The Nuts and Bolts of Writing

Host Imelda Wei Ding Lo reviews the video game, Journey (2012), and uses it to reflect on how her life and mindset has changed since taking a break from this podcast (that's why we were on hiatus since January 2023)! Co-host Teresa joins the conversation.

Hi, everyone. Today, me, Imelda or Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast, will be reviewing Lawrence Grossberg’s “Under the Cover of Chaos: Trump and the Battle for the American Right.” Lawrence Grossberg is the Morris Davis Distinguished Professor in Communication and Cultural Studies at the University of North Carolina. Additionally, he is an internationally recognized leading figure in Cultu...

In this episode, podcast host Imelda/Fortunus Games reviews Philip Roth's novel, "Operation Shylock: A Confession." Find out what it's about and why she gave it 5/5 stars!

Hi, everyone. This is Imelda or Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast. Hope you had a good winter break and happy new year! This is just a short announcement about how we are moving on to season three of “The Nuts and Bolts of Writing” podcast. In this season, we’ll continuing interviewing fiction and non-fiction writers and reviewing books. However, we will also be expanding the scope of our p...

Today, host Fortunus Games reviews John D. Wilsey’s “American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea.” Find out why she gave this book 5/5 stars and why she found it a useful resource for understanding Christian Nationalism and other current political trends in the U.S. You can get this book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/American-Exceptionalism-Civil-Religion-Wil...

Host Fortunus Games reviews one of her favorite books, Philip Roth's "The Counterlife." She had previously reviewed it with co-host Tete DePunk in 2021 (Episode 70 of this podcast) , but she wants to give a more streamlined summary and review of the book in this episode. Listen to find out why she gave the book 4/5 stars. “The Counterlife” is one of Philip Roth’s lesser known works....

In this episode, host Fortunus Games reviews one of her favorite books, Orhan Pamuk's "My Name is Red." Set in 16th century Ottoman Empire, this book is a murder mystery at its core. The first chapter is from the perspective of a court artist who was murdered, and you have to read through the book to discover who murdered him. There’s a dizziying kaleidoscope of perspectives, includi...

Host Fortunus Games reviews Frictional Games' SOMA (2015), a sci-fi horror game that really touched her when she played it in 2016. Find out why she gives the game 4/5 stars.

Fortunus Games, the host of this podcast, reviews one of her favorite books, Philip Roth’s “American Pastoral.”  This book explores how an all-American athlete, veteran, and business owner's life falls apart when his daughter becomes a radical anti-war protestor. A critique of the American dream and the dangers of conventionalism, "American Pastoral" is the first of Roth's Americ...

Today, co-hosts Fortunus Games (a.k.a. Imelda) and Tete DePunk talk to artist and writer Carrie Knowles about her novel, “The Inevitable Past,” which I, TeteDepunk, and R.N. Roveleh have had the pleasure of reading.  Check out episodes 211, 212, and 213 for Carrie’s first appearances on this podcast, where she talked about writing fiction, writing non-fiction, and the link between visual art and w...

Today, co-host Tete DePunk reviews a game that had a large impact on her, Journey (2012) by thatgamecompany. Listen to find out why she loved it!

Co-hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games explore the themes explored in Dear Esther, a 2013 video game created by the acclaimed English video game company, The Chinese Room. Dear Esther explores the process of grief and emotional transcension through a vague character reflecting on the loss of his wife.  Throughout the game, as the character reveals through mystic soliloquies of science and religio...

Host Fortunus Games reviews a book by one of her favorite authors, Orhan Pamuk - “Silent House.” Written in 1983, “Silent House” is Pamuk’s second novel. It tells the story of three siblings - Faruk, a historian, Nilgun, a sociology student who sympathizes with leftists, and Metin, a high school nerd - visiting their grandmother Fatma in a small town near Istanbul. Unfortunately, Fortunus Games di...

Today, Tete DePunk, one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, reviews the 2023 Spiderman movie, Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse.  A colorful, bold, and heartfelt sequel to the innovative 2018’s Spiderman :Into the Spiderverse , Across the Spiderverse surpassed its predecessor in terms of pushing the boundaries with animation, sound design, and pacing.  Despite being an hour longer th...

Bioshock had many problems when it came to portraying several groups. Here’s what co-hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games both noticed when playing the games and watching others’ gameplay videos. Many fans will argue that the racist depictions, such as the Rapture vending machines, like El Bandito, are products of their time. The disturbing caricatures featured heavily in Columbian propaganda are...

Co-hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games talk about Elizabeth Comstock from the 2013 game, "Bioshock Infinite." They explore the following questions: Elizabeth stands out from many female characters, especially in gaming. What do you think are the key traits that make her stand out? What makes her story and personality carry the story so well? Why is she so vivid?  So for Tete, a former h...

Watch the video version which shows scenes of the game. In this episode, hosts Tete DePunk and Fortunus Games discuss one of their favorite games, "Bioshock Infinite." We discuss the following questions: Booker is actually Comstock in another universe. What do you think set the stage for an alternate Booker to become Comstock?  Comstock himself is an unorthodox antagonist. Unlike most an...

In this episode, Tete DePunk (IG: @tete.depunk), one of the co-hosts of The Nuts and Bolts of Writing, interviews writer James Michels, author of novels such as “The Ballad of Johnny Carlo”,  “Ice Rising”, and its sequel, “Icebox”.  Prolific in the Crime-thriller genre, James michels has also recently released a crime fiction anthology, “Life’s Dark Corners”.  As of 2015, he is an Officer with the...

Today, co-host Tete DePunk will be interviewing author and interviewer Brock Swinson, who reached out to our podcast. Brock Swinson is the author of Ink by the Barrel: Secrets from Prolific Writers. He is also the interviewer for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, a publication dedicated since 1994 to educating and exploring the field of screenwriting and its creative minds at the helm. Additionally...

Host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (Fortunus Games) interviews author James Mitchell about his upcoming book, which will hit retail on September 19, 2023. His book is called “Musical Chairs: A 76-year-old’s quest to learn every instrument in the orchestra.”  Find out more about it on James' website: https://jamesmitchellbooks.com/ James Mitchell was born in New York City, which nurtured his love of class...

Today, host Fortunus Games talks to Wren Mafyrneen (Instagram: @wrenby_m ) about their graphic novel, “The House on Caple Hill.” Wren appeared on many episodes in Season 1, but this is the first episode they’ve appeared on for Season 2! Wren has talked extensively about their plans and progress on “The House on Caple Hill.” Check out the links in the descriptions to see all of the “House on Caple...

Hi, everyone. Today, we’re talking to artist and writer Carrie Knowles about her approach to visual art. This is part three of our interviews with Carrie — please check out episodes 211 and 212 for my previous discussions with her about writing fiction and non-fiction, respectively. Carrie Knowles is a prolific award-winning author and arts advocate. Along with her nine books, she has published sh...

Today, host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (@fortunusgames) talks to artist and writer Carrie Knowles about her approach to writing non-fiction. Check out our previous episode, ep 211, about her approach to writing fiction. Carrie Knowles is a prolific award-winning author and arts advocate.  Along with her nine books, she has published short stories, newspaper, and magazine articles, and received numerous aw...

Today, co-hosts Tete DePunk and R.N. Roveleh review Christopher Nolan's movie, "Oppenheimer" (2023). Find out why both of them loved it so much!

Today, host Imelda Wei Ding Lo (@fortunusgames) talks to artist and writer Carrie Knowles about her approach to writing fiction. We will continue our conversation with her in episodes 212 and 213, where we’ll talk about her approach to writing non-fiction and visual art, respectively. Carrie Knowles is a prolific award-winning author and arts advocate.  Along with her nine books, she has published...