Afronauts Podcast

Hey Afronauts! Today we're chatting with award-winning author Alechia Dow, about writing across age categories and genres. What makes each age category unique? How does she channel each age's voice? Has she ever considered a pen name? We also celebrate the release of Jill's middle grade debut, Kaya Morgan's Crowning Achievement. Alechia is awesome! To buy her books (including her a...

Pre-order AN OCEAN APART by Jill Tew Pre-order I'LL MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOU by Beatrice Winifred Iker In this Messy Middles episode, we discuss the covers for AN OCEAN APART and I'LL MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOU, different types of messy middles, and balancing the 'promise of the premise' with...everything else. I'LL MAKE A SPECTACLE OF YOUCover design: Lisa Marie PompilioArt by: Mi...

If this world were mine... We're some REAL romantics over here at the Afronauts Podcast (what y'all know 'bout that Luther?). On this episode we discuss the differences between a Romance novel and a novel that contains "romantic elements". Plus why they're both so good and worth reading and writing. Thank you Zakiya N Jamal and H. D. Hunter for joining our conversation! You can find them online an...

From acquisitions all the way to publication and beyond, Ashley Imanë Fields walks us through the process at Freedom Fire, a new imprint at Disney Hyperion dedicated to stories about Black Joy, Black Resilience, and Black Storytelling. Topics discussed include: The acquisitions process (editorial, sales, and more) How editors advocate for books within their imprints What it's like to establish a n...

This episode is all about intellectual property (IP) companies and our experiences working with them. We're joined by Nia "N.E." Davenport and Bethany Baptiste. Nia "N.E." Davenport is an award-winning Science Fiction/Fantasy author who writes stories that blend magic, mayhem, and deadly heroines. She attended the University of Southern California and studied Biological Sciences and Theatre Arts....

Today, we're discussing the Southern Gothic genre through some of Beatrice's favorite TV shows. This was adapted from a Voodoonauts class Beatrice taught. The TV shows discussed are The Vampire Diaries (Bonnie Bennett), True Blood (Tara Thornton), and Interview with the Vampire (Louis de Pointe du Lac). Here is the link to the aforementioned chart: https://tinyurl.com/yh37vd6s

Beatrice has a new book deal! Join us as we discuss their debut adult horror novel, I'LL MAKE A SPECTACLE OUT OF YOU, coming fall 2025. Full of Black Appalachian history, Southern Gothic horror, religious horror, and much much more. To keep up with their latest updates, check out their website at www.beatriceiker.com. And follow them @beatricewinifrediker on Instagram/Threads and TikTok, and @...

Join us as we talk with experienced agents Jen Azantian (Azantian Literary Agency) and Chelsea Hensley (kt literary) about current market dynamics, their agenting highs and lows, and more! 
 Learn more about Azantian Literary agency at www.azantianlitagency.com 
 Learn more about kt literary at www.ktliterary.com

Hey Afronauts! Our guest today is Indie-bestselling author Kamilah Cole. We had such a fun conversation, discussing everything from an alarmingly strict writing routine as a child, to the metadata she researches for her day job and writing, to plantains. Thee Afronauts Black Writers Social is January 31, 2024. Kamilah Cole is the inaugral guest of honor, and will be do a reading of SO LET THEM BUR...

In today's pre-chat, Thee Afronauts have some big announcements ! We're opening a discord community for Black writers, starting a newsletter, and having our first-ever social! More info below if you're interested. The meat of today's episode is about self-advocacy. We gave some examples of when we had to advocate for ourselves, discussed turning down opportunities (not easy!), and...

This is a fun one! Join us for a round table conversation with four 2024 debut authors: Sami Ellis, Ashton Lattimore, Avione Lee, and Rae Giana Rashad. We get into some honest discussion of the highs and lows of debut year, marketing plans, and protecting the integrity of your story through edits. Support their books here: DEAD GIRLS WALKING by Sami Ellis: https://store.abramsbooks.com/products/de...

Catch up with us in our pre chat, then listen as we talk to Kwame Mbalia about writing, publishing, and Freedom Fire Books, an imprint of Disney-Hyperion that will feature stories of black joy and resilience written by black creators. Kwame is a husband, father, writer, a New York Times bestselling author, a former pharmaceutical metrologist, and a publisher with Freedom Fire Books, an imprint of...

We had a wonderful chat with Root Literary's Samantha Fabien about her personal agent taste, how she sets her client's submissions up for success, and her personal agent career goals. Learn more about Samantha at https://www.rootliterary.com/agents

Our esteemed guest, Sheree Renée Thomas, was kind enough to visit us and drop some knowledge. More info on her below! Sheree is a New York Times bestselling, two-time World Fantasy Award-winning author and editor. A 2023 Octavia E. Butler Award honoree and a 2022 Hugo Award Finalist, she is the author of Nine Bar Blues: Stories from an Ancient Future, a Locus, Ignyte, and World Fantasy Finalist, M...

Join us as we chat with our guests, Jamaican-American fiction author Shari Pennant and queer horror writer Sami Ellis , all about Anthologies! Shari's work can be found in the multi-genre YA anthology COOL. AWKWARD. BLACK. You can find Shari on her website at https://www.sharipennant.com/, on Instagram @sharibpennant, or Twitter @ShariWrites. Sami will be included in the upcoming Black horror...

Join us for a real talk chat with two of next year's debut authors! Avery Cunningham is the author of THE MAYOR OF MAXWELL STREET, a riveting historical drama in which a rich Black debutante enlists the help of a low-level speakeasy manager to identify the head of an underground crime syndicate. Preorder here: https://books.disney.com/book/the-mayor-of-maxwell-street/ Etta Easton is the author...

In our pre-chat, we let you know which books we're reading (bring on the scary vibes!), and catch you up on what else we've been up to. After that, we chat with our guest: debut horror author, Jamison Shea . Jamison was once a flautist, violist, anthropologist, linguist, choreographer, dancer, professional fire alarm puller, digital producer, and account executive–but they’ve always been a...

In our pre-chat (we're still getting the hang of this), we discuss what we've been up to this summer and what we're excited about for the upcoming week. Spoiler: BEYONCÉ. Our guest was NYT bestselling author J. Elle, a longtime friend of the pod. We discussed her upcoming dark academia romantasy HOUSE OF MARIONNE, along with many other bookery things. More info on J. Elle: J. Elle is t...

In our first-ever seasonal pick: BLOOD DEBTS by Terry J. Benton-Walker is our spring pick! In this episode, we have a deep-dive conversation about this magical book with the author, with both non-spoiler and spoiler sections (there is a spoiler warning!). We talked about: BLOOD DEBTS, a magical YA contemporary fantasy is out now! Terry's next book, an apocalyptic middle-grade contemporary fant...

Join us as we celebrate Jill's book deal for her YA Dystopian Romance, THE DIVIDING SKY, out with Joy Revolution next Summer! Add THE DIVIDING SKY on Goodreads!    Stay tuned for more info on the Afronauts Podcast's first hosted panel with WriteHive this summer!  Find The Afronauts Podcast online: Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfronautsPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afronau...

Come chill with the Afronauts as we discuss our favorite approaches to pre-writing. How do we create immaculate vibes while ensuring the worldbuilding feels fleshed out? What do star signs have to do with character arcs? And why is Beatrice listening to something called "sad bathroom music"? RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE : Beatrice Iker's horror template Invisible Ink by Brian McDonald Final...

In this episode, we discuss short fiction, publishing, defining success, FIYAH Literary Magazine, and more with award-winning SF/F writer and editor L.D. Lewis.  Find her online! Twitter: @ellethevillain Website: https://ldlewiswrites.com/2021/11/27/ls-discon-iii-schedule/  Support her on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=16703627

Meet our next hero: Terry J. Benton-Walker Terry is the author of Blood Debts , a magical YA contemporary fantasy which will be available in April 2023. His apocalyptic middle-grade contemporary fantasy, Alex Wise vs the End of the World , comes out in Fall 2023. Join us as we discuss Terry's upcoming novels, outlining series, social media, perseverance, and building community as a black author. W...

In this episode, we discuss the history of audio fiction, creating images through sound, and representation in the audio industry. Find our guest on the internet Twitter: https://twitter.com/writersyndrome Website: https://dianampho.com/ Find The Afronauts on the internet Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfronautsPod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afronautspod/ Afronauts Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com...

Voodoonauts is a grassroots Afrofuturist collective for Black SFF writers. Founded by two MFA students, Yvette Lisa Ndlovu and Shingai Njeri Kagunda, and the cocoa-founders, Hugh “H.D.” Hunter and LP Kindred, in response to the under-representation and isolation of Black speculative fiction writers in the SFF landscape. Follow them on social media: @voodoonauts on Twitter and Instagram // voodoona...