Writers of the Future Podcast

Marc Cameron is a former US Marshal and author of the Arliss Cutter novels, the Jericho Quinn series, and the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan books starting with "Power" and "Empire." His law enforcement career has spanned over thirty years, from uniformed police officer to mounted patrol officer and detective before becoming a US Marshal, where he served as a Deputy, Fugitive Task Force Commander, Supervisory Deputy, Senior Inspector, and Chief. In this interview, we discuss his latest novel, “Bad River," and writing thrillers and how he has used life experience to create amazing stories. https://marccameronbooks.com/

Scot Noel was a guest earlier, which you can listen to on episode 210. Scot was a Writers of the Future Volume 6 winner in 2010 and has since gone on to write more SF and created DreamForge, now in its fourth year. He has also spent quite some time working in computer science, specifically AI, and likens it to the parable of the two blind men describing an elephant, which we discuss in this interview.

Douglas Richards was a guest earlier in episode 211. In it, we discuss the blur between science and science fiction and the theme will continue in this episode. His most recent book, “The Breakthrough Effect,” was written as ChatGPT made its official appearance and so is very relevant.

David Hankins was a “Writers of the Future Volume 39” winner in 2023 with his short story “Death and the Taxman.” In this interview, we discuss science fiction comedy vs. satire and its value to the overall genre. He has since gone on to create a series based on his short story. The first was appropriately titled “Death and the Taxman,” and the second, now releasing, “Death and the Dragon.” He was a guest earlier as a winner and you can hear him in episodes 238 and 239 with fellow winners following the awards gala. Learn more about David at davidhankins.com/

Victoria Sutherland created Foreword Reviews Magazine in 1998. Since its inception, Foreword Reviews has never strayed from its mission to help booksellers and librarians discover great books from indie presses. Authors may not know that librarians need a trade review to order books, which is what Foreword Reviews is. They include 100–125 reviews per bi-monthly issue. Anyone listening to this podcast will receive a 15% discount for any Foreword service using discount code “WOTF" at www.ForewordReviews.com.

Steve Smith is the President and Publisher of Sky Turtle Press/Oasis Family Media. He began his publishing career in 1984. Throughout the 1990s, he was active in licensing entertainment industry properties for publishing projects, working with Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, and Sony Pictures. This interview discusses the importance of family-friendly content and the evolution of print books to audiobooks.

Adam Schomer is a filmmaker who created “Selling Superman,” which is the basis of this podcast interview. He is president of i2i Productions and goes to extreme lengths to follow stories that empower. His documentaries include award winners: “The Highest Pass,” “The Polygon,” “One Little Pill,” “Women of the White Buffalo,” and the documentary I watched, “Selling Superman,” about a family whose father collected comics … tens of thousands and including Issue #1 of Superman valued somewhere between $3-4M! Check out the documentary at https://www.sellingsuperman.com/

Andrea Fleck-Nisbet is the CEO of IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Assn), which is growing rapidly. After this interview with Andrea, it is no wonder why. She is a significant force of nature and, from my perspective, a major reason for this growth. In this interview, we discuss Indie publishing as well as author publishing. (She corrected me when I used the term self-publishing.) We discuss IBPA, its importance to the future of publishing, and its importance to authors and indie publishers. Learn more at www.ibpa-online.org/

Elise Stephens credits much of her storytelling influence to a lifelong love of theater and childhood globetrotting. Her work focuses on themes of family, memory, and finding hope after a devastating loss. I originally met her when she won the Writers of the Future competition in 2018 with her short story “Untrained Luck” appearing in Writers of the Future Vol 35. When I learned of her book, “Forecast,” her invitation to this podcast was assured. Her fiction prose is so easy to read and her sense of character is so authentic. Her’s was a book I greedily devoured. Learn more about Elise at www.elisestephens.com/

Myke was a Writers of the Future Contest winner in volume 19 with his story “Blood and Horses.” He is an American author of fantasy, science fiction, and nonfiction. His series includes the Shadow Ops, Reawakening, and Sacred Throne. His career also involves television, and he has appeared on the CBS reality show Hunted and the Discovery Channel series Contact. Myke Cole is a fire/rescue responder in New York’s Hudson Valley. He has spent a long career in the military, intelligence, and law enforcement. When I reached out to him, he told me he was more about writing nonfiction these days. So today, we discuss his most recent publication, “Steel Lobsters: Crown, Commonwealth, and the Last Knights in England.” Steel Lobsters covers the complete history of England’s last knights, from the seeds of their creation in Hesilrige’s experience as a young cavalry officer to their final defeat at Roundway Down in July 1643.