Todd had a surprise birthday party. Sean kept recording anyway. Happy birthday, Todd. This week Sean sits down alone with author David Jon Fuller, whose debut novel Venue 13 is out now through Turnstone Press. What starts as a conversation about a ghost story set in a haunted Winnipeg theater quickly becomes something much deeper — a wide-ranging discussion about creativity, the bohemian life, what it costs to make art, why Icelandic culture produces so much of it, and how you keep your creative self alive when real life gets in the way. David has a background that covers theater, acting, the Winnipeg Fringe Festival, two years living in Iceland on scholarship, journalism at the Winnipeg Free Press, and now fiction writing. The connections between all of those things — and between his life and the life of his novel's protagonist Robert — turn out to be more intertwined than even David realized going in. Along the way: the creative parallels between Iceland and Winnipeg, why doom scrolling is the enemy of reflection, what it means to romanticize the bohemian artist life versus living it, the Fringe Festival, INXS and Michael Hutchins, Def Leppard at Christmas, Kiss in October, the Killer Dwarfs and a handmade wooden box set that David built himself and got the whole band to sign, and why asking your library to stock a book is one of the best things you can do for a Canadian author. About the book: Venue 13 follows Robert, an actor who buys a haunted downtown Winnipeg theater while working a restaurant job to keep the lights on — a man at a creative crossroads, trying to hold his artistic dream together while real life pulls in every direction. It's a ghost story, but it's also much more than that. If the main building sounds familiar, Sean figured out exactly which one inspired it. About the guest: David Jon Fuller is a Winnipeg writer, journalist, and former actor whose Icelandic heritage took him to Iceland for two years on scholarship, where he became fluent in the language, performed in student theater productions in Reykjavik, and developed a deep connection to Norse folklore and ghost stories that runs through his writing to this day. He also copy-edited Chadwick Ginther's Ravenstone books, which is a very Winnipeg small world moment. Venue 13 is available at local bookstores, Chapters, Amazon, and — David's preference — by request at your local library. Find David: Website: https://www.davidjonfuller.com/Bluesky: @davidjonfuller.bsky.socialInstagram: @davidjonfuller Find us everywhere: @seangeekpodcast Website: seanmcginty.ca Support the show: patreon.com/seangeekpodcast 🎙️ Certified Geek — $5/month🎸 True Geek — $10/month👑 Supreme Geek — $20/month🤘 Metal Shoppe Tier — $75/month Linktree: https://linktr.ee/seangeekpodcast Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/seangeekpodcast We are a part of the Boneless Podcast Network: https://bonelesspodcasting.com/ Merch: Tee Public: https://www.teepublic.com/seangeekpodcast Red Bubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/seangeekpodcast/shop @seangeekpodcast on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook Companies mentioned in this episode: RavenstoneTurnstoneKiller DwarfsHelixKick AxDef LeppardSigur RósWeakerthansManitoba Chamber Orchestra
