DIY MFA Radio

Hey there word nerds! You might be doing a double-take right now because this episode is airing on a Thursday and not on Wednesday like our usual schedule. In fact, this is a bonus episode to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of DIY MFA. That’s right… exactly five years ago today, we announced this podcast to the world. Since then, we have released a new episode every single Wednesday like clockwork. It’s been a wild and crazy ride and I am so happy and grateful that you’re celebrating this podcast-iversary with me! In the last five years, we’ve hit some major milestones. We are at 265 episodes (and counting!) and we hit the top of the iTunes New & Notable Arts section in our second week. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing over 200 authors, editors, agents and industry professionals. These interviews have run the gamut: from debuts to bestsellers and award-winners representing pretty much every major genre award, as well as Pulitzer Prize winner. Last year I even conducted my first official celebrity interview. (Insert fangirl squeal here.) If you’re a DIY MFA super-fan you’ll probably notice something else if you look closely at our line-up. Very few of our interviews are repeats with the same guest. This is because we have such a long waiting list to get authors on the show that we had to start limiting the number of times an author could come back. In fact, this is one of the reasons I created the Writer Igniter Summit Series, as a way to feature some of my favorite authors multiple times. In this half-decade of podcasting, I’ve had a chance to interview some of my personal literary heroes, and it has truly been a rewarding experience. Which brings me to lessons learned. In this episode I discuss Why it’s so important to commit and be consistent How to lead with value to connect with listeners All about systems and why they are so vital for success Making podcasting easy--on your guests and yourself! For more info and shownotes: DIYMFA.com/265

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to our guest, the award-winning journalist, essayist, and poet Marybeth Niederkorn. Marybeth’s work has appeared in The Gasconade Review, Trailer Park Quarterly, Red Fez, and others. A Southeast Missouri native, her work is expressive of her background and roots while still managing to be kind of hilarious. Educated at Southeast Missouri State University, she holds degrees in philosophy and in professional writing, and makes her living as a copywriter for Recruiters Websites. She and her husband Dave live in rural Missouri. Her first full-length poetry collection, Times Knew Roamin’, which we’ll be discussing today. In this episode Marybeth and I discuss: How traveling can affect the writing process Using poetry to capture a mental space How poetry can reflect meaning in a way unique from prose The beauty of structure to push your creativity  Grammar--how important is it?  Using writing to build community Plus, their #1 tip for writers. For more info and shownotes: DIYMFA.com/264

  Hey there word nerds! Today is one of my absolute favorite episodes of the year because it’s our annual ThrillerFest Debut Authors panel and I am so delighted to have August Norman, D.A. Bartley, Paula Munier, and John McMahon on the show. Every year, I have the pleasure of attending ThrillerFest, which is a fabulous conference put on by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). I’ve attended every year since 2012 (except 2014 because Lady Bug had just been born) and this is one of my favorite conferences of the season. It’s a very collegial event, with seasoned writers and debuts supporting each other. This particular debut authors panel has been a tradition at DIY MFA Radio for a few years and I always have a blast chatting with the debut authors about the craft and business of writing. Each year, we choose a theme and this year it’s “when big suspense happens in small town settings.” As you’ll hear in this interview, each of these authors has a unique take on this topic. In this episode August, D.A., Paula, John and I discuss: Building a compelling setting for suspense. The fine art of choosing what to leave in and leave out. Pacing techniques to ratchet up suspense. Challenges of small town settings. The debut author experience. Plus, each of their #1 tips for writers. For more info and shownotes: DIYMFA.com/263

Hey there word nerds! Today, I have the pleasure of interviewing Fonda Lee on the show. Fonda is a recovering corporate strategist, black belt martial artist, and an action movie aficionado as well as the author of several highly acclaimed books of fantasy and science fiction, such as the young adult sci-fi novels Zeroboxer, Exo, and Cross Fire.  Her work has been nominated for several awards, including the Nebula and Locus Awards, and been featured on Best of Year lists such as NPR and Syfy Wire. She also won the Aurora Award, Canada’s national science fiction and fantasy award, twice in the same year for Best Novel and Best Young Adult Novel.  Fonda’s latest writing project is the fantasy/crime drama series the Green Bone Saga. The first book in this series, Jade City (which I am loving!), won the 2018 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, and the second book in the series, Jade War, has just been released. So listen in as Fonda and I chat about this amazing series, and the numerous strategies and decisions that go into crafting the world of your story.   In this episode Fonda and I discuss: How to choose the right way to build your world. The “iceberg effect” of worldbuilding. How to put your reader into the middle of your story from page one the right way. Using a fantasy element to make your story feel more real. How to manage the powerful tool of multiple point of view. Plus, Fonda’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/262

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of speaking with Aileen Erin on the show. Aileen is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd. From Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek, she has a severe fascination with the speculative and supernatural.  This fascination led her into writing, but after Twilight, Aileen was told that nobody wanted to read another vampire or werewolf story. She didn't agree and wrote one anyway. She proved her critics wrong as her independently published Alpha Girl series, has sold over 1.5 million copies. She earned a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and went on to earn her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She has since founded an independent boutique publishing house Ink Monster. Aileen’s latest novel, Lunar Court, is the eighth installment of her USA Today bestselling series Alpha Girl, and is available now. So listen in as Aileen and I chat about this awesome fantasy series and how to successfully write and publish your books through indie publishing. In this episode Aileen and I discuss: Using reader input to help you decide what story to write next. How to change the point of view character throughout a series the right way. Planning your world organically. The series strategy in indie publishing, and why it works. Producing a book as an indie boutique publisher from beginning to end. Plus, Aileen’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/261

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of welcoming Mark Mayer to the show. Mark is an author and has an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he was a Michener-Copernicus Fellow, and holds a PhD from the University of Denver. He was also the Robert P. Dana Emerging Writer-in-Residence at Cornell College’s Center for the Literary Arts from 2012-2014. His stories have appeared in American Short Fiction, Kenyon Review, Guernica, Colorado Review, and Mid-American Review. Mark’s debut is a short story collection titled Aerialists, in which classic circus figures become ordinary misfits seeking grandeur in a lonely world. In this collection, Mark examines familiar tropes—like the strongman, the elephant keeper, the clowns—and reinterprets these myths by placing them in everyday contemporary life. So listen in as Mark and I chat about this amazing book and how to gain a deeper understanding of a story by falling into its world over and over again.  In this episode Mark and I discuss: The intimacy of a short story. Creating a unique reading experience in your writing. How to use the theme of your book as a marketing tool the right way. Advice on how to approach short stories of literary fiction as a reader. How to use language and imagery to anchor readers in your story. Plus, Mark’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/260

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of interviewing Dan Stout on the show. Dan is an author who writes about fever dreams and half-glimpsed shapes in the shadows. His prize-winning fiction draws on travels throughout Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim as well as an employment history spanning everything from subpoena server to assistant well driller.  Dan's stories have appeared in publications such as The Saturday Evening Post, Nature, and Intergalactic Medicine Show and his debut novel, Titanshade, a noir fantasy thriller, is available now. So listen in as Dan and I chat about this amazing book and how to combine the plot of a police procedural with the worldbuilding of fantasy.  In this episode Dan and I discuss: Character driven stories vs. issue driven stories. How to set a speculative fiction world in a “retro” time period. Following predictable story tropes in unpredictable ways. How to discover your author’s Achilles' heel. Presenting the world of your story to readers in an authentic way. Plus, Dan’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/259

Hey there word nerds! Today I am delighted to have  Dylan Meconis on the show. Dylan is a cartoonist, writer, and illustrator. While she has pursued visual art since she could hold a crayon steady, her formal education has been concentrated in the liberal arts. She studied Western history, literature, philosophy, and French in the College of Letters at Wesleyan University, where she soaked up in-demand, market-ready skills like reading Chaucer in the original Middle English. (She has no regrets.) Her comparatively practical career as a professional comics artist actually began in college with the online publication of her first book, Bite Me!. She also spent several years daylighting as a visual communications consultant and designer, before she transitioned to work as a full-time comic book creator and freelance designer. In 2012 her short story “Outfoxed” was nominated for an Eisner Award in the category of Best Digital Comic, and in 2014 Family Man was nominated for a Reuben Award in the category of Best Digital Comic–Longform. Her latest project is the middle-grade graphic novel Queen of the Sea, and is now available. So listen in as Dylan and I chat about this amazing book and how to craft a story in multiple art forms. In this episode Dylan and I discuss: How to bring the day to day life of a historical setting to the page. Comic scripts, what they are and how to use them the right way. Constructing a story both visually and textually without confusing your readers. How the layout of each page determines pacing in a graphic novel. Privileging the story’s tone over a single visual style. Plus, Dylan’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/258

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Kelsey Ramsden on the show. I have long admired Kelsey’s work as she moves the earth, literally and figuratively. She has been named Canada’s top female entrepreneur by PROFIT, not once but twice. And Forbes calls her a “master builder of ideas, businesses and sky’s the limit futures.” She has received numerous awards for her businesses in civil construction and real estate where she builds highways, airports and communities. Her latest project is the internationally bestselling book Success Hangover: Ignite your next act. Screw your status quo. Feel alive again. and it is available now. So listen in as Kelsey and I chat about this amazing book and how to commit to your dreams even when the world pushes back. In this episode Kelsey and I discuss: The many ways a success hangover can manifest in your life. How to know when you’re stuck in the “mediocre zone”. The difference between love and lust for your career. Turning a sense of discomfort into a sense of discovery. Why so many people fail at their goals, and the steps to take so you succeed. Plus, Kelsey’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/257

Hey there word nerds! Today I have the pleasure of hosting Lenore Appelhans on the show! Lenore is the author of several books for children and teens. Her work has received honors such as appearing on the Bank Street Best Books list, winning a SCBWI Crystal Kite award, and getting featured on boxes of Cheerios. Her newest book the YA novel, The Manic Pixie Dream Boy Improvement Project, (which I devoured in practically one sitting!) simultaneously pokes fun at YA literature while also celebrating everything that is awesome about the category. So listen in as Lenore and I chat about this amazing book and how tropes are used in literature. In this episode Lenore and I discuss: The manic pixie dream girl trope. Metafiction, what it is and how to craft it right. Tropes vs. stereotypes, and how to recognize each in your own writing. The mechanics of writing a group scene without confusing your reader. How to get your mind and your writing to open up to diversity. Plus, Lenore’s #1 tip for writers. For more info and show notes: DIYMFA.com/256