Ordinarily Extraordinary - Conversations with women in STEM
We’re Kathy Kale Nelson and Linda LaTourelle — co-hosts of Ordinarily Extraordinary: Conversations with Women in STEM.
Our mission is to amplify the voices of ordinary women doing extraordinary work in science, technology, engineering, and math.
We’re deeply committed to:
- Normalizing the presence of women in STEM by making their stories visible
- Building community for women who may be the only ones like them in their workplace
- Educating listeners about the wide variety of STEM careers — and what they actually look like
- Empowering growth and retention by addressing the challenges behind the leaky pipeline
From early-career professionals to experienced leaders in a wide variety of STEM fields, our guests share how they got started, how they’ve grown, and what they’ve learned along the way. This podcast is a space where women in STEM can be seen, heard, and supported — because representation isn’t just powerful, it’s essential.
Ordinarily Extraordinary - Conversations with women in STEM
75. Erin Mallon - Author of romantic comedy novels featuring women in STEM
Erin Mallon is an author of a newly released trio of romantic comedy novels which feature protagonists who are women in STEM: Flirtasaurus (July 2020), Lovebug (February 2021), and Sharkbait (coming Summer 2022). She is also a playwright and narrator of over 550 audiobooks, many of them in the romance genre. She has won several awards for her audiobook narration and recently won the 2021 Independent Audiobook Award for Humor for her audio play These Walls Can Talk. Erin's most recent release is Pale Blue Dot(s) an immersive audio play about an all-female astronaut team (with special appearances by David Bowie and Elon Musk).
Episode Notes
Erin Mallon brings women in STEM to mainstream media through her trio of books Flirtasaurus (about a Paleontologist), Lovebug (about an Entomologist), and Sharkbait (about a Marine Biologist). She shares what got her into writing (books and plays) and book narration, how audiobooks are narrated and how plays are written. We talk about some specifics about sex scenes in her books (I think this may be the first time I've talked about sex within the podcast). And we get into a discussion about how work should be fun and I share my challenges with trying to find fun and play in life as I enter my 50s.
This is truly one of my favorite conversations as it's in such a different area from my life as an engineer. Erin's works have great reviews and I've loved finding new books and audio plays (not something I knew existed until this conversation) to check out.
Music used in the podcast: Higher Up, Silverman Sound Studio
Acronyms, Definitions, and Fact Check
Erin's website: www.erinmallon.com
If you want to meet Erin in person, you can find her at these events: https://www.erinmallon.com/events
Books: Flirtasaurus, Lovebug, and Sharkbait.
Plays: PALE BLUE DOT(S), THE NET WILL APPEAR, THESE WALLS CAN TALK 2: The Narwhal Strikes Back!, BRANCHED: a comedy with consequences, THE BROMANTIC COMEDIES, SKIN HUNGRY, THESE WALLS CAN TALK, COME FIND ME, BIBLE ADVENTURE PARK!, SOFT ANIMALS, THE OTHER WHITE MEAT, STUNNING DISPLAYS OF PROWESS, HAND ME DOWN,
Earphones Awards - The award is given by AudioFile to truly exceptional titlesthat excel in narrative voice and style, characterizations, suitability to audio, and enhancement of the text. (www.audiofilemagazine.com)
Audie Awards - Awards for achievement in spoken word, particularly
