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Episodes
Welcome to the Military Science Fiction Podcast. We’re four veterans who were crazy enough to become writers, and we’re here to talk about what makes great Military SF, the greatest niche within a niche of any fiction. More niche than the Coast Guard. On board is Rick Partlow, author of more than sixty novels, including Contact Front and the Drop Trooper series, Jeffery H. Haskell, author of the Grimm’s War series, as well as the Wraith and Arsenal superhero series, Josh Hayes, author of the Valor Series and the Operations Manager and Head of Thriller Acquisitions for Aethon Books, and I’m James S. Aaron, author of the Aeon 14: Sentience Wars and Galactic Law series. Between the four of us, we bring more than a hundred novels written (most of that is Rick), more than thirty years publishing experience, and on the military side we’d be retired by now if any of us had stuck around.
Episodes
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Tuesday Jan 21, 2025
Technology continues to advance and its impacts on military operations can change everything... and sometimes War, War never changes.
In this episode we talk about crafting stories that include changes in technology, how they can be explored in a convincing but also fun way, and why MILSF readers love their gun porn.
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The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/milsfpod
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.
Thursday Jan 09, 2025
Thursday Jan 09, 2025
Military Science Fiction presents some unique opportunities to explore villains.
The same rules of great villains apply, but in MILSF you get to play with rank, weapon systems, politics, aliens, a whole gamut of special jerks that the civilian world doesn't get to experience. Motivations can be personal, cultural, or purely professional, but on the whole nobody is satisfied by an incompetent jerk as a villain.
Come hang out with us as we discuss some of our favorite villains, the difference between an obstacle and a villain, and how to make sure the reader understands that the author and their villains don't share the same values, morals, or political leanings.
Let us know what you'd like to see in the comments!
_______________
The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/milsfpod
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.
Wednesday Jan 01, 2025
Wednesday Jan 01, 2025
On the first day of 2025, we round the corner into Season 2 of the podcast! Today we're talking about plans for the new year, for ourselves and for the show. When you look forward, you can't help looking back a bit, so there's also some review of 2024 and how things went.
Let us know what you'd like to see in the comments!
_______________
The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/milsfpod
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.
Monday Dec 23, 2024
Monday Dec 23, 2024
It's one thing to love Military Science Fiction, another thing to have written a MILSF book, and yet another to keep doing it, even when sales might be down or a story's reception different than you hoped (sometimes in a great way!)
In today's episode we talk about what kept us writing and what keeps us going, even when the going gets tough. (In Rick Partlow's case, on to 75+ novels!)
_______________
The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/cWhYFdAZ
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.
Friday Dec 13, 2024
Friday Dec 13, 2024
The 2014 film Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and Bill Paxton, has all the fixin's of an excellent milsf story, with the added twist of time travel (or is it multiverse?), showcasing a soldier who experiences a riveting journey from coward to hardened veteran. Do we have to say we like this movie? It's great, and if you haven't seen it, stop reading this and seek it out. Sure, we have some criticisms, but we critique out of love, and there's still plenty to learn from this story.
_______________
The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/dkWb9ejQ
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.
Friday Dec 06, 2024
Friday Dec 06, 2024
We came to Military Science Fiction from a love of military history, lessons learned, mistakes made, and the hard decisions made by real people in the past. Today we talk about how we love to see history used in stories, and what works and what doesn't.
_______________
The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/RjGG4vH7
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.
Monday Dec 02, 2024
Monday Dec 02, 2024
Finishing a book, selling books and building audience are all different skills, and today we talk about some of the industry advice that gets left out of new author pep talks. We're nice, we promise.
_______________
The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/RjGG4vH7
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.
Friday Nov 22, 2024
Friday Nov 22, 2024
From Clip vs Magazine to Unit Details to calling NCOs sir, Military Science Fiction might have more pitfalls than any other genre. Readers have expectations in a great story, military action dictates certain responses, and relying on historical examples doesn't always make sense...
Today we talk about some of the mistakes Military Science Fiction authors make in their stories and characters and how we think about stories.
_______________
The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/ub2Mjpsq
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.
Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
Wednesday Nov 13, 2024
Despite being science fiction, periods in Military SF are often defined by the conflicts readers are most familiar with. From World War II to Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan, the types of conflicts characters face, weapons systems and politics are often reflections of current times.
As we move away from the last twenty years of conflict, what can we expect to see in future military science fiction stories? What are some of the timeless tropes that endure no matter the conflict?
_______________
The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/xbtdhcB8
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.
Thursday Nov 07, 2024
Thursday Nov 07, 2024
A second in-depth discussion of story-building around invading a hostile planet. What are some analogs with history? What makes this sort of story better? Hang out with us while we point out what Avatar 2 does wrong, among other things.
_______________
The Military Science Fiction Podcast, with Rick Partlow, Josh Hayes, Jeffery H. Haskell and James S. Aaron.
Published weekly.
Our Books:
Jeffery H.Haskell: https://amzn.to/3Yaq6VZ
Rick Partlow: https://amzn.to/3W74AzL
Josh Hayes: https://amzn.to/3Wdcpmz
James S. Aaron: https://amzn.to/4eTVDBa
Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/xbtdhcB8
Tell someone about the podcast or do pushups.