52. [Interview] S. Andrew Swann – Writing The Sword of the Slayer & lessons learned from publishing 26 fantasy and sci-fi books

May 5, 2020May 3, 2020 ~ Jed Herne ~ Leave a comment

S. Andrew Swann is the pen name of Steven Swiniarski. He has published over 26 novels since 1993. His recent works include Sword of the Slayer – an interactive fiction story from Choice of Games.

Watch our video interview below, or click the links to listen in your podcast player of your choice.

Or click here to listen online.

Show Notes:

Steven’s website: sandrewswann.com

Twitter: @SAndrewSwann

Facebook: facebook.com/sandrewswann

Sword of the Slayer: choiceofgames.com/sword-of-the-slayer

Steven’s favorite books:

– American Gods

– Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files

– Peter F. Hamilton’s books

– Hyperion

– The Fireman by Joe Hill

49. [Interview] Kate Heartfield – Interactive Fiction and The Magician's Workshop

March 31, 2020March 7, 2020 ~ Jed Herne ~ 1 Comment

What does it take to write stories where readers’ decisions affect the outcome? Kate Heartfield is an author of several historical fantasy and interactive fiction stories, including The Road to Canterbury, and The Magician’s Workshop, published by Choice of Games. Her fiction has won or been shortlisted for the Nebula, Locus, Aurora and Crawford awards.

Or click here to listen online.

Twitter: @kateheartfield

Website: heartfieldfiction.com

Show Notes:

The Magician’s Workshop – her interactive fiction story set in Renaissance Florence.

Jed’s twitter: @jedherne

Jed’s email: jed.herne1(at)gmail.com

48. The Magician’s Workshop by Kate Heartfield – Lessons from Interactive Fiction

March 17, 2020March 22, 2020 ~ Jed Herne ~ Leave a comment

I normally analyse novels. On this episode, I’m pulling lessons from another storytelling form to see how it can improve our writing. Enjoy!

Or click here to listen online.

Show Notes:

My email – send me your comments/questions/queries – I respond to every message -> jed.herne1(at)gmail.com

Twitter: @jedherne

Fires of the Dead – just $0.99 on Amazon for a limited time: https://amzn.to/39W9Xaq

The Magician’s Workshop: https://www.choiceofgames.com/magicians-workshop/

Sky Pirates of Actorious: https://www.choiceofgames.com/sky-pirates-of-actorius/

8 Top Writing Lessons From 8 Years of Writing

December 24, 2019December 23, 2019 ~ Jed Herne ~ Leave a comment

It’s been 8 years since I started writing in 2012. Listen to today’s podcast to discover the 8 biggest lessons I’ve learned.

Or click here to listen online.

Show Notes:

Across the Broken Stars – goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49125250-across-the-broken-stars

Best writing advice resources:

Anything by K. M. Weiland

Brandon Sanderson’s online lectures

Lessons from the Screenplay

Story by Robert McKee

Dialogue by Robert McKee

The Anatomy of Story by John Truby

The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donald Maass

(Note: some of those links are affiliate links, which means if you use them, I may receive compensation – at no extra cost to you. It’s a win-win!)