In this episode of Watch.Read.Listen., we are joined again by our friend author Ian Michael Everett to discuss the representation of minorities in fiction, especially those with mental illnesses. After our "This Week" section, we fail to actually explain the Hugo Awards kerfuffle, so you should probably just read George R.R. Martin's Livejournal posts about it. Next, we get into how some white males freak out when non-white people play some characters (eg. Idris Elba possibly playing James Bond, or actually playing Roland from The Dark Tower). Then, we focus on Ian's work to depict shizo-affective disorder in the novel he is currently revising, Pillarbreaker, and the how his friend Emmett helped him understand mental illness better.
Check out Emmett's blog at My Journal of Psychotic Illness for a powerfully personal description of the struggles people with mental illness encounter on a daily basis.
Follow Ian Michael Everett at Twitter and Facebook to keep up with when his new novel will be out, and see his blog for samples of his work.