The Story Craft Cafe Podcast

How Do Authors Deal with Burnout? (Fireside Chats with Hank and Doug) | SCC 175

Burnout among authors is not only real, it can affect you many times throughout your author journey. It's a sneaky little monster that can completely destroy your love and passion for your current story or writing in general.
In this Fireside Chat, Hank and Doug talk about what burnout is, when we've experienced it, and what you can do to prevent it or minimize its impact.

Taking Over An Iconic Franchise With Don Bentley | SCC 174

Don Bentley is the New York Times Bestselling author of eight books including the Matt Drake thriller series (Forgotten War, Hostile Intent, The Outside Man, Without Sanction), the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan, Jr. series (Weapons Grade, Flash Point, Zero Hour, Target Acquired), and the Vince Flynn Mitch Rapp series (beginning in 2024).
Don spent a decade as an Army Apache helicopter pilot during which time he was stationed in South Korea, Germany, and Texas. While deployed to Afghanistan as a Troop Commander in support of Operation Enduring Freedom VI, Don was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Air Medal with "V" device for valor. Following his time in the military Don worked as an FBI Special Agent and was a member of the Dallas Office Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team.
After leaving the FBI, Don worked for companies that developed technology for the U.S. Special Operations Community. He holds a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Ohio State University, and an M.F.A in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University.

How Indie Publishing Empowers Authors With Kevin Tumlinson | SCC 173

Kevin Tumlinson is an award-winning and bestselling novelist, living in Texas and working in random coffee shops, cafés, and hotel lobbies worldwide. His primary work is in thrillers—including his wildly popular Dan Kotler Archaeological Thrillers. But he also successfully published science fiction, fantasy, and escapist fiction.
Kevin grew up in Wild Peach, Texas, where he was raised by his grandparents and given a healthy respect for storytelling. He often found himself in trouble in school for writing stories instead of doing his actual assignments, and he doesn't regret that in the least. And as Wild Peach was in no way metropolitan, or even approaching suburban, young Kevin had plenty of time to put his imagination to work crafting entire universes of characters, settings, and artifacts that would later inform his adult career choice.
Kevin's love for history, archeology, and science has been a tremendous source of material for his writing, feeding his fiction and giving him just the excuse he needs to read the next article, biography, or research paper, visit the next city or country, and embark on the next adventure. Kevin and his wife, Kara, can often be found traveling as van-lifers, along with their little chihuahua terrier, Mini.
Learn more about Kevin and his work, and get a free ebook, at KevinTumlinson.com

Bringing The Fun Back To Science Fiction With Nick Cole | SCC 172

Nick Cole is a former soldier and working actor living in Southern California. When he is not auditioning for commercials, going out for sitcoms or being shot, kicked, stabbed or beaten by the students of various film schools for their projects, he can be found writing books. Nick's Book The Old Man and the Wasteland was an Amazon Bestseller and #1 in Science Fiction. In 2016 Nick's book CTRL ALT Revolt won the Dragon Award for Best Apocalyptic novel. Currently he is writing the bestselling Science Fiction series Galaxy’s Edge with co-author Jason Anspach.

Craft Q&A Office Hours With Hank and Doug | SCC 171

Craft Q&A Office Hours are meant to answer your most pressing questions. During our live events, we always get a bunch of questions spanning the entire spectrum of writing and storytelling. So we decided to dedicate some time to answer them.
Craft Q&A Office Hours are one of our premium perks for Dabble Premium Subscribers. If you would like to participate live in an Office Hours session, consider becoming a premium Dabble Subscriber.
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Fireside Chats with Hank and Doug: Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing | SCC 170

Authors have more options than ever when deciding how they want to achieve their writing goals. The two big options - self-publishing and traditional publishing - are still mysterious and, quite frankly, confusing, to some writers.
Join Hank and Doug in this Fireside Chat as we discuss what it means to publish on each path and what the pros and cons of each publishing style are.
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Outlining Using The Snowflake Method With Randy Ingermanson | SCC 169

Randy Ingermanson is the author of six novels and three bestselling books on how to write fiction. He is known around the world as “the Snowflake Guy” in honor of his wildly popular Snowflake method of designing a novel. Randy has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of California at Berkeley and still works half-time as a scientist for a biotechnology company in San Diego. He publishes the free monthly Advanced Fiction Writing E-zine, with zillions of subscribers. Randy lives in southern Washington state with his beautiful, smart, and longsuffering wife. Also three surly cats. Visit his web site at http://www.AdvancedFictionWriting.com

Why Story Trumps Structure With Steven James | SCC 168

Steven James is a critically acclaimed author of eighteen novels and numerous nonfiction books that have sold more than 1 million copies. His books have won or been shortlisted for dozens of national and international awards. In addition, his stories and articles have appeared in more than eighty different publications, including the New York Times. He is also a popular keynote speaker and professional storyteller with a master’s degree in storytelling. 
James’ latest thriller, FATAL DOMAIN, is available. The new series follows Travis Brock, a redactor for the Department of Defense who must attempt to unearth the truth of a personal tragedy while trying to stop a terrorist group from stealing one of the military’s most highly guarded technological breakthroughs.
Since 1996, James has appeared more than two thousand times at events spanning the globe, presenting his stories and teaching the principles of storytelling to writers, speakers, teachers, and leaders. He also hosts the weekly podcast The Story Blender, on which he has interviewed more than 150 of the world’s leading writers and storytellers. In 2020, he was inducted into the Christy Award Hall of Fame for excellence in fiction writing. Publishers Weekly has called him “[a] master storyteller at the peak of his game.”
When he’s not writing or speaking, you may find him playing basketball or disc golf, or hiking near his home in the Appalachian Highlands of East Tennessee. He may or may not watch too many science fiction movies while eating bottomless bowls of chips and salsa. 

Indie Author Glynn Stewart On Blending Magic With Sci Fi | SCC 167

Glynn Stewart is the author of Starship’s Mage, a bestselling science fiction and fantasy series where faster-than-light travel is possible–but only because of magic. His other works include science fiction series Duchy of Terra, Castle Federation and Exile, as well as the urban fantasy series ONSET and Changeling Blood.
Writing managed to liberate Glynn from a bleak future as an accountant. With his personality and hope for a high-tech future intact, he lives in Southern Ontario with his partner, their cats, and an unstoppable writing habit.

Writing Historical Fantasy With Stephen Aryan | SCC 166

Stephen Aryan is a fantasy author from the North East of England. 
Growing up, he read fantasy books by authors including Tolkien, CS Lewis, Ursula Le Guin, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, Terry Brooks, David Eddings, before moving on to authors that include David Gemmell, Tad Williams, James Barclay, Stephen King, Robert Jordan, and Robin Hobb.
In 2013, after over a decade of rejections, Stephen submitted his latest novel to a literary agent. Battlemage, his debut novel, was published in 2015, and was the first of a trilogy called the Age of Darkness. Since then, he has gone on to publish several fantasy series.
Stephen is a lapsed gamer and a wannabe forest ranger, who likes spending time outside in the woods. When he's not extolling the virtues of Babylon 5, he can be found drinking real ale and reading comics. He lives in the West Midlands with his partner and two cats.