95- Natural Born Thrillers with Jon F Merz

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Dave interviews Jon F. Merz, author of the Lawson Vampire series, and discusses the new Natural Born Thrillers project.

Visit Jon's website

Natural Born Thrillers Box Set
Kindle
Kindle Australia
Kindle UK
Kobo
Nook

Worlds Apart Box Set
Kindle
Kindle Australia
Kindle UK
Kobo
Nook

Dave's Latest: Atlantis

094- JF Penn Desecrates ThrillerCast

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Al battles sleep deprivation while Dave chats with author JF Penn about her new dark thriller, Desecration.

Promo: Pulse by Jeremy Robinson

Special Episode- Not Thankful

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It's Thanksgiving in the US so Dave and Al fight back against the rising tide of sappy "I'm thankful for..." posts and Tweets with this rant-filled show about what we're not thankful for. Dave reviews White Fire by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, and don't miss Relic Tech by Terry W. Ervin II.

93- Descendants of the Doc

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This week, we have a panel discussion from 2013 Arizona Doc Con. Dave, Sean Ellis, and Scott Vaughn discuss how Doc Savage has influenced their work and the works of other contemporary writers.


Promo: The Valley by William Meikle

92- Writing a Blockbuster

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David and Alan reflect on "Top 10 Tips for Writing a Hollywood Blockbuster" and discuss what an author can learn from them.

Promo: Scrolls by Paul Elard Cooley

91- Three Years Celebrating and Complaining

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ThrillerCast is three years old! Alan shares some huge news, and we go on to rant about some recent happenings in the book/writing world.

Promo: Icefall by David Wood

090- Why Do We Love the Undead?

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Scheduling conflicts this week, so we're sharing a panel from Space City Con 2013, on the topic "Why Do We Love the Undead?" featuring Dave along with authors Ryan Span and Gabrielle Faust.

Promo: Silver by Steven Savile

89- The Shady Side of Publishing

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This week, we discuss a few controversies, including some unkind comments by an author, and this excellent response, and then move along to some shady things that have been happening in the publishing world of late.

Promo: Wired Kingdom by Rick Chesler

088- Listener Feedback

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We catch up on our writing, then respond to questions from our listeners.

Promo: Pentecost by JF Penn

Things we mention:

Arena of Souls, Dave's new pulp serial.

Boxcryptor (HT to listener Steve Manke)

WordTracker App

87- Mixing it Up with Jay Hartlove

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This week we chat with Jay Hartlove, author of the thriller Daughter Cell. We discuss "melting pot"
thrillers which blend elements from many genres.


Promo: Quest by David Wood

086- Getting Violent

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Dave and Al both had scheduling conflicts, so we get a Thrillerfest panel discussion on violence in thrillers,

how authors use it, and why.


Promo: The Crypts of Eden by Rick Jones

085- Remembering Elmore Leonard, A.J. Hartley Interview

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This week we look back at Elmore Leonard and discuss his rules of writing (mostly to annoy Alan) followed by our final Thrillerfest interview with A.J. Hartley.

Promo- Instinct by Jeremy Robinson

084- Breaking the Mold with Reavis Wortham and Ethan Cross

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We discuss a certain sameness about main characters in thrillers, followed by interviews with authors Reavis Wortham and Ethan Cross, both of whom are doing something a little different with their protagonists.


Promo: MageSign by Alan Baxter

083- Productivity and Professionalism

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In this episode, we discuss productivity and evaluate ourselves as writing professionals based on an article from a recent Horror Writers Association newsletter. We don't come off too well.

Promo- Cibola by David Wood       

082- Catching Up with Jeremy Burns and Boyd Morrison

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Dave and Al actually found a day to record in the midst of their respective travels! We catch up on what's been going on, followed by interviews with authors Jeremy Burns and Boyd Morrison.

Promo: Raising the Past by Jeremy Robinson   

081- Flawed Protagonists

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Dave and Al discuss flawed protagonists, followed by a panel discussion on the topic "Is Your Hero's Flaw Non-Fatal?"

Special giveaway for ThrillerCast listeners: Steven Savile is offering free ebook copies of his thriller, Lucifer's Machine, to any ThrillerCast listener who is willing to leave an honest review on Amazon. If you're interested, contact us at thrillerpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com, or on our Facebook Page.  


Promo: The Vatican Knights by Rick Jones 

80- Keeping Series Characters Fresh

Both hosts are here for once! We catch up on what's been happening, Dave talks about Thrillerfest, followed by a panel discussion on keeping characters fresh.

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Promo: RealmShift by Alan Baxter

79- Team Thrillers with Paul Kemprecos

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Dave sits down at Thrillerfest with Paul Kemprecos, author of The Emerald Scepter and the original NUMA files novels. Visit Paul online at www.paulkemprecos.com.

Promo- Dourado by David Wood

078- Political and Archaeological Thrillers with Rick Jones

Click here for Direct Download     

Our guest this week is Rick Jones, author of the Crypts of Eden series and the Vatican Knights series. Visit him online at www.rickjonz.com.

Promo: SecondWorld by Jeremy Robinson

077- Inspiration

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In this episode, we riff off a similar discussion on Dead Robots' Society as we discuss what inspires us as writers. When did we first know we wanted to write? What influenced us? What writers inspire us? Other forms of media? From where do we draw inspiration for individual stories?

If you're a writer, feel free to add your own replies in the comments section!

Promo: Tales from the Archives by Tee Morris and Philippa Ballantine

Alan wants everyone to check out "The Hero's Journey Explained by Puppets"

76- Submissions and Contests

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In an abbreviated episode, David and Alan discuss issues surrounding submitting your work, and the value of writing and book contests.

Dave's book, You Suck, is free on Kobo, Nook, and Smashwords.

Promo: A Minor Magic by Justin R. Macumber

75- Science Thrillers with Warren Fahy

Our guest is Warren Fahy, author of Fragment and Pandemonium.


Click Here for Direct Download

Promo: The Zombie-Driven Life

New books from Gryphonwood: The Valley, Island Life, and The Invasion by William Meikle

74- Kindle Worlds and Fan Fiction with Steven Savile

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Steven Savile, author of the Ogmios thrillers, drops by. We discuss Amazon's new Kindle Worlds program,

in which authors will essentially be paid for writing fan fiction, and contrast it to Hugh Howey's approach to writers who want to create in his universe.

Promo: Pentecost by J.F. Penn

73- Giving Up on a Book or Author

Dave and Al discuss what makes a reader give up on a book, a series, or an author.

Promo: RealmShift by Alan Baxter

Click here for direct download.

72- Separating the Author from the Work

This week, Al and Dave discuss the problem authors and other creative professionals face when their politics, personality, or public persona impacts their career. Can and should we separate an artist from her or his work?

Promo: The Last Hunter-Descent by Jeremy Robinson


Click Here for Direct Download


*In order to get new episodes out while they're fresh, we will no longer do extensive show notes. We hope this will help us get new content to you on a more regular schedule and before the discussions are yesterday's news.

71 – Temptation, Violence and Treachery with J F Penn

A three continents podcast!

Click here for direct download

Alan talks about his realisation that he’s been working on the wrong book.

Dave talks about the need to wrap up certain projects in order to focus.

Dave talks about some new releases.

Break: Wired Kingdom by Rick Chesler.

We talk to J F Penn.

The first thing we discuss is female leads having casual sex, following up from our episode 69.

This leads us to talk about strong female leads in books.

We go on to talk about writing from the perspectives of various genders, sexualities, even species.

Jo goes on to talk about her new short story ARG project in conjunction with the release of the new Dan Brown thriller, Inferno.

Here’s the page Jo mentions: http://www.kobo.com/thedescent

Jo explains how the power of the podcast led her to this sweet gig with Kobo.

We go on to talk about the benefits of writing short fiction, and the possibilities of making further income from short fiction as a writer.

Jo talks about the power of the internet and how it can make a person look more important than they are. Alan takes a small amount of issue with the sentiment!

Jo recorded the first of her stories as a podcast and plans to do the others. Find that here:

http://www.Jfpenn.com/sins

We chat about the beauty of short fiction podcasts.

This leads us to talk about the new audiobook of Jo’s first thriller, Pentecost, released soon through Gryphonwood Press.

We talk about the choice of voices when it comes to reading stories for podcasts.

Jo talks about Exodus, the third thriller in her ARKANE series of novels.

This leads us to talk about how the third book in a writer’s series can exponentially boost book sales.

Jo explains the new direction she’s going with her next book, the crime thriller, Desecration. It’s a much darker direction than the ARKANE series, exploring body mod and death.

We chat about the potential of getting caught in a particular genre niche as a writer.

Jo talks about missing ThrillerFest in New York this year, but going to Harrogate CrimeFest instead.

Find J F Penn online at:

http://www.jfpenn.com

or

http://www.thecreativepenn.com

Or on Twitter: @thecreativepenn

70- Jack Reacher vs Indiana Jones

Today, we compare and contrast two thriller icons.


Click here for direct download

We talk about the release of Dark Rite that happened the week we recorded.

Get Dark Rite from Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Rite-ebook/dp/B00CDVZWWA/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1366248148&sr=1-6

Or Smashwords here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/307136

Print and ebook available everywhere books are sold.

We talk briefly about how short novels like Dark Rite used to be a lot more common.

We talk about our current projects. The short fiction sales Alan talks about are out of embargo now, so look out for his stories Not The Worst of Sins in Beneath Ceaseless Skies later in the year (that’s the horror western ghost story) and Roll The Bones in Crowded Magazine around the middle of the year.

We’ll remind listeners again when they’re out.

Alan is briefly stunned to learn about the new Lone Ranger movie with Jonny Depp as Tonto.

Dave talks about the terrible situation with author David Wolverton’s son, who had a bad accident recently. They don’t have health coverage due to unfortunate circumstances, so any help would be gratefully received – here’s the link David talks about with the details: http://thrillercentral.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/author-david-farland-needs-your-help.html

Then we talk about Jack Reacher vs Indiana Jones.

Firstly, EVERYONE hates that Tom Cruise played Reacher in a movie, so we brush over that.

Alan talks about what makes Reacher a hero. We discuss the nature of the anti-hero and natural justice.

Dave talks about Indy. We discuss the scholar/adventurer archetype he embodies.

We talk about the differences in the smarts and physicality of the two characters.

We talk about the casting of the characters and how that affects the legend. Would it be different if Indy had been someone other than Harrison Ford.

We have a brief aside talking about Ender’s Game.

We finish with a side by side comparison between Reacher and Indy.

Lastly, a reminder about our Facebook page, which we never really promote enough. Here it is: http://www.facebook.com/thrillercast?ref=ts&fref=ts

When we reach 100 likes we’ll give away a copy or two of Dark Rite.

.

69 – Sex in Thrillers

Click here for direct download


We start as we mean to go on, confirming that episode 69 is going to be very juvenile.

We update things on the writing front.

Dark Rite is actually out now, so this episode is a bit behind on that front. You can find it here: http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Rite-ebook/dp/B00CDVZWWA/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_t_1_C5HQ

Alan talks bout how he’s just finished his latest novel in progress. The short fiction Alan talks about in the podcast has been signed off on now – he’s sold a story to Crowded and another story to Beneath Ceaseless Skies.

Dave talks about Dark Rite too. Then he goes on to talk about his new collaboration with Sean Sweeney. He’s also working on Atlantis, and his collaboration with Ryan Span under his David Debord pen name. Busy!

We talk about the nature of writing and publication and how things can be long delayed or several things land at once.

We go to talk about the nature writing in several different genres and the benefits of standalones over series.

This leads us to talk about the benefit of having several books out there if you want to succeed.

 Here’s the link to the series of guest posts Alan talks about with writers talking about what they still strive for or what they still worry about, especially about new books coming out - http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/ongoing-angst-successful-writers-conclusions/

Promo: You Suck by David Wood

We then go on talk about sex in thrillers.

We start with the historically inherent sexism in thrillers.

We should expect more from secondary characters who are only really there for sexual tension.

How much sex do we need spelled out on the page in thrillers and genre fiction?

Do you need sex in thrillers?

Do you lose something if you have a long standing character get together with their longstanding love interest?

Dave’s advice is that it’s better to anger people than bore them, so risks are worth taking.

.

68- Thrillers with a Twist with Rebecca Cantrell

Today, we chat with Rebecca Cantrell, co-author of The Blood Gospel.



Click here for direct download

David and Alan catch up on our work and discuss self-doubt.

For some reason, we talk about tattoos.

Dark Rite will be released April 16 or 23?

We discuss Amazon's purchase of Goodreads

Are sites becoming "homogenized" as Amazon expands its control and influence?

Update on Thriller Central.

A new invention in news services and how might it relate to the publishing industry?

Dave comes up with a bizarre idea for self-plagiarism.

Alan announces his erotica pen name.

Promo: Scrolls by Paul Elard Cooley

Interview with Rebecca Cantrell

The Blood Gospel (co-authored with James Rollins)

Inspiration behind the story.

Using actual historical figures and the research involved.

What's next in the Blood Gospel series?

How the collaboration came about. What was the writing process like?

Rebecca's solo work.

New series in the works.

The Hannah Vogel mysteries.

The iMonster series.

Handling controversial content.

Rebecca's advice to writers.

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Visit Rebecca online at www.rebeccacantrell.com

Episode 67 – Catching up with Jeremy Robinson

Episode 67 – Catching up with Jeremy Robinson



Click Here for Direct Download

We talk about our current writing projects, including the imminent wrapping up of Dark Rite and Dave’s new Dane Maddock origins novel, which he co-authored with Sean Sweeney.

We go on to talk a little bit about crowd-funding, starting off with the great Fuck You Indie-Go-Go debacle. Remember folks – the Internet never forgets!

This leads us to talk briefly about the old-fashioned patronage model, which is still around in places.

We briefly chat about Myke Cole’s US Whitehouse petition: “Have the USDA set a Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) for bacon.” - https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/have-usda-set-recommended-daily-intake-rdi-bacon/bcrhTFhX

Then we have a chat with bestselling author, Jeremy Robinson.

Jeremy talks about what he’s done and where he’s come from.

He talks about Island 731, his latest book - http://www.amazon.com/Island-731-Jeremy-Robinson/dp/0312617879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1364870382&sr=1-1&keywords=island+731

We ask Jeremy where he’s going next with his novels.

 Alan asks Jeremy about Project Nemesis, his kaiju novel.

We chat about Jeremy’s bizarre run-ins with strange fans and accusations of plagiarism.

We talk about the strange perception that sometimes occurs when a person thinks the author and the character are the same thing.

We ask Jeremy about where things are at with his Chess Team books.

Jeremy talks about the difference between series and standalone works and where he’s going with those ideas.

How does Jeremy Robinson continue to be so productive?

We ask Jeremy about his collaborative process, as he has co-authored several books with a variety of other writers.

What’s new on the horizon for Jeremy?

Jeremy talks a bit about the differences with traditional and self-publishing, as he has worked a lot in both.

Lastly we ask Jeremy for his essential advice for authors.

Here’s a piece about the Obama/devil thing Jeremy mentions at the end: http://www.stableytimes.com/news/obama-devil-talk-mars-the-bible-easter-episode-on-history-channel/4044/

Find Jeremy online at http://www.jeremyrobinsononline.com/

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Episode 66- New Pulp with Bobby Nash

In this episode, David and Alan discuss "New Pulp" with Bobby Nash. We also take Random House to the woodshed for their new digital-first publishing contracts. More important, however, is the fact that Al finally bought a decent microphone. Woo hoo!


Click here for direct download

We begin by contemplating the afterlife and the torment that awaits us.

Updates on our writing. Alan is writing "long short stories" and getting ready to do a new draft of a novel. Our collaborative novel is out to beta readers. David is still working on Atlantis, a fantasy novel collaboration with Ryan Span, and plotting a super secret project.

Obligatory Russell Crowe insult.

In publishing news: Random House has started some digital-first imprints and the contracts are bad. We kick them around for a while. For more information, check out John Scalzi's post.

Random House defend their crappy contract.

*Note- after the recording of this episode, Random House made some changes to their contract. Feel free to read them over and make up your own mind.

Promo- RealmShift by Alan Baxter

Our guest is author Bobby Nash.

What is the current state of "New Pulp?" Is it still alive and well, or is it on the decline?

What is New Pulp? Can it be defined? What are the common characteristics?

Newpulpfiction.com

How has e-publishing driven New Pulp?

Story length and pacing.

Who is writing or publishing New Pulp right now?

Who are some of the "classic" pulp writers?

What's happening with Bobby's work?

Nominated for Pulp Ark and Pulp Factory awards. Other writing projects. Comics and screenplays.

Writing for comics vs writing prose.

Advice for writers- if you want it to be your job, treat it like a job!

Find Bobby online at www.bobbynash.com and look for him at Con Nooga, Tennessee Mountain Writers' Conference, and Pulp Ark.

Recommended Pulp Sites:
Newpulpfiction.com
Allpulp.blogspot.com
Coming Attractions Pulp Site

Episode 65 – Humor on the Dark Side with Johnny B. Truant

Click here for direct download



Fingers crossed, this will be the last time Alan sounds like an aircraft pilot with a dodgy connection.

We start off talking about our new collaboration, Dark Rite, and how it’s very nearly finished.

We discuss the difference in our methods of redrafting and the strange process of collaboration. This leads us to talk about how we notice issues with the plot and character motivations as we go along.

We talk about our other ongoing projects. Dave talks about the audiobook of Buccaneer, which should be out by now.

Dave brings up a bizarre new copyright ruling from US schools.

This leads us to discuss copyright and contracts in some depth.

Promo: A Minor Magic by Justin R. Macumber

Then we have an interview with Johnny B. Truant.

Johnny talks about himself and his work.

He discusses the birth of the concept for his book about a fat vampire, which was successful enough that he’s now working on the fourth volume of Fat Vampire.

He’s also working on the fourth book in his Unicorn Western series.

Johnny talks about what’s funny and how he deals with writing comedy.

Is Johnny a planner or a pantser?

Johnny talks about the structure and development of his Unicorn Western collaborations with Sean Platt.

Johnny talks about his preferred, shorter length of novella/novels and why he works that way.

What plans does Johnny have for other genres outside the comedies?

Johnny talks about his decision to go with KDP Select and where he might go with future releases.

What’s Johnny’s best writing advice?

Find Johnny’s books here.

The Self-Publishing Podcast is here: http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/

The Better Off Undead Podcast is here: http://betteroffundeadshow.com/

Find Johnny’s non-writing How To Be Legendary site at www.johnnybtruant.com

Episode 64 – Youth and Ebooks

Click here for direct download

One of these days we’ll get our freaking sound levels sorted out. It’s hard with two losers living in the middle of nowhere on opposite sides of the planet.

Dave talks about his new novella, You Suck!

We go on to talk about our collaborative novella, Dark Rite, which is now finished in first draft and into the spit and polish stage. This leads us to talk about the length of the novella (quite long at around 40,000 words) and how word counts can change in the editing process.

Alan talks about his current novel work and why he hasn’t had a book out for too long.

We move on to talk about the controversy surrounding the release of the new Wheel of Time book and why the ebook is being held up deliberately.

This leads us to talk about the nature of bestsellers and whether there’s any mileage in delayed releases and so on.

We then talk about the review reaction to the Wheel of Time release decision.

Promo: Guild of the Cowry Catchers

After a break, we talk about kids and ebooks. There are some interesting stats on the numbers of kids reading electronically compared to adults.

We get to talking about the nature of reading and how e-reading is already very much the norm for young people.

This leads us to talk about our own e-reading habits and how we consume e-books. Which leads to a discussion about the nature of free content.

We talk about how people discover books. You might be surprised.

We have a quick prediction on the future of bookstores.

Then we have a talk about news in publishing which includes a little dig at Dan Brown.

Lastly Dave talks about his new project, thrillercentral.org .

Episode 63 – Stupid Reviewer Tricks

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Dave chats about our writing collaboration and our process of working together on a novella.

Dave talks about his new online project with Greig Beck and Sean Ellis - http://www.thrillercentral.org

Alan talks about the Dark Fiction news and review site he set up with Felicity Dowker and Andrew McKiernan - http://www.thirteenoclock.com.au

 Dave gets to talking about how many writers are lacking in a links page on their site. Alan talks about his links page and how he also has a page of links to good markets for writers. Those pages are here:

http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/links/

http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/markets-writers/

Dave goes on to talk about a great review he got for Buccaneer, and why it was such a great review.

This leads us to talk about the nature of when your work is ready for publication or for sending to publishers.

Promo- The Roundtable Podcast

We then talk about stupid reviewer tricks and when the pure gold this is a reader review turns out to be a problem.

This is the blog post Alan talks about writing after the insane “Whispernet” review: http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/idiot-reviews/

Here’s the website of terrible reviews: http://leasthelpful.com/

Here’s the review of Slaughterhouse Five that Alan read out: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/19/dumbest-book-reviews_n_1610332.html#s1111698&title=SlaughterhouseFive_by_Kurt

And another site you may enjoy: http://best-review-ever.blogspot.com/

After we have a good laugh at the expense of several terrible reviews, we chat about what makes a good review, and how easy it is.

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