Radio Interview: Joy on Paper
I met PatZi at Bouchercon in Dallas back in November and was invited to be a guest on her radio program. Her syndicated radio program, Joy on Paper, is for writers and those who dream of writing. She’s interviewed over 500 authors and VIPs of the publishing world. Some of the writers she’s interviewed are Lee Child, Sue Grafton, David Baldacci, Sara Paretsky, and Lawrence Block!
I was interviewed by the wonderful PatZi a couple of weeks ago. I met PatZi at Bouchercon in Dallas back in November and was invited to be a guest on her radio program. Her syndicated radio program, Joy on Paper, is for writers and those who dream of writing. She’s interviewed over 500 authors and VIPs of the publishing world. Some of the writers she’s interviewed are Lee Child, Sue Grafton, David Baldacci, Sara Paretsky, and Lawrence Block!
She’s an engaging host with great energy and was a joy to speak with on the radio. We had such a good time I ended up staying on air with PatZi for two segments.
Here are links to the Joy On Paper webpage as well as the interview!
Cross-Genre Fiction And Skipping The Prologue
Right now I'm at Bouchercon, the annual crime/mystery convention, which is being held in Toronto this year. So why am I bringing up cross-genre fiction while I'm attending a mystery con?
Right now I'm at Bouchercon, the annual crime/mystery convention, which is being held in Toronto this year. So why am I bringing up cross-genre fiction while I'm attending a mystery con?
So, I was chatting with David Morrell (his first novel was First Blood, and he's written so many great books!) after he signed a book for me, and he brought up how he likes to write in multiple genres as well as mixing genres in one book. And that got me thinking about how audiences used to a certain style from a writer would react to something different, or to multiple genres in one book.
So I thought Iron Angels, the book I co-wrote with Eric Flint.
Iron Angels is a cross-genre novel, but at its heart an FBI procedural which happens to contain elements of horror and the fantastic. And that means there may be portions of the book that may not appeal to certain readers. How can this be remedied? How would a reader who doesn't necessarily care for science fiction get into the book?
For mystery/crime readers: skip the prologue in Iron Angels.
Yep. Go ahead and skip it. Why? It's aliens/demons speaking in a crazy made-up language. It's not a long prologue, but for that type of reader, they may get kicked out of the book before it even begins!
So...
Just go to Chapter 1--my knowledge of FBI procedure kicks in with the first sentence and continues for most of the book. Once you're hooked with the FBI ERT crime scene and investigative procedures, go back and read the prologue if you feel like it, but it isn't necessary to understand the plot.
Science fiction and (urban)fantasy readers, or those who enjoy horror can read the prologue and be happy. I do believe though, that anyone who has been curious about FBI procedure will learn a lot from the book even with the fantastic elements.
There may be sections in cross-genre novels that readers won't like, but I think if a story is entertaining enough, engaging enough with interesting characters, it won't matter as the reader will be pulled along regardless of the cross-genre content.
Just a few thoughts. And for the record--when I read I usually skip the prologue and then end up reading it later. I think most readers do that, right?
Links To Recent Interviews/Q&As/Newsletters, etc.
Eric Flint and I participated in a couple of interviews as well as a Reddit AMA in September supporting the September 5th release of Iron Angels--the urban fantasy detective novel we co-wrote.
The Baen Free Radio Hour, September 15, 2017: Podcast-- Eric Flint and Alistair Kimble discuss their new urban fantasy novel Iron Angels, in which a team of FBI agents are hot on the trail of a mysterious cult that performs human sacrifices, a second cult that opposes the first, and an ancient evil from another dimension; and part seventeen of the complete audiobook serialization of Liaden Universe® novel Alliance of Equals by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller.
Reddit Author AMA, September 28, 2017: Eric Flint is a NY Times bestseller and former labor union activist. Alistair Kimble is an FBI Special Agent and prior enlisted U.S. Navy Aircrewman. Somehow they managed to write Iron Angels together. Ask us anything!
MyLifeMyBooksMyEscape, September 14, 2017: Online interview of Alistair Kimble on Iron Angels and co-writing with Eric Flint.
Baen Books Monthly Newsletter for September: Baen's monthly newsletter mentioning Iron Angels.
Iron Angels is available in most places books and ebooks are sold. Below are some links to purchase unsigned and signed copies of Iron Angels.
Links for purchasing unsigned copies of Iron Angels.
Signed copies of Iron Angels:
The Missing Volume (signed by Eric Flint & Alistair Kimble)
The BookBar (signed by Alistair Kimble)
Fan Of Genre Since 1975
Thank you Granny for introducing me to genre (and horrible beer)!
I was five years old in March of '75. Yes, I've been a fan since then, only I didn't come to that conclusion until recently. I'd always thought '77 was the year I became I fan. Do I need to spell out what franchise debuted in 1977? Didn't think so.
What made me think of writing this was an author interview I participated in over on the mylifemybooksmyescape blog. I brought up Kolchak: The Night Stalker as one of the influences for the novel Iron Angels, which I co-wrote with the wonderful Eric Flint.
The more obvious influence was The X-Files, but to anyone who reads Iron Angels that should be somewhat obvious. Kolchak, for the uninitiated, stars Darren McGavin (you know, the dad from A Christmas Story) as a reporter who finds himself embroiled in the fantastic and unbelievable. The show only aired for one season (there were also two TV movies that aired earlier that were highly rated) but this show was cited as an inspiration for The X-Files. I remember my great-grandmother babysitting me watching Kolchak while sipping a Pabst Blue Ribbon. The show scared me to death (there are plenty of horror elements), but it stuck with me.
Two more shows I remember from my childhood are Quincy and Columbo. Both of those are genre, too--you didn't think I only meant science fiction/fantasy/horror, did you?
The shows all have something in common, solving a mystery. Investigating. It doesn't matter if it's fantastic or based more on what we believe is reality, what obviously stuck with me was the mystery.
Let's take it even further! Another show I adored as a child was Scooby Doo. More mystery! More monsters! More investigation! Scooby Doo was my absolute favorite cartoon back then, and I still enjoy it--which is why I bought the full DVD collection housed in The Mystery Machine! And now I'm reading Meddling Kids, by Edgar Cantero.
What brought Scooby Doo back around to me was when I came across the most awesome cosplay at Dragon Con (annual multi-media convention held in Atlanta with around 80,000 attendees!). Not only did they have the Scooby Doo gang there, but the monsters was almost every episode! It was like I was in the cartoon!
When I got a little older, I used to watch all the classic mystery films and suspense films such as those from Hitchcock, which also influenced me and my choice of career. These are all genre, and I love to watch and read across the different genres.
Now that I'm looking back at my formative years, prodded by these recent rediscoveries I mentioned above, I think it's safe to say that genre, and in particular anything that involved mysteries and investigation led me to my career in law enforcement.
I could go on and on about television and film that influenced me, but for now, this is a good start! Thank you Granny for introducing me to genre (and horrible beer).
Publishers Weekly Top 10 SF, Fantasy & Horror for Fall of 2017
Iron Angels, the urban fantasy/police procedural I wrote with Eric Flint has been chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of its top 10 picks for fall 2017 in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror category! Iron Angels will be released as a hardcover on 9/5/2017 from Baen Books.
Iron Angels, the urban fantasy/police procedural I wrote with Eric Flint has been chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of its top 10 picks for fall 2017 in the Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror category! Iron Angels will be released as a hardcover on 9/5/2017 from Baen Books.
Here is a link to the web-based article:
In the digital and print editions of Publishers Weekly they printed a little more information, and my wonderful publisher, Baen, also ran a full page color ad for its fall releases!
Its available for pre-order now at all the usual spots, to include: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powells, as well as Tattered Cover (since I live in Colorado!). In addition, there is an eARC available on Baen's website: http://www.baen.com/iron-angels-earc.html. An eARC is an advanced reading copy of the novel, which Baen offers, warts and all, to the public to purchase if they want to get their hands on a book right away!
Iron Angels: A bizarre kidnapping case leads FBI Special Agent Jasper Wilde into the mysterious world of a strange religious cult and even stranger criminals.