Episode 9) Interview with Stephen A. Roddewig

Thank you to everyone for the support you have given me. I am so grateful to have met y'all and would love to connect on Instagram @booksbyjazzy.

I am also happy to be back on Vocal and making the podcast yet again. Thank you again to everyone who supports the show. Please remember to subscribe and rate in your podcast player.

Now on to the content you came for.

Also please note we take some time to honor our fellow Writer, Paul Stewart, in the episode. It can not be understated that we love that guy.

I was so excited to interview Stephen finally. What a funny guy, and humble, to be sure. Stephen has four achievements, including second place in the Painted Prose challenge! Turns out this man also has his own podcast so please check it out. See this article below for more information!

What strikes me about Stephen is his ablitiy to think and be eloquent about what he says. I have never in my life, thought too much about what I said and I really admire that someone can do that. Not only is he interesting, but he has such a different worldview that I had never considered. I had a great time talking to Stephen and hope that he will come back on the show again. We ended up talking even after the show and he is so easy to talk to; I can't wait to read his upcoming book coming out in late March and early April " A Bloody Business". Based on this character, Martin Willams. The series is available in pieces on Vocal but to get the full picture you need to buy the book! (If I'm lucky enough, after he releases, he will be back on the show to discuss that process and how that worked out for him!)

Let's take a look at the stories that he wrote. I loved this writing, as I said in the episode, his writing is sublime and has so much mental clarity to the style. I was so invested in the stories that, at times, I would be pulling my phone out at red lights just to get a chance to read the next sentence. (I promise I didn't read at red lights.)

These Tired Sides

When I read this, I was floored by the sentence structure. Which sounds funny when I write it and say it in my head, but the sentences flowed so well, and the pictures in my head were so vivid. This style was reminiscent of Ray Bradbury, with that finally punctuated ending. Brilliant.

Outside Mission Parameters

This story broke me. The tension and build-up (though we already know the ending) is visceral. Stephen’s use of sound and logic to build the suspense can not be understated in this story. His voice is very raw and real in his writing. I believe if given three different stories I could figure out which one was his.

King of the World

I’m a fan of post-apocalyptic settings, due to being a bit obsessed with fallout. The story unfolded in a way I thought I was playing Fallout yet again. The attention to detail was incredible and allowed my brain to become so engaged. I loved the point of view of a female written by a man who wasn't sexualizing everything. I found the character to be relatable, even after the end of the world.

Sealabs IV

This story was super engaging. We ended up talking about this story on the show and found that it was influenced by Steve Alton, who wrote "The Meg". The intriguing symbolism of the "golden eyes" made me think of the eyes from "The Great Gatsby". These eyes that are watching and seeing, however in this story they are more involved than in Gatsby.

Finally, some bonus content at the end of the episode. I hope y'all enjoyed this episode. More to come, and thank you!