Writers of the Future Podcast

Melody Groves has written 12 Western novels and 5 non-fiction books of the Old West. We originally met in 2009 at a Western Writers of America Conference where she was incharge of Public Relations. She has since gone on to become President of Western Writers of America and Homestead Foundation. I read a very light-hearted Western tale “She Was Sheriff” in preparation for this interview. The story tagline "All She Wanted Was a Gold Band—What She Got Was a Tin Star." We discuss the current growth of the Western genre and comparisons between it and the SF genre. The Western Horse Opera preceded Science Fiction Space Opera. Gold Winner, 2023 Will Rogers Medallion Award, "Billy's Mom" Spur Winner, 2023, WWA, "Before Billy the Kid" 6X Winner, 2021 NM/AZ Book Awards Winner, 2018 National Press Women Award Winner, 2018 New Mexico Press Women Awards https://melodygroves.com/

Shahid Mamoud and Lezli Robyn, Publisher and Editor of Galaxy's Edge Anthology (formerly Magazine), discuss editors and their role and value in creating the best possible story...and a whole lot more! Learn more at www.galaxysedge.com/

Orson Scott Card is the author of Ender's Game series and dozens of other novels. In this podcast we discuss his start as an author and how he developed the concept of "Ender's Game" and have it became the beloved book it is today. Mr. Card has also been a Writers of the Future Contest Judge for over three decades. Learn more about Orson Scott Card and his works at http://www.hatrack.com/

Craig Elliott is In the animation industry. He has worked primarily as the production designer for Marvel, Disney and Dreamworks, designing animated films such as Hercules, Mulan, The Emperor’s New Groove, Treasure Planet, Shark Tale, Flushed Away, Bee Movie, Enchanted, Monsters vs. Aliens, and The Princess and the Frog as well as other upcoming features. This means he runs the entire art department that designs a movie or TV show. In this interview, we discuss the process of creating animated movies as well as his growth as an artist. See his art at https://www.artstation.com/elliott

Writers of the Future 40 winners Lance Robinson (“Five Days Until Sunset”), Stephannie Tallent (“Live and Death and Love in the Bayou”), and Tom Vandermolen (“Nonzero”) meet on the last day of the Writer Workshop Week (this being the second winner podcast) and we discuss their personal journeys and the value of the Contest to aspiring writers. We also discuss the value of the Contest to the military as two of the speakers are ex-military. Learn about each of them at: Lance Robinson - https://lancerobinsonwriter.com Stephannie Tallent - http://www.stephannietallent.com Tom Vandermolen - https://tomvandermolen.com

Writers of the Future 40 winners James Davies, Amir Agoora, Kal M, John Eric Schleicher, and Galen Westlake meet on the last day of the Writer Workshop Week and we discuss their personal journeys and the value of the Contest to aspiring writers. We discuss the importance of dealing with self-rejection and how to come up with amazing story ideas. Learn about each of them at: James Davies: https://www.jd-writes.com/ Amir Agoora: https://amiragoora.com/ Kal M: twitter.com/kalmyourself John Eric Schleicher: https://www.jeschleicher.com/ Galen Westlake: https://www.galenwestlake.com/

Bill Fawcett has just published a near-future military science called "Never Again," and it is very scary! https://chriskennedypublishing.com/book/never-again/ Bill has been a professor, teacher, corporate executive, and college dean. His entire life has been spent in the creative fields and managing other creative individuals. He is one of the founders of Mayfair Games, a board and role-play gaming company. As an author, Fawcett has written or coauthored over a dozen books and dozens of articles and short stories. As a book packager, a person who prepares series of books from concept to production for major publishers, his company, Bill Fawcett & Associates, has packaged more than 250 titles for virtually every major publisher.

Kathryn Raaker is the Founder and CEO of Tri-State Connection, a Global Multimedia and PR Company. She has been a trailblazer in the media industry for over three decades. Her son, Robert Taggart, is a journalist and author. Together, they worked together as a mother and her son as a writing team. https://kathrynraakersworld.com/

Mark Leslie Lefebvre is our most recent Writer Contest judge. Dean Wesley Smith, also a judge, has Mark by four decades, being the first person to be awarded by Writers of the Future in that very first year! Together, these two have been at the forefront of the evolution of publishing, now known as indie publishing or self-publishing. Once frowned upon as vanity, self-publishing and indie publishing have proven to be the means for more and more authors to become million-dollar-a-year successful authors. So you will do well to bend an attentive ear to this podcast and listen to what these gents have to say. Mark Leslie Lefebvre: markleslie.ca/ Dean Wesley Smith: deanwesleysmith.com/

Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood traveled to LA to celebrate his son's Illustrators of the Future win. In this interview we discuss the importance of the arts to society and what he has done in Pennsylvania with the arts to improve society.