Breaking The Glass Slipper: Women In Science Fiction, Fantasy, And Horror

With the final book in her Micah Grey series out this month, Laura Lam talks to Lucy about exploring the queer experience in her writing.

*Trigger warning: This episode contains discussions of sexual violence that may upset some listeners. Genre fiction is, by definition, limitless in its possibilities. Writers could create any world they want… so why do they so often create fictional worlds where sexual violence, particularly against women, is commonplace?

Charlotte interviews horror writer Alison Littlewood about how she became a writer, her love of fairytales and the importance of a really good editor.

Megan interviews two-time Hugo award winning science fiction writer Kameron Hurley.

Megan, Lucy, and Charlotte discuss love triangles in SFFH fiction: from the popular one girl, two guy version to the ‘two person’ love triangle.

Megan interviews genderqueer fantasy author, Foz Meadows, on portal fantasy, its tropes, and how the subgenre can be used to address gender issues.

In our final episode of 2016, we ask agents, editors, and reviewers what they’d like to see in SFFH books in 2017, with comments from Anne Perry, Penny Reeve, Bella Pagan, Ed Wilson, Hal Duncan, Amanda Rutter, Gillian Redfearn, Sandra Sawicka, Alison Littlewood, and LaChouett.

While we might encourage the appreciation of stories that promote gender equality, we admit that there are plenty of lesser tales we enjoy. Whether we never saw their problematic nature when we first read the book or watched the film or whether we can appreciate other aspects of the story despite its flaws, we explore […]

Charlotte, Lucy, and Megan discuss the frequency with which we see female characters added to a story who have no other purpose than to be the love interest. While this does also sometimes occur with male characters, given that good female characters are hard to come by, this is a problem worth talking about.

Lucy and Charlotte interview writer, podcaster, and audiobook narrator Emma Newman, covering topics such as worldbuilding, inequality in SFF, and what we can do to change the gender narrative.

In today’s episode, Megan chats to Becky Chambers, author of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit, about using Kickstarter, self-publishing, the importance of beta readers, being nominated for a Clarke Award, writing humour into science fiction, sticking to science within the realm of possibility, and diversity in […]

Megan Leigh, Charlotte Bond, and Lucy Hounsom discuss the new trend in gender swapped reboots and what implications this has for gender equality in the film industry. While we here at Breaking the Glass Slipper appreciate any efforts being made towards equal gender representation on our screens, is gender swapping really the best way to […]

Megan Leigh interviews African speculative fiction writer Chinelo Onwualu about racism in the industry, expectations of African writing, and the trends coming out of the continent. Full episode notes can be found at www.breakingtheglassslipper.com

It’s so exciting to see so many women recognised in the industry awards right now that we just had to have a little ‘squee’ about it. Charlotte interviews extreme horror author Dawn Cano.

Recorded live at Nine Worlds Geekfest in London on August 13th, 2016. Discussion of both perceived and real barriers women experience when pursuing a writing career in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Megan, Charlotte, and Lucy are joined by three fantastic guests: Gillian Redfearn (Gollancz), Lydia Gittins (Titan Books), and Alasdair Stuart (Escape Artists). ***Please […]

*Please note that this episode contains spoilers for Game of Thrones season 6. Listen at your own risk. This week, we discuss the tropes common to female villains in SFFH, from irritating cliches to our favourite villainesses. Visit the Pop Verse post for a full list of all texts mentioned in the episode.

Charlotte takes the helm today, overseeing a discussion of virgins in SFFH. Why do women who have sex often die? Why are magical abilities so often linked to virginity? We ask these questions and more as we discuss desire, gender stereotypes, and go on a tangent about The Fifth Element. Full list of texts references […]

Charlotte interviews an author who writes both erotica (as Janine Ashbless) and horror (as Keris McDonald). They discuss pornography vs erotica, what frightens a horror writer, and pacing stories as a kind of ‘teasing’. If you blush easy, this might be one to save for when you get home.

Many of us were lucky enough to grow up on Jim Henson’s magical film, Labyrinth. But what is it about the film and its female protagonist that speaks to so many? In memory of the late David Bowie and celebrating the film’s 30th anniversary, Charlotte, Megan, and Lucy discuss why the film remains such an […]

Megan Leigh interviews fantasy writer Ben Peek. The discussion covers his gender and ethnically diverse Children Trilogy, tropes of female characters in fantasy, and the pitfalls involved with marketing writers must navigate once they secure a publishing deal.