What do shoes, cephalopods, and tea have in common? They’re all some of today’s guest’s favorite things. We’re pleased to introduce the one and only Gail Carriger: multiple NYT bestselling author of urban fantasy, steampunk, supernatural, science fiction, and non-fiction. Gail’s background as an archaeologist has helped shape her worldbuilding, and her insights to crafting character and setting are uniquely insightful.

How do you write a hug, make readers laugh, and keep them tearing through the pages? What makes a long-running joke or a character feel like your best friend? Get ready to take notes as Gail’s gives us tips and tales ranging from witty banter in fiction, Firefly stories, and author business advice.

In Part One, We Discuss:

Objects in fiction: opportunities and implications for using the inanimate in both world and character development
Considerations for making realistic, unique changes to your world based on the injection of fantasy elements
Steampunk, paranormal romance, humor writing, and Gail’s inspiration for the Parasol Protectorate
Considerations for cross-genre writing, and why it’s a hard sell in the modern market
Setting as character
Creating a sense of comfort and familiarity for readers
Writers as fans and author behavior

Resources and Guest Links:

- Gail’s upcoming events: https://gailcarriger.com/upcoming-events/
- The Heroine’s Journey: https://gailcarriger.com/books/hj/
- Gail’s fiction: https://gailcarriger.com/books/
- Pre-order for The Dratsie Dilemma, the latest book in the San Andrea Shifters series: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DG9CWGPL

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree: https://www.travisbaldree.com/books

Becky Chambers books: https://www.otherscribbles.com/#/thelongway/
Reading Glasses Podcast: https://maximumfun.org/podcasts/reading-glasses/

Gail was such a phenomenal guest! We’re so grateful she gave us her time for this awesome interview. We had so much fun recording, and we hope you got as much out of this episode as we did.

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