February 2022 4th Circle: Interview with Jeydie Woloszczuk

DESI D: What is your favorite line in a book/movie? AND why?

JEYDIE WOLOSZCZUK: “Not all those who wander are lost” is a well-known line from J.R.R. Tolkien’s poem “The Riddle of Strider,” and it’s perhaps a favorite for many people. For me, the line represents my over-active imagination; I create these stories in my head and they might seem foolish or strange, yet I’m not ‘lost’ when it comes to it all making sense. As a writer, I’m exploring and going places where I feel the story needs to go and so my mind drifts and wanders.

DESI D: As a writer, how would you describe your podcast? What is your process for creating an episode?

JEYDIE WOLOSZCZUK: I would like to think that my podcast is not the typical kind of scripted horror podcast. Yes, it’s horror, but I like blending in a bit of strangeness to it. I tend to look out for things that are not normal to most people yet are part of life. For instance, there are phobias out there that are unknown unless you are suffering from them. I recently learned about oenophobia–the fear of wine. This previously unknown phobia inspired me to write a short story, “Flowing Fear.”

DESI D: What author has been your biggest inspiration for your writing? And why?

JEYDIE WOLOSZCZUK: I would have to say that Dean Koontz had stuck with me. I like how he crafts these thrilling stories with some heart, humor, and romance. It seems complicated to mash together these different genres into one story in a constant state of balance until the last page.

DESI D: What is it about the art of storytelling that excites you? And of course, what is the next story or episode we can look forward to from you?

JEYDIE WOLOSZCZUK: I feel that storytelling is a way to express and share yourself with others. When a story generates in my mind, I know from the beginning that I want readers to see what I have created. Storytelling is a beautiful gift that’s worth sharing, and it spans through society, culturally, generationally, and historically. I’m always juggling a bunch of story ideas in my head.

At the moment I’m working on my next episode, and it’s set during the 1930s in a carnival. That’s going to upload shortly to Spotify (under Chillingly Bizarre) and Patreon (under JeydieW). I also, have a Sci-Fi/Fantasy manuscript that I’m getting ready to query.