DIY MFA Radio

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Ellie Cypher. Ellie Cypher grew up in Northern California, received her B.S. in Neuroscience and Behavior from UC Santa Cruz and got her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of California Davis. She has lived and worked all over the world from New Zealand to Tasmania to the United Kingdom. When she is not writing, you can find her spending her time caring for all manner of creatures great and small, dreaming about traveling, drinking too much coffee or generally wandering about the beautiful Smoky Mountains with her husband and eleven-year-old black lab. Today we’ll be discussing her debut novel, a YA fantasy titled The Girl from Shadow Springs. In this episode Ellie and I discuss: How the first line is usually what pops into her head first and inspires her to write the book. Why the arctic wilderness was the perfect backdrop for her novel as it has “a sense of being alone in a void...massive expanse and insular isolation”. What part language, vernacular, and modulation of voice play in stretching the boundaries of the speech characters use and building the world around them.   Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For info and show notes: diymfa.com/345  

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Sharon Harrigan. Sharon is the author of the new novel Half, which has received accolades from places like Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, Foreword Reviews, and the New York Journal of Books. She earned her a B.A. from Barnard College and an MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific University. She is also the author of the memoir Playing with Dynamite and she teaches at WriterHouse in Charlottesville, Virginia, where she lives with her family.   In this episode Sharon and I discuss: What it means to come of age and how her novel Half addresses that. Why it is important to assess what type of point of view to use for a project. How to use voice as a bridge between the writer and the reader.   Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/344

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Tim Waggoner. Tim is a critically-acclaimed author of over fifty novels and seven short story collections. He writes original dark fantasy and horror, as well as media tie-ins. He’s also the author of a comprehensive book on writing horror called Writing in the Dark. His novels include Like Death, which is considered a modern classic in the horror genre, and the popular Nekropolis series of urban fantasy novels. He’s written tie-in fiction for Supernatural, Grimm, the X-Files, Doctor Who, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Alien, and Transformers, among other properties, and he’s written novelizations for films such as Kingsman: the Golden Circle and Resident Evil: the Final Chapter. His articles on writing have appeared in Writer’s Digest, The Writer, Writer’s Journal, Writer’s Workshop of Horror, and Where Nightmares Come From. In 2017 he received the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Long Fiction, and he’s been a finalist for the Shirley Jackson Award, the Scribe Award, and the Splatterpunk Award. His fiction has appeared several times in the Year’s Best Hardcore Horror, and he’s received numerous Honorable Mentions in volumes of Best Horror of the Year. In 2016, the Horror Writers Association honored him with the Mentor of the Year Award. In addition to writing, he’s also a full-time tenured professor who teaches creative writing and composition at Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio.   In this episode Tim and I discuss: Where different kinds of horror writing fit in relation to other speculative genres. How psychology plays into the crafting of a horror story. Why horror is not just plot and what it’s really about instead. Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/343

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Julie Carrick Dalton. As a journalist, Julie has published more than a thousand articles in The Boston Globe, BusinessWeek, The Hollywood Reporter, Electric Literature, and other publications. She contributes to Dead Darlings, Writer Unboxed, and The Chicago Review of Books. A Tin House alum and graduate of GrubStreet’s Novel Incubator, Julie holds a master’s in literature and creative writing from Harvard Extension School. She is passionate about climate fiction and is a frequent speaker on the topic of writing fiction in the age of the climate crisis. A Mom to four kids and two dogs, Julie is an avid skier, hiker, and kayaker. She also owns a small farm in rural New Hampshire, which is the backdrop for her debut novel, Waiting for the Night Song. In this episode Julie and I discuss: How Julie initially wrote her story, the parts she omitted to get to the heart of it, and how she used Scrivener to put it all back together.  What made one of Julie’s childhood friendships so significant that it inspired the plot of the story. Why Climate Fiction is an important, budding genre that Julie believes needs fostering.   Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/342

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Jason Naylor. Jason is an award-winning artist and designer based in NYC. He is known for his bright colors and even brighter messages. His work has received tons of awards and recognition, including the Golden Novum Design award and two CLIO Fashion&Beauty Bronze medals. He has also been featured on HGTV and the Discovery Channel. In 2018, Jason was named by BUMBLE as one of the 100 Most Inspiring New Yorkers, and his colorful creations have found partnership with brands like Coach, Guess, Pepsi, and Maybelline. Jason’s mission is to spread color and positivity across the globe. His brightly colored designs and positive words reflect his zeal for life, his quest for joy and his love of LOVE.   In this episode Jason and I discuss: The ways his book is a visual version of the perfect mixed tape. How negative space and imagination work together to create a story. Why people see the same colors differently (hint: it’s rooted in science!).   Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/341

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Adam Smyer. Adam Smyer is an attorney, martial artist, and mediocre bass player. His nonfiction has appeared in the Johannesburg Review of Books, and his debut novel, Knucklehead, was the sole title short-listed for the 2018 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Adam lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and cats. You Can Keep That to Yourself is his latest work, and we’ll be discussing it today.   In this episode Adam and I discuss: The tremendous amount of luck involved between starting and publishing a book. Why eradicating micro-aggressions is important in eliminating major aggressions. The important role humor can play in addressing a very serious topic.   Plus, his #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/340

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Rachel Beanland. Rachel Beanland writes fiction and essays, and has recently released her debut novel. Her essays have appeared in Creative Nonfiction and Broad Street, among other places, and she has an MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University. With bachelor’s degrees in art history and journalism, Rachel worked in public relations and nonprofit management before focusing on writing full time. She currently lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband and three children. Her debut novel is Florence Adler Swims Forever, which we’ll be discussing here today.   In this episode Rachel and I discuss: How a family tragedy influenced her approach to writing her debut novel. Why rotating perspectives helped with secret-keeping throughout her story. Her experience with workshopping her novel as she wrote it.   Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/339

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Alexandra Monir. Alexandra is an Iranian-American author and recording artist who has published six popular young adult novels. Her internationally-bestselling debut, Timeless was a Barnes & Noble Bestseller and Amazon.com “Best Books of the Month.” In 2018 she published the hit sci-fi novel The Final Six and Sony Pictures optioned the film rights in a major pre-empt deal. More recently, she has followed up with a sequel—The Life Below—which was published earlier this year. Alexandra was chosen as part of a group of global bestselling authors to write for the New York Times-bestselling DC ICONS series. Her book is Black Canary: Breaking Silence, the first-ever YA novel about that DC Comics superhero. Next up, Alexandra is writing a historical fantasy YA for Disney based on Princess Jasmine. In this episode Alexandra and I discuss: How she honors her grandmother in her career, especially in her latest book. Her method for creating a complex cast of villains for Black Canary. Why she incorporated original music into the release of her book. Plus, her #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/338

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Brad Fox. Brad is a novelist, journalist, translator, and former relief worker currently quarantined in rural Peru. His novel To Remain Nameless was a Paris Review staff pick, an SPD recommended new fiction title, has been a small press bestseller since its release. It was named by Dennis Cooper as a Best Book of 2020. Brad’s stories, essays, and articles have appeared in The New Yorker, Guernica, and the Whitney Biennial and some of his upcoming work will be featured in “From the Deep,” a major exhibition at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art in 2021. Brad left the US in the late 1990s and began working as a feature writer and television producer in the former Yugoslavia. Since that time, he has worked in various countries around the globe, doing different forms of humanitarian and arts-related work. In March earlier this year, he left New York for what was meant to be a twelve-day trip to northeastern Peru, with the goal of studying with a traditional medicine practitioner and completing a book on the bathysphere dives — the first eyewitness account of the deep ocean. That twelve-day trip has extended much longer than those original twelve days, and he’s been doing virtual book launch events from a little table on the edge of the jungle, surrounded by monkeys, hummingbirds and poisonous ants.   Embed Audio Here In this episode Brad and I discuss: How his partner’s experiences as a doula inspired many of the characters and the structure of his book To Remain Nameless. What voice and POV techniques Brad used to transition between past and present to give his language “energy”. Why “writing for no reason” and experimenting in the moment is a large part of Brad’s writing process.   Plus, their #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/337

Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Marcella Pixley, the author of four acclaimed books for young people. Her novel Freak was a Kirkus Best Book of the Year for 2007, Without Tess was a Junior Library Guild Selection, and Ready to Fall was a Bank Street of Education Best Book for 2017. Her most recent novel Trowbridge Road was just recently named as one of ten books for children for the National Book Awards 2020. Marcella first began her writing career as a poet and has published in several literary journals including Sow's Ear Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner and Poet Lore, plus she was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Her fiction has a lyric quality, which makes sense given her roots in poetry, and teaches 8th grade Language Arts at the Carlisle Public Schools. Today we’ll be discussing Marcella’s most recent book, Trowbridge Road. In this episode Marcella and I discuss: How her personal childhood experiences and her diagnosis of OCD inspired her book Trowbridge Road. Why she believes that MG should be written authentically to reflect realistic, traumatic, and difficult childhood experiences. What character voices, detailed moments, and scenes she specifically crafted to reflect her experiences.  Plus, their #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: diymfa.com/336