Brandon Nobles is a Southern Gothic Author, a Teacher, a Linguist, and a Historian. He is the second place winner in the 2015 Amygdala Magazine short story competition with his story "The Obituary Writer."   Brandon talks about writing from the point of view of the bystander to history, the outsider, and the pacifist in the middle of violence. He shares with us his intoxicating lust for life, his take on the evolving sensitivities of readers, and much much more. Most importantly he is super fun and witty, you will enjoy hearing our discussion.  Follow Brandon on twitter @MrBrandonNobles, stalk him on FaceBook or read him at Channillo.

Amygdala Magazine

Brandon Nobles on writing lying, history, & seeing music

Rachel Brasch, author and english professor, joins me to discuss her newest novel The Listener. The Listener is a powerful tale of psychology, emotion, LGBT issues, and identity. It is Rachel's third novel.  We discuss the use of a switching third person narrative, the inclusion of raw emotion, and the breaking of expectations in telling a story.  The Amygdala Magazine podcast is tied to the Amygdala Magazine, a digital short story anthology. We are now accepting submissions for our 2016 short story competition. 

Rachel Brasch: Author of The Listener

  Ivan Infante is the author of False Ransom, Fixed Fight, and the Comic Book Cannibal Detective. He is a longtime screenwriter and his award-winning short film "Pretty Little Doggie," can be seen online. He is currently hard at work on his third novel, the upcoming Fake Bank, the final installment of the Mike Chance Series. He specializes in classic noir crime fiction.  Ivan has also agreed to be a judge for the 2016 Amygdala Magazine Short Story Contest. He will return to the podcast in a few weeks to discuss what he looks for in short stories and give tips on their creation.  In this interview we discuss the movie industry, historical research, screenwriting, and the use of hard work in accomplishing your creative goals. Ivan demystifies the storytelling process, and is a fan of the Push Method of writing, which he describes on today's podcast.  Follow Ivan on Twitter at: @eddiemarsattack or view his website at:www.ivaninfantewrites.com.   Amygdala Magazine is a member of the Core Temp Arts Network of podcasts. 

Ivan Infante on Noir Fiction, Screenwriting and hard work

 Jen Chaney is the TV Journalist for the Entertainment website Vulture, and the Author of the book As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast and Crew I first became familiar with Jen's work on Vulture, by reading her hilarious and insightful episode-by-episode recap of Downton Abbey (which you should really check out). She was also kind enough to cohost with me on a podcast about the final season of Downton Abbey.  Jen talks with me about the process of interview and editing that goes into an Oral History, as well as the creativity in telling compelling nonfiction stories.  Be sure to follow up this interview by reading Jen's book, check out her NY Mag Archives, and also follow her on Twitter!

Jen Chaney on Oral History & Entertainment Journalism

Darryl Mansel is a comic genius. He is so genius that he decided to start makign his own independent comic book: Pineville (check out https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pineville#/ to contribute to his fundraiser). Darryl is a veteran, a podcaster, a writer, and a family man. He tells me all about how he got invovled in making comics, and how he keeps things balanced. Follow him on Twitter and CHECK OUT his Indigogo page for Pineville.

Darryl Mansel on Writing Comics & Pineville

Andrew Malin Milward is the author of "I Was A Revolutionary," and "The Agricultural Hall of Fame," both collections of his short stories. He joins me today to discuss writing fiction infused with history, explaining why he shies away from 'historical fiction,' writing difficult topics, and how to create independent voices for characters. An avid researcher and masterful writer, Andrew shares great ideas and tips about the creative process. 

Andrew Malin Milward: Writing Difficult Things

Isaac Coleman is a writer, software engineering student, and video game designer.  He tells us the thought process behind "Tonight's Supernova," his winning entry into the 2015 Amygdala Short Story Competition. 2016's contest is now open for entries, BTW......... Check out Isaac's video game, THE LAST SPACE MARINE, at: http://gamejolt.com/games/the-last-space-marine/58220

Isaac Coleman: Reality is Horrible and Video Games are Cool

Jennifer Beckstrand loves Romance! She is a long time writer of romantic fiction, and a specialist in writing fiction set within the Amish community. She discusses how she got started with specific genre work, writing in the voice of a new community, and society's need for light hearted fiction. She also describes how light-hearted is not the same thing as shallow, and talks about avoiding lazy short-cuts in storytelling.  Check out Jennifer's work at her website, follow her on FaceBook and Twitter (@JenniferBckst1) and read her series "The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill," and "The Honeybee Sisters."  

Jennifer Beckstrand_Specific Genres and Romantic Amish Fiction

The amygdala has always been the little piece of your brain responsible for fear, love, and survival. Now, Amygdala is also a cross-genre short story collection and all around repository for all things storytelling. Tell us a story that hits us, right deep in our...amygdala.