Looking for Writers’ Podcasts

I don’t listen to the radio very often. When I’m in the car, I’ve got a vast array of podcasts to keep me busy — shows about movies, TV, comics, old-fashioned radio comedies, audiobooks, and whatever the hell Monty and the Mongoose are doing these days.

One thing I’ve really been digging into lately, though, are shows featuring writers talking about writing. There’s something both entertaining and therapeutic about listening to other people who know the agony of staring at the blank page talk about how they conquered it to become successful. The Nerdist Writer’s Panel and The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith are the two I listen to most often, but I’ve run out of new episodes of these shows and they aren’t being produced quickly enough. (Especially since, if the Q&A features the writers of a movie I want to see in that episode, I always hold off on listening to it until I can see the movie, even if I have to wait months for it to hit DVD or Netflix.)

So I’m putting out the call — help me find other shows along these lines. I want to listen to writers talk about their stories, their craft, the business of writing, the things they love and the things that drive them crazy. Besides the two shows I just mentioned, I also frequently listen to the Flying Island Flagship podcast, Word Balloon, and of course, Mur Lafferty’s I Should Be Writing.

What else should I have on my iPod?

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 216.5: Blake Can’t Talk

After a week of throatal-type symptoms, Blake’s voice is shot, friends, and unable to talk he won’t be able to record a 2 in 1 Showcase podcast. BUT — that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to listen to this week! Earlier in the week, he joined the good folks of Flying Island Press for an episode of the Galley Table podcast, in which they discuss writing comic books and the challenge of bringing superheroes out of comics into novels, movies, and television. It’s a great conversation with some really creative guys, so be sure to give it a listen. Blake and (hopefully) the gang will be back next week. In the meantime, you can contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@CXPulp.com!

The Galley Table Episode 31: Translating Comics

A quick message and a Universal Rule

Hey, peeps — if you recall, back in July my short story “Inciting Incident” saw publication in the first volume of Flying Island Press‘s new magazine, Flagship. Well, Flagship #2 is now available and, while I didn’t have a story for this one, seven (count ‘em!) other fine writers are accounted for. And just like issue one (which is still available) you can get it in either eBook or audiobook form. So hustle on over to FlyingIslandPress.com on your little Peggy Flemming legs right now and get yourself Flagship #2. (And if you haven’t done so already, Flagship #1!)

And now, for a Universal Rule of the Universe…

Blake’s Universal Rule of the Universe #68:

68. Everybody deserves, just once a day, for someone else to somehow make them feel significant.

Read the rest of the Universal Rules of the Universe right here!

“Inciting Incident” now available from Flying Island Press

Here’s an announcement I don’t get to make nearly enough — I’ve got a new short story now available for purchase.

Fans of Other People’s Heroes, people who are looking for a deeper insight into the inner workings of Siegel City, this one is for you. Set a few years before the events of the novel, “Inciting Incident” is about the efforts of a man named Ethan Hellig to find a way to give himself powers, hoping to make his own mark on the city’s superhero population. The story is available right now in the first issue of Flagship, the new magazine from the good folks at Flying Island Press. A few months ago, FIP put out word that their debut issue would be themed “Origins,” and they were looking for stories that fit that theme. As my primary storytelling universe is a superhero world, I knew I wanted in on this — there are a lot of origin stories in Siegel City worth telling.

Flagship is doing something different in its publishing model. It’s not a print magazine. It’s available in two separate formats. You can get an eBook edition, suitable for assorted electronic reading devices, or you can download it as an audiobook. You can get either the eBook or the audiobook for $1.99, or you can get ‘em both for just $2.99. That’s six stories for two bucks, friends, and there’s some very cool stuff in this first issue.

So head on over to the Flying Island Press website, or click this link to go straight to the page to purchase Flagship issue one. And help spread the word!

2 in 1 Showcase Episode 177: Independence Day Rundown

Blake goes it alone with a quick episode for this Independence Day weekend. You get his quick thoughts on Wonder Woman’s new costume, the new movie Spider-Man, the creation of Marvel TV, and a review of Scott Sigler‘s Infected, plus the pick of the week: Ghostbusters: Con-Volutions. Plus, Kenny chimes in via e-mail to give his thoughts on the film The Last Airbender. But that’s not all! Blake’s been busy lately, and this week he clues you guys in about his recent appearance on the Castle Rock Podcast, his new short story appearing in Flagship magazine from Flying Island Press, and tells you guys how to listen to the audio edition of his novel Other People’s Heroes absolutely free. It’s the Showcase age of shameless plugs! Contact us with comments, suggestions, or anything else at Showcase@comixtreme.com!

Music provided by the Podshow Podsafe Music Network.

Episode 177: An Independence Day Rundown