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Guest Post: The Hobby-Writer’s Tale by Basil Mahon

I took up book writing after retiring from regular work. It’s a wonderful hobby, but a harsh one. Being able to write well is not enough. To gain even the most modest success you need passion for your subject, great perseverance, and a measure of luck. I am one of the lucky ones, having had three books published which together have sold about 50,000 copies and been translated into five languages. This hasn’t made me rich but I have the tremendous satisfaction of knowing that every day someone, somewhere in the world, is getting enjoyment from reading my words. Perhaps something of what I’ve learned on the way may be useful to someone setting out on a similar path. I hope so. There’s something paradoxical about writing a book. It’s a solitary activity—there’s no escaping the sense of isolation when one faces the first blank page. Yet, to me, the joy of writing lies in the fellowship with readers, in the sharing of enjoyment.

331. Tobias Buckell (a.k.a. Captain Planet) — At NASFiC (An Interview)

http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode331InterviewWithTobiasBuckell/Sandf–Episode331–InterviewWithTobiasBuckell.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSBoats, Bungie Headquarters, and organizing, oh my! Shaun was honored to be able to interview Guest of Honor Tobias Buckell at NASFiC in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last month. It was a great conversation about Tobias’ history and identity as a Caribbean writer, what it’s like to write tie-in novels for Halo (which he’s a total geek for), and The Tangled Lands, his new book co-written with Paolo Bacigalupi. There are audience questions at the end to delve into even more fun tidbits! This was a live recording, so please forgive the audio quality. We hope you enjoy the episode! Note:  If you have iTunes and like this show, please give us a review on our iTunes page, or feel free to email us with your thoughts about the show! Here’s the episode (show notes are below):