Storyline Sessions

Marko Bogdanović

Storyline Sessions Podcast is dedicated to exploring the art of storytelling and features in-depth conversations with different types of creative writers. We bring you compelling voices and unique perspectives from around the world that aim to inspire you and help you with your writing. The Storyline Sessions Podcast is hosted by Marko Bogdanović - writer, senior marketing professional and journalist. Watch video versions on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@StorylineSessions/videos Follow Storyline Sessions on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storyline.sessions/

  1. Why We Fear What We Can't See | Miles Tritle | The Warning Woods

    Jun 2

    Why We Fear What We Can't See | Miles Tritle | The Warning Woods

    In this episode of Storyline Sessions, horror author and podcast creator Miles Tritle discusses writing audio horror, building dread through sound, what makes stories truly frightening, why audiences love being scared, and much more. Find Miles Here - https://thewarningwoods.wordpress.com/ Follow Storyline Sessions Podcast on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storyline.sessions/ Listen to Storyline Sessions on other streaming platforms - https://taplink.cc/storyline.sessions Support Storyline Sessions on Ko-Fi - Ko-fi.com/storylinesessions Riverside.fm affiliate link (I receive a recurring commission with no additional cost to you): https://www.riverside.fm/?via=marko Timestamps: 00:00 - Start 00:42 - Conversation start 00:56 - Starting a horror fiction podcast 03:29 - Writing a story every week 06:06 - Audio production 08:49 - Looking back at older work 09:48 - My bookshelf is haunted - SPOOKY 10:00 - Narrating his own work and personal connection to the stories 12:37 - Listening to horror stories before sleep and benefits of audio vs print 17:23 - Writing for audio 18:48 - The Warning Woods name and writing different types of horror 22:43 - Getting personal in his writing 24:49 - Choosing the right ideas and research 28:26 - The "A-ha" moment and deadlines 32:53 - What does Miles look for in horror and chatting about trends 40:06 - Balancing the past and modernity in horror, mixing genres 44:38 - Writing longer form and the difference in process 48:22 - Audience reactions and horror prejudice 51:13 - Finding his audience 54:21 - Creating a community and a relationship with the audience 01:00:00 - Change of direction and other genres 01:02:00 - Stories to get into The Warning Woods 01:04:14 - Outro

    1h 5m
  2. What Makes Nobledark Fantasy Different? | Michael Vadney | Crownfall

    Mar 16

    What Makes Nobledark Fantasy Different? | Michael Vadney | Crownfall

    In this episode of Storyline Sessions, author and podcast host Michael Vadney talks about his debut nobledark fantasy novel Crownfall, writing multiple POVs, politics in fantasy, magic systems, his writing method and much more. Find Michael here - https://michaelvadney.com/ Follow Storyline Sessions Podcast on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storyline.sessions/ Listen to Storyline Sessions on other streaming platforms - https://taplink.cc/storyline.sessions Support Storyline Sessions on Ko-Fi - Ko-fi.com/storylinesessions Riverside.fm affiliate link (I receive a recurring commission with no additional cost to you): https://www.riverside.fm/?via=marko Timestamps: 00:00 - Start 00:51 - Conversation start 01:04 - What is nobledark - talking about genre 05:26 - Political fantasy 09:02 - Scope, perspective and single location stories 10:55 - Plotting stories and authors as D&D DMs 15:12 - Setting writing goals for yourself 17:54 - Staying confident and motivated 19:13 - Initial vision for Crownfall vs the final draft 22:10 - A system for writing multiple POVs 24:45 - Beta readers, writing groups and feedback 30:50 - Genre homework 34:14 - Project Arcanist 35:43 - Standalone vs series 38:31 - Writing to market 41:41 - How do you know when you're done? 45:39 - Key takeaways after writing the debut 47:53 - Podcasting and importance of community 54:35 - Dealing with reading goals 58:02 - What does a magical engineer do? 01:02:05 - Two important things for a good magic system 01:06:05 - Influences that aren't Sanderson, spice and old school fantasy 01:12:03 - Getting the right cover art 01:16:11 - Advice for other debut authors 01:17:54 - Outro

    1h 18m
  3. How to Write Successful Character Driven Fantasy | Starr Z. Davies | Stormvalor

    06/12/2025

    How to Write Successful Character Driven Fantasy | Starr Z. Davies | Stormvalor

    In this episode of Storyline Sessions, bestselling author and winner of the Firebird Book Award, Pinnacle Achievement Award, and runner-up Page Turner Award winner Starr Z. Davies talks about the launch of her new book - Stormvalor: A Noblebright Fantasy (Divica Stormborn Chronicles Book 1) that marks her genre shift from dystopian fiction to epic fantasy. Find Starr Here: https://www.starrzdavies.com/ Watch on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@StorylineSessions Follow Storyline Sessions Podcast on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storyline.sessions/ Listen to Storyline Sessions on Spotify or Deezer - https://taplink.cc/storyline.sessions Riverside.fm affiliate link (I receive a recurring commission with no additional cost to you): https://www.riverside.fm/?via=marko Timestamps: 00:00 - Start 00:47 - Conversation start 01:20 - How does this release feel different from the others? 02:10 - Marketing vs Writing 02:50 - Beta readers, initial reviews and changing the ending 04:18 - Making the first book feel more than just a setup for sequels 07:00 - Difference in writing and worldbuilding process between genres 08:28 - Deciding to shift genres 10:18 - From YA to adult 12:04 - THE CHARACTER ASSASIN - letting go of your characters 16:24 - Surprising yourself and choosing the POV for your story 18:20 - Organized chaos and worldbuilding 20:40 - MAPS! 23:10 - Naming characters 24:30 - How to be a prolific writer and stick to a schedule? 28:38 - Writing awards 33:22 - Finding the right artrwork 36:34 - Kickstarter process and crowdsourcing 40:55 - Audiobooks 44:32 - Self publishing vs Trad vs AI 48:05 - Building your audience 50:15 - What would you do differently if this was your first series? 53:02 - Future plans 55:16 - Outro

    56 min
  4. A New Wave of European SFF - Mixing Genres and Creating Fresh Stories | Norbert Zsivicz

    05/22/2025

    A New Wave of European SFF - Mixing Genres and Creating Fresh Stories | Norbert Zsivicz

    In this episode of Storyline Sessions, Hungarian-born SFF author and the winner of the best Fantasy Choice Award in Hungary Norbert Zsivicz talks about his novel Sealed Empire, experience with translations, mixing genres, building an audience and much more. Find Norbert here - https://www.sealedbooks.com/en/the-book, https://www.instagram.com/authornorbert/ Follow Storyline Sessions Podcast on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storyline.sessions/ Listen to Storyline Sessions on Spotify or Deezer - https://taplink.cc/storyline.sessions Riverside.fm affiliate link (I receive a recurring commission with no additional cost to you): https://www.riverside.fm/?via=marko Timestamps: 00:00 - Start 01:26 - Conversation start 01:41 - Serbian vs Hungarian 02:22 - Fantasy scenes in Europe 05:44 - Self publishing as an author in Hungary 08:46 - Winning an award as a newcomer 10:02 - English translation and finding an international audience 13:46 - Mixing genres and worldbuilding 17:31 - Using multiple POVs and timelines 19:51 - The cover scene 21:13 - World map 23:20 - Prologues - yay or nay? 25:34 - Comparing original and the translation 27:25 - The setting - medieval fiction and history 30:47 - Planning the end - how to get from A to B? 32:26 - Showing his manuscript to others and trusting yourself 34:21 - Dealing with reviews 36:28 - Using a pseudonym or writing under your name? 38:38 - European SFF 41:00 - Marketing as a self published author - finding your audience 44:20 - The unavoidable AI talk 48:00 - Working on scripts for streaming shows and films 52:33 - Gaming 54:35 - Series timeline and future plans 59:03 - Outro

    59 min
  5. Myths, Silk Road Stories and Epic Fantasy - Crafting Believable Worlds | R.R. Virdi

    07/22/2024

    Myths, Silk Road Stories and Epic Fantasy - Crafting Believable Worlds | R.R. Virdi

    In this episode of Storyline Sessions, Nebula award-nominated author R.R. Virdi talks about his upcoming book The Doors of Midnight, a sequel to The First Binding, using myths and legends as inspiration, his experience with trad publishing and many more interesting topics. Follow R.R. Virdi on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rrvirdi/ Get Grave Tidings for free - https://www.subscribepage.com/graveti... Follow Storyline Sessions Podcast on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storyline.sessions/ Watch Storyline Sessions on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@StorylineSessions Riverside.fm affiliate link (I receive a recurring commission with no additional cost to you): https://www.riverside.fm/?via=marko Timestamps: 00:00 - Start 00:45 - Conversation start 00:55 - Reactions to The First Binding 03:40 - Working on the sequel 04:52 - Using mythology in writing - South Asia, Silk Road and beyond 12:00 - Meta layer - storytelling in storytelling 14:36 - Clues and breadcrumbs - foreshadowing 16:52 - POVs 18:35 - Mixing multiple timelines 22:20 - Writing with ADHD 22:47 - Surprising yourself 24:25 - Urban fantasy vs epic fantasy - different influences 27:46 - Writing to market and different genres 32:41 - Lengthy books and "purple prose" vs editors 41:09 - Using appendix and how books change on re-reads 43:24 - Creating maps 45:34 - Cover art and different book editions 47:56 - Trad publishing vs indie 51:20 - Getting paid as an artist 57:46 - Advice for younger/starting writers 01:02:00 - Teasing The Doors of Midnight 01:03:32 - Outro

    1h 4m
  6. Making a Switch From Dystopian Sci-Fi to Cozy Fantasy - Creating a Multiverse | Herman Steuernagel

    07/18/2024

    Making a Switch From Dystopian Sci-Fi to Cozy Fantasy - Creating a Multiverse | Herman Steuernagel

    In this episode of Storyline Sessions, internationally best-selling author and the host of The Greatest Podcast in the Multiverse Herman Herman Steuernagel talks about his 10th novel The Bartender Between Worlds, changing genres in writing, experience with podcasting and much more. Find Herman here - https://linktr.ee/hermansteuernagel Follow Storyline Sessions Podcast on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storyline.sessions/ Listen to Storyline Sessions on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@StorylineSessions Riverside.fm affiliate link (I receive a recurring commission with no additional cost to you): https://www.riverside.fm/?via=marko Timestamps: 00:00 - Start 01:05 - Conversation start 01:16 - The power of podcasting and building a writing community 05:20 - If he was starting now, what would he do differently 07:27 - Why Sci-Fi? 08:42 - Switching from YA to adult fiction 09:55 - Using tropes in writing 11:12 - Switching genres 14:20 - Why did cozy fantasy get popular? 16:05 - Introducing The Bartender Between Worlds 18:18 - The appeal of standalone novels 20:42 - Herman's writing process 24:16 - (Not) using beta readers 25:31 - Experience with editors 26:55 - Dropping two books at the same time 30:14 - Audience feedback, reviews and getting into libraries 33:44 - Trying Kickstarter and promoting your work 37:31 - Audiobooks 38:47 - Getting the right cover art 41:52 - Authors doing their own marketing 44:09 - Trends in fantasy 46:35 - Exploring the multiverse 48:31 - In a parallel world, how would a different decision affect your life? 52:03 - Cocktail recommendation 53:00 - Outro

    53 min

About

Storyline Sessions Podcast is dedicated to exploring the art of storytelling and features in-depth conversations with different types of creative writers. We bring you compelling voices and unique perspectives from around the world that aim to inspire you and help you with your writing. The Storyline Sessions Podcast is hosted by Marko Bogdanović - writer, senior marketing professional and journalist. Watch video versions on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@StorylineSessions/videos Follow Storyline Sessions on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/storyline.sessions/