Amygdala Magazine

Sofia Quaglia is a medical writer specializing in research and mental health reporting. She joins the podcast to review her article and research into the study of chronic and treatment resistant depression. Dr. Carmin Pariante is the subject of her article and joins as well to share about his research in this area, and why it is important. 

This episode is also being podcast on The Broken Brain, a podcast focused on culture and psychology. Stay tuned to this RSS feed for the return of Amygdala Magazine, specifically with endorsement plans for indie bookstores, and fictional stories and readings. Thank you for being here and subscribing through the hiatus. 

Ivan Infante is an Author and an Immigration lawyer working in the United States. He uses his historical crime novels to help fund his private law practice, where he specializes in helping immigrants remain within the USA.

Mike Chance, the protagonist in Infante's novels, is a conman in 1930s Los Angeles with a bit of a murder problem. He is reminiscent of Richard Stark's Parker, with his own flair.    

Buy his book! Available on Amazon: Search for Fake Bank by Ivan Infante

Brandon Nobles is a Southern Gothic Author, a Teacher, a Linguist, and a Historian. He is the second place winner in the 2015 Amygdala Magazine short story competition with his story "The Obituary Writer."  

Brandon talks about writing from the point of view of the bystander to history, the outsider, and the pacifist in the middle of violence. He shares with us his intoxicating lust for life, his take on the evolving sensitivities of readers, and much much more. Most importantly he is super fun and witty, you will enjoy hearing our discussion. 

Follow Brandon on twitter @MrBrandonNobles, stalk him on FaceBook or read him at Channillo.

Rachel Brasch, author and english professor, joins me to discuss her newest novel The Listener. The Listener is a powerful tale of psychology, emotion, LGBT issues, and identity. It is Rachel's third novel. 

We discuss the use of a switching third person narrative, the inclusion of raw emotion, and the breaking of expectations in telling a story. 

The Amygdala Magazine podcast is tied to the Amygdala Magazine, a digital short story anthology. We are now accepting submissions for our 2016 short story competition. 

Ivan Infante is the author of False Ransom, Fixed Fight, and the Comic Book Cannibal Detective. He is a longtime screenwriter and his award-winning short film "Pretty Little Doggie," can be seen online. He is currently hard at work on his third novel, the upcoming Fake Bank, the final installment of the Mike Chance Series. He specializes in classic noir crime fiction. 

Ivan has also agreed to be a judge for the 2016 Amygdala Magazine Short Story Contest. He will return to the podcast in a few weeks to discuss what he looks for in short stories and give tips on their creation. 

In this interview we discuss the movie industry, historical research, screenwriting, and the use of hard work in accomplishing your creative goals. Ivan demystifies the storytelling process, and is a fan of the Push Method of writing, which he describes on today's podcast. 

Follow Ivan on Twitter at: @eddiemarsattack or view his website at:www.ivaninfantewrites.com. 

 Amygdala Magazine is a member of the Core Temp Arts Network of podcasts. 

Jen Chaney is the TV Journalist for the Entertainment website Vulture, and the Author of the book As If!: The Oral History of Clueless as told by Amy Heckerling and the Cast and Crew

I first became familiar with Jen's work on Vulture, by reading her hilarious and insightful episode-by-episode recap of Downton Abbey (which you should really check out).

She was also kind enough to cohost with me on a podcast about the final season of Downton Abbey. 

Jen talks with me about the process of interview and editing that goes into an Oral History, as well as the creativity in telling compelling nonfiction stories. 

Be sure to follow up this interview by reading Jen's book, check out her NY Mag Archives, and also follow her on Twitter!

Darryl Mansel is a comic genius. He is so genius that he decided to start makign his own independent comic book: Pineville (check out https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/pineville#/ to contribute to his fundraiser).

Darryl is a veteran, a podcaster, a writer, and a family man. He tells me all about how he got invovled in making comics, and how he keeps things balanced. Follow him on Twitter and CHECK OUT his Indigogo page for Pineville.

Andrew Malin Milward is the author of "I Was A Revolutionary," and "The Agricultural Hall of Fame," both collections of his short stories. He joins me today to discuss writing fiction infused with history, explaining why he shies away from 'historical fiction,' writing difficult topics, and how to create independent voices for characters. An avid researcher and masterful writer, Andrew shares great ideas and tips about the creative process. 

Isaac Coleman is a writer, software engineering student, and video game designer. 

He tells us the thought process behind "Tonight's Supernova," his winning entry into the 2015 Amygdala Short Story Competition. 2016's contest is now open for entries, BTW.........

Check out Isaac's video game, THE LAST SPACE MARINE, at: http://gamejolt.com/games/the-last-space-marine/58220

Jennifer Beckstrand loves Romance! She is a long time writer of romantic fiction, and a specialist in writing fiction set within the Amish community. She discusses how she got started with specific genre work, writing in the voice of a new community, and society's need for light hearted fiction. She also describes how light-hearted is not the same thing as shallow, and talks about avoiding lazy short-cuts in storytelling.

 Check out Jennifer's work at her website, follow her on FaceBook and Twitter (@JenniferBckst1) and read her series "The Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill," and "The Honeybee Sisters."