Stay ConnectedPage Break is a collection of casual conversations between epic fantasy author Brian McClellan and fellow creative professionals—like two friends sitting down over lunch to discuss career, craft, family, and hobbies. Authorhood is a quiet sort of minor fame where the person behind the words is often obscured by the works they’ve created. Brian aims to use this podcast to find out more about his friends and colleagues.
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Copyright: © Brian McClellan
Brian's guest this week is youtuber and fantasy author Shad M. Brooks. Shad is known for his massively popular Youtube channel Shadiversity, where he dives into fantasy and medieval tropes, culture, and technology. Shad also talks more pop culture and reviews over on his other Youtube channel, Knights Watch. In addition to his video content, Shad is the author of the epic fantasy novel Shadows of the Conqueror, which came out in 2019.
Shad and Brian talk about self-publishing, giving and receiving criticism, the sweet spot between realism and fantasy, expanding the scope of your business as a creative professional, and the process of learning and growing in public. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Shad M. Brooks!
Find Shad on Youtube or Twitter, or find his book on Amazon or from your favorite bookstore!
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is novelist Helene Wecker. Helene is author of the best-selling and award-winning book, the Golem and the Jinni and its recent follow up, The Hidden Palace. Helene and Brian are also debut buddies—their first books came out the same month in April of 2013.
Helene and Brian talk about writing classes and pursuing higher education for creative writing, the despair when a book just isn’t clicking, the loneliness of being a writer, and the way life can get in the way of a creative job. Enjoy his conversation with Helene Wecker!
Find Helene on Twitter or grab her latest book from Amazon or your favorite bookstore.
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is bestselling epic fantasy author and personal hero, Joe Abercrombie! Joe is known for his nine books in the First Law universe where he created fan favorite characters like Glokta and Logen Ninefingers. He has also written the young adult Shattered Sea Trilogy.
Joe and Brian discuss video games, book tours, their most challenging books, and Joe’s background in film editing and what that brought to his writing career. They also talk about the male-centric cast of their debut novels—both where that came from, and how they developed as authors afterwards. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Joe Abercrombie!
Find Joe on Twitter or grab one of his books from Amazon or your favorite bookstore.
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is Canadian actor Anthony Lemke! Anthony will be known to American audiences as the character of Three in the sci-fi drama Dark Matter and as Coach Marcus Gilday in the college sitcom Blue Mountain State. He has an extensive catalog of parts in television and film, and has acted in both English and French.
Brian asks Anthony for advice on how to read a pilot script, and they talk at length about becoming best friends with insecurity, planning out your life as a creative, an actor’s relationship with the writer of a script, and how they try to understand people they may on agree with. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Anthony Lemke!
Find Anthony on Twitter or check out his TV and film credits to discover a new show to watch!
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Don't forget to support the show on Patreon, or pick up some swag on Redbubble.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest this week is Kevin Hearne! Kevin is the bestselling author of the urban fantasy Iron Druid series and the epic fantasy Seven Kennings. He also co-writes the Tales of Pell with previous Page Break guest Delilah S Dawson.
Kevin and Brian chat about the mental health benefits of getting out in nature, Kevin’s epic fantasy series, the future of Iron Druid, childhood whimsy in their adult lives, travel as inspiration, and so much more. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Kevin Hearne!
Find Kevin on Twitter, Instagram, and his website. Pick up one of his books from Amazon or your favorite bookstore!
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Don't forget to support the show on Patreon.
Check out Brian's Redbubble store for Powder Mage swag.
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Brian's guest this week is novelist Fonda Lee. Fonda is the author of the young adult Exo series as well as the epic fantasy Green Bone Saga. The first book in that series, Jade City, was a finalist for the Nebula Award and won the World Fantasy Award in 2018.
Fonda and Brian discuss her transition from the world of business to being a creative, how outside influences can affect an author’s career, and the debut energy that surrounds a new author. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Fonda Lee!
Find Fonda on Twitter or her website. Pick up one of her books on Amazon or wherever books are sold!
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Don't forget to support the show on Patreon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Welcome to part two of this week’s two-part episode where Brian chats individually with a pair of co-authors, R.A. Salvatore and Erika Lewis, for the launch week of their new book Color of Dragons!
Brian's second guest is Robert Anthony Salvatore! Bob is a long-time bestselling author of the DemonWars Saga and the creator of the beloved character Drizzt Do’Urden for Forgotten Realms. Most listeners even tangentially aware of epic fantasy will know Bob’s name, and to that end they start by chatting about the nature of fame. They also talk about Bob’s controversial dip into Star Wars, when it’s appropriate to kill a character, and his longstanding relationship with Forgotten Realms. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Bob Salvatore!
Find Bob on Twitter or his website. Check out his new book, Color of Dragons, on Amazon or your favorite retailer!
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Don't forget to support the show on Patreon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
This week Brian has something a little different for you: a special two-part episode in which he chats individually with a pair of co-authors, R.A. Salvatore and Erika Lewis, for the launch week of their new book Color of Dragons!
First up is Erika Lewis! Erika is a former television producer who has written novels for multiple age groups—her debut Game of Shadows, the newly released Color of Dragons, and the upcoming Kelcie Murphy and The Academy for the Unbreakable Arts. She’s also written extensively for comics.
Brian and Erika chat about an author’s relationship with their editors, working with a giant of the field like Bob Salvatore, her previous career in TV, and the importance of getting out of the house as a work-from-home creative. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Erika Lewis!
Find Erika on twitter and her website. Pick up her new book, Color of Dragons, on Amazon or from your favorite retailer!
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian’s guest is author and podcaster Mallory O’Meara. Mallory wrote the bestselling nonfiction book The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick. Her upcoming Girly Drinks, a feminist history of women and alcohol, is out just a week from broadcast of this episode. Mallory is also the co-host of the literary podcast Reading Glasses.
Mallory and Brian talk about how authors are bound to social media and the frustration that brings; how her career took a left turn into non-fiction; and the way Covid disrupted the fragile social lives of creative professionals. Enjoy Brian's conversation with Mallory O’Meara.
Find Mallory on Twitter, her website, or her podcast, Reading Glasses. Pick up her new book, Girly Drinks, on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller!
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Brian's guest is Youtuber and author Daniel Greene! Daniel is the writer and performer behind the hugely popular Fantasy News Youtube and Twitch channels, as well as the author of the epic fantasy novellas Breach of Peace and Rebel’s Creed.
Daniel and Brian chat about what it’s like to be on the other side of the reviewer’s crosshairs, the massive amount of work it takes to make it on Youtube, the upcoming Wheel of Time show, and more! Enjoy Brian's conversation with Daniel Greene!
Find Daniel on his Youtube channel, Twitch, or Twitter. Pick up one of his books on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller!
Find Brian at his website, on Twitter and Instagram, or find his books on Amazon, direct from his bookstore, or wherever books are sold!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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