Sparkler Monthly Podcast

Sparkler heads Rebecca, Lianne, and Lillian talk about the magazine and the company, look at how they got here and where they hope to take Sparkler in the future. Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in the comments field below!

Sparkler heads and convention veterans Rebecca, Lianne and Lillian talk about their con experiences, give tips and tricks to convention noobs about how to sell at a con, and tell some horror stories about their worst con experiences. Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in the comments […]

The authors of Orange Junk and Tokyo Demons talk about writing serials–how to plan, how to keep it going, and what to do about feedback when you’re still in the middle of telling your story. Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in the comments field below!

Everybody has a few–a piece of media you love and hate at the same time. Maybe it starts amazing but gets bad. Maybe you love one character but hate the rest. Maybe you enjoy every minute watching it, but deep in your heart, you know it’s just dumb. Join Magical How artist Eyugho and Sparkler […]

So you want to be a comic artist. How do you figure out where to start, and once you know, how do you actually pull it off? Sparkler veterans Tacto (Firebird) and the two artist team KaiJu (Novae, Mahou Josei Chimaka) explain their processes and chat about how to get started creating a comic. Get […]

How do you edit your own work? What about editing someone else’s work–how do you help them make their story the best it can be? Sparkler founders and veteran editors Lianne Sentar, Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, and Rebecca Scoble share their editing tips and philosophies. Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for […]

What makes a great character design? How do you design for commercial clients versus your own projects? How do you go from weird sketches in your notebook to the hero of a comic series? Eyugho, creator of Magical How!, and Cap O’ Rushes, the lead artist from Paper Star Studios VNs Out of Sync & […]

What do you love–or hate–about the magical world of shoujo? Sparkler editors Rebecca, Lianne, and Leah sit down to discuss the familiar plot points of sensuality (:D) and sexism (D:) of our favorite genre with Eurika Yusin Gho (eyugho), the creator of one of Sparkler’s most delightfully twisted shoujo series: Magical How. AND LET US […]

Join Sparkler editor Lianne as she sits down with two special guests to talk pr0n: artist Onorobo from Dusk in Kalevia and Starfighter: Eclipse, and writer Moonklutz from the podcast /report and the world of fanfiction. Female Gaze erotica has its ups and downs (or is that ins and outs?), but the conversation swiftly veers […]

In this episode of the Sparkler Podcast, editors Lianne, Rebecca and Lillian discuss the way people talk about media online. They go into callout culture, how people discuss problematic media, and the way critique and feedback work online today. Get mad about the state of the world with the Sparkler staff! Get this podcast on […]

In this episode of the Sparkler Podcast designed especially for creators, Sparkler editors Lianne and Rebecca discuss story refinement in its early stages: thinking about your audience, format, and story/characters arcs, using Awake as one of the examples. And Sparkler Production Head Leah volunteers as tribute to present a new story idea…to break down and […]

Need motivation to create? There are collective crunch periods online where creators challenge themselves to churn out a completed work in a limited time–and attain that blissful sense of accomplishment! Sparkler staff members Rebecca, Leah, and Tabby sit down with Denise Schroeder of Before You Go to discuss National Novel Writing Month and various game […]

With all the recent hype around the (now-released) Wonder Woman movie, we’ve decided to explore action/adventure plots in the Male Gaze vs the Female Gaze, which may give some creators out there ideas of their own! Sparkler editors Lillian, Lianne, and Rebecca are joined by Zoey of the Gutter Queens podcast and Eurika, creator of […]

We had a blast at TCAF (the Toronto Comics Arts Festival) this month, when Heldrad of Orange Junk flew all the way up from Mexico to join us! She sits down with Sparkler staff Lianne and Rebecca to discuss how great TCAF 2017 was, our history with the show, and Sparkler’s current (and future) plans […]

Have you heard stories of fans being hired into the industries they love? Sparkler staff Lianne, Rebecca, and Leah are joined by Zoey of the Gutter Queens podcast to discuss fangirlish stories of breaking into the industry–and how to help your chances of breaking in, too. Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, […]

Let Sparkler editors Lillian, Rebecca, and Lianne tell you about a magical place in Tokyo, Japan: Otome Road, a true geeky girl paradise! Hear about what’s hot there now (early 2017) and pick up some travel tips for your next trip to Ikebukuro and Akihabara! Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or […]

As a companion to the Tokyo Demons: Complete Series Kickstarter running this month, Sparkler editors Lianne Sentar and Rebecca Scoble discuss our publisher’s use of Kickstarter, as well as tips and tricks if you’re planning to run your own!   Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in […]

It’s a Before You Go bonanza this month as we reprint Stories #1-2 alongside the brand-new pages of Story #3 – so what better way to celebrate than a roundtable with the series creator? :D Editors Lillian Diaz-Przybyl and Rebecca Scoble sit down with Denise Schroeder to discuss her enduring girl-meets-girl series and how it’s […]

In a special episode from our Toronto location, Sparkler editors Lianne Sentar and Rebecca Scoble sit down with MK (Moonklutz) of the popular podcast /report to discuss Yuri on Ice! There’s a lot to say about everyone’s favorite figure-skating anime, and in true /report style, MK even comes with fanfic recommendations! Fanfics mentioned in this […]

To celebrate the start of Tokyo Ghosts, Tokyo Demons creative team Lianne Sentar and Rebecca Scoble are joined by Pachi–Sparkler staff and fandom queen–and special guest Zoey/Capo of Out of Sync and the Gutter Queens podcast! Buckle in for a spirited primer on this massive series, its fandom, and the transition from Demons to Ghosts. […]

In this upbeat roundtable with editors Lillian and Lianne, Heldrad discusses her epic shojo comedy Orange Junk…which is coming to Kickstarter with a LOT of paperbacks soon! Learn more about the Spanish edition of the comic (including the characters’ Spanish names

Visual novels, the story-heavy style of video game best known in Japan, have a growing fanbase in the West–both for translated titles and English-original productions. “Otome” visual novels aimed at women have exploded in the last 5-10 years, and no one knows them better than our staff! Join this roundtable with Sparkler’s Jill, Lianne, Leah, […]

In this roundtable with editors Lillian and Lianne, Eurika Yusin Gho–the hilarious creator of Magical How?–discusses her comic, boys in skirts, and what we can all look forward to in later chapters! She’s just getting started on Gabe and Booker’s epic journey… Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future […]

From Voltron to Disney to Ninja Turtles to Avatar/Korra, the Sparkler editors discuss Western animation and its cross-pollination with anime. Also, which weird cartoon characters you crushed on when you were little?! Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in the comments field below!

Now that we’re nearing the end of Year 3, the editors reflect on the past of the magazine – and its hopeful future. Year 4 will need a Kickstarter, which is coming soon…but at least they can reveal a few surprises for it now. :D Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or […]

In this month’s creator roundtable, we’re joined by Emily Compton and Onorobo to discuss their illustrated novel Dusk in Kalevia! This charismatic pair talk to their editor Lianne Sentar about their supernatural spy novel and other projects they’ve worked on, including Hiveswap and Starfighter: Eclipse. Get this podcast on iTunes! Leave your comments, questions, or […]

It’s another creator roundtable, this time with the prolific two-member comic team KaiJu (Mahou Josei Chimaka, Inhabitant of Another Planet, and The Ring of Saturn)! Kate Rhodes and Jennifer Xu – the two heads of this delightful comic-creating monster – talk to their editor Lillian Diaz-Przybyl and moderator Jill Astley about the benefits and challenges […]

[Trigger warning: Discussion of sensitive topics including sexual abuse.] Jennifer Doyle of Knights-Errant, Lianne Sentar of Tokyo Demons, and comics editor Lillian talk about the nuance and catharsis of character suffering–both in their own work and in broader fiction. Also featuring delightful teasers for future Knights-Errant and Tokyo Demons/Ghosts chapters! Get this podcast on iTunes! […]

Sparkler Audio Director Rebecca Scoble is joined by editors Lianne Sentar and Jill Astley for a discussion of audio dramas in Japan – including Drama CDs and Situation CDs – and how they influenced Sparkler’s own audio productions. Includes a preview of our newest Situation Audio Drama: Bad Chemistry! Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions […]

The Sparkler editors discuss the magazine’s new tabletop RPG system, some of which is already available in beta, as well as the first live game we’re streaming on Twitch with Jen Lee Quick (creator of Off*Beat, Witch’s Quarry, and Gatesmith): the campaign ESPU. Your future at a military university for psychics awaits! An audio segment […]

  In this creator roundtable with their editor Lianne, authors Ellery Prime of Gauntlet and Jenn Grunigen of Skyglass discuss their books, their process, their illustrators, and more! Fans and fellow writers, you’ll love this behind-the-scenes peek into the light novel process. Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in the comments field […]

Sparkler editors Lillian Diaz-Przybyl and Lianne Sentar are joined by web/design head Lissa Pattillo to discuss their many years working in the translated manga industry. From the 1990s to present day, the manga industry has both changed drastically…and not at all. :) Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in the comments field below!

Editors Lillian, Lianne, Rebecca, and Jill discuss female characters in fiction–what makes a great one, beloved examples, and how to deal with some of the challenges in this strangely tricky topic. Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in the comments field below!

Editors Lillian, Lianne, and Rebecca discuss Dungeons & Dragons, how to design a shojo-based campaign, and Sparkler Monthly’s upcoming gaming project! Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in the comments field below!

Sparkler Monthly staff members Lianne, Rebecca, and Jill have a talk about video games from a fangirl perspective–everything from Japanese-language otome games to modern FPS’s to that weird cat simulator everyone’s playing on their phones. Leave your comments, questions, or suggestions for future podcasts in the comments field below!

Interview with Knights-Errant creator Jennifer Doyle!

Western comics vs manga, and the trouble with josei.

Plans for 2015 and the future of Sparkler!

Love and sex in the Female Gaze.

Roundtable with Off*Beat and Witch's Quarry creator, Jen Lee Quick!

Ushering in Year 2 of Sparkler!

Behind the scenes of Sparkler!