Worlds Asunder

Shady and H.Y. Gregor

By authors for authors...and for anyone else who wants to hear how the sausage- ahem- I mean the books are made. Join 'Shady' David Shadoin and H.Y. Gregor and their many awesome friends and cohorts and learn how to world build like a pro. There's even some good life advice and, of course, plenty of laughs to be had. Come help us tear the Worlds Asunder!

  1. MAY 13

    Kacey Ezell - It Builds Character, Part 2

    Today’s guest, Kacey Ezell, was born in South Dakota and grew up around the world on various military bases. When she was seven, her mother gave her a copy of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragondrums, and shortly thereafter, Kacey decided that she wanted to be a dragonrider when she grew up. From the time she was a small child, Kacey made up stories to tell to her friends and family.  Kacey’s emotionally-fueled fiction includes alternate history, fantasy, noir, and science fiction. She’s a master in emotional resonance and character building! Join us in learning the tips and tricks to build characters with believable emotional arcs.  In Part Two, We Discuss:  Saving character details for reference  Background information: what do you need to tell the story?  Choosing where to focus your background development  Tropes and genre  Character motivation  Using character flaws and strengths and plot points  Resources and Guest Links:  https://kaceyezell.net/ Newsletter and free short stories: https://kaceyezell.net/the-dragons-horde/  Psyche of War: https://kaceyezell.net/book-series/the-psyche-of-war/  World Anvil: https://www.worldanvil.com/  Notion: https://www.notion.com/  Join us in thanking Kacey! She’s a great author and an even better friend, and we’re grateful she took time out of her relaxicon to interview and give us the inside scoop on how she crafts excellent characters.  Host Links:  H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/ David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/  Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed) Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,  Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim

    26 min
  2. APR 28

    Kacey Ezell - It Builds Character, Part 1

    Today’s guest, Kacey Ezell, was born in South Dakota and grew up around the world on various military bases. When she was seven, her mother gave her a copy of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragondrums, and shortly thereafter, Kacey decided that she wanted to be a dragonrider when she grew up. From the time she was a small child, Kacey made up stories to tell to her friends and family.  Kacey’s emotionally-fueled fiction includes alternate history, fantasy, noir, and science fiction. She’s a master in emotional resonance and character building! Join us in learning the tips and tricks to build characters with believable emotional arcs.  In Part One, We Discuss:  Every villain is the hero of their own story; writing unpopular characters  Every hero is probably the villain of someone else’s story  Redemption arcs  Characters we love to hate  How worldbuilding impacts characters and vice versa  Tools to track details  Resources and Guest Links:  https://kaceyezell.net/ Newsletter and free short stories: https://kaceyezell.net/the-dragons-horde/  Psyche of War: https://kaceyezell.net/book-series/the-psyche-of-war/  World Anvil: https://www.worldanvil.com/  Notion: https://www.notion.com/  Join us in thanking Kacey! She’s a great author and an even better friend, and we’re grateful she took time out of her relaxicon to interview and give us the inside scoop on how she crafts excellent characters.  Host Links:  H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/ David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/  Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed) Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,  Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim

    31 min
  3. MAR 31

    J.T. Evans - City Planner's Committee, Part 2

    Our latest guest is J.T. Evans, fantasy, science fiction, and horror author and former president of Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group and Pikes Peak Writers. Today he brings his expertise and experience in both writing and gaming to help us dig into the nitty gritty of fantasy city building.  When not writing, he keeps computers secure at the Day Job, spends time with his family, and plays way too many tabletop games. J.T. joined the Gnome Stew Crew in March of 2016. Since that time, he has written dozens of articles for the site and has earned three Gold ENnie awards (2016, 2017, and 2018) as part of the team at Gnome Stew. He is the author of the Modern Mythology and Flashing Blades series and is hastily working on more right now. In Part Two, We Discuss:  Reasons and implications for city locations and environments City resources and the role of standardization and  Natural disasters and character reactions to their surroundings  Governing bodies, including some of their flaws  Maps! Resources and Guest Links:  https://jtevans.net/  The Flashing Blades series: https://jtevans.net/publications/flashing-blades/  Modern Mythology series: https://jtevans.net/publications/modern-mythology/  Newsletter subscription: https://jtevans.net/about/contact/  Gnome Stew: https://gnomestew.com/  Stay tuned for links to JT’s maps and other photo resources!  Join us in thanking JT! We’re fortunate to claim him as a writing colleague and a friend. We’re seriously grateful he lent us his expertise for this episode and loved digging into the nitty-gritty of city building with him.  Host Links:  H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/ David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/  Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed) Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,  Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim

    55 min
  4. MAR 17

    J.T. Evans - The City Planner's Committee, Part 1

    Our latest guest is J.T. Evans, fantasy, science fiction, and horror author and former president of Colorado Springs Fiction Writers Group and Pikes Peak Writers. Today he brings his expertise and experience in both writing and gaming to help us dig into the nitty gritty of fantasy city building.  When not writing, he keeps computers secure at the Day Job, spends time with his family, and plays way too many tabletop games. J.T. joined the Gnome Stew Crew in March of 2016. Since that time, he has written dozens of articles for the site and has earned three Gold ENnie awards (2016, 2017, and 2018) as part of the team at Gnome Stew. He is the author of the Modern Mythology and Flashing Blades series and is hastily working on more right now. Resources and Guest Links:  https://jtevans.net/  The Flashing Blades series: https://jtevans.net/publications/flashing-blades/  Modern Mythology series: https://jtevans.net/publications/modern-mythology/  Newsletter subscription: https://jtevans.net/about/contact/  Gnome Stew: https://gnomestew.com/  Stay tuned for links to JT’s maps and other photo resources!  Join us in thanking JT! We’re fortunate to claim him as a writing colleague and a friend. We’re seriously grateful he lent us his expertise for this episode and loved digging into the nitty-gritty of city building with him.  Host Links:  H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/ David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/  Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed) Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,  Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim

    45 min
  5. FEB 17

    Steve Ruskin - The Maned Historian, Part 2

    Just what do you do with a PhD in the History of Science? Write novels–science fiction, urban fantasy, and thriller. Our guest today is Steve Ruskin, PhD. He’s the author of the nonfiction popular history novel America’s First Great Eclipse and countless academic writings, and also of the ExoRok Rebels science fiction series and Trina Piper magical thrillers.  Steve’s unique background in academics and fiction give him great insight to author resources, creativity, and bringing character-driven fiction to life.  In Part Two, We Discuss:  Painting targets around the points you want to hit in your plots  On-location research and  Detail writing, and using the five senses to set a scene   Worldbuilding and story development in someone else’s shared universe  Pulling story inspiration from history and integrating it into other genres  Organization and juggling multiple projects  Resources and Guest Links:  Steve Ruskin: https://www.steveruskin.com/  Steve’s Newsletter: https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/f424f312-0fb9-11ee-938d-7f884ddf8bd0  America’s First Great Eclipse: https://www.amazon.com/Americas-First-Great-Eclipse-Scientists-ebook/dp/B0716GT8FH  ExoRok Rebels: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1BMNQQ1  Trina Piper Thrillers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9KGPCSS  Extinction by Douglas Preston: https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Extinction-A-Novel/dp/B0C31M5X6V  Huge thanks to Steve for coming over to record at our dining room table. We love being able to bring field specialists onto the show, and he’s no exception. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!  Host Links:  H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/ David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/  Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed) Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,  Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim

    38 min
  6. JAN 27

    Steve Ruskin - The Maned Historian, Part 1

    Just what do you do with a PhD in the History of Science? Write novels–science fiction, urban fantasy, and thriller. Our guest today is Steve Ruskin, PhD. He’s the author of the nonfiction popular history novel America’s First Great Eclipse and countless academic writings, and also of the ExoRok Rebels science fiction series and Trina Piper magical thrillers.  Steve’s unique background in academics and fiction give him great insight to author resources, creativity, and bringing character-driven fiction to life.  In Part One, We Discuss:  Worldbuilding in historical and popular history writings   Nonfiction worldbuilding and research  Writing character-driven nonfiction  Where to start historical research and how to reach out to professionals “Secret histories”: Finding the balance between historical accuracy and fictional liberties  Maintaining a timeline and the differences between historical fiction and alternate history  The Village Idiot Approach  Resources and Guest Links:  Steve Ruskin: https://www.steveruskin.com/  Steve’s Newsletter: https://storyoriginapp.com/giveaways/f424f312-0fb9-11ee-938d-7f884ddf8bd0  America’s First Great Eclipse: https://www.amazon.com/Americas-First-Great-Eclipse-Scientists-ebook/dp/B0716GT8FH  ExoRok Rebels: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1BMNQQ1  Trina Piper Thrillers: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C9KGPCSS  Extinction by Douglas Preston: https://www.amazon.com/Audible-Extinction-A-Novel/dp/B0C31M5X6V  Huge thanks to Steve for coming over to record at our dining room table. We love being able to bring field specialists onto the show, and he’s no exception. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed recording it!  Host Links:  H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/ David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/  Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed) Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,  Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim

    37 min

About

By authors for authors...and for anyone else who wants to hear how the sausage- ahem- I mean the books are made. Join 'Shady' David Shadoin and H.Y. Gregor and their many awesome friends and cohorts and learn how to world build like a pro. There's even some good life advice and, of course, plenty of laughs to be had. Come help us tear the Worlds Asunder!