In this interview, John Scalzi and I discuss Starter Villain, infusing humor into his stories, including talking animals in this book, building on the tropes already existing in certain genres, the importance of book titles, his research, how his role as a film critic influenced Starter Villain, and much more.\nJohn's recommended reads are:\n\n\nThe Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal\n\n\nLegends and Lattes by Travis Baldree\n\n\nThe Daughter of Dr. Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia\n\n\nJoin my Patreon group to support the podcast.\xa0\xa0Other ways to support the podcast can be found here.\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\nStarter Villain can be purchased at my Bookshop storefront.\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\xa0\nConnect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.\xa0\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices