I write mystery/suspense (*ahem Made Safe out Fall 2016 from Pandamoon Publishing) fiction and I am always on the lookout for interesting new angles and ideas for my writing. Here is a short list of podcasts that I listen to regularly and have been a goldmine of ideas and writing prompts.
- Criminal – I just discovered this podcast and am loving it. The episodes are manageable at roughly 20-30 minutes each and the topics are incredibly interesting like a LAPD diver that had to search for evidence in the Los Angeles tar pits or Jolly Jane a serial killer nurse from a hundred years ago.
- NPR Fresh Air – Everyone knows Terry Gross is the gold standard by which all interviewers are judged. She asks the best questions and has the best guests. Her recent guest had some incredible things to recount about the 80’s and 90’s Baltimore crack epidemic. As a writer it’s about absorbing as much as possible, filling the well as Hemingway said and Terry Gross always delivers a broad range of interesting topics.
- Dan Carlin’s Common Sense – Dan Carlin has another podcast called Hardcore History which I’ve been listening to for years and is fantastic. Nine hours on Ghengis Khan? Yes, please! (Don’t worry Common Sense episodes are usually under an hour.) I stayed away from Common Sense for a while (way too long) because I was afraid Dan’s political views would filter my enjoyment of Hardcore History through a lens of his partisan views. Boy, was I wrong. Dan Carlin is a self-proclaimed independent and libertarian allowing him to piss off Democrats and Republicans in an equitable way. What I gain from his shows is a better understanding of political events in the United States and the world . He points out the hypocrisy in political systems without regard to political party. A current events must with topics like fourth amendment infringement, immigration, the financial crisis — Dan goes in depth on the issues.
What are you listening to for inspiration?