Episode 458: DaVaun Sanders talks his work as an Author, and Editor of FIYAH

Coming highly recommended, I'm joined by multi-hyphenate DaVaun Sanders as we explore the depths of his work as an author, along with taking a peek behind the scenes, as we delve into his work as an Editor. DaVaun and I start off by talking about how he got started in wordsmithing. From his early work in poetry to his first book idea which came to him, we explore that early time. Then, we talk about his middle grade series, Keynan Masters. I read the first book, so we tend to focus primarily on that one. DaVaun talks about how he got the idea for Keynan Masters, the magic system in the book series, and much more. Then we talk about two big names, Minecraft and Marvel. DaVaun talks about how he ended up writing for both properties, who his favorite characters were to write for the Marvel "What If... The Multiverse Was Doomed", and more. Then we take a look behind the words with DaVaun's work as an editor of FIYAH, a quarterly speculative fiction magazine that features stories by and about Black people of the African Diaspora. From starting out as a slush reader to his current role as Executive Editor, DaVaun talks about what goes on behind the scenes. We talk about how different ideas come to fruition, the submission process, and reflects on the history of the magazine. You can find DaVaun at: https://davaunsanders.com/ https://www.instagram.com/davaunsanders/ https://www.threads.com/@davaunsanders https://linktr.ee/davaunsanders You can buy DaVaun's work here: Keynan Masters and the Peerless Magic Crew - https://amzn.to/4uXTax2 The Seedbearing Prince: Part 1 - https://amzn.to/4uiG7q0 Minecraft: The Tournament - https://amzn.to/4tERBCO Marvel: What If...The Multiverse Was Doomed? - https://amzn.to/4ugheuO You can find FIYAH at: https://fiyahlitmag.com/ https://www.threads.com/@fiyahlitmag https://campsite.bio/fiyahlitmag Forged in FIYAH: Celebrating Ten Years of Black Speculative Fiction - https://amzn.to/4wzYJTH