My Superpower and Mini-Interview: James Dashner
My Superpower is a regular guest column on the Skiffy and Fanty blog where authors and creators tell us about one weird skill, neat trick, highly specialized cybernetic upgrade, or other superpower they have, and how it helped (or hindered!) their creative process as they built their project. Today we welcome James Dashner to talk about how his power of movie watching relates to The Kill Order. ————————————————- Like any person (at least any nerdy person, which are the only ones I care about), I love superheroes. I love Superman. I love Spiderman. I love the X-Men. I even love Bruce Willis in Unbreakable. I love the dude who invented Mountain Dew and Abraham Lincoln. All superheroes. And yes, I am one myself. I know this may shock you, but it’s true. I, James Dashner, am a superhero. And now I will tell you what my secret power is. Are you ready? I’m really, especially, fantastically good at watching movies. That’s right. Make fun all you want, but I’m much better at it than you are. In fact, no one on the planet of Earth (I can’t vouch for those other planets we keep discovering) is as brilliantly brilliant at watching movies as I am. I can enjoy any movie on any level at any time. My biggest pet peeve in the world is this new thing where all the “smart” people on the Internet rip every single movie
Recommended Reads: 2013 Post-Holiday Reading List
Recommended Reads is a monthly feature in which the Skiffy and Fanty crew tell you about one thing they recently read that they think you might like too. This month, we’re sharing our favorite reads for the year in order to convince you to buy a million books during the winter holidays. Here are their picks:
#11 — Catching Fire (2013) — A Shoot the WISB Discussion
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/ShootTheWISB11CatchingFire2013/Shoot%20the%20WISB%20%2311%20–%20Catching%20Fire%20%282013%29.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSMockingjays, rebellions, and dictators, oh my! Shaun, Mike, Paul, and Keffy join forces to tackle the newly released film adaptation of Catching Fire, starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, and many more! Spoiler Alert: the following podcast contains spoilers for the film being reviewed; if you wish to see the film without having it ruined for you, download this podcast and save it for later. Download the episode here. Show notes (info about our contributors can be found on the about page): Catching Fire (IMDB) “What Really Makes Katniss Stand Out? Peeta, Her Movie Girlfriend” at NPR Note: We’re shifting over the Shoot the WISB segments from my personal blog to The Skiffy and Fanty Show. Why? It just makes more sense, I suppose. If you’ve never listened to the Shoot the WISB casts, you’ll likely see them pop up in your iTunes or RSS feeds over the next few weeks.
174. Cassandra Rose Clarke at Worldcon (an Interview of Sorts)
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode174CassandraClarkeAtWorldcon/SandF%20–%20Episode%20174%20–%20Cassandra%20Clarke%20at%20Worldcon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSMad scientists, assassins, and publishing, oh my! Cassandra Rose Clarke joins Jen and Shaun in a mysterious San Antonio restaurant to talk about her novels, writing, the fantasy genre, galactic empires (well, Shaun talks about that), and much more! Plus, there may be a few half-truths in here. We’ll leave you to figure them out! 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): Episode 174 — Download (MP3) Show Notes Cassandra’s Website Angry Robot Books You can also support this podcast by signing up for a one month free trial at Audible. Doing so helps us, gives you a change to try out Audible’s service, and brings joy to everyone. Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks! Thanks for listening. See you next week.
171. Chuck Wendig at Worldcon — An Interview
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/SandFEpisode171AnInterviewWChuckWendigAtWorldcon/SandF%20–%20Episode%20171%20–%20An%20Interview%20w%20Chuck%20Wendig%20at%20Worldcon.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSUrban fantasy, writing YA, and religion, oh my! Chuck Wendig joins Shaun and Jen at Worldcon to talk about his work (new and old), writing YA, urban fantasy, the intersection between violence, censorship, and religion, and so much more! 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): Episode 171 — Download (MP3) Show Notes Chuck Wendig’s Website Angry Robot Books You can also support this podcast by signing up for a one month free trial at Audible. Doing so helps us, gives you a change to try out Audible’s service, and brings joy to everyone. Our new intro music is “Time Flux” by Revolution Void (CC BY 3.0). That’s all, folks! Thanks for listening. See you next week.
On Writing: Cold and Dead
I don’t believe in literary trend tracking. I never have. Largely, the reason why is I’m a contrarian. If hordes of people are headed one direction, I’m very likely to push against the flow — particularly if the flow is overwhelming. More often than not, I’ve found that doing so has been helpful. It keeps me ahead of the game, as it were. I simply don’t trust fads, and I certainly don’t trust mobs. In large groups, people tend to think less of the consequences of what is happening. I want to think. I want to make my own decisions. I’m not interested in doing something just because it’s fashionable. Plus, I’ve been around long enough to know that the moment when everyone is doing it is the moment one should flee the scene. The pattern is as old as humanity. Look up the Dutch Tulip Bubble of 1637 if you don’t believe me. That’s why whenever a newbie writer asks me if they should follow trends, I tell them not to bother. They’re bullshit. Understand that by the time you finish
