DEEP CUTS Episode 87: How Much Backstory Do Authors Need?

Lord Hilentra is expanding his territory into the foothills of the Broken Spine mountains. His garrison at the new village of Stonehold has laid waste to villages populated by Tandrites, a culture that has mined these foothills for generations. Hilentra relies on Bismarten, the Warden of Stonehold, to lead his troops against these small villages. One of Bismarten’s men, Dovokar, was unable to follow orders to slaughter villagers at Granite Town. Nicknamed “Backstep” because he retreats from battle, Dovokar now finds himself on the receiving end of a slaughter. Saluvaunt, a miner mortally wounded by Bismarten’s men, survived long enough for three mountain witches to find him among the dead. They offered him vengeance against Hilentra and his brutal warden, Bismarten. Dying, with nothing left to lose, Saluvaunt accepted. The witches initiated a dark ritual—one meant to turn a grieving man into something far worse. Written and performed by Scott Sigler Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  Theme music is the song “Dark Wave” by Roman Rumyantsev Ain’t no confrontation at all with the GoDaddy Promo Code CJCFOSSIG3, which snip-snips 99% off the cost of Year One of a three-year new domain reg. Yes, that includes dot-coms! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Scott Sigler Slices livestream turns six this year, and it’s high time we make some adjustments to give Scott time to do his actual job of writing stories we all crave. Find out what changes are afoot and what you can expect from Empty Set! Deep Cuts is created by Scott Sigler and A B Kovacs Produced by Steve Riekeberg Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  Some good things come to an end. Some good things just evolve. Using GoDaddy Promo Code CJCFOSSIG is all I need to save ninety-nine percent on the first year of a new domain registration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Backstory—the story stuff happens before the stuff that happens in the story. How much do authors need to make a great tale? Do you need a fully fleshed-out world before you write the first sentence, or can you wing it? Scott Sigler and ARealGirl Herself discuss. Deep Cuts is created by Scott Sigler and A B Kovacs Produced by Steve Riekeberg Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  A good website is part of any backstory. Our GoDaddy Promo Code CJCFOSSIG saves 99% on any new domain registration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lord Hilentra’s frontier garrison at Stonehold had already earned its reputation.  But the peaceful Tandrites would not just roll over and die. A dark figure known as the Stonehewer has fought back, attacking Cayoncrest, one of Hilentra’s new settlements, slaughtering most of its population.  The Stonehewer attacked, climbing over the wall and opening the gate. Dozens of day diggers rushed in, attacking soldiers and civilians alike. Now, in Part II, we begin to learn who the Stonehewer is and how he came across his terrible powers. Written and performed by Scott Sigler Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  Theme music is the song “Dark Wave” by Roman Rumyantsev You stuck inside this weekend during an historic snowstorm? Bust out our GoDaddy Promo Code CJCFOSSIG3 and tell us all about it! When you do, you’ll save 99% of the 1st year of your three-year new domain! That’s what I call toasty! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the saying goes, it’s all about location, location, location. So how does an author pick the perfect location for the tale being told? Dunno, but we ask Scott how he picks his locations! Deep Cuts is created by Scott Sigler and A B Kovacs Produced by Steve Riekeberg Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  Got a shiny new idea and need a 3-year new domain? You can save 99% off the first year using our GoDaddy Promo Codes CJCFOSSIG I have no idea why you wouldn’t! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a dark place on a medieval frontier,  the powers that be are displacing those who have lived there for centuries. Brutal expansion that fuels an inevitable resistance.  Payback delivered in the cold and wet, so far from help it might as well be an island surrounded by an impassible ocean. Because justice is variable, depending on when you live, how you live, and how others may or may not judge you. Written and performed by Scott Sigler Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  Theme music is the song “Dark Wave” by Roman Rumyantsev So you want to start blogging? Maybe a new three-year domain registration would help? What if you use GoDaddy Promo Code CJCFOSSIG3 so you also get ninety-nine percent off the first-year price. Would be pretty darn sweet! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Siglerverse is full of terrific twosomes, and this week, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we talk about a few of them! Deep Cuts is created by Scott Sigler and A B Kovacs Produced by Steve Riekeberg Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  I missed half-price candy day, but did save ninety-nine percent off the first year of a three year new domain using  GoDaddy Promo Codes CJCFOSSIG so I got that going for me. Which is nice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Gardner’s life has collapsed into two obsessions: Patty, the woman who left him. And Jack, the musician he’s spent a decade researching. That research went into Simon’s book, Spellbound, about the life, times, and legend of Wailin’ Jack Laurent, the shock-rock pioneer whose song “You’re Under My Spell” made him infamous—and whose rumored voodoo past refuses to stay buried. After acquiring the original recording of that song—an acetate disc seven decades old and on the edge of falling apart—Simon hopes Laurent’s magic is real.Can that old, dark song really weave a spell? Can it bind Simon and Patty together once more? Written and performed by Scott Sigler Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  Theme music is the song “Dark Wave” by Roman Rumyantsev It’s all about love with our GoDaddy Promo Code CJCFOSSIG3! You’ll swoon when you save 99 percent of the first-year price of a new, three-year domain registration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CRYPT: VOIDSTRIKE has been out a week! Let’s give away CRYPT merch and read early reviews! Ain’t no party like a Warthogs party in its second week! Deep Cuts is created by Scott Sigler and A B Kovacs Produced by Steve Riekeberg Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  I got ninety-nine percent off my 1st year of a three year domain, and a lady knows that’s using  GoDaddy Promo Codes CJCFOSSIG so let’s get at it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins released “I Put a Spell on You” in 1956 on Okeh Records. Elvis Presley released “Heartbreak Hotel” and “Hound Dog,” transforming popular music—and youth culture—almost overnight. The song that would define him was never meant to be a novelty. Hawkins later claimed he recorded it while blackout drunk, so intoxicated that he remembered nothing of the session. The record failed on its initial release, but when it caught on years later, it transformed Hawkins from a struggling musician into a cult figure. “I Put a Spell on You” has been covered countless times and featured in films released decades after its debut. The artists and movies mentioned in this story are real. The song’s cultural afterlife is long, strange, and very well documented. But were Hawkins’s voodoo trappings merely theatrics, or was there something more sinister behind them? Of course it was all for show—almost certainly. Still, the idea that it might not have been was enough to send several fictional possibilities leaping out of the coffin that is this author’s brain. I hope you enjoy “I Put a Spell on You.” Written and performed by Scott Sigler Production Assistance by Allie Press Copyright 2026 by Empty Set Entertainment  Theme music is the song “Dark Wave” by Roman Rumyantsev With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, why not surprise your sweetheart with a new 3-year domain registration? You can save 99% off the first year by using GoDaddy Promo Code CJCFOSSIG3 ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices