Want to read the book? You can download it for free (legally!) from Doctorow’s website. You can even get an audiobook version. Or, if you’re old-fashioned, you can buy the paperback from Powell’s here: Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom.

Talking points for this episode include: the defeat of death, Facebook likes as currency, problematic premises, the Haunted Mansion, Mike’s childhood propensity for tears, carnival food, the Gravitron, and Battlestar Galactica (which you should really watch, because it is great; do you not like things that are great?)

Want to take a class with one of us? We’re each teaching an online workshop through Barrelhouse Magazine, starting June 1 and running for eight weeks. Get more info., and register, here.

As always, you can stream the episode here on our site, or you can download the mp3 file directly. Or check us out in the iTunes store, where you can subscribe (for free) and never miss another update.

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Download Episode 34 (right-click, save-as)

If you’ve got questions for us, send us a message. Or tweet your question at us: we’re @Book_Fight. Or check out our page on Goodreads, where you can keep up with our reading schedule, ask us questions, and discuss the episodes.

As always, just click on the little player thingy below to stream the episode, or download the mp3 file and do with it whatever you will. Or visit us in iTunes, where you can subscribe to the show (for free) and never miss another episode.

Thanks for listening! Tell your friends!

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Download Writers Ask: Off With Their Heads

Also this week, Mike talks about the time he helped recreate scenes from popular 80s movies; unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) his Princess Bride acting job is no longer extant on YouTube. Though you can watch a recreation of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off here, starring Mike’s former roommate and several other friends.

We’ve also got some special recommendations from TV Guide, and a “where are they now” piece on two of the stars from The Beverly Hillbillies.

As always, you can stream the episode below, or check us out in the iTunes store, where you can download our whole back catalog for free, and subscribe so that you never miss another update. Please also consider visiting our sponsor, Powell’s Books. If you click through any of the Powell’s links on our site–like the book cover above, or the button over there on the right–any purchase you make will help to support the show.

Thanks for listening!

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Download Episode 33: Ernest Cline, Ready Player One

Got questions for a future episode of Writers Ask? Just click on the ‘Fight Back’ tab at the top of the page, or you can tweet at us. We’re @Book_Fight on your Twitter machine. Or just run up onto Tom’s lawn and shout your question while shaking your fist at the heavens. Whatever works for you!

Here’s a link to the story Mike mentioned during the episode, Last Days, which would be a lot crappier if not for Charles D’Ambrosio’s careful notes and suggestions.

If you’re interested in taking an online workshop with either of your friendly Book Fight hosts, now’s your chance: Barrelhouse is offering workshops starting June 1, with Mike teaching fiction and Tom doing nonfiction. Money raised from the workshop will help Barrelhouse stay in business, and keep paying contributors. Space is limited, so register now. We can also vouch for Stan Mir, our coworker at Temple, who will be teaching a poetry workshop for Barrelhouse this summer.

As always, you can stream the episode here, just by clicking on the little player thingy below:

Download Writers Ask: M.E.N.T.O.R. (right-click, save-as)

You can download all our episodes for free in the iTunes store, where you can also subscribe, so you never miss another update. Finally, please consider visiting our sponsor, Powell’s Books. If you click on any of the Powell’s links on our site, then shop as you normally would, a small cut of the purchase price will come back to the show.

Not to worry, though. We found plenty of stuff to joke about, including bears, Tom’s driving skills, Nancy Grace, sharks, and Jay Leno’s quest for love and approval. We also talked about the book, the upsides and downsides of allegory, and whether Coetzee’s narrator is a creep.

As always, you can stream or download the episode here, or click through to the iTunes store, where you can get all past and future episodes for free. While you’re over there, we’d love it if you left us a quick review.

This week’s music is “Reasons to Quit” by Phosophorescent, which you can find on the album “To Willie.”

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Download Episode 32: J.M. Coetzee, Waiting for the Barbarians

Also, we explain our beef with flash fiction, and share our pet peeves about writers and social media. Plus, Tom burns a bridge, and Mike tries to find some life lessons in past failures.

As always, you can stream the episode here, or download the mp3 file. Or, check us out in the iTunes store, where you can download past episodes for free and subscribe, so you never miss another update. While you’re there, please consider leaving us a quick review, which helps us reach new listeners.

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Download Writers Ask: Hurtin’ Feelings and Burnin’ Bridges (right-click, save-as)

Please consider helping to support the show–and a great independent book store–by shopping at Powell’s Online. Just click on any of the Powell’s buttons on the site, like the one over in the right-hand column, then shop as you normally would. Anything you buy will throw a little money back our way. Win win!

This week is a Mike pick: Kingsley Amis’s debut novel, Lucky Jim, which he’s taught several times in a class on comedy and literature. Will Tom properly love it? Will Mike have to punch him in the face? Only one way to find out.

Talking points include: British wit, funny hats, possible misogyny, Jenga, Tom’s abs, and ballet. A cornucopia of delights!

As always, you can stream (or download) the episode below, or find us in the iTunes store, where you can subscribe (for free) and never miss another episode. While you’re over at iTunes, how about leaving us a quick review? They help us reach new listeners and make us feel better about ourselves.

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Download Episode 31 (right-click, save-as)

If you’ve got questions for our Writers Ask segments, you can email them to us, or tweet at us, using the hashtag #WritersAsk. As always, you can stream the episode here on our site, or download the mp3 file. Or, visit us in the iTunes store, where you can download past episodes and subscribe (for free) so you never miss another installment.

Want to buy some books? Check out Powell’s huge online store for both new and used books. Click on any of the Powell’s links on our site, and any purchase you make will send a couple bucks our way.

Thanks for listening!

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Download Writers Ask: Making Lemonade (right-click, save-as)

Talking points include: snow, Nordicness, the anger of quiet people, gender disparities in translation, rabbits, and Mitt Romney. Plus, make sure to stay tuned for our final segment, during which Mike has a few choice words about Tom’s recommendation, in episode 29, of a fancy grilled cheese sandwich.

As always, you can stream the episode by clicking on the little player thingy below, or download the mp3 file. Or check us out in iTunes, where you can download back episodes and subscribe so you never miss a new one. Also, please support our sponsor, Powell’s Books, a great indie bookstore in Portland that also sells tons of new and used books online. If you click through on any of the Powell’s links on our site, a portion of any money you spend will come back to us. Win win!

If you have feedback on the show, feel free to leave a comment here, or you can send us an email. We always appreciate hearing from listeners, as it makes us feel less like we’re doing the show in a vacuum.

Thanks for listening!

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Download Episode 30 (right-click, save-as)

Talking points for this episode include: therapy dogs, AWP, jaunty hats, clove cigarettes, adult-film scripts, and writing in coffee shops.

Got a question for us? Want to tell us we’re wrong? Drop us a line! Your questions fuel the show; without them, we’ll wither and die.

As always, you can stream the episode right here on our site, or download the file and do with it whatever you wish. Or, check us out in the iTunes store, where you can download individual episodes or subscribe (for free) to make sure you never miss another installment of podcasty goodness.

Special shout out this week to all the listeners we met at AWP. It was really gratifying to hear how many of you are enjoying the show. And to new post-AWP listeners: welcome! We hope you’ll stick around, and tell all your writerly friends.

Stream the show by clicking on the little player thingy:

Download Writers Ask: The Waiting Game (right-click, save-as)

Please help support the show by buying books from our sponsor, Powell’s, which features a robust online store of both new and used books. Click on any of the Powell’s links on our site, then shop as you normally would. A percentage of your purchase will come back to us, to help keep us making the show and offering it each week for free.

Thanks for listening!