Episodes

Today is a big day in the UK: the general election. After we mark our ballots (because, of course, all BtGS listeners will get out there and vote today, right?!) and while we all bite our nails in nervous anticipation of the result, we have the perfect distraction… an interview with comics writer Kieron Gillen. […] The post Kieron Gillen on gender and diversity in comics first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Megan talks to comic writer Kieron Gillen about diversity within the comics industry as well as the comics themselves.

This week, Charlotte interviews Victorian steampunk/alternate history/comedy/gothic/romance/surrealist/urban fantasy writer Gail Carriger. This is one writer you cannot easily slot into a neat classification. Her writing defies genre so much she has practically invented her own! Gail talks about writing across a wide variety of genres and how she came to write such unique stories. From […] The post Gail Carriger on comedy in SFF and the heroine’s journey first appeared on Breaking the Glass Sli...

Charlotte interviews Gail Carriger about her disregard for genre constraints, the joys of making readers laugh, and whether you should put the milk or the tea in the cup first!

Genre fiction explores different possibilities of all kinds – what life might be like with the invention of new technologies, other worlds completely divorced from what we know, and more. But why, then, do we still find so many minority voices erased from these ‘other’ worlds where anything is possible. The only limit to science […] The post Ytasha Womack on Afrofuturism first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Megan talks to Ytasha Womack, author of Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-fi and Fantasy Culture about the origins, values, and art of the movement.

Wanting to see equal representation in genre fiction doesn’t stop at gender. We want to see all kinds of people represented across gender, creed, sexuality, race, age, physical ability, taste in films, dog lovers, cat lovers, tea drinkers, and even those coffee drinkers… You get the point. This week, we ask why only young folk […] The post Maiden, mother, and crone: Ageism in genre fiction first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Wanting to see equal representation in genre fiction doesn't stop at gender. We discuss the lack of 'older' protagonists in genre fiction and the problematic tropes and assumptions about older characters we see.

As Kameron Hurley discusses in her Hugo Award-winning article, ‘We Have Always Fought‘, women have always fought. So why don’t we see more women warriors in science fiction and fantasy novels? History is full of women on battlefields and in brawls, even if the history books might gloss over it. Remember: much of the history […] The post Fight scenes and women warriors with Juliet McKenna first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Writing fight scenes is a tricky business, there are a lot of factors to keep in mind and elements you must get right or risk alienating the reader, so we talk to writer and martial artist Juliet McKenna on insights into writing better fight scenes and what some of the most common problems are.

It isn’t possible to be too old for Disney films. You might go through that contrary teenage phase of claiming to have outgrown them, but we all know that’s a lie. Whether you are 6 or 66, no matter your gender, nationality, or creed, Disney films have a special place in all our hearts. While […] The post Disney Princesses first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

How feminist are the Disney princesses? Have we seen a positive trend in the modern examples? What else does Disney need to do to create positive role models for children?

2017 is set to be a big year for Laura Lam. With two new books, the final in her Micah Grey trilogy, Masquerade, and the second in the Pacifica series, Shattered Minds, as well as a short story included in the anthology Nasty Women, she’s definitely one to look out for. If you’ve not come across her books […] The post Laura Lam on exploring the queer experience in SFF first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

With the final book in her Micah Grey series out this month, Laura Lam talks to Lucy about exploring the queer experience in her writing.

Please note that this episode may contain content that could upset some listeners. Audience discretion is advised. Late in 2016 I stumbled across a post on Tor.com entitled ‘Do Better: Sexual violence in SFF‘ by Sarah Gailey and I knew I had to interview her for Breaking the Glass Slipper. I wasn’t disappointed. My chat with […] The post Sarah Gailey on sexual violence in SFF first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

*Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual violence that may upset some listeners. Genre fiction is, by definition, limitless in its possibilities. Writers could create any world they want... so why do they so often create fictional worlds where sexual violence, particularly against women, is commonplace?

This week, Charlotte interviews horror writer Alison Littlewood, whose debut novel A Cold Season made a splash when it was first released, making the Richard and Judy Book Club. Since then, she’s published another seven books, including two short story collections. While her writing predominantly falls into the category of horror, Alison is not averse to trying […] The post Interview with Alison Littlewood first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Charlotte interviews horror writer Alison Littlewood about how she became a writer, her love of fairytales and the importance of a really good editor.

Science fiction writer Kameron Hurley is the latest victim to naively offer to be interviewed by me. Already well-known for her award-winning essay ‘We Have Always Fought’, several successful series (including God’s War, Worldbreaker Saga, and Bel Dame Apocrypha), and the badass essay collection The Geek Feminist Revolution, her latest book, a standalone space opera, […] The post Kameron Hurley on feminist SF and space operas first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Megan interviews two-time Hugo award winning science fiction writer Kameron Hurley.

Love triangles are as a common as mud when it comes to fiction. Is your story lacking tension? Throw in a love triangle! Do you want to hook in a teenage audience? Throw in a love triangle? Want some audience titillation?! … You get the idea. But love triangles can be done well, at least, […] The post Love triangles first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Megan, Lucy, and Charlotte discuss love triangles in SFFH fiction: from the popular one girl, two guy version to the 'two person' love triangle.

Portal fantasy has long been a popular subgenre of fantasy, from classics such as The Chronicles of Narnia to Alice in Wonderland and newer interpretations like Lev Grossman’s The Magicians. One of my favourite novels published last year was Foz Meadows’ YA portal fantasy, An Accident of Stars. The novel played to many of the conventional tropes while also offering […] The post Foz Meadows on portal fantasy first appeared on Breaking the Glass Slipper.

Megan interviews genderqueer fantasy author, Foz Meadows, on portal fantasy, its tropes, and how the subgenre can be used to address gender issues.