New Podcast Up: Villains and Characterization

In this week’s podcast Ryan McKinley and I discuss our favorite villains in fiction and in pop culture and also what makes a great villain.  What must a writer do to create interesting, powerful villains?  Find out in this episode!

Tolkien on Tolkien: Frodo’s Other Option

For those of us who have read The Lord of the Rings, we all thrill when Frodo finally throws the One Ring into the crack of Mount Doom, but according to Tolkien’s own letters Frodo had one other option once he possessed the Dark One’s Ring. In a letter to a fan, one Eileen Elgar, who

Tolkien on Tolkien: Why Must The One Ring Be Destroyed?

I absolutely love J.R.R. Tolkien.  He is, in my opinion, one of the greatest writers of the 20th century and certainly is (for fantasy writers at least) the great grandfather of modern fantasy novels. I often discuss Tolkien’s works with others, and one question that always comes up is “why did they have to destroy