Interview with Writer and Horror Podcaster Julie Saunders
Julie Saunders Interview
Julie Saunders
1. Thank you so much for joining me! For those who don’t know you, could you please introduce yourself?
Sure! I’m a bisexual former Mormon who was raised in the woods in Oregon (well, more or less). I grew up on a small farm in rural Oregon, went to Utah to study Acting and Playwriting, then spent a few years in denial working as a Human Resources rep in the San Francisco Bay Area. For the last six years or so, I’ve been living in Los Angeles and writing just about every kind of story that has ghosts, monsters, or aliens in it. I have two dogs, two cats, one spouse, and an irrational fear of moths.
2. In three words, how would you describe your podcast Believer?
X-Files, extra sarcasm
3. What inspired you to start this podcast?
Well, I first got into audio drama podcasts back in 2015, when I binged all of Limetown while driving back and forth between San Francisco and LA. I quickly fell in love with the medium as a whole. It didn’t occur to me to make my own, though, until a few years ago when the Austin Film Festival held their first Podcast Script Competition. I repurposed a TV pilot script idea I’d had, went to the festival, and learned a lot.
Once I realized that I could actually make my own production, without anyone else’s input or permission, I played around with a few ideas. I wanted the show to be something that I loved; a way to say, “If I could make anything in the world, I would make this.” And there was this character that just wouldn’t leave me alone. She was a paranormal problem-solver. She didn’t believe in ghosts, but she did believe that your perception shapes your reality, so manipulating someone else’s beliefs was often the best way to help them.
Looking back, I realize how much of this came about as I was formally breaking away from the religion I was raised with, and how much of Lara’s worldview captured my attempts to find a new line between what I believed was true, what I believed was useful, and how I wanted to live my life. But at the time, I just thought, “I can’t stop thinking about this character, and how much I want to challenge her over and over again.”
4. How did you go about finding the perfect voice actors?
I put together a casting notice with short bios of each character and audition sides for actors to read, then posted it on my show’s website. I shared that as widely as I could, mostly relying on online podcasting and voice acting networks that I knew about. The actors I found were a mix of complete strangers who found that notice, and people I knew or who were friends of friends.
For example, Camille and Jake were basically written for my next door neighbors at the time, Sara Gorsky and Jason Markoff. I’d met Alli Slice, the writer of Elaine’s Cooking for the Soul, and I loved Rosa Delgado’s performance on that show, so I asked if Alli could put me in touch. I saw two of the other actors at a staged reading for another script, chased them down after the show was over, and invited them to audition.
For season two I’m hoping to cast an even wider net, as I think casting mostly from my own social networks means I end up with a less diverse cast than I might otherwise find.
5. For those looking to start a fiction podcast, what tips would you give them?
Put your passion first. If you go into independent podcasting looking for a business opportunity, you’ll burn yourself out. So don’t focus on what’s been market-tested or what seems the most impressive and original. Instead, look for the idea that you love so much you’re willing to live with it for months at a time, with or without a reward at the end.
Also, network with other writers. Look for other producer/writers on whatever social network you’re on (I’m mostly on Twitter), reply to their posts, follow each other, send messages. There are some really great Discord communities as well - CastJunkie was vital for me in the beginning. For the most part, indie fiction podcasters are some of the nicest and most helpful people in the entire world. A lot of us work alone much of the time, so we love hearing from other people and helping them out.
And listen to fiction podcasts! There’s a bit of a meme in the community these days about production companies who show up claiming to have invented a new genre of show that’s been around for years. Learn what’s out there, think about what you like and don’t like or what you’d borrow and what you’d change about each show. That alone will give you such a great advantage.
6. Since the podcast is all about the paranormal…have you ever seen a ghost? If not, what would you do if you did encounter a spirit?
I have not seen a ghost, though I know people who claim to have interacted with dead relatives in various forms. But there’s a bit of old Mormon folklore that says the best way to test a spirit is to offer to shake its hand. An angel who’s been resurrected can return your handshake. An angel who hasn’t been born yet will decline to shake your hand. And an evil spirit pretending to be an angel will try to shake your hand, but be unable to because God hasn’t given it a body. So I have a feeling that if I saw a ghost, my first instinct would be to try to shake its hand.
7. Besides your own, what are your favorite spooky podcasts to listen to?
There are so many great ones! Lately I’ve been catching up on Hi Nay, Desperado, and The Silt Verses. As far as all-time favorites, though, The Magnus Archives, The Black Tapes, Archive 81, and Old Gods of Appalachia are all giants of the genre for good reasons. Mabel is surreal queer horror-romance that seeps into your bones and doesn’t let you go. Unwell, Call of the Void, and Parkdale Haunt all have casts of characters I just love to hang out with. And I have a special love for frozen isolation horror like The White Vault, Station Blue, and Tartarus. Stepping outside the indie world, BBC Sounds has a fantastic slate of horror audio - my favorites from them so far are The Lovecraft Investigations and The Harrowing.
8. Where can readers find you?
I’m on Twitter and occasionally Instagram . I love to connect with other creators and help each other out, so feel free to reach out - or just tweet at me for podcast recommendations. Believer: A Paranormal Mystery is available on every major podcast platform, online at http://www.believerpodcast.com, and on most social networks as @believerpod.
