Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #64: 20 Minute Ditch on Grudges

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:30 — 14.7MB)

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Welcome to the second edition of the 20-Minute Ditch! Because you’re making money moves (that’s from Matt’s introduction, which he will probably not be allowed to make anymore). On this episode the Ditch Diggers talk about professional grudges. Can they be healthy? Can a certain level of forgiveness be unhealthy? It’s complicated stuff, but somehow Matt and Mur completely explain and solve it in twenty minutes. They’re just that good.

Did you know you could have heard this last week if you supported our Patreon?

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Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #63: Nebula Awards Report

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:59 — 38.9MB)

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NOTE FROM MATT AND MUR: So, yeah. This episode, as well as next week’s 20-Minute Ditch, were both recorded before rampant sexual harassment allegations against Morgan Freeman became public knowledge. The Ditch Diggers are an organization that believes women and has no desire or intention to prop up harassers or abuser culture, accused or otherwise. As such, we will be omitting our usual references to Morgan Freeman in episodes moving forward.

  • The Ditch Diggers come to you live from Morgan Freeman’s Empty Trophy Room
  • The writing business things! Mur talks about her experience at the Nebula Awards conference, where she was nominated for Best Novel.
  • Mur begins recounting her experience at the awards (the wine was free, and there was a lot of it), until Matt requests she set the scene by explaining what the Nebulas are and where and when this year’s awards were held.
  • Mur talks about how Matt’s agent, DongWon Song, was the Lord Byron of the convention, and also clarifies a text she sent Matt during the con which read simply, “DongWon has your kidney.”
  • Mur returns to recounting her Nebula weekend, beginning with flying into Pittsburgh, widely regarded as the Hollywood of Pennsylvania, and attending her first panel, on makeup.
  • Authorly cocktail parties including readings from excerpts of nominated works by professional voice actors and how Mur managed not to have a breakdown during her small part of the proceedings.
  • Mur’s thoughts on pioneering author James Patrick Kelly and author mentorship relationships in publishing.
  • Mur talks about the Nebula Awards ceremony itself, her fellow nominees, and the toastmaster who is the voice of Snuffleupagus and Telly from Sesame Street and who brought puppets! Also, Mur missed Peter S. Beagle’s Grandmaster Award acceptance because she had to pee.
  • #QueerBallot
  • When “it’s an honor to be nominated” is actually true and sincere.
  • The writerly lessons Mur took away from her experience at the convention and as a Nebula Best Novel nominee.
  • Twitter Q&A! What to do when story rights revert back to you, Star Trek references, and more!

Did you know you could have gotten this yesterday if you supported our Patreon?

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Books, News, Personal, Projects

Solo, Six Wakes, and more!

It’s time to check in with the lady who barely blogs.

—

First: Finally I can talk about it! My big project that ate my spring was the novelization of the movie Solo!

I’m writing a Star Wars novel. I’ve been to Lucasfilm. I’ve written canon scenes (pending approval) about my hero, L3 (and some of the other characters too). I turned in the novel. And it’s still unreal to me.

L3-37

It’ll be out in early September, and you can preorder now!

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I attended the Nebulas! Matt and I will discuss it at length on the next Ditch Diggers, but I had an amazing time, lost a major award, met some phenomenal writers, and signed books. I didn’t even get upset that I lost, because losing to NK Jemisin is like losing a Tony Award to Hamilton or the Belmont Stakes to Secretariat.

—

Six Wakes was nominated for the Manly Wade Wellman Award! This award recognizes SFF from North Carolina. The full list of nominees:

  • Frost & Filigree by Natania Barron (Falstaff Books)
  • Amazing Grace by John G. Hartness (Falstaff Books)
  • The Stravinsky Intrigue by Darin Kennedy (Curiosity Quills Press)
  • Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty (Orbit)
  • Scourge by Gail Z. Martin (Solaris)

Congrats to the other nominees and good luck to all!

—

Six Wakes will be coming out in Germany and Taiwan this summer! Check out these amazing covers!

Six Wakes Germany cover
Six Wakes Taiwan cover

—

New episodes of Ditch Diggers and ISBW coming soon!

Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #62: The Twenty Minute Ditch

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 20:42 — 14.8MB)

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Welcome to the first 20-Minute Ditch! On their inaugural truncated episode, Matt and Mur talk about deadline management do’s and don’t’s for freelance writers! Also, Matt has a metronome, Mur has a long riff on “Footprints,” and will be talking mainly to herself!

Beach image with footprints

Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #61: Starting Out Freelancing

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:04:53 — 46.5MB)

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  • Mur and Matt come to you live from Morgan Freeman’s sandwich cart right outside of the unemployment line (thanks to a classic Mur Lafferty improv).
  • The Ditch Diggers discuss conflict; not as a narrative device, but whether or not their internal conflict on the show is more interesting than other types of conflict (Matt is very offended by the idea it’s not).
  • Format change! Regular episodes will continue twice a month, while every other week we will present The 20-Minute Ditch, a shorter episode dedicated to a single topic without Q&A.
  • Matt and Mur also announce that they are forced (for the time being) to make the transcriptions of each episode a new Patreon goal.
  • The importance of your support to the show via things like Patreon (mainly Patreon) and how the lack of it has real consequences on the show.
  • Matt and Mur bring each other (and the audience) up to date on their careers and what’s been going on with their writing and related business matters.
  • The episode’s topic emerges! How the hell do you get a job as a freelance writer, anyway?
  • Mur talks about the process, pitfalls, benefits, detriments, and necessity of networking.
  • Matt talks about what to do (and what not to do) if you have no contacts and are unable to network to any significant degree.
  • The importance of having strong writing samples, getting to know your peers and contemporaries, and never dismissing anyone based on your perception of their talent/potential, and reading/watching the content you want to write.
  • Matt tells the story of getting his first writing job in LA off of Craigslist.
  • The obligatory end-of-episode shilling!

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Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #60: Novellas and Publishing with Margaret Killjoy

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:03:22 — 45.1MB)

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  • Mur and Matt come to you live from Morgan Freeman’s conversion van with special guest co-host, author/publisher/designer Margaret Killjoy!
  • Conversion vans are NOT Transformers.
  • Margaret talks about her Danielle Cain series from Tor.com Publishing, including the second and newly released THE BARROW WILL SEND WHAT IT MAY.
  • The Ditch Diggers and Margaret talk about the resurgence of the novella in mainstream publishing, educating reader consumers about the model, particularly novella series, the pitfalls, difficulties, and potential.
  • The difficulties of writing utopian fiction in a modern context.
  • Margaret talks about Combustion, her own publishing imprint, its origins and the realities of running a small press publisher.
  • Margaret gives advice to those interested in starting their own publishing imprint (beyond the obvious piece of advice, which is, “Don’t.”).
  • How our perception of the people and works we took advice from when we were younger can change, and even sour, over time.
  • Twitter Q&A! Questions about Patreon, transitioning from shopping your first manuscript to becoming a published author.

THE BARROW WILL SEND WHAT IT MAY: http://a.co/jg434vE
Margaret’s chock-full-o-essays blog: http://birdsbeforethestorm.net/
Margaret’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/margaretkilljoy
The Age of Men is Over by Feminazgul: https://www.amazon.com/Age-Men-Over-Feminazgul/dp/B07B52VK9Y

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News, Podcasts, Projects

Ditch Diggers #59: 1st Quarter Review (and NEWS)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 44:26 — 30.2MB)

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(NOTE FROM MUR: I think I’m shying away from blogging and podcasting now because a part of me is thinking if I talk about stuff too much, these things will be taken from me. It makes no sense. But that’s why I’ve been quiet lately. Sorry to listeners and sorry to Matt.)

UPDATE: Congrats to previous guest Justina Ireland for debuting at #5 on the NYT Bestseller List with Dread Nation!

  • Matt and Mur come to you live from Morgan Freeman’s Arctic Weather Station
  • Matt explains that we’re in Morgan Freeman’s Arctic Weather Station because Matt doesn’t understand the purpose of radio stations in the Arctic.
  • The off-topic discussion devolves even further into the California real estate market and C-list celebrity sightings.
  • Mur and Matt finally arrive at the topic of the show: News!! We have a LOT of it to announce!
  • Matt talks about the recent announcement on Barnes & Noble’s SFF Blog of his three-book deal with Saga Press for his new epic fantasy trilogy.
  • Mur and Matt announce that the Ditch Diggers podcast (which is them) has been nominated for the second year in a row for the Hugo Award for Best Fancast!
  • Mur has also been nominated for TWO ADDITIONAL Hugo Awards, Best Semiprozine as editor of Escape Pod and Best Novel for SIX WAKES! That makes three Hugo Award nominations in one year!
  • Mur tells the story of her roller coaster day (and night) of Hugo finalist notifications.
  • Matt and Mur talk about why the Escape Pod nomination is such a big deal for the Hugos, podcast fiction, and the industry as a whole.
  •  Matt (while not being insufferable) does feel the need to point out the #SixWakesHatTrick hashtag he created came to pass.
  • Matt talks about dealing with what feels like constantly seeing other authors announce their book deals and related good news on social media, and how your time will come as long as you don’t quit.
  • Matt and Mur end the episode by recapping the first quarter of their 2018 as professional writers.

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News

The Hugo Finalists have been announced (burying the lede)

I am stunned, honored, and humbled (and proud- can I be proud and humble? The jury is out) to say that I have been nominated for three Hugo awards this year. Fancast (Ditch Diggers), Semiprozine (Escape Pod), and Novel (Six Wakes).

I got an email about Ditch Diggers getting the nod for Best Fancast early in the morning, and I was very happy. I waited impatiently for Matt to wake up on the west coast so we could exchange excited texts and Office quotes all morning.

WE ARE WARRIORS

I had lunch with friends, where Ursula Vernon and I quietly celebrated our nominations (she was nominated in Short Story and the new YA Not-A-Hugo – congrats, Ursula!). We went out for coffee afterwards, and then I got the email about Escape Pod being a finalist for Semiprozine. This is the first Hugo nomination for any Escape Artist podcast, and the first time a podcast magazine has been nominated in this category. I informed our publishers and then had a “holy crap!” call with my co-editor, SB Divya. I’m so proud of our team.

Two nominations. I was feeling pretty damn cool about right now.


It was dope.

That night I played Overwatch and drank a glass or two of wine. This was officially “holy crap I’m nominated for two Hugos” wine.

Mood right about now.

Then the third email, the BIG ONE, came in. I had to throw the controller at Fiona so she could take over playing Lucio for me, and then I read the email and tried very hard to parse the meaning. I’ve never had a major fiction nomination before, and now my novel has been nominated for the Philip K Dick, Nebula, AND HUGO.

I’ll be attending WorldCon in San Jose in August, decked out, dressed up, and no matter whether I win or lose, it’s going to be an awesome night.

Three nominations, man. I never ever expected this.

Congrats to all of the nominees! Full list here.

(Future posts will have the report from NorwesCon and commentary on the Hugo ballot as a whole. Spoiler- it is DOPE.)