S4E5. [BONUS] The Castles Chat (Or, Putin Explodes)

In this bonus episode of The Fanfic Writer’s Craft, Jo (@pebblysand) and Blayne (@btelling) take a deep dive into Jo’s long fic castles.

Recorded back in September 2024, just weeks after castles wrapped, this is an extended, sprawling, and wonderfully self-indulgent conversation about the fic’s origins, inspirations, and the process of writing 400k words of postwar Harry/Ginny angst, politics, and family drama. From “Sad Harry power hour” to Eminem’s Castle, from the themes of war and survival to building unforgettable OCs, we cover the lore, the choices, the struggles, and the surprises along the way. If you’ve read castles and ever wanted to peek behind the curtain - or if you just love hearing writers unpack how a massive project came to be - this episode is for you.

This week, we mention:

• Books: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Atonement by Ian McEwan
• Fandoms: Harry Potter
• Fics: ce ne sont que des cailloux by pebblysand
• Films & TV: Deathly Hallows Part 1, Andor
• Music: Eminem (Castle, Arose), Passenger (Two Tales)
• Podcast: S2E8. Research (Or, Shifting into Draco Malfoy's Girlfriend)
• Castles Podfic

You can find us online at:

• The Fanfic Writer’s Craft: tumblr ; spotify ; ko-fi
• Blayne (@btelling): tumblr ; AO3
• Jo (@pebblysand): tumblr ; AO3