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Oh wow! has it been two weeks already!?  Time is REALLY flying!  (I wonder if Escape Pod left the universal time adjustment matrix running on high again after a temporal experiment? Hmmm. Will have to ask!)

But back to the main reason I’m writing this.  Two weeks ago, I attended the Expert Meet Up Event hosted by the Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers group in conjunction with the Octavia Project (who support young teens & tweens in Brooklyn area who are aspiring writers) and I was the invited expert!  The event was recorded for members who could not make it, but I thought I’d do a bit of a write up here too as it draws back the curtain on what happens at Cast of Wonders – always valuable knowledge for those wanting to be published here.

I was online ridiculously early because I get a touch anxious and HATE being late, plus tech issues can happen. Marcy (my contact at BSFW) was lovely we had a bit of a chat while we waited for folk to join.  BSFW partners with the Octavia Project in its Constellations Mentorship program which works with young women and non-binary writers of speculative fiction to improve their craft.  I’m going to share some of Marcy’s introduction to BSFW and the Octavia Project here:

“Brooklyn Speculative Fiction Writers was founded in 2010 by Bradley Robert Parks as a supportive forum for writers of all genres of speculative fiction, originally based in Brooklyn but now worldwide. With over 190 participating members, BSFW holds, via Meetup, short story and novel critique sessions, workshops, writing rooms, comics and graphic novels creation, Expert Meetups and events such as the We Demand Stories panels at Hidden Door in Brooklyn. We aim for not only craft but publication, and our members include authors who have published books nominated for awards, and have published short stories, and comics professionally. It is one of the most diverse writers groups in the nation and is mostly volunteer-led.”

“Inspired by Octavia E. Butler, The Octavia Project uses speculative fiction and interdisciplinary workshops to spark interest in and break down bias around STEM subjects like science and tech. Participants stretch their minds by musing on alternate histories with authors like Hugo Award winner N.K. Jemisin; coding interactive games; worldbuilding with architects; and mapping new cities with urban planners. In these explorations, their work grapples with gentrification, body image, climate change, racism, homophobia, and more. Their free summer programs bring together young women and trans and nonbinary youth to build new worlds. The Summer Institute for ages 14-19, is in its eleventh year, and the Summer Camp for grades 6-8, debuted in summer 2021.”

I was introduced next (we used my Cast of Wonders Bio) and then it was time for me to talk!

I was planning to do a whistle stop tour of how I got into podcasting and my professional journey on that score, and discuss a few of my favourites and why I love them – Simons Far and Near by Ana Gardner, The Cy De Gerch stories by Rick Kennett, Why I Saved the One Brave Soul Between Me and My Undead Army, The Cat that Worked from Home, Factory Mother, and The Middle Rages and then invite questions but Marcy found our pre interview chat about my recent successful job hunt and past career pivots so fascinating she asked me to elaborate on the STEM (Science Technology Engineering Maths) parts of my background for the young people, so I wove that in.

Part 1: How did I get into STEM, Fantasy and Sci Fi and from there into Audio Fiction Podcasting?

Well!

I grew up on the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales – beautiful & I pretty much came in with the tides in the summer – and as a kid I wanted to be a Vet.  I also grew up with a parent who was a BIG reader, which I definitely picked up as a habit. We also never missed an episode of Star Trek the Next Generation so I’m very much a Trekkie over a Star Wars person (though Star Wars IS also good Sci fi)

Then I watched Vets School and realized those people were WAY smarter than I was, and after reading James Herriott I also realized I like a good night’s sleep way more than I like animals in need.  So that plan was out the window and I had to make my first career pivot.

My parents split up and I moved north with Mum: New School, TERRIBLE new career guidance person – seriously, I got given a handful of leaflets, most of them surrounding working in retail as a shop assistant, and that was that.  I had to figure it out on my own.  I also buried myself in reading – Horsey stuff mostly (I was a bit pony mad) – but also Star Trek novels.  The Q ones were my favourites.

First big career/life lesson – ADVOCATE for yourself.

Which I did.  I was GOOD at biology/chemistry and at art/graphic design so I had a few options that would pay the bills career wise, so I thought…  I’ll go to uni and be a marine biologist because I love living near the coast.

So, I went to college choosing to take Biology, Chemistry, Art and Media Studies and proceeded to freak the heck out because I was at that time, an undiagnosed autistic, and it was a BIG change and a BIG campus split over two sites – half a city apart – and no one told me how to get between them!  So I panicked and jumped onto childhood studies of all things within a week.  I did NOT last long in that – I was acing the theory, the practical…not so much! So I basically had to skip a year and start again.  There’s no shame in that. I met some awesome folk: one of whom was in my Biology class before I panicked and she was also doing Geology. The teacher sounded really cool (He really was!). So, come the next September, I took Biology, Chemistry, Geology & Geography.  And I ACED them…well not chemistry.  That was 3 marks off a fail!

But Geology and the teacher were so awesome I quickly shifted from wanting to be a marine biologist to a marine geologist.  Then at a birthday party that same friend who got me into geology handed me a copy of Anne McCaffrey’s The White Dragon – my first introduction to Fantasy and I LOVED it.  I mean, I was a pony mad teenage girl with a penchant for science fiction.  Telepathic FLYING ponies?  SIGN ME UP!

That opened up the world of fantasy for me AND I found like minded people on forums, specifically the Kitchen Table forum for fans of Anne McCaffrey’s works – where I met my long time bestie, and Cast of Wonder’s Editor, the lovely Kath. These wonderful people encouraged me to start writing – fan fiction at first – it was a great way to practice the craft.

Sometimes it really is about who you know, so networking is important – when it comes to any kind of job as I’ve recently found ;)

Anyway, I went to Uni, pivoting from Marine Geology to an undergraduate Masters in Geoscience at Keele University as that uni had a really great offering – geophysics, engineering geology, history of geology (I have a perennial interest in all things historical), volcanology and micro-palaeontology.  It also threw in forensic geology towards the end of my 4 years masters as a new forensics course was brought online.  I did dual award with physical geography so I got the full rounding of Earth Systems Science.  Considering I was terrible at physics at GCSE, it’s amusing that I was AMAZING at geophysics at uni and as that was a really well-paying career I angled for it. Then I made a bit of a life altering mistake…

I missed the final exam.

I thought it was the day AFTER the day it actually was ><

Still, I passed the module with more than 40% (the 50% weighted coursework was THAT good!) but, anyone looking at my uni transcript was BOUND to ask: why do you want to be a geophysicist when you got such a terrible grade?

I was never going to get a job in that field, so, once again, I had to pivot.

I took a scattershot approach, applying for everything, and landed a GREAT job as a lab technician at Fugro Marine GB. Basically I got paid to make mud pies all day as part of a standard set of classification tests on soil samples brought in from offshore to help in the designing of windfarm and pipeline foundations.  The mud pies part was a cone penetration test to see where the point of the mud becoming liquid was, we also did a bit of playing with it as if it was plasticine to see at what point it went from plastic to brittle. It was also sieved, shaken and squished in various ways to see how it acts when stressed.

I was there just under 10 years and I only left because I met the love of my life at a (no lies) fairy tale ball – The Split Worlds one-shot Live Action Role Play, based on a series of absolutely fantastic books written by Emma Newman – that our editor Kath convinced me to go to without my ever having read the books they were based on!  We succeeded where our characters failed spectacularly and I made so many amazing life-long friends at that one event.

Second big life lesson – Take that chance, push through that anxiety of the unknown – you never know where it will lead and AMAZING things could (and usually do) happen.

So, April 2017 I moved across the country to be with my partner, and needed to find another job.  Peterborough is not known for its geology jobs even if it does have interesting geology – but I found one!  Asbestos Lab technician.  I didn’t last there long.  The commute was KILLING me.   So, I got a job at the same company as my partner in their contract management team.  It is an IT company so that was a BIG pivot for me (my third).

At the SAME time as I was moving across the country and job hunting/hopping, Kath invited me to try out as a slush reader/associate editor at Cast of Wonders, which she had been working at for some time.  I’d met Marguerite our then editor at a geeky convention – introduced by Kath, and even though the timing was ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. I took the risk, and said yes.  I haven’t looked back since :D

Part 2:  What’s it like as a member of the Cast of Wonders Crew?

My interview to be a slusher consisted of reading and reviewing three stories.  One was passable, but nothing special, one was absolutely fantastic and one was by an author who is the reason behind some of our ‘we do not want this’ notes in the submissions guidelines that we have nicknamed ‘the necrophilia guy’.

*sigh*

Yes, someone actually thought it was a good idea to try and sell a story about that to a YOUNG ADULT market.

And this was BEFORE AI was a factor.

Anyway, I passed that test with flying colours and joined the team!

I am what I call a turbo powered rocket slusher in the sense that I can get through a prodigious number of stories in a fairly short span of time.  I am also pretty bomb proof when it comes to filtering out the stuff that still occasionally comes in that’s super dodgy.  We do try to take note of our editorial crew’s phobias and triggers so we can add content warnings on ones that might upset so they can avoid if they want to.

The downside to that is that I don’t often give in depth reviews of the stories I’m reading.  I read, I rate, I filter out the non-anonymous and deeply dodgy and add a content warning or a ‘this needs rejecting for [reason]’ and move on.  Which is why we have a policy of having at LEAST 4 sets of eyes from as diverse a set of backgrounds as possible on any one story before we reject it unless it breaks the submission guidelines. I may have the privilege of getting my eyes on an amazing story like Simons Far and Near first….but I am also at risk of missing the absolute bangers that are slow to get going, or from a non-western mythos. [Editor’s note: I recall Amy bouncing off This is How You Remember!]

More recent intakes of Associate Editors (slush readers) we have asked what their favourite Cast of Wonders stories are because we like to know that our editorial assistants know what we are looking for, and the feel/vibe/messaging we like to publish. We are always looking for new slushers from marginalised groups, non-western cultures and young readers to keep us current and catch those gems that, for instance, I would not pick up on being from a western culture and more familiar with that mythos.

One of our internal tag lines is, “If we are getting called woke – we are doing our job right.” – it’s a badge of honour for us and I am extremely proud of being part of a team that’s received two Ignyte Award short list nominations.

In March 2019 I was invited to be one of the guest editors for the Artemis Rising 5 showcase where I learned more about how the editorial side of things worked. For that call I deliberately stepped back from slush reading, only focusing on those stories that made it to stage 2. Would I do that again?  Maybe, maybe not. Editor’s choice is always a strong lean for a story acceptance – particularly if it makes the editor belly laugh or ugly cry!

Ever since then, I’ve been helping the editorial side out, a bit of social media here, learning how to respond to certain emails there… I stepped into an Editorial Assistant role a couple of years ago to help Kath out, but I did initially refuse to take the full step up to Assistant Editor (a couple of times actually) because I didn’t want to be put under the pressure of the responsibility.  This is my side hustle – I want it to stay FUN!  But… I WAS basically doing the role, and last month Kath made sure I got the recognition I deserved and promoted me anyway when I offered to help with staff onboarding and recruitment – which I’m currently learning how to do.

We do pay all our staff – which IS rare in this industry considering we are entirely donor funded.

So yeah, that’s me.  Co-Assistant Editor at Cast of Wonders & Rocket Powered Turbo Slusher.

After that, I fielded questions.  My short term memory is terrible so I can’t remember the exact ones asked on the night, but I did have a few queries sent to me in advance:

Part 3: QUESTIONS FOR AMY

• Seems like a common theme running through some of your favourites is young people surviving, or not, in the wake of ecological devastation.  Simons, Near and Far has a cohort of pre-teens sent on a mission to save an ecologically devastated Earth by terraforming planets in the Kuiper Belt. Factory Mother is about a young immigrant from an environmentally devastating and extremely destructive India, solving issues with fungi. For both, their relationships become seriously entwined with their work. lending an element of pathos. And hope. And there is a strong sense of real science extrapolated to science fiction. Is this you or C of W?

That is very definitely ME, I love a story with a hopeful vibe, with a cosy feel, with a bit of humour but Cast of Wonders doesn’t shy away from publishing the difficult stuff either.  That’s one of the reasons we have multiple associate editors with varying backgrounds and tastes.  I gravitate to the light and light hearted, and lean more Sci-fi than fantasy, but once a darker/more difficult story is pointed out to me by someone else, I can, then, see the value to it.

• The Middle Rages cleverly takes a fairly regular story of teenage rebellion and boredom with the status quo onto a generation ship. Again relationships are key. Why do YOU like it?

For that one it’s not just about the rebellion, it’s about the fact that they used their not inconsiderable skills to hijack a system without setting off security.  Once they’d been punished as they inevitably would be for their actions, they’d no doubt have bright futures ahead of them in their chosen professional fields.  They showed passion, dedication, and yes, a little bit of rebelliousness – but that’s needed in life – to make people stop, to make people think, to question is the staus quo actually right/good for the community at large?

• Do you ever use non-conventional story-telling

Yes, I personally quite like the epistolary style which is quite hard to pull off well and I frequently find it easier to write stories where you put the reader in the position of being the protagonist – you see this, you experience this you do this.

• How many stories do you take per year?

I don’t have exact figures off the top of my head, but our submissions are probably in the region of a thousand or so – it really depends on the call and how many we have a year.  The General Submissions 2025 has had just shy of 500 submissions alone.  The Young Adult only call attracts fewer – maybe a hundred but we absolutely LOVE IT when we can publish a young author, or be someone’s first professional publishing credit. We aim to publish on average one story per week.

• What is the most challenging aspect of a podcast for the YA audience? Rewards?

The most challenging aspect for me is actually selecting the stories that make it through to being published.  For the general submissions we’ve received just under 500 stories, a good 50 of them will be fantastic and we’ll only be able to take maybe 10-15?  That’s hard – from both sides really.

• How should a young person getting started in the field of speculative writing go about getting published?

They should read a lot – in their genre, outside their genre, keep writing, workshop the ones they feel are really strong with beta readers.  Try to become a slush reader – you’ll get a fantastic view of what’s good, what’s average, what’s terrible, and gets your mind thinking about how you’d improve that story that’s borderline so it’s publishable – that kind of thinking transfers to your own works.

oh, and:

DO NOT SELF REJECT

• What do you do as an editor? do you select stories? Edit them?

Editors have the hard part, we have to make the difficult decisions of how many of the amazing second stage stories (and they are ALL great) that we can take based on budget.  We also make selections based on what we have run recently and in the case of flash fiction, which stories pair up well.  There’s always more stories we want to take than funds available.  We just went through the second-round selections for our flash fiction call, and I was being SUPER harsh and I still ended up with three stories I wanted over and above the available budget ><

As an assistant editor I’m also involved in responding to emails, making social media posts, and helping with the admin that surrounds running a audio fiction podcast, supporting our Editor Kath in her editorial choices. I have yet to dip my toes into the taking on a piece that’s been selected to publish to edit, but it is not outside the realm of things I will be doing in the future.

• How do you choose a narrator?

We like to try and match up narrators to our stories based on ethnicity and age of the protagonist in the story that’s being read, so while Escape Artists does have a large database, we do occasionally put out calls for folk and are happy to take demos from those wanting to break into narration to test for quality.

• Are there any topics/subjects that C of W does not want (other than the obvious -isms?)

Obviously we have the do not want list in the submissions guidelines, but some things are a harder sell than others – stuff that’s been heavily over done like vampires and super heroes and fairy tales have to be SPECTACULAR or a really, really original take for us to take on, and I personally am not really a fan of preachy religious pieces – though we DO take religious pieces – Disposable Gabriel is a recent one on the Christian side that I enjoyed and Rachel Gutin’s (a member of BSFW) stories on the Jewish side are always a great read because those are about the story of people who happen to be religious, the religion is a seamless part of it, but not the be all and end all of the story.

And my closing words?

Always read the submission guidelines and:

DO NOT SELF REJECT.

DO NOT SELF REJECT.

DO NOT SELF REJECT!

 

Have a great day! – Amy