Our Episodes
Interview with RJ Barker
Regular listeners will already be familiar with the fabulous RJ Barker who joined us live at Nine Worlds to discuss realistic characters. This week, Charlotte interviews RJ about writing female characters, his favourite genres, and writing characters with...
Subverting social norms with Adrian Tchaikovsky
Most science fiction and fantasy focus on humans - or at least societal structures that are recognisable from within cultures on Earth. Given that genre fiction is meant to be one of unlimited imagination, why do we find it so difficult to imagine societies where...
Diversity in video games with Emily Marlow
How important are video games in showcasing diversity? Can they do it better than other forms of media? Whether 'diversity' means eschewing the traditional cis white male protagonist or encountering a broad spectrum of race, gender and relationships, can gaming offer...
Witchcraft, ritual, and power
This week, we are taking a slight detour from our usual subject matter and taking a look at witchcraft and ritual in the real world from writers who identify as witches and explore these ideas in their non-fiction writing. After coming across Katie West's latest...
Pat Cadigan: Queen of Cyberpunk LIVE
At this year's FantasyCon in Peterborough, Breaking the Glass Slipper was lucky enough to interview one of the guests of honour, Pat Cadigan. Pat is a writer of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, a three-time winner of the Locus Award, twice-winner of the Arthur C....
Mythical females
Mermaids, Harpies, Valkyries, Succubae, Sirens, Banshees, Nymphs - We’ve been encountering the mythical female in literature and folklore for thousands of years. She appears in numerous religions, sometimes as saviour, sometimes as a harbinger of doom. She lures men...
In praise of YA with Frances Hardinge
Young adult fiction is called a genre, a bookshop category, and more. It is a way of grouping books together based, usually, on the age of the protagonist. But a young adult protagonist does not mean that a book will only appeal to a younger audience, nor should it....
Interview with Tim Lebbon
Horror aficionado Charlotte talks with author Tim Lebbon, whose published bibliography is extensive. Lebbon has written countless horror and dark fantasy novels, both his original ideas as well as film novelisations and franchise tie-ins. A fan of his work, Charlotte...
Realistic characters with RJ Barker and Anna Smith Spark
In literary criticism, you often hear critiques of characters based on whether or not the character was realistic. But what does a realistic character look like when it comes to speculative fiction and why is it so important that a character feels realistic in worlds...