Subject Matter Expert Shannon Valenzuela

On this episode of the podcast, I interview Shanee Edwards, an award-winning actress, screenwriter, and novelist, about her work on the story of Ada Lovelace, the mother of modern computing. We discuss some of the fascinating aspects of Ada's life, the advantages and challenges of working in different storytelling mediums, and her experience researching historical science fiction. A must-listen for anyone with interest in writing cross-genre or cross-medium projects.

In this episode of the podcast, engineer and USA Today bestselling sci-fi author M.A. Rothman and I discuss the challenges of writing technothrillers. He shares his research process and walks me through his way of distinguishing sci-fi that is more science fantasy (science Fiction) from hard sci-fi and technothrillers (Science fiction). If you aren't sure how much research you need to do for your hard sci-fi or techno thriller project, or if you struggle with the best way to incorporate your research into your fiction, this episode is a must-listen! 

In this episode, I discuss my own decade in review (2009-2019) for my creative writing business, what 4 practices and strategies have given me the most explosive growth, and how I am setting myself up for success in the 2020s. I also reveal my "word of the year" for 2020 and what's coming for the podcast as emerging technologies continue to compress the gap between science and science fiction.

In this week's episode, I discuss the process for solving impossible problems and the benefits of developing a "math mind" with mathematical physicist Dr. Spiros Michalakis. We also discuss his collaboration with Hollywood in creating the Quantum Realm for the Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film Ant-Man. He has excellent advice for writers seeking to work with scientists on their story research, and you'll get to hear me model this type of creative collaboration at the end of the episode.

In this week's episode, I explore the roots of anxiety and empathy with psychotherapist Dr. Stephanie Swales as I work on designing a compelling and complex character for one of my current WIPs. We explore the perspective of Lacanian psychoanalysis in particular as we consider anxiety as the "universal affect" and the different modes of empathy (hint: it's not just feeling or reading feelings). 

Astronomer Dr. Lopez-Cruz and I discuss the intersections between branches of science and between science and philosophy and history as we explore the value of wonder in scientific inquiry. We also discuss the importance of understanding our place in the cosmos and the value of experience for creating grounded science fiction.