Readercon went virtual in 2021, but because I refuse to allow the pandemic to steal from us the conversations I’d have had if we’d been able to gather together in meatspace, I arranged a wonderful virtual meal connected to the con, too. Award-winning writer Veronica Schanoes and I shared Indian food though there were hundreds of miles between us — hers from Brooklyn, New York’s Masala Grill, me from Hagerstown, Maryland’s Sitar of India.

Veronica Schanoes has published fiction in the magazines Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Sybil’s Garage, and Fantasy; the anthologies The Doll Collection, Queen Victoria’s Book of Spells: An Anthology of Gaslamp Fantasy, The Mammoth Book of Cthulhu: New Lovecraftian Fiction; and online at Strange Horizons and Tor.com. Her novella “Burning Girls” was nominated for the Nebula Award and the World Fantasy Award, and won the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novella in 2013. Her first scholarly monograph, Fairy Tales, Myth, and Psychoanalytic Theory: Feminism and Re-telling the Tale, was published by Ashgate in 2014. Her collection Burning Girls and Other Stories was published earlier this year.

We discussed what it’s been like trying to write her first novel during a pandemic, why she can only read Jane Yolen’s intro to her new collection half a page at a time, how she makes sure her fairy tale-inspired fiction works even for those who don’t catch the allusions, the joy which comes from putting the right words in the right order, how Kelly Link convinced her she should take herself seriously as a writer, whether research inspires stories or stories inspire research (and how writers make sure they don’t force readers to suffer for that research), the way fairy tales take place “outside of historical space-time,” the importance of Joe Strummer and the Clash, and much more.

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And here’s what we nibbled as we chatted —

Scott’s Keema Naan
stuffed‎ with spices and minced lamb

Veronica’s Poori Bhaji
chick peas cooked with onion served with poori bread

Scott’s Lamb Rogan Josh
Lamb cooked in clarified butter, browned onions, fresh ginger,
touch of garlic and simmered in spices and yogurt.

Veronica’s Chicken Bhuna
chicken with green pepper, tomatoes, onions, and spices

Scott’s Gulab Jamun
deep-fried cheese and milk balls soaked in syrup

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Please join me two weeks from now when I’ll break bread with writer, editor, and colorist Renée Witterstaeter, who (among many other accomplshments) not only spearheaded the reintroduction of She-Hulk at Marvel, but actually broke the fourth wall by making multiple appearances in the comic.

Thanks for listening!