Salman Rushdie is an author that most people know in one way or another.  He is the winner of the Booker Prize (what has been called the British equivalent of the Pulitzer), he has been appointed a Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II, and has had a fatwā issued against him for his book The Satanic Verses.  His latest book is Luka and the Fire of Life, a fantasy tale about a boy whose father is sick and it is necessary for the boy – Luka – to travel into a fantasy world and capture some of this “fire of life” to cure his father; but he is up against unbeatable odds: no one has ever made through this fantasy world and survived; no one has ever managed to capture the fire of life; and no one has ever made it back to the real world with the fire of life.  The book was written for his second son, after he originally wrote Haroun and the Sea of Stories, for his first son; they’d each asked for a story they could read and enjoy.

At a recent signing at the wonderful Kepler's Books and Magazines, Rushdie took a moment to do an interview with BookBanter and Kaye Cloutman of the San Francisco Book Review. Angela from Kepler's Books and Magazines also provided a question during the interview. Rushdie talks about how and why he became an author, the steps he needed to take to write a children's fantasy novel, as well as some advice for writer's living under oppression.

Many thanks to Angela and everyone at Kepler's Books and Magazines for helping to organize the interview, and for being so accommodating. Also thanks to Jared Emerson-Johnson for cleaning up the interview and making it sound awesome.

N. K. Jemisin is the author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kings, the first two books in the Inheritance Trilogy. In this interview, Jemisin talks about how she got started writing, where she got the idea for "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms," and what the final book in the trilogy will be about. She also has some advice for writers looking to get published, and goes in to detail about another big project she's working on.

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To hear the episode, click the play button on the player below. To download the episode, right click HERE.

There's a new page called Librivox. On the Librivox website you will find a wide selection of free listening material to download and enjoy. It is essentially the audio version of the Gutenberg Project, where you can enjoy a number of books and stories that are available in the public domain (because their copyright has expired). All audio recordings are done on a volunteer basis, and a number of years ago -- before BookBanter (which was no doubt an influence on the genesis of the podcast) -- I decided to record some short stories and then some books by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells for Librivox. On the Librivox page you can find all these recordings, as well as the links to downloading the stories, and the chapters to the books. After receiving some wonderful feedback from a reader for one of the recordings, I plan to get started on recording some more books in the near future.

Until December, keep reading.

Alex C. Telander.

Photo by Kyle Cassidy

Brandon Sanderson is the bestselling author of the Mistborn trilogy and will be soon starting work on the final book of the Wheel of Time series, after completing The Gathering Storm and Towers of Midnight. Two years ago -- almost to the day -- I had my first interview on BookBanter with Brandon Sanderson. Back then he had just begun work on the Wheel of Time series, after releasing the concluding volume of the Mistoborn series. We did the interview after a reading and signing, out in the open, with little interruption. You can hear the interview here.

With the release of Sanderson's own brand spanking new ten-book series, The Stormlight Archive, with The Way of Kings, and the recent release of the second to last Wheel of Time book, Towers of Midnight, I thought it would be fitting to have Sanderson be the first second interview with the same person on BookBanter, on the second anniversary of the podcast. This time, I was only given a fifteen minute window before a huge signing (there was no time for a reading) in a back office. I knew at the time of the original interview with Sanderson, that the next time would be a big affair, but I had no idea how big.

In the short but detailed interview, Sanderson talks about how he was able to get two extremely long books written and published in one year, why he thinks he won't have any books out for a while, and some secrets to his favorite hobby: RPGs!

To play the episode click on the player below; to download, right click on THIS LINK.

Also, with regards to the BookBanter website, there's a new page called Librivox. On the main Librivox page you will find a wide selection of free listening material to download and enjoy. It is essentially the audio version of the Gutenberg Project, where you can enjoy a number of books and stories that are available in the public domain (because their copyright has expired). All audio recordings are done on a volunteer basis, and a number of years ago -- before BookBanter (which was no doubt an influence on the genesis of the podcast) -- I decided to record some short stories and then some books by Jules Verne and H. G. Wells for Librivox. On the Librivox page you can find all these recordings, as well as the links to downloading the stories, and the chapters to the books. After receiving some wonderful feedback from a reader for one of the recordings, I plan to get started on recording some more books in the near future.

Until December, keep reading.

Alex C. Telander.

Mitchell James Kaplan is the historical fiction author of By Fire, by Water, set in fifteenth century later Medieval Spain during the turbulent period of the Moors, Christians, and Jews, while Columbus was seeking out the distant Indies. The episode begins with the review for By Fire, by Water, followed by the interview with Mitchell James Kaplan, where he talks about how he got started writing, how much work and research his debut novel took, and what he's working on next.

Until next time, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

This is the first of hopefully many co-interviews for BookBanter, with Kaye Cloutman of the San Francisco and Sacramento Book Reviews. Justin Cronin is the author of The Summer Guest andMary and O'Neil, and the first book in a epic trilogy about vampires and a post-apocalyptic world called The Passage. In the interview, Justin talks about how he got started writing, where the ideas and storylines for The Passage came from (totally worth hearing), why he began writing The Passage, who some of his influences are, and how he feels readers should handle dealing with an almost 800 page book.

For the first time, a BookBanter interview was recorded on video, which you can enjoy in PART ONE and PART TWO.

For the next couple of weeks I'll be on vacation, traveling to distant England and Sweden. There will be a new episode on August featuring a collection of book reviews, as well as the overdue written interview with Gardner Dozois.

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

AN INTERVIEW WITH CORY DOCTOROW

Cory Doctorow keeps himself busy with his nonstop writing and publishing of books, his many blog postings, the work he does for Boing Boing, as well as raising a child. He is the author of a number of books including Little Brother and Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. His latest books are Makersfor adults and For the Win for young adults.

In this interview, Cory Doctorow talks about what is was that got him into writing, how he got started with Boing Boing, where he got his idea for Makers from, and the new book he's working on. He also talks about where he thinks technology and the Internet are head in the near future. Featured in the episode are my reviews for Makers, For the Win, Under Heaven by Guy Gavriel Kay, and Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan.

Please join me next time, on July 1st, for a written interview with graphic novel artist and writer Brian Wood, who is the creator and writer of the graphic novel series DMZ and Northlanders.

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

Katharine Beutner’s first novel, Alcestis, is set in Mycenaean Greece. Alcestis is a princess from Greek mythology, made popular in the Euripides play of the same name. Alcestis sacrifices herself in place of her husband and is taken to Hades, where she is soon rescued. Beutner gives the reader Alcestis’s viewpoint, what she went through and how she felt. For the full review, click on the book cover below.

In the interview, Beutner talks about why she wanted to write this book, how she got it published, and how much research she took. She also talks about what she’s working on next, what she likes to in her spare time, and if she could live in Mycenaean Greece, would she?

Coming up on June 1st will be a written interview with graphic artist and writer Dash Shaw, and we’ll be talking all about his new graphic novel, Bodyworld, as well as how he became an artist, what he likes to do in his spare time, and what he’s working on now.

We’ve hit a milestone here at BookBanter also, with over 400 book reviews now available. You can find any of the reviews by using the search bar at the top right of this page, or heading over to the Book Reviews page and seeing what the top ten most read reviews are. This also marks the 30th episode of BookBanter. Be sure to check out other interviews, as well as some written interviews also. Finally, there’s also always the BookBanter blog to keep you entertained.

Until next time,

Alex C. Telander.

At a recent book signing for The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade, I had the chance to sit down and chat with the incredible minds behind one of the most popular webcomics of our time: Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik. Jerry and Mike talk about what an average day for them is like, who else works at their office so they get to read and write about video games, what Child's Play is, what goes on at PAX, and how much time they really spend playing video games. Included in the episode is my review for The Splendid Magic of Penny Arcade:

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

As you may have noticed, there are some updates to BookBanter:

- the whole new look to the site;

- the new BookBanter theme song, with an original beginning and ending;

- the book review search bar available on this page, as well as on the reviews page;

- the episodes page features a complete listing of all the BookBanter episodes from the premiere episode to the current one;

- the reviews page also has a full genre and category listing to help you navigate the reviews;

- the interviews page features a new step for BookBanter with written interviews, starting with Brandon Sanderson; an exclusive interview with Peter Straub will be up on April 15th;

- the author comments page is where author's let you know what they think of BookBanter.

- the BookBanter on BookBanter interview on the About page.

Please join me next time, on April 15th, where there'll be a new episode featuring a lineup of book reviews, along with an exclusive written interview with bestselling author Peter Straub.

Until next time,

Alex C. Telander.

On January 23rd I was given the opportunity to interview Kim Stanley Robinson, author of the award-winning Mars trilogy, as well as other bestselling books such as The Year of Rice and Salt and Forty Signs of Rain, in person at the Avid Reader Bookstore, in the city of Davis where Robinson resides. The interview was conducted a little while before his reading and signing for his latest book, Galileo’s Dream, which is a science fiction novel, but is also a biography of Galileo’s life, as well as his problems in dealing with the Church. During the interview, Robinson talked a lot about how he came up with Galileo’s Dream, how much work and research the book took. He also talked about what got him into writing, what he thinks readers will get out of reading his books, and what he’s working on next.

Thanks go to Sunny Baadkar and the Avid Reader in Davis for helping to organize and provide a very comfortable space to do the interview (and that’s classical music in the background from Capital Public Radio).

Featured in the episode are my reviews for: Galileo’s Dream, A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire, The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell, and Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons.

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

Please join me next month, on April 2nd (I’m avoiding April 1st because of its connotations) where a number of things will be happening: you’ll get to hear my interview with the incredibly talented minds behing the renowned web coming Penny Arcade; coupled with this will be a full site upgrade with a whole new look, new pages, new items to read, new layouts, even more book reviews with better and easier way to access them and find them, as well as a host of other additions and new items such as the original BookBanter theme song and a special recorded interview with yours truly on BookBanter, where it came, and where I’d like it to go in the future.

Until next time,

Alex C. Telander.

This episode features my interview with Seth Grahame-Smith, who is the author of the original mash-novel that swept the world by storm, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, which is now being turned into a movie, as well as a graphic novel, and there’s even a prequel coming out soon. But most of our interview — after some initial discussion about Seth’s thoughts on zombies — was spent talking about his new book coming out March 2nd, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. In the interview, you learn where he came up with the idea for the book (which predates Pride and Prejudice and Zombies), how he went about writing the book with all the research. Seth also does a lot of TV work, which he talks about, as well as other projects he’s currently working on. There was a bit of an issue with the recording and sound quality, but the interview is clear enough and pretty interesting.

This episode features my reviews Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and the new book, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter :

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

For more updates and news, as wells as thoughts and comments about books and writing, be sure to check out the BookBanter Blog.

Be sure to join me on the next episode of BookBanter, coming March 15th, where I’ll be talking with bestselling author Kim Stanley Robinson, and we’ll be talking all about his latest book, Galileo’s Dream.

Until next time,

Alex C. Telander.

In this new episode of Bookbanter, I had the chance to interview David Grann. Grann is a staff writer for the New Yorker and last year published his first book, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon, about one of the world’s last explorers, Percy Fawcett, and his expeditions into the Amazon in search of a lost civilization. In the interview, you learn of David Grann’s history: how he became an article writer, how he ended up working for the New Yorker, and how he comes up with his incredible ideas for articles. Grann also talks about his new book due out in March 9th, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, collecting a number of his articles. We concluded the interview with discussion on whether Grann ever plans to return to the Amazon in light of some recent evidence of archaeological excavations that are being made there.

This episode also features my reviews for The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins, Altar of Eden by James Rollins, and The Lost City of Z by David Grann:

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

For more updates and news, as wells as thoughts and comments about books and writing, be sure to check out the BookBanter Blog.

Please join me next time, in Episode 27 on March 1st, where I will hopefully be interviewing Seth Grahame-Smith, author of the bestselling Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and his new book Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

See you next time,

Alex C. Telander.

Episode 25 features my interview with author Cherie Priest. Cherie has written a number of books, including Four and Twenty Blackbirds, Wings to the Kingdom, Not Flesh Nor Feathers, and her most recent release is a steampunk adventure called Boneshaker set in late nineteenth century Seattle where a terrible accident causes people to turn into zombies. In her interview, Cherie says she wanted to make up a reason for the steampunk look of cap and goggles, and she has certainly created a compelling and entertaining one in Boneshaker. In the interview, she also talks about how she got started writing, what she’s working on now, and what she likes to do in her spare time.

Featured on the episode are my reviews for Vikings: A History by Robert Ferguson, Jack: Secret Circles by F. Paul Wilson, The Unwritten, Volume 1 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross, and Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. If you’d like to purchase any of these titles, please click on the covers below :

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

For more updates and news, as wells as thoughts and comments about books and writing, be sure to check out the BookBanter Blog.

I’ll see you next time, on February 15th, in Episode 26 featuring author David Grann, and we’ll be talking all about his book, The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon .

Thanks for joining me, and see you next time.

Alex C. Telander.

In Episode 24 I had the chance to interview S. G. Browne in person. Browne is the author of an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek zombie book called Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament, which explores the idea and repercussions of what if someone woke up one day and discovered they were a zombie; how would it affect their life and in what ways. Browne also talks about how he came up with Breathers, what his next book is all about, and how it took him almost a hundred submissions to agents before Breathers was picked up.

Featured in the episode are my reviews for Breathers by S. G. Browne , Nyphron Rising by Michael J. Sullivan, The Electric Church by Jeff Somers, and A Mage of None Magic by A. Christopher Drown; to purchase any of these books, click on the covers below :

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by Angie’s List. At Angie’s List you’ll find thousands of unbiased ratings on services for home improvements, car repairs, and even doctors. Gain access to thousands of reviews on local service providers for Home improvement Auto Repair, Accounting, Animal Care, Health Care and even Weddings.  Let Angie’s List take away the guesswork. Find the service provider your neighbors gave the highest rating.  Join Angie’s List and use promo code “book” for 25% off your membership!  Just go to Angieslist.com.

After enjoying this episode, why not check out the new BookBanter Blog, where you can find out about everything related to BookBanter, books, writing, and whatever else I feel like writing about .

I’ll see you next time, on February 1st, where I’ll hopefully be interviewing author Cherie Priest, and we’ll be talking all about her great Steampunk book Boneshaker.

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

This Episode of BookBanter features the last of my recorded interviews live from the World Fantasy Convention. Guy Gavriel Kay first made himself known co-editing with Christopher Tolkien on The Silmarillion, and then wrote and published his first fantasy series, The Fionavar Tapestry. Since then he has gone on to write a number of brilliant fantasy novels that are partly historical fiction based but with a fantasy twist, including Tigana, The Lions of Al-Rassan, and The Last Light of the Sun. His new novel, Under Heaven, due out April 27th, 2010 is set in China.

Featured in the episode are my reviews for By Blood We Live, a vampire anthology edited by John Joseph Adams, The Court of the Air by Stephen Hung, Stephen King’s The Stand, Volume 1: Captain Trips by Roberto Aguire-Sacasa, and The Customer is Not Always Right by A. J., Adams; to purchase any of these books, click on the covers below :

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

I would like to thank Cheryl Morgan one final time for getting me all set up at the World Fantasy Convention.

After enjoying this episode, why not check out the new BookBanter Blog, where you can find out about everything related to BookBanter, books, writing, and whatever else I feel like writing about .

I’ll see you next time, on January 15th, 2010, where I’ll be interviewing author S. G. Browne, and we’ll be talking all about his great and fun tongue-in-cheek zombie book: Breather’s: A Zombie’s Lament .

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

In Episode 22 of BookBanter you will hear my third interview live from the World Fantasy Convention with author Jeff VanderMeer. VanderMeer writes his own books, edits anthologies, and even does writer workshops. His books include City of Saints and Madmen and Shriek: An Afterword, while some of the anthologies he has edited include Fast Ships Black Sails and The New Weird. He has two new books out: Finch, a work of fiction, and Booklife, a fantastic book on writing and how to become a successful writer no matter what level you are.

Featured in the episode are my reviews for Booklife, Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, and Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins; to purchase any of these books, click on the covers below :

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by Angie’s List. At Angie’s List you’ll find thousands of unbiased ratings on services for home improvements, car repairs, and even doctors. Gain access to thousands of reviews on local service providers for Home improvement Auto Repair, Accounting, Animal Care, Health Care and even Weddings.  Let Angie’s List take away the guesswork. Find the service provider your neighbors gave the highest rating.  Join Angie’s List and use promo code “book” for 25% off your membership!  Just go to Angieslist.com.

I would once again like to thank Cheryl Morgan for getting me all set up at the World Fantasy Convention.

After enjoying this episode, why not check out the new BookBanter Blog, where you can find out about everything related to BookBanter, books, writing, and whatever else I feel like writing about .

I’ll see you next time, on January 1st, 2010, where I’ll be interviewing author Guy Gavriel Kay, who’s new book Under Heaven, is due out April 27th.

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

Featured in the episode are my reviews for Canticle and Lamentation, as well as Depraved by Bryan Smith and Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. If you would like to purchase any of the books mentioned or preorder the new Garth Nix book, simply click on the covers below:

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

I would once again like to thank Cheryl Morgan for getting me all set up at the World Fantasy Convention.

After enjoying this episode, why not check out the new BookBanter Blog, where you can find out what I was up to at the World Fantasy Convention and which panels I attended.

I'll see you next time, on December 15th, where I'll be interviewing author Jeff VanderMeer, who's most recent book is Booklife.

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

Episode 20 of BookBanter features the first of the four interviews I did at the World Fantasy Convention in San Jose. In this episode, I had a chance to sit down and talk with bestselling Australian author Garth Nix. While Nix doesn’t have a new book due out until next March, with the final book in the Keys to the Kingdom series, Lord Sunday, he was a Guest of Honor at the convention and I was able to get him in the interview room for half an hour, sit him down, and get him talking about what he’s been working on, how he got started as a writer, the big news with the Old Kingdom books, what he likes to do in his spare time, what he thinks about long-distance traveling, and where he would live in the Old Kingdom.

Featured in the episode — after the interview — are my reviews for The Waking: Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall, Flesh by Richard Layman, and The Box: Uncanny Stories by Richard Matheson. If you would like to purchase any of the books mentioned or preorder the new Garth Nix book, simply click on the covers below:

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by Angie’s List. At Angie’s List you’ll find thousands of unbiased ratings on services for home improvements, car repairs, and even doctors. Gain access to thousands of reviews on local service providers for Home improvement Auto Repair, Accounting, Animal Care, Health Care and even Weddings.  Let Angie’s List take away the guesswork. Find the service provider your neighbors gave the highest rating.  Join Angie’s List and use promo code “book” for 25% off your membership!  Just go to Angieslist.com.

I would once again like to thank Cheryl Morgan for getting me all set up at the World Fantasy Convention.

After enjoying this episode, why not check out the new BookBanter Blog, where you can find out what I was up to at the World Fantasy Convention and which panels I attended.

I’ll see you next time, on December 1st, where I’ll be interviewing author Ken Scholes, who currently has to two books out of his Psalms of Isaak series: Lamentation and Canticle.

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

In episode 19 of BookBanter, I’m interviewing Alan Jacobson, bestselling author of The 7th Victim, his first novel featuring the great FBI profiler, Karen Vail, and his new novel and sequel, Crush. In the interview we talk about how Jacobson got involved in writing, how he exactly ended up researching for years with the FBI at Quantico, where Karen Vail originally came from, and what’s in store for his impressive protagonist.

If you would like to purchase The 7th Victim or Crush, click on the covers below:

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

After enjoying this episode, why not check out the new BookBanter Blog, where you can find out what I was up to at the World Fantasy Convention.

I’ll see you next time, on November 15th, where I’ll be interviewing bestselling author Garth Nix, who — no surprise — turned out to be a really great guy, and find out what he’s up to with his next book, and what big news there is about his Old Kingdom books.

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

October is also Star Wars appreciation month . . . no, that’s not true. But there is, however, a new Star Wars book — a horror novel in fact — that was released on October 13: Star Wars Death Troopers by Joe Schreiber and I had a chance to interview Joe and talk all about how he ended getting to write a Star Wars book, what this whole process was like, what it was like writing some very familiar characters, as well as a some tough questions like: “What’s your favorite Star Wars movie?” and “If you could be a Star Wars character, who would you be?” Schreiber also has another book out simultaneously, an original horror novel called No Doors, No Windows, which is also reviewed in this episode. And since it was a pretty short interview, I was able to feature some other reviews in the episode: Distant Early Warnings: Canada’s Best Science Fiction edited by Robert J. Sawyer, Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and my two humorous reviews for Brandon Sanderson’s Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians and Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener’s Bones.

If you would like to purchase any of these books, click on the covers below:

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by Angie’s List. At Angie’s List you’ll find thousands of unbiased ratings on services for home improvements, car repairs, and even doctors. Gain access to thousands of reviews on local service providers for Home improvement Auto Repair, Accounting, Animal Care, Health Care and even Weddings.  Let Angie’s List take away the guesswork. Find the service provider your neighbors gave the highest rating.  Join Angie’s List and use promo code “book” for 25% off your membership!  Just go to Angieslist.com.

After enjoying this episode, why not check out the new BookBanter Blog, which I try my very best to update daily.

Otherwise, I’ll see you next time, on November 1st, where I’ll hopefully be interviewing author Seth Grahame-Smith, author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and we’ll also be talking about what else he’s working on.

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

Fox also talks about the "Give a Victim a Voice" campaign she is part of with other bestselling authors Kathy Reichs, Linda Fairstein, and Robin Burcell.  In addition to being popular authors, each of these women has worked with cases of sexual assault and domestic violence.  Fox is very candid in sharing some of her shocking and at times unbelievable stories which become part of what she calls "reality fiction," as she inserts these real life occurrences into her novels.  She also discusses what the average reader can do to educate themselves and others about domestic violence awareness.

It was a pleasure to talk with Kathryn Fox and share her thoughts and ideas on such an important subject that has tended to be pushed to the wayside in our society which abhors facing facts that are ugly and unseemly.

My hope is that through this episode of BookBanter, I will first help educate listeners on domestic violence awareness -- I certainly learned a lot in talking with Kathryn -- and encourage the BookBanter readers and listeners to gets others to listen to this interview and help spread the word and knowledge about Domestic Violence Awareness.

As Kathryn says in the interview, we want sexual assault and domestic violence awareness to become as focused, important, and as center stage as the other cause being respected this month: Breast Cancer Awareness.

If you would like to purchase any of Kathryn Fox's books, please click on the book covers below:

 The interview with Kathryn Fox is followed by my review with the author of The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger's latest book, Her Fearful Symmetry, which can be purchased here:

 This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

After enjoying this episode, please check out the new BookBanter Blog, which I try my very best to update daily. 

Otherwise, I'll see you next time, on October 15th, where I'll be interviewing author Joe Schreiber and we'll be talking all about his new book, Death Troopers.

Until then, keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

It’s September 15th and time for another new episode of BookBanter.  On this episode I’ll be talking with bestselling author and award-winning graphic novel writer Mike Carey.  Carey has worked on a number of graphic novel projects, including the long-running Lucifer series, as well as a number of X-Men comics.  He is currently working on his latest comic book series, The Unwritten.  He is also the author of a popular book series featuring the exorcist Felix Castor.  The first two books — The Devil You Know and Vicious Circle — are now available in paperback, with the third — Dead Men’s Boots — recently released in hardcover.

So sit back and relax — unless you’re going to be listening to the latest episode in the car and you’re driving! — and find out from Mike Carey what he uses to write with, how he got into comics, what he thinks of “punting,” and everything else going on his life.

To purchase any of the Felix Castor series, simply click on the book covers below:

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by Angie’s List. At Angie’s List you’ll find thousands of unbiased ratings on services for home improvements, car repairs, and even doctors. Gain access to thousands of reviews on local service providers for Home improvement Auto Repair, Accounting, Animal Care, Health Care and even Weddings.  Let Angie’s List take away the guesswork. Find the service provider your neighbors gave the highest rating.  Join Angie’s List and use promo code “book” for 25% off your membership!  Just go to Angieslist.com.

Check out the official BookBanter site and read through the hundreds of book reviews available.  I’m adding more with each new episode!

Otherwise, thanks for listening to BookBanter.  If you haven’t already, send an email to alex@bookbanter.net to join the BookBanter mailing list, letting you know when the latest episode is available and what’s in store for the future with BookBanter.  Or just send me an email, comment, or suggestion about an author you’d like to see interviewed on the show.

See you next time on October 1st.

For now: keep turning those pages!

Alex C. Telander.

Welcome to August 1st and the next episode of BookBanter .  In this episode I’ll be talking with bestselling author Douglas Preston, who is the author of a number of books, including Blasphemy, Tyrannosaur Canyon, and The Monster of Florence , as well as coauthoring with Lincoln Child books such as Relic, Reliquary, and Riptide .  Their latest book, Cemetery Dance , addresses the subjects of zombies, Obeah, and Vodou.  Douglas will be talking about how they came up with the idea for the book, the unique writing style that he and Child employ in collaborating, and their current, unusual research project for their next book.

If you’d like to purchase any of the books mentioned above, simply click on any of the covers below:

The interview will be followed by my reviews for the following books (again, click on the covers to purchase the books):

And be sure to keep listening until the end of the episode where you can hear a short sample of the new BookBanter theme song, currently in demo form.

This episode of BookBanter is brought to you by East Bay and Footlocker, leading world suppliers of athletic footwear, apparel and sports equipment, featuring top athletic brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Converse, and Nike.  Go to East Bay.com and use the code AFBOOK15 to receive 15% off your order, or the code AFBOOK20 to receive 20% off your order of $75 or more.  Or go to Footlocker.com and use the code AFBOOKFL to receive 15% off your order.

Don’t forget about the BookBanter Facebook group .  And the BookBanter mailing list.  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.  And — like everything else — BookBanter is also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BookBanter .

For any questions or comments, or have something you’d like to know about BookBanter , email me at alexctelander@gmail.com .

Thanks for listening to BookBanter and see you on August 15th for the next episode.

Keep reading!

Alex C. Telander

If you’re interested in buying any of the books mentioned above, simply click on the book covers below:

If you have an author you’d like to see interviewed on BookBanter, or have a question or comment about the podcast, drop me a line at alexctelander@gmail.com.

Otherwise, see you August 1st where I’ll be talking with bestselling author Douglas Preston, and we’ll be talking about his latest book coauthored with Lincoln Child, Cemetery Dance, as well as an interesting research plan his endeavoring for his next book.

Keep up on your reading!

Alex C. Telander.

If you’re interested in purchasing any of the books mentioned simply click on any of the book covers below:

Don’t forget about the BookBanter Facebook group.  And the BookBanter mailing list.  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.  And — like everything else — BookBanter is also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have something you’d like to know about BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

Thanks for  listening and see you next time, on July 15th, when I’ll be interviewing bestselling prolific author Christopher Golden, who has collaborated with a number of authors including Amber Benson, Mike Mignola, and Tim Lebbon on the Hidden Cities books.  We’ll be talking about his latest book with Lebbon, The Map of Moments, as well as other books he has coming out this year, and much more.

For now keep up on your reading!

Alex C. Telander.

If you want to keep up to date and get involved in discussion about BookBanter, you can join the BookBanter Facebook group.

If you haven’t joined the BookBanter mailing list, you should, because you’ll be getting all the news and updates about BookBanter delivered right into your inbox!  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

BookBanter is also on Twitter which you can find here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have something you’d like to know about BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

Thanks for joining me and listening and see you next time, on July 1st, where I’ll be talking with award-winning, bestselling author Robert J. Sawyer, one of the first science fiction authors to have a website.  We’ll be talking about his new book, WWW: Wake, the first in trilogy, how he published his first book, advice he has for future writers, and the new TV series coming out in the fall, Fast Forward, based on his book of the same now.

For now: keep reading!

Alex C. Telander.

If you haven’t joined the BookBanter mailing list, you should, because you’ll be getting all the news and updates about BookBanter delivered right into your inbox!  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

BookBanter is also on Twitter which you can find here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have something you’d like to know about BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

Thank you for listening and hopefully see you June 15th for Episode 10 with Michael J. Sullivan, author of the Riyria Revelations series, of which the first two books are now available: The Crown Conspiracy and Avempartha.

See you next time!

Alex C. Telander.

The episode begins with my review of Daemon, followed by the interview where Suarez talks a lot about of the book, his background and why he wanted to write the book, some of his favorite authors, and what you can do to protect yourself better when using the Internet.  Suarez will be following Daemon with a direct sequel, Freedom, due out in 2010.  Daemon is a combination of Michael Crichton and Neal Stephenson, all in a good way.  I recommend you check out the interview, which doesn’t give anything big away in the book other than a very brief summary about the beginning.

If you haven’t joined the BookBanter mailing list yet, you should do, so you can get notified when a new episode is up and get all the news and info you need about BookBanter.  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

BookBanter is also on Twitter which you can find here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have an author you’d like to hear interviewed on BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

Thanks once again for the great work and help of Mr. Emerson-Johnson.

Thanks for listening to BookBanter and hopefully see you June 1st for Episode 9 with James Rollins, author of a number of bestselling books including Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow and the forthcoming Doomsday Key.

See you next time!

Alex C. Telander.

The episode begins with my review of Bonk, where Mary Roach seeks to entertainingly educate the reader on the mysterious world of the human body and how and why it reacts the way it does during coitus and stimulation.  This is followed by my interview with the author and ends with my review of Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess.

Why don’t you get yourself on the BookBanter mailing list and get notified when a new episode is up and get all the news and info you need about BookBanter.  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

And for those addicted to Twitter, you can get your BookBanter Tweets here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have an author you’d like to hear interviewed on BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

Thank you to Jared Emerson-Johnson for all your help!

Thanks for listening to BookBanter and see you May 15th for Episode 8 with Daniel Suarez, author of Daemon.

Enjoy the first half of the month!

Alex C. Telander.

This episode features my review for Death’s Daughter, which is about Calliope Reaper-Jones who discovers that she is, unsurprisingly, Death’s Daughter, and must assume the mantle of her father.  However, she doesn’t just automatically get the job, but must pass some tests first.  The review is followed by my interview with the great author/actress/singer.  Then reviews for The Hunt for Planet X: New Worlds and the Fate of Pluto by Govert Schilling, Panorama: A Foldout Book by Fani Marceau and Joelle Jolivet, and finally Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud.

Why don’t you get yourself on the BookBanter mailing list and get notified when a new episode is up and get all the news and info you need about BookBanter.  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

And for those addicted to Twitter, you can get your BookBanter updates on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have an author you’d like to see interviewed on BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening to BookBanter and see you May 1st for Episode 7 with Mary Roach, author of Stiff, Spook, and now out in paperback: Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex.

Have a good one!

Alex C. Telander.

The episode begins with my review of Agincourt, followed by the interview with Bernard Cornwell.  This is followed by my reviews for: Contagious by Scott Sigler, The Black Mirror and Other Stories: An Anthology of Science Fiction From Germany and Austria edited by Franz Rottensteiner, I Saw You . . . Comics Inspired by Real-Life Missed Connections edited by Julia Wertz, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer and translated by Burton Raffel, The Thing About Life is That One Day You’ll be Dead by David Shields, and The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes.

Why don’t you get yourself on the BookBanter mailing list and get notified when a new episode is up and get all the news and info you need about BookBanter.  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

For any questions or comments, or have an author you’d like to see interviewed on BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

And for those addicted to Twitter, you can get your BookBanter updates on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

Best,

Alex C. Telander.

You can also check out my reviews of Dan Simmons’ Hyperion and The Terror.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them here on the episode post — as well as rate the episode — or you can email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

If you want to keep up to date and get involved in discussion about BookBanter, you can join the BookBanter Facebook group.

Why don’t you get yourself on the BookBanter mailing list and get notified when a new episode is up and get all the news and info you need about BookBanter.  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

And for those addicted to Twitter, you can get your BookBanter updates on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have an author you’d like to see interviewed on BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

Remember: keep reading and listening!

The Well of Ascension and The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

The Terror by Dan Simmons

Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King

The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson.

Fast Ships Black Sails edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer

Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse edited by John Joseph Adams

Europe Between the Oceans by Barry Cunliffe

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 Volume 3: Wolves at the Gate by Joss Whedon, et. al.

Northlanders, Volume 1: Sven the Returned by Brian Wood and Davide Gianfelice

So sit back and enjoy this extra long episode of BookBanter with original fiction and a wide variety of entertaining book reviews.  Remember, if you’re looking for more book reviews or are interested in buying any of the books mentioned here today, head over to alexctelander.com and click on the links. 

If you haven’t joined the BookBanter mailing list yet, you should do, so you can get notified when a new episode is up and get all the news and info you need about BookBanter.  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

BookBanter is also on Twitter which you can find here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have an author you’d like to hear interviewed on BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

Thanks for listening and see you next time!

If you haven’t joined the BookBanter mailing list, you should, because you’ll be getting all the news and updates about BookBanter delivered right into your inbox!  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

BookBanter is also on Twitter which you can find here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have something you’d like to know about BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.

“A People’s History of American Empire” by Howard Zinn

“Barbarians to Angels” by Peter S Wells

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Conversations With Dead People Board Game”

“Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8, Volume 2: No Future for You” by Joss Whedon

“Cathedral of the Sea” by Ildefonso Falcones

“Clapton the Autobiography” by Eric Clapton

“Penny Arcade Volume 5: The Case of the Mummy’s Gold” by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik

“San Francisco Giants: 50 Years” by Brian Murphy

“Saturn’s Children” by Charles Stross

“The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch” by Neil Gaiman and Michael Zulli

“The Living Dead” edited by John Joseph Adams

“The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing” edited by Richard Dawkins

“The Rabbi’s Cat 2″ by Johann Sfar

“Victory of Eagles” by Naomi Novik,

If you haven’t joined the BookBanter mailing list yet, you should do, so you can get notified when a new episode is up and get all the news and info you need about BookBanter.  Just send an email to bookbanterpodcast@gmail.com and you’ll be all set.

BookBanter is also on Twitter which you can find here: http://twitter.com/BookBanter.

For any questions or comments, or have an author you’d like to hear interviewed on BookBanter, email me at alexctelander@gmail.com.