Writers of the Future Podcast

Jody Lynn Nye is a New York Times bestselling author and the Writers of the Future Coordinating judge and discusses her vision of the future of science fiction and fantasy and the role and value it can have in forming the future of civilization. She also gives what she is looking for in stories for the Contest. See her works at: jodynye.com

Desmond Astaire is the Gold Award winner for Writers of the Future Volume 38. He is career Air Force who also aspires to a career as an author. Learn more at www.desmondastaire.com.

Craig Alanson publishes 3 novels a year. He went from being a paid accountant writing code to a full-time author making 6 figures after only 6 months—as a self-published author! He created "Expeditionary Force" as a reaction to the “plucky band of soldiers with rifles defeat an alien invasion” trope. These stories are so serious, straight ahead, and unrealistic—how can human soldiers on the ground defeat an alien assault, when the aliens can nuke us from orbit? "I set out to write a military space opera that was a hell of a lot more fun. Enjoy."

M. Elizabeth Ticknor and Rebecca E. Treasure discuss the importance of friendship in writing and making their dream of being authors happen. We discuss their journeys, overcoming self-doubt, and persevering to win the Contest.

Larry Elmore became an Illustrators of the Future judge in 2012 and is routinely a highlight anytime he attends the annual workshop. Larry discusses how the original D&D art came to be and, following this, Dragonlance art. Larry talks about how he can just look at something, duplicate the shape, and draw it from memory.

Dean Wesley Smith is one of the most prolific authors today, a master of selling the first draft of his stories. He was the first Writers of the Future winner to be awarded in the history of the Contest. In this podcast, he covers writing what you want to write, what you have fun with. He discusses what today are called "guidelines." In L. Ron Hubbard's day, these were called taboos, which he discusses in his how-to article called "Boos and Taboos." In addition to creating his own worlds, Dean has written "Star Trek," "Spider-Man," "X-Men," "Iron Man," and "Men in Black" novels and ghostwritten dozens of others.

Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, wrote and did her own voice-over for her book, "I'm Still a 10-Year Old Boy" and she is also an artist and sculptor. We discuss her growth and subsequent influence as an artist which includes my favorite chapter, "Six Salient Steps to Successful Survival," which is very applicable to the aspiring writer and artist...and we talk about all 6 steps!

The UK is very important to Writers and Illustrators of the Future! Illustrator grand prize winner volume 37 Dan Watson (top), writer winner volume 36 J. L. George (center), and writer winner volume 38 Michael Panter (bottom)were interviewed during the workshop week where we discussed their individual journeys to winner and what they plan to do in the future. Dan Watson: danwatsonart.com/ J. L. George: jlgeorgewrites.wordpress.com/ Michael Panter: michaelpanter.com/

Growing up in Jamaica, Michael Talbot had always had a strong desire to inspire and speak to others through art. In 2012 he left his home country to live in the US and began pursuing his artistic dreams. He earned his BFA in illustration and graphic design with a minor in animation at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, and has since been working as a Boston-based freelance artist on a wide range of projects, exhibitions, and showcases. Michael believes that all art is interconnected in some facet; informing, complimenting and/or enhancing each other. And although his passion and interest for storytelling is forefront in his practice and craft, he tends to draw from his knowledge in as many areas of study as possible to help strengthen this process. Whenever possible, he uses his rich cultural background from his early life in Jamaica to infuse, improve, and “season” whatever project he tackles, often mixing both digital and traditional media. https://talbotsart.com/home.html

Martin L. Shoemaker, a winner in Writers of the Future Volume 31, announces a new book, "Ulla," based on "The War of the Worlds" storyline, and the use of Kickstarter to help with the book's release. Reach Martin at https://shoemaker.space/