Dig into dumplings with Patrick O'Leary as we discuss the way his new novel <em>51</em> is similar to <em>The Great Gatsby</em>, why he believes his books will crumble if he attempts to describe them, the perils and pleasures of pantsing (and how his stories often don't get any good until the 15th draft), the tragedy of being an invisible creature, our mutual fears of what aging might bring, his love for Marvel Comics (and especially the Silver Surfer), how Laura Ingalls Wilder introduced him to literature, the way reading Kurt Vonnegut taught him there were no rules, the two science fiction greats who literally left him speechless, and much more.
Join David Gerrold for a breakfast buffet as we discuss what he means by "humility in the face of excellence," the curse of fame and why J. D. Salinger may have had the right idea, how the more you know the slower you write, the challenge of living up to having won the Robert A. Heinlein Award (and why Heinlein once called him "a very nasty man"), the scariest story he ever wrote, how Sarah Pinsker helped him understand what he really felt about Ursula K. Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas," the kind of person he might have been had he not moved to L.A. as a kid, the fannish way he found out he'd been nominated for a Hugo Award, how it feels to already know what the headline of his obituary will be, and much more.