A guest episode in which Kelsey chats with author Dana Fraedrich about books, writing, reading, and being so much cooler than Kelsey could ever hope to be. Dana is a super talented fantasy author with a Steampunk series out called Broken Gears. We chat about the steampunk aesthetic and genre and her hipster ways. Dana talks about the role of food in her novels and in her life. We revel in memorable reading experiences and the beauty of Shakespeare. We discuss techniques for covering great distances of time in a narrative and delve into the importance of relatable characters.
Welcome to Read.Write.Repeat.
This month we will be giving away a book box sponsored by author Abigail Shepherd. To enter, simply follow us on social media and then interact with us or leave us a review! We explain more about how the giveaway works toward the end of the show notes.
Listeners weigh in:
Dana dislikes useless gears. What are your genre pet peeves, either in the stories you read, or when dressing the part?
Let us know in the comments section below, or by tagging us on social media! Your response might be featured in an upcoming show and you will be entered into our monthly giveaway!
Books, quirks, and intrigues, oh my!
- Dana’s most memorable reading experience: Ketty Jay, Iron Jackal, hysterical.
- Dana on the book every writer should read: I think every writer should read older books as well as new ones to see how prose has changed over time (and I think readers need to read these as well so they learn to be patient readers).
- I actually think reading a lot of Shakespeare’s work can make people better writers (especially Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing), but that’s not really accessible for a lot of people, so I’m going to suggest the Harry Potter series instead.
- I suggest that series because it’s really accessible and does a great job of bringing a lot of seemingly disassociated elements together, plus world building, characterization, and timelines.
- What made this story impactful to you as a writer? Every character, struggles and has to overcome things that are relatable on a lot of levels – neglect, being poor, racism. And you keep fighting.
- Is there anything you don’t like about the story? I wish there were more! I want to know more about the world, not just in the UK.
- What technique does the author use well? I like the time stretches. It doesn’t feel rushed.
- I actually think reading a lot of Shakespeare’s work can make people better writers (especially Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing), but that’s not really accessible for a lot of people, so I’m going to suggest the Harry Potter series instead.
- Dana has a new book coming out soon!
- It’s a new book in my Broken Gears series, but it’s a standalone story, separate from the story readers have seen so far. Raven’s Cry, Swan Lake retelling wherein we see the history of Invarnis and how we got to where the first two books take place. See Cali’s struggle with loss and the curse, looking for hope and meaning.
- What inspired it? It started with a historical fiction concept I wrote years go, but I never felt right about, so I let it sit. When I was writing OOTS, I realized this is where Calandra belonged.
- What were some of the challenges in writing it? Time. Hundreds of years pass, and I don’t want it to feel rushed.
- Don’t forget to check out Dana’s blog post about writing characters that are relatable to modern audiences.
More from Dana:
- Dana Fraedrich’s Proustish Questionnaire
- Teaser: Into the Fire by Dana Fraedrich
- Meet Dana Fraedrich
- Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies
- Guano, Steampunk Visualization, and Writing Inspiration with Author Dana Fraedrich
- Bouncing Back When You Mess Up
- Treacherous Hope
Connect and Win!!
- Don’t forget to enter our giveaway for January. This month we will be giving away a book box sponsored by author Abigail Shepherd! I can’t wait to see what she picks. To enter, simply follow us and tag us in a bookish photo or comment on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, or leave us a comment on our show notes!
- You can find other Giveaways on the giveaways tab and in the Give us a Shout tab on our website. Be sure to check those out. We ship worldwide, so don’t hesitate to enter our giveaway.
- If anything sparked an idea for you, or you have thoughts or ideas about what we should discuss next. Let us know. Fill out our survey for a chance to win cool prizes!
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Thanks for listening to Read.Write.Repeat! Talk with you next time!
Photo by Fabrizio Verrecchia on Unsplash
Tibetan Lemonade 