Podcasts about quantum night

Send us a textMarty speaks with Hollywood writer and director James Kerwin about Quantum Consciousness in his sci-fi film noir ‘Yesterday Was a Lie', as well as in Robert J. Sawyer's books 'Quantum Night' and 'The Downloaded.  We do a bit of a deep dive into the role of consciousness in the foundations of quantum mechanics, discussing the Copenhagen interpretation, the Many Worlds theory, and the Penrose/Hameroff Orchestrated Objective Reduction theory.  We go all the way from the quantum superposition of subatomic particles to the possible emergence of collective consciousness, and the possibility of consciousness playing a central role in creating objective reality.  We also talk about James' favorite books and movies, as well as his current project – a new film he is developing called Contre-Coup.James Kerwin:Webpage:https://www.jameskerwin.com/Wikipedia:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_KerwinFacebook:https://www.facebook.com/jameskerwin/Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/thejameskerwin/IMDB:https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0450123/Buzzsprout (podcast host):https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.comEmail: thescienceinthefiction@gmail.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/743522660965257/Twitter:https://twitter.com/MartyK5463

Robert J. Sawyer is one of the world's science fiction luminaries, and a great source of Canadian pride as one of our most prolific, successful and decorated science fiction authors.  In the following conversation Rob discusses his book 'Quantum Night', which explores the social and philosophical consequences of an empirical test for consciousness, self-awareness and conscience.  He tells us about the science of evil i.e. the science of psychopathy, and we discuss philosophical zombies as well as the very timely political consequences of blind followers and psychopathic demagogues. We also talk about the disappointing and negative effects of artificial intelligence, the multi-dimensional landscape of the human psyche, and the use of science fiction as an early warning system for the future.https://www.sfwriter.com/Buzzsprout (podcast host):https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.comEmail: thescienceinthefiction@gmail.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/743522660965257/Twitter:https://twitter.com/MartyK5463

Marty and Holly discuss our upcoming theme of Sci-Fi Fungi with interviews of science fiction authors Benjamin Percy and Mike Carey, along with mycologists Dr. Alex Moskaluk from the University of Guelph and Kaitlyn Kuehn (KK) from the Flora Funga Podcast.  We'll be discussing space fungi from cometary debris in Ben Percy's book 'The Unfamiliar Garden', the zombie fungus Codyceps in Mike Percy's book 'The Girl With All The Gifts'.  And we'll be structuring our conversations around Merlin Sheldrake's popular science book 'Entangled Life', which delves into the apparent motor-controlling abilities of the zombie fungus Cordyceps, the mind-altering effects of Psilocybin, as well as the genesis of land-based ecosystems from the symbiosis of fungi with algae in lichen.  Along the way we also introduce an upcoming interview with returning science fiction author and friend of the show Robert J. Sawyer about his books 'Quantum Night' and 'The Downloaded'.  Then we go on to introduce our next theme of the Multiverse, in Mike Carey's Pandominion duology - 'Infinity Gate' and 'Echo of Worlds', and Micaiah Johnson's 'The Space Between Worlds' and 'Those Beyond the Wall'.  Buzzsprout (podcast host):https://thescienceinthefiction.buzzsprout.comEmail: thescienceinthefiction@gmail.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/743522660965257/Twitter:https://twitter.com/MartyK5463

Special Intro: Author Robert J Sawyer  Film at 11: The Bikeriders (2024)  Book IT: Quantum Night (2016) by  Robert J Sawyer  Scroll with it: Nvidia is in a three way race for most valuable with Microsoft and Apple. Florida State University Flying High Circus receives $12,000 donation from Alumni Hall as part of tornado recovery. MeTV is premiering a 24-7 cartoon network. Go to metvtoons.com to find the station in your area. Monday, July 1st is Canada Day.  Show Notes: https://bit.ly/tms62524

Ce balado est seulement disponible en anglais, mais vous pouvez lire la traduction française ci-dessous. Les extraordinaires installations de recherche concrètes de ce pays offrent une merveilleuse toile de fond aux univers futuristes imaginés par Robert Sawyer. Elles confirment qu’il n’est pas nécessaire d’aller bien loin pour s’inspirer de la science de po L’auteur primé Robert Sawyer rêvait d’une carrière scientifique, mais l’état de la recherche au Canada dans les années 1970 l’a dissuadé d’emprunter cette voie. Il a plutôt décidé d’écrire de la science-fiction. Aujourd’hui, il campe souvent le décor de ses romans dans les remarquables laboratoires de recherche canadiens, dont le Centre canadien de rayonnement synchrotron (où il a été écrivain résident) et le SNOLAB (où se déroule une partie de son roman Hominids, lauréat du prix Hugo). En novembre 2018, devant un auditoire de chercheurs qui assistaient à un séminaire sur les installations de recherche canadiennes, il a passé en revue l’évolution des établissements scientifiques canadiens, depuis son entrée à l’université en 1979 jusqu’aux installations de calibre mondial dont nous disposons aujourd’hui. Premier ministre Sir Wilfrid Laurier avait déclaré que le 20e siècle appartiendrait au Canada; M. Sawyer nous explique pourquoi, dans le cas des sciences et grâce à la FCI, l’homme d’État avait vu juste à une centaine d’années près.   [ROBERT SAWYER] J’ai fait mes premiers pas en sciences dans ce pays durant les années 1970. En 1979, à la fin de mon secondaire, je voulais être paléontologue et étudier les dinosaures. [NARRATEUR] Voici Robert J. Sawyer, un auteur de science-fiction canadien primé. Il a écrit plus de vingt romans; ses livres sont traduits dans plus de deux douzaines de langues. Il prend ici la parole devant un auditoire de quelque 85 chercheurs canadiens à l’occasion d’un séminaire organisé par la Fondation canadienne pour l’innovation à Ottawa en novembre 2018. [ROBERT SAWYER] Mon père qui enseignait alors l’économie à l’Université de Toronto m’a dit : Quel que soit ton choix de carrière, renseigne-toi sur les perspectives d’emploi avant de te lancer. Parce que pour devenir scientifique, il faut compter dix ans avant d’obtenir son doctorat. C’est un gros investissement en temps. J’ai donc commencé à sonder le terrain. À l’époque, il y avait précisément trois paléontologues spécialistes des dinosaures au Canada. Et seulement 24 à plein temps dans le monde entier. Ce rêve en apparence insensé de devenir un auteur de science-fiction à succès reconnu internationalement tout en vivant à Toronto, au Canada, s’est révélé un choix professionnel plus facile à réaliser que de faire carrière en sciences au Canada dans les années 1970. [NARRATEUR] Après avoir écrit son premier roman en 1988, Robert Sawyer avait toujours des regrets de ne pas être devenu un scientifique. Il cite David Suzuki qui s’est aussi prononcé sur l’état de la science au Canada à cette époque. [ROBERT SAWYER] En 1987 – ne perdons pas de vue que ça fait 31 ans de cela — il a dit de l’état de la science au Canada : J’ai rapidement constaté la différence entre le Canada et les États-Unis. Mes collègues américains, qui débutaient aussi leur carrière dans un poste de professeur adjoint, pouvaient s’attendre à recevoir des premières subventions de 30 000 à 40 000 dollars. On m’a dit que les subventions du Conseil national de recherches du Canada commençaient autour de 2500 dollars. Il est clair qu’à l’époque où je pensais devenir un scientifique, la science dans ce pays n’en était encore qu’à ses premiers balbutiements en plus d’être sous-évaluée. Il n’y avait pas beaucoup de gens qui se consacraient à plein temps à la science. Nos établissements ne recevaient pas le financement adéquat. Le formidable bassin d’intellectuels produit ici au Canada n’était pas apprécié à sa juste valeur. Mais les temps ont changé. Et, comme auteur de science-fiction, j’ai eu la chance d’observer ces changements. Hominids, publié en 2002, se déroule en grande partie dans ce qu’on appelait alors l’Observatoire de neutrinos de Sudbury, aujourd’hui rebaptisé le SNOLAB en raison de son mandat élargi. [NARRATEUR] Le SNOLAB est une installation souterraine unique située à Sudbury, en Ontario. Construit deux kilomètres sous terre dans une mine de nickel, le laboratoire se spécialise dans l’étude des neutrinos et de la matière noire. En 2015, l’astrophysicien canadien Arthur McDonald et son partenaire de recherche ont obtenu le prix Nobel de physique pour leur découverte qui montre que les particules subatomiques appelées neutrinos ont une masse. [ROBERT SAWYER] Je me rappelle très bien avoir appelé Art McDonald et lui avoir dit : Vous savez, je veux écrire un roman qui se passe… Et il m’a répondu : Écoutez, un auteur de romans policiers est venu ici et nous n’étions pas très contents de ce qu’il a fait, je ne sais pas. Il a ensuite ajouté : Vous voulez faire quoi? Et j’ai dit : « Eh bien, dans le premier chapitre, je veux détruire le détecteur de neutrinos. Il m’a alors répondu : Vous savez comment vous pourriez faire ça? [RIRES DE M. SAWYER ET DU PUBLIC] Et, de fait, j’ai utilisé son scénario. Et il a immédiatement embarqué. Et, pendant que j’écrivais le roman, j’ai été ravi de pouvoir… Je cherchais une installation de calibre mondial et, contrairement à la période où j’ai commencé à écrire à la fin des années 1980, au début des années 2000, je pouvais choisir le décor de mes romans parmi des lieux qui existaient. Mais j’ai commencé par l’Observatoire de neutrinos de Sudbury parce que c’est vraiment une installation merveilleuse, incroyable. Passez par là si vous en avez la chance. Allez y jeter un coup d’œil. J’ai appris que le SNOLAB est équipé des toilettes à chasse les plus profondes au monde. Et je me sentais mal parce qu’il faut compter quatre heures pour descendre dans le SNOLAB. C’est le seul… Alors je me suis retenu. Je ne savais pas. J’aurais dû utiliser la toilette parce que j’aurais pu participer à ce record, n’est-ce pas? J’aurais pu dire : Wow! Je l’ai utilisée. C’est un peu comme aller au Louvre et ne pas voir La Joconde? D’une certaine façon, on passe à côté de l’essentiel. [NARRATEUR] Dans son œuvre de fiction, Robert Sawyer a souvent situé l’intrigue de ses romans dans des installations de recherche de calibre mondial. Pour son vingt-troisième roman, Quantum Night, il s’est inspiré du Centre canadien de rayonnement synchrotron établi à Saskatoon, en Saskatchewan. [ROBERT SAWYER] Ce choix allait de soi. Permettez-moi de vous lire un extrait du roman. [LECTURE] Kayla et moi sommes arrivés au Centre canadien de rayonnement synchrotron un peu après 9 h. J’ai remarqué avec amusement que l’adresse du centre, situé sur le campus de l’Université de la Saskatchewan, était… Quelle est cette adresse? [UN MEMBRE DU PUBLIC RÉPOND ET M. SAWYER RÉPÈTE] 44, boulevard Innovation! [IL POURSUIT LA LECTURE] Je suppose qu’il était difficile pour les autres entreprises établies dans cette rue d’être à la hauteur de ce que Kayla décrivait pendant qu’elle me faisait visiter. Un synchrotron, a-t-elle dit tandis que nous marchions, est un instrument incroyablement polyvalent; c’est le couteau suisse des accélérateurs de particules. On peut le régler de manière à réaliser à peu près n’importe quoi, ajuster la gamme d’énergie, la longueur d’onde, la résolution, la luminosité des photons et la taille des faisceaux. Les chercheurs ici travaillent dans toutes sortes de domaines : physique fondamentale, archéologie, géologie, botanique, nouvelles sources de carburant, science des matériaux. C’est incroyable de voir la quantité de recherches scientifiques exceptionnelles de calibre mondial menées ici. Et de constater comment des appareils conçus dans un but précis — comme c’étaient le cas pour le synchrotron et le SNOLAB — ont vu leur rôle s’étendre avec le temps. Qui aurait pu penser, au moment de la construction du synchrotron, qu’un de ses principaux domaines de recherche serait l’archéologie? C’est vraiment phénoménal ce qu’on arrive à faire une fois l’infrastructure en place. [NARRATEUR] Pour ses romans, Robert Sawyer s’est inspiré de grandes installations scientifiques situées aussi bien à l’échelle internationale — par exemple, le CERN, un laboratoire de physique des particules en Suisse — qu’au Canada, comme le département de paléontologie du Musée royal de l’Ontario à Toronto et l’accélérateur de particules TRIUMF à Vancouver. Il s’emploie, dans ses œuvres de fiction, à mettre en lumière les installations scientifiques canadiennes. [ROBERT SAWYER] Je ne vais jamais à l’extérieur des frontières du Canada, sauf quand les contraintes du récit m’y obligent. Par exemple, j’ai écrit le roman Un procès pour les étoiles. Ce drame judiciaire raconte l’histoire d’un extraterrestre accusé de meurtre. Aux États-Unis, le défendeur risque la peine de mort. Au Canada, il ferait seulement l’objet d’une sévère réprimande. J’ai donc dû situer l’intrigue aux États-Unis pour que les enjeux soient plus dramatiques. Mais dans toute autre circonstance, j’essaie de trouver une solution au Canada. Et au cours de ce siècle, j’y suis parvenu. [NARRATEUR] L’enthousiasme de M. Sawyer pour la science au Canada vient de son passé d’aspirant scientifique devenu écrivain. Il a vu se transformer la recherche au pays au cours des décennies. Il en parle dans un entretien après sa présentation. [ROBERT SAWYER] Selon moi, nous n’avons jamais fait mieux, mais cela ne veut pas dire que la recherche scientifique au Canada ne peut pas s’améliorer encore. Je crois que nous sommes sur une belle lancée. Nous avons eu un lauréat du prix Nobel de physique en 2018. Nous avons eu un prix Nobel de physique trois ans auparavant et je m’attends à voir de plus en plus de prix Nobel canadiens en sciences. Nous verrons aussi de plus en plus d’étudiants en sciences canadiens rester ici parce qu’ils ne trouveront pas mieux ailleurs. Parce que le SNOLAB est le meilleur endroit au monde pour mener des recherches fondamentales sur les particules. Le Centre canadien du rayonnement synchrotron est le meilleur endroit au monde pour réaliser tous ces travaux que permet un synchrotron. Notre brise-glace Amundsen est le meilleur endroit au monde pour mener des recherches sur l’Arctique. Nous avons non seulement les cerveaux les mieux formés, mais aussi les meilleures installations. Et ils nous permettront d’être reconnus sur la scène mondiale. [NARRATEUR] Cette vision optimiste de Robert Sawyer sur l’avenir de la science au Canada, on la retrouve aussi dans son approche de l’écriture de fiction. Pour lui, la science-fiction est un instrument qui peut influencer notre façon d’envisager l’avenir et le rôle de la recherche dans la construction de cet avenir. [ROBERT SAWYER] Si la science-fiction me passionne, ce n’est pas, comme on le croit souvent, parce qu’elle prédit l’avenir, car ce n’est pas notre rôle de prédire l’avenir. Notre travail consiste à laisser entrevoir la multiplicité des avenirs possibles, l’éventail de demains potentiels, afin que nous puissions nous dire : Mais c’est terrible! La surveillance omniprésente des citoyens, l’absence de vie privée, le manque de liberté. Nous ne voulons pas cela! Vous savez, c’est ce que George Orwell nous a rappelé. Ou encore, nous pouvons nous dire : Il existe plein de nouvelles technologies reproductrices, mais si nous laissons cela entre les mains des hommes… Margaret Atwood a écrit un roman de science-fiction à ce sujet – La servante écarlate, n’est-ce pas? Malheureusement, ces livres de science-fiction qui offrent des représentations dystopiques sont généralement plus faciles à écrire – Si les choses continuent comme cela, ça va aller très mal. Dans cet éventail de possibilités, j’ai voulu – c’est ce qui m’intéresse – trouver cet élément qui n’a pas encore été vu comme une proposition appétissante. Je veux montrer que si nous nous servons correctement de l’intelligence artificielle, nous pouvons nous donner ce monde qui sera meilleur pour tous. Si nous menons des recherches sur la génomique et la génétique et partageons l’information génétique dans un contexte de médecine socialisée, nous pourrons assurer une vie meilleure, plus longue, plus saine à l’ensemble de la population. Selon moi, quand la science-fiction met à profit sa nature spéculative pour proposer des perspectives positives, on peut stimuler les gens… et c’est tant mieux si je stimule mes lecteurs. Cela dit, c’est secondaire. Ça me permet de gagner ma vie, mais c’est secondaire. Ce qui est important, c’est que ces lecteurs se mobilisent pour faire bouger leurs représentants gouvernementaux et qu’ils leur disent : Voilà ce que nous voulons! Donnez-le nous! Donnez-nous une intelligence artificielle productive et sécuritaire! Donnez-nous une plus longue espérance de vie en bonne santé. Donnez-nous des moyens d’augmenter la rentabilité des récoltes comme jamais auparavant. Donnez-nous cet avenir. Ne nous donnez pas celui où les robots deviennent les maîtres du monde. Ne nous donnez pas celui où nous n’avons aucune liberté de reproduction. Ne nous donnez pas celui où nous n’avons plus de vie privée. Choisissez ces avenirs… Et je veux promouvoir les avenirs positifs que je connais… Parce que cela fait 150 ans, maintenant 151 ans, que nous travaillons dans ce pays à bâtir ces avenirs prospères. Et nous essayons de le faire pour tout le monde! Aucun autre pays sur la planète n’a une feuille de route comme la nôtre. [NARRATEUR] À la fin de sa présentation, Robert Sawyer rappelle aux chercheurs présents dans la salle le rôle qu’ils peuvent jouer dans l’avenir de la recherche au Canada. [ROBERT SAWYER] Mon écrivain de science-fiction préféré, Arthur C. Clark, a déjà dit : Toute technologie suffisamment avancée est indiscernable de la magie. Je ne crois pas que ce soit tout à fait vrai. Selon moi, si on s’engage trop loin dans la magie, on enfreint les lois connues de la physique, la conservation de la masse et de l’énergie. Mais je souscris à son idée selon laquelle plus la science évolue… Maintenant que nous sommes dans la seconde décennie du 21e siècle, songez à quel point nous avons évolué. Imaginez où nous en serons à la cinquième décennie, à la neuvième décennie de ce siècle. Plus la science évoluera, plus elle paraîtra miraculeuse au grand public. Les choses que nous sommes capables de faire. Vous, les chercheurs, obtenez le financement. Avec la FCI, vous disposez d’un formidable organisme auquel vous êtes redevable. Vous avez aussi une grande responsabilité envers vos collègues masculins et féminins. Vous devez veiller à prendre les bonnes décisions, tandis que nous avançons vers un merveilleux avenir dans lequel je pourrais moi-même être un scientifique si j’étais né aujourd’hui.

‘Dean of Canadian Science Fiction Writers’ Robert J. Sawyer debuts on the show to share his sobering findings about consciousness, human nature, quantum mechanics, the multiverse and whether any of it can be used to save the world. http://video.onworldwide.com/watch/1456/behind-the-paranormal-for-november-1-2020/

‘Dean of Canadian Science Fiction Writers’ Robert J. Sawyer debuts on the show to share his sobering findings about consciousness, human nature, quantum mechanics, the multiverse and whether any of it can be used to save the world. http://video.onworldwide.com/watch/1456/behind-the-paranormal-for-november-1-2020/

In this episode Mark interviews international bestselling and award winning science-fiction author Robert J. Sawyer about his latest novel release and the multiple ways he has split his IP (Intellectual Property) to optimize his income as a writer. Long-time listeners might remember Rob from Episode 4 (January 26, 2018) of the podcast, which focused on author branding. Prior to the interview, Mark shares comments from recent episodes and a personal update. He also shares a word about this episode's sponsor. You can learn more about how you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway. During their conversation, Mark and Rob talk about: Rob's history as a writer, including his first short story published in 1980 and first novel published in 1990 The 3-way split rights on Rob's previous novel, Quantum Night (2 Publishers, and Rob self-publishing) What Rob learned from dipping his toe into indie publishing Quantum Night four years ago, and how he applied those learnings to the publication of The Oppenheimer Alternative The story about the title of his previous novel: Quantum Night VS The Zombie Philosopher The timing of Rob's latest novel with the 75th Anniversary of The Manhattan Project and the first use of Nuclear weapons in war The decisions Rob made for the print rights of his latest novel related to wanting solid bookstore distribution The split rights selling of the rights of Rob's novel, in print, to two different publishers in Canada and the United States Rob's control of the eBook rights, audiobook rights, film & TV rights The fact that Rob is still waiting on the "advance" payment from his Canadian publisher for a book that was released almost two months ago Rob's negotiation with his US publisher regarding the book's advance - and how that back and forth negotiation resulted in a situation where Rob maintained his eBook rights in lieu of an advance How it took two months of sales of the eBook (that Rob holds the rights to) in order to earn more than what the advance on the book would have been The direct involvement on the design of the book's cover, both for the edition Rob is publishing as well as the one published by his Canadian publisher The research involved in writing his latest novel, which included purchasing over 100 different books about the people behind The Manhattan Project How The Manhattan Project was the most secret project that humanity had taken on at that point in history and how it was almost the most recorded project - meaning there was plenty of recorded dialogue transcripts that Rob was able to use to write realistic dialogue (both word-for-word actual dialogue - about 20% of it was verbatim from transcripts - as well as for creating authentic dialogue of the scenes that Rob invented/imagined) The debate and origin of the terms sci-fi VS SF as short for Science Fiction How Rob likes to think of The Oppenheimer Alternative not as an alternative history novel, but as a Secret History Novel, and how the story is based on a string of events, evidence, and speculation about something else actually happening that hadn't been revealed or uncovered during that time period The importance of how writing this novel had to be a huge challenge that Rob looked forward to tackling The selling of the audiobook rights to Recorded Books The changes that happened in the lead up and launch of this book (and the planned book tour) due to Covid-19 Rob's use of Patreon for his most dedicated/passionate fans A new exclusive audio project that Rob is currently negotiating related to a radio drama style project (which brings him back to his roots as a former radio person) After the podcast Mark reflects on Rob's recognition of the power that he holds as the IP creator, and the many inventive ways he has split his rights.   Links of Interest: Robert J. Sawyer's Website Wide for the Win (Pre-Order) Wide for the Win Submission Form Episode 4 - Optimizing Your Author Brand with Robert J. Sawyer Episode 144 - 10 Tips for Winning with Wide Publishing Episode 143 - Unstoppable Goals with HB Lyne Mark's Canadian Werewolf Series This Time Around (Book 0) A Canadian Werewolf in New York (Book 1) Stowe Away (Book 1.5) Fear and Longing in Los Angeles (Book 2) Bakka Phoenix Books Words Worth Books Bibliofic Designs Findaway Voices Patreon for Stark Reflections   Robert J. Sawyer — called “the dean of Canadian science fiction” by The Ottawa Citizen and “just about the best science-fiction writer out there these days” by The Denver Rocky Mountain News — is one of only eight writers in history (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the science-fiction field's top honors for best novel of the year. Rob — who holds honorary doctorates from the University of Winnipeg and Laurentian University — has taught writing at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Humber College, and The Banff Centre.   The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

*NEW EPISODE* The White’s are back in the studio with a brand new episode of the Date Your Wife podcast, fresh and on point in the style you have come to love! We learn what has been transpiring in their lives since the arrival of baby Isla, what postpartum life is like, why Danielle feels they should show themselves some grace, why Garrett referred to Danielle as Tom Brady the morning after their Anniversary, and much, much more. Every week married couple Danielle and Garrett J White share insights and perspectives from within their own lives regarding the following topics discussed each month: Week 1: Sex Week 2: Money Week 3: Parenting Week 4: Communication In This Week’s Podcast….Sex Point #1: The Miracle  Nearly all parents can agree that the first few days and weeks of having a new baby in the house is a huge adjustment for everyone. This one investment has made all the difference and is what Garrett refers to as a life preserver. What is it? It’s a Snoo. Adds Danielle, “It’s a miracle. You zip the baby in so they can’t wriggle out of their blanket, and it plays white noise while gently rocking them.” QUESTION What gadgets have helped you with your newborn? Point #2: The Meltdown Garrett created the “Don’t Be a Dick While Your Wife is Pregnant” challenge which he managed to pull off up until he fumbled on the second-yard line. “She’s two weeks postpartum and something inside of me snaps. I am obsessed with sex and I get to this angry place.” Danielle: You did the weird thing that makes a woman feel more guilty. Then I had a postpartum meltdown explosion. I was postpartum, mixed with newborn emotions, and my eyes and forehead were weeping in ways they never had. I bawled my eyes out for an hour with a lot of fuck you’s in between. QUESTION What did you experience as a couple during the early postpartum days & weeks? Point #3: The Anniversary After their huge blowout, Danielle knew it was time for them to get back on track doing the things that worked for them in their relationship: this podcast, Date Nights, and Sex. She was beginning to feel more like a woman rather than an “Umpa Loompa” as she put on her makeup, pulled up her Spanx, and went out on a date with Garrett. She also realized that they needed to give themselves some grace. Garrett: We got back on track sexually, and then we had what I’m going to call the Quantum Night, Quantum standing for four – the Cuatro night. It’s in my favorite files. I can put out imagery and live video footage – an hour of it. That was so amazing. That was the best ever! QUESTION What was it that brought you back on track sexually after the births of your babies? Point #4: The Green Light Does the woman initiate? Do they wait for the guy to initiate? What can she do to signal that the doors are open? What should he NEVER do if he wants to initiate sex? Men, if you’re trying to get your wife in the mood and immediately start rubbing or slapping her butt, or go in for the boobs, THAT IS A HUGE TURN OFF! DON’T DO THAT! Instead, come to her and say something like, “Let me rub your shoulders.” This works like a charm for most women. QUESTION What are the Red Lights and Green Lights inside of your sex life? Point #5: Sneak Preview Here’s a sneak preview into the world of the White’s and their respective businesses. Garrett: WARRIOR GREENS – Kitchen-style documentary on the history of Warrior Greens and how they support the conversation of CORE 4 for both men & women. BECOME A KING Series – The seven Pits and Power moves of married businessmen with children. Danielle: Creator of Natural Beaded Rows (NBR), Host of the Big Money Stylist Podcast, Hair Education (NBR & BMS), Hairline (ISLA), Ower of DKW Styling Salon. Go to dkwstying.com to find out more. QUESTION What are you creating in your lives either as a couple or individually? Communication Challenge: Have a conversation about what keeps you on track as a couple. Date Night Topic: Come up with some unique-to-you Green Lights. Quote of the Week: “The game was a little rough. My brake pads were completely exhausted, and I was tearing apart my rotors with no brake pads. I didn’t realize I had run out of runway. All of my will power and “white-knuckling it” was gone. Something shifted in my brain. The baby’s out, the vagina’s open for business, why am I still being rejected?” –Garrett J White “You gotta be the bigger person, ladies.” –Danielle K White betheman.com, dkwstyling.com

This country’s extraordinary real-life research facilities provide a wondrous backdrop for Sawyer’s imagined futures, proving you don’t have to stray far from home to be inspired by leading-edge science Award-winning author Robert Sawyer dreamed of a career in science, but was discouraged by the state of Canadian research in the 1970s. So he decided to write science fiction instead. These days, he often sets his novels in Canada’s remarkable research labs, including the Canadian Light Source (where he was writer-in-residence) and SNOLAB (where part of his Hugo Award-winning novel Hominids is set). Speaking to a room full of researchers at a workshop for the country’s national research facilities in November 2018, he surveyed the state of Canadian science institutions from the time he was entering university in 1979 through to the world-class installations we have today. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier said the 20th century would belong to Canada; Sawyer tells us why, as far as science is concerned and thanks to the CFI, he was off by a hundred years. Music credit: Soda Machine by Kabbalistic Village | @kabbalisticvillageMusic promoted by www.free-stock-music.comAttribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported (CC BY-ND 3.0)creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/ Transcript: [SAWYER] I started out to be a scientist in this country in the 1970s. I was graduating from high school in 1979, and I wanted to be a dinosaurian paleontologist. [NARRATOR] This is Robert J. Sawyer, award-winning Canadian science fiction writer. He has written more than twenty novels, and his books can be read in over two dozen languages. Here he speaks to a room of about 85 Canadian researchers at a workshop hosted by the Canada Foundation for Innovation in Ottawa in November 2018. [SAWYER] My father taught economics at the University of Toronto, and he said, “Whatever you want to do, do a little research. Find out what the job opportunities are before you invest.” Because if you’re gonna become a scientist, you’re talking ten years to get your PhD. You’re going to invest a lot of time. So I started looking around, and at that time, 1979, there were precisely three dinosaurian palaeontologists in Canada. There are only 24 full-timers in the entire world. And so what I thought was a crazy dream, which was being an internationally successful science fiction writer, based in Toronto, based in Canada, actually turned out to be more practicable as a career choice than choosing science in this country in the 1970s. [NARRATOR] After he wrote his first novel in 1988, Sawyer was still troubled about not having become a scientist. He quotes David Suzuki, who was also reflecting on the state of Canadian science at the time. [SAWYER] He had said this in ’87. So, again, just to give us some perspective here, this was 31 years ago — “I was soon to see the difference between Canada and the United States. My American peers, starting out as assistant professors like me, could expect their first grants in the 30- to 40 thousand dollar range. I was told that National Research Council of Canada grants start at about 25 hundred dollars.” So there’s no question that, at the time I was thinking of becoming a scientist, and indeed in the early days of science in this country, we were undervaluing it. We didn’t have a lot of people who were making full-time careers in science. We were underfunding our institutions. We were depreciative of the great intellectual base we were producing here in Canada. Times change though. And I've been privileged as a science fiction writer to watch those changes. In 2002, a novel of mine came out called Hominids, which is set in large part at what was then called the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, and is now — because it has widened its mandate — SNOLAB. [NARRATOR] SNOLAB is a unique underground research facility in Sudbury, Ontario. Located in a nickel mine two kilometers underground, the lab specializes in neutrino and dark matter physics. In 2015, Canadian astrophysicist, Arthur McDonald, and his research partner won the Nobel Prize in Physics for their discovery that subatomic particles known as neutrinos have mass. [SAWYER] And I remember, very vividly, calling up Art McDonald, and I said, “You know, I want to write a novel set …” And he said, “Oh man, we had a mystery writer come here. We weren’t really happy with what they did, I don’t know.” And he said, “What do you want to do?” And I said, “Well, in the first chapter, I want to destroy the neutrino detector.” And he said, “You know how you can do that?” [SAWYER AND AUDIENCE LAUGH] And I actually used his scenario. So he immediately got engaged. And I loved the fact that, when I was writing this novel, I was able to … I was looking for a facility that was world-class, and unlike when I started writing in the late 80s, by the early 2000s, I could look around and have my pick of them to write and set novels at. But I started with the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, as really, it’s a wonderful, amazing, facility. If you get the chance to go, go down. Have a look. I learned that SNOLAB, has the world’s deepest flushed toilets in the world. And I felt bad because you have to go down for four hours. That’s the only … so, I held it. I didn’t know. I should have used the toilet because then I would have been part of that record, right? I would have said, “Oh, wow! I used it.” It’s like going to the Louvre and not seeing the Mona Lisa, right? You’re missing out on the whole point of the trip, in some ways. [NARRATOR] Setting his novels in world-class research facilities is an idea Sawyer has returned to again and again in his fiction. By his twenty-third novel, Quantum Night, he found inspiration in the Canadian Light Source, Canada’s national synchrotron facility in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. [SAWYER] It was such a natural to set it there. I’ll just read you a paragraph from the novel. [READING] “Kayla and I made it to the Canadian Light Source a little after 9 a.m. I was amused to note that its street address, on the University of Saskatchewan campus, was …” What is it? [AUDIENCE MEMBER RESPONDS, SAWYER REPEATS] 44 Innovation Boulevard! [CONTINUES READING] “I suspect the other occupants of that street were hard-pressed to match the sort of things Kayla described as she gave me a tour. “A synchrotron,” she said, as we walked along, “is an amazingly versatile tool; it’s the Swiss Army knife of particle accelerators. You can tune its output to do almost anything, adjusting energy range, wavelength, resolution, photon brightness, and beam size. The researchers here do work in fundamental physics, archaeology, geology, botany, new fuel sources, materials science — you name it.” It’s incredible how much world-class, first-rate science is going on here. And that purpose-built machines — in a way that the synchrotron was, in the way that SNOLAB was — expand their mandate as time goes on. Who would have thought, when they were building the synchrotron, that one of its key areas of research would be archaeology? So incredible, once you have the infrastructure in place, what can be accomplished. [NARRATOR] Sawyer has drawn on powerhouse science facilities for his novels both internationally — including CERN, a particle physics lab in Switzerland — and across Canada, like the paleontology department at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the TRIUMF particle accelerator in Vancouver. He is committed to using his fiction to put a spotlight on Canadian science facilities. [SAWYER] I never want to look beyond Canada’s borders, unless I can’t fulfil my fictional need in Canada. For instance, I have a novel called Illegal Alien. Illegal Alien is a courtroom drama with an extraterrestrial defendant. The defendant is charged with murder. In the United States, that means the defendant can be facing the death penalty. In Canada, the defendant would be facing a stern talking-to. So I had to set it in the United States to have the dramatic stakes. But in every other circumstance, I look for the Canadian answer. And it has not failed me this century. [NARRATOR] Sawyer’s enthusiasm for Canadian science stems from his vantage point of aspiring-scientist-turned-writer. He has witnessed a transformation in research in this country over the decades. He talks about that in an interview after his presentation. [SAWYER] I think we’re at the best we’ve ever been, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to be the best we’ll ever be, in terms of Canadian science research. I think we’ve got real momentum moving forward, here. We had a Nobel Laureate in physics in 2018. We had a Nobel Laureate in physics three years prior to that. I suspect we’re going to see more and more Nobel medals coming to Canada in the sciences, and we’re also going to see more and more generations in Canadian science students staying here because there’s nowhere better to go. Because the best place in the world to do fundamental particle research is SNOLAB. The best place in the world to do all the variety of things that you can do with a synchrotron is the Canadian Light Source. The best place in the world to do Arctic research is aboard our icebreaker Amundsen. We have, not only now the best trained minds, but also the best facilities. And what we’re going to see come out of that is a recognition on the world stage. [NARRATOR] Sawyer’s optimistic view of where Canadian science is headed carries through to his approach to writing fiction. He sees science fiction as instrumental to influencing how we envision our future, and the role of research in shaping it. [SAWYER] I’m passionate about science fiction, not because, as is often erroneously thought, it predicts the future, because that’s not our job. Our job is to predict the multiplicity of possible futures, the smorgasbords of tomorrows, so that we can look and say, “Well that’s terrible! Everybody’s under surveillance all the time, there’s no privacy, there’s no freedom. We don’t want that!” You know, George Orwell reminded us of that. Or, if we start, “Okay, a lot of new technologies in reproduction, but if we just let men control them …” Well, Margaret Atwood gave us a science fiction novel about that — The Handmaid’s Tale, right? The problem with science fiction generally is those are the easy ones to write. The dystopian — “If this goes on, it’s going to go horribly wrong.” And I felt, what I’m passionate about, is finding the place on that smorgasbord of possibilities, where there hasn’t been a really appetizing one put out. I want to say if we do artificial intelligence right, we can have this world, where everybody is better off. If we do genomics and genetic research and the sharing of genetic information in a socialized medicine context, we can have better, longer, healthier lives for everybody. I think that when science fiction turns its speculative knack to positive futures, we can energize … it’s all well-and-good that I energize my readers. That’s incidental. I make my living doing that, but it’s incidental. What’s important is when those readers turn around and energize their representatives in government and say, “We want that! Give us that! Give us successful, safe A.I. Give us longer lifespans that are healthy. Give us a way to grow more crops than we ever grew before. Give us this future. Don’t give us the one where the robots take over. Don’t give us the one where we have no reproductive freedom. Don’t give us the one where we have no privacy. Choose those ones …” And I’m passionate about being the advocate for the positive futures that I know … Because we’ve had 150 years, now 151 years, of doing it in this country, of making positive futures come true. And we try to do it for everybody! And no other country on the globe has our track record of doing it. [NARRATOR] At the end of Sawyer’s presentation, he reminds the researchers in the room of their part in deciding the future of research in Canada. [SAWYER] My favorite science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clark, once said, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” I don’t actually think that’s true. I think if you get too far into magic, you’re violating known physical law. But the spirit of it. That the more advanced science becomes … And look at how advanced we are, here in the second decade of the 21st century. Imagine how advanced we’ll be by the fifth decade, or the ninth decade, of this century. The more advanced science becomes, the more miraculous it will seem to the general public. The things that we’re able to do. You guys are getting the funding. You guys have a great custodian agency that you’re responsible to in CFI. You also have a great responsibility to your fellow men and women, to make sure you make the right decisions, as we move ahead into a wonderful future in which I, even I, could have been a scientist, had I been born today.

In the latest installment of the Bar 89 book club, Dan, Steve and Ryan are joined by Hugo and Nebula Award-winning author (and Canadian sci-fi icon) Robert J. Sawyer to discuss his latest novel "Quantum Night". Special guest host Robert Laurie also joins the lads to share their impressions of Sawyer's book and what their own interpretations of science fiction are. #PodPint: Iron Horse Trail IPA by Red Circle Brewing Co.

In this episode, Rob Wolf interviews Robert J. Sawyer, the author of 23 novels, about his most recent book, Quantum Night (Ace, 2016). Sawyer is considered, as he puts it, “an optimistic and upbeat science fiction writer.” But you wouldn’t know that from Quantum Night.The book explores the nature of evil, and its conclusion is alarming: the vast majority of humans are either psychopaths, lacking empathy for others, or mindless followers. Sawyer is one of the rare science fiction authors to earn Nebula, Hugo and John W. Campbell Memorial awards, and he deftly juggles multiple plots lines in Quantum Night, everything from his main character’s painful effort to reconstruct lost memories to geopolitical machinations, including the U.S.’s invasion of Canada. The story focuses on Jim Marchuk, a psychologist at the University of Manitoba, and his discovery (which his physicist girlfriend independently confirms) that psychopathy affects two-sevenths of the world’s population—and that it can be diagnosed by taking quantum measurements of the brain. What makes this idea particularly scary, is that Sawyer was inspired by real-life theories from a wide array of disciplines, including the work of psychologists Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo, physicist Roger Penrose, anesthesiologist Stuart Hammerof, and philosopher David Chalmers. (Sawyer includes in an afterword a list of over 50 non-fiction books on which he bases the theories in Quantum Night.) Like the work of Milgram and Zimbardo—who were attempting through now infamous experiments to understand the psychological underpinnings of the Holocaust—Sawyer, too, is trying to understand the origins of evil. “Could the kind of evil that was Nazi Germany happen again?” Sawyer asks during the interview. “Well there are some signs in some countries… that it is happening again.” By the time he’d finished writing Quantum Night, Sawyer had come to believe that the story he’d told was pretty close to the way the world actually works, and that humankind consists of “a large number of mindless followers and a very small number of people who are skilled at manipulating them.” But he insists humanity shouldn’t give up hope. Fighting evil is hard work but good can still prevail. In support of this idea, he cites another expert, Star Trek’s Dr. Leonard McCoy, who famously said: “I found that evil usually triumphs unless good is very, very careful.” Related link: —Ursula K. LeGuin’s speech accepting the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters at the 65th National Book Awards on November 19, 2014. Rob Wolf is the author of The Alternate Universe. He worked for a decade as a journalist, writing on a wide range of topics from science to justice reform. He now serves as director of communications at a think tank in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Rob Wolf interviews Robert J. Sawyer, the author of 23 novels, about his most recent book, Quantum Night (Ace, 2016). Sawyer is considered, as he puts it, “an optimistic and upbeat science fiction writer.” But you wouldn’t know that from Quantum Night.The book explores the nature of evil, and its conclusion is alarming: the vast majority of humans are either psychopaths, lacking empathy for others, or mindless followers. Sawyer is one of the rare science fiction authors to earn Nebula, Hugo and John W. Campbell Memorial awards, and he deftly juggles multiple plots lines in Quantum Night, everything from his main character’s painful effort to reconstruct lost memories to geopolitical machinations, including the U.S.’s invasion of Canada. The story focuses on Jim Marchuk, a psychologist at the University of Manitoba, and his discovery (which his physicist girlfriend independently confirms) that psychopathy affects two-sevenths of the world’s population—and that it can be diagnosed by taking quantum measurements of the brain. What makes this idea particularly scary, is that Sawyer was inspired by real-life theories from a wide array of disciplines, including the work of psychologists Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo, physicist Roger Penrose, anesthesiologist Stuart Hammerof, and philosopher David Chalmers. (Sawyer includes in an afterword a list of over 50 non-fiction books on which he bases the theories in Quantum Night.) Like the work of Milgram and Zimbardo—who were attempting through now infamous experiments to understand the psychological underpinnings of the Holocaust—Sawyer, too, is trying to understand the origins of evil. “Could the kind of evil that was Nazi Germany happen again?” Sawyer asks during the interview. “Well there are some signs in some countries… that it is happening again.” By the time he’d finished writing Quantum Night, Sawyer had come to believe that the story he’d told was pretty close to the way the world actually works, and that humankind consists of “a large number of mindless followers and a very small number of people who are skilled at manipulating them.” But he insists humanity shouldn’t give up hope. Fighting evil is hard work but good can still prevail. In support of this idea, he cites another expert, Star Trek’s Dr. Leonard McCoy, who famously said: “I found that evil usually triumphs unless good is very, very careful.” Related link: —Ursula K. LeGuin’s speech accepting the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters at the 65th National Book Awards on November 19, 2014. Rob Wolf is the author of The Alternate Universe. He worked for a decade as a journalist, writing on a wide range of topics from science to justice reform. He now serves as director of communications at a think tank in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Rob Wolf interviews Robert J. Sawyer, the author of 23 novels, about his most recent book, Quantum Night (Ace, 2016). Sawyer is considered, as he puts it, “an optimistic and upbeat science fiction writer.” But you wouldn’t know that from Quantum Night.The book explores the nature of evil, and its conclusion is alarming: the vast majority of humans are either psychopaths, lacking empathy for others, or mindless followers. Sawyer is one of the rare science fiction authors to earn Nebula, Hugo and John W. Campbell Memorial awards, and he deftly juggles multiple plots lines in Quantum Night, everything from his main character’s painful effort to reconstruct lost memories to geopolitical machinations, including the U.S.’s invasion of Canada. The story focuses on Jim Marchuk, a psychologist at the University of Manitoba, and his discovery (which his physicist girlfriend independently confirms) that psychopathy affects two-sevenths of the world’s population—and that it can be diagnosed by taking quantum measurements of the brain. What makes this idea particularly scary, is that Sawyer was inspired by real-life theories from a wide array of disciplines, including the work of psychologists Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo, physicist Roger Penrose, anesthesiologist Stuart Hammerof, and philosopher David Chalmers. (Sawyer includes in an afterword a list of over 50 non-fiction books on which he bases the theories in Quantum Night.) Like the work of Milgram and Zimbardo—who were attempting through now infamous experiments to understand the psychological underpinnings of the Holocaust—Sawyer, too, is trying to understand the origins of evil. “Could the kind of evil that was Nazi Germany happen again?” Sawyer asks during the interview. “Well there are some signs in some countries… that it is happening again.” By the time he’d finished writing Quantum Night, Sawyer had come to believe that the story he’d told was pretty close to the way the world actually works, and that humankind consists of “a large number of mindless followers and a very small number of people who are skilled at manipulating them.” But he insists humanity shouldn’t give up hope. Fighting evil is hard work but good can still prevail. In support of this idea, he cites another expert, Star Trek’s Dr. Leonard McCoy, who famously said: “I found that evil usually triumphs unless good is very, very careful.” Related link: —Ursula K. LeGuin’s speech accepting the National Book Foundation’s Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters at the 65th National Book Awards on November 19, 2014. Rob Wolf is the author of The Alternate Universe. He worked for a decade as a journalist, writing on a wide range of topics from science to justice reform. He now serves as director of communications at a think tank in New York City. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark chats with Canadian Science Fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer. Sawyer is one of only eight writers in history — and the only Canadian — to win all three of the world's top Science Fiction awards for best novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (the full list of such winners: Paolo Bacigalupi, David Brin, Arthur C. Clarke, Joe Haldeman, Frederik Pohl, Kim Stanley Robinson, Robert J. Sawyer, and Connie Willis). In their conversation, Mark and Rob talk about: The fact that Rob was the very first science fiction writer in the world to have a website (sfwriter.com) which has grown to over 1 million words of text and more than 800 documents since it launched in 1995, including documents about the craft and business of writing and publishing The text-heavy nature of Rob's website and how he still manually codes his website in HTML The SEO involved in the creation of the SFWriter website using the three main key words: “science fiction writer” and how that has led to Rob being on the first page of search results for those in the media looking to talk to a sci-fi writer for various commentary on events (example, anniversary of the moon landing, cloning, the death of a famous science fiction writer, etc) How optimizing his brand and SEO has led to just under 1000 radio and television interviews The way that Rob's novels are typically grounded in real-life scientific research, such as his latest novel, Quantum Night, which is about psychopathy and what might happen if a psychopathy were to get into the office of the President of the United States The way Rob was able to pivot in the marketing of the book after Donald J. Trump became the US President The brilliantly supportive way that Rob's US audiobook publisher (Audible) worked quickly to resolve the issue of a few funny incorrect pronunciations that a US narrator made with a couple of “Canadian” words Advice for authors regarding dividing up your IP by format as well as by territory and how the aggregate of the sale of rights of each unique division adds up to far more than a single “world rights” offer would typically be How Rob used KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) and KWL (Kobo Writing Life) and other direct to retailer and distribution platforms to publish to iBooks, Nook and other markets using the rights that he did not sell to a publisher (ie, direct selling an “international edition” of a book like QUANTUM NIGHT where publishers only purchased Canadian and US rights) How each new format that emerges for a book enlarges the audience, rather than cannibalizes upon the previous format editions The ABC Television program (FlashForward) which was based on Rob's 1999 novel of the same name and details about his involvement with that experience The approved changes in the television adaptation (which includes changing the “flash forward” from 21 years to 6 months) that helped to make the story more palatable for a US network television audience yet retained the important theme of “fate VS freewill” How a scene in that novel, published in 1999 had a scene which predicted the existence of the Espresso Book Machine, which can print and bind a paperback in about 15 minutes right inside a bookstore The changes within publishing since Rob's first novel was published in 1990 The different royalties received on the self-published version (70%) VS the traditionally published version (17.5%) of Rob's novel Quantum Night and a reflection on the time most likely spent by the author and by the publisher on a single book (typically a 12:1 ratio) and how that changes the perspective of the 3:1 split in the publisher's favor A teaser for Rob's next novel about the Manhattan Project, which will be celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2020 and how that ties in to Rob's marketing plans for the book and himself The figure Rob has in mind for selling the Canadian, American and British rights to a publisher and, if his agent isn't able to secure those numbers, his plans to release it independently The odds that a book will never be made into a movie, including stats on how only 3 out of the 53 novels that have so far won the Nebula Award (often seen as the “best science-fiction novel” of the year) have been made into movies (They were: Dune, Ender's Game and Flowers for Algernon) The approximate 16 years that Rob's Nebula Award winning novel The Terminal Experiment has been optioned for film rights (but with no film ever having been made so far) After the interview, Mark reflects upon two elements from the conversation. First he looks at the manner by which Rob has acted as a linchpin within the writing and publishing community, mentoring other writers, assisting beginners and always looking to connect people together. Then he explores the way that, when Rob is talking about one of his novels, he focuses on the high level concept that makes people think or makes people want to engage, rather than a "blow by blow" of the plot details. He encourages writers to look for a similar thing in their own work. This podcast was sponsored by Findaway Voices – a company that gives authors and publishers everything they need to create professionally-narrated audiobooks and reach listeners in more than 170 countries through the world's largest audiobook distribution network Links of Interest: Robert J. Sawyer's Website Rob on Twitter Rob's Facebook Author Page The "How to Write" section of Rob's website Misc links to media Coverage of Rob Video of Rob's launch of WATCH at McMaster University   Robert J. Sawyer — called "the dean of Canadian science fiction" by The Ottawa Citizen and "just about the best science-fiction writer out there these days" by The Denver Rocky Mountain News — is one of only eight writers in history (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the science-fiction field's top honors for best novel of the year. Rob — who holds honorary doctorates from the University of Winnipeg and Laurentian University — has taught writing at the University of Toronto, Ryerson University, Humber College, and The Banff Centre. The music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Episode 93 includes a series of short interviews that KWL Director, Mark Lefebvre conducted at the 2017 When Words Collide conference in Calgary, Alberta. Mark speaks with authors Robert J. Sawyer and C.C. Humphreys as well as marketing consultant Mickey Mikkelson about digital publishing, global eBook pricing, author promotion strategies and successful author readings.   Robert J. Sawyer Robert J. Sawyer — called "the dean of Canadian science fiction" by The Ottawa Citizen and "just about the best science-fiction writer out there these days" by The Denver Rocky Mountain News — is one of only eight writers in history (and the only Canadian) to win all three of the science-fiction field's top honors (the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award and The John W. Campbell Memorial Award) for best novel of the year. Rob talks about how he sold the North American rights for his twenty-third novel, Quantum Night, to Penguin Random House, but retained the rest of world rights and took advantage of Kobo Writing Life to publish the international eBook edition of the book. (Link to the book in UK used) He shares the wisdom of lower eBook prices, comparing his own global sales of the title at $4.99 USD version the $18.99 price point that Penguin Random House set. WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH ROB Mickey Mikkelson (Creative Edge Publicity) Creative Edge Publicity specializes in arranging events such as book signings, library or school presentations, or any  event related to the arts in general. They represent many book events including When Words Collide and have a strong belief and advocate for the independent and traditional artist. In his role at Creative Edge supporting authors with their marketing efforts, Mickey shares some of the things his company does helping both traditionally published and self-published authors. Mickey offers advice on what authors should consider before approaching a marketing team for support for their efforts and the fact that there is always a unique approach for each individual author. WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH MICKEY C.C. Humphreys Chris (C.C.) Humphreys has acted all over the world and appeared on stages ranging from London's West End to Hollywood's Twentieth Century Fox. He has written ten historical novels, including the most recent Plague and Fire. Tales of religious fundamentalist serial killers set against the wild events of 1665 to 1666, London, Plague won Canada's Crime Writers' Association Best Crime Novel Award, the Arthur Ellis in 2015. In the Summer of 2016, both novels spent five weeks in the Globe and Mail Top Ten Bestseller list. Along with being a bestselling author, Chris is also a stage, film and television actor, who shares some tips for writers on doing public readings of their work. He suggests that an author's goal in doing a reading should be to really engage with that audience and also to remember that the audience is there to “love” and cheer for the author's success. He also suggests selecting a passage that is active and character driven as well as modulating the tone of their voice throughout the reading. WATCH THE FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS   Mark then talks about the concept of authors taking full advantage of both traditional publishing and independent publishing opportunities, going into a full breakdown of the revenues earned from a single short story of less than 900 words. "Almost" the story in question, appeared in several self-published collections but also is contained in Bumps in the Night, One Hand Screaming and the Crimes, Capers & Rule-Breakers Bundle. but he also sold non-exclusive reprint rights to the story to McGraw-Hill Ryerson for their iLit program. Based on the fact that the professional rate for a short fiction rates is typically somewhere in the $0.05 to $0.6 per word range for most writers, Mark calculates what the per word earnings for this story have been, landing somewhere between $0.40 and $1.15 per word depending on the various income streams for that story. Ultimately, a story whose original pro fiction rate sale would have been approximately $44.00 ended up earning more than $1000. Of course, this is only a single short story, but as part of a larger strategy with plenty of other assets in play, consider how that might add up for authors who take full advantage of exploiting their rights and exploring all options available for earning money on their writing.  (See the original blog details here)   Links of Interest: Robert J. Sawyer's eBooks on Kobo Robert J. Sawyer's audiobooks on Kobo (Listen for FREE with Kobo Audiobooks trial) Robert J. Sawyer's website (SFWriter.com) C.C. Humphrey's eBooks on Kobo C.C. Humphrey's website Creative Edge Publicity website When Words Collide Website   If you enjoy this podcast and would like to automatically download episodes as they go live – even before the show notes are posted to the Kobo Writing Life website – subscribe to the RSS feed via your favourite pod-capturing platform (such as iTunes) using this link: RSS feed for Kobo Writing Life Podcast.

We speak with Canadian sci-fi author Robert J. Sawyer, whose book "Quantum Night" is now available in paperback. In the book, which is set in Winnipeg, a "far-right psychopath comes from out of nowhere to become the American president".

About 4 1/2 years ago I interviewed Robert J. Sawyer on his fantastic non-dystopian AI trilogy WWW. To this day people keep telling me it is one of my very best interviews ever. Unfortunately last time we spoke via Skype and had a pretty bad video connection. So I vowed to myself that next time […]

Luke and Juliane go long on Robert J Sawyer’s latest abomination of a novel, Quantum Night. Get this audiobook for free, or any of 100,000 other titles, as part of a free trial by visiting this link: http://www.audibletrial.com/sfbrp. Buy this book at Amazon, or discuss this book at Goodreads.com Luke blogs at: http://www.lukeburrage.com/blog Follow Luke […]