Lasers Dragons And Keyboards

LDK - THE LOST EPISODES - Ep 2: Etherno

In our "lost episodes" files, we interview UF and Paranormal Romance author, Amy Brock McNew. 

LDK - THE LOST EPISODES - Ep 1 with Amy Brock McNew

Due to a Midwestern snowstorm, Liberty was unable to join Aaron & Josh in this spectacular interview with sci-fi legend, Nick Cole. A former soldier and actor, Nick shares insights into his writing process, tabletop gaming, indie publishing, and who you should pay attention to in this world where everybody is a guru in the indie-sphere. 

LDK S2 Ep 3 - Plan For Your Success

We sat down and discussed Jason Joyner's debut novel, Launch. As well as what led to the creation of the Realm Makers Consortium in 2015, and how great it is to be a part of a writing community that shares bonds in areas of both spiritual and fandom. Be sure to check out the stream on Twitch.tv/LDK_Podcast for great interaction on the chat! Where to Find Jason + other links: Jason Joyner Launch LDK on Twitch LDK on Patreon

LDK S2 Ep2: The Bleeding Will Eventually Stop

We sat down with J.J. Johnson, author of  Iggy & Oz: The Plastic Dinos of Doom this week on LDK! We discussed the challenges of writing for middle grade, giant snot blobs, and insights into marketing from a marketing professional. Oh, and there was laughter. A. Lot. Of. Laughter. (But what else do you expect from us?)  Links: J.J. Johnson Iggy & Oz on Amazon LDK on Twitch.tv LDK on Patreon After Atlantis Gaming on Twitch.tvJosh's book on Amazon Aaron's books on Amazon Liberty's latest book on Amazon

LDK S2 Ep 1 - Dinosaurs, Soda Pop, & Snot

We're excited to be re-launching the podcast! And today, we did a test run of our new recording setup. Be sure to join us on Twitch.tv/LDK_Podcast for future episodes!

LDK S2 Ep 0 - Just a Few Technical Difficulties (re-meet the hosts!)

We were delighted to have with us NYT bestselling author, Ed Greenwood, on this week's episode of the show! For those not in the know, Mr. Greenwood is the creator of The Forgotten Realms. Note to listeners: we had not only our producer missing, but the guys had to jury-rig a setup to record. Mr. Greenwood joined us over the phone, which was not what we had planned—but we were delighted to have him despite our technical difficulties. (Liberty's hair may or may not be more grey after editing...) Also, for our listeners with sensitive ears, there is some mild swearing in this episode. The guys mostly let Mr. Greenwood talk, and as such, we think this is an episode best listened to rather than trying to sum it up. But we do get a history lesson on publishing and research. My word, do we have it easy nowadays. Everything in a home exists to support bookshelves. ~ Ed Greenwood   Links: Ed Greenwood The Edverse Ed on Twitter 

LDK 77 - The History of Fantasy

We've got some great insight into intellectual property law with attorney Steve Fairchild. It may sound boring, but as authors, it's important we understand at least a little bit about the law. We start things out with an overview of what's encompassed in intellectual property, and then it really gets fun! In Episode 76: How biology degrees relates to intellectual property How Steve gets his clients Can you use the term "lightsaber™" in your book? Does I.P. law translate to other countries? Finding an I.P. attorney...and do you need one? What's the difference between an I.P. attorney and an agent? When does copyright exist? Do you need to file your copyright with the copyright office? What happens when your work has been pirated? Can I.P. law be funny? How Steven actually informed an episode of Suits--and how they got it wrong! What Steven finds frustrating in fiction about the law Bunny trails! Do I need to copyright my idea formally with the copyright office? Fair use law Steve's advice on courtroom scenes Steve's favorite movies about legal stuff Links: Steven R Fairchild author Steven R Fairchild, attorney Living Ashes Turkish Star Wars Redshirts by John Scalzi Godzilla scene from Austin Powers: Goldmember Erin Brokovich Joy 

LDK 76 - Intellectual Property Law with Steven Fairchild

We sit down with physics teacher by day, thriller author by night, Kayla--K.M.--Dailey this episode. K.M. is the winner of our flash short story contest with Laura VanArendonk Baugh to write a short story featuring Samwise Gamgee (LOTR) and River Song (Doctor Who.) K.M.'s story had us in stitches, and we're sure you'll see why we picked the story as our winner. We talk about our Harry Potter houses, Kayla's inspiration for the short story, Christmas trees out of books, Liberty admits to having lower standards in her reading, the ever-present need for more bookcases, Harry Dresden, the new doctor on Doctor Who and Kayla's and Liberty's concerns about the direction, Doctor Who indoctrination (no pun intended!), Kayla's goal of 100 rejections in 2018 (!!!), Captain America...or Captain Jack Sparrow? Find out more about Kayla on her YouTube channel. Kayla's book recommendations: Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card The Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket The Three Body Problem - Cixin Liu   For a transcript of K.M. Dailey's short story, visit our website at: LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com

LDK 75 - Alien Artifacts with K.M. Dailey

This week we have hopeless romantic, H.L. (Heidi) Burke on the show. She's totally obsessed with dragons, but we know a few people who also are, so we won't hold it against her.   In episode 74: The evolution of a pantser to a plotter Guess which of Heidi's offspring might be a future Bond villain! Lyrics in music? Yes or no? The adventures of being a military wife Why Heidi doesn't think she's a very deep person. Working with an editor when you've been self-published first How Sarah picks her release dates Aaron warns new authors about vanity presses Who is Theodore??   As always, check our website for full show notes! LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com      

LDK 74 - Don't Ask Permission To Create Art

This week we have hopeless romantic, H.L. (Heidi) Burke on the show. She's totally obsessed with dragons, but we know a few people who also are, so we won't hold it against her. In episode 73: We discuss the Eros & Psyche myth again (see Laura VAB's recent episode for more E&P!) as H.L.'s book, Coiled, is based on the myth. Heidi's desire to go "aww" while writing. How we have to release our books to the world and they become a part of the world instead of ours. Myths are out of copyright—we can plagiarize them! Can snakes get sea sick? Star Trek rants! Re-reading on Goodreads Myers Briggs analysis of characters For more notes and links to other shows, please visit LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com

LDK 73 - Coiled with H.L. Burke

We have Andrew Winch on this week, who is the executive editor with Splickety Publishing group where he's worked with a whole host of authors including Jerry B. Jenkins, Tosca Lee, and Robert Liparulo. He's a full time physical therapist when he's not running around with Ben Wolf. In this episode: Google is a wonderful thing. ;) Who is Ben Wolflichman? Wrangling flaming pigs Gothic horror / steampunk Weird stuff submitted to Splickety (hint: did you guess frog erotica?) Andrew's love of creepy stuff Don't edit your voice out of your story!!! Is writing flash fiction a perfectionist's game? What 3 tips would Andrew give to improve your writing? Why you should read women's fiction. You have to write a great story. Supporting characters Andrew wants to know more about! For additional show notes, visit LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com

LDK 72 - Exploring Splickety Publishing Group

In this episode, we sit down with E. Stephen Burnett, who, along with Ben Wolf (see episodes 10 & 11), is the co-founder of the forthcoming e-magazine, Lorehaven. Stephen is a former print journalist who now helps run SpeculativeFaith.com and other faith-based websites that focus on fiction--including Lorehaven. He hails from Texas. In this episode: What Lorehaven is--and what it won't be. What is a flash review? Stephen's favorite version of Star Trek. Lorehaven's goal to create book clubs. The broader content goals of Lorehaven. Who should everyone be reading? What is Stephen watching? Wonder Woman? Anime?  Find all our show notes, links to previous episodes, and links to books discussed on our website: LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com

LDK 71 - The Magic of Lorehaven

On this episode, we have Paul Smith, friend of previous guests, CW Briar and Jon Brhel. He's author of Jason and the Draconauts! Paul Smith lives in upstate New York with his wife and two sons, where he works with emotionally disturbed and mentally ill children. He earned a master’s degree in social sciences from Binghamton University in 1999. A lifelong love of science fiction, fantasy, and superhero stories influences Paul’s writing. His most recent work was a popular weekly online series that generated over 20,000 views. Jason and the Draconauts is his first novel.   In Episode 70: The pitfalls of pantsing The guys give Liberty a hard time for ditching her outline Liberty keeps bringing up Scrivener... Bluetooth keyboards! Why reading out loud is an important editing tool. Paul's techniques for battling writer's block and why he hates frustration. Paul's thoughts on conventions and selling books on them. Whether FB ads are worth the paper they're printed on... Including fandom quotes in our books! What do your books teach you in the course of the writing? Get words on paper   Links! Paul D Smith (on Goodreads) Jason and the Draconauts The Council of Ancients Ready Player One (audiobook link) Brandon Sanderson Redshirts by John Scalzi (on audiobook!) Scrivener (again!) The Hobbit The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code Angels & Demons   As always, you can find complete show notes at LasersDragonsAndKeyboards.com.

LDK 70 - Get Words On Paper

On this episode, we have Paul Smith, friend of previous guests, CW Briar and Jon Brhel. He's author of Jason and the Draconauts! Paul Smith lives in upstate New York with his wife and two sons, where he works with emotionally disturbed and mentally ill children. He earned a master’s degree in social sciences from Binghamton University in 1999. A lifelong love of science fiction, fantasy, and superhero stories influences Paul’s writing. His most recent work was a popular weekly online series that generated over 20,000 views. Jason and the Draconauts is his first novel. In Episode 69: Writing for your kids Creating dragons! Who's going to argue with a dragon? D&D's influence in Paul's writing How to NOT plagiarise Aaron wants to read a story about Captain America riding a dragon Does the TARDIS have a loading bay? Black Ops Helicopters Sean Connery thoughts on conventions and selling books on them. Whether FB ads are worth the paper they're printed on... Including fandom quotes in our books! What do your books teach you in the course of the writing? Get words on paper   Links! Paul D Smith (on Goodreads) Jason and the Draconauts The Council of Ancients Ready Player One (audiobook link) Brandon Sanderson Redshirts by John Scalzi (on audiobook!) Scrivener (again!) The Hobbit The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code Angels & Demons 

LDK 69 - Jason & the Draconauts with Paul D. Smith

Brings you up-and-coming and establish authors of science fiction, fantasy, and speculative fiction in fun, two-part episodes. For both fans of the genre as well as writers

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Lasers Dragons And Keyboards

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