Forty-three years ago today, on June 24, 1974, I arrived at 575 Madison Avenue for the first day of my new job at Marvel Comics, looking something like this …

… and that was the end of that!

On Sunday, August 23, 2015 at Sasquan, the 73rd World Science Fiction Convention, I watched as Pat Cadigan read her short story “Cancer Dancer,” at the time still upcoming in the anthology Dead Letters, edited by Conrad Williams. Which meant that when I posted video of the event back then on YouTube, I only shared a taste, so it would act as an inducement for you all to purchase the book.

A thing you should still do, as it’s a fun anthology!

But the fact that the book’s been out for more than a year now means it seems the right time to present an untrimmed video of Pat’s reading, including the fascinating Q&A which followed.

So here, after a two-year wait, is the rest of the story. Those of you who watched the earlier version of this have been very patient.

Enjoy!

Some of my favorite moments from last year’s inaugural StokerCon were those spent talking late into the night with William F. Nolan and Dennis Etchison. So when this year’s StokerCon rolled around, I knew I had to capture them both for Eating the Fantastic. You’ve already heard me chat with Bill over Thai food aboard the Queen Mary back in Episode 38 (at least I hope you have). Now it’s time to for you to eavesdrop as Dennis and I dig into a couple of classic dishes at Long Beach’s Chen’s Chinese Restaurant.

Dennis is a writer and editor who’s a three-time World Fantasy Award winner and a three-time British Fantasy Award winner. His 1982 debut short story collection, The Dark Country, is one of the best horror short story collections ever. And you don’t have to take my word for how good he is—some guy named Stephen King has called him “one hell of a fiction writer.”

We discussed how Philip K. Dick staged scenes as he wrote his stories, Ray Bradbury’s baffling advice which helped Etchison make his first fiction sale, whether he’d still have become a writer had he not been an only child, why most writing workshops don’t work, how he came to write his best-selling Halloween novel for John Carpenter in six weeks, the speech he really wanted to give when he received his Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association, and more.

Here’s how you can dig into dumplings with us— (more…)

When I was investigating venues where I could record episodes of Eating the Fantastic during the recent Long Beach StokerCon, one dish stood out above all others—the whole grilled snook served by chef Sergio Peñuela at his restaurant Cheko El Rey Del Sarandeado. So that’s where I headed for dinner on Thursday during the con, in order to learn whether that dish lived up to its rep.

Spoiler alert: It did.

My guest that night was Elizabeth Hand, a brilliant writer who’s won four World Fantasy Awards, two Nebula Awards, three Shirley Jackson Awards, and more other awards than I have space to mention. The latest novel in her Cass Neary series, Hard Light, was released last year.

We discussed why she probably won’t take LSD on her deathbed, what made her a fan of Marvel rather than DC when she was a kid, her unusual fee for writing term papers back in college, the true meaning of Man’s Search for Meaning, the unfortunate occupational hazard of book reviewing, who was the best science fiction writer of all time (and why), plus more.

Here’s how you can hook a snook with us— (more…)

It took me 44 years to finally sell a story to Analog—and just a few more months to sell them a second.

Last weekend at Balticon, flanked by Michael M. Jones and Day Al-Mohamed, I shared the opening three scenes of that second story—a novelette titled “How Val Finally Escaped from the Basement,” which will appear in the magazine’s November/December 2017 issue.

If you weren’t there, check it out below. Heck, even if you were there …

Want to know what happens next? Then be sure to track down that issue, which should go on sale around the third week of October.

Balticon 51 ends today, but the fun doesn’t have to be over—because on Saturday, I interviewed a baker’s dozen of attendees about their favorite Balticon memories. And I did it over donuts!

(If you’re a regular listener and were therefore anticipating Episode 39 to be the previously announced dinner with Elizabeth Hand, don’t worry—that’s still planned to appear on June 9. But I thought it fitting that the Balticon episode go live now, to help assuage the sadness some might be feeling as they bid farewell to Baltimore for another year.)

Since last July’s Readercon Donut Spectacular episode of Eating the Fantastic has proven to be so popular, I thought I’d try harvesting memories about another long-running con, and so plopped myself down in a high-traffic area of the Balticon hotel with a dozen Diablo Donuts. But first, I shared this photo on social media so the hungry hordes would know to be on the lookout for me.

Most episodes of Eating the Fantastic involve deep-dive interviews with a single guest, so for the most part, I’m in control, but with something like this, you never know what’s going to happen, because I don’t choose the guests, the guests choose me. But I consider that controlled chaos a feature, not a bug, and think you’ll like what those who did sit down for a bite and a chat had to say about their decades—and in one case, mere hours—attending the con.

Listen as 13 guests begin Balticon’s second half-century with a dozen Diablo Donuts and reminisce about the time George R. R. Martin pretended to beat one of them to death with a cane, how a live birth almost ended up as part of the science programming, why it’s so wonderful to be able to make a Star Trek joke and have people get it, Allen Steele’s wonderful depiction of the 1939 Worldcon in his novel Arkwright, Marty Gear’s indispensable rule for self-care during convention-going, plus more.

Here’s how you can eavesdrop as my guests dig into their donuts— (more…)

All aboard!

Welcome to the permanently moored Queen Mary, which sailed the seas from 1936 to 1967, but which is now a retired ocean liner turned hotel in Long Beach, California—and last month the home of the second annual StokerCon. My guest for this episode snuck away with me from the con for some peace and quiet in my room—and to share take-out food delivered from nearby Thai Silk.

The first of five episodes I captured for you while out West is with the legendary William F. Nolan, who’s written more than 2,000 pieces of fiction and non-fiction, co-wrote with George Clayton Johnson the novel Logan’s Run, co-wrote with Richard Matheson the screenplay to the movie Trilogy of Terror (which contains perhaps the scariest doll ever seen on film), plus—he’s received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association and was named a World Horror Society Grand Master. His most recent short story collection is Like a Dead Man Walking.

We discussed how Ray Bradbury helped him sell his first short story in 1954, the way a slush pile sale to Playboy convinced him to abandon a successful career as a commercial artist, why his Twilight Zone episode was never filmed, the difference between the real truth and Charles Beaumont’s “greater truth,” why he only ever acted in one movie (and got punched by William Shatner), how Stan Freberg pranked diners aboard the Queen Mary and made them think the ship was sinking, which novel he thinks is his best (and it’s not Logan’s Run), and more.

Before you dive in, a reminder—if you like what you hear and what Eating the Fantastic is trying to accomplish, check out how you can support the show by subsidizing some of the travel, bandwidth, meal, and other costs over on Patreon. (There are perks for all patrons, of course.) Or, if you’d prefer, make a one-time donation via Paypal.me. With your help, I can keep capturing all those who make the world of the fantastic great, and also make this podcast even bigger and better.

And now—here’s how you can dig into some of that Pad-Se-Ew with us— (more…)

Pittsburgh is home to two bucket list bites for foodies. One is the Primanti Bros sandwich … and the other is the Prantl’s burnt almond torte. I got to taste them both during the recent Nebula awards weekend.

I already told you about my trip to Primanti’s. Only four other SFWA members joined me there, but—because I was in the mood to share—a whole lot more got a taste of what The Huffington Post called “The Greatest Cake America Has Ever Made.”

Which, regardless of how mouthwatering it looks, isn’t this cake.

But let me explain. (more…)

There are only a few more days before this year’s Balticon begins, so I checked the final program to see whether there’d been any changes to my schedule from when I last shared my planned appearances with you. And surprise—there were!

One programming item has been switched to a later time, new co-panelists been added and old ones deleted, and panel descriptions had been added as well.

And so … here’s you can really find me—

Saturday, May 27

Tales from the Slush Pile
11:00 a.m.
Editors share tales of some of the gems they’ve received, and give advice on how to avoid becoming fodder for future panels like this.
with Scott Andrews, Erika Pryor, and Joshua Bilmes

Writing Interesting and Effective Short Stories
12:00 p.m.
Science fiction and fantasy literature has been the domain of the short story since before even the first pulps,. To this day, it’s often how readers discover new authors, new authors gain exposure, new concepts are explored, and new styles are developed. What makes a short story effective? How can you condense the universe you’re building into a small space and still have enough to hold the reader’s attention? How is prose and characterization handled differently in a short work, and how do you know when to end it?
with Hildy Silverman, Malka Older, Jean Marie Ward, and Fran Wilde

How to Incorporate Critique
5:00 p.m.
They’ve read your work, and you’ve got your response… now what do you do with it? How do you take someone else’s advice and still keep the story your own? How much (and when) should you change to meet a reader’s expectations?
with Joshua Bilmes, James Minz, Sarah Pinsker, and S.M. Stirling

How to Self-Edit That Lousy First Draft
6:00 p.m.
“The first draft of anything is lousy”, is a quote attributed to many writers (usually with more colorful language), but knowing that, how do you make it better? What steps can you take before you show it to an editor? How can you keep from getting frustrated trying to make the version on paper look like the version in your head?
with David Keener, Sarah Avery, and Steve Brust

Sunday, May 28

Kaffeeklatsch
10:00 a.m.

Being a Fan of Problematic Things
12:00 p.m.
We love things. Sometimes they’re problematic. Sometimes their creators are. We’ll explore how to be a fan of those things without making the problems worse, or maybe even while making them better.
with Martina Fetzer, Eric Hardenbrook, Nobilis Reed, and S.M. Stirling

Reading
5:00 p.m.
with Day Al-Mohammed and Catherine Asaro

But remember—those aren’t the only places to find me. At some point during the con, I plan to plop myself down with a dozen donuts and record another lightning-round episode of my Eating the Fantastic podcast, similar to the one I did at Readercon. Watch my Twitter feed to find out where and when.

And if you spot me in the halls, the dealers room, or the bar, be sure to say hello!

My zombie novelette collection Liars, Fakers, and the Dead Who Eat Them officially launched aboard the Queen Mary last month during StokerCon, and though sales have been good, the book hasn’t gotten any reviews … until now.

And it’s a good one.

Eddie Generous of Unnerving magazine reviewed the two stories in the collection, and after stating he was “enthralled” by the first, he ended by writing—

These stories are gritty visions of people being people in a time when the dead roam and priorities are in serious flux. The writing is smooth and inviting, colourful and vivid. I am wholly impressed and as far as zombie shorts go, Only Humans Can Lie is the best I’ve ever read.

I couldn’t have asked for a more positive summation.

If you’d like to learn whether you’d agree, why not buy a copy right now?