Episode 22: On horror, returning to the page, and heartfelt perspectives on storytelling

Welcome to another LEGENDARY episode! Our Legendaries are special guests who are an expert within their area of storytelling. Amanda Linsmeier has been a book nerd as long as she can remember, and it was that great love of reading—especially R.L. Stine books and fairytales—that eventually brought her to writing her own things. A self-proclaimed wimp, she finds courage in making up stories that scare her a little, and she hopes to scare you a little bit, too. She lives in a small house surrounded by trees and cornfields, with a man who smells like maple syrup and woodsmoke. Together they have three wonderfully wild children, and, somehow, five pets. Amanda is the author of STARLINGS (June 2023).

**STARLINGS will be available on 27 June 2023, and is now up for pre-order.**

Are you ready to cry? In this episode you'll hear about:

• writing horror

• the individuality of the publishing journey

• the journey perspective, getting back to the page, and putting your heart into it

• aphantasia--tapping into the senses when you can't visualise a scene

• Amanda's take on storytelling as an honour and a gift

• Amanda rises to the occasion and, in true Storybeast fashion, makes the perfect snack analogies

• giving yourself permission to fail

• Amanda shares some intriguing elements in her upcoming debut, STARLINGS

• Courtney gets us invited to a party

You can find us on Instagram at @storybeastpodcast. For more storytelling content to your inbox, subscribe here. Feel free to reach out if you want to talk story or snacks!

A warm thank you to Deore for our musical number. You can find her on Instagram or more of her creative work on Spotify.

As ever, thank you dear listeners. Please consider leaving a review to support this podcast.

Be brave, stay beastly.