Gerry of the Totally Rad Christmas podcast invited me on to talk about some Transformers UK comics with Christmas themes. Anyone who misses the Four Million Years Later podcast will get to hear me go on about Starscream and Optimus both losing their drive and coming around to the spirit of the season.
Gerry D of the Totally Rad Christmas podcast was kind enough to have me on to share a bit about my upcoming middle-grade graphic novel, The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue. We talk about the 80s cartoons that inspired bits of the book, some of my takeaways and experiences making it, and (given the general topic of the podcast), share some of our most impactful Christmas memories.
This is my first public interview about the book, so outside of my Patreon, this is the biggest sneak peek available yet!
What a gift to get to be part of a celebration of one of my favorite storytelling podcasts! Hosts Alex Simmons and Chris Ryan were generous enough to invite to sit in for their roundtable celebration of their milestone, taking questions from them and from listeners. Together we talked about identifying ideas with juice in them, navigating expectations placed upon us by the culture, and taking care of ourselves as creative people. You can watch the video above or subscribe to the podcast here!
Welcome to a slightly different episode of Tell The Damn Story, the podcast where we delve into the depths of storytelling and creativity.
This week, your host, Alex Simmons, is going semi-solo, and the episode is a mashup, combining the great piece of insight from episode 191 of TTDS.
In this episode, we’ll be exploring the complexities of personal pride, the challenges of self-promotion as a writer, the impact of rejection, and the pursuit of creative dreams.
So join us as we share personal anecdotes, discuss influences that shaped us as writers, and explore the power of storytelling in our lives.
So grab a pen and paper, and get ready to Tell The Damn Story!
Have questions or comments for us? Post in the comments section below or … Write: TTDSOnAir@gmail.com
And follow us on …
@Tell The Damn Story
www.Facebook.com/Tell The Damn Story
00:00:00 Intro
00:00:26 New York Comic Con impacts creatives’ lives.
00:05:36 Hallway duty, art rooms turned museum. Beautiful.
00:08:21 Teacher and journalist discover transgender student’s happiness.
00:12:20 Rejected submission educates and offers more assistance.
00:16:08 Writers explore online entrepreneurship; some succeed.
00:17:24 The challenges of pursuing creative dreams.
00:23:20 Unexpected encounters with genius lead to excitement.
00:25:34 Impoverished, isolated, only black kid in class.
00:30:36 Permission to play, doubts, and hard work.
00:33:09 Back, don’t smoke, love Sherlock Holmes. Writes mysteries, teaches workshops, and writes a play. The episode reflects on personal growth as writers. Exciting upcoming guests. Join us next week.
My buddies Zack Giallongo and Ben Hatke were kind enough to invite me to sit in on their Monster Market podcast, a show where they talk about mythical and literary monsters.
Of course, I showed up with a 1950s B-Movie monster for the discussion. The Colossus of New York:
And the final monster from Lovecraft’s Re-Animator series:
“He was a menacing military figure who talked without moving his lips and whose voice seemed almost ventriloquially connected with an immense black case he carried. His expressionless face was handsome to the point of radiant beauty, but had shocked the superintendent when the hall light fell on it—for it was a wax face with eyes of painted glass. Some nameless accident had befallen this man.”
If you enjoy story analysis and monster talk, I think you’ll get a kick out of this!
This podcast is a treasure for creative people (that’s all of us, by the way). Even if you don’t think of yourself as a writer, Alex and Chris have something to offer you. Their wisdom and reflections don’t just apply to writing artfully, they’re helpful to live artfully.
A comic strip I made for the Lean Into Art 2-Minute Practice. For a good while my friend Rob Stenzinger and I tried various brief activities to foster our creativity. Listen to our discussion on this practice here.
