Writing and Killing Unicorns
What does it mean to be a writer? Am I bragging if I tell people I am a writer? Am I a failure or scared if I don't? Writing and Killing Unicorns is a raw and unapologetic look into what it means to be a writer and how a crumbling world could affect the craft and the writer, hosted by me, Karen. Hollywood would have us believe books can be written in five minutes-that inspiration is this magical creature. It's time for those lies to die. Writing is hard, and scary, and fun, and healing. I will discuss the joys and fears of being a creative with the written word in a world that is literally crumbling at the seams. Through self-understanding, research and the help of people in the business, let's learn together. And remember: if you have a pen in your hand, no matter what, you're write.
Writing and Killing Unicorns
Monsters, Magic, and Margins: Weaving Identity into Fantasy and Horror - Azalea Crowley
Welcome to Writing and Killing Unicorns, the podcast where we gut glitter, hunt tropes, and build stories that actually mean something.
In today's episode, I talk with the brilliant Azalea Crowley, a modern fantasy horror romance author who crafts wildly inclusive worlds featuring autistic, disabled, queer, and Filipino/Native Hawaiian characters—and the monsters they love (or become).
We dive deep into:
- How monsters act as metaphors for survival, resistance, and identity
- Writing disability, queerness, and Indigenous experience into magic and horror
- How trauma, healing, and weirdness fuel transformative storytelling
- Building supernatural worlds that embrace accessibility and chosen families
- The radical act of centering marginalized characters as powerful, complex beings
Azalea’s stories tear open old tropes and stitch them back together with claws, chaos, and love—and we talk about all of it.
If you’ve ever wanted your fantasy to bite back—or if you love your monsters messy, magical, and meaningful—you’ll want to stay for this one.
Connect with Azalea Crowley:
- Website: Azalea Crowley
- Instagram: azaleacrowleyauthor
If you loved this episode, please subscribe, rate, and leave a review—it helps more weirdos find us!
Remember: There are no shortcuts to writing. Only the craft.
