The Blasters & Blades PodcastWhat a joy this episode was! We talked nerdy about our love of gaming, science fiction and fantasy. I got to hear about Richard Sparks time writing for legendary comedians and cool British tv shows. Then about his time working for Hollywood! Oh, and we talked about his The New Rock Series of portal fantasy that’s game lit adjacent! This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We'r...
May 05, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 5Ep. 563
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe’ve got one of my favorite panel chats for you, mostly because it was my flavor of nerdiness. Thanks to a friend of the show, Bill Fawcett, we had on an amazing panel of guests to talk about alternative history. We had on legendary authors Mercedes Lackey, Steve SM Stirling and Harry Turtledove for this fun discussion. Is there a cooler panel to gather together for this topic? I can’t think of one, that’s for sure! We ranged far and wide, talking about so many ...
May 03, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Season 5Ep. 562
The Blasters & Blades PodcastI tried to control myself; I really did. But I was unsupervised with another history nerdy with similar tastes. We talked about Richard Nell’s speculative fiction origins. We talked about his love of stories that feel real and lived in. And then we talked about his series, The Ash And Sand Trilogy. This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a couple of nerdy Army vete...
May 02, 2025•57 min•Season 5Ep. 561
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe talked nerdy about everything and waxed poetic about the state of technology and AIs. We had fun chatting about our favorite franchises and the worlds we love to inhabit. Then we talked about the #FeralFantasy #SummerEvent. We discussed the various books that are part of this endeavor and then chatted about tropes and themes that we love in the realm of fantasy. This was a fun interview, so check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won’t be sorry...
May 01, 2025•1 hr 30 min•Season 5Ep. 560
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWell, we wandered around the point and never got there… but we had fun! This was a nostalgic meandering around all of the shows and books that we loved. It was fun, we hit all of the most important properties, at least the ones that matter to us. This time we’ve got Alexander G.R. Gideon, Jana S Brown (aka Jena Rey), Jesse James Fain, Michael LaVoice, R Max Tillsley and Teri Kay Jobe on to talk nerdy with us. This was a fun interview, so check out this episode. L...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Season 5Ep. 559
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe had a fun chat with Aaron Canton about his #YA book The Witch of Knightcharm. We had a lot of fun, got nerdy about music, speculative fiction and all of the nerdy things we know and love. Seriously, this was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a couple of nerdy Army veterans geeking out on things that go "abracadabra," "pew," "zoom," "boop-beep" and rhyme with Scienc...
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Season 5Ep. 558
The Blasters & Blades PodcastOn today’s edition of These Cool Books includes an interview of Matthew C Lucas about his book Sword of the Godless! It’s like This Old House, but nerdier! Oh, we and talked history and speculative fiction and all of the coolest topics. This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a couple of nerdy Army veterans geeking out on things that go "abracadabra," "pew," "zoom,...
Apr 25, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 5Ep. 557
The Blasters & Blades PodcastI had a lot of fun on this interview with author Terry Mixon, one of my favorite authors. We talked about the recent Blue Origin flight, our time in the US Army and general science fiction history. Then we talked about his The Forgotten Ship Series that launched this week. This is definitely a series I want to dive into, and I think you’ll want to listen to or read it as well. This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Season 5Ep. 556
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWhat a fun and punctual episode we’ve got for you today! We talked to author G. Scott Huggins about his nerdy past and where he found his love of speculative fiction. Then we chatted about his flintlock fantasy book A Cold And Mortal Spring. It was a lot of fun learning about this world, and I think you’re going to love it. This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a...
Apr 21, 2025•51 min•Season 5Ep. 555
The Blasters & Blades PodcastFriend of the show Jana S Brown sent out her owls and found us some kick ass guests from her mountain home! We’re not sure of the proper verbiage for these strange denizens of the Utahian Lands. Be the Utons? Utahians? It all sounds sort of like Klingon to me, but what do I know? Anyway, we talked about food, drinks and all manner of nerdy things. It was fun, and then we dove into her young adult #YA #completedseries titled The Shadow Barrier #Trilogy. It sounded...
Apr 18, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 5Ep. 554
The Blasters & Blades PodcastThe long-awaited episode where we dive into the iconic Codex Alera universe by Jim Butcher. We talked about the origin of this series and then why we love it. It was a blast, and I am now convinced that I need to read it for myself! This time we’ve got James JE Pittman, Jesse James Fain and Wayland Smith on to talk nerdy with us. This was a fun panel, so check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Co-Hosts: JR Handley (Author) (Grunt)...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 5Ep. 553
The Blasters & Blades PodcastDespite the technical shenanigans, we had a lot of fun talking to Jennie J.F. Posthumus about her The Corruption Series. It’s a science fiction mystery series. That’s right, a police procedural investigation series set in the distant future. SciFi mysteries, it’s Clue in space! This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a couple of nerdy Army veterans geeking out on t...
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 552
The Blasters & Blades PodcastToday we put on our monocles and played SMEs on TV! Sometimes we call it a subject matter expert, but SME sounds cooler! We talked about our favorite non-fiction reads and research rabbit holes. We talked about how we filter in reality with the needs of the story. Then we chatted about all manner of things people get wrong before getting nerdy and calling it a day. For this chat we’ve got Abby Goldsmith, Hunter Kay Wallace, Jana S Brown (aka Jena Rey), Jesse Jame...
Apr 11, 2025•1 hr 35 min•Season 5Ep. 551
The Blasters & Blades PodcastToday was a fun one, JR and Kristina Gruell talked about their misspent youth and their early war experience with combat pen pals. Then they talked about her author origin story and transitioned to chatting about her newest series, The Night Goddess Series and more specifically The Dark Moon, the first novel in this series! This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 5Ep. 550
The Blasters & Blades PodcastThis episode was a clanking good time, as JR and Kevin Ikenberry talked nerdy about all things US Army and armored warfare. We covered some of our favorite science fiction franchises and moved on to chat about his The Buzzer War Series, and more specifically Steel On Target, the first book in this epic new military science fiction thriller! This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun s...
Apr 07, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Season 5Ep. 549
The Blasters & Blades PodcastHuzzah! We’ve got another #Netflix #MovieReview episode. Well, a #TVSeries review, anyway. We talked about gaming nostalgia, our early years of videogames and then we dove into the wild world of the League of Legends series, Arcane. This was an awesome movie and a fun chat, so what are you waiting for? Seriously, lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Click the link and check out this episode. Oh, and join the conversation and share your thoughts!Join u...
Apr 04, 2025•1 hr 22 min•Season 5Ep. 548
The Blasters & Blades PodcastThis time we’re going to gift you with the Legendary Lady Jana S Brown as a guest host! Together, we talked to Melissa McShane about what we’re reading and watching before we moved on. Then, like proper authors, we got nerdy talking about her books, more specifically The Extraordinaries Series. This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Co-Hosts: JR Handley (Author) (Grunt)Nick Garber (Comic Book Artis...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 43 min•Season 5Ep. 547
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe had on one of JR’s favorite authors, the weird and wacky Terry Mixon. He was all over the place, but the type of nerd who writes the military science fiction and space opera that we all know and love. We actually stayed on topic, which was a first! This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a couple of nerdy Army veterans geeking out on things that go "abracadabra,...
Mar 31, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 5Ep. 546
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWhat a fun one this episode was! We had on the folks of the #Incensepunk #magazine on to talk about the new genre. Think about the role of religion in science fiction. It was as educational and enjoyable hour, trust me! This time we’ve got Andrew Gillsmith, Jon James and Yuval Kordov on to talk nerdy with us. This was a fun interview, so check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a couple of nerdy A...
Mar 28, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 5Ep. 545
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWhat a doozie of an episode as we got controversial by talking about the good, the bad and the ugly of the comic to the big screen. We had opinions, we shared them and sometimes we agreed. Today we’ve got John Epple (aka Evil Ginger), Matthew W. Quinn and MD Ortiz on to talk nerdy with us. If we made you mad, if we made you want to join the chat, do so in the comments section! If you agree, tell us that too! Oh, and if you have other aspects of this chat that you...
Mar 26, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 5Ep. 544
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe went and got all artsy fartsy with this Art House Adventure by our very own Nick Garber. He did his thing, drew some pretty pictures and waxed poetic about nerdy topics. This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a couple of nerdy Army veterans geeking out on things that go "abracadabra," "pew," "zoom," "boop-beep" and rhyme with Science Fiction & Fantasy. Co-H...
Mar 25, 2025•30 min•Season 5Ep. 543
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe got all highfalutin today, as we talked about the wild world of high fantasy literature. We spoke broadly about the genre at only the highest octane! We’ll put pep in your step, until you read a dozen high fantasy series in a day! It was fun and will likely lead to more panels in the future. This time we’ve got Chloe Garner, Hunter K Wallace, Jana S Brown and Teri K Jobe on to talk nerdy with us. We talked about everything from JRR Tolkien to David Eddings to ...
Mar 24, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 5Ep. 542
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe had a fun one today, prayerfully diving deep into the genre of Christian Fantasy. We got philosophical as we talked deep lore and all of the coolest things about this genre. This time we’ve got JJ Fischer, John McNichol, Josiah DeGraaf, MD Boncher, Michael LaVoice and Morgan L Busse on to talk nerdy with us. We went a tad long, but it’ll be worth your time. And, hey, we might have to come back to this episode for future follow-up chats! This was a fun intervie...
Mar 22, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Season 5Ep. 541
The Blasters & Blades PodcastThis was a fun chat with the reader service provided by the fine folks over at the My Book Cave website. It was created by author Rachel Ann Nunes as a way to know which books were okay for her kids to read. I love the idea of having those kinds of choices as a reader and I think you will too! This was a fun interview, so check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're just a couple of nerdy Army veterans gee...
Mar 21, 2025•1 hr 25 min•Season 5Ep. 540
The Blasters & Blades PodcastDespite the grim topic, we had fun chatting about the grimdark genre with an awesome panel. This time we’ve got Abby Goldsmith, Bill Fawcett and Matthew C. Lucas on to talk nerdy with us. We talked about the history of the genre, the themes and all of the iconic properties. Well, we started the discussion but there could be more if you guys are interested! This was a fun interview, so check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join u...
Mar 20, 2025•1 hr•Season 5Ep. 539
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe’ve got another interview with the weirdest and wackiest author, Michael LaVoice. After we went long discussing our time in the US Army, we got things back on track. We finally talked about his new book Gladius League. It’s the first book in a series and sounds like it’ll be a lot of fun! Definitely adding it to the #TBR pile for future consumption. This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us ...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 46 min•Season 5Ep. 538
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe’re chatting with MD Ortiz about his kick butt #Kickstarter in his Dawnward Universe. The comic is titled Breeze and tells the story of this intrepid group of ne’re-do-wells on their journey through this #postapocalyptic #dystopian future that is a #transhumanist #cyberpunk wonderland! The interview went long, but we had fun, and you will too! This interview was a blast, so check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a f...
Mar 17, 2025•1 hr 33 min•Season 5Ep. 537
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWhen two history fans meld their brains together, you can sometimes get a long podcast of nerdy goodness. We talked about our origin stories as speculative fiction fans. We had another Blasters and Blades Food Casts before moving on to talk about his fantasy book series. The Guide and Sword Trilogy of early history fantasy books. This was a fun interview, so go check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun show! We're ...
Mar 14, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Season 5Ep. 536
The Blasters & Blades Podcast We chatted about guides for the dead and the dying, or about grim reapers. It was a fun romp through time and culture and there’s definitely room for future episodes! We even, maybe, sorta, kinda, plotted future stories because we’re a bunch of nerdy writer types of riffed off of each other. This was a fun interview, so check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Hosts: JR Handley (Author) (Grunt)We work for free, so if you wanna thr...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 5Ep. 535
The Blasters & Blades PodcastWe’ve got a bonus episode for you! Today we’re here to talk to Matthew Olaranont about his story in the A Touch of Aether, An Urban Fantasy Anthology. We talked about his story An Eye For Royalty and his love of urban fantasy! It was a fun and nerdy quick chat about all of the reasons why we love all things magical and magic adjacent stories. This was a fun interview, so check out this episode. Lend us your eyes and ears, you won't be sorry!! Join us for a fun sh...
Mar 11, 2025•18 min•Season 5Ep. 534
