Postcards from a Dying World

So I am still in my unofficial hiatus to work on my novel-in-progress. I really had to do this episode because like many people I have tons of thoughts about Andor Season 2. I gathered some friends and colleagues that I thought would have good takes on the series. In this panel I welcomed a diverse group of folks. Issa Diao former vocalist of Good Clean Fun and veteran of my Star Trek breakdowns is back, then we have (Fn)David Woken who is a librarian who has studied labor and revolutionary history in Latin America. Finally we have author Alma Katsu who before becoming an award winning, and bestselling horror novelist worked as an intelligence analyst at CIA. We talk about the highs and lows of Andor, what is good spycraft and what isn't, The film and revolutionary influences on Andor, what we want in Star Wars media and more. •You can find my books here:Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW•And me here:Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_AgranoffTwitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthorBlog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Returning to PFDW for the 4th time Stephen Graham Jones returns to talk about the re-release of Bram Stoker award winning novella Mapping the Interior. One reason of this book is being re-released is the book is on sale for a month at Barnes and Noble in the cafe for $5 with a drink . Just saying. We talk about the writing of the novella, Ghost stories, writing habits, and pick-up basketball.

Certain authors gain respect and become immediate commitments from me. As in I am reading whatever the heck they put out. I have not read everything by Philip Fracassi yet, but he won me over with a short story (Fail-safe), and last year Boys in Valley did an amazing job grabbing me with one of the subgenres I am not a huge fan of - the possession novel. When I interviewed him for that book he was talking about working on this one, and I was excited that he was doing Science Fiction. The Third Rule of Time Travel is hard SF, as in the science is taken seriously. It has horror elements but is a character-driven emotional roller coaster of a novel that gave Richard Matheson vibes. The first half of the interview is spoiler-free and a warning we get into the nuts and bolts of writing this amazing novel.

Despite being marketed on the cover as a thriller, Cynthia Pelayo's Wheelhouse is a horror novel about haunted Chicago, a city that is haunted not just by ghosts but by the long specter of this strange history that has swirled around the Windy City. No surprise as she has Bram Stoker and Latino book awards on her shelf.Vanishing Daughters has all the elements that she is known for while adding some subtle but meaningful Sci-fi elements. In this conversation, we go deep into the inspirations of the novel, Pelayo's process, and the power of meditation.

In 1970, Avon Books published a landmark anthology, “Science Fiction Hall of Fame,” featuring 26 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time, in the late 1960s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by Patrick B. Sharp Professor of Liberal Studies at California State University, Los Angeles. He is the Faculty Director of EagleCon, SFAM conference Cal State LA's convention devoted to exploring and advocating for diversity in SF across media. He is the author of Darwinian Feminism and Early Science Fiction: Angels, Amazons, and Women (New Dimensions in Science Fiction) and co-editor of Sisters of Tomorrow (with Lisa Yaszek) and Audrey Taylor is an Assistant Professor of English at Colorado State-Pueblo. She received her PhD from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, England. Her specialty is genre fiction, particularly fantasy, and science fiction. Her first book, Patricia A. McKillip and the Art of Fantasy World-Building, came out in 2017 and she is at work on a second monograph on SF author Anne McCaffrey. We talk about Judith Merrill and her 1948 classic “Only a Mother.” We go deep into the author's history, the origin and the meaning of the story, Did Merrill intentionally write this story to needle John W. Campbell, and more.

In 2023 my top read of the year was Ray Nayler's debut novel The Mountain of the Sea. Not only that it is one of my favorite novels of the 21st century so far. Last year Nayler followed up that novel with the amazing novella Tusks of Extinction. Ray came on the podcast to talk about both of those books. I recommend reading both and listening to both interviews. Ray Nayler is a great guest, his combination of SF fandom, knowledge of science, and intergovernmental experience created a literary unicorn. One unbelievable alchemy of thought and talent spit out a sophomore masterpiece Where the Axe is Buried. In this conversation, we mostly focus on Where the Axe is Buried. We get into a little PKD, Putin, and oligarchy.

In 1970, Avon Books published a landmark anthology, “Science Fiction Hall of Fame,” featuring 26 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time, in the late 1960s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by retired professors Brian Attebery and Steven Shaviro. Brian Attebery writer and emeritus professor of English and philosophy at Idaho State University and The author of The Fantasy Tradition in American Literature: From Irving to Le Guin. Steven Shaviro is a retired Wayne State professor, philosopher, and cultural critic whose areas of interest include film theory and Science Fiction He is the author of Fluid Futures. We talk about Murray Leinster and his 1945 classic First Contact. We go deep into the aythor's history, some of his other classic stories, the issue of Astounding that came out the month of Nazi surrender. Also I get into his major impact on one of the most popular authors of all time.

Welcome to a long overdue episode of postcards. Kyle Winkler, say much in common. Hoosiers, dickheads and we could've talked about those things but this episode is Kyle's amazing self-published novel Boris Says the Words. The best self-published novel I have ever read. What genre are we talking about? That is the first problem that shouldn't be a problem this novel has. Boris Says the Words is many genres. Science Fiction, yes, but also Horror, but also Bizarro and surreal. All those labels are fair but also on their own would sell this novel short. Don't think for one second that the literary or artistic merit is lacking because Winkler didn't want to wait for the right publisher to figure it out. To me this book has merit of high literature, and I can't wait any longer for you to hear this conversation.

Stephen Graham Jones should need little introduction. He was the guest on the 13th episode of this podcast, talking about his horror masterpiece The Only Good Indian. He was also on a panel episode with Paul Tremblay and Josh Malerman talking about one of our favorite topics Basketball. Very excited to point out that I got to be Stpehen's first interview on this incredible vampire novel Buffalo Hunter Hunter. In this conversation we talk about Stpehen's Vampire class that inspired this book, his process on it, some of our favorite vampire classics and of course the forthcoming novel (out 3/18/25). We stay mostly spoiler free, but I give a warning before we go deeper into the themes and the final act. Buffalo Hunter Hunter was one of the best reads I had last year. One of the new releases I consider a masterpiece. Very excited to offer this episode. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

In this episode, I am joined by Author, Editor, publisher, showman, and Bizarro Writers Association Pres Michael Allen Rose. We are gathered here today to talk about his amazing new anthology Fragile. A collection of stories by various authors all starting with the same prompt. Fragile features lots of authors I love from Laura Lee Bahr, Garrett Cook, Brian Keene, Mykle Hansen, and Emma Johnson to name a few. Michael Allen Rose had a fun concept, but what is cool is how hard he is working to boost up all the authors involved. We talk about Michael's background, his personal books, and how Fragile came together.

In this episode I am joined by Issa Diao and Anthony Trevino is discuss our favorite movies of 2024. We have Anthony's very long list of movies he hated, then our top movies.

The 3rd annual favorite reads of the year podcast with my oldest book nerd friend Judge Marc Rothenberg. We go through our favorite Retro Reads, Non-fiction, and new releases. Featuring books from Josh Malerman, Stephen Graham Jones, Sarah Langan, and many more. Two hours of book nerding. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

In 2024 I read 107 books and in this episode, I give a thumbnail review of each one. No guest, one take 48 minutes. I will go into more detail on my favorites during the Best Reads of the Year podcast coming out this Friday with Marc Rothenberg. Complete reviews can be found on my blog www.davidagranoff.blogspot.com

Returning after 67 episodes one of my favorite writers in the field James Reich returns to Postcards from a Dying World to talk about his new Science Fiction novel that I described as Silent Running directed by a young David Cronenberg with an unlimited budget. Reich's novel Song My Enemies Sing was one of my top reads of 2018, and this new novel is even better. Skinship is a fantastic entry in the tradition of Generation ship novels. In this discussion, we talk about the passing of Barry Malzberg, how James got into the genre, the tradition of Generation ship novels, and the origin of this novel. We go a good 45 minutes without spoilers and then go deep on the ending. After talking about this novel with James at PKD festival it was the book I was most excited about reading this year.

In 1970, Avon Books published a landmark anthology, “Science Fiction Hall of Fame,” featuring 26 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time, in the late 1960s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by my Star Trek roundtable bridge crew vocal Star Trek fan Sara Lynn Michener, and Musician/ filmmaker Issa Diao. Why the Star Trek crew because we are covering the classic Fredic Brown short story Arena, originally published (same month as D-day) the June 1944 issue of Astounding. Twenty-two years later it was adapted into an episode of Star Trek. You know the one with the Gorn! I also did into my Star Trek papers that includes inner office memos and notes on the screenplay.

Welcome to a new sub-series of the podcast devoted to screenplays for movies that never got made. There are tons of famous screenplays from Oliver Stone's first draft of Conan to Del Toro's At the Mountains of Madness. For each episode in this series, we will read and review a script that never got made. In this episode, I am joined by author Anthony Trevino and Musician/Filmmaker Issa Diao to discuss The unproduced TV movie sequel to Big Trouble in Little China written by Innerspace screenwriter Charles “Chip” Proser. What did a Jack Burton-less direct-to-TV sequel to the 80s classic look like. At least it was focused on Egg Shen. Note: This episode had tons of technical difficulties, starting with Issa's video, which is why there is no video, then my microphone came unplugged and I never noticed. So sorry for the quality.

We have many great writers in San Diego, perhaps one of the most respected is Jim Ruland. While he has made a name for himself writing books about punk rock, co-authoring Damaged the autobiography of Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris, telling the story of Bad Religion, and writing Corporate Rock Sucks THE BOOK on SST Records the pioneering punk record label. In town, we know Jim from his classic reading series Vermin on the Mount, which gathered authors, poets, and performance artists. Jim is visible at book events around town, where he often writes culture articles for the LA Times. Returning to Postcards from a Dying World Jim is here to talk about his Sci-fi political thriller Make it Stop. In this conversation, we talk about the idea behind the book, the construction of the narrative, and much more. As always after a spoiler warning we go deep. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did.

I was selling books at the San Diego Book Festival and my fellow tabling authors were Chad Stroup (Secrets of the Weird) and Brian Asman (Good Dogs). They talked about Mave Fly for a solid twenty minutes singing its praises. They hyped it so much, and I respect their opinions that I think the novel could not possibly meet the hype. For many readers, CJ Leede's first novel Mave Fly more than met the hype. It was a massive success, and I was excited to read her follow-up American Rapture. In this episode CJ and I talk about her excellent weird apocalypse novel American Rapture. Inspired by the sexual repression of Catholicism and making a bold statement about rape culture this novel is incredible. This is a wide raging discussion and after a spoiler warning, we get under the hood and talk about the writing process. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

SAN DIEGO HORROR REPRESENT! On this episode I welcome Brian Asman author of Man, Fuck That House and his debut novel Good Dogs. It is hard for me to think of this as being the first novel for Brian Asman. I suppose you could say this is the first proper novel, published with an established publisher, but Asman has been publishing for a few years, but those have been novellas published in a DIY punk style have even produced a viral book release. I mean with a title like “Man, Fuck this House.” Asman already has a signature release. The novellas range from funny to weird and the last Our Black Hearts Beat as One could be argued is a short novel, or would have been considered a novel in the past. We talk about Brian's career path and Good Dogs without spoilers for about 40 minutes before a spoiler Warning and then we go under the hood. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Hey listeners I was on this panel “Must-Read Tales of Horror” at a new horror convention called Scream Diego. The audio is not the best but it was the best I could do. Dive into the chilling world of horror literature with local authors of the San Diego Horror Writers Association. Learn about the voices who shaped the genre, the rich variety within the indie horror community, and hidden gem recommendations. You'll hear why horror is having a comeback and dive into its diverse subgenres, from psychological terror to supernatural dread. Whether you're a seasoned horror fan or new to the genre, this session will leave you with a reading list guaranteed to haunt your dreams. Presented by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) San Diego chapter: E.S. Magill, Chad Stroup, David Agranoff, and David Neuhausel,

Two years ago we almost lost author Laird Barron to illness. Not only is he one of the best cosmic horror authors back, but he has returned with his strongest collection yet. In this episode we talk about Laird's illness, the support of the horror community, and of course we get under the hood of Laird's new collection “Not a Speck of Light.” Tricky titles, the power of influences, narrative tricks, and how Laird constructs stories. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

I am very excited about this episode, author Johnny Compton joins me to talk about his Sophomore novel Devil Kills Devils from Tor Nightfire. I enjoyed coming into this novel cold, not knowing anything about the plot, but it is a supernatural horror novel that knocked my socks off. We talk about Compton's influences, his background, and how he got into writing and start with a non-spoiler conversation about Devils Kill Devils. After a spoiler warning, we get full under the hood with this powerful novel. Plus we geek out about McCammon's Swan Song. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Returning to Postcards from a Dying World is Three-time Bram Stoker award-winning author Sarah Langan. She joined me two years ago to discuss her amazing cli-fi re-telling of the Monsters Are Due on Maple Street – Good Neighbors. She is back for her full-blown science fiction follow-up A Better World. In this episode, we talk about the suburbs, world-building, science fiction, and everything in A Better World. One of the best reads I had this year I hope you'll check it out! •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

In 1970, Avon Books published a landmark anthology, “Science Fiction Hall of Fame,” featuring 16 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time, in the late 1960s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by two experts on the history of science fiction. Joachim Boaz is a Historian and Teacher who has been writing about vintage Science Fiction since 2010 and can be found at sciencefictionruminations.com. Greg Mollin is a writer and Bookseller and the longtime owner of the amazing Artifact Books in Encinitas California. Artifactrarebooks.com We are talking about The Huddling Place by Clifford Simak, The story that eventually became a chapter of one of my all-time favorite novels CITY. We talk about Simak in general, the history of the story, and the novel. Read the story here: https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v33n05_1944-07_AK/page/n131/mode/1up City can be found at many used bookstores do try to search indies before buying at Amazon. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Cynthia “Cina” Pelayo is a two-time Bram Stoker award-winning writer, storyteller, and creator based in Chicago. Stephen King has Maine, Josh Malerman has Michigan and Cina is quickly becoming the voice of all this street-level crime and horror in Chicago. In this interview, we focus on her novel Forgotten Sisters. The novel combines horror, crime, and dark fairy tale vibes. We talk about Pelayo's influences, and the city of Chicago and go super deep into the writing process. The first 30 minutes is spoiler-free, after a warning we open it up— and go deep into this fantastic new writer. A great interview with an exciting writer •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Welcome to a new sub-series of the podcast devoted to screenplays for movies that never got made. There are tons of famous screenplays from Oliver Stone's first draft of Conan to Del Toro's At the Mountains of Madness. For each episode in this series, we will read and review a script that never got made. In this episode, I am joined by author Anthony Trevino and Musician/Filmmaker Issa Diao to discuss David Twohy's 1989 script for Alien3. The writer of The Fugitive and the future director of Pitch Black, Below and a Perfect Getaway was the third writer on the film. We break down where the franchise was, and how this draft happened, and then we break down the script and talk about our ideas for what might have worked at the time. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

On this episode of the podcast, I am joined by microbiologist and science fiction author Joan Slonczewski. They are the author of the John W. Campbell award-winning eco-feminist classic A Door into Ocean. It was released in 1986, but Joan and I discussed it because we will soon be on a panel at the Speculative Fiction in Media conference in LA in October. So as a little preview, we go one-on-one about it. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

In 1970 Avon Books published a landmark anthology “Science Fiction Hall of Fame” featuring 16 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time in the late 60s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of different guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by two experts on the history of science fiction. Cora Buhlert is a writer, teacher, and translator from Germany. Three-time Hugo finalist and 2022 Hugo winner for Best Fan Writer. Brian Collins is the host of the excellent Science Fiction & Fantasy Remembrance blog, Young People Read Old SFF and both write for Galactic Journey. The story we are covering is the 1943 classic Mimsy Were the Borogoves by Lewis. This story appeared in the February 1943 issue of Astounding… Read it here: https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v30n06_1943-02_dongev-sas/page/n51/mode/2up •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

After every season of Star Trek, I gather a panel of nerds and talk about the highs and lows of the season that just ended. This time we talk about the 2nd season of Star Trek Prodigy. Returning for our 11th episode breaking down a completed season of Trek. Joining me as always are my bridge crew vocal Star Trek fan Sara Lynn Michener, and Musician/ filmmaker Issa Diao. In this episode, we will break down the ins and out of the second long-delayed season of Star Trek Prodigy. We also break down the Star Trek news that was fresh at the time coming out of comic-con. Sorry, I honestly thought this episode was released a while ago. Opps. Better late than never. Give us more Star Trek Prodigy.

I am excited to welcome back author David James Keaton who wrote one of my favorite novels of last year Head Cleaner. I am sorry something went wrong with my microphone, I fixed it, I think. Sorry if it sounds funky. Keaton is the author of weird bizarro Sci-fi horror novels. Shallow Ends is exactly the story of a party bus built on a fire truck that ends up being a hybrid of Speed and the Twilight Zone, with great dialogue. In this conversation we chat about Keaton's novels, fix-up novels, how our mutual love of story structure affects us as readers. This is a tangent-filled talk that is less interview than it should be. No serious spoilers but lots of writers process talk.

Psychoactive is a collection of extreme horror novellas that collectively explore the themes of Transformation, all three novellas have different takes on horror tone . As a good anthology does, it highlights the strengths and skills of the authors represented. Featuring works by Ryan C. Thomas author of the Summer I Died, writing with Anthony Trevino my co-author on Nightmare City, Cody Goodfellow author of Perfect Union, and Ed Kurtz author of Bleed. In this episode Cody, Ryan and Anthony the San Diego authors - join me to talk about their novellas. It is a fun conversation about writing and storytelling. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

In 1970 Avon Books published a landmark anthology “Science Fiction Hall of Fame” featuring 16 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time in the late 60s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of different guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by two experts on Philip K Dick. Wait a second I thought this episode was about AE Van Vogt. It is.. but the Canadian Golden Age author was a massive influence on PKD, so I was interested in introducing two Dickheads to Van Vogt. So joining me is the Total Dickhead blogger – Professor David Gill and author/publisher/editor Keith Giles of Quior Books. The story we are covering is the 1942 classic “The Weapons Shop” by AE Van Vogt. This story appeared in the December 1942 issue of Astounding… Read it here: https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v30n04_1942-12_dtsg0318/page/n7/mode/2up •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW

James Chambers is one of the bright examples of why I love the horror community. We first hung out at Borderlands Writers Boot Camp in 2011. It was way longer ago than I want to think about. Halloween people have kinship, and SF people have kinship, and I share both with Chambers. An active force in the HWA if you are a horror writer it is likely that James has impacted your work. In this episode, we discuss how James got into science fiction, horror, and writing. Then we go deep on Jim's new cosmic horror collection “A Bright and Beautiful Eternal World.” We talk for about 45 minutes before I give a spoiler warning. James Chambers is one of the best short story writers I know so pick up the collection and get into the whole thing.

Hey folks – special audio-only episode. This is a live recording of the release party for my novel People's Park. It was Recorded before 55 folks at the Monroe County History Center on April 5th 2024, part of solar eclipse weekend in Bloomington. Hosted by my Dickheads podcast Partner D. Harlan Wilson who interviews me about the book, we talk a little Philip K. Dick and I do a short reading from the novel People's Park, which you can buy from Bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble or Amazon. I saved this recording so it could be episode 150, I consider 50 episodes to be a season, thus this is the Season 3 finale. Season 4 will kick off next week with James Chambers. Buy People's Park: https://bookshop.org/p/books/people-s-park-david-agranoff/21037932?ean=9781957007946 https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/peoples-park-david-agranoff/1144889136?ean=9781957007946

In this episode, I welcome a local author, co-chair, and founder of our Horror Writers Association chapter and I got to work closely with Kristina on the Stokercon we hosted here in San Diego. It was at Stokercon when a copy of this book ended up in my bag of books. we talk about Kristina's origins in writing, horror, and how she ended up a part of the flagship con in the genre. The main focus however is her exciting new collection Shrouded Horror: Tales of Uncanny. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Support the show here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DavidAgranoff In 1970 Avon Books published a landmark anthology “Science Fiction Hall of Fame” featuring 16 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time in the late 60s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of different guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by two experts on the history of Science Fiction. Returning to Postcards Alec Nevala-Lee – Asimovebiographer and the author of Astounding (A history of the golden age SF) and Seth Heasley host of The Hugo award-nominated podcast The Hugos There. The story we are covering is the 1941 classic “Nightfall” by Issac Asimov This story about a mad scientist and a pocket universe is here in its original form if you have never read it. Read it here: https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v28n01_1941-09_SLiV/page/n7/mode/2up   •You can find my books here:   Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW       •And me here:   Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff   Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor   Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Hey folks at the recent international gathering of horror writers Stokercon, I was a part of a panel on eco-horror and Climate Change moderated by Carol Gyzander. I think this wide ranging conversation will be fun for my listeners. You know me so let's introduce the other writers. Victoria Nations is a biologist with over 20 years working with Florida ecosystems and environmental regulations, and a horror writer whose weird stories often feature monsters and wild, liminal places." Bram Stoker Award finalist Carol Gyzander writes and edits horror and science fiction—and is certified as one of Al Gore's Climate Reality Leader Gillian King-Cargile is the author of several stories for adults and children. communications coordinator at Argonne National Laboratory, Gillian specializes in sharing information about supercomputing, environmental science, and bioscience. Danger Slater is the Wonderland Award-winning writer of I Will Rot Without You, Moonfellows, He Digs a Hole, and other dark weird horror. Chris Panatier has been a trial lawyer in environmental cases for two decades and is also the author of The Phlebotomist and several others from Angy Robot Books.

After every season of Star Trek, I gather a panel of nerds together and we talk about the highs and lows of the season that just ended. This time we talk about the fifth season of Star Trek Discovery. Returning for our 10th episode breaking down a completed season of Trek. Joining me as always are my bridge crew vocal Star Trek fan Sara Lynn Michener, and Musician/ filmmaker Issa Diao. In this episode, we will break down the ins and out of the final Star Trek Discovery Season. Sara with a bird on her dead, Issa doesn't know who the Breen are, the future of Star Trek, the improvement of the writing in Discovery. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Joining me on this episode of PFDW is author, writer and film director Izzy Lee who joined me on episode 121 to promote her Kickstarter campaign to film her first feature-length film House of Ashes. We talk about that film as it is now in post-production. This time Izzy is here is talk about her first novel I Can See Your Lies from Dark Hart Books, an imprint of Dark Matter Ink. Most of the conversation is spoiler-free, at the end I give warning. Izzy Lee was named as one of A.V. Club's 10 female filmmakers to hire, Izzy Lee is a director on the rise. Her award-winning tales have screened at major international genre festivals such as Fantasia, Overlook, Morbido, FrightFest, Fantaspoa, Brooklyn Horror, Boston Sci-Fi, Boston Underground, Chattanooga, and more. She's directed nearly two dozen shorts. From 2022-2023, Lee earned five Certificates of Completion from a variety of Sundance Collab's Directing and Producing courses. Additionally, Lee shadowed director Adam Egypt Mortimer on the SpectreVision feature Archenemy. Her production company can be found here: https://www.nihilnoctem.com/

Returning for his fourth appearance on the podcast Bird Box author Josh Malerman is back! This time we talk about Josh's five-novella collection Spin a Black Yarn. To me, there is no more consistent voice in horror. An outside observer who doesn't actually read his work and judges by the mainstream -meme culture of Bird Box might not have any idea just how creative, and experimental he is. I was a huge fan of Malerman's last novella collection Goblin, which we talked about in a previous episode. Like that episode, this one is a nuts-and-bolts discussion about the narrative construction behind these stories. We also have a little non-spoiler discussion about Josh's forthcoming novel Incidents Around the House. This is a must-listen for Malermaniacs and anyone interested in writing weird or horror fiction. We mostly avoid spoilers but an hour in I give a full spoiler warning. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Support the show here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DavidAgranoff In 1970 Avon Books published a landmark anthology “Science Fiction Hall of Fame” featuring 16 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time in the late 60s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of different guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by three experts on the history of Science Fiction. Returning for her second appearance is the German Writer, teacher, translator, and Three-time Hugo finalist and 2022 Hugo winner for Best Fan Writer Cora Buhlert. For the first time on Postcards is (twice on DHP) Podcaster, academic editor and author Gary Wolfe. And for the first time the long overdue appearance of physicist and Science Fiction commentator Bill Higgins. The story we are covering is the 1941 classic “Microcosmic God” This story about a mad scientist and a pocket universe is here in its original form if you have never read it. https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v27n02_1941-04_dtsg0318/page/n45/mode/2up

In this episode, I welcome back The Mountain in the Sea author Ray Nayler for his second time on the show. He is my reigning Top Read of the Year author and he is back with another Banger. This novella packs more ideas and character-rich philosophical Sci-fi into 100 pages than most novels three times the length. We talk a little bit about the continued reaction to The Mountain in the Sea, the writing of The Tusks of Extinction, what it means to be an earthling, and animal culture, and then in the last half after a spoiler warning we go deep into the process of writing The Tusks of Extinction. •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

In this episode, we talk with the author of one of my favorite new novels of last year and one that will probably top my list next year. Lavie Tidhar is the World Fantasy Award winning author of Osama (2011), Seiun nominated The Violent Century (2013), the Jerwood Fiction Uncovered Prize winning A Man Lies Dreaming (2014), the Campbell Award, Neukom Prize and Chinese Nebula winning Central Station (2016), Prix Planete SF winner and Locus and Campbell award nominated Unholy Land (2018), British Fantasy Award nominated By Force Alone (2021), Philip K. Dick Award nominated The Escapement (2021), The Hood (2021), Maror (2022) and Locus Award nominated Neom (2022). We talk about Lavie Tidhar's Neom and The Circumference of the World two modern Science Fiction novels that have a golden age feel. In this interview,, we talk about Lavie's novels, his process and nerd out on our favorite Science Fiction.

When Star Trek Voyager's popular character Seven of Nine returned to the franchise in the first season of Picard it was a closely guarded secret in that first episode back Seven mentioned years spent being a frontier law enforcer with an outfit called the Fenris Rangers. My guest in this episode is prolific Star Trek author David Mack. When he heard the name Fenris Rangers, he paused the show, wrote his editor, and said put me in coach. It took a couple of years but Mack eventually got the green light to tell this story. In the episode we talk about Mack's origin story, how he started writing Star Trek and we go deep into the novel Picard Firewall. At the time of the interview, I had read 100 pages, but I have since finished and it is a banger. Does for modern Trek what Andor did for Star Wars, a gritty noir although the politics are more social than dealing with the system. No major spoilers so check this out! •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Support the show here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DavidAgranoff In 1970 Avon Books published a landmark anthology “Science Fiction Hall of Fame” featuring 16 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time in the late 60s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of different guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by two experts on the history of Science Fiction. Returning for his second appearance is Juan Sanmiguel he is an engineer and an active Science Fiction fan. Ted Hand is a teacher and long-time Philip K. Dick researcher, although he was passionate about coming on to talk about this Heinlein classic. The story we are covering is the 1940 classic “The Roads Must Roll by Robert A. Heinlein.” This classic of California and social science speculative fiction attempted to explore a different vision for transportation and society. Read it here: https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v25n04_1940-06_SLiV/page/n7/mode/2up?view=theater Radio play version: https://youtu.be/VYko6Zov3rA?si=0sVw5n6gAaiMiPiM

Lucy A. Snyder is the six-time Bram Stoker award-winning author of Sister, Maiden, Monster. It is a science fiction novel. In the tradition of Weird Tales where the line between SF, Fantasy, and horror is thin I call on the admins to expand not narrow how they define Science Fiction. This novel uses dynamic and character work to blend emotional heartbreak, paranoid terror, and cosmic implications. We start with 30 minutes of spoiler-free discussion, before getting under the hood of this pandemic weird apocalypse novel. Support the podcast here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DavidAgranoff •You can find my books here: Amazon-https://www.amazon.com/David-Agranoff/e/B004FGT4ZW •And me here: Goodreads-http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2988332.David_Agranoff Twitter-https://twitter.com/DAgranoffAuthor Blog-http://davidagranoff.blogspot.com/

Support the show here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DavidAgranoff In 1970 Avon Books published a landmark anthology “Science Fiction Hall of Fame” featuring 16 classic short stories that represent landmark tales of the genre. The stories were voted on by the members of the new (at the time in the late 60s) organization Science Fiction Writers of America. In this series, I will be joined by a panel of different guests to break down these stories and talk about the authors in the book. In this episode, I am joined by two experts on the history of Science Fiction. Returning for his second appearance is Brian Collins the person behind the Science Fiction & Fantasy Remembrance blog. Dr. Robin Murphy is a professor of computer science and engineering at Texas A&M, and a pioneer in artificial intelligence for robots used during disasters. She is the author of Robotics Through Science Fiction: Artificial Intelligence Explained Through Six Classic Robot Short Stories. She also hosts a podcast of the same name. The story we are covering is the 1938 classic “Helen O'Loy.” This story about a robotic housewife is short but we had lots to say. Have not read the story? Read it here: https://archive.org/details/Astounding_v22n04_1938-12/page/n117/mode/2up

Support my show with tip on https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DavidAgranoff One of the biggest inspirations for my career was the two volumes published by Avon Books in the early 90s from author and interviewer Stanley Wiater. The books Dark Dreamers Conversations with the masters of Horror, and Dark Visions: Conversations with the masters of the Horror Film were foundational for me. Featuring two dozen interviews in each book from Vincent Price and Clive Barker to Richard Matheson and Anne Rice. These interviews were some of the best ways we had to learn about the process of turning ideas into produced works of fiction and film. We talk about Stanley's origins and memories of recording the history of the horror genre. This is a really fun conversation about horror and science fiction history.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DavidAgranoff Author Cody Goodfellow two episodes in a row! Cody Goodfellow is the author of more than a dozen books but he is here to talk his new thriller from Titan books Vertical. It is one of my top reads of the year. WE have some general talk and the start and then get into the new book. I assumed once the secret of Cody Goodfellow got out he was on track to become the biggest writer of our generation, a household name, bestselling novels, home on paperback racks that kind of thing. To me, he was that good. Over time I learned that happens to your Ray Bradburys and Isaac Asimovs. When the people doing really crazy original stuff like Barry Malzberg and Norman Spinrad you get respect from the hardcore but it took death for Octavia Butler and Philip K. Dick to be recognized as the towering giants they were. They didn't play it safe; they wrote revolutionary genre fiction and sometimes it helps to be a mad scientist. That is what Cody Goodfellow is at heart, a mad scientist, who unlike most literary freakazoids from those earlier generations Cody grew up with more than a massive library, but also punk rock, alternative culture, and an open attitude toward mind-altering genre and chemicals. The kind of alchemy that creates in Cody Goodfellow a human who writes novels that are so good, so weird the world is just not ready for them. about

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DavidAgranoff San Diego's 2024 New Year's Reading Resolution Event Recorded live at Verbatim Books. (so the sound is not the best sorry) Join members of the San Diego Horror Writers Association in an event to promote reading in 2024 and kick off the countdown to StokerCon, the international gathering of the Horror Writers Association, being held this summer right here in San Diego! Featuring authors: David Agranoff author of The Last Night to Kills Nazis, Jon Cohn author of Slashtag, Dennis K. Crosby author Death's Despair Cody Goodfellow author of Vertical. Sorry Tiffany Brown Mok had to cancel we were bummed too. The panel about their favorite reads and shares some tips for increasing your reading habits!

This year I read 111 books, novelettes, graphic novels, or SF magazines, with a total of 29,784 pages. It was a good year for new releases, and I intend to focus on retro reads next year. Joining for the third annual Favorite Reads podcast is Judge Marc Rothenberg. We finally got on board with reading some of the same books so this is a long one. I don't make money for all the time I spend reading and reviewing books so please consider giving me a tip or donation at this link: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/DavidAgranoff There is an episode that I reviewed most of the books I read: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-131-thumbnail-reviews-of-all-108-books-i/id1524359471?i=1000640009260 Or check out my books here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/David-Agranoff/author/B004FGT4ZW?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true