Zen Cho discusses her latest book, BLACK WATER SISTER, an urban fantasy of ghosts, grandmas, and gangsters set in Malaysia. We talk about crafting authentic regional dialects, writing "fantasy" using real world religious lore, and exploring cultural idiom in world-building.
SON OF THE STORM author Suyi Davies Okungbowa talks about writing his African-inspired fantasy novel, world-building using cultural ideas unfamiliar to American / western audiences, and his "waypoints" approach to plotting.
THE UNBROKEN author C.L. Clark discusses her brutal and complex military fantasy debut about a conscripted soldier returned to her homeland, and a princess in search of a turncoat. We talk about the novel's examination of colonialism, and the power imbalance at the heart of the story's romance.
THE ROAD TO WOOP WOOP: AND OTHER STORIES author Eugen Bacon talks about her speculative fiction collection and why she loves writing short stories. We discuss how these lyrical tales weave sci-fi, fantasy, magical realism, and horror elements to explore empathy and disconnection, identity and longing.
ESCAPING EXODUS: SYMBIOSIS author Nicky Drayden talks about her Afrofuturist sci-if/space opera duology that started with ESCAPING EXODUS. We discuss the novels' extraordinary—and squelchy—world-building, the layered social caste and plural family dynamics, and environmentalism themes.
FICTITIOUS is a YouTube show and podcast that delves into the craft of Science Fiction & Fantasy storytelling through interviews with authors and other professional writers. Hosted & produced by Adron Buske.
