Are you afraid of snakes? We would venture to guess your answer is "yes". Amelia Cotter, however, wants to help you reorganize your beliefs about our serpent friends, and she does so in our seventh episode of The Fantastic Story Society. While there is plenty of fantastic ghost stories told in this episode (Amelia's telling of her one and only encounter with a ghost is excellent), we learned that there is a Native American snake mound right outside the second biggest city in the country - sweet home Chicago! Amelia, being an author and investigator, researcher and all-around fantastic storyteller, also dives in to a few details and elements of snake myths that do, in fact, help quell Scott and Max's snake fears...at least a little.

Amelia is an author, poet, and storyteller with a special interest in the supernatural, history, and folklore. Her books include This House: The True Story of a Girl and a Ghost, Maryland Ghosts: Paranormal Encounters in the Free State, and the children’s book Breakfast with Bigfoot. She has appeared on various radio and television programs, including Travel Channel’s Hometown Horror (with an all-new episode airing on December 2 featuring Amelia and her husband), and in the documentaries Scary Stories, and Tinker’s Shadow: The Hidden History of Tinker Swiss Cottage. She also appeared as a regular cast member on the show The R.I.P. Files.

Originally from Maryland, Amelia lives and writes in Chicago, gives tours with Chicago Hauntings ghost tours and, regularly presents at conferences and events. For more information, head on over to her website, www.ameliacotter.com

As for our Society, if you haven't already, you can look for and find us on Twitter @FantasticGhosty, and we're always sharing stories, news, and more on our Facebook page at facebook.com/FantasticStorySociety/

Remember, there are stories everywhere, you just need to look for them...and when you find them, give a little knock on our door and you may just be welcomed into The Fantastic Story Society.

Get to know one of the ISA's favorite film festivals by listening in on this informative (and fun) interview with the festival's Director of Programming Whitney Haskin, hosted by the ISA's Max Timm.

Diving in to what makes the festival tick, you'll learn how festivals work, what goes on behind the scenes, and get to know the hard working people behind the food, wine, and film festival in Napa, CA. Taking place every year in November, we highly suggest making your way up to wine country to attend this amazing festival if you can.

Even if you don't know who Pen Densham is, you probably do know some of his films. A veteran producer and near-life-long entertainment professional, Pen joined the Los Angeles ISA Third Thursdays event in November as ISA's Director of Education, Max Timm, interviewed him in front of a live audience. To say the discussion was inspirational would be an understatement. From stories about making Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, to the acclaimed Moll Flanders, Pen's wisdom, advice, and pep talk to our writers will resonate for years to come.

Stay tuned for future ISA Third Thursdays panels and discussions, and make sure to check out the ISA Events page to see if there is a Third Thursdays social event in a city near you.

Episode 298

This week on the SYS Podcast Writer/Director Joseph Mbah talks about his new action film, Expo, and how he was able to launch his career while living in Arizona.

Episode 6 of The Fantastic Story Society - My Friend, Wyatt Earp (we're not really friends with him, but we want to be)

Spinning our fantastic stories toward the Old West, gunfighters, the rustic way of life, Scott and Max bring on author and Wyatt Earp scholar, Mark Warren, to perform a deep deep dive into one of the most famous (if not the most famous) characters from the American western tales. Some of the stories shared on our podcast series are purely speculative, paranormal and completely unprovable (for lack of a proper word), but Wyatt Earp and the stories about his travels, friends, adventures, and fearless mindset are all true...which makes this episode that much more, well, fantastic. The focus on the reason behind Wyatt's hero status is what truly makes this episode so interesting, much less Mark's Fantastic Story of the episode, The Miracle on the Mesa. A must listen. Enjoy everybody, and stay tuned for more of the fantastic.

If you haven't already, you can look for and find us on Twitter @FantasticGhosty, and we're always sharing stories, news, and more on our Facebook page at facebook.com/FantasticStorySociety/

Remember, there are stories everywhere, you just need to look for them...and when you find them, give a little knock on our door and you may just be welcomed into The Fantastic Story Society.

Ghosts and ghouls! It's our Wine Wednesday Halloween special with the prolific, insightful, consummate storyteller, Jim Hart. Jim owns and operates the leading storyline software, The Hart Chart, which every writer should check out here: www.hartchart.com Jim is also the screenwriter on so many amazing films, one of which is Max's Top Ten favorites, Contact with Jodie Foster. Max and Jim dive in to the importance of delivering an emotional story through character, as well as tell multiple spooky ghost stories just for the fun of it. It's a fantastic episode, and we hope you enjoy it...and happy holidays to everyone!

Remember, Felicity Wren and Max Timm always have open Q&A during every Facebook Live broadcast, so you should tune in when they broadcast their next live chat. Even though most broadcasts focus on a particular subject, every writer is welcome to ask anything they like at any time. Felicity and Max will do their best to give you a straight and honest answer.

This is a podcast recording of the ISA's Facebook Live broadcast of Wine Wednesdays. Please note that some promotions offered during the live broadcast are no longer available. We can, however, assist you if you wish to find out more information regarding ISA events, contests, or consulting offers. Just reach out to info@networkisa.org and we will be happy to help.

You can reach out to Max regarding any type of query: max@networkisa.org If you have particular interest in working with him on a one-on-one coaching and development basis, email him at max@thestoryfarm.org. His Story Farm development and coaching service is quickly becoming the best in the business! Felicity can also be reached at Felicity@networkisa.org. She, too, can work with you one-on-one, so don't hesitate to inquire. We can't wait to support you.

Subjects and themes for the broadcasts change from week to week, so stay tuned on most Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm Los Angeles time. For a specific schedule and set of announcements, "Like" the ISA Facebook page and keep up to date.

Ever wonder what it's like reading a script from an actor's perspective? It's not that different than how a writer SHOULD be reading a script...but more importantly, how a writer should be developing the script. In this 73rd episode of Wine Wednesday, Max and Felicity discuss the ins and outs of breaking scenes and sequences through the mind of the actor. Actors tend to read more scripts than writers, which shouldn't be the case, but so much can be learned from that - a writer can tailor his/her script in a way that allows an actor to roam free creatively, as opposed to have to work harder to understand their intent and motivation.

Enjoy this wine-tastic episode from our wonderful sponsors, The Story Farm Coaching & Consulting, and the Nickelodeon Writing Program. And remember, Felicity Wren and Max Timm always have open Q&A during every Facebook Live broadcast, so you should tune in when they broadcast their next live chat. Even though most broadcasts focus on a particular subject, every writer is welcome to ask anything they like at any time. Felicity and Max will do their best to give you a straight and honest answer.

This is a podcast recording of the ISA's Facebook Live broadcast of Wine Wednesdays. Please note that some promotions offered during the live broadcast are no longer available. We can, however, assist you if you wish to find out more information regarding ISA events, contests, or consulting offers. Just reach out to info@networkisa.org and we will be happy to help.

You can reach out to Max regarding any type of query: max@networkisa.org If you have particular interest in working with him on a one-on-one coaching and development basis, email him at max@thestoryfarm.org. His Story Farm development and coaching service is quickly becoming the best in the business! Felicity can also be reached at Felicity@networkisa.org. She, too, can work with you one-on-one, so don't hesitate to inquire. We can't wait to support you.

Subjects and themes for the broadcasts change from week to week, so stay tuned on most Wednesday evenings at 7:00pm Los Angeles time. For a specific schedule and set of announcements, "Like" the ISA Facebook page and keep up to date.

Episode 5 of The Fantastic Story Society - Halloween Special

In our Halloween special episode, Max and Scott bring on writer, director, author, documentarist, and all-around rockstar paranormal researcher, Christopher Saint Booth. With over 100 horror films and paranormal documentaries under his belt, Christopher has spent nearly a lifetime investigating the weird, the odd, and the fantastic. We couldn't have considered a better guest for our Halloween special because just about every word that comes out of Christopher's mouth is a fantastic story. His untold story at the end will make you wonder if the ghosts are the ones we should really be afraid of!

If you haven't already, you can look for and find us on Twitter @FantasticGhosty, and we're always sharing stories, news, and more on our Facebook page at facebook.com/FantasticStorySociety/

Remember, there are stories everywhere, you just need to look for them...and when you find them, give a little knock on our door and you may just be welcomed into The Fantastic Story Society.