I interview creative people; artists, writers, musicians, and others. We talk about their creative process, what inspires them, and how they got started.
Creative Dynamos Ep. 39: Author Gina Brower on Writing ‘City Freaks’ and the Legacy of Glam Rocker Jobriath
In episode 39 of Creative Dynamos, I interview author Gina Brower about how losing her office job pushed her to finally write, beginning with a horror slasher script reworking Slaughter High and leading to books inspired by Jobriath. Brower explains how rediscovering Jobriath through the documentary “Jobriath A.D.” (directed by Kieran Turner) made him her muse, and describes her first prose project, City Freaks: How I Fell in Love with a Lilac Angel, written “in stereo” as a conversation between her and Jobriath. She discusses Jobriath’s history as an early openly gay major-label rock artist, his theater background, musical talent, troubled life, and death in 1983, plus other overlooked musicians she features. Brower shares research methods, publishing plans (Visionary Booksellers), her self-published standalone Lilac Angel (Kindle/paperback), horror influences, and where to follow her (Threads/Facebook: City Freaks).
00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro
00:35 From Day Job to Writing
01:29 Discovering Jobriath as Muse
02:57 Who Was Jobriath
04:39 Writing the Book in Stereo
06:32 Process and Influences
08:24 Researching the Rock Legends
09:56 Publishing Plans and Legacy
12:14 Titles and Inspirations
13:03 Horror Favorites and Slasher Roots
15:09 Why Horror and Practical Effects
19:29 New Author Challenges and Marketing
21:13 Release Dates and Where to Buy
22:09 Husband Influence and Jobriath Deep Dive
24:39 Next Books and Final Wrap
20 Apr 2026
Creative Dynamos 038: Gray Rinehart on Writing, Faith, Baen Slush, and a LibertyCon Charity Album
In episode 38 of Creative Dynamos, I interview writer and musician Gray Rinehart about his long history of creating, from early poetry to later fiction and songwriting, including learning craft through Orson Scott Card’s workshops and bootcamp. Gray compares his approaches to fiction and nonfiction and explains the inspiration and reception of his book A Church More Like Christ, which explores how churches might embody Christlike giving and corporate application of scripture. We discuss how faith influences creativity without requiring “preachy” art, Gray’s unfinished second-world oceanic fantasy novel and how grief after his wife’s death affected his work, and his shift from juggling projects to focusing one at a time. Gray also describes his role at Baen Books as “Slush Master General,” editorial work, and the importance of following submission guidelines. He shares details on a limited-release LibertyCon charity CD and where to find him at grayrinehart.com and grayrinehart.bandcamp.com.00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro00:27 Early Creative Roots03:36 Taking Fiction Seriously06:08 Orson Scott Card Bootcamp08:16 Fiction vs Nonfiction Process11:13 Church Book Inspiration16:05 Reception and Controversy20:44 Social Media Conversations22:31 Faith Shaping Creativity26:57 Christian Writer or Writer Christian30:13 Breaking Out of the Ghetto31:35 Ocean World Novel Concept34:16 Grief and Rewriting Drive37:45 One Project at a Time39:04 LibertyCon Charity Album44:26 Slushmaster at Baen51:17 Submission Guidelines Rant55:49 What Makes a Dynamo01:00:54 Where to Find Gray
30 Mar 2026
Creative Dynamos 037: Mike & Dory on The Othering Podcast, Disability Advocacy, and LGBTQ+ Intersectionality
I welcome Mike and Dory of The Othering Podcast to discuss their path from running an internet radio station 20 years ago to launching a podcast in late 2024/early 2025 amid worsening disability and a tense political climate. Dory shares her experiences with depression, anxiety, and CRPS chronic pain, and explains the show’s focus on humanizing disabled and LGBTQ+ people, highlighting intersectionality, building community, and helping guests feel comfortable through a conversational, low-structure interview style. Mike describes learning to better understand invisible disability as a spouse/caretaker. We discuss scheduling and production workflows, guest outreach now largely driven by inbound requests, audience growth via social media and guests sharing episodes, and where to find the show, including otheringpodcast.com, plus Facebook and Instagram under Othering Podcast.
00:00 Welcome And Introductions
00:19 Origins Of The Podcast
01:59 Dorys Advocacy Journey
04:52 Mission And Niche
07:25 Living With CRPS
09:13 Memorable Guest Stories
10:21 Caregiving Perspective
11:35 Finding And Booking Guests
13:50 Interview Style And Prep
17:47 Balancing Work And Health
20:53 Family Life And Scheduling
21:43 Scheduling Episodes
22:07 Family Logistics
23:04 Pets And Recording
23:39 Finding Quiet Space
25:52 Creative Outlet Benefits
26:11 Mental Health Healing
28:55 Pressure And Buffers
34:04 Rants As Catharsis
37:25 Growing The Audience
41:16 Where To Find Them
43:11 Book Review Victorian Psycho
Contact Creative Dynamos
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Creative Dynamos?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
