Cast of Wonders
@castofwonders.org
The Young Adult Fiction Podcast featuring stories of the Fantastic
Episodes cross all speculative boundaries and if someone complains we are 'woke' or pandering to the liberals we are doing our job right!
Part of the Escape Artists Foundation
Episodes cross all speculative boundaries and if someone complains we are 'woke' or pandering to the liberals we are doing our job right!
Part of the Escape Artists Foundation
It was a really good panel!
November 22, 2025 at 6:28 PM
It was a really good panel!
And that's a wrap. Really excellent panel!
November 22, 2025 at 2:34 PM
And that's a wrap. Really excellent panel!
Rec for Mistress of Lies by K M Enright
November 22, 2025 at 2:09 PM
Rec for Mistress of Lies by K M Enright
Properties they'd love to write for: GLP Star Trek, AS Discworld (but imposter syndrome!), MB She-ra! Or Star Wars
(Recent She-ra is really, *really* good.)
(Recent She-ra is really, *really* good.)
November 22, 2025 at 1:54 PM
Properties they'd love to write for: GLP Star Trek, AS Discworld (but imposter syndrome!), MB She-ra! Or Star Wars
(Recent She-ra is really, *really* good.)
(Recent She-ra is really, *really* good.)
Desert island books: MB-Scarlet Morning by ND Stevenson; GLP Hierodotus' Histories and Stapleton's Star Maker; AS- Brian Jacques' Redwall because she's never read it.
November 22, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Desert island books: MB-Scarlet Morning by ND Stevenson; GLP Hierodotus' Histories and Stapleton's Star Maker; AS- Brian Jacques' Redwall because she's never read it.
Don't be scared to use real world terminology. Your characters aren't speaking English, everything is translated, you can call rabbits rabbits. MB: tries to avoid loan words like deja vu but then gets stuck in rabbit hole of English stealing language (a la the famous James Nicoll wrote...)
November 22, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Don't be scared to use real world terminology. Your characters aren't speaking English, everything is translated, you can call rabbits rabbits. MB: tries to avoid loan words like deja vu but then gets stuck in rabbit hole of English stealing language (a la the famous James Nicoll wrote...)
Q: how do you handle info for reader without infodumping? GLP likens it to a real world character driving to Sainsbury's without unpicking all the underlying whys and hows. Let the reader anticipate. Slow reveal of the wider world. Sometimes he doesn't know what the worldview snippets mean!
November 22, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Q: how do you handle info for reader without infodumping? GLP likens it to a real world character driving to Sainsbury's without unpicking all the underlying whys and hows. Let the reader anticipate. Slow reveal of the wider world. Sometimes he doesn't know what the worldview snippets mean!
Consume media from a wide variety of origins, diverse friends, do research, ask!
November 22, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Consume media from a wide variety of origins, diverse friends, do research, ask!
MB: sensitivity readers are an important resource. Don't assume you're getting it right.
November 22, 2025 at 1:13 PM
MB: sensitivity readers are an important resource. Don't assume you're getting it right.
AS: we all have blind spots, we are products of our culture and upbringing. It's important to know where these are.
November 22, 2025 at 1:10 PM
AS: we all have blind spots, we are products of our culture and upbringing. It's important to know where these are.
Choices that authors make: it's important not to default to stereotype tropes. Publishing is ciswhitemiddleclass enough already (and needs to change)
November 22, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Choices that authors make: it's important not to default to stereotype tropes. Publishing is ciswhitemiddleclass enough already (and needs to change)
MB: 15years post uni working for a homelessness charity, became 'rabidly socialist'. Things seep in from an author's experiences.
AS: some themes recur for authors, things that matter to them. For AS it's class, colonisation, absolute ideals.
AS: some themes recur for authors, things that matter to them. For AS it's class, colonisation, absolute ideals.
November 22, 2025 at 1:03 PM
MB: 15years post uni working for a homelessness charity, became 'rabidly socialist'. Things seep in from an author's experiences.
AS: some themes recur for authors, things that matter to them. For AS it's class, colonisation, absolute ideals.
AS: some themes recur for authors, things that matter to them. For AS it's class, colonisation, absolute ideals.
Current events as motivation/ inspiration. GLP: old saying that SF is always about the time when it was written, holding a mirror up to reality. Brexit as negative inspiration for both GLP and MB.
November 22, 2025 at 12:53 PM
Current events as motivation/ inspiration. GLP: old saying that SF is always about the time when it was written, holding a mirror up to reality. Brexit as negative inspiration for both GLP and MB.
Q: what's it like working in the Warhammer universe? MB: knows the world building, can focus on story. The nuts and bolts don't need to be justified
November 22, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Q: what's it like working in the Warhammer universe? MB: knows the world building, can focus on story. The nuts and bolts don't need to be justified
AS describes her cut-scenes file. Character, plot or world first? Things evolve out of all kinds of seeds. Whimsy, add character to a world/ environment, see what happens next
November 22, 2025 at 12:45 PM
AS describes her cut-scenes file. Character, plot or world first? Things evolve out of all kinds of seeds. Whimsy, add character to a world/ environment, see what happens next
Q: isn't it easier to write in the real world? ALL: hell no! GLP: describes Ack-Ack Macaque spitfire antics that would be thwarted by real world lampposts. 😂
November 22, 2025 at 12:41 PM
Q: isn't it easier to write in the real world? ALL: hell no! GLP: describes Ack-Ack Macaque spitfire antics that would be thwarted by real world lampposts. 😂
Lots of exciting non romantasy fiction being published independently. At some point diversification will happen again.
Q: how do you predict? Is it worth predicting the trends?
GLP: only if you write very fast, there's a 2yr lead time in publishing
Q: how do you predict? Is it worth predicting the trends?
GLP: only if you write very fast, there's a 2yr lead time in publishing
November 22, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Lots of exciting non romantasy fiction being published independently. At some point diversification will happen again.
Q: how do you predict? Is it worth predicting the trends?
GLP: only if you write very fast, there's a 2yr lead time in publishing
Q: how do you predict? Is it worth predicting the trends?
GLP: only if you write very fast, there's a 2yr lead time in publishing
AS: pay attention to market trends and agent wish lists. Romantasy is very dominant right now. Hard going for midlist authors; everything boils down to sales teams and marketing...
November 22, 2025 at 12:33 PM
AS: pay attention to market trends and agent wish lists. Romantasy is very dominant right now. Hard going for midlist authors; everything boils down to sales teams and marketing...
Getting going in the writing industry really boils down to some talent, hard work, and LOTS of luck. Connections. All about connections and luck. (Jeremy and Katherine joined CoW following a random encounter with Al & Marguerite in an elevator)
November 22, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Getting going in the writing industry really boils down to some talent, hard work, and LOTS of luck. Connections. All about connections and luck. (Jeremy and Katherine joined CoW following a random encounter with Al & Marguerite in an elevator)
MB: started out with self insert Narnia fanfic at 7, struggled to finish novels then eventually decided to just get it done. Writing novels ever since. Getting an agent through normal channels not easy, but personal connections open doors (agent, warhammer)
November 22, 2025 at 12:26 PM
MB: started out with self insert Narnia fanfic at 7, struggled to finish novels then eventually decided to just get it done. Writing novels ever since. Getting an agent through normal channels not easy, but personal connections open doors (agent, warhammer)
AS: libraries always a big part of her childhood and has always been a storyteller. Still remembers the confidence her best friend had in her aspiration to be an author
November 22, 2025 at 12:24 PM
AS: libraries always a big part of her childhood and has always been a storyteller. Still remembers the confidence her best friend had in her aspiration to be an author
Next question: road to SF. GLP - UK education system not a friend to SF! He had an early story shredded by Diana Wynne Jones. 😅
November 22, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Next question: road to SF. GLP - UK education system not a friend to SF! He had an early story shredded by Diana Wynne Jones. 😅
Science is centred in much of Adrian Tchaikovsky's work but very few SF authors do that so well.
November 22, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Science is centred in much of Adrian Tchaikovsky's work but very few SF authors do that so well.