TGM: First question is easy and generic. Who are you and what do you do?
Leala:Hi! My name is Leala Turkey and I host the podcast Epic Dolls right here on TGM.

TGM:You’re one of the Affiliates who really fills a niche. Epic Dolls is about World of Warcraft but, it’s definitely geared towards the women who play the game. How do you think the response has been from that community to your show?
Leala:Well the great thing about our show is that, while presented by women, the content of the show is something that anyone can relate to and enjoy. That, I think, is really our strength. We can still be an all female show but present the info in such a way that it has a much broader appeal. Still, I have enjoyed hearing from women who listen to the show. I never really had any female gaming buddies before the podcast and now I have a ton of them! That part is great for me.

TGM:What made you decide to do a show that’s geared towards women?
Leala:Well, I decided to focus the podcast for a couple of reasons. There are a lot of other WoW podcasts so we needed to have something unique to stand out of the crowd. And an all female show wasn’t something that was around at the time. Also, I wanted to make something that I would like to hear. I think the fact that we are women makes the show more lighthearted and fun to listen to. We aren’t afraid to be silly and we certainly don’t take the game (or ourselves) too seriously. There are a lot of people out there like us and I’m happy to create something for them, either men or women.

TGM:What do you think about the perpetual “battle of the sexes” that seems to happen in gaming? Of course the jokes of “there are no women on the internet” etc. but, it is a male dominated hobby (or seems to be). Do you think there’s any merit to that or, is it just joking?
Leala:I think most people at this point know that stuff couldn’t be further from the truth. And anyone who doesn’t isn’t really on my radar. There are lots of women who are gamers and World of Warcaft has had a big part in making that mainstream. Of course that doesn’t mean that the topic doesn’t come up over and over again on the internet. My philosophy though is to lead by example. If we want female gamers to be accepted and part of the norm, the best thing we can do is get in there and game with the best of them. If you make it a non-issue it will be just that. Epic Dolls is about celebrating the women of WoW, not pointing out our differences. It might surprise someone who hasn’t heard us to know that we rarely (if ever) talk about the whole “girl gamer” thing. We are who we are and we don’t need to state the obvious. The “Dolls” part of the show doesn’t go much further than the title and the voices.

TGM:You also maintain a blog and website that goes along with the Epic Dolls podcast. On the website there are some extra writers and, others who contribute. Is it hard to juggle a blog, site and podcast along with contributing writers and hosts? Or, does it fall into place?
Leala:The amazing thing I’ve learned about leading a group of contributors is to just let them do what they do best, when they have the time. The podcast, like WoW, is a hobby not a job. My co-host Rae, our audio segment contributors, Stardancer and Illidarian as well as our bloggers Briara and Calli all do an excellent job. They bring a lot to the table and make both the podcast and website what it is today. I am so thankful for each of them!

TGM:Does the podcast ever interfere with your gaming time? Meaning, do you often get whispers or messages from fans or, get so caught up with that in-game that you don’t get to game?
Leala:The only way in which the podcast negatively effects my game time is that I have a lot less of it. All the time spent recording, editing and publishing the podcast is time that I would normally spend in WoW. In one way it has been a great thing though because my enjoyment of WoW is so much more now that I have a place to share it with others outside of the game. As far as people approaching me in game, I don’t mind a bit. I openly invite our listeners to join our guild in game and hang out with the Dolls. We are about community and that is part of it. I am by no means a celebrity so I don’t treat people who want to talk to me as “fans”. We are just gamers, guildies and friends.

TGM:What’s one of your most memorable episodes?
Leala:Oh do I have to just pick one!? One of my favorites was Episode 19 when we had Mania the author of the invaluable Hunter website Petopia as a guest. She was one of our first guests on the show and it was so fun talking to her. It really showed me that if you just put yourself out there and ask someone to talk, its amazing who you can meet.

TGM:How did you get into new media and podcasting?
Leala:I started getting into listening to podcasts oddly enough, after I got my iPod. My husband and I started digging around and found some gaming podcasts like The Instance and Virginworlds. It was a new concept to me and we learned more about how they were produced independently. After a while the show Women of Warcraft came out and I was very excited about it. Molly produced the show for a while then took a step back and I thought to myself, “I could do that!.” So after going back and forth with myself for a long time, I took the plunge and produced my own show. That was almost a year ago and I haven’t stopped since. I’m so happy I took that leap.

TGM:What are some other hobbies you have that aren’t gaming-related?
Leala:Well I’m a graphic designer so I enjoy doing all sorts of design related things. I also have 2 wonderful dogs who I adore and I love taking them out to places like the dog park. Music is another big passion of mine and my husband is in a band. Before my days as a podcasting geek we used to go to a lot of shows. I’ve seen hundreds of bands at all kinds of festivals and venues ever since I was about 16.

TGM:How do you juggle being into video games, being an adult and having your daily life?
Leala:Well work owns about 40+ hours of my week and the rest is mine! Muahahah. In all seriousness I do my best to leave myself enough free time as possible after my full time job and the part time job that is the podcast. I’m not one of those people who likes to have every minute of every day planned out with tons of activities. I like to leave things open so I can go out if I’m in the mood or stay in and play WoW if I’m not. Also not having any children helps with having more free time than some. Thank goodness.