app02 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 20:17:39 +0000 Fireside (https://fireside.fm) Story Behind the Story - Episodes Tagged with “Wellness” https://story.fireside.fm/tags/wellness Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0700 Host Clara Sherley-Appel interviews authors about their creative process, from the inspiration behind the books they write to specific choices they make. en-us episodic Stories about stories and how they came to be Clara Sherley-Appel Host Clara Sherley-Appel interviews authors about their creative process, from the inspiration behind the books they write to specific choices they make. no books, book show, author interviews, interviews, stories Clara Sherley-Appel clara@ksqd.org Make Me Better with Sarah Gailey https://story.fireside.fm/make-me-better ce137ca8-9856-4938-a681-4689a6877aa5 Thu, 01 Oct 2026 07:00:00 -0700 Clara Sherley-Appel full Clara Sherley-Appel Clara talks to Hugo and British Fantasy Award-winning author Sarah Gailey about their latest novel, Make Me Better. 43:37 no <p>Sarah Gailey is one of those authors you can't quite pin down. They published their first novel in 2017 and since then, they've published ten more, along with dozens of short stories, essays, and comic books, including multiple original series. While their work is largely speculative and frequently veers into horror, no two stories approach their subject matter in the same way.</p> <p>Maybe that has something to do with the fact that Gailey is so engaged with the world around them. I certainly got that impression in our conversation. What started as a discussion of their latest novel, <em>Make Me Better</em>, quickly veered into territory as diverse as the politics of transformation, the appeal of outsourcing your values, and the mechanics of representing time dilation on the page. </p> <p>I loved conversations like these, where you really get to see into the mind of an author. Sarah's mind is especially generative: after talking to them for an hour, I'm convinced they could find inspiration in a dust bunny under their couch. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it. Special Guest: Sarah Gailey.</p> make me better, sarah gailey, wellness, cults, horror, thriller Sarah Gailey is one of those authors you can't quite pin down. They published their first novel in 2017 and since then, they've published ten more, along with dozens of short stories, essays, and comic books, including multiple original series. While their work is largely speculative and frequently veers into horror, no two stories approach their subject matter in the same way.

Maybe that has something to do with the fact that Gailey is so engaged with the world around them. I certainly got that impression in our conversation. What started as a discussion of their latest novel, Make Me Better, quickly veered into territory as diverse as the politics of transformation, the appeal of outsourcing your values, and the mechanics of representing time dilation on the page.

I loved conversations like these, where you really get to see into the mind of an author. Sarah's mind is especially generative: after talking to them for an hour, I'm convinced they could find inspiration in a dust bunny under their couch. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it.

Special Guest: Sarah Gailey.

]]> Sarah Gailey is one of those authors you can't quite pin down. They published their first novel in 2017 and since then, they've published ten more, along with dozens of short stories, essays, and comic books, including multiple original series. While their work is largely speculative and frequently veers into horror, no two stories approach their subject matter in the same way.

Maybe that has something to do with the fact that Gailey is so engaged with the world around them. I certainly got that impression in our conversation. What started as a discussion of their latest novel, Make Me Better, quickly veered into territory as diverse as the politics of transformation, the appeal of outsourcing your values, and the mechanics of representing time dilation on the page.

I loved conversations like these, where you really get to see into the mind of an author. Sarah's mind is especially generative: after talking to them for an hour, I'm convinced they could find inspiration in a dust bunny under their couch. I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed making it.

Special Guest: Sarah Gailey.

]]>