<p><strong>What do you get when a writer builds a dystopian world that feels uncomfortably close to the one we already live in? A trilogy worth paying attention to. </strong></p><p>Alex sits down with <a href="https://lynettemburrows.com/books-by-lynette-m-burrows/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lynette M. Burrows</a> author of the Fellowship Dystopia series, for a conversation that covers a lot of ground; from the moral weight of violence in fiction to the long, sometimes painful arc of developing a protagonist worth following across multiple books.</p><p>Lynette talks about Miranda, the heart of her series, and how that character evolved in ways that surprised even her creator. They get into what it means to write about agency and justice when the world you&#39;re depicting keeps rhyming with current events — and why that&#39;s not always intentional, and not always comfortable.</p><p>The conversation also touches on <a href="https://amzn.to/4rRgTgA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Robert McKee&#39;s storytelling techniques</a> and their influence on storytelling craft, the way real grief finds its way onto the page whether you invite it or not, and why the physical design of a book still matters in an era when everyone claims print is dying. </p><p><em><strong>Good dystopia holds a mirror up. This conversation is about what happens when the reflection stares back.</strong></em></p><p><strong>Connect</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Listen to Lynette&#39;s first appearance on the show </strong><a href="https://mgopod.com/f/taking-shots-at-dystopian-fiction-with-lynette-m-burrows" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>here.</strong></a><strong></strong></li><li><strong>Listen to her second appearance </strong><a href="https://mgopod.com/f/lynette-burrows-on-dystopia-creativity-and-loss" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>here.</strong></a><strong></strong></li><li><strong>Visit her website </strong><a href="https://lynettemburrows.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>here.</strong></a><strong></strong></li><li><strong>Buy the books </strong><a href="https://lynettemburrows.com/books-by-lynette-m-burrows/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><strong>here!</strong></a><strong></strong></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Celebrating 10 Years and hundreds of episodes! </strong></p><p><em>Alex needs a coffee. Or ten:</em> <em>⁠⁠</em><a href="https://alex715.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=896a6242&utm_content=180191561" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>⁠⁠</u><em>Become a paid subscriber!</em><u>⁠⁠</u></a>⁠ If you’ve enjoyed the audio essays and want to her (and see!) more of them, there are two simple ways you can help:</p><ol><li>Become a paid subscriber. Paid support keeps this work sustainable and helps me devote the time and energy it deserves. If you’ve subscribed before, please consider re-subscribing under the new system and ⁠<a href="https://alex715.substack.com/subscribe?coupon=896a6242&utm_content=180191561" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>⁠⁠take advantage of this ⁠25% offer.⁠⁠⁠</u></a>⁠</li><li>Spread the word. 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The best work is still ahead, and I’d love for you to be part of it. —Alex</em></p><p>Announcer: <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferer"><u>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Mary McKenna⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</u></a>. </p><p><br></p><p>Original theme music &quot;Mysterious Goings On&quot; by Jamie Green. Want your own cool score for your podcast or website? Contact Jamie at <a href="https://greenhousekc.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Greenhouse Consulting.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</u></a> Check out Jamie&#39;s interview on the show <a href="https://mgopod.com/f/jamming-with-jamie-green?blogcategory=Interviews" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</u></a><a href="https://mgopod.com/f/jamming-with-jamie-green?blogcategory=Interviews" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</u></a></p><p><a href="https://mgopod.com/f/jamming-with-jamie-green?blogcategory=Interviews" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Intro music: &quot;Half Mystery&quot; Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠</u></a><em></em></p><p><em>This Mysterious Goings On Podcast episode was recorded and mixed at Green Shebeen Studios in beautiful Kansas City, Missouri. Copyright 2026 all rights reserved. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.</em> </p>