The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

By Fortunus GamesEducation
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The Nuts and Bolts of Writing episodes

  • EP 205: Book Review: “A Whole Life” by Robert Seethaler

    Hi, everyone. Today, it’s just me, Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast.

    Today, I’ll be reviewing a book that Tete DePunk and I read last year, “A Whole Life” by Robert Seethaler. I found it on the House of Anansi Press’ website and we were immediately struck by how powerful it was. 


    My GoodReads review of “A Whole Life”: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5033992611 

    Read my “A Whole Life” review on Substack: https://fortunusgames.substack.com/p/book-review-a-whole-life-by-robert


    6 min
  • EP 204: Interview with author and artist Nick Young

    Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews author Nick Young, who submitted an impressive range of his respective stories, “Oasis” in Issue 5,  “Alabama” in Issue 6, and his most recent story, “Boomerang” to Issue 7 of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.” Links to these works are at the bottom of this description.


    About Nick Young:

    Nick Young is a retired award-winning CBS News Correspondent.

    His writing has appeared in more than two dozen publications including the Pennsylvania Literary Journal, Fiction on the Web, Bookends Review, the Nonconformist Magazine, Sandpiper, the San Antonio Review, Flyover Magazine, Pigeon Review, Fiction Junkies, Typeslash Review, The Best of CaféLit 11 and Vols. I and II of the Writer Shed Stories anthologies. He lives outside Chicago.

    You can find him on Twitter: @NickYou87166031 and Instagram: @zenblues


    Tete asks Nick the following questions in this episode:

    1. Nick, your work delves into the heart of human nature and social issues. Did your time as a CBS News Correspondent influence your approach to writing? 

    2. Did your career as a News Correspondent give you the necessary structure for your writing work?

    3. When you approach a story, do you focus on the plot, the character, or the theme you want to convey to the readers?

    4. When you are tackling a heavy issue in your work, how do you face the challenge of telling that particular story or issue?

    5. Lastly, what advice would you give to writers out there? 

      6. Nick Young’s works featured in The Unconventional Courier:

      • https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/oasis

      • https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/alabama

      • https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/boomerang

        • 36 min
      • EP 203: Interview with Authors and Educators Elizabeth and Nancy Jorgensen

        Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games), the host of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing podcast, interviews two very special guests: authors and educators Elizabeth and Nancy Jorgensen, a writing and publishing mother-and-daughter duo.

        Noting a lack of middle-grade and young adult books featuring female sports heroes, they collaborated with their Olympian sister and daughter to inspire the next generation. As a result, they co-authored Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete and Go, Gwen, Go: A Family's Journey to Olympic Gold.

        As a brief introduction, Elizabeth Jorgensen is an award-winning high school language arts teacher and the author of Hacking Student Learning Habits (Times 10 Publications). Nancy Jorgensen is a retired choral music teacher and the author of two music education books.

        Today, we’ll be talking about how Elizabeth and Nancy publish as a team. Imelda (Fortunus Games) asked them the following questions:

        1. Why do you think there is a lack of books on female athletes, and how did you feel about this as the family of a triathlon champion? 

        2. Why do you think it is important to tell Gwen's story? How will her story impact the younger generations?

        3. How did the collaboration between you work? What was the writing process like and how did you divide the workload?

        4. How did you publish your book? How did you find your publisher? Did you find them online or in-person? How was the editing process like once you signed a contract with the publisher? How much freedom did you get to edit the book?

        5. You’ve also written a book about Korean poetry, Sijo: Korea’s Poetry Form. 

          1. What inspired you to write about sijo?

          2. How was the writing and publishing process compared to the writing process for Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete? 

            3. Get the Jorgensens’ books on Amazon:

            • Go: Gwen, Go: A Family's Journey to Olympic Gold

            • Gwen Jorgensen: USA's First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete

            • Sijo: Korea's Poetry Form (Parkyoung)

            • Nancy’s choral education book: Things They Never Taught You in Choral Methods

              • Purchased signed copies of Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete: https://www.booksco.com/signed-copy-gwen-jorgensen

              Free educator guide for Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete: https://download.m-m-sports.com/extras/GwenJorgensen/Teacher_Guide.pdf 

               The Jorgensens’ websites:

              • Elizabeth’s website: https://lizjorgensen.weebly.com/

              • Nancy’s website: https://nancyjorgensen.weebly.com/ 

              • Gwen’s website: https://www.gwenjorgensen.com/ 

                • For author visits, email [email protected] or [email protected]  

                Websites: lizjorgensen.weebly.com and nancyjorgensen.weebly.com

                On Twitter: @LyzaJo and @NancyJorgensen


                36 min
              • EP 202: Interview with author Laura Cooney

                Today, R. N. Roveleh, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing and co-editor of the literary magazine The Unconventional Courier, interviews writer Laura Cooney. 

                Her short-story “Musically Challenged. Challenged Musically” was published in our December Issue of The Unconventional Courier. It is a powerful and touching story of someone who is in love with music, but is tone deaf. You can read it here.

                Laura is a writer from Edinburgh with publications for both children and adults online and in print anthologies. Her recent side projects include attending spoken word events and collaboratively creating a children's poetry zine.

                When she's not doing lots of writing you'll find her with her children as close to the sea as possible, there will be ice-cream! 

                You can find Laura Cooney’s blog at  www.lozzawriting.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram @lozzawriting. 


                R.N. Roveleh asks Laura the following questions:

                1. Your story, “Musically Challenged”, speaks about the protagonist’s relationship to music, how music seeps into every aspect of their life and being. Let me start by asking you this: what was your inspiration for the story?

                3. What inspires you to write, in general?

                4. Have you got any favourite themes, types of characters, styles that you prefer to insert into your stories?

                5. How would you say that your job as teacher plays into your vocation as a writer?

                6. You published a zine with a team of writers and artists. I’m really curious to learn more, please tell us more about it. Do you think you’ll collaborate together again for similar projects in the future?

                7. What projects are you currently working on?

                8. I know your life is busy on all fronts. How do you make room to immerse yourself in writing? Have you got a writing schedule, any "writing rituals", or is it more an impulsive act for you?


                34 min
              • EP 201: Interview with Kyler Bingham, author and host of the "Salt Lake Dirt" podcast

                Today, host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games, IG/Twitter @fortunusgames) will be interviewing author and podcaster Kyler Bingham, who hosts the podcast, “Salt Lake Dirt,” where he interviews many different creatives, including authors, movie directors, and actors. 

                Me and Tete DePunk, a co-host of this podcast, have been interviewed on his podcast, specifically on episode 97, where we talked about how we met, our creative works, Tete’s Christian fundamentalist homeschooling experiences, and more. If you want to check out the episode, I’ve provided a link in the description.

                So, on to the focus of our podcast: Kyler Bingham.

                Kyler Bingham is an educator, writer and the host of Salt Lake Dirt, a podcast where he interviews writers, filmmakers, and musicians. He lives in Salt Lake City with his three dogs Rooney, Cosmo, and Mabel.

                You can follow Kyler’s podcast on Instagram and TikTok @saltlakedirt and on his website at www.saltlakedirt.com.

                I, Imelda Wei Ding Lo (Fortunus Games), asked Kyler the following questions:

                1. When I was on your podcast with Tete, you mentioned you were writing a book. What kind of book are you writing? What genre is it?

                2. Where did you get the idea for this book? 

                3. How have you been writing it? Do you write it whenever you’re inspired, or do you have a set schedule?

                4. What is the target audience of this book? How will you market it?

                5. How do you find talking about the specifics of a project? 

                  6. Links:

                  • Kyler’s social media: Instagram and TikTok @saltlakedirt and on his website at www.saltlakedirt.com.
                  • Listen to Episode 97 of “Salt Lake Dirt,” where Kyler interviewed me and Tete DePunk: https://saltlakedirt.com/podcast/f/fortunus-games-tete-depunk 
                  • Noah Hawley: Before the Fall: https://www.amazon.com/Before-Fall-Noah-Hawley/dp/1455561797
                  • Nic Pizzolato: Galveston: https://www.amazon.com/Galveston-Nic-Pizzolatto/dp/0751557056/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=galveston&qid=1680028783&s=books&sprefix=galve%2Cstripbooks%2C259&sr=1-5
                  • Jonathan Ames: You Were Never Really Here: https://www.amazon.com/You-Were-Never-Really-Here/dp/1782275258/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=you+were+never+really+here&qid=1680028835&s=books&sprefix=you+were+never+really%2Cstripbooks%2C158&sr=1-1
                  • Jerry Stahl: Permanent Midnight; I, Fatty: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Jerry-Stahl/author/B000APM6XY?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
                  • Bruce Wagner: https://www.brucewagner.la/books
                  • Tony DuShane: Confessions of a Teenage Jesus Jerk: https://www.tonydushane.com/


                    • 38 min
                  • EP 200: Interview with Poet and Author Indranil Ghosh

                    Today, Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, will be interviewing the electrifying poet and author Indranil, who submitted his collection of respective poems to Issues 2, 3, and 5 of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.”

                    His collection of evocative and striking works is often inspired by arresting modern artistic masterpieces by 20th-century greats such as Rene Magritte and Edvard Munch. Check out his works using the links at the bottom.

                    Indranil Ghosh is a Ph.D. student in applied mathematics from India, currently living in New Zealand.

                    Highly inspired by Nirvana, Led Zeppelin, and Robert Frost, whenever he is not working, one may find him either reading classic poems or listening to music from the 70s and 80s.

                    His poems appear in the Aphelion webzine, The Unconventional Courier, Roi Faineant Literary Press, etc.

                    You can follow Indranil Ghosh on Twitter and Instagram:  @indraghosh314.

                    Tete asks Indranil the following questions:

                    1. What first inspired you to write poetry?
                    2. How did you draw inspiration from art to create your striking poems?
                    3. How do the images from these artworks inspire the poem? Do you form the idea of a concept or emotion/theme when you first see an artwork?
                    4. Who are some of the poets and artists that inspire you?
                    5. You mentioned musical artists also inspire you- how does their work inspire you? Is there a difference between how musical artists inspire you vs. visual artists inspire you?
                    6. How do you put the emotions and thoughts of the figures in your poem into words?

                      7. Indranil’s works for TUC:

                      Are We There Yet? : https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/are-we-there-yet

                      3 Poems: https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/3-poem-by-indranil-ghosh

                      Four Poems: https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/four-poems-2

                      38 min
                    7. EP 199: Interview with author Gershom Mabaquiao

                      In this episode, R. N. Roveleh, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing and co-editor of the literary magazine The Unconventional Courier, interviews writer Gershom Gerneth Mabaquiao.

                      He is a writer of fiction and nonfiction. His works touch on the darker recesses of the human psyche and Philippine folklore. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.

                      Gershom's short story, A Heaven so True for Saint Peter, appeared in The Unconventional Courier in October 2022. His prose is deep and hard-hitting, an incursion into the dark side of human nature that isn't afraid to dive into heavy themes, analyze them and make them come alive with a touch of magical realism.

                      You can find Gershom Mabaquiao on:

                      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gershom.gerneth/

                      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gershom.gerneth/

                      Twitter: https://twitter.com/gershomgerneth

                      R.N. Roveleh asks Gershom the following questions:

                      1. What are some themes that you like exploring in your prose?

                      2. Censorship is something that writers who tackle such taboo topics always have at the back of their mind. Especially in today’s world of Trigger Warnings. I’m not only talking about being censored by the book industry or by a more sensitive readership, but also about the writing process - about censoring yourself, about choosing how far you want to go when describing such topics. Can you tell us more about this?

                      3. Writing is very often not about what you write, but about how you write it. How do you approach writing a difficult topic? And how do you balance saying what you want to say with directing your reader’s emotions throughout the story?

                      4. What kind of fiction do you like and find inspiring?

                      5. How would you define magical realism, and how does it appear in your prose?

                      6. Are there any literary projects that you’re working on at the moment? Can you share with us some of your literary plans for the future?

                      40 min
                    8. EP 198: “The Man of Steel” Movie Analysis By Co-Hosts Tete DePunk and R.N. Roveleh (a.k.a. Helevorn)

                      In this episode, co-hosts of “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing,” Tete DePunk and R.N. Roveleh (a.k.a. Helevorn) analyze a movie that Fortunus Games and Tete previously discussed on this podcast: Zack Snyder’s “The Man of Steel” (2013).

                      Tete DePunk and R.N. Roveleh talk about their impressions of the movies, why their perspectives are different, and how the movie meets (or doesn’t meet) their standards and expectations.

                      Tete Depunk's social media:

                      • @tete.depunk on Instagram
                      • @punk_tete on Twitter

                        • R.N. Roveleh's social media:

                        • @helevorn_bor on Instagram
                        • @NRoveleh on Twitter
                          • 39 min
                        • EP 197: Interview with Ali Ashhar about his poetry

                          In this episode, Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews poet Ali Ashhar, who submitted several of his poems, including “Life’s Lore” to Issue 5 of our literary zine, “The Unconventional Courier.” He also submitted his quartet of poems, including “Evasion”, to Issue 6 of The Unconventional Courier.

                          Ali Ashhar’s works featured in The Unconventional Courier:

                          • https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/life-s-lore
                          • https://tetedepunk.wixsite.com/theunconcourier/post/three-poems-2

                            • Ali Ashhar is a poet, short story writer, and columnist. He is the author of the poetry collection, Mirror of Emotions. 

                            Ali Ashhar has won four awards for his work during his writing career. His works appear in Indian Review, The Raven Review, Bosphorus Review of Books, among others.

                            You can follow Ali on Twitter: @AliAshhar11

                            Tete asks Ali the following questions in this episode:

                            1. When did you start writing poetry? Which poets have been your inspirations?
                            2. What is the best advice you could give other writers about writing or publishing?
                            3. Do you have a daily or weekly writing schedule, or do you write only when you are inspired?
                            4. How well do you work under pressure?


                              5. 15 min
                            5. EP 196: Interview with author Ashwini Gangal

                              In this episode, R. N. Roveleh (a.k.a. Helevorn), one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews writer Ashwini Gangal. Two of her short stories have appeared in our literary magazine “The Unconventional Courier”, namely Brown Gaze and Hotoli and Botoli. Her writings go deep into the human mind, and just when you think you understand the protagonist in their complexity, the story takes an unexpected turn and strikes you with the width of what there is yet to know.

                              After completing a rigorous master's degree in clinical psychology, Ashwini Gangal switched fields completely and worked as a media journalist at afaqs! India's most trusted b2b dot com, for 12 years, her specialty being advertising-and-marketing.

                              In mid-2022, she moved on from afaqs! to pursue her passion - poetry, fiction writing, academia and scholarship. She is currently enjoying a creatively energizing sabbatical, as she nurses her neuroses, eats through her savings and tries not to go completely mad. She has books to help her with that, as she is an insatiable reader.

                              Her own works of fiction have appeared in numerous publications including Danse Macabre, Piker Press, The Bangalore Review, India Currents, The Hooghly Review, and many more.

                              Check out Ashwini's stories for our literary zine, "The Unconventional Couirer":

                              • Brown Gaze 
                              • Hotoli and Botoli 

                                • You can find out more on Ashwini's website, www.ashwinigangal.com.

                                R.N. Roveleh asked Ashwini the following questions:

                                1. One thing I love about your stories is that they blend realism – a minute attention to details in painting society and human nature – with an unexpected surrealism, and many of them have a dark edge. You take your stories in a bold direction and give them a thrilling twist while keeping the focus on character psychology. (Which I think is quite rare, we don’t often encounter this with contemporary prose. We either see a focus on the twists- a plot-oriented story, or a more static and mundane piece about human experiences). So I think your style is truly striking. Which makes me curious to know: what inspires you to write like this?
                                2. I know you love reading. Have you got any authors or works of fiction that you draw upon when creating your own stories? (Can you say that you’ve learned something from each author and book you’ve read?)
                                3. You have, so far, published with us the story “Brown Gaze” (a wonderful short piece about cultural identity). What was your inspiration for the story? Given that it’s more rooted in the real world than some of your other stories, would you say it’s more personal to you?
                                4. Your next story which will appear in The Unconventional Courier is called “Hotoli and Botoli”. And, without giving any spoilers, I can say that, although it is also centered on the experiences of two women, it is very different from “Brown Gaze”. It has an almost mythical feel. What was the inspiration behind that one?
                                5. How would you describe your writing process? Is it a more structured approach, like a writing schedule, or a more impulsive one, relying more on striking bouts of inspiration?
                                6. I mentioned how your writings are deeply psychological. And I know, for one, that you’re interested in mental health. Could you tell us more about this? How does this reflect into your art?
                                7. Another interest of yours is past pandemics. Which is interesting because even though everybody, I daresay, has had the chance to reflect on the topic of pandemics, lately, you go a bit deeper, don’t you?
                                8. Where do you see your writing taking you in the years ahead?
                                9. What are your current projects?
                                10. Because this is a podcast where we also talk about how to approach certain aspects of the writing process: Have you got any advice for writers, especially those who want to blend the psychological with the surreal?
                                  11. 39 min

                                About The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

                                From the publisher's feed

                                Hosts Imelda Wei Ding Lo (a.k.a. Fortunus Games), Teresa (Tete DePunk), and R.N. Roveleh interview a wide range of writers and creators about their creative process and approach to writing. They also…