Originally: Consciousness Prints Podcast - Fantasy Writing; Novel Publishing; A.I., Creativity, & Government; Political Corruption & Housing Issues in United Kingdom & Canada; Liverpool, England, UK Separtism; Creativity As Hope & Joy In Life

https://richiebilling.com/

https://www.patreon.com/cw/RichieBilling

In this episode, Jonathan connects with Richie Billing, a fantasy author, podcaster, and editor based in Liverpool, England. The conversation spans the technicalities of building a writing career to a deep dive into the socio-political issues facing the UK and Canada, touching on everything from A.I. to Liverpool's unique cultural identity.

Richie, a former lawyer turned SEO specialist and writer, discusses his transition into the literary world and his recent focus on short stories and indie publishing. He shares the creative process behind his latest works, Pariah's Lament and the gritty novella Together We Rise, and how he integrated an A.I.-generated soundtrack into his storytelling.

Chapters:

00:00 Liverpool vs. London: The unique "separatist" cultural sentiment of Liverpool and its Irish roots.

05:12 The Writing World: Exploring Richie's Patreon and the shift from novels to short stories.

08:55 Pariah's Lament: A story of underdogs, birthmarks, and reclaiming personal power.

15:30 "Together We Rise": Writing as a critique of corruption and the use of A.I. music to mirror character emotions.

20:45 The A.I. Debate: Why A.I. can't mimic the "spark of consciousness" and its environmental costs (the water crisis in Texas).

28:30 Universal Basic Income: Re-imagining labor and social care in an automated world.

33:05 A.I. in the Courtroom: A lawyer’s perspective on replacing biased judges with objective algorithms.

41:45 The Cost of Living Crisis: Real estate greed, "luxury" student housing, and the generational divide in the UK and Canada.

53:05 The Creative Journey: Richie’s path from law to running an Irish pub to SEO and creative writing.

1:02:00 Advice for New Writers: Why you should start with the basics (short stories) before tackling the "mammoth" novel.