When Two Valentines Meet: My First Worldcon with Skyboat Media

Worldcon —have you ever been? Well, I can now say I have! This was my first time, and wow, what an entrance. Not only did I get to spend the weekend with some of my favorite people — Gabrielle de Cuir, Stefan Rudnicki, and Alison Belle Bews of Skyboat Media — they also invited me to perform with them in Stefan’s spoken word program, Mightier Than The Sword. More on that in a sec!

The whole weekend was a blast. So many great conversations with authors, audiobook listeners, and passionate readers. Costumes everywhere, books taking the mainstage, written and audio, and so much love for storytelling. The vibe was electric.

Now, back to the show 😉 Mightier Than The Sword, led by AudioFile Golden Voice Stefan Rudnicki, is a journey through the power of the written word — from Shakespeare to Bova. Being part of it was special on two counts: it was the first time Gabrielle, Stefan, and I had ever performed together live, in front of an audience — and I got to revisit my role of Valentine from Orson Scott Card’s multi-Audie-nominated Ender’s Game Alive: The Full Cast Audioplay. Here’s the magic: Gabrielle originated Valentine and Stefan originated Ender in the original audiobook of Card’s novel, so as the audiobook and audioplay merged, our two Valentines met — with Stefan crossing between them as Colonel Graff and Ender. What an incredible joy to be part of. 🎭

And next year? Worldcon 2027 heads to Montreal — O Canada, how fantastic! 🇨🇦

Last thing — if you’re an author looking to turn your book into an audiobook, definitely head over to Skyboat Media and check them out. You can find them at skyboatmedia.com.

Episode 378: Meet the Cast of the Writers of the Future Volume 42 Audiobook

What makes a science fiction or fantasy story unforgettable?

I got to explore this question (and so much more!) on the Writers & Illustrators of the Future podcast with host John Goodwin and several of my fellow narrators from the Writers of the Future Volume 42 audiobook: Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir, Orson Scott Card, Jim Meskimen, and Scott Peterson.

We talked shop about science fiction, fantasy, and the stories that move us—diving into everything from how we got our start in audiobooks to what makes this anthology so special. Being surrounded by colleagues and friends, many of whom I’ve known since my earliest days behind the mic, was a true gift. What an honor it was to be a part of this conversation!

Writers of the Future Volume 42, written by L. Ron Hubbard, published by Galaxy Press and produced by Skyboat Media, just debuted as #1 on Audible and Amazon’s Hot New Releases in Science Fiction Anthology.

Tune into Podcast Episode 378 below:

Listen to Writers of the Future Volume 42 on Audible.

Wastelands – Stories of the Apocalypse

Just released by Blackstone Audio & Skyboat Media –  WASTELANDS: STORIES OF THE APOCALYPSE.  This is a fabulous collection of 22 tales of the best post-apocalyptic literature from the last two decades! I had the pleasure of narrating two wonderfully chilling pieces – MUTE by Gene Wolfe  and KILLER’s by Carol Emshwiller.  The collection is edited by John Joseph Adams and 11 of us narrators were chosen to bring life to its pages. The stories are an exploration of what it means to remain human in the wake of Armageddon and are from many of today’s most renowned authors of speculative fiction—including George R. R. Martin, Gene Wolfe, Orson Scott Card, Carol Emshwiller, Jonathan Lethem, Octavia E. Butler, and Stephen King. The entire anthology is available at downpour.com. I hope you will check it out!

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