Ed Greenwood and I sat down for a great chat with Patrick Hester (@atfmb) about all sorts of things, including anthology editing, Forgotten Realms, WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME, and (I neither confirm nor deny) bubblegum.

It was a great time, and you can listen to episode 083 here.

SHADOWBANE: An Interview with Erik Scott de Bie

Here to talk about his new Forgotten Realms novel Shadowbane, launching the end of this month from Wizards of the Coast, is rising Realms star and When the Hero Comes Home contributor, Erik Scott de Bie. From the searing, tragic romance of Ghostwalker to the endless fight against evil that is the path of Kalen “Shadowbane” Dren of the Shadowbane series, de Bie offers us stirring examples of sword-and-sorcery fantasy at its best.

Q. Tell us a little about the book. What challenges does your hero face?

A. Kalen, that gritty vigilante paladin of a fallen God, returns to the plague-ridden thieves’ city of his youth—Luskan—on a quest to rescue the woman he loves, Myrin. Along the way, he faces treacheries from those he thought allies, a crisis of faith in his cause, and a horrifying epidemic that is anything but natural. But Kalen’s greatest struggle lies within himself: can he reconcile the brutal thief he used to be with the noble paladin he has sworn to be?

For readers familiar with my work, Shadowbane follows up several of the characters from my previous novel, Downshadow. Kalen “Shadowbane” Dren makes an appearance as the helmed vigilante paladin, leaving his territory in Waterdeep to carry the fight to Luskan. The amnesiac wizard Myrin comes into her own in this book, finding some of her lost memories as well as some extremely powerful magic spells that come along with them. There are new faces as well, in particular the halfling Toytere, the butcher of Luskan and King of the Dead Rats gang, and the dark avenger Sithe, whose power originates from the absolute void inside her soul. I also particularly like the villain of this novel—a priestess of both Tymora and Beshaba—but lest I throw out too many spoilers, I’ll leave it at that.

I liken the tone of the novel to a cross between Gangs of New York and Batman: No Man’s Land. Our heroic vigilante comes to a burned out, plague-ridden city run by thief gangs and must walk the line between victory and compromising his principles. Inspired by the moral ambiguity that is at the heart of Kalen and Myrin’s story, I watched/read those works quite a bit during the writing process.

Q. Where does Shadowbane fit into D&D and the Realms universe? Is there anything I need to have read to “get it”?

A. I try to write all my novels and short stories for a completely new reader, as well as weave in things to appeal to old-school readers. Shadowbane fits into the Shadowbane series, which began with my novel Downshadow and will continue next year with Eye of Justice. It also fits into the world-spanning Abyssal Plague event, and follows close on the heels of Bruce Cordell’s book, Sword of the Gods. It’s also deeply stewed in Realmslore as only a life-long fan of the Forgotten Realms can accomplish, so I hope it’s appealing to hardcore fans of the setting. If you play D&D, particularly the newest edition, you will see echoes of game mechanics and pick up thoughts for how you might run a D&D game, particularly with paladins and avengers. Basically, if you fall into any of those categories, you will enjoy the heck out of this book (I hope!).

And if you’re brand new to the Realms, you’re in luck as well: the story is very self-contained and can be enjoyed as a stand-alone or a springboard to my other work. All you need to know about Kalen and Myrin is presented in those first two chapters, and you are good to go.

Quick note: You’ll also notice certain ties between the Shadowbane series and my Forgotten Realms design work. The Dead Rats gang in Luskan features in the Neverwinter Campaign Setting and the current D&D Encounters season, “The Lost Crown of Neverwinter.” Toytere even appears in the adventure, albeit in statue form. Also, one particular character in Kalen’s orbit might spark the memories of veterans of the first season of D&D Encounters, “Halaster’s Lost Apprentice.” But to reveal too much would be telling. :)

Q. What do you offer here that will make Realms fans perk up and take notice?

A. Well, the biggest win is Vindicator, Shadowbane’s sword. It’s magical, obviously, shedding a grey light to reflect the soul of its wielder. But the most significant facet of the blade is the symbol engraved on its hilt: a gauntlet with a stylized eye in the center.

That’s right, Vindicator is sacred to the church of long-vanished Helm, the god of guardians killed a hundred years ago, even before the Spellplague ravaged the land. And Shadowbane is his one last worshipper—the Champion of a Dead God. So this series is a particular win for all those fans of Helm . . . and potentially other dead gods as well. (Ahem!)

I could say more about Myrin also, but that will come up later in the series. For now, suffice it to say that she is as tied to old-school Forgotten Realms as Kalen is, if not more so. We’ll just see when her memories return, as they start to do in this book.

Q. I hear Shadowbane is an e-book only release. What prompted that decision?

A. Wizards of the Coast is undertaking a daring experiment to test the waters of the e-book market. They’ve released e-books before, of course, but none have exploited the benefits of the format quite like Shadowbane does, with significantly expanded content and links to even more downloads for free stuff.

Shadowbane is the first of its kind to get this treatment, and I’m hoping it goes well. We’ve seen e-book sales skyrocketing in the last year, and I expect that trend to continue. I’m excited!

Q. You mentioned expanded content. How much extra bang do we get for our bucks?

A. Shadowbane is stuffed full of expanded content: there’s a short story from me called “A New Purpose,” which takes place shortly before Shadowbane itself (basically the same night as the first chapter); details on Luskan, the novel’s setting; stats on Abyssal Plague demons, an Abyssal Plague overview written by James Wyatt, The Gates of Madness novella (which sets off the Abyssal Plague), and sample chapters from no less than THREE other novels in the Abyssal Plague series.

Speaking of which, the sample chapter of Shadowbane is up for download from the Wizards site. Check it out at Shadowbane’s product page.

Q. How about free stuff?

A. You clearly know me. :)

There’s also a 85-page e-novella I wrote—”Chosen of the Sword“—which you can download and read for free here. This fills in some of the 1-year gap between Downshadow and Shadowbane, and specifically answers some of the big questions Shadowbane raises. You won’t have to have read the novella to understand and enjoy the book, but similarly to other of my work or Realms/Abyssal Plague pieces, it will help you pick up more that another reader might have glossed past.

I’ve also updated my Downshadow companion story, “The Last Legend of Gedrin Shadowbane,” for readers interested in learning more about Kalen’s backstory, particularly the sword Vindicator.

And as if that weren’t enough, I also fought the first ever Forgotten Realms Twitter Duel between Kalen and his nemesis, Arrath “Rath” Vir, the infamous dwarf monk/assassin from Downshadow. The link to the transcript is here.

Q. Where does Shadowbane go from here?

A. The series continues in the next novel, Eye of Justice, where Kalen must return to Westgate, the city where he trained to become the avenger Shadowbane. There, he finds both friends and enemies from his past, as well as new dangers that seek to destroy or supplant him.

Myrin has more memories to recover, not the least of which is that her ancestral home lies in Westgate, and her family is tied to some of the dark powers that stalk the city. She tries so hard to recover her former power, but is that truly a good thing?

The shadowy manipulators lurking behind the scenes, playing a game against one another for Myrin’s fate, finally come out into the open, and chaos ensues. Hard choices from the past resurface as old enemies return to take a shot at vengeance.

And added to the gathering darkness, a certain shadow-dancing, heart-breaking elf woman arrives to tip the scales—but in which direction?

Q. And finally, where can I find this irresistible adventure?

You can download it on Amazon Kindle or Barnes and Noble Nook, or (I believe) straight through the Wizards site.

—-
About Erik Scott de Bie:

Erik Scott de Bie is the author of five fantasy novels in the Forgotten Realms world, including Shadowbane (September 2011) and its sequel, Eye of Justice (2012). He has contributed to many scifi/fantasy collections, such as the anthologies When the Hero Comes Home, Human for a Day, Close Encounters of the Urban Kind, and Beauty Has Her Way. He is also a known quantity in the hobby gaming industry, having contributed to such successful Dungeons and Dragons products as Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea, Shadowfell: Gloomwrought and Beyond, and the popular Neverwinter Campaign Setting. He lives in Seattle, where he is married and has many pets.

Catch up with Erik on his website (erikscottdebie.com) or find him on Twitter (@erikscottdebie) or Facebook (Erik Scott de Bie)

Links:

* Shadowbane on Kindle
* Shadowbane on Nook
* Shadowbane Product Page on Wizards of the Coast
* Shadowbane Expanded Content List
* “Chosen of the Sword,” an e-novella by Erik Scott de Bie
* “Last Legend of Gedrin Shadowbane,” Companion story to Downshadow
* Twitter Transcript
* Erik’s website

I got back from GenCon last night. Instead of relaxing and decompressing, I ended up launching right into a game of Power Grid, which made for a nice transition home.

I spent most of the con at my booth, selling When the Hero Comes Home. If you purchased it this weekend, thank you! If you’ve read it and liked it, please consider posting a review on your blog, on Amazon or on Goodreads. Or at the very least, send me a comment and let me know!

The people around me made Author’s Avenue and the Writers Symposium a pleasure. I got to spend quality time with writers, editors and game designers. I bought shiny things. I made new friends, saw old friends, and got to meet some long-time friends in person. I got a couple exciting new opportunities, and I was able to open a few doors for others, as well. I gave writing advice. I got writing advice. I got turned on to a few new games I want to check out, and books I want to read. I wore a corset, and posed for pictures with monsters, giant kitties, and Ed Greenwood. I remained vigilant in my abstinence from caffeine. Somehow.

While I was gone, Inkpunks posted a guest post I wrote: On Seeing It Through is advice and encouragement for writers trying to survive publishing’s long wait.

Also while I was gone, Dead Robots Society posted an interview with Ed Greenwood and me. We talk about all sorts of writery topics, including our new book, editing, heroes and their journeys, tips for putting anthologies together, and the importance of treating people well.

Check out the links, enjoy, read, listen, and so on. Normal service has more or less resumed!

Next stop: WorldCon…Will I see you there?

Jenn of the Jennisodes RPG Podcast interviewed me and Ed Greenwood about WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME.

Ed says wonderfully insightful things, and I ramble a lot and stumble over my words. Hopefully I say a few insightful things too. :)

Have a listen!

Thanks for having us, Jenn!

Today I’m working on copyedits for Book 2 of Andrew P. Mayer’s Society of Steam series, Hearts of Smoke and Steam, for Pyr.

Rather than post my own thoughts, I’ll direct you to a great interview that Andrew has just done with SF Signal. He says interesting things about writing the book, and about what puts the punk in steampunk. Go and have a listen, pick up The Falling Machine, and enjoy!

At Ad Astra, I sat down with Angela Roberts from The Gloaming magazine for a fun, early-morning interview about editing, Dragon Moon Press, my formative SF/F influences, and WHEN THE HERO COMES HOME. You can read it here!

I’ve officially handed the HERO file off to Dragon Moon for layout, and have been officially told to stop tinkering with it. Scott Purdy’s cover art is gorgeous, the stories make me happy, and the dedication is a tear-jerker. I can’t wait to see it when design and layout are done.

Here’s a small peek at a detail from the cover:

Mean, I know. More to come soon!

I recently sat down with author Gail Z Martin at her Ghost in the Machine Podcast to talk about the importance of editors and other writing-related topics.

Have a listen!

And visit Ghost in the Machine Podcast for more interviews with writers, editors and publishers. You can also catch Dragon Moon Press author P.G. Holyfield talking with Gail about why podcasting is important to today’s authors.

Gail Z. Martin is the author of The Summoner, The Blood King and Dark Haven in The Chronicles of The Necromancer series. For book updates, tour information and contact details, visit www.ChroniclesOfTheNecromancer.com. Gail is also the host of the Ghost in the Machine Fantasy Podcast, and you can find her on MySpace, Facebook and as @GailZMartin on Twitter.

Not too long ago, I sat down with J.P. Moore to discuss writing and editing, and you can find our interview here. While the discussion strays to various related topics, we mostly discuss TOOTHLESS, and our experience of working on the novel together as writer and editor. I had a lot of fun doing this, and it’s something I’ll be looking to do with my authors more often, in the future. It’s a great inside peek into the process of the book, and the author-editor relationship.

TOOTHLESS arrived as part of last December’s open submissions period for Dragon Moon Press. It turned up in my inbox on the very last day of the submissions period, and from the very first page I knew I’d received something special.

Martin, the protagonist, is given a depth that zombies rarely have. He has a soul. More than that, he has a soul and it matters to him. The writing is literary and poetic, but not afraid to be brutal at the same time. While it’s not gratuitous with its imagery, at no point does it shy away from the harsh realities of a world corrupted by the undead.

The process, then, began at the end of December, almost a year ago. I read the full manuscript, chatted with the author in January to make sure that we were on the same page in terms of the book, and the small press experience. I took back a strong recommendation to my publisher. We looked at online reviews and considered the number of downloads and subscribers that the TOOTHLESS podcast had gathered on podiobooks.com.

It was a different project for us, and a bit hard to classify at first, but it wasn’t a risky project. I knew that the book wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste — some readers prefer more gore, or more humor, in their zombie fare. But I knew that it would speak deeply to the kind of reader who was open to a more literary, introspective treatment of such a rarely-literary subject.

There were a few editing passes, not many, in which I mostly advised Jeff regarding how certain changes would affect the feel of the manuscript as a whole. We tightened up a spot in the middle; we added something that had felt like it was missing, toward the end. On the whole, very little changed. Even at phrase level, the changes were relatively minimal. It was already a great book, but now it absolutely sang.

The fantastic artist Scott Purdy had been a fan of the podcast and had gifted a portrait of the main character that was too perfect to ignore. We knew with very little debate that no other cover would do the book so much justice, and we were thrilled to get Scott’s permission to use the art. Alex White did a great job turning gripping artwork into a gripping cover.

Another book in our fall line-up had to be delayed, and since TOOTHLESS was all but done, I recommended that it be moved up from its scheduled March 2011 print date and into the fall slot. We had the art, we had the interior, and a Halloween release was perfect for a zombie book.

We got review copies ordered at the end of July, and gave some away as door prizes at the Parsec Awards ceremony in September, and when the glowing Publishers Weekly review came in a few weeks later, it set the pace of the acceleration toward the book’s release. I’ve been pleased by the strong reception it’s received from reviewers and readers.

The rapport between author and editor isn’t necessary to produce a good book, but it definitely helps. Jeff Moore and I discovered a great working relationship and similarity of vision on TOOTHLESS. The process was fun, exciting and rewarding, and it’s rumored that we may be involved in other projects together in the future.

Stay tuned here, and at J.P. Moore’s website. He’s one to watch.

–
A conversation with Gabrielle Harbowy and J.P. Moore

TOOTHLESS at Amazon.com in print or e-book

If you like TOOTHLESS, please consider leaving a review on your blog, or on Amazon or Goodreads.

The mysterious blogger who goes by the name “Authoress” was the first aspiring writer to offer up her work in progress to the infamous Miss Snark for critique. She now runs the successful writing support/critique forum Miss Snark’s First Victim, a blogspace in which aspiring writers can get feedback on their work — both from other writers, and from the volunteer efforts of a different anonymous literary agent (“Secret Agents,” naturally!) every month.

—–

GH: How would you describe MSFV (Miss Snark’s First Victim) in a few words?

Authoress: MSFV is a place for aspiring authors who are serious about honing their craft. Offering in-house crits, slice-of-writerly-life posts, and the popular Secret Agent contests, it’s more than just a blog–it’s a community.

GH: What inspired you to start running the Secret Agent contests?

Authoress: Well, the blog was brand new, we’d already done an in-house critique session or two, and I realized how much more fun it would be if actual agents were involved. When I came up with the “Secret Agent” name, I felt like I had a winner. The trick was going to be getting agents to say yes!

Was it difficult at first to get agents who were willing to participate? Has it become easier with the blog’s success?

I can honestly say it’s never been overly difficult; for the most part, agents have been open and enthusiastic. It was admittedly harder in the beginning, though, mostly because the blog didn’t have any history to support my invitation, as well as the fact that I was maintaining anonymity. I’m all about treating the approach to agents–whether via query or otherwise–as a simple business communique. So that’s how I set about finding my first Secret Agent. And yes, I’d say it has become easier with the blog’s success. Not only have I received requests from agents to participate, but Twitter has made it easier to network with agents as “Authoress,” leading more naturally to invitations, since they already know who I am.

Who was the first and how did you approach them?

Holly Root was my first (awesome!) Secret Agent. According to my records, she was the third agent I contacted, so really, that wasn’t too bad! Back then, I hadn’t set the limit of 50 entrants. Poor Holly critiqued 114 entries without a single complaint! Limiting the contests to 50 submissions has made it more manageable for the Secret Agents and for me, too.

How has working with agents for the site changed the way you relate to agents regarding your own fiction?

It has humanized them! Which is one of my ongoing goals as Authoress–humanizing agents so that aspiring authors don’t shake in their shoes at the thought of sending that first query. And I’ve had more than one instance where a Secret Agent offered to read my work without even knowing who I was. So I’ve been able to develop my professionalism and communication skills apart from my querying process, and then to apply those things as a querying author.

How many authors would you say have gotten connections, or signed, or published, directly due to your Secret Agent contests?

To date, we’ve had 4 agent signings as a direct result of Secret Agent contests–that is, winners chosen by a Secret Agent who were offered representation by that agent. In addition, I have a growing list of “success stories” from authors who credit feedback from a Secret Agent contest with enabling them to revise their work to the point where it led to representation by an agent. Many of these direct and indirect successes have already developed into book sales.

How much time/work would you say you put into the site per week?

My husband and I would disagree on this. ;) I don’t allow myself to work on the site on weekends, but I spend anywhere from 3 to 10 hours during the week, including everything from answering emails, hunting down new Secret Agents, beta testing the contest submissions process, writing blog posts, and tracking my visitors (yes, I stalk people). Needless to say, contest weeks are more time intensive, though they’re admittedly not as bad now that I’ve got an automated submission system. Prior to that, I had to do everything by hand. And yes, sometimes I got a little cranky.

Have you been able to benefit your own writing through the site, or through connections you make with agents for the site? Do you ever enter your own work in the contests?

Like the other aspiring authors who participate on the blog, my own writing has benefited from reading agent feedback as well as by sometimes submitting my own work to non-contest critique sessions. Because of the Secret Agent Contest’s popularity, I no longer enter. I did have the good fortune of having made a mistake a few months ago, though, and ended up with a blank entry number. Rather than post a blank entry, I grabbed the opportunity and entered my own work.

Best part? An agent lurking about the blog read my entry and wanted to see more. Needless to say, I was a bit sheepish when I told her the entry was mine.

As for connections? Not much benefit. While it may be true that a few of my ex-Secret Agents have been quicker to ask for partials and fulls, it hasn’t impacted me in a huge way. In the end, it’s still about the writing, regardless of how many “connections” one has.

GH: Absolutely. Connections only unlock the door for you. You’re still responsible for opening it, and for what you bring into the room.

Some critics of peer writing groups say that writers shouldn’t trust unpublished authors’ opinions about what it takes to be published. Do you find the authors’ critiques to be generally helpful and constructive? Do you think they guide manuscripts in the right direction?

My take is a bit contrary to that. I believe that just because a writer is published doesn’t mean he’s gifted at giving valuable feedback. While it’s true that a neophyte isn’t going to be as helpful as someone who has honed his craft, I’ve found that valuable feedback is not qualified by whether or not the author is published yet. On my blog, the critiques are generally helpful and constructive, yes. I delete the comments of occasional trolls with glee. And I’d say that, considering the success of many of my readers who give credit to the contests and critiques on MSFV, I’d say yes, the feedback seems to be guiding manuscripts in the right direction.

You bring up an important point: just because a writer gets published, doesn’t necessarily mean that they should be considered an expert in “what it takes” to get published — they could have just happened to hit it right.

That’s kind of a different angle than I usually hear, and I think it’s a great point that’s extremely easy to overlook. It’s easy to take a single experience and generalize it to black and white rules about “how things are,” when the truth is that everyone’s journey to publication is going to be different, and the same rules don’t necessarily apply to every manuscript.

Yes! That’s so true.

The feedback from a neophyte is definitely going to be different from the feedback someone who’s honed their craft, is going to be different again from the feedback from someone who is a professional agent. Have you found that to be true? How would you say that the writer feedback compares to the agents’ feedback? In general, are the suggestions from writers and agents on the same wavelength? Do you ever see writers trying too hard to find something to critique, where an agent thinks a submission is okay?

Another good question! I’ve actually seen it work both ways. Sometimes the critters will have spent a lot of time “nitpicking” an entry only to have the agent come in and say something like, “Love the voice! Would definitely keep reading!” But I’ve also seen entries with a lot of positive feedback from writers get an ultimate “thumbs down” from the Secret Agent. In general, though, I do think writers are paying closer attention to things like “too many adverbs” and “the protagonist’s name is unpronounceable”, sometimes at the expense of missing the big picture that an agent might see clearly.

According to many folks who have entered the contests, though, the feedback from both fellow writers and Secret Agents has been equally helpful. So it’s all good!

What story from the site’s history stands out most in your mind? Of a success, a critique, or anything else?

Wow, hard question! I think, in terms of “big success” stories, the one that sticks out is that of then-15-year-old Steph Bowe, who participated in the Secret Agent contest of September, 2009, with agent Ginger Clark, and then went on to sign with Ginger and sell her novel in rapid succession. (You can read the story here.) On a smaller scale, I’ve been repeatedly blown away by the support and encouragement I receive from my readers on a regular basis when I share bits of my personal journey as an aspiring author. The affirmation and loyalty has been amazing.

Is it difficult to balance your anonymity with your own writing and querying process? Does it make it difficult, for example, if you want to query to any of your Secret Agents? Or do you keep the two completely separate?

Prior to this year, I kept my two personalities separate (that sounds really odd). However, at the urging of industry professionals and a few colleagues, I began to disclose my “Authoress” identity in my queries. And the agents have done a wonderful job of keeping my secret! Aside from my close group of online critique partners, who DO know my real name, I keep Authoress and “real me” as far apart as possible. I’ve gotten frighteningly good at it!

———

Authoress writes MG and YA fantasy and science fiction. She has an adoring husband and a stash of organic chocolate that keeps disappearing. (The chocolate, not the adoring husband.) She is also a classical pianist, a trained soprano, and an unabashed foodie.

You can find her at Miss Snark’s First Victim, and follow her on Twitter at @Authoress.

Interview: Gabrielle Harbowy, Renaissance Woman, courtesy of The Dead Robots’ Society Podcast

It was a pleasure to meet up with the wonderful crew of the Dead Robots’ Society Podcast this week for an interview. It was a particular honor because the DRS interview with editor Juliet Ulman had been so inspirational for me. Working in an isolated sort of environment like editors do, and doing work that should (if it’s done well) be invisible, doesn’t lend itself to having access to many role models. Hearing Juliet talk about editing and express eloquently so many of the things I believe, or aim to do in my work, or have observed in my own experience so far, helped to affirm for me that I was doing it right — both in terms of how I approach authors and their work, and how I approach my own career.

My interview was a long time coming. Various scheduling obstacles kept getting in the way, but I’m glad that the interest and determination held on both sides. It was a lot of fun, and it turned out to be completely unlike the other interviews I’ve done.

What’s changed? Well… I think… me.

Instead of focusing on how to format a submission, or how to edit, or when to edit, the interview focused on how I balance being an editor, an associate publisher, and a writer.

It was especially interesting because I don’t really think of myself as a writer. Not yet.

I’ve got one story, “Swimming Lessons” up in PG Holyfield’s “Tales of the Children” podcast anthology. That story is on the longlist for a Parsec Award(!).

I have another story — my first professional sale! — which will be appearing in an anthology this December. More news as the date nears, or you can listen to the interview for a couple more hints.

I have a story out on someone’s desk at a major market, and two more in the works.

But editing comes first for me. Though I think I’m constantly learning and improving in all aspects of the business and editing is no exception, it’s where I feel I really shine. And for me, editing blends naturally into publishing. I’m so used to being “hands on” with a novel, having held it from slush pile through editorial, that it seems natural to be the one to take it into typesetting and layout, to discuss promotional opportunities and offer to be the contact person for reviewers and award committees.

Would I be content “just editing”? Could I give those extra responsibilities up? Sure. But I like being busy, and I’m grateful for the opportunity and for the insight I’m gaining into the industry by being able to be more involved in different aspects of it.

I feel the same way about writing. I’m discovering that I enjoy it, and I’m also enjoying the “sensitivity training” that it lends to my editing. I have a different perspective on a lot of things now: I’m more aware of the agonizing wait for authors with work on somebody’s slush pile; I’m more aware of the uncertainty someone feels when they open up a file full of red ink. I feel that I can relate to my clients a little better, because I’m one of them. I understand their half of the experience.

All around, I’d say it’s all easy to balance. Each side of the triangle — writing, editing, publishing — gives me more insight on the other two. All together, it’s an invaluable, ongoing education. Even if I end up focusing more narrowly on one facet or the other down the road, I’ll still be able to bring to it a rounded perspective on the industry that will always inform my actions, no matter what I’m working on from day to day.

Thanks again to the guys at DRS for having me on and inviting me to share my thoughts!

You can follow the Dead Robots’ Society on the web at DeadRobotsSociety.com
on Twitter at @DRSPodcast
and on Facebook at Listeners of the Dead Robots’ Society.