And now it’s time to take a seat at the table for brunch with writer Michael Jan Friedman. We met up last month during Shore Leave, and headed off to the nearby Ashland Cafe, where we ate out on the patio. Luckily, it was a nice day for it, but even if it hadn’t been quite that nice, we’d still have chosen to remain outside in this time of COVID. We’re definitely not out of the woods yet, folks.

Michael’s written more than 70 books — around half of them set in the Star Trek universe. In 1992, he wrote Reunion, the first Star Trek: The Next Generation hardcover, which introduced the crew of the Stargazer, Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s first command. Friedman has also written for the Aliens, Predator, Wolf Man, Lois and Clark, DC Super Hero, Marvel Super Hero, and Wishbone licensed book universes. Eleven of his books, including Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Ghost Hunting (written with Syfy’s Ghost Hunters), have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. He’s also produced more than 200 comic book stories, including the Darkstars series from DC Comics, which he created with artist Larry Stroman, and the Outlaws limited series, which he created with artist Luke McDonnell. He also co-wrote the story for the second-season Star Trek: Voyager episode “Resistance,” which guest-starred Joel Grey.

We discussed the comic book he refused to trade for Fantastic Four #1 as a kid, how the X-Men might actually be a deconstructed Superman, whether it mattered the Marvel Universe was set in New York rather than DC’s series of fictional cities, why his two favorite superheroes are Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter, the lesson he took from an early encounter with Isaac Asimov, how he easily solved a stardate conflict which allowed him to keep Chekov in one of his Star Trek novels, what it was like helping Hulk Hogan write his autobiography, and much more.

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Here’s what we chowed down on during our brunch at the Ashland Cafe —

Michael’s Eggs Benedict

Scott’s Ashland Special
two blueberry pancakes, two eggs over easy, bacon

Michael’s Blueberry Pie

Scott’s Cherry Pie

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Please join me two weeks from when we’ll head into D.C. for lunch with David Ebenbach, whose most recent novel, How to Mars, was published last year by Tachyon Press, and whose most recent short story collection, The Guy We Didn’t Invite to the Orgy and Other Stories, was published in 2017 by the University of Massachusetts Press. I do hope you’ll return to eavesdrop yet again.

Thanks for listening!