The Places you go...

The Places you go...

Curious about how others manage their healing after loss while still embracing their quirks and creativity? This conversation between host Jim Hirtle and indie author Dia Gage will speak to anyone who’s ever felt "weird", out of place, or stuck between worlds. Dia writes paranormal, sci‑fi‑flavoured thrillers in her series *The Chosen Files*, including *The Containment Code* and *The Place You Go When You Don’t Die*.

On the surface, her books echo the X‑Files and classic Twilight Zone stories, but underneath sits something very raw: grief, questions about existence, and the search for meaning after tragedy. She explains that *The Containment Code* grew from the loss of her son Rashad and became "kind of a healing thing".

Loosely based on her own life, it turns the idea of Earth as a "containment centre" into a mind‑bending story that also gives her a way to keep her son present: "This was another way for me to keep him alive." For anyone coping with bereavement or addiction, that idea of turning pain into creativity might feel very familiar.

Dia also talks about *The Place You Go When You Don’t Die*, centred on a woman in a coma and what might be happening to her consciousness in that in‑between state. It’s a chilling premise that taps into deep fears about being trapped but also opens up big questions about what awareness really is.

Along the way, she and Jim chat about writing without a strict plan, self‑publishing frustrations, multiple rounds of fixing typos, and the sheer grind of promoting your own work. There’s humour, honesty, and plenty of encouragement for anyone thinking of sharing their own story. If you’ve ever wondered whether your pain, weirdness, or spiritual questions could become something creative and life‑giving, what might happen if you gave yourself permission to write it down?