser

Author Guide: Peter F. Hamilton!

International Geek Girl Pen Pals Club!

S&L Podcast - #123 - Power couples!

Self-Publishing, Synergy, and R.A. Salvatore!

Season One of S&L Video coming to an end!

The BIBLIO-MAT is not people!

Kushiel's Legacy, Jacqueline Carey, and More!

S&L Podcast - #122 - Interview with Michael J. Sullivan

"Downbelow Station" - March Book Club Kick-Off & Your Feedback!

Now accepting anthology submissions!

February Book Club: Bridge of Birds Wrap-Up & Your Feedback!

S&L Podcast - #121 - A bird too far

Treacherous Spies, Trilogies, and Trudi Canavan!

S&L t-shirts now available!

Stormlight, Steelheart, Sanderson, and more!

S&L Podcast - #120 - Book Blind Dates

February Book Club: Bridge of Birds Kick-Off & Your Feedback!

S&L January Book Club: Old Man's War Wrap-Up & Your Feedback!

S&L Podcast - #119 - Pronounce this...

Books, Brooks...And More Books: Our Interview with Terry Brooks!

Sword & Laser

April Pick:

Our Anthology: