Cold

There is a twisted, tangled, and often tactical relationship between true stories and works of fiction. True stories can inspire and influence a fiction author's work, bringing a level of enchantment to her story. Or a true story can stumble its way into a perfectly good tale and wreck it, make it seem unreal somehow. 

But when it's done right, it can change an author's heart and blow a reader's mind. 

I've mixed a lot of fact and fiction in my stories - especially in my earlier novels - the ones closer in theme to my own family lore. I don't know how many minds I've blown, if any at all, but I do know that my own mesh of fact and fiction has changed my heart.

And if I've put you in the mood for seeing if any of my work can change your's, even potentially blow your mind, check out my novels here, on my website: www.victoriadoughertybooks.com

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2016/03/31/the-communist-who-peed-his-pants-and-other-war-stories/

I've always used music to juice myself creatively. I can't imagine writing a work of fiction without using music as an inspiration, and even go so far as to actually build soundtracks for every story in my catalogue. That's why on this week's Cold, we're talking music and its often crucial, magical connection to the construction of a story. I use a variety of music genres to inspire my work, and the genre of music depends on the nature of the story I'm writing, but I defininetly play favorites when it comes to pairing songs and music styles with fictional universes. In this episode I focus specifically about how and why I use the Blues to animate my Cold War Historical Fiction, as well as almost any scene, regardless of the genre, that has an element of grit and heartache.

For those interested in my Cold War fiction, links to Books 1 and 2 of The Cold War Chronicles follow.

The Bone Church: https://books2read.com/u/4A5wEK 

The Hungarian: https://books2read.com/u/m2loOR

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2018/11/09/even-cowgirls-like-me-get-the-blues/

I often forget how opaque the creative process may seem – even to those who live with artists. Few people outside the realm of painters, writers, musicians and their ilk have anything more than a rudimentary understanding of the way it all really works. That's why I thought it might be interesting if we tried to articulate some of the steps that go into writing of a work of fiction. To pick through the bones that hold up each and every discordant part, providing architecture to the stories we endeavor to tell. Because for those on the outside, the creative process might seem like magic. It can appear to be an almost paranormal journey with exciting bursts of imagination that turn into a warm rush of ideas that can make a narrative feel like destiny. And while that's true sometimes, that journey can just as easily turn into a hot mess. Or have a hard time getting started at all.

And if you're interested in reading "Savage Island" or "Breath," which are referenced in this episode, here are the links.

"Savage Island" by Victoria Dougherty - https://books2read.com/u/bowBVR

"Breath," by Victoria Dougherty - https://books2read.com/u/31Kkwa

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/tonights-lecture-will-be-on-the-creative-process-whether-you-like-it-or-not/

In honor of the coming 4th of July Holiday here in America, we're going to take some time here on Cold to celebrate independence, free thought, and free living. We'll do it through the lenses of both fiction and non-fiction, and talk about my own personal stories of Cold War adventure that include my family's dangerous exploits and my life and travels in post-communist Eastern and Central Europe. Fun, heartbreaking, and darkly comic stories that will stay with you throughout the day, and give you something to think about while you're watching the fireworks this coming weekend.

And if you just can't get enough of the topic - and who can? - please visit my friend Mark Bakers travel blog on Central Europe at  https://markbakerprague.com/

Mark makes his home in Prague and has been in the region a long time, critter-crawling through little-known towns, haunting eccentric-looking cafes, taking gorgeous pictures, and writing for publications like Lonely Planet. He has such an artistic eye and knows a great story – the kind you’ll rarely find in mainstream publications.

As for the fiction part, if you're in the mood for some Cold War fiction full of atmosphere, eccentric characters, danger, passion, and soul, please check out books 1 and 2 of The Cold War Chronicles, The Bone Church and The Hungarian. I've started writing book three and it's a wild ride!

Get em here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08W1HDX4T?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2017/11/10/100-craptastic-years-of-communism/

We are all time-travellers of a sort. Maybe few of us actually step into a time machine or through some standing stones and find ourselves in a new (or rather, old) time and place, but jumps in time happen to us nonetheless. It's when we visit an old haunt, move to a new city, or start going out into the world again after a long pandemic lockdown. That, too, makes us move in time. It's juices us creatively, matures us quite suddenly, and gives us a brand new perspective...sometimes a new lease on life. That's what we're talking about today on Cold. How these jumps in time nourish our imaginations and bring texture to our lives. How we would be lost without them, even if they can feel frightening and destablizing.

If you're interested in reading "Welcome to the Hotel Yalta," the book of Noir short stories I reference in this podcast, you can dowload a free copy right here:  https://books2read.com/u/mYRRGW

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2017/04/25/on-old-haunts-daughters-and-time-travel/

Men. As a writer and a woman, this is a topic of endless fascination for me. Given that I'm a thriller writer at my core, and add to that the fact that I've been endeavoring to write a great, epic romance filled with sensuality, violence and adventure, it's a topic that's become of great professional interest over the years. Because writing men of adventure is the easy part. We know what to expect from that man, that character in fiction. We know he will go on the journey, take the red pill, run into the burning building. What's a bit more complicated is fleshing that man out, making his character, his values, his dreams of love simmer beneath the surface. So, that's why today in the Cold, we are delving into the hearts and souls of the most compelling men in our lives. The ones we want to write and read about. The one's we desire as lovers, husbands, fathers of children. The ones that make us stay up all night long, turning page after page.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2018/02/20/men-in-love-and-war/

Writers of historical characters and events have always had to balance being true to a given era and yet relatable to contemporary readers. But doing this is easier said than done...especially in today's cultural climate. That's why we're talking about the strictures that political correctness can place on writers of Historical Fiction, and whether this is having an impact on the genre both artistically and commercially. 

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2019/03/27/repeating-history-why-writing-about-the-past-matters/

This week in the Cold, we're talking about the writing life in all of its complicated glory. Not only how we writers evolve and develope the daily habits that allow us to finish massive pieces of work, like a novel, but the emotional journey of mining our personal experiences for our creative efforts. How very differently we deploy our imaginations when writing fiction versus non-fiction, and the mine fields we need to navigate as we expose not only our own hearts, but potentially the hearts of those we love. Folks, it is daunting, and it is beautiful.

 This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2019/08/09/the-writing-life/

Last year, about six weeks before the COVID lockdowns hit, I made a vow to say yes to any invitation that came my way - no matter who it was from or what kind of event I was getting myself into. The results, in just those few short weeks, were dramatic. Not only did I end up at a freakin' KISS concert (I did say I'd accept ANY invitation, right?), but I made new and true friendships that helped take me through a long and stressful pandemic. That's why, as COVID structures have begun to relax in earnest, I  have vowed to retake my vow of YES. And I'm inviting you all to join me!

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2020/02/12/how-i-ended-up-at-the-kiss-concert/

Pain is awful, frightening, destablizing, and thrilling. Yes, thrilling! It's why a writer must put her characters through the wringer or else risk losing the reader. We want to experience a character having to do battle, to transcend agonizing, sometimes impossible circumstances, to rise above them, or perhaps, as a cautionary tale, let their pain consume them. Reading about pain is a dress rehearsal for confronting our own challenges, and for performing a kind of autopsy on our real-world reactions to painful episodes in our lives. It's why I believe that a world without pain would be a wasteland. This episode is also available as a blog post: https://victoriadougherty.wordpress.com/2013/10/08/why-a-world-without-pain-is-a-wasteland/