Show Notes

“I go back to visit Sweden pretty much every summer, staying in my parents’ summer house in the northern part of the country. Mining, and specifically mining for gold and copper, really shaped the economy in that part of the country, and this story was partly inspired by an old abandoned mine site we visited one year. It’s also inspired by the way the land in Sweden rises by about 8 mm every year, and has done ever since the ice melted after the last ice age. It’s a phenomenon called “post-glacial rebound” that causes visible changes in the landscape over time, and means that the coastline was in a very different position centuries and millennia ago. Ultimately though, this story was inspired by motherhood, by the way it binds you to your kids in ways that can be difficult to understand and express.”

Please consider supporting this Kickstarter for a new collection of short stories by Tim Pratt.

Revisit his stories here on PseudoPod:

597: Fools Fire

205: Gulls

172: The Dude Who Collected Lovecraft (with Nick Mamatas)

123: Bone Sigh

…plus oodles more on our sister podcasts.

Show Notes

“Despite its speculative content, I wrote this story to illustrate the complexities of the immigrant experience. In these current political climes, it’s important to recognize how many people struggle to be heard and understood in more ways than one. My family and I are first-generation immigrants from Taiwan, and growing up I frequently witnessed other people making fun of my parents’ accents or simply ignoring them because they didn’t “sound American”. “White Noise” is my attempt to bring that experience to light, and if it comes with a ghost baby, then so be it.”