Writing the Uncanny: Author Interview and Writing Tips from Jeff VanderMeer.

In this episode of our podcast for writers (who take craft too seriously), take a journey into the uncanny with award-winning author Jeff VanderMeer where we explore his multiple novel universes and discuss his fantastic writing craft book, Wonderbook.

Along the way, Jeff discusses writing techniques for crafting the uncanny using layers, diving into the psychology of characters, and writing about the natural world.

• (00:00) - Intro
• (02:00) - Southern Reach and Borne Universes
• (03:30) - Making the Uncanny Believable
• (18:20) - Making the Alien Relatable
• (30:00) - Wonderbook
• (39:55) - Absolution
• (47:14) - Uncanny Genre
• (57:30) - What's Next?

Jeff's Information:

Jeff VanderMeer's bestselling, critically acclaimed novels include the Borne trilogy (Borne, The Strange Bird, and Dead Astronauts) and the Southern Reach series (Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance, Absolution, and the forthcoming Abdication). Annihilation won the Nebula Award and the Shirley Jackson Award and was adapted into a major motion picture by Alex Garland, starring Natalie Portman. The Southern Reach series has been translated into more than thirty languages and was a finalist for the Hugo Award. VanderMeer, a popular public speaker, has given talks at MIT, Columbia, Yale, the Guggenheim, and Vanderbilt. He recently had the honor of delivering the John Hersey Memorial Address (Key West Literary Seminar) and the Walter Harding Lecture at SUNY Geneseo. Called "the weird Thoreau" by The New Yorker, VanderMeer has had major environmental nonfiction appear in Time, The Nation, the Los Angeles Times, and Esquire, among other publications.
https://jeffvandermeer.com

Jeff's Books:

1. Annihilation (or Audiobook)
2. Authority (or Audiobook)
3. Acceptance (or Audiobook)
4. Wonderbook (or Audiobook)
5. Borne (or Audiobook)
6. Dead Astronauts (or Audiobook)
7. Hummingbird Salamander (or Audiobook)

Jeff's headshot photo credit: Azhar Khan

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Writing Mysteries and Writing Historical Fiction: Author Interview with Rhys Bowen

In this episode of your new favorite writing podcast, The Epilogue..., we dive into history and mystery with award-winning author Rhys Bowen who has some great writing advice for writing mystery and for historical research for your historical fiction writing.

Rhys discusses her multiple popular mystery series, as well as her best selling historical fiction, and we discuss how the two complement each other.

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:45) - Castle in the Glen
• (06:13) - Historical Research
• (15:20) - Mystery in Historical Fiction
• (17:48) - When to Drop the Body
• (20:21) - Writing Mystery Series
• (31:41) - Co-writing an Existing Series
• (36:25) - Keeping Readers Engaged
• (47:54) - Different Voices in Different Mysteries

Rhys's Information:

Rhys Bowen’s work has sold close to 10 million copies, in over 30 languages. She has been nominated for every major mystery award and has won multiple Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity Awards. A complete list can be found here.

Her books include the Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy historical mysteries, as well as several international bestselling stand-alone novels.

View Rhys’s books in order here.

Rhys has a loyal fan-base from around the world, including a social media following of over 215k.
https://rhysbowen.com

Rhys's Books:

1. Castle in the Glen
2. Her Royal Spyness
3. Evans Above
4. Murphy's Law
5. The Venice Sketchbook
6. Mrs. Endicott's Splendid Adventure

Rhys's headshot photo credit: Douglas Sonders

Visit theepilogue.net to view our interviews, listen to the latest episodes of this writing podcast, sign up for our newsletter, and watch for upcoming member bonuses such as extended interviews and full video.

Introducing Season 2 of the Epilogue...the writers podcast and author interview show that goes deep into the craft of writing.
Just dropping a quick note before Season 2 breaks to introduce the season and mention a few changes that are in the works, including a new patron system as an option for listeners to support the show.