Frivolous Comma Podcast cover art

Frivolous Comma Podcast

Frivolous Comma Podcast

Written by: Frivolous Comma
Listen for free

About this listen

 We speak with speculative fiction writers, new and established, to tease out what inspired them, how they work, what kind of beverage keeps them going, how they think about their work and their relationship to it, and much more.© 2022 Frivolous Media, LLC Art Science Fiction
Episodes
  • Latine Panel

    Latine Panel
    Apr 4 2025

    A virtual round table discussion focusing on building the Latine community in speculative fiction.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 18 mins
  • J. Dianne Dotson: Tackling Structure, Psychological Horror, & Appalachian Wonder

    J. Dianne Dotson: Tackling Structure, Psychological Horror, & Appalachian Wonder
    Apr 14 2023
    Episode Description: Diving between the worlds of horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, J. Dianne Dotson reflects on what inspires her writing, how she maintains confidence in her craft, and how loneliness grew into her passion for world-building. With degrees in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Dianne is currently a science writer. In this episode, she explains how she weaves scientific research into her books and how her childhood in Appalachia sparked her passion for ecology, astronomy, and writing. She also has helpful advice for writers struggling to commit to structure or stay consistent enough to finish their books. Show Notes:(00:48-05:37) Love of Horror: After revealing that she is currently working on a horror fiction, Dianne tells us how she got introduced to the genre through movies at a young age. (05:40-09:13) Psychological vs. Physical Horror: How do both psychological & physical elements intertwine in horror writing? Dianne gives examples of both subtypes that she appreciates embodied in the genre. (11:16-14:18) Dianne’s Diverse Writing Style: Dianne’s writing stands out for its versatility- she explains how she’s able to change styles, genres & storylines ranging from fantasy and sci-fi to horror. (14:20-15:10) Juggling Multiple Worlds: From her day-job as a science writer to her passion for art- she’s still managing to juggle multiple written projects in the background. Dianne tells us how she takes inspiration from one world into the next. (15:10- 16:50) Confidence in Storytelling: Confidence to finish & share a book can be difficult for some writers. Dianne explains how she embraces her writing, taking us through her early start in writing comics and how that influenced her creation of The Questrison Saga. (16:50-20:36) From Isolation to Inspiration: Dianne explains how loneliness led her to develop her own universe through writing. She recalls how she found her writing community later on and the impact collaboration has had. (20:40-24:53) Heliopause & the Saga: The origin of the first book in Dianne’s saga is told...from rejections to what kept her on track. It’s also discussed how the books can be read independently but enlighten each other. (24:55-29:14) Tackling Structure Head on: Laying out her book before putting pen to paper, Dianne shocks us with the way she commands her writing structure all at once, before writing, to meet tight publishing deadlines. (29:15-36:18) Tales from Appalachia: The childhood inspiration behind Shadow Galaxy’s “Tales from Appalachia” are explained from outdoor adventures to the strange mix of wonder & horror that Appalachia evokes. (36:19-38:33) Background in Natural Science: Dianne explains her fascination with astronomy growing up and how passion for nature evolved and grew into adulthood, leading her to pursue degrees in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. How the subjects she learned inspired her writing including how Greek gods & goddesses inspired some characters in her books.(38:34-45:59) Research Heavy or Research Light(?): Using her knowledge and research of ecology is part of Dianne’s process in world-building a realistic world in her books— but she explains how it's not always necessary. She tells writers what they can ask themselves when they’re trying to decide: research heavy or research light? (46:00-46:48) Workshops: Dianne provides mentorship for other aspiring authors & writers through some videos she posts on her social media pages. She also has upcoming panels on Ecology and world-building that she is hosting soon. (46:49-48:48) Advice for Aspiring Writers: Dianne tells us the harsh reality writers must accept to get where they want to go. (48:49-50:38) Upcoming Book: The Inn at the Amethyst Lantern is a utopia cli-fi book being released this October by Dianne, we’ve linked where you can pre-order the book, under the list of publications below!Follow Dianne Dotson https://jdiannedotson.com/https://twitter.com/jdiannedotson/https://www.instagram.com/jdiannedotson/Author’s PublicationsThe Inn at the Amethyst Lantern (Expected Oct. 2023)The Shadow Galaxy (2023)“In the Wood of Frost and Shadow” Winter of Wonder: Fauna (2022)Luminiferous- The Questrison Saga Book #4 (2021)Accretion- The Questrison Saga Book #3 (2020)Ephemeris- The Questrison Saga Book #2 (2019)Heliopause- The Questrison Saga Book #1(2018)Follow Frivolous CommaNewsletter: https://www.frivolouscomma.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/frivolouscomma/Podcast: https://podcast.frivolouscomma.comTwitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/commafrivolous
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • Greta Hayer: The Auger’s Real World, Retellings, & Finding Community

    Greta Hayer: The Auger’s Real World, Retellings, & Finding Community
    Jan 16 2023
    Episode Description: Piecing together a whole new world full of depth and creativity and making magic from the typical: Greta Hayer takes us inside her passion-filled process of weaving short stories from history, her studies and her travels to South Korea. Taking from history can get tricky, she explains the hardships and struggles of fantasy writing and the solutions she’s found along the way. A history graduate, she loves retellings and often applies that love to her own works. Greta Hayer is a fantasy author living in New Orleans. She has her MFA from the University of New Orleans and a bachelor’s degree in history from her studies of medieval medicine and fairy tales at the College of Wooster. Show Notes:(00:00-09:50) Background and Inspiration: Having turned to writing after winning a contest in 5th grade for her short story “Vivian’s Quest,” Greta explains how her writing developed in her early years through college. (9:50-12:00) Why Speculative Fiction: She doesn’t exclusively write speculative fiction but enjoys the creativity it provides. Greta explains her favorite aspects of the genre.(12:00-18:00) History in Sci Fi: Greta discusses different moments in science fiction writing where history is portrayed and woven into story-lines. (18:00-22:48) Stand Alone Short Stories: Taking us inside her process for short story writing, Greta reveals whether some of her short stories are connected to each other. (22:48-27:30) A Father’s Influence: From magical lights to keys to the future and the past, much of this author’s inspiration has close ties to the way she was raised, she gives us more insight.(27:30-30:00) The Auger and Girl Left at His Door: One of Greta’s works “The Auger and Girl Left at his Door” is explained from the creative process to its influences gathered from her travels and other works. (30:26-33:58) Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation in Story Building: Greta and the host discuss an author’s role in portraying other cultures and histories and what is appreciation vs. appropriation. (34:00-41:52) Written Inspiration from Reading: Greta takes us through some of her favorite books that helped enlighten her writing starting in her early years with the work of acclaimed author Tamora Pierce. (41:52-52:29) Connecting with Other Writers: Greta talks about her public writers group called “Third Lantern Lit” and how connecting in person with the writing community provides support for her writing process and that of others. (52:29-55:07) Scrapping & Re-Telling: Greta walks us through her advice on re-working or re-telling your stories in a whole new way. (55:25-01:00:00) Dating your Readers (Metaphorically): For authors to be successful, they need feedback from people reading their work. But, that can be difficult. Greta gives advice on how writers can find balanced feedback that keeps authors developing in the right direction. Follow Greta Hayerhttps://www.gretahayer.com/https://twitter.com/GretaHayerhttps://www.instagram.com/greta_hayerhttps://www.thirdlanternlit.com/Author’s Publications“More Real than Real” Andromeda Spaceways (2021)“Eight Steps to Enlightenment” Maudlin House (2021)“The Auger and Girl Left At His Door” Beneath Ceaseless Skies (2020)“The Cossmass Infinities” The First Year (2020)“Hashtag Buzzkill” The Daily Drunk (2020)“Into the Ruins” Winter (2018)“The Blinded God” Luna Station Quarterly Full List: https://www.gretahayer.com/publicationsFollow Frivolous CommaNewsletter: https://www.frivolouscomma.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/frivolouscomma/Podcast: https://podcast.frivolouscomma.comTwitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/commafrivolous
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
No reviews yet