Michelle is the author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series. She also writes Novel Notes of Local Lore, a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents. Her books have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and more. It’s highly possible that Michell may have once lived in the 1930s and, since time travel has yet to be invented, she has resorted to writing about the era as a way of getting herself back there. She is a lover of board games, period dramas and big band music. Also, marmalade.

In this episode Michelle and I discuss:

• How her experiences working in a nursing home influenced her novel.
• Her method for writing societal issues revolving around wealth, women’s roles, and mental health.
• Her decision to use She Writes Press and what sets them apart from traditional and self-publishing.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Michelle Cox

Michelle Cox is the author of the multiple award-winning Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as Novel Notes of Local Lore, a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents. She suspects she may have once lived in the 1930s and, having yet to discover a handy time machine lying around, has resorted to writing about the era as a way of getting herself back there. Unbeknownst to most, Cox hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also, marmalade.

You can find Michelle on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Goodreads, BookBub, and SoundCloud.

A Child Lost

A spiritualist, an insane asylum, a lost little girl . . .

When Clive, anxious to distract a depressed Henrietta, begs Sergeant Frank Davis for a case, he is assigned to investigate a seemingly boring affair: a spiritualist woman operating in an abandoned schoolhouse on the edge of town who is suspected of robbing people of their valuables. What begins as an open and shut case becomes more complicated, however, when Henrietta—much to Clive’s dismay—begins to believe the spiritualist’s strange ramblings.

Meanwhile, Elsie begs Clive and Henrietta to help her and the object of her budding love, Gunther, locate the whereabouts of one Liesel Klinkhammer, the German woman Gunther has traveled to America to find and the mother of the little girl, Anna, whom he has brought along with him. The search leads them to Dunning Asylum, where they discover some terrible truths about Liesel. When the child, Anna, is herself mistakenly admitted to the asylum after an epileptic fit, Clive and Henrietta return to Dunning to retrieve her. This time, however, Henrietta begins to suspect that something darker may be happening. When Clive doesn’t believe her, she decides to take matters into her own hands . . . with horrifying results.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 348

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 348: Blending Genres in a Historical Series – Interview with Michelle Cox appeared first on DIY MFA.

Today I have the absolute pleasure of speaking with co-authors Anita Sarkeesian and Ebony Adams on the show!

Anita is an award-winning media critic and the creator and executive director of Feminist Frequency, an educational nonprofit that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives. She is best known as the creator and host of the highly influential video series Tropes vs. Women in Video Games, and she dreams of owning a life-size replica of Buffy’s scythe.

Ebony Adams is an author, activist, and former college educator whose work foregrounds the lives and work of black women in the diaspora. She writes widely on film criticism, social justice, and pop culture, and lives with a steadily-increasing collection of Doctor Who memorabilia.

On top of all this these ladies are now co-authors of the YA nonfiction book History vs. Women: The Defiant Lives that They Don’t Want You to Know, which is a fascinating (and aesthetically beautiful) book highlighting the lives of women who made an impact on the world.

I couldn’t help but fall in love with this book! First off, with its gorgeous illustrations, my inner graphic design geek went off the charts. Then there is the subject matter, which is something I feel super-passionate about, and the fact that it’s YA makes this book even better. When we share the stories of strong, impactful women throughout history with the young women of today, we’re not just empowering the young generation. We’re empowering everybody to help make our culture and our society better.

So listen in as Anita, Ebony, and I chat about this truly awesome book, and the importance of challenging our own perspectives through what we read and what we write.

In this episode Anita, Ebony and I discuss:

• The research technique of “insistent archaeology”.
• How to translate scholarly texts into exciting stories.
• The dangers of passive reading.
• Advantages of the YA genre to get unknown stories out there.
• Why stories about women should be shared with young children of all genders.

Plus, both of these lovely ladies’ #1 tip for writers.

About Anita Sarkeesian

Anita Sarkeesian is an award-winning media critic and the creator and executive director of Feminist Frequency, an educational nonprofit that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives. Best known as the creator and host of Feminist Frequency’s highly influential video series Tropes vs. Women in Video Games, Anita lectures at universities, conferences and game development studios around the world.

Anita dreams of owning a life-size replica of Buffy’s scythe, and she is the co-author along with Ebony Adams of History vs Women which is available now.

To connect with Anita check out her website at www.anitasarkeesian.com or hit her up on Twitter at @anitasarkeesian.

About Ebony Adams

Ebony Adams, Ph.D. is an author, activist, and former college educator whose work foregrounds the lives and work of black women in the diaspora. She lives in Los Angeles with a steadily-increasing collection of Doctor Who memorabilia.

She writes widely on film criticism, social justice, and pop culture, and along with Anita Sarkeesian is the co-author of History vs Women.

To connect with Ebony hit her up on Twitter at @ebonyaster.

To learn more about Anita and Ebony’s organization Feminist Frequency, head over to feministfrequency.com.

And don’t forget to check out Anita and Ebony, along with their co-host Carolyn Petit, on their podcast Feminist Frequency Radio.

History vs Women: The Defiant Lives that They Don’t Want You to Know

Rebels, rulers, scientists, artists, warriors and villains, women are, and have always been, all these things and more.

Looking through the ages and across the globe, Anita Sarkeesian, founder of Feminist Frequency, along with Ebony Adams, has a PhD in English, have reclaimed the stories of twenty-five remarkable women who dared to defy history and change the world around them. From Mongolian wrestlers to Chinese pirates, Native American ballerinas to Egyptian scientists, Japanese novelists to British Prime Ministers, History vs Women will reframe the history that you thought you knew.

Featuring beautiful full-color illustrations of each woman and a bold graphic design, this standout nonfiction title is the perfect read for teens (or adults!) who want the true stories of phenomenal women from around the world and insight into how their lives and accomplishments impacted both their societies and our own.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 242

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio or Google Play and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 242: Challenging the Status Quo — Interview with Anita Sarkeesian and Ebony Adams appeared first on DIY MFA.