Chronscast - The Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror Podcast

We were joined on this episode by Stephen Palmer, author of several genre novels including Memory Seed, Tommy Catkins, The Girl With Two Souls, and many more. His latest novel, Monique Orphan, was published in November 2021 by Infinite Press.

Stephen spoke with us about Philip Pullman's Northern Lights. We discussed the novel's call to action on the part of the protagonist, its rich and complex themes, whether it really succeeds in laying down its atheist credentials, and how Pullman drew the narrative out of John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. 

Stephen talks about his own long career, including his latest novel Monique Orphan, the importance for writers of having something to say, and the equal but infuriating importance of luck to a career in writing.

We also stop by at The Judge's Corner to learn about copyright, hear the winning entry from December's 75-word writing challenge, by Cat's Cradle, and listen to some odd voicemails received by the Chronscast inbox.

Links

The Abyssal Awakening Of Mankind in Northern Lights and Paradise Lost

Philip Pullman's Introduction to Paradise Lost

Stephen Palmer's official website

Join SFF Chronicles for free

Index

[00:00 - 59:10] Stephen Palmer interview Part 1

[59:15 - 59:44] Voicemail #1

[59:45 - 1:17:45] The Judge's Corner

[1:17:46 - 1:18:12] Voicemail #2

[1:18:13 - 1:19:51] Writing Challenge Winner

[1:19:52 - 1:20:24] Voicemail #3

[1:20:28 - 1:49:05] Stephen Palmer interview Part 2

Dan Jones and Chris Bean introduce Chronscast, the official podcast of SFF Chronicles, the world's largest science fiction & fantasy (and horror!) community, with over 20,000 members and growing.

In episode 0, we give an overview of season 1, outlining what people can expect from Chronscast, why we're doing it, and how it links back to SFF Chronicles. As SFF Chronicles (or "Chrons" as we call it) has a large writing community embedded in it, we'll be taking a look at some of the great genre books (and the occasional film) from the perspective of writers, trying to figure out why something works (or doesn't), and what we can learn from it. 

Each episode we'll have a special guest who'll help us through the text of that month, and who will also talk to us about their own work and journey. Our guests will include authors, teachers, publishers, literary agents, and other podcasters.

Further Reading

Read Dan's blogs, short fiction, and essays at danjonesbooks.club 

Read Chris's blogs and flash fiction at beanwriting.com

And join the world's largest SFF community for free at sffchronicles.com