We sat down with author and musician Callie Sioux Schiavone. Her book, She Had Glass Eyes, really drew us in. It explores how humanity and technology connect, blurring the line between reality and the narrator’s imagination.

Callie Sioux is a creative alchemist who uses multimedia to turn real-life adventures into fiction and entertainment. She is an author, musician, entrepreneur, podcaster, and music venue owner. Raised as a ranch kid in New Mexico, she writes stories, songs, films, and audio dramas that capture wide-open spaces, grit, and persistence. 1232, her audio epic, is a behemoth project that launched her into the world of audio drama. Her recent signing with Twenty Hills Publishing will bring her speculative fiction to a bookstore near you.

00:00 Introduction to Callie and Her Journey
10:01 Life Experiences and Side Quests
19:51 The Inspiration Behind 'She Has Glass Eyes'
29:56 Exploring the Euphonia Machine and Its Historical Context
39:55 Writing Process and Overcoming Fear
55:25 The Writer's Journey: Carving Out Time
59:22 The Struggle of Christian Art
01:09:30 Authenticity in Storytelling
01:18:30 Introducing 1232: A Time Travel Fantasy
01:40:40 Supporting Creative Projects

JOIN THE GUILD
🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:
https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/

💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast

CREDITS
Hosts: Slava and Jonathan
Podcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava
Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0v
Editing by: CharacterNorth6081
- Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__

Our discussion of She Had Glass Eyes, a book by C.S. Schiavone that explores how humanity and technology connect and blurs the line between reality and the narrator's imagination.

00:00 Introduction to 'She Had Glass Eyes'
10:04 Character Analysis: Dilly the Mortician
20:00 Themes of Obsession and Madness
30:02 Writing Style and Historical Context

Socials: @calliesioux @1232audioepic
Audio Epic https://audio-epic.com/ & https://1232audioepic.bandcamp.com/album/season-one-1232
Fundraising link: https://audio-epic.com/1232-faq#
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@calliesioux

JOIN THE GUILD
🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:
https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/

💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast

CREDITS
Hosts: Slava and Jonathan
Podcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava
Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0v
Editing by: CharacterNorth6081
- Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__

Our talk with Nicholas Keating Casbarro discussing his breakout novel Vitalerium.

Nearly six centuries have passed since humanity discovered vitalerium, which ushered in a golden age of space exploration and colonization. Planet Deorum’s society is centered around this illustrious, gravity-bending blue crystal. The year is 2701.

Following a near-fatal disaster, roughneck freelancer Roman Matthews becomes unwittingly trapped at the center of a harrowing conspiracy. Hunted by Deorum’s government, the Coalition for Prosperity, Roman must use his deadly skillset to survive against all odds.

Roman and his band of unlikely allies will discover that the Coalition’s indiscretions threaten the delicate balance of advanced civilization. As a sect of the Coalition prepares to implement its Machiavellian vision of utopia, the proverbial pendulum begins to swing toward chaos

Vitalerium World:
Website: https://vitaleriumseries.com/
Nick’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/InsideVitalerium
YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkGe5mgjNnAl2VJ3E5TBmAg
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/vitaleriumseries
Twitter: https://x.com/vitalerium
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vitaleriumseries

-Publicist - Eve Bailey / Flo Agency: https://flo.agency/
-Cosplayer 1 Shanice Foster: Luxsteez Cosplay - https://www.instagram.com/luxsteezcosplay/
-Cosplayer 2 Matthew Harden: MH Cosplay Design - https://www.instagram.com/mhcosplaydesign/
-Comic Illustrator - Francisco A. Hnilo: https://www.behance.net/fahilustracion
-Comic Colorist - Chandran Ponnusamy: https://www.facebook.com/ponnusamychandran & https://www.deviantart.com/ponnusamychandran/gallery
-Graphic Designer - Ahmed Geatar: https://www.behance.net/ahmedgad

ABOUT THE SIDE QUEST BOOK CLUB PODCAST
Reading is the ultimate side quest.

Side Quest is a casual book club podcast full of literary adventures. Join Slava and Jonathan as they discuss the books they are reading, life, history, belief systems, and much more. Explore world-building, characters, and story development—and share some laughs along the way.

New episodes drop every TUES.

LISTEN TO THE AUDIO VERSION
This is a video version of our audio podcast. Want to listen on the go?
Find *Side Quest Book Club* on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 **Subscribe on Any Platform https://linktr.ee/asidequest

JOIN THE GUILD
🌐 Official Website / Quest Log:
https://www.thesidequestpodcast.com/

💬 Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesidequestpodcast
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@sidequestpodcast

CREDITS
Hosts: Slava and Jonathan
Podcast Hosting & Distribution by Transistor.fm https://transistor.fm/how-to-start-a-podcast/?via=slava
Intro/Outro Music: HoliznaCC0v
Editing by: CharacterNorth6081
- Reddit - https://www.reddit.com/u/CharacterNorth6081/s/k3mFE9aGqh
- Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/parasss.__