This episode’s guest is Randee Dawn, whom I first met — in the flesh anyway — at last year’s D.C. Worldcon, where she impressed me by emceeing an entertaining afternoon of Fannish Pictionary in which I participated. After our paths crossed again during another round of Pictionary at the Chicago Worldcon, and I saw she’d also be at Maryland’s Capclave, I invited her to break bread with me there.

Our schedules were so tight the only time we had without a conflict was a Saturday morning breakfast. When Randee suggested we start the day with dim sum, we decided to head over to A & J Restaurant at 10:00 a.m. just as it opened.

Randee Dawn’s debut novel, the humorous pop culture fantasy Tune in Tomorrow, was released in August by Rebellion Publishing. She’s a former editor at The Hollywood Reporter and Soap Opera Digest, and these days covers show business for Variety, The Los Angeles Times, Emmy Magazine, and Today.com. Her short fiction has appeared in numerous anthologies and online publications such as Stories We Tell After Midnight, Even in the Grave, Another World: Stories of Portal Fantasy, and more.

She co-edited the anthology Across the Universe: Tales of Alternative Beatles. Her love of all things Law & Order led her to appear in one episode and later co-author The Law & Order: SVU Unofficial Companion. Once a month she hosts Rooftop Readings at Ample Hills Creamery in Brooklyn.

We discussed the way her soap opera and gaming backgrounds led to the creation of her fantasy debut novel Tune in Tomorrow, what made her decide it was time for her to write funny, why her first instinct is always to turn her ideas into novels rather than short stories, how Law & Order fan fiction conquered her fears of showing her writing to others (and eventually led to her appearing as extra on the franchise), the reason she doesn’t read her reviews, and much more.

Here’s how you can join us — (more…)

On September 21, 2022, I headed over to The Ivy Bookshop in Baltimore for another installment of Charm City Spec. And while that night’s four writers read selections from their novels, I was in the front row recording as much as my battery power and speed with pressing the start button allowed.

Here I am holding up my Flip camera, captured while Alan Smale was at the mic —

And because of that, though you weren’t there, now you can be. Check out the four performances below.

Serby Gray
reading from her novel Ashes of Regret

Randee Dawn
reading from her novel Tune In Tomorrow

Alan Smale
reading from his novel Hot Moon

Amy L.Bernstein
reading from her novel The Potrero Complex

If you’d like to catch one of these events in person, another Charm City Spec is coming up on November 16, this time at the Bird in Hand Cafe & Bookshop. For more information, follow Charm City Spec on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.