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The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

By Fortunus Games

Hosts Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games), Tete DePunk, and R.N. Roveleh interview a wide range of writers and creators about their creative process and approach to writing. They also talk about their own writing journeys and offer tips for writing more effectively and efficiently.
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EP 233: Book Review: “Under the Cover of Chaos: Trump and the Battle for the American Right” by Lawrence Grossberg

The Nuts and Bolts of WritingJan 29, 2024

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06:38
EP 233: Book Review: “Under the Cover of Chaos: Trump and the Battle for the American Right” by Lawrence Grossberg

EP 233: Book Review: “Under the Cover of Chaos: Trump and the Battle for the American Right” by Lawrence Grossberg

Hi, everyone. Today, me, Imelda or Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast, will be reviewing Lawrence Grossberg’s “Under the Cover of Chaos: Trump and the Battle for the American Right.”


Lawrence Grossberg is the Morris Davis Distinguished Professor in Communication and Cultural Studies at the University of North Carolina. Additionally, he is an internationally recognized leading figure in Cultural Studies whose work has been translated into 18 languages.


In this book, Grossberg looks at whether Donald Trump’s “irrationality, cruelty, and bombast” are “symptoms of his personality.” He also looks at whether the chaos Trump has caused is a sign of his incompoetence, and whether his populism, nationalism, and illiberalism is an appeal to existing feelings of rage, resentment, and abandonment.


Find out why I gave the book 3.5/5 stars.



Jan 29, 202406:38
EP 232: Book Review: Philip Roth’s “Operation Shylock”

EP 232: Book Review: Philip Roth’s “Operation Shylock”

In this episode, podcast host Imelda/Fortunus Games reviews Philip Roth's novel, "Operation Shylock: A Confession." Find out what it's about and why she gave it 5/5 stars!

Jan 22, 202407:20
EP 231: Season Three of “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing” Podcast

EP 231: Season Three of “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing” Podcast

Hi, everyone. This is Imelda or Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast. Hope you had a good winter break and happy new year!

This is just a short announcement about how we are moving on to season three of “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing” podcast. In this season, we’ll continuing interviewing fiction and non-fiction writers and reviewing books. However, we will also be expanding the scope of our podcast to include literary criticism.

Jan 14, 202402:26
EP 230: Book Review: “American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion” by John D. Wilsey
Dec 11, 202305:08
EP 229: Book Review: Philip Roth’s “The Counterlife”

EP 229: Book Review: Philip Roth’s “The Counterlife”

Host Fortunus Games reviews one of her favorite books, Philip Roth's "The Counterlife." She had previously reviewed it with co-host Tete DePunk in 2021 (Episode 70 of this podcast), but she wants to give a more streamlined summary and review of the book in this episode. Listen to find out why she gave the book 4/5 stars.

“The Counterlife” is one of Philip Roth’s lesser known works. Written in 1986, it is the fourth novel to feature Roth’s fictional novelist, Nathan Zuckerman. A string of "what-ifs," this novel explores the thin line between reality and fiction and the role of fiction in writers' lives.

Dec 04, 202307:13
EP 228: Book Review: Orhan Pamuk’s “My Name is Red”

EP 228: Book Review: Orhan Pamuk’s “My Name is Red”

In this episode, host Fortunus Games reviews one of her favorite books, Orhan Pamuk's "My Name is Red."

Set in 16th century Ottoman Empire, this book is a murder mystery at its core. The first chapter is from the perspective of a court artist who was murdered, and you have to read through the book to discover who murdered him. There’s a dizziying kaleidoscope of perspectives, including the perspective of a dog and who you could call the protagonists of this work, Black (an administrator who has returned to Istanbul after 12 years abroad) and Shekure, a widow who wants to find a new husband and father for her two boys after her soldier husband went missing four years ago.

Besides its beautiful descriptions of artworks and the political and religious consequences of switching from one art style to another, "My Name is Red" is a riveting read due to Pamuk's ekphrastic writing. Ekphrastic writing describes artworks, and Pamuk uses it effectively to explore history, politics, and human psychology.

Listen to this episode to see why I gave this book 4/5 stars.

Nov 27, 202304:51
EP 227: Video Game Review: Frictional Games’ SOMA (2015)

EP 227: Video Game Review: Frictional Games’ SOMA (2015)

Host Fortunus Games reviews Frictional Games' SOMA (2015), a sci-fi horror game that really touched her when she played it in 2016. Find out why she gives the game 4/5 stars.

Nov 20, 202305:08
EP 226: Book Review: Philip Roth’s “American Pastoral”

EP 226: Book Review: Philip Roth’s “American Pastoral”

Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast, reviews one of her favorite books, Philip Roth’s “American Pastoral.” 

This book explores how an all-American athlete, veteran, and business owner's life falls apart when his daughter becomes a radical anti-war protestor. A critique of the American dream and the dangers of conventionalism, "American Pastoral" is the first of Roth's American Trilogy and is followed by "I Married a Communist" and "The Human Stain."

Listen to this episode to find out why Fortunus gave the book 4.5/5 stars.


Nov 13, 202308:23
EP 225: Interview with Writer Carrie Knowles About Her Novel, “The Inevitable Past”

EP 225: Interview with Writer Carrie Knowles About Her Novel, “The Inevitable Past”

Today, co-hosts Fortunus Games (a.k.a. Imelda) and Tete DePunk talk to artist and writer Carrie Knowles about her novel, “The Inevitable Past,” which I, TeteDepunk, and R.N. Roveleh have had the pleasure of reading. 

Check out episodes 211, 212, and 213 for Carrie’s first appearances on this podcast, where she talked about writing fiction, writing non-fiction, and the link between visual art and writing, respectively.

Here’s Carrie’s bio: Carrie Knowles is a prolific award-winning author and arts advocate. 

Along with her nine books, she has published short stories, newspaper and magazine articles, and received numerous awards for her writing. 

She was named the North Carolina Piedmont Laureate for Short Fiction in 2014. 

Carrie has published five novels: Lillian’s Garden, Ashoan’s Rug, A Garden Wall in Provence, The Inevitable Past, and A Musical Affair, as well as Black Tie Optional, a collection of 17 of her short stories. Her memoir: The Last Childhood: A Family Story of Alzheimer's, has been described as a “must read” for family members caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.

During her time as the 2014 Piedmont Laureate, conducting writing workshops across five counties in North Carolina, she wrote a writing workbook aimed at providing the basic tools a new writer would need to get started: A Self-Guided Workbook and Gentle Tour on Learning How to Write Stories from Start to Finish.

She writes a personal perspectives column for Psychology Today, Shifting Forward, and has recently published a collection of the first 50 stories from her column titled: Shifting Forward: Fifty Reflections on Everyday Life.

To learn more about Carrie, go to her website: www.cjanework.com  

As for her novel, “The Inevitable Past,” which is the focus of this podcast, it was published in 2020 by Owl Canyon Press. It is a story of two women: a grandmother and a granddaughter who never knew her, and a timely look at women’s right to vote and have a voice. It challenges the notion of who we are and what compels us to make life-changing decisions.

Tete and I asked Carrie the following questions:

  1. How did you develop a ghost as a strong interactive character? Most stories with ghosts are “ghost stories.”

  2. How did we, the readers, feel about the grandmother’s ghost?

  3. How was it like to publish a story that is out of the “normal” realm of what is popular in publishing today? Did it make it harder to pitch your work?

  4. Balancing a multiple-perspective story can be daunting. Especially when working first-person POV. How did you tackle that challenge?

  5. Tied in with the previous question: how would you advise writers, if they’re writing a multiple POV story, to keep each voice consistent? You did an amazing job keeping each voice of the granddaughter, the grandmother, and the Matron, respectively distinct from each other, yet unified these narratives into a complete story. 

  6. The pacing is well-balanced, too. How do you know when to focus on a chapter, and when to move on, for pacing? 

  7. What type of research did you have to do to create this story? When is it appropriate to research to incorporate historical facts into fiction?

Buy “The Inevitable Past” from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088JQYJ7G/ref=x_gr_bb_amazon?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_bb_amazon_ca-20&linkCode=as2&camp=15121&creative=330641 

Nov 06, 202301:14:41
EP 224: Video Game Review: Journey (2012) by thatgamecompany

EP 224: Video Game Review: Journey (2012) by thatgamecompany

Today, co-host Tete DePunk reviews a game that had a large impact on her, Journey (2012) by thatgamecompany. Listen to find out why she loved it!

Oct 29, 202318:56
EP 223: Dear Esther: A Study in Allegorical Dreamscape

EP 223: Dear Esther: A Study in Allegorical Dreamscape

Co-hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games explore the themes explored in Dear Esther, a 2013 video game created by the acclaimed English video game company, The Chinese Room.

Dear Esther explores the process of grief and emotional transcension through a vague character reflecting on the loss of his wife. 

Throughout the game, as the character reveals through mystic soliloquies of science and religious reveries, that the accident is indirectly their own fault. This adds another weight of guilt into the mix of grief and loss. 

The game lacks much interaction. Instead, the player is left with no choice, but whisked into the immersion of being drawn across the harsh landscape of a desolate, scrub-bush island. The lack of choice is fatalism played out, much like the character forced to process their own loss and realize, life, like death, is inevitable in its juggernaut of events. 

Fortunus and Tete ask each other the following questions to discuss Dear Esther:

  1. What do you think the game’s story is?

  2. What do you think of the biblical references?

  3. Do you consider this a game, since it is just a walking simulator with no action or puzzles?

  4. What can this kind of game offer that other types of game cannot offer?

  5. What do we make of how the character processes grief?

  6. The ending is somewhat vague. Does the character kill themselves and ascend spiritually? Or somehow transcends beyond death? Is this a good ending? 

  7. What can we learn from Dear Esther? 

Oct 22, 202334:47
EP 222: Book Review: Orhan Pamuk’s “Silent House”

EP 222: Book Review: Orhan Pamuk’s “Silent House”

Host Fortunus Games reviews a book by one of her favorite authors, Orhan Pamuk - “Silent House.” Written in 1983, “Silent House” is Pamuk’s second novel. It tells the story of three siblings - Faruk, a historian, Nilgun, a sociology student who sympathizes with leftists, and Metin, a high school nerd - visiting their grandmother Fatma in a small town near Istanbul.

Unfortunately, Fortunus Games didn't really enjoy this book and gave it 2/5 stars. Find out why.

Oct 15, 202306:02
EP 221: Movie Review: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

EP 221: Movie Review: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)

Today, Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, reviews the 2023 Spiderman movie, Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse. 

A colorful, bold, and heartfelt sequel to the innovative 2018’s Spiderman :Into the Spiderverse, Across the Spiderverse surpassed its predecessor in terms of pushing the boundaries with animation, sound design, and pacing. 

Despite being an hour longer than its prequel, Across the Spiderverse excelled in its pacing. It covered a layered story, starting and concluding with a poignant yet satisfying arc with Spider-Gwen. 

The movie also introduced, like Into the Spiderverse, several fascinating characters with striking personalities and unique animation designs. 

But where the movie really made impact was its emotional clarity and ideological conflict.

Listen to this episode to learn why Tete enjoyed this movie!



Oct 08, 202323:21
EP 220: Bioshocked: Part III, Bad Rep, No Depth: Exploring the subtle racism of the Bioshock Franchise

EP 220: Bioshocked: Part III, Bad Rep, No Depth: Exploring the subtle racism of the Bioshock Franchise

Bioshock had many problems when it came to portraying several groups. Here’s what co-hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games both noticed when playing the games and watching others’ gameplay videos.

  • Many fans will argue that the racist depictions, such as the Rapture vending machines, like El Bandito, are products of their time. The disturbing caricatures featured heavily in Columbian propaganda are also attributed, sadly, to real-life media depictions throughout American art and entertainment. However, how can we explain the stereotypes of characters such as Grace Holloway? 
  • Why is Charles Milton Porter racist to you?
  • Why is Daisy Fitzroy from Bioshock Infinite problematic?
  • Why do you think a wildly outrageous and offensive racial caricature of “Yellow Peril” such Dr. Yi Suchong would be greenlighted in a work that came out in 2007? Even Burial at Sea, released in 2013, repeated this offensive depiction of the infamous Dr. Suchong. What does this say about the franchise’s treatment of characters who are Eastern Asian? 
  • Dealing with a more evasive topic- characters such Tennebaum and Dr. Steinman appears borderline anti-Semitic. Yet the franchise’s creator, Ken Levine, reportedly draws from his Jewish-American upbringing. Would these depictions of stereotypes be seen as inverted through a self-critique, or viewed, upon closer inspection, as internalized racism? 


Oct 01, 202341:33
EP 219: Bioshocked: Part II, Hour of the Tower: Bioshock Infinite’s Elizabeth

EP 219: Bioshocked: Part II, Hour of the Tower: Bioshock Infinite’s Elizabeth

Co-hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games talk about Elizabeth Comstock from the 2013 game, "Bioshock Infinite." They explore the following questions:

  1. Elizabeth stands out from many female characters, especially in gaming. What do you think are the key traits that make her stand out?
  2. What makes her story and personality carry the story so well? Why is she so vivid? 
  3. So for Tete, a former homeschooler, Elizabeth’s own experiences and struggles resonate STRONGLY with Tete. What are some of the parallels between Elizabeth’s challenges and Tete’s/other homeschoolers? 
  4. How is Elizabeth’s isolation similar to extreme homeschooling? 
  5. Elizabeth struggles, too, with a toxic parent. What are the effects we can see manifest in Elizabeth’s life and mindset in Infinite?
  6. Although non-canonical, Burial at Sea gave us a glimpse into an alternate Elizabeth. Was she out of character? Or did we see the further “effects” of her past catch up with her? 
  7. What can we learn from the outcome of both Infinite and Burial at Sea? 
Sep 24, 202333:09
EP 218: Bioshocked: Part I, It’s All in the Book(er)

EP 218: Bioshocked: Part I, It’s All in the Book(er)

Watch the video version which shows scenes of the game.


In this episode, hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games discuss one of their favorite games, "Bioshock Infinite." We discuss the following questions:

  1. Booker is actually Comstock in another universe. What do you think set the stage for an alternate Booker to become Comstock? 
  2. Comstock himself is an unorthodox antagonist. Unlike most antagonists, he’s deluded that he’s really saving a chosen people and believes his own form of religion will save the Nation. But he’s turned to other means to make his reality come true.  What do we make of his religious extremism? 
  3. Are we facing a similar trend of religious extremism today, especially in the US? 
  4. Let’s talk about Columbia, the floating country of Comstock’s radical reality. (We can also talk about the theory that Columbia was originally DC.) What can creators learn about good worldbuilding from a world like Columbia? 
  5. Despite the striking contrast in its ensemble, what makes the Infinite cast work? We have characters ranging from the powerhouse populist leader Daisy Fitzroy to the enigmatic but charming Luteces.  What makes this cast work? What can we learn about a character cast working together in a heavy story like Infinite? 
Sep 17, 202331:56
EP 217: Interview with Crime-Thriller Author James Michels

EP 217: Interview with Crime-Thriller Author James Michels

In this episode, Tete DePunk (IG: @tete.depunk), one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews writer James Michels, author of novels such as “The Ballad of Johnny Carlo”,  “Ice Rising”, and its sequel, “Icebox”.  Prolific in the Crime-thriller genre, James michels has also recently released a crime fiction anthology, “Life’s Dark Corners”. 

As of 2015, he is an Officer with the Department of Corrections. Crime fiction explores the darker reality of life, often exposing social and personal issues in ways that other genres might not fully show. Its focus on the grittiness of ordinary reality for the individual facing an unfriendly world has made this particular genre a compelling one. 

Tete asks James the following questions:

  • What got you into writing?

  • You mentioned you always enjoyed the true crime and crime fiction genres. What drew you into these particular genres? 

  • When you set out to write your works, there is certainly some research involved in the creation of these works. How do you go about the research process for your work? 

  • How much fact do you incorporate in your fiction? 

  • How do you know what is the right amount of fact to put in work? 

  • In 2015, you joined the Department of Corrections as an officer - has this influenced your approach in writing your work? 

  • Lastly, what is your goal in your writing work? What do you wish to impart to your readers? 

Links:

Sep 10, 202337:23
EP 216: Interview with Screenwriter and Podcaster Brock Swinson

EP 216: Interview with Screenwriter and Podcaster Brock Swinson

Today, co-host Tete DePunk will be interviewing author and interviewer Brock Swinson, who reached out to our podcast. Brock Swinson is the author of Ink by the Barrel: Secrets from Prolific Writers.

He is also the interviewer for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, a publication dedicated since 1994 to educating and exploring the field of screenwriting and its creative minds at the helm. Additionally, Swinson hosts the podcast, Creative Principles, a podcast focused on discussion of the creative principle and key figures in the creative world today. 

I’ve provided links to the Creative Screenwriting Magazine and the Creative Principle Podcast in the description. Throughout his career, Brock Swinson has gained an impressively thorough knowledge of the screenwriting world. He has had the opportunity to discuss indepth the creative principles and know-how of the field with some of the best minds in the industry.

Tete asks Brock the following questions:

  1. How did you get into the field of creative screenwriting? 

  2. What challenges did you face in this particular industry? 

  3. How has screenwriting changed throughout the past 10 years? 

  4. Does AI, as some purport, threaten the agency and integrity of screenwriters today? 

  5. In your view, what were the factors that have led to the recent strikes from the Writers Guild of America? Have these factors been present for a long time standing? 

  6. Did you ever face set-backs in your career? If so, how did you overcome them?

  7. How can aspiring screenwriters and writers get into the industry? 

  8. What advice would you impart to yourself when you first began in this field? 

Links:

Sep 03, 202338:02
EP 215: Interview with Author James Mitchell

EP 215: Interview with Author James Mitchell

Host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (Fortunus Games) interviews author James Mitchell about his upcoming book, which will hit retail on September 19, 2023. His book is called “Musical Chairs: A 76-year-old’s quest to learn every instrument in the orchestra.”  Find out more about it on James' website: https://jamesmitchellbooks.com/

James Mitchell was born in New York City, which nurtured his love of classical music from an early age. Professing little to no talent, however, he left the playing of music mostly to others until the writing of Musical Chairs.

For the 67 years that elapsed between music lessons, Mr. Mitchell was an actor, a Sales Manager for a ski company, President of a national advertising agency, a cowboy and wilderness outfitter, an educator, and co-founder of an NGO aiding women in Afghanistan.

Mr. Mitchell is working on two new books, and otherwise occupies his time going to concerts, playing music, tennis, cycling, and riding and driving horses. He lives in the country near Longmont, Colorado with his wife, some zebra finches, an old cat, and a few equines.

He is immensely proud and fond of his two grown offspring and has one very young grandson.

Imelda asks James the following questions (and more):

  1. What prompted you to write this book? 

  2. In your bio, you said you always loved classical music. Growing up, how were you exposed to this genre of music and what did you particularly like about it?

  3. Which instruments do you enjoy the most and why?

  4. You mentioned you were an actor. Since acting is a form of art, did it influence how you saw music? Did it also influence your interest in writing?

  5. Why did you have five careers before writing “Musical Chairs?” Sounds like a drifter to me.

  6. Not many people start on a three year project when they are 76. Especially when they know next to nothing about it. Were you trying to prove something? To yourself? To others?

  7. How many times did you think of bagging the whole thing during those three plus years?

  8. You could have tackled something else, like taking just 12 lessons in 11 different languages and then be able to order a meal in each language at an ethnic restaurant. Why music?

  9. The subject is serious, but the book has a lot of humor in it, much of it self-deprecating. Why did you do that?

  10. Playing a classical music excerpt in just 12 lessons is quite a challenge, made more so by the week after week, month after month nature of the book. How much pressure did you feel to do well?

James’ upcoming site: https://jamesmitchellbooks.com/  

Aug 27, 202336:50
EP 214: Wren Mafyrneen’s Approach to Writing “The House on Caple Hill”: The Book of Ib

EP 214: Wren Mafyrneen’s Approach to Writing “The House on Caple Hill”: The Book of Ib

Today, host Fortunus Games talks to Wren Mafyrneen (Instagram: @wrenby_m) about their graphic novel, “The House on Caple Hill.” Wren appeared on many episodes in Season 1, but this is the first episode they’ve appeared on for Season 2! Wren has talked extensively about their plans and progress on “The House on Caple Hill.” Check out the links in the descriptions to see all of the “House on Caple Hill” episodes.

Wren's bio:

Wren Mafyrneen (they/them) is a graphic novelist, writer, and artist. Their main project is "The House on Caple Hill," a fantasy graphic novel in nine parts that explores the main character's journey to find pieces of themself scattered throughout the cosmos. Wren enjoys creating nouveau-style watercolor paintings and illustrations, dabbling in music ranging in styles from classical to classic rock, writing the occasional poem, and exploring the beaches and forests of their home near the Northeastern US coast.

Hi, Wren, it’s nice to have you back! 

  1. What were the most difficult parts of writing this book?

  2. What were the easiest parts of writing this book?

  3. Do the visuals of this book differ from previous books?

  4. What are the main themes of this book?

  5. Can you summarize the Book of Ib in five sentences? What is the beginning, climax, and end?

The artwork in the thumbnail is by Wren.

Watch all of “The House on Caple Hill” episodes here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvd4C7fSOawTxVO2FXg_5zK28nzmkGcpF 

Listen to all of “The House on Caple Hill” episodes here: https://www.podpage.com/the-nuts-and-bolts-of-writing/category/wren-mafyrneens-the-house-on-caple-hill/

Aug 20, 202324:08
EP 213: Writer and Artist Carrie Knowles’ Approach to Visual Art

EP 213: Writer and Artist Carrie Knowles’ Approach to Visual Art

Hi, everyone. Today, we’re talking to artist and writer Carrie Knowles about her approach to visual art. This is part three of our interviews with Carrie — please check out episodes 211 and 212 for my previous discussions with her about writing fiction and non-fiction, respectively.

Carrie Knowles is a prolific award-winning author and arts advocate. Along with her nine books, she has published short stories, newspaper and magazine articles, and received numerous awards for her writing. 

In addition to being a writer, she is also a visual artist. In 2017, she was invited to be one of seven international artists for a special exhibition in Brisbane, Australia. The seven of them were all artists who worked in more than one genre. The theme of the show was “The Inevitable Past”.  They were tasked with the job of responding to the theme by bringing together their artwork with their other creative voice. 

In thinking about what was inevitable about her own past, Carrie began writing about her father’s mother who died during his birth leaving many unanswered questions as to who she was and where she was going when she arrived at the Door of Hope (a home for unwed mothers in Macon, Georgia) badly beaten, unconscious, and very pregnant.

Here’s what the curator of the show wrote about Carrie’s work:

It has been asked 'is Carrie an author who aeates visual art, or an artist who writes?' For her, it is all part of the one thing. While her literary work has often dominated her creative endeavors, the multi-levelled cross-overs between these fields, though often subtle,are  implicitly present. 

Growing up in middle America with a high achieving father, who was also blind, her drive to do her own thing (be a writer and artist), while rejecting all perceived limitations, WAS almost inevitable. Initially inspired to paint, parental pressure to do something less 'self·indulgent' saw her commence tertiary study in Physical Therapies, before switching to an Engllsh major — Carrie the author was born. Journalism, writing education papers, and teaching (writing and art) followed before postgraduate studies in sociology and psychology. 

Yet throughout, her creative expression in both literary and visual forms continued. Now the author of five intimately moving books (fiction and non-fiction, in which the constant passsage of time is a pivotal context), innumerable articles, short stories, poetry and social commentaries — with a growing number of awards — her equally emotive visual art has always been nascently entwined with her literary practice, and each is increasingly informed by and reflective of the other.

To read more about how writing about her own inevitable past developed into a novel, and how the artwork she presented in Brisbane became a 27 foot-long hand dyed and embroidered linen shroud, go to Carrie’s website: https://www.cjanework.com/the-inevitable-past 

In the past two episodes, we talked to Carrie about her approach to writing fiction and non-fiction. In this episode, we’ll be talking about Carrie’s approach to visual arts.

  1. What is your favorite medium to work with? (i.e., watercolour, colored pencil, etc.)

  2. What are your favorite subjects in art?

  3. Who are your favorite artists?

  4. What are your main sources of inspiration?

  5. In your view, what is the relationship of visual arts and writing?

You can purchase and see some of Carrie’s art through Marguerite Guitreau’s online store: https://www.chairish.com/shop/margueriteguitreau 

Marguerite Guitreau’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marguerite_guitreau/ 

Aug 13, 202336:17
EP 212: Interview with Writer Carrie Knowles About Writing Non-Fiction

EP 212: Interview with Writer Carrie Knowles About Writing Non-Fiction

Today, host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (@fortunusgames) talks to artist and writer Carrie Knowles about her approach to writing non-fiction. Check out our previous episode, ep 211, about her approach to writing fiction.

Carrie Knowles is a prolific award-winning author and arts advocate. 

Along with her nine books, she has published short stories, newspaper, and magazine articles, and received numerous awards for her writing. 

She was named the North Carolina Piedmont Laureate for Short Fiction in 2014. 

Carrie has published five novels: Lillian’s Garden, Ashoan’s Rug, A Garden Wall in Provence, The Inevitable Past, and A Musical Affair, as well as Black Tie Optional, a collection of 17 of her short stories. Her memoir: The Last Childhood: A Family Story of Alzheimer's, has been described as a “must read” for family members caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.

During her time as the 2014 Piedmont Laureate, conducting writing workshops across five counties in North Carolina, she wrote a writing workbook aimed at providing the basic tools a new writer would need to get started: A Self-Guided Workbook and Gentle Tour on Learning How to Write Stories from Start to Finish.

She writes a personal perspectives column for Psychology Today, Shifting Forward, and has recently published a collection of the first 50 stories from her column titled: Shifting Forward: Fifty Reflections on Everyday Life.

To learn more about Carrie, go to her website: www.cjanework.com  

Last episode, we talked to Carrie about her approach to writing fiction. In this episode, we’ll be talking about Carrie’s approach to writing non-fiction.

In this episode, Imelda asks Carrie these questions:

  1. What prompted you to start writing non-fiction?

  2. What is the difference between the facts as truth v.s. the emotional truth?

  3. How do the basic tools of writing good fiction apply to non-fiction?

  4. Why might you want to move non-fiction to fiction with an emphasis on the power of narrative to build a story?

  5. Do you have any general writing tips for all writers, whether they are writing fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies, or marketing copy?

Aug 06, 202331:13
EP 211.5: Movie Review: "Oppenheimer" (2023) with Tete DePunk and R.N. Roveleh

EP 211.5: Movie Review: "Oppenheimer" (2023) with Tete DePunk and R.N. Roveleh

Today, co-hosts Tete DePunk and R.N. Roveleh review Christopher Nolan's movie, "Oppenheimer" (2023). Find out why both of them loved it so much!

Aug 03, 202339:32
EP 211: Interview with Writer Carrie Knowles About Writing Fiction

EP 211: Interview with Writer Carrie Knowles About Writing Fiction

Today, host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (@fortunusgames) talks to artist and writer Carrie Knowles about her approach to writing fiction. We will continue our conversation with her in episodes 212 and 213, where we’ll talk about her approach to writing non-fiction and visual art, respectively.

Carrie Knowles is a prolific award-winning author and arts advocate. 

Along with her nine books, she has published short stories, newspaper, and magazine articles, and received numerous awards for her writing. 

She was named the North Carolina Piedmont Laureate for Short Fiction in 2014. 

Carrie has published five novels: Lillian’s Garden, Ashoan’s Rug, A Garden Wall in Provence, The Inevitable Past, and A Musical Affair, as well Black Tie Optional, a collection of 17 of her short stories. Her memoir: The Last Childhood: A Family Story of Alzheimer's, has been described as a “must read” for family members caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s.

During her time as the 2014 Piedmont Laureate, conducting writing workshops across five counties in North Carolina, she wrote a writing workbook aimed at providing the basic tools a new writer would need to get started: A Self-Guided Workbook and Gentle Tour on Learning How to Write Stories from Start to Finish.

She writes a personal perspectives column for Psychology Today, Shifting Forward, and has recently published a collection of the first 50 stories from her column titled: Shifting Forward: Fifty Reflections on Everyday Life.

To learn more about Carrie, go to her website: www.cjanework.com  

In this episode, we’ll be talking about Carrie’s approach to writing fiction. Imelda asks her the following questions:

  1. Which fiction genre did you start out with, and what have been your primary sources of inspiration for your fiction?

  2. What is the difference between the facts as truth v.s. the emotional truth?

  3. How did you find writing “A Self-Guided Workbook and Gentle Tour on Learning How to Write Stories From Start-To-Finish”? What were your main sources of inspiration for creating that guide? What kind of feedback have you received from readers using it?

  4. In 2006, you bought a small office building in downtown Raleigh in North Carolina, in the United States. You then named the building the Free Range Studio and inscribed the following on the wall: “Creativity should have no boundaries and dreams no fences.” Its purpose was to provide office space to a broad range of creatives. You must have met many interesting and inspiring people between 2006 and 2021, when you sold the studio. Can you tell us some of the most inspirational moments in the history of the Free Range Studio?

  5. As an experienced writer, what tips would you give to amateur fiction writers just starting out? 

  6. How did you get your fiction books published? What tips do you have for writers who want to get published, but don’t know how to get started?

Jul 30, 202341:19
EP 210: Interview with Author Peggy Payne

EP 210: Interview with Author Peggy Payne

Today, co-host R.N. Roveleh interviews author Peggy Payne about her books. She asks Peggy the following questions:

1) You’ve just released a new novel entitled, “My Life of Earth and Elsewhere”, a Young Adult story with a 16-year-old protagonist, Darcy. Which is interesting, because your previous books, Sister India, Cobalt Blue, Revelation, are adult fiction, with heavy themes and very mature experiences. What inspired you to write a Young Adult book?

2) Darcy, your protagonist, in spite of her supernatural experiences, is a very relatable character. How do you approach creating relatable and authentic teenage characters?

3) What are some of the main themes that you’ve tackled in this book?

4) How do you balance entertainment and storytelling with addressing important issues or conveying meaningful messages in your Young Adult novels? 

5) Young Adult fiction usually has a more poignant didactic purpose than other genres, since it’s supposed to introduce young readers to certain topics or to educate them. Do you think there is more pressure on a Young Adult writer when tackling sensitive topics? More censorship, in this sense?

6) You know quite a bit about writing sex, based on your previous books - it is, after all, one of the main themes in Cobalt Blue. What makes a good sex scene?

7) Do you have a unique approach to sex or romance scenes in Young Adult, since Young Adult is mostly for a younger audience? 

8) Your books are heavily spiritual, and “My Life of Earth and Elsewhere” also features supernatural experiences. What draws you to this theme?

9) How would you describe the supernatural? What is the line between supernatural and fantasy for you?

10) What was the most challenging part about writing this book? How about the most fun part?

11) What advice would you give to aspiring authors who want to write Young Adult novels?

Peggy’s website: https://www.peggypayne.com/ 

Peggy’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/peggypayne

Peggy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Peggy-Payne/author/B001HPQRO0?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Jul 23, 202338:42
EP 209: Interview with Gaspereau Press co-founder, Andrew Steeves

EP 209: Interview with Gaspereau Press co-founder, Andrew Steeves

In this episode, host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games) interviews a special guest: Andrew Steeves, co-owner of Gaspereau Press, a literary publisher and printer based in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada. 

Imelda and one of the podcast co-hosts, Tete DePunk, first became aware of Gaspereau Press when we went to the Fisher Small and Fine Press fair at the University of Toronto back in September 2022. We were immediately struck by the originality and beauty of its books. According to the Gaspereau Press website (which we’ve linked to in the description), the press “employs an unusual mixture of techniques & technologies in its book production, ranging from traditional letterpress printing using metal type and photopolymer plates to modern offset lithographic printing using customized digital type.”

As for Andrew himself, he was born in Westmorland County, New Brunswick. After taking degrees in Criminology and English, he settled near Kentville, Nova Scotia, and founded Gaspereau Press with Gary Dunfield. He spends his time reading, writing, editing, designing, typesetting, printing, binding, marketing, selling and talking about books. 

Among his recent limited-edition letterpress books is Literarum Ex Arboribus: An Exuberant Showing of the Wood Type at Gaspereau Press (2020), a three-year undertaking that resulted in the creation of over 150 wood type specimens.

Imelda asks Andrew the following questions in this podcasts:

1. How is it like to run Gaspereau Press?

2. What does being a small press publisher mean to you? What's the philosophy behind your publishing program?

3. How have you been able to attract so many talented writers?

4. Your books have a unique style - who designs these books? Why are these particular styles chosen?

5. Where do you See Gaspereau Press 5 years from now?

6. What challenges do you face in the press/publishing market?


Links:

Jul 16, 202334:13
EP 208: Interview with Author Ryan Keating

EP 208: Interview with Author Ryan Keating

Today, R. N. Roveleh, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, will be interviewing writer Ryan Keating. Four of his poems have appeared in our literary magazine “The Unconventional Courier."

Ryan Keating is a writer, pastor, and winemaker on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. His work can be found in publications such as Saint Katherine Review, Ekstasis Magazine, Amethyst Review, Macrina Magazine, Fathom, Vocivia, Roi Fainéant, and Miras Dergi, where he is a regular contributor in English and Turkish.

R.N. Roveleh asks Ryan the following questions:

  1. You live in Cyprus now. Could you tell us more about your connection with Turkey and North Cyprus?

  2. Why Cyprus? Is the Mediterranean area a tangential area between classical culture, the European center of Christianity and Jerusalem? (Are you inspired by classical culture in any sense?)

  3. A poet's relationship with nature is usually a strong one, and Mediterranean nature is exquisite - what inspires you the most?

  4. How would you define ekphrastic poetry and what is your approach to it?

  5. What does “depth” mean to you? And how do you achieve it in your poetry?

  6. Could you tell us more about the form of the poetry you’re writing? The rhyme, the rhythm. Why do you think that your chosen form fits the themes of your poetry?

  7. Could you tell us about your experiences with monasticism?

  8. Poetry is a means of negotiating the relationship of the lyrical self with divinity. How does your spirituality influence your writing and inspiration? 

Check out the poems Ryan submitted to The Unconventional Courier: https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/4-poems-by-ryan-keating 

Jul 09, 202328:05
EP 207: Book Review: “A Marker To Measure Drift” by Alexander Maksik
Jul 02, 202305:41
EP 206: Are you writing for escapism? Tips for not letting that show

EP 206: Are you writing for escapism? Tips for not letting that show

Today, host Fortunus Games and co-host R.N. Roveleh list 10 tips for determining whether you're writing for escapism. This is an important topic because I think all of us have struggled to balance escapism and writing. 

Our 10 tips are:

  1. Does your story have a structure or is it just brainstorming?
  2. Is your story structured around a theme or themes?
  3. Is your protagonist yourself?
  4. Is their love interest idealized?
  5. Are you writing only what you know?
  6. Are you avoiding topics that need research?
  7. Is your writing avoiding subjects that you don't want to think about?
  8. Are you trying to improve your writing?
  9. Would you read this book (if the characters/setting were different)?
  10. Think carefully: what is your main goal when you write?
Jun 25, 202315:06
EP 205: Book Review: “A Whole Life” by Robert Seethaler
Jun 18, 202305:10
EP 204: Interview with author and artist Nick Young

EP 204: Interview with author and artist Nick Young

Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews author Nick Young, who submitted an impressive range of his respective stories, “Oasis” in Issue 5,  “Alabama” in Issue 6, and his most recent story, “Boomerang” to Issue 7 of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.” Links to these works are at the bottom of this description.


About Nick Young:

Nick Young is a retired award-winning CBS News Correspondent.

His writing has appeared in more than two dozen publications including the Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Fiction on the Web, Bookends Review, the Nonconformist Magazine, Sandpiper, the San Antonio Review, Flyover Magazine, Pigeon Review, Fiction Junkies, Typeslash Review, The Best of CaféLit 11 and Vols. I and II of the Writer Shed Stories anthologies. He lives outside Chicago.

You can find him on Twitter: @NickYou87166031 and Instagram: @zenblues


Tete asks Nick the following questions in this episode:

  1. Nick, your work delves into the heart of human nature and social issues. Did your time as a CBS News Correspondent influence your approach to writing? 

  2. Did your career as a News Correspondent give you the necessary structure for your writing work?

  3. When you approach a story, do you focus on the plot, the character, or the theme you want to convey to the readers?

  4. When you are tackling a heavy issue in your work, how do you face the challenge of telling that particular story or issue?

  5. Lastly, what advice would you give to writers out there? 

Nick Young’s works featured in The Unconventional Courier:

Jun 11, 202335:26
EP 203: Interview with Authors and Educators Elizabeth and Nancy Jorgensen

EP 203: Interview with Authors and Educators Elizabeth and Nancy Jorgensen

Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games), the host of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing podcast, interviews two very special guests: authors and educators Elizabeth and Nancy Jorgensen, a writing and publishing mother-and-daughter duo.

Noting a lack of middle-grade and young adult books featuring female sports heroes, they collaborated with their Olympian sister and daughter to inspire the next generation. As a result, they co-authored Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete and Go, Gwen, Go: A Family's Journey to Olympic Gold.

As a brief introduction, Elizabeth Jorgensen is an award-winning high school language arts teacher and the author of Hacking Student Learning Habits (Times 10 Publications). Nancy Jorgensen is a retired choral music teacher and the author of two music education books.

Today, we’ll be talking about how Elizabeth and Nancy publish as a team. Imelda (Fortunus Games) asked them the following questions:

  1. Why do you think there is a lack of books on female athletes, and how did you feel about this as the family of a triathlon champion? 

  2. Why do you think it is important to tell Gwen's story? How will her story impact the younger generations?

  3. How did the collaboration between you work? What was the writing process like and how did you divide the workload?

  4. How did you publish your book? How did you find your publisher? Did you find them online or in-person? How was the editing process like once you signed a contract with the publisher? How much freedom did you get to edit the book?

  5. You’ve also written a book about Korean poetry, Sijo: Korea’s Poetry Form. 

    1. What inspired you to write about sijo?

    2. How was the writing and publishing process compared to the writing process for Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete? 

Get the Jorgensens’ books on Amazon:

Purchased signed copies of Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete: https://www.booksco.com/signed-copy-gwen-jorgensen

Free educator guide for Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete: https://download.m-m-sports.com/extras/GwenJorgensen/Teacher_Guide.pdf 

 The Jorgensens’ websites:

For author visits, email nancy.l.jorgensen@gmail.com or elizabeth.jorgensen@gmail.com  

Websites: lizjorgensen.weebly.com and nancyjorgensen.weebly.com

On Twitter: @LyzaJo and @NancyJorgensen


Jun 04, 202335:53
EP 202: Interview with author Laura Cooney

EP 202: Interview with author Laura Cooney

Today, R. N. Roveleh, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing and co-editor of the literary magazine The Unconventional Courier, interviews writer Laura Cooney. 

Her short-story “Musically Challenged. Challenged Musically” was published in our December Issue of The Unconventional Courier. It is a powerful and touching story of someone who is in love with music, but is tone deaf. You can read it here.

Laura is a writer from Edinburgh with publications for both children and adults online and in print anthologies. Her recent side projects include attending spoken word events and collaboratively creating a children's poetry zine.

When she's not doing lots of writing you'll find her with her children as close to the sea as possible, there will be ice-cream! 

You can find Laura Cooney’s blog at  www.lozzawriting.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @lozzawriting. 


R.N. Roveleh asks Laura the following questions:

1. Your story, “Musically Challenged”, speaks about the protagonist’s relationship to music, how music seeps into every aspect of their life and being. Let me start by asking you this: what was your inspiration for the story?

3. What inspires you to write, in general?

4. Have you got any favourite themes, types of characters, styles that you prefer to insert into your stories?

5. How would you say that your job as teacher plays into your vocation as a writer?

6. You published a zine with a team of writers and artists. I’m really curious to learn more, please tell us more about it. Do you think you’ll collaborate together again for similar projects in the future?

7. What projects are you currently working on?

8. I know your life is busy on all fronts. How do you make room to immerse yourself in writing? Have you got a writing schedule, any "writing rituals", or is it more an impulsive act for you?


May 28, 202333:31
EP 201: Interview with Kyler Bingham, author and host of the "Salt Lake Dirt" podcast

EP 201: Interview with Kyler Bingham, author and host of the "Salt Lake Dirt" podcast

Today, host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games, IG/Twitter @fortunusgames) will be interviewing author and podcaster Kyler Bingham, who hosts the podcast, “Salt Lake Dirt,” where he interviews many different creatives, including authors, movie directors, and actors. 

Me and Tete DePunk, a co-host of this podcast, have been interviewed on his podcast, specifically on episode 97, where we talked about how we met, our creative works, Tete’s Christian fundamentalist homeschooling experiences, and more. If you want to check out the episode, I’ve provided a link in the description.

So, on to the focus of our podcast: Kyler Bingham.

Kyler Bingham is an educator, writer and the host of Salt Lake Dirt, a podcast where he interviews writers, filmmakers, and musicians. He lives in Salt Lake City with his three dogs Rooney, Cosmo, and Mabel.

You can follow Kyler’s podcast on Instagram and TikTok @saltlakedirt and on his website at www.saltlakedirt.com.

I, Imelda Wei Ding Lo (Fortunus Games), asked Kyler the following questions:

  1. When I was on your podcast with Tete, you mentioned you were writing a book. What kind of book are you writing? What genre is it?

  2. Where did you get the idea for this book? 

  3. How have you been writing it? Do you write it whenever you’re inspired, or do you have a set schedule?

  4. What is the target audience of this book? How will you market it?

  5. How do you find talking about the specifics of a project? 

Links:

May 21, 202337:44
EP 200: Interview with Poet and Author Indranil Ghosh

EP 200: Interview with Poet and Author Indranil Ghosh

Today, Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, will be interviewing the electrifying poet and author Indranil, who submitted his collection of respective poems to Issues 2, 3, and 5 of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.”

His collection of evocative and striking works is often inspired by arresting modern artistic masterpieces by 20th-century greats such as Rene Magritte and Edvard Munch. Check out his works using the links at the bottom.

Indranil Ghosh is a Ph.D. student in applied mathematics from India, currently living in New Zealand.

Highly inspired by Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, and Robert Frost, whenever he is not working, one may find him either reading classic poems or listening to music from the 70s and 80s.

His poems appear in the Aphelion webzine, The Unconventional Courier, Roi Faineant Literary Press, etc.

You can follow Indranil Ghosh on Twitter and Instagram:  @indraghosh314.

Tete asks Indranil the following questions:

  1. What first inspired you to write poetry?
  2. How did you draw inspiration from art to create your striking poems?
  3. How do the images from these artworks inspire the poem? Do you form the idea of a concept or emotion/theme when you first see an artwork?
  4. Who are some of the poets and artists that inspire you?
  5. You mentioned musical artists also inspire you- how does their work inspire you? Is there a difference between how musical artists inspire you vs. visual artists inspire you?
  6. How do you put the emotions and thoughts of the figures in your poem into words?

Indranil’s works for TUC:

Are We There Yet? : https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/are-we-there-yet

3 Poems: https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/3-poem-by-indranil-ghosh

Four Poems: https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/four-poems-2

May 14, 202337:02
EP 199: Interview with author Gershom Mabaquiao

EP 199: Interview with author Gershom Mabaquiao

In this episode, R. N. Roveleh, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing and co-editor of the literary magazine The Unconventional Courier, interviews writer Gershom Gerneth Mabaquiao.

He is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. His works touch on the darker recesses of the human psyche and Philippine folklore. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

Gershom's short story, A Heaven so True for Saint Peter, appeared in The Unconventional Courier in October 2022. His prose is deep and hard-hitting, an incursion into the dark side of human nature that isn't afraid to dive into heavy themes, analyze them and make them come alive with a touch of magical realism.

You can find Gershom Mabaquiao on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gershom.gerneth/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gershom.gerneth/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gershomgerneth

R.N. Roveleh asks Gershom the following questions:

1. What are some themes that you like exploring in your prose?

2. Censorship is something that writers who tackle such taboo topics always have at the back of their mind. Especially in today’s world of Trigger Warnings. I’m not only talking about being censored by the book industry or by a more sensitive readership, but also about the writing process - about censoring yourself, about choosing how far you want to go when describing such topics. Can you tell us more about this?

3. Writing is very often not about what you write, but about how you write it. How do you approach writing a difficult topic? And how do you balance saying what you want to say with directing your reader’s emotions throughout the story?

4. What kind of fiction do you like and find inspiring?

5. How would you define magical realism, and how does it appear in your prose?

6. Are there any literary projects that you’re working on at the moment? Can you share with us some of your literary plans for the future?

May 07, 202339:34
EP 198: “The Man of Steel” Movie Analysis By Co-Hosts Tete DePunk and R.N. Roveleh (a.k.a. Helevorn)
Apr 30, 202338:15
EP 197: Interview with Ali Ashhar about his poetry

EP 197: Interview with Ali Ashhar about his poetry

In this episode, Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews poet Ali Ashhar, who submitted several of his poems, including “Life’s Lore” to Issue 5 of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.” He also submitted his quartet of poems, including “Evasion”, to Issue 6 of The Unconventional Courier.

Ali Ashhar’s works featured in The Unconventional Courier:

Ali Ashhar is a poet, short story writer, and columnist. He is the author of the poetry collection, Mirror of Emotions

Ali Ashhar has won four awards for his work during his writing career. His works appear in Indian Review, The Raven Review, Bosphorus Review of Books, among others.

You can follow Ali on Twitter: @AliAshhar11

Tete asks Ali the following questions in this episode:

  1. When did you start writing poetry? Which poets have been your inspirations?
  2. What is the best advice you could give other writers about writing or publishing?
  3. Do you have a daily or weekly writing schedule, or do you write only when you are inspired?
  4. How well do you work under pressure?


Apr 23, 202315:01
EP 196: Interview with author Ashwini Gangal

EP 196: Interview with author Ashwini Gangal

In this episode, R. N. Roveleh (a.k.a. Helevorn), one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews writer Ashwini Gangal. Two of her short stories have appeared in our literary magazine “The Unconventional Courier”, namely Brown Gaze and Hotoli and Botoli. Her writings go deep into the human mind, and just when you think you understand the protagonist in their complexity, the story takes an unexpected turn and strikes you with the width of what there is yet to know.

After completing a rigorous master's degree in clinical psychology, Ashwini Gangal switched fields completely and worked as a media journalist at afaqs! India's most trusted b2b dot com, for 12 years, her specialty being advertising-and-marketing.

In mid-2022, she moved on from afaqs! to pursue her passion - poetry, fiction writing, academia and scholarship. She is currently enjoying a creatively energizing sabbatical, as she nurses her neuroses, eats through her savings and tries not to go completely mad. She has books to help her with that, as she is an insatiable reader.

Her own works of fiction have appeared in numerous publications including Danse Macabre, Piker Press, The Bangalore Review, India Currents, The Hooghly Review, and many more.

Check out Ashwini's stories for our literary zine, "The Unconventional Couirer":

You can find out more on Ashwini's website, www.ashwinigangal.com.

R.N. Roveleh asked Ashwini the following questions:

  1. One thing I love about your stories is that they blend realism – a minute attention to details in painting society and human nature – with an unexpected surrealism, and many of them have a dark edge. You take your stories in a bold direction and give them a thrilling twist while keeping the focus on character psychology. (Which I think is quite rare, we don’t often encounter this with contemporary prose. We either see a focus on the twists- a plot-oriented story, or a more static and mundane piece about human experiences). So I think your style is truly striking. Which makes me curious to know: what inspires you to write like this?
  2. I know you love reading. Have you got any authors or works of fiction that you draw upon when creating your own stories? (Can you say that you’ve learned something from each author and book you’ve read?)
  3. You have, so far, published with us the story “Brown Gaze” (a wonderful short piece about cultural identity). What was your inspiration for the story? Given that it’s more rooted in the real world than some of your other stories, would you say it’s more personal to you?
  4. Your next story which will appear in The Unconventional Courier is called “Hotoli and Botoli”. And, without giving any spoilers, I can say that, although it is also centered on the experiences of two women, it is very different from “Brown Gaze”. It has an almost mythical feel. What was the inspiration behind that one?
  5. How would you describe your writing process? Is it a more structured approach, like a writing schedule, or a more impulsive one, relying more on striking bouts of inspiration?
  6. I mentioned how your writings are deeply psychological. And I know, for one, that you’re interested in mental health. Could you tell us more about this? How does this reflect into your art?
  7. Another interest of yours is past pandemics. Which is interesting because even though everybody, I daresay, has had the chance to reflect on the topic of pandemics, lately, you go a bit deeper, don’t you?
  8. Where do you see your writing taking you in the years ahead?
  9. What are your current projects?
  10. Because this is a podcast where we also talk about how to approach certain aspects of the writing process: Have you got any advice for writers, especially those who want to blend the psychological with the surreal?
Apr 16, 202338:50
EP 195: The difference between writing a story and creating "original characters"

EP 195: The difference between writing a story and creating "original characters"

Hi, everyone. Today, it’s just me, Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast.

Today, we’ll be talking about a topic I’ve been thinking about since last September, when I met Tete Depunk in real life for the first time and we realized something at the Toronto Zoo. It was a grey, dreary day, and we were going to talk about our characters when we realized we didn’t want to. Instead, there were so many things happening in front of us that our previous obsession with characters seemed to pale in comparison.

So, this prompted me to make a podcast episode about the differences between writing a story or graphic novel and creating “original characters,” in deviantArt parlance.

Tete and I explore the following questions:

  1. What do you think is the difference between writing a novel or creating a graphic novel versus just creating “original characters”?
  2. What is the fine line between writing a character-centric story and becoming obsessed with characters to the point you’re using them as emotional crutches?
  3. How can you avoid unhealthily becoming obsessed with characters?
Apr 09, 202338:54
EP 194: Interview with author DC Diamondopolous

EP 194: Interview with author DC Diamondopolous

Host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games) talks to author DC Diamondopolous, whose short story, “Life with Angie,” appeared in Issue Five of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.” 

DC Diamondopolous is an award-winning short story and flash fiction writer with over four hundred stories published internationally in print and online magazines, literary journals, and anthologies.

Some of the awards she‘s won include first place at the Honest Story Telling Challenge of 2022, two Pushcart Award Nominations, and two Best Of the Net Nominations. She’s also a three-time finalist in ScreenCrafts Short Story Contest (which includes “Life with Angie”).

You can see more of her award-winning works on her site, Dcdiamondopolous.com.

DC's stories have appeared in: Progenitor, 34th Parallel, So It Goes: The Literary Journal of the Kurt Vonnegut Museum and Library, Lunch Ticket, and others. DC’s recently released collection Captured Up Close (20th Century Short-Short Stories) has two Pushcart Prize-nominated stories and one nominated for Best of the Net Anthology.

Her first collection of stories was Stepping Up. She lives on the California coast with her wife and animals.

In this episode, we’ll be talking to DC about her latest book, which you can order on Amazon, Captured Up Close: 20th Century Short-Short Stories. We will also talk about her approach to writing and what she’s working on now.

Imelda asks DC the following questions:

  1. Can you tell us about Captured Up Close: 20th Century Short-Short Stories? What kind of short stories have you included in this collection? What prompted you to write them?
  2. Why do you like to write historical fiction?
  3. What is the approach that you take?
  4. Do you also write on current topics?
  5. Why do you think it’s important to have a weekly writers' group?

Links:

“Life with Angie” by DC Diamondopolous: https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/life-with-angie

DC’s most recent book, Captured Up Close: 20th Century Short-Short Stories: Amazon.com: Captured Up Close: 20th Century Short-Short Stories: 9798986273129: Diamondopolous, DC: Books

DC’s first book, “Stepping Up”: https://www.amazon.com/Stepping-Up-DC-Diamondopolous/dp/1914130057/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=stepping+up+by+dc+diamondopolous&qid=1628516027&s=books&sr=1-1

Apr 02, 202335:44
EP 193: How to stop sexualizing your characters
Mar 26, 202336:40
EP 192: Interview with Sarina Langer, author and podcaster

EP 192: Interview with Sarina Langer, author and podcaster

Today, we have an amazing guest: writer and podcast Sarina Langer!

I, Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games), have previously been on her podcast, The Writing Sparrow podcast, which is all about writing, publishing, and marketing your book. It’s a great resource for indie writers of all stripes. On her podcast, I talked about how to write and publish graphic novels, since I’ve self-published two graphic novels, “The Book of Joel” and “Sam in New York.” I’ve included a link in the description.

So, onto our guest’s bio! Sarina Langer is a dark fantasy author of both epic and urban paranormal novels.

In her free time, she usually reads one audiobook, one ebook, and one paperback (one for every occasion), plays video games, and obsesses over mythology. She has a weakness for books on writing and pretty words. You can follow her on Twitter @sarina_langer.

I, Imelda Wei Ding Lo (Fortunus Games), asked Sarina the following questions:

  1. Can you tell us about your current projects? What books are you working on, and which will be released in the next couple of months?
  2. How would you describe the process of releasing a book? How is the process of finding an editor like, and what should your relationship with your editor be like?
  3. How do you find releasing a digital book versus releasing a physical copy? How is releasing an audiobook like?
  4. How do you approach marketing when it comes to your books? How do you pump up hype for your books, and what role do social media and newsletters play in marketing? Are physical events like book fairs useful in this time and age? Are they worth the cost, in your view?

Links:

Mar 19, 202334:04
EP 191: Interview with poet and author Leslie Cairns

EP 191: Interview with poet and author Leslie Cairns

Today, Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, will be interviewing poet and author Leslie Cairns, who submitted her poem “Family Trees”,” to Issue 2 of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.” She also submitted her short story, “Owl, Lunar, Twig” to Issue 3 of The Unconventional Courier.

Links to both of her works are at the bottom of the description.

Leslie's Bio:

Leslie Cairns (She/her): Leslie Cairns holds an MA degree in English Rhetoric. She lives in Denver, Colorado. She is a Pushcart Prize Nomination for 2022 in the Short Story category ('Owl, Lunar, Twig'). She was an honorable mention in Flash 405's call in Exposition Review (2022). She also won a Valentine's Day Writing Competition with Short Story Today (2023). Her poetry chapbook about eating disorders and therapy, titled 'The Food is the Fodder', is available for purchase and to read through Bottlecap Press.

You can follow Leslie on Twitter @starbucksgirly

Tete DePunk asked Leslie the following questions in this interview:

  1. What inspired you to write “Owl, Lunar, Twig”?
  2. What inspired you to write, “A Menagerie of Animals”?
  3. You said that for both of these works, you had to overcome doubts when writing these respective works.
  4. How did you overcome the doubt? Do you often face doubt when you set out to create a work?
  5. How would you advise others to overcome doubt in their creative or personal journey?
  6. What is the best encouragement you’ve encountered in your creative journey?

Leslie’s works for "The Unconventional Courier"

Family Trees: https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/family-trees

Owl, Lunar, Twig: https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/owl-lunar-twig

Mar 12, 202339:18
EP 190: The importance of organization
Mar 06, 202304:08
EP 189: Interview with writer and playwright Thomas Misuraca

EP 189: Interview with writer and playwright Thomas Misuraca

In this episode, Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews writer Thomas Misuraca, who submitted his short story, “Words Enough and Time,” to Issue 6 of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.” I’ve provided a link to the story in the description.

Tom Misuraca studied Writing, Publishing and Literature at Emerson College in his home town of Boston. After graduation, he moved to Los Angeles where he splits his time between writing and graphic design. Over 120 of his short stories have appeared in publications worldwide. In 2021, his story, Giving Up the Ghosts, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Two of his novels have been published, including the vampire parody novel, Lifestyles of the Damned. He self-published a collection of his early short stories entitled If You Read This, You Will Die.

He is also a multi-award winning playwright with over 150 short plays and 13 full-lengths produced globally. His musical, Geeks!, was produced Off-Broadway in May 2019. This year, his full-length play, In Dogs We Trust won second place in The Robert J. Pickering/J.R. Colbeck Award for Playwriting Excellence. He won the award in 2014 for his superhero nursing home play, Golden Age, which will have its West Coast premiere at The Tehachapi Community Theatre this June.

You can follow Tom's Twitter @GeeksMusical and Instagram @tmisuraca.

Tete asks Tom the following questions in this podcast:

  1. How do you decide if a story is going to be a play or a piece of prose?
  2. Do you ever find they can be interchangeable?
  3. Do you prefer writing dialogue or descriptions?
  4. How does the creative process differ between the two?

Tom’s short story, “Words Enough and Time”: https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/words-enough-and-time

Tom’s social media:

Twitter: @GeeksMusical, Instagram: @tmisuraca

Feb 27, 202331:51
EP 188: Interview with Cynane Shay, author of “Taking Off the Tinfoil Hat”

EP 188: Interview with Cynane Shay, author of “Taking Off the Tinfoil Hat”

Hi, everyone! Today, we have a guest, Cynane Shay, the author of an upcoming book about fundamentalist Christianity in the United States, “Taking Off the Tinfoil Hat.” You can find her on Instagram @taking.off.the.tinfoil.hat and on her website, http://takingoffthetinfoilhat.com/.

Cynane grew up in a small conservative town in Florida. She grew up alongside many fundamentalist Christians, many of whom now believe in conspiracy theories about Biblical end times, QAnon, and the Flat Earth.

In “Taking Off the Tinfoil Hat,” she seeks to explore how these crackpot conspiracies led to the dismantling of her patriotism, evangelicalism, and her entire worldview. Her book will also be a warning commentary on the increasing polarization in the U.S. and how current events eerily parallel historical Fascism.

I, Imelda Wei Ding Lo (Fortunus Games), asked Cynane Shay the following questions:

  1. How did you get the idea to write this book?
  2. How have you been writing this book? Do you follow a set schedule? Or do you write whenever you have energy or inspiration?
  3. Research is often the hardest part of writing a book, especially non-fiction. How do you find the process of doing research for your book? As you told me, you are an engineer. Do you think your scientific background has helped you with finding sources for this book?
  4. Your book has a very important message about the increasing polarization of politics and beliefs in the U.S. How will you be marketing your book? Will you be going on any talk shows and podcasts?

Follow Cynane on Instagram @taking.off.the.tinfoil.hat and on her website, http://takingoffthetinfoilhat.com/.

Feb 20, 202301:03:54
EP 187: Valentine’s Day Special - How To Write Non-Escapist Romance

EP 187: Valentine’s Day Special - How To Write Non-Escapist Romance

Watch this on YouTube.

Read the transcript of this episode.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Hope you are having a great time with those you love, which can be your significant other, parents, children, and other family members and friends.

We will be talking about a subject that me and the other co-hosts have been thinking a lot about: How to write romance in a non-escapist manner.

Listen to learn tips for writing non-escapist romance from co-host R.N. Roveleh and myself! 

Feb 14, 202305:29
EP 186: Interview with author Tejaswinee Roychowdhury

EP 186: Interview with author Tejaswinee Roychowdhury

Update: April 14, 2023: This episode was featured on Superstition Review's blog! The feature also includes a never-before-seen text interview with Imelda Wei Ding Lo (Fortunus Games), the host and interviewer in this episode.

Watch this on YouTube.

Hi, everyone! Today, we have a guest, Tejaswinee Roychowdhury, who was one of our contributors to Issue Three of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.” She submitted the thought-provoking short story, “Where Does The River Go?” which is linked below.

Tejaswinee is a writer, poet, and artist from West Bengal, India. Her fiction and poetry have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize 2023, her work has been or is scheduled to be widely published such as in Dreich Magazine, Muse India, Paddler Press, Amity (Hawakal, 2022), The Unconventional Courier, Roi Fainéant, Taco Bell Quarterly, Kitaab, and more.

She is also the founder of The Hooghly Review, Tejaswinee is also a lawyer and can be found tweeting at @TejaswineeRC.

I, Imelda Wei Ding Lo (Fortunus Games), asked Tejaswinee the following questions:

  1. What were you inspired by when you wrote your story for The Unconventional Courier, “Where Does The River Go?”
  2. What books and themes inspired you the most as a writer?
  3. You are a lawyer (as am I). Has your legal practice and studies influenced your approach to writing? If so, how?
  4. What kind of stories do you plan to write in the future? Will you be publishing any books?

Tejaswinee’s Twitter: @TejaswineeRC

Her literary journal, The Hooghly Review: https://www.thehooghlyreview.com/

Read Tejaswinee’s short story for Issue Three of “The Unconventional Courier”: “Where Does The River Go?” https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/where-does-the-river-go

Feb 12, 202329:58
EP 185: Extra Episode - Wren and Tete Talk About the Flaws of Fundamentalist Christian Homeschool

EP 185: Extra Episode - Wren and Tete Talk About the Flaws of Fundamentalist Christian Homeschool

Hi, everyone! Today, we’re airing an extra episode, which is also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HrxnePtKegI

This episode is not about writing, but about fundamentalist Christian homeschooling, which we’ve previously talked about in Episode 183: The Dark Side of Religious Homeschool in the United States - With Tete DePunk. You can watch that Episode 183 on YouTube: https://youtu.be/l7IEQHiUq74

In this episode, I interview Tete DePunk (@tete.depunk on IG) and Wren (@wrenby_m on IG), another homeschool graduate. Tete and Wren rip into the horrors of Christian fundamentalist homeschool and how the Christian propaganda and lack of coverage of real-life subjects affect their lives to this day.

Originally, this video was meant to be part of Tete's podcast, "The Real Stuff." However, she didn't think it was a good fit, so she has given the video to me.

Feb 07, 202336:22