Welcoming lovers of fantasy, scifi, horror, and all the channels inbetween, authors J.A. Ironside and M.E. Vaughan are proud to present Dissecting Dragons, the new podcast dedicated to discussing and dissecting speculative fiction for writers and readers, by writers and readers.
Releasing episodes weakly on Podbean & Itunes, Ironside and Vaughan will be exploring a number of different subjects, with the occasional weekly guest-star, and discussing the latest in both best selling and lesser known books and films.
Their goal: to dissect and examine all aspects of speculative fiction, from the nuts and bolts of writing it, to its (occasionally) obscure origins.
Get links or listen to the episode on the Dissecting Dragons facebook, or podbean account, or download straight from itunes!
Episodes in BOLD feature a guest star!
EPISODES
- Rags to Rebel Leaders – The Re-emergence of the Fairy Tale
- Tainted Love – of Triangles, Love Potions and the Happily Ever After
- Deus Ex Machina – it was all a Dream: when Writers let you down
- Witches, Brooms and Spells: Enchanting and Entrapping Children in Fiction
- Sci-Fi Westerns, Fantasy and Space Opera – Humankind’s conquest of Space
- Merlin, Mordred and Morgana – Magic in Arthurian Legend
- Tatooine to Tudor England – The trappings of Historical and Speculative World Building
- Bugbears of Battle – Inciting Violence in Speculative Fiction
- From West to East – Translating Speculative Fiction into Anime and Manga
- Fight like a Girl – ‘Strong’ Female Characters in Speculative Fiction
- Teams, Trios and Fellowships – the importance of Friendship in Speculative Fiction
- The Gender Bend – Does the Gender make the Story?
- Man-Eating Monster to Flower-Toting Belle – the transition of Fairies in the Victorian Era
- Main Mission – Gaming Narrative, the Future of Storytelling
- Moustache Twirling 101 – the Mechanics of writing a Villain
- Rattling Bones and Poltergeists – the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Ghost stories
- Magnus Bane to Jack Harkness – LGBTQA+ Representation and Diversity in Speculative Fiction
- Oh not another Zombie Movie – the Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Living Dead
- Was that REALLY necessary? – the overuse of Sexual Violence in Speculative Media
- Clash of the Titans – Superheroes vs Superheroes
- Down with the Empire – exploring political themes in YA Speculative Fiction
- Once More Around the Sun – Celebrating Terrible Birthdays in Speculative Fiction
- Genius Loci – Writing Real World Places in Speculative Fiction
- Cognoggins and Clockwork – What makes good Steampunk?
- Death and All His Friends – Themes of Death, Dying and Grief in Speculative Fiction
- A Touch of Faust – Changing Goals on your Protagonist and when this works
- Harnessing Demons – How Writers use their own faults and insecurities in Writing
- Gobblefunk and Glyphs – creating words in Children’s Fantasy
- The Frankenstein Complex – why is ‘Fan Fiction’ such a dirty word?
- Bucky Barnes to the Winter Soldier – the Evolution of the Side-kick
- The Devil in the Details – Lucifer in Modern Speculative Fiction
- Escape to the Country – of Editing and Writing Weekends
- Not so Charming – Male Stereotypes in Speculative Fiction
- The Unveiled Series Reborn – Books, Judgement, Heaven & Hell, and PTSD
- Three Goblins Walk into a Bar – Writing Humour in Speculative Fiction and How to Avoid the Accidental Funny
- Horcruxs and Heartbreak – of Books, Souls and Killing your Darlings
- Breaking Out the F-jars – Our Favourite Swears in Speculative Fiction
- Monsters and Men – Gothic Classics and the Origin of Horror – A Hallowe’en Special
- Saints, Souls and Samhain – the Celtic Day of the Dead
- Strange, Horrible and Who – the Egotism of Genius
- Balancing the Real and the Fantastical – Writing Relatable Epic Fantasy
- Let us make Men – From Golems to Androids
- Standalones to Series – the pros and cons of One-offs and the Neverending Series
- Writing Sex Scenes – it’s not as Hard as You Think
- Time and Tide and the Rose-tinted Glasses – Our Fascination with the Past
- Winter Festivals – Traditions and Stories in the Dark
- 2016 – The Best Bits
- Mermaids, Selkies and Sirens – Legends of the Sea
- Barghests, Bogey Beasts and Black Shuck – Black Dogs of the British Isles
- Dreamscapes and Nightmares – Writing the Unconscious
- Happily Ever After – The Evolution of the Disney Princess
- Dragons, Wyverns and Wyrms – Happy Anniversary
- The Wizard of Oz to Wicked – Adaptations and Reimaginings in Speculative Fiction
- Forest Giants to Snow Queens – the Frozen Heart of Speculative Fiction
- Break ’em to Make ’em – the Heroes who Rise from the Ashes
- Symbiosis – Why we need Writing Buddies
- Defying Gravity – the Incredible Unlikeliness of Musical Theatre
- One Ring to Rule them All – Magical Artifacts that made the Hero
- Room 101 – the Concept of Dystopian Hell
- Comic Can’t – Conventions, Talks and Launches
- Lords of Misrule – Tricksters, Con-artists and Grifters in Speculative Fiction
- Occult Detectives – Urban Fantasy and Mystery
- Mentors, Wizards and Wise Women – Portrayals of the Elderly in Speculative Fiction
- Rogues, Renegades and Robin Hood – Our Favourite Outlaws in Speculative Fiction
- The Strange Case of Professor Lupin – the Subversive Power of Speculative Fiction
- Strange Familiarity – the Uncanny in Speculative Fiction
- The Ship has Sailed – Happy Endings, Fan Service & the Appropriate Finale
- Cautionary Tunes – The Fantasy & History behind Folksongs & Nursery Rhymes
- When you say Nothing at all – Sparkling Dialogue in Speculative Fiction
- They Shall take up Serpents – Religious Cults in Speculative Fiction
- The Lazarus Effect – Black from the Dead (Again!)
- Maenads, Black Magic & Demon Drink – Addictions in Speculative Fiction
- Sand and Sky – Desert Archetypes in Speculative Fiction
- The Sorting Hat and Other Trails – Finding your Tribe in Speculative Fiction
- Labyrinth – Looking at the Mystery of Mazes
- From Aslan to Ananda – Religious Allegory in Speculative Fiction
- Man out of Time – Displaces Protagonists in Speculative Fiction
- Portents, Symbols & Future Knowledge – Precognition & Foreshadowing in Speculative Fiction
- Ouija Boards, Possessed Boards & Bloody Mary – the Fascination with Supernatural Games
- Pivot Points – Historical Moments that Changed Everything
- War! What is it good for…in Storytelling?
- Incubi, Vampires and Fallen Angels – the Demon Lover in Speculative Fiction
- Spellbinding Songs, Enchanting Tunes & the Magic of Music in Fiction
- More Tainted Love – the Romantic Subplot in Speculative Fiction
- Witches, Bitches and Shrews – The Wise Woman Archetype in Speculative Fiction
- Leches, Perverts and Peepin’ Toms – Attitudes to Sexual Depravity in Speculative Fiction
- Losing the Plot – Revamping, Recycling and Reusing your Writing
- Heavenly Hosts and Fallen Fiends – the Angelic Being in Speculative Fiction
- A Night at the Overlook Hotel – Haunted Houses in Speculative Fiction (and their real life counterparts)
- Yay or Neigh – Horses, Pegasus and Kelpies in Speculative Fiction
- Evil Twins and Partners in Crime – Siblings in Speculative Fiction and Real Life
- Blood Drinkers and Psychic Thieves – the Vampire in Speculative Fiction
- Damnation, Retribution and Reception – Hell Planes and Purgatory in Speculative Fiction
- Inner Space – Altered Realities in Speculative Fiction
- The Horse’s Point of View – Gender of Politics in Speculative Fiction
- Fanfiction Revisited – Cassie Clare, 50 Shades and the Next Big Seller
- Cheese and Crackers – Our Favourite Bad Christmas Films
- In Review 2017 – the Good, the Bad and the Weird
- Long Live the Resistance – The Problems of Magical Revolution in Speculative Fiction
- So You Want to be a Writer? Celebrating 100 Episodes of Dissecting Dragons
- Back on the Broom – More Enchanting Children’s Fiction with James Nicol
- Squibs and Mundanes – Disability Representation in Speculative Fiction
- Best Served Cold – Revenge Arcs in Speculative Fiction
- Bones, Boyd and Cottle – The Physician Archetype in Speculative Fiction
- The Book Hangover – Fictional Worlds that won’t Let you Go – Anniversary Episode!
- Kali-ma, Inanna & Anath – The Creator-Destroyer in Myth and Speculative Fiction
- The Balance of Power – Sexism and Sexual Harassment in the Publishing Industry
- It Must be the Weather – How Nature Reflects Art in Speculative Fiction
- Into the East – Fantasy Settings Tolkien Never Used
- Saying What You Really Mean – The Importance of Theme is Speculative Fiction
- Larger than Life – The Fictional World of Giants
- Spies, Traitors & Turncoats – Informants in Speculative Fiction
- Decoy Ducks & Red Herrings – Sayings, Urban Legends and Aphorisms
- Queer Eye for the Straight Story – Reading Speculative Fiction through a Queer Filter
- Clothes Make the Man – Cross-dressing in Speculative Fiction
- Cliches are Cliche for a Reason – Why Tropes aren’t bad, but Some Tropes need to Die
- Dinosaurs and Mega Cryptids – Man-made Monsters in Speculative Fiction
- You Fancy Me Mad – Renfield, Lear & Ophelia: Madness in Speculative Fiction
- Love Conquers All – Power Couples who destroyed the Story
- Bards, Troubadours and Skalds – The Musician Archetype in Speculative Fiction
- If We Were Villains – What Shakespeare has to say to a Modern Audience
- Baby Doom – The Stork Visits in Speculative Fiction
- From the Deep – Mystery, Suspense and Sea Monsters in Historical Fantasy
- Visitations and Forebodings – How Nightmares are used in Speculative Fiction
- From a Certain Point of View – Multiple POVs, Dual Timelines and Reader Sympathies in Speculative Fiction.
- The Slow Death of Literature – What Readers Really Want
- Crime & Culpability – Should Characters get what they Really Deserve
- Neat Little Monsters – The Animal Companion in Speculative Fiction
- Marrying in Haste – Young Love in YA Speculative Fiction
- Masked Marauders – Double Lives and Secret Identities in Speculative Fiction
- Hobbit Holes, Burrows and Secret Lairs – the Concept of Home in Speculative Fiction
- Stranger than Fiction – the Weird and Wonderful World of Writing
- Every Hero Needs a Sam – The Unlikely Best Friend in Speculative Fiction
- Love Ladies Lost! Revisiting Arthurian Legend
- Grimalkin, Mogget and Mr Kindly – Cats in Speculative Fiction
- Remus Werewolf McWerewolf Lupin – The Importance of Character Names in Speculative Fiction
- This Year’s God – The Human Need for Archetypes
- Streetwalkers, Courtesans and Companions – The World’s Oldest Profession in Speculative Fiction
- That is Illogical – Murderous, Wacky and Wise-cracking AI in Speculative Fiction
- Parody, Farce and Exaggeration – Satire in Speculative Fiction
- Spirits of the Deep and Dark – A Dissecting Dragons Hallowe’en Special
- Battlefield Earth – Intergalactic Invasions in Speculative Fiction
- Making Sh!t Happen – Avoiding the Number One Writing Fail
- Private Eyes and Underworlds – Crime Meets Urban Fantasy
- Away with the Faeries – Girls versus Supernatural Queens
- The Hollywood Treatment – What the Movies Changed
- Trading Capes – When Villains become Heroes
- The Holly and the Ivy – The Root of the Carol
- 2018 – The Good, the Bad and the Utterly Bizarre
- The Twilight Zone – When Fandoms are Attacked in Speculative Fiction
- Reading Like a Writer – How Critical Reading Informs the Writing Process
- The Universe in Motion – Expanding Series & Reader Opinion in Speculative Fiction
- A Pirate’s Life for Me – Myths, Stories and Crime on the High Seas
- Death and Sex Appeal – Assassins in Speculative Fiction
- All in Your Head – Portrayals of Mental Illness in Modern YA Fiction
- Childcatchers and Trunchbulls – Portrayals of Abuse in Children’s Fiction
- Chosen Ones and Fated Champions – the Phenomenon of the Special Snowflake in Speculative Fiction
- Dominion, Mastery and Emancipation – Portrayals of Slavery in Speculative Fiction
- I See Dead People – Psychics, Mediums and Communing with the Dead
- The Kids are Alright – Why do we need a NA Genre as well as YA?
- That’s not Historically Accurate – the Fallacy of Fantasy Fiction
- Bring Out Your Dead – Sickness and Pandemics in Speculative Fiction
- Into the Woods – Mythical, Magical and Malicious Forests in Speculative Fiction
- The Language of Flowers – Botanical Folklore in Myth and Speculative Fiction
- What We Really Want – The Tropes We Love in Speculative Fiction
- The Problem of Susan – Wayward Children in Fantasy Fiction
- The Piper at the Gates of Dawn – Anthropomorphic Animals in Speculative Fiction
- Woke is My Brand – The Trouble with Toxic Twitter
- Sly, Cunning and Cuddly – Fantastic Foxes in Speculative Fiction
- Maps, Footnotes and Dedications – When Authors go the Extra Mile
- Inner Landscapes – The Transformative Character Arc in Speculative Fiction
- Crowning Glory – The Significance of Hair in Myth and Speculative Fiction
- Endgame – The Legacy of the MCU
- We All Deserve to Die – Killing Off Characters the Right Way in Speculative Fiction
- Winter is Here – End of Thrones
- Fact vs Fiction – Blending the Real with the Fantastical in Historical Fiction
- Of Good and Evil – Depictions of Morality in Speculative Fiction
- Of Course, This Means War – Narrative Conflict in Speculative Fiction
- Truth, Lies & the Big Misunderstanding – Honesty and Deception Tropes in Speculative Fiction
- 10,000 – A Celebration of Dissecting Dragons
- Of Their Time – the Changing Faces of Diversity and Prejudice in Speculative Fiction
- Full Immersion Fantasy – the Appeal of RPG
- The Future We Deserve? – Learning Hope From Science Fiction
- Auguries and Omens – Bird Symbolism in Myth and Speculative Fiction
- This is Not Forgiveness – Redemption Arcs in Speculative Fiction
- Going Through Changes – Shapeshifters in Myth and Speculative Fiction
- Designer Flu & Superhumans – The Conspiracy Theory Trope in Speculative Fiction
- I’m Not Gay, I’m Just Evil – The Queer Coded Villain Trope in Speculative Fiction
- Last One Alive – Final Girl Tropes in Speculative Fiction
- Art and Artifice – What Jane Austen has to say to a Modern Readership
- It’s Harder that You Think – Writing Sex Scenes in Speculative Fiction
- Fitted Breastplates & Feminine Mystique – Sexist Absurdities in Speculative Fiction
- Tragic Heroes and Unexpected Children – More Tropes We Love in Speculative Fiction
- Creaky Floorboards & Locked Doors – Learning Tension and Suspense from Gothic Fiction
- Key & Codex – Secret Societies in Speculative Fiction
- Tale as Old as Time – Why Fairytales Endure
- The Trouble with the Victorians – How a Single Era Influenced Our Opinions
- Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey – Time Travel in Speculative Fiction
- Troubled, Dead or MIA – Parent-child Relationships in Speculative Fiction
- The F-word Revisited – Faeries in Urban Fantasy
- It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas – Our Favourite Festive Scenes
- 2019 – Marvels and Oddities
- For the Dead Travel Fast – Monster Hunters in Speculative Fiction
- Good Hearted Rogues to Xenomorphs – the Dragons’ Formative Films
- Guardians of Knowledge – Magical Libraries in Speculative Fiction
- Devilish Dogs and Last Unicorns – Traumatic Moments in Children’s Animated Feature Films
- Nervous Timid Goth Boys vs Manic Pixie Dream Girls – How a Single Trope can Shift Narrative Preference
- Welcome to the Multiverse – Alternate Realities, Evil Twins and Unmade Choices in Speculative Fiction
ABOUT the HOSTS
Dissecting Dragons was the brain child of speculative authors J.A. Ironside and M.E. Vaughan, who decided one day to combine their love of fiction, and their experience as both writers and readers into a podcast, specifically looking at Fantasy, Scifi and all the odd bits and bobs that go between.
M.E. Vaughan:
Author of the best-selling fantasy The Sons of Thestian, Madeleine is a graduate from the University of Winchester. Director of Winchester’s Folk & World Music Choir, Madeleine is a keen composer and musician, and lectures in Creative Writing. Her interest in faeries was incited by her mother who, one day, unwittingly implored Madeleine to ‘write a nice story for a change, with faeries or something’. This request birthed the first draft of The Sons of Thestian, and the subsequent start of Madeleine’s writing career. In the dedication of her book, Madeleine apologises to her mother for only being able to fufil half of her request. Faeries, as it turns out, are pretty damn horrible.
Follow Madeleine at:
Author Website: www.madeleinevaughan.com
Book Website: www.harmatiacycle.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Madeleine.E.Vaughan
Tumblr: www.mevaughan.tumblr.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/M_E_Vaughan
J.A. Ironside:
Jules Anne Ironside grew up in a house full of books in rural Dorset. She loves speculative fiction of all stripes, especially fantasy and science fiction, although when it comes to the written word, she’s not choosey and will read almost anything. Actually it would be fair to say that she starts to go a bit peculiar if she doesn’t get through around three books a week. Jules writes across various genres and it’s a rare story if there isn’t a fantastical or speculative element in there somewhere.
As a keen martial artist, Jules has studied several disciplines but is most accomplished in Goju Ryu karate which she has studied and taught for almost twenty years. Her favourite things include books (obviously), slippers, cheese and surreal conversations.
She now lives in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswold way with her boyfriend creature and a small black and white cat, both of whom share a god-complex.
Follow Jules at:
Author Website: www.jaironside.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/DystopianIronside
Tumblr: jaironside.tumblr.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/J_AnneIronside