INSIGHTS: Michael R. Underwood

Robyn Bennis Robyn Bennis – author of “The Guns Above” and the soon to be released “By Fire Above” – joins the APN crew to wax rhapsodic on organizing book research, creating a “writing space”, crafting an effective conflict character, and more!

Kelly Robson – author of the Nebula-nominated “Waters of Versailles” (published by Tor.com) and many other marvelous tales – returns to the Big Chair at the Roundtable to lend her brainstorming-fu to a tale of egyptian intrigue, magic, and tangled destinies across time.

Margaret Dunlap and Brian Francis Slattery are each astonishing storytellers in their own right. But TOGETHER, they comprise two-fifths of the writing team for Serial Box Publishing’s exceptional series “Bookburners”! With Season FOUR (!!!) of the series releasing tomorrow (June 13), we consider ourselves fortunate indeed to have these two literati join us in the APN virtual studios.

Joined by APN colleague and co-host, Marie Bilodeau, we indulge in 20(esque) minutes of writerly discourse with Margaret and Brian, exploring their unique contributions to the series, the allure of collaborative shared world writing, war stories from the collaborative trenches, and more!

Jeanne Cavelos – scientist, author, and founder of the exceptional Odyssey Writers Workshops – returns to the Big Chair at the RTP (for the third time!) to lend her considerable and extensive workshopping mojo to a tale of betrayal and revenge in the classic noir tradition.

Cerece Rennie Murphy – creator fo the Narazu Media Portal, author of The Order of the Seers trilogy, “To Find You”, and more – explores worldbuilding, her discoveries in fandom, how she develops her stories, and more.

Jake Kerr makes his literary home on fringes of the craft, exploring every shadowed corner as he refines and reinvents his craft time and again. He’s a repeat offender here at the RTP. You can hear his brilliant (and slightly creepy) intro from his interview back in March of 2015). He’s been busy in the intervening year and a half, expanding his horizons as a storyteller AND expanding his canon of work in the world..

Jeanne Cavelos – scientist, author, and founder of the astonishing Odyssey Writers Workshops – returns to the ARCHIVOS virtual studios discussing techniques of crafting effective dialogue, working in collaboration with shared world fiction, emotional arcs within a scene, and more. 

Robyn Bennis – author of “The Guns Above” and the soon to be released “By Fire Above” – returns to the Big Chair in the APN virtual studios to workshop a tale of future steampunk, alien invasion, the fate of a planet.

The tale is offered up by creageous Guest Writer, Christopher Michael, a tale of a loyal naval officer – struggling to overcome the shadows of her parents’ deeds- who is drawn into a conspiracy of global (and possibly galactic) consequences.
 
Marie Bilodeau rocks the co-host chair once again and together we fire up the aethyr engines, hoist the mainsail and set course for LITERARY GOLD!

Clint Gaige – storyteller, film maker, and general badass – returns to the Big Chair at the Roundtable to lend his mojo with visual narratives to a story… no wait, excuse me… a SCRIPT brainstorm of a horror film exploring what happens when our children (ALL our children) turn on us.

The script concept is offered up by creageous Guest Writer Matteo Marsiello, a tale of what happens in a suburban Midwest town when the children go on a murder spree targeting the adults. Marie Bilodeau returns to take the co-host chair and together we enter the dark horrifying world of Matteo’s vision, exploring character arcs and thematic nuances, jumping and shadows and unearthing a treasure trove of Literary Gold. It’s yours for the taking if you DARE… to push that “PLAY” button!

Seanan McGuire – award-winning author, graphic novelist, podcaster, and storytelling badass – returns to the APN. Joined by co-host and colleague, Michael R. Underwood, we engage Seanan in 20-ish minutes of writerly discourse, delving into discovering YOUR story, working on multiple projects at the same time, sustaining your creative energy, violence equating to drama in contemporary narratives, and more.

The scope and breadth of Marie Brennan’s experience is pretty remarkable. Anthropology, archaeology, languages, martial arts, music, dance… she’s pursued many passions. But the fundamental passion that has endured through out her life is writing. Author of “A Natural History of Dragons: A Memoir by Lady Trent”, The Onyx Court Series, and “Lies and Prophecy” (and so much more), she has applied her many passions like facets of a jewel to her storytelling. The result is rich authentic story worlds filled with compelling characters and captivating tales.

Joined by the splendid and insightful Marie Bilodeau as co-host, we explore the intersection of gaming and fiction, the development of a solid narrative, indulge in a bit of worldbuilding conversation, and more. This is one for the books, gang, a fabulous conversation fraught with writerly goodness… and it’s all just a click of the “PLAY” button away!

Seanan McGuire – award-winning author, graphic novelist, podcaster, and storytelling badass – returns to the Big Chair in the APN virtual studios (along with co-host Michael R. Underwood) to workshop a tale of superheroes, romance, and the dark side of adulation offered up by creageous Guest Writer Arthur De Leon.

Clint Gaige tells stories with light and sound. He’s a film maker with dozens of titles gracing screens (silver and digital) around the world and a life time of experience in the world of media storytelling. His “Shotgun Mythos” series has been picked up by several television stations, his latest endeavor – “A Clean Exit” (from Growth Media Productions) – is making the festival circuit now, and he’s far from finished. His insights into the process of storytelling for film transcend media, opening new perspectives for artists of all disciplines.

Joined by the remarkable Marie Bilodeau – author of the Nigh series, as well as “Hellmaw: Eye of Glass”, and more – we indulge in a exceptional 20(ish) Minutes of writerly discourse with Clint, exploring the considerations for storytelling in film, the value of doing it and the bane of “perfection”, the keys to successful collaboration, and more. Writerly inspiration awaits you, dear friends… just click that “PLAY” button!

Lauren Oliver brings so much fabulousity into the world – through her novels, including the much-lauded “Delerium” series, “Liesl and Po” and “The Spindlers”, and more, AND her work with partner-in-crime-and-story Lexa Hillyer at the astonishing Paper Lantern Lit – and the adventure of her pursuits thus far has refined her awareness of the writers craft without blunting her delight in the process.

During this 20(ish) minutes of intriguing conversation, Ryan Stevenson and I discover Laurens perspectives on the collaborative process, the power and virtue of YA literature, the power of understanding plot, and so much more…

Michael R. Underwood – author of the marvelous “Geekomancy” and the forthcoming sequel “Celebromancy” (gracing bookshelves in July 2013) – returns to the Big Chair at the Roundtable to help Brion and I workshop an exceptional story idea from Linton Bowers.

The working title for Linton’s YA superhero tale is “Fat Boy Hero” and, while that certainly piqued our interest, the story workshop itself was a creative froth worthy of the RTP. The internet was persnickety again, but that did NOT deter us from unearthing a veritable mountain of Literary Gold… so there’s plenty to share with you.