What was once condescendingly sneered at only a few years ago has become more and more commonplace: self publishing. With the rise of new technologies and easier printing, now authors can bypass the middleman (the publisher) and get their work out on their own. But how does it actually work? Are publishers antiquated, and this is the wave of the future? And if he could, would Craig's guest, Philip Chase, do it again? Grab The Way of Edan here: https://a.co/d/heM6yFa Support the show on Patreon: ...
Jan 31, 2024•52 min•Ep. 456
Craig and Megan are joined by longtime listener and friend of the show, "Codingfoo," to discuss A Wrinkle in Time, the classic young-reader sci-fi novel by Madeleine L'Engle. Enjoy an hour of vintage Legendarium conversation on a vintage book. Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://twitter.com/LegendariumPod...
Jan 25, 2024•52 min•Ep. 455
Travis Baldree, Author of Legends and Lattes and the new Bookshops and Bonedust, stops by to chat with Craig about what it's like to go from narrating to writing books. What have been the challenges, the lessons, the surprises? Check out Travis and his books here: https://www.travisbaldree.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://t...
Jan 17, 2024•37 min•Ep. 454
Blade of Tyshalle, part 2. Craig and Drew dive into the second half of the book. Which in this case means Drew dives into it, because Craig has no idea what's going on in this book anymore. Drew attempts to explain it to him. Check out part 1 at Inking Out Loud (Spotify link) Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://twitter.com/Legendar...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 453
Craig welcomes again Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, the writers behind the Liaden universe. They stop this time to discuss Hellspark, the 1988 novel by Janet Kagan. It's a murder mystery ("in spaaaaaace!!"), but more than that, it's a meditation on language, communication, and what it means to be a sapient being. Grab Sharon and Steve's latest, Salvage Right Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord c...
Dec 31, 2023•59 min•Ep. 452
Is it projection? Wish fulfillment? Or just plain adorableness? Why do we readers (and viewers) enjoy stories with talking animals so much? Christopher Rowe stops by to chat with Craig about our favorite fabled furry friends. Check out Christopher's latest, The Navigating Fox: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250804501/thenavigatingfox Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://d...
Dec 28, 2023•37 min•Ep. 451
Austin Freeman makes his return to the Legendarium! After a great discussion on the theology of Tolkien (episode 400), he's back for an Author's Shelf episode, and together he and Craig talk Dante's Divine Comedy. (Which is a bit like saying that between Craig and Jeff Bezos, they're multi-billionaires.) Enjoy! Check out Austin's book, Tolkien Dogmatics Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord comm...
Dec 14, 2023•56 min•Ep. 450
Kristen Simmons joins Craig to discuss the intersection of her work both as a mental health professional and as an author. How does the one inform the other? Check out Kristen's work here: https://www.kristensimmonsbooks.com/books Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://twitter.com/LegendariumPod...
Nov 30, 2023•41 min•Ep. 449
Craig and Kenn welcome Little Red Book from the Patrons' Discord channel as they discuss Mattimeo, the third book in Brian Jacques' Redwall series. Well, "discuss" may be the wrong word here. And maybe "Mattimeo" too, since they mostly spend their time sidetracked and flailing. But hey, that's fun too. Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: h...
Nov 17, 2023•48 min•Ep. 448
It's a big day at the Legendarium when Craig finally gets to talk with Tom Shippey, one of the most frequently cited writers on the show. Tom comes by to talk about his new translation of Beowulf, and especially about the chapter dedicated to Tolkien's relationship with the poem and the poet. It really is a fantastic translation and guide to Beowulf, so please check it out. Grab a copy of the new Beowulf translation: https://a.co/d/6fnzbxs Check out Uppsala Books here: https://uppsalabooks.com/a...
Nov 07, 2023•45 min•Ep. 447
Dropping in from his temporary home in Poland, author and diplomat David Schlaefer joins Craig to talk about his experiences serving in the U.S. State Department. After having been stationed in several countries (most notably for this conversation, Finland), how do David's international experiences color his career as a writer? Check out David's stuff here: https://davidschlaefer.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegend...
Oct 24, 2023•45 min•Ep. 446
Craig and Drew embark on a new podcast series, covering Matthew Stover's four-book series, The Acts of Caine. To follow the entire series of discussions, you'll need to subscribe to both The Legendarium and Inking Out Loud, since episodes will appear both places. But you'll be well rewarded if you do, because this series is rich, interesting, funny, dark, distressing, heroic, tragic, and every other word you might care to use, except boring. Inking Out Loud: https://iolpodcast.com/ Support the s...
Oct 17, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 445
Philip Chase joins Craig for an Author's Shelf episode about Beowulf. Why has this story endured? Is it just a historical artifact, or is there something worthwhile here on its own terms? Frankly, it's a long-overdue discussion, and Philip brought his A-game, so enjoy. Check out Philip's book here: https://www.philipchaseauthor.com/ And Philip's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@PhilipChaseTheBestofFantasy Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out th...
Oct 10, 2023•56 min•Ep. 444
Craig and Kenn are joined by longtime patron Levi, aka Texas Blade, to discuss Mossflower, Brian Jacques' prequel to Redwall. The guys talk about great heroes, great villains, and the establishment of many of the Redwall tropes that will hit us through this whole series. Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://twitter.com/LegendariumPo...
Oct 04, 2023•57 min•Ep. 443
Drew McCaffrey from Inking Out Loud joins Craig again for some seemingly random potpourri. But it's all for a purpose! The guys announce an upcoming series and the return of a beloved podcast. Check out Inking Out Loud here: https://iolpodcast.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://twitter.com/LegendariumPod...
Sep 28, 2023•52 min•Ep. 442
Author, producer, and all-around interesting guy Frank Beddor joins Craig for a discussion about why stories last. Craig, as you know, is a big Tolkien guy, and Frank is a big Lewis Carroll guy--and between the two of them, they try to tease out what makes stories last (when they do). Check out Frank's latest stuff here: https://frankbeddor.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: h...
Sep 12, 2023•46 min•Ep. 441
Craig is joined again by Aparna Verma, and this time they also have R.R. Virdi to speak with as well. The trio (mostly the latter two) dive into the world of comparative mythology and the origins of many of our story beats and structures. Check out R.R. Virdi's newest offerings here: http://rrvirdi.com/ And Aparna Verma is here: https://theaparnaverma.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord c...
Sep 05, 2023•57 min•Ep. 440
Craig welcomes Jon Evans, author and Impressive Man extraordinaire, to discuss tech, AI, and how they think it may intersect with writing and storytelling. Check out Jon's new book, Exadelic, here: https://rezendi.com/wp/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://twitter.com/LegendariumPod...
Aug 31, 2023•38 min•Ep. 439
Craig is joined for this episode by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, the husband-wife team behind the Liaden Universe (and plenty else besides). They talk about the history of the term "space opera," their own experiences with the genre, and the authors' approach to it. Check out their latest Liaden entry, Salvage Right: https://a.co/d/3uGZyTs Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https:/...
Aug 23, 2023•47 min•Ep. 438
Craig and Todd are WoT'ing it up! They'll do a mini Wheel of Time series of podcasts, one after each 1-3 books or so. This series, though, aside from this episode, will be Patreon-only!! Check out the link below to sign up for as little as a dollar per episode. Glad to have the patrons along for this ride! Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitte...
Aug 14, 2023•27 min•Ep. 437
Craig and Kenn are joined by special guest -- and Discord super legend -- Befuddled Panda. Together they discuss an old childhood favorite, Redwall. What holds up in this book, besides pretty much everything? Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://twitter.com/LegendariumPod...
Aug 10, 2023•1 hr•Ep. 436
Aparna Verma joins Craig for a discussion on as a writer drawing from multiple mythological and historical traditions. It's a surface-level discussion, but with a promise for more when Aparna comes back at a later date. Check out Aparna's work here: https://theaparnaverma.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://twitter.com/Legenda...
Jul 31, 2023•42 min•Ep. 435
Craig is joined by Julia Vee and Ken Bebelle to have a very Level One conversation. Julia and Ken are the co-authors of the Seattle Slayers and Phoenix Hoard series, and they talk with Craig about how they approach their brand of fun-first writing. Check out Ken here: https://kenbebelle.com/ And Julia here: https://juliavee.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.co...
Jul 24, 2023•44 min•Ep. 434
For today's Author's Shelf episode, Craig is joined by author Steven Brust to discuss Lord of Light, the classic 1967 sci-fi novel by Roger Zelazny. Why has the book meant so much to Steven over the years? And how was Craig's first time through? Check out Steven's latest, Tsalmoth, here: https://a.co/d/0wohQN4 Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Tw...
Jul 17, 2023•47 min•Ep. 433
!!CONTENT WARNING!! In a departure from the norm, we're doing an adults-only episode of the Legendarium, in which the one and only Chuck Tingle comes to visit and he and Craig spin the Wheel of Tangents. Truth be told, most of the episode is actually fine, content-wise, but there's a portion that is decidedly not for kids. That being said...enjoy! Check out Chuck's new book here: https://www.chucktingle.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives ...
Jun 29, 2023•45 min•Ep. 431
Craig is joined by author Daniel M. Ford to discuss a perennial favorite topic of listeners: THE TROPE. What counts as a trope? Are they good or bad? Which are our favorites? And which would we burn to the ground forever? Check out Dan's stuff here: http://www.danielmford.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsxx Twitter: https://twitter.com/Legenda...
Jun 20, 2023•37 min•Ep. 430
That's it, it's over! Stephanie has completed the Expanse and is ready to be done with it, but not before she has some fun with Todd and Kenn discussing the second half of James S.A. Corey's Leviathan Falls. [Craig's audio note: Once again, I had to use the backup audio for this one, so it kind of sucks. Sorry about that, but I figured you'd rather have the episode than not!] Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com...
Jun 16, 2023•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 429
Craig is joined by Nadia Uddin for another Author's Shelf episode, this one on the Ursula Le Guin classic, The Left Hand of Darkness. They talk about her style, her storytelling, and her politics. What works and what doesn't in this 54-year-old sci-fi novel? Check out Nadia's work here: https://www.nadiauddin.com/ Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://discord.com/invite/FnCSsx...
Jun 12, 2023•48 min•Ep. 428
Craig welcomes Austin Freeman to the show to discuss Tolkien and his religious views. Tolkien was a staunch Catholic, but that doesn't mean that his views weren't idiosyncratic in some interesting and unexpected ways. Check out Austin's book, Tolkien Dogmatics: Theology through Mythology with the Maker of Middle-earth, here: https://a.co/d/6jegZIE Watch Craig's video on "the most important scene" in LotR: https://youtu.be/2L9Ph1MkKuA Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendari...
May 30, 2023•55 min•Ep. 427
She's almost across the finish line! Todd and Kenn drag Stephanie back for the penultimate Expanse podcast as they discuss the first half of James S.A. Corey's Leviathan Falls. [Craig's audio note: I had to use the backup audio for this one, so it kind of sucks. Sorry about that, but I figured you'd rather have the episode than not!] Support the show on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/legendarium Check out the archives at https://www.thelegendarium.com/ Join the Discord community: https://disco...
May 22, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 426
