Podcasts about station eternity

In this episode of the Fully-Booked podcast, we welcomed Shirin back to the podcast after a six-month hiatus! The return wasn't pre-planned but fell into place organically, creating a light-hearted surprise for everyone. Shirin has been away dealing with personal life changes, including taking care of a new baby and adjusting to a new rhythm at home.The hosts, Meaghan, Arthur, and Shirin, agreed that May would be a transitional month, easing out of the structured April theme of "fools and tricksters" into a looser, more fun assortment of topics. With Shirin returning and the team unsure how often all three would be recording together, the trio decided to start casually and reconnect with listeners through conversation.They introduced the theme for this episode as book hangovers - an experience that most readers encounter at some point. The discussion would focus on what book hangovers are, how they affect each of the hosts differently, and what strategies they use to overcome them. This theme is particularly timely for Shirin, who is not just returning to the podcast but also to the act of reading for pleasure after a long break.What's On Our Nightstands: Current ReadsBefore diving into book hangovers, the hosts shared what they're currently reading.Shirin talked about trying to get through Quicksilver, a fantasy novel that she found compelling but difficult to consume via audiobook. She experimented with switching between audio and print versions but found that listening to complex fantasy without visual reference, especially for unfamiliar names and terminology, was frustrating. Shirin typically prefers audiobooks for lighter reads like romance, where the stakes and structure are easier to follow. Her experience illustrated how personal reading preferences can vary widely depending on format and genre.Meaghan echoed this sentiment, sharing that she, too, only listens to audiobooks for titles she's already read. That way, she doesn't worry about missing important plot points if her attention drifts. The group touched on the trend of duet narration in audiobooks and how multiple narrators can enhance the listening experience, especially in genres like romance or fantasy where character differentiation is crucial.Arthur, on the other hand, has been diving into Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty, a sci-fi murder mystery about a detective who flees Earth only to find trouble on an alien space station. This choice stood in stark contrast to Meaghan and Shirin's current reads and highlighted the diversity of interests among the hosts. Meaghan and Shirin both admitted they wouldn't have picked it up on their own, which Arthur found amusing. Their differences offered fresh perspectives and ensured that listeners received a range of book recommendations.Meaghan had recently finished Forged by Magic by Jenna Wolfhart, a cozy fantasy that suited her seasonal preference for lighter reads in the spring. She also reviewed The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick, a 1960s period piece that explores themes of identity and societal roles through the lens of suburban housewives discovering The Feminine Mystique. Meaghan was pleasantly surprised by how much she enjoyed the latter, even though literary fiction isn't typically her go-to.What Are Book Hangovers, And Why Do They Hit So Hard?Once everyone had shared their current reads, the discussion turned to the heart of the episode: book hangovers. Shirin kicked things off by defining a book hangover as the feeling of emotional or mental paralysis after finishing a phenomenal book or series, to the point where it becomes difficult to start another. She cited A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) as the most intense book hangover she's ever experienced.Meaghan agreed with this definition and emphasized that series often make hangovers worse because readers become deeply immersed in their fictional worlds. She admitted that while she's had lulls in reading motivation, they haven't always been hangovers per se. Sometimes, they're just due to low interest or life distractions.Arthur added a different perspective: for him, hangovers can stem from finishing books that were simply bad. He explained that after reading something disappointing, he becomes hesitant to start anything new, fearing more letdowns. Meaghan and Shirin found this relatable and described similar experiences of slogging through mediocre reads and then losing momentum.They also discussed academic hangovers, particularly the one Shirin experienced after completing her English degree. Having been forced to read and analyze so many dense or unenjoyable texts, she lost her passion for reading for a time. All three agreed that required reading - especially when it involves analyzing books you don't enjoy - can suck the joy out of literature.The hosts reflected on how doing the podcast has made them more self-aware about their reading habits. It's helped them track how and when hangovers happen and reevaluate how to navigate them. This awareness has even affected their attitudes toward DNFing (Did Not Finish). They now feel less guilty about putting a book down if it's not enjoyable, prioritizing quality reading experiences over completion.Breaking The Cycle: How We Escape Book HangoversThe group discussed personal strategies for overcoming book hangovers. Meaghan's go-to remedy is to switch to something fast-paced like a thriller. These books don't require the same emotional investment as fantasy or character-driven novels, making them easier to read when she feels drained. She also prefers standalones during this time, since she usually gets hangovers from involved series.Shirin agreed and said that switching genres often helps her reset. She leans toward romance or beach reads, especially as summer approaches. Titles like Love and Other Words or Novel Love Story are perfect for pulling her out of a slump. She also mentioned that thrillers work well because they're plot-driven and don't demand deep emotional attachment to the characters.Arthur had a unique approach. He recommended short story collections as a way to recover. Because each story is self-contained and relatively short, readers can sample a variety of tones, plots, and genres without long-term commitment. This keeps things fresh and can reignite interest in reading. He also noted that he enjoys sci-fi short stories, even though he doesn't usually gravitate toward full-length sci-fi novels.The group talked about how jumping into something too similar to what caused the hangover can backfire. Shirin realized she made this mistake with Quicksilver, reading it too soon after Onyx Storm, which had similar themes and pacing. The comparison made it harder for her to enjoy the new book. She decided to pause and pick up Legends & Lattes, a cozy fantasy that Meaghan recommended, which is often suggested as a perfect “palate cleanser” after an intense series.They also addressed how thrillers rarely cause book hangovers, which is why they often serve as effective cures. Meaghan pointed out that cozy mysteries and cozy fantasies fall into the same category - low stakes, resolved plots, and comfort-driven narratives. According to polls, cozy mysteries are the least likely to induce book hangovers, a conclusion that made complete sense to the hosts.Prolonging The High: Fandom, Spoilers, And The Hangover SpiralThe conversation shifted to how modern fandoms influence reading behavior. Arthur talked about how finishing The Dark Tower series led him into an obsessive search for forums and fan theories. He wanted to explore the lore beyond the books themselves, trying to prolong the experience.Meaghan and Shirin recognized this tendency in themselves, too, especially with incomplete series like Fourth Wing or Crescent City. They admitted to going down internet rabbit holes, diving into Reddit threads, and TikTok speculation.Shirin, however, tries to avoid spoilers at all costs. While she's aware of some major plot points in popular series due to the nature of the Internet, she prefers to go in as blind as possible. She compared this to how she enjoys going to film festivals without knowing much about the films. Arthur and Meaghan, on the other hand, are more flexible about spoilers, especially in non-book contexts.The episode ended with some light teasing and banter about reading habits, particularly Shirin's aversion to Nicholas Sparks and sickly sweet romances. Everyone shared a laugh, wrapping things up with a sense of camaraderie and mutual understanding.

"The bully loves pantsers because it can insult your outline."-Mur Lafferty (This post went live for supporters on April 23, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) (Also, I had a microphone glitch near the end, which is why it ends abruptly. Apologies.) In this episode, we launch our series on the bullies that live in your head, rent free. This week we talk about my original bully, Bart (a potato). He's ugly and mean as a snake, but I do have some ways to deal with him. We also touch on the recent Hugo nominations, my reading habits, and the exciting upcoming adaptation of Martha Wells' Murderbot series! Transcript Links Escape Pod Severance Murderbot The Teller of Small Fortunes Save the Cat Deadloch Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21 Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! — "Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 10, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 7 | murverse.com "Conquering Creative Bully #1: BART (a potato)" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

We kicked off the episode with a bit of weather banter, lamenting the lingering cold despite the arrival of spring. This lighthearted opening tied directly into our episode's focus on "tricks" as we wrapped up our literary podcast April's “Tricksters” theme. We reflected on the heavier topics from previous episodes, like the intense themes in Shutter Island, and decided to end the month on a lighter, playful note with a game.As always, we reminded listeners about the related content available on our website, Fully-Booked.ca, including recent articles like the intriguing investigation into how a book with only 444 ratings managed to top Amazon's bestseller list.Explaining the Game: “Trick Each Other Into Reading It”To close out the theme of tricks and foolery, we introduced a game where we each selected a handful of books. The goal was to describe these books vaguely enough to spark interest without revealing the title. The twist? If one of us successfully "enticed "tricked" the other into saying they'd read the book, that person would have to actually read it before the end of the year.The rules were:Describe the book's plot enticingly but vaguely.The other host guesses if they'd want to read it.Only after their decision is the book's identity revealed.If one of us is “tricked,” we're committing to reading the book.Play along with us and try to guess on your own! To reveal the book name, click on the arrow beside "Book reveal".The Game: Guess the Book and Decide to ReadRound 1Arthur: MeaghanDescribes: A brutal coming-of-age story set in a savage wasteland. Lone warrior fights terrifying beasts and deadly enemies to claim leadership. Gladiator vibes, betrayal, survival against the odds.Meaghan's Guess/Reaction: Doesn't sound appealing due to gladiator associations. Declines to read.Book revealRhino: The Rise of a Warrior by Nicholas Sansbury Smith.Round 2Host: MeaghanDescribes: A doctor and a circus performer (who jumps through flaming hoops) team up. Mischievous raccoon sidekick. Somebody loses an eye.Arthur's Guess/Reaction: Curious about the adventure; likes the misfit vibe. Says yes to reading.Book revealSyphon Sparrow by Brynn Weaver (third in the Ruinous Love trilogy). Dark romance twist - Arthur is now on the hook for reading the whole series.Round 3Host: ArthurDescribes: Locked-room murder mystery at a strange outpost where the suspects aren't human. Amateur sleuth repeatedly finds themselves surrounded by death. Witty, quirky, Miss Marple in space energy.Meaghan's Guess/Reaction: Sounds fun, suspects it's Station Eternity - and guesses correctly.Book revealStation Eternity by Mur Lafferty.Round 4Host: MeaghanDescribes: Narrated by a child. "The house isn't haunted—the family is." Closets are unsafe spaces. Nonlinear storytelling reflecting a child's mind.Arthur's Guess/Reaction: Interested; thinks it's a book they've talked about but guesses incorrectly.Book revealIncidents Around the House by Josh Malerman. Horror novel from the author of Bird Box.Round 5Host: ArthurDescribes: An Orphan child taken to a fortress where others are trained in secret knowledge. Creatures, riddles, betrayal, and danger beneath the surface.Meaghan's Guess/Reaction: Might be interested, but unsure what the book is.Book revealIt's Harry Potter. Trick round—no reread required!Round 6Host: MeaghanDescribes: Inspired by Lizzie Borden, set in a Maine mansion where a decades-old murder took place. Current-day caretaker tries to solve the mystery with a mute woman as the key witness.Arthur's Guess/Reaction: Sounds intriguing; hesitant but interested.Book revealThe Only One Left by Riley SagerRound 7Host: ArthurDescribes: Haunted luxury cruiser, salvage crew finds dead passengers who aren't at rest. Ghosts, creepy visions, something watching from the shadows.Meaghan's Guess/Reaction: Initially confused it with Six Wakes or Paradise One, but is interested.Book revealDead Silence by S.A. Barnes.Round 8Host: MeaghanDescribes: Siblings return to childhood home after parents' death, tensions rise. The trauma isn't what you expect—it's the house. Features the creepiest puppet ever.Arthur's Guess/Reaction: Intrigued, especially by the horror elements. Says yes.Book revealHow to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix.Round 9Host: ArthurDescribes: A Deadly puzzle in an ancient fortress. Necromancers, sword fighters, skeletons, betrayal. Gothic horror meets dark fantasy.Meaghan's Guess/Reaction: Sounds compelling; admits he might read it.Book revealGideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir.Round 10Host: MeaghanDescribes: Surprise murder at a B&B run by a family of witches, each with distinct powers. Cozy mystery that also tackles grief, loss, and healing.Arthur's Guess/Reaction: Hesitant but interested.Book revealIn the Company of Witches by Arleigh Wallace.Closing Thoughts and Episode Wrap-UpWe concluded the game, reflecting on how successful each of us had been at tricking the other. The result was a tie, with each of us winding up with about two or three books we're now committed to reading. Arthur, in particular, will be tackling Butcher and Blackbird - a fact Meaghan was especially excited about.Finally, we previewed what's coming next month: a more flexible, experimental approach to May's episodes. We encouraged listeners to explore the podcast backlog and check out all the additional content on our site.

S21 Ep6: From Medieval Fashion to Modern Writing with Natania Barron "Stories are how I make sense of the world." -Natania Barron (This post went live for supporters on March 27, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) In this episode, I talk a little about the JoCo Cruise and how it reminded me of the importance of community and creativity. I forgot how good it felt to surrounding myself with fellow creatives. Then I talk to Natania Barron, a prolific fantasy author and medieval scholar of the Queens of Fate series. We delve into Natania's latest works and discuss the intersection of history and fantasy, the nuances of writing queer narratives, and the significance of food and fashion in storytelling. Transcript Links Natania Barron's Website Natania's Patreon Queen of None Worldbuilding for Masochists Podcast Diane Ackerman A Wrinkle in Time Flyleaf Books Quail Ridge Books Solaris Books Chuck Wendig Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21 Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet. — "From Medieval Fashion to Modern Writing with Natania Barron" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. March 31, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 6 | murverse.com "From Medieval Fashion to Modern Writing with Natania Barron" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S21 Ep5: Crafting Tales Through Holiday Themes "Engaging with the holidays definitely feels like a way to develop world and character." -Mur Lafferty (This post went live for supporters on March 24, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) In this episode, I dive into the significance of holidays in storytelling and how they can shape character development and plot progression. With no guest this week, I talk about my own projects, creative work and admin work both. I cover Christmas romances that evoke themes of rebirth to the complexities of Valentine's Day, and discuss how different holidays can influence narratives. Transcript Links Writer's Digest The Holiday The Last Holiday Holidate Home for the Holidays Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21 Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet. — "Crafting Tales Through Holiday Themes" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. February 13, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 5 | murverse.com "Crafting Tales Through Holiday Themes" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S21 Ep4: Taking a Machete to Creative Blocks with Premee Mohamed "My characters would be wandering around the field with me going like, hey, I just found a rare orchid." -Premee Mohamed (This post went live for supporters on March 21, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) (recorded February) In this episode we welcome prolific, brilliant Premee Mohamed, a Nebula and Aurora award-winning author to talk about her new book, One Message Remains. . We explore the process of creating clean first drafts, the chaos of deadlines, and the balance between creativity and productivity. And why the cat needs a job. Premee shares the challenges of producing multiple works in a year and the strategies she employs to keep her creativity flowing. We cover outlining techniques and the importance of not being precious about the writing process. Transcript Links Premee Mohamed One Message Remains Premee's Patreon Psychopomp Press Tor.com Hugo Awards Aurora Awards Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21 Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet. — "Taking a Machete to Creative Blocks with Premee Mohamed" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. March 24, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 4 | murverse.com "Taking a Machete to Creative Blocks with Premee Mohamed" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S21 Ep3: Rachel Howzell Hall on Balancing Thrillers and Fantasy "I will try this new thing and I will learn how to do it." -Rachel Howzell Hall (This post went live for supporters on March 18, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) (recorded February) In this episode of I Should Be Writing, we dive into the chaotic world of creativity with acclaimed author Rachel Howzell Hall, thriller writer turned fantasy writer. She discusses her new romantasy book, The Last One. We delve into the importance of urgency in storytelling, the balance of world-building, and the personal experiences that shape a writer's voice. Transcript Links Rachel Howzell Hall The Last One Baldur's Gate 3 Elden Ring Thomas & Mercer Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21 Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet. — "Balancing Thrillers and Fantasy" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. March 21, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 3 | murverse.com "Balancing Thrillers and Fantasy" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0  

On this episode of Currently Reading, Kaytee and Meredith are discussing: Bookish Moments: reading retreats, one finished and one scheduled Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: we boss some more TBRs The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  1:16 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 7:18 - Our Current Reads 7:32 - Finders Keepers by Stephen King (Meredith) 9:37 - Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King 10:24 - Holly by Stephen King 12:17 - The Stand by Stephen King 12:18 - The Shining by Stephen King 12:55 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon (Kaytee) 17:24 - Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World by Mark Aldridge (Meredith) 20:46 - Night Wherever We Go by Tracey Rose Peyton (Kaytee) 24:54 - Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito (Meredith) 28:58 - Mrs. March by Virginia Feito 29:30 - The Lost Library by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead (Kaytee) 31:08 - CR Season 5: Episode 25 31:10 - The Candymakers by Wendy Mass 31:12 - CR Season 3: Episode 41 31:14 - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 31:27 - Bob by Wendy Mass and Rebecca Stead 33:08 - Boss My TBR From Emily 33:45 - Sweep by Jonathan Auxier 33:48 - My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman 33:52 - Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty 33:54 - S by J.J. Abrams and Doug Dorst 33:58 - Vicious by V.E. Schwab 34:18 - The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune 34:20 - A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab 34:23 - Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend 34:25 - The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman 34:27 - The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall 36:38 - Schuler Books From Bethany 40:38 - Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd (releases April 8, 2025) 40:42 - The Last Party by Claire Mackintosh 40:45 - Out by Natsuo Kirino 40:47 - Baby X by Kira Peikoff 40:50 - The Stolen Child by Ann Hood 41:03 - Becoming Madam Secretary by Stephanie Dray 41:09 - The Wedding People by Alison Espach 41:12- The Strange Case of Jane O. by Karen Thompson Walker 44:55 - The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker 45:17 - Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer 45:47 - I Cheerfully Refuse by Leif Enger 46:17 - Virgil Wander by Leif Enger 47:30 - Meet Us At The Fountain 48:25 - I wish people would utilize our website for the plethora of things it offers. (Meredith) 49:46 - The Candymakers by Wendy Mass 49:49 - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 50:17 - I wish for a “find all and replace” option for books. (Kaytee) Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. March's IPL comes to you from our tried and true partner, An Unlikely Story in Plainville, MA. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.  All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

S21 Ep2: Mental Health and Creativity "Nothing is 100% original. It's what you do with it that counts." -Elaine M. Will (This post went live for supporters on February 13, 2025. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) Ever-looming existential dread, but we keep going. Then there's the challenge of navigating creativity amidst mental health struggles. I also reflect on a fear of failure. I'm not proud. I'm human. And then we welcome to the show Elaine M. Will, a writer and illustrator known for her graphic novels that tackle mental health themes. We discuss Elaine's latest work, The Last Band on Earth, and the intricate relationship between storytelling and visual art. Whether you're a writer or an artist, we hope you'll get something out of this episode, and you remember that a creative journey is filled with ups and downs, and it's okay to take your time. Transcript Links Elaine M. Will on Ko-Fi The Artist's Way Toronto Comic Arts Festival Scott McCloud Lynda Barry Gene Day Award Cuckoo's Nest Press Citizen Sleeper 2 Evergreen Links See all books from Season 21 Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!   In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet. — "Mental Health and Creativity" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. February 13, 2025 | Season 21 Ep 2 | murverse.com "Mental Health and Creativity" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

[NOTE- even though I remember editing, this is still an all over the place episode. And apparently I said I wasn't going to swear and then did it anyway. Pretty accurate ending to 2024, actually.] "You need to come up with terrible ideas. And once you come up with terrible ideas, you will start developing good ideas." -Mur In this episode, I talk about my writing journey, the challenges of ADHD, and shares ten terrible ideas that might just spark something wonderful. From comic book scripts to psychological thrillers set in idyllic farming towns, I explore the importance of embracing all ideas, even the seemingly bad ones. Sort of. We touch on where to get inspiration, and mention Rusty's Retirement and the modern Greek mythology series, KAOS. This episode is a reminder to embrace creativity and the messy process that comes with it. Transcript Links Blaseball (RIV) Douglas Adams Redshirts by John Scalzi Stardew Valley KAOS (Netflix series) Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 — "10 Terrible Ideas" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. December 26, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 35 | murverse.com "10 Terrible Ideas" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep34: In Which Mur Looks Into The Pit of Despair and Sees a Tiger [Explicit] "Don't talk yourself out of being creative, because that really is the biggest thing that stops us is ourselves." (This post went live for supporters on November 14, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) NOTE: It occurs to me that I have three explicit episodes--32, 33, 34--in a row. But one was a casual interview, one was rage, and one was despair. So we will get back to nice clean episodes soon. I promise.) Recorded two days after the 2024 election, and I'm in deep despair in this episode. It's casual, with a lot of talk about ADHD and masking and what "writers" are supposed to do. We talk about the importance of embracing one's identity as a writer, regardless of external expectations. I also talk about my upcoming cozy fantasy project, inspired by the likes of Legends & Lattes and T. Kingfisher's boks, and the challenges of discussing creative work prematurely. Transcript Links: Terry Pratchett Ray Bradbury Richard Dansky Discworld The Cure The Smiths Chuck Wendig Taskmaster Travis Baldree (Legends and Lattes) T. Kingfisher Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 — "Tigers" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. December 2, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 34 | murverse.com "Tigers" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep33: In Which Mur and Jen Udden Discuss World Fantasy Con, Fan Fiction, and the Ever-Changing Publishing Landscape [Explicit] "I think we're about 10 minutes away from reinventing urban fantasy and paranormal romance." - Jennifer Udden (This post went live for supporters on November 12, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) (NOTE: It occurs to me that I have three explicit episodes--32, 33, 34--in a row. But one was a casual interview, one was rage, and one was despair. So we will get back to nice clean episodes soon. I promise.) At World Fantasy Con this year, I got to talk to my ex-agent Jennifer Udden, who shared her journey from agent to barista and back to agenting. We talked about the unique atmosphere of the con, the evolution of fan fiction in the literary world, and the growing acceptance of publishing professionals as writers. We also talk about Stardew Valley. Jen opens up about her experience with self-publishing, the importance of creative outlets, and her plans to reopen submissions, focusing on adult fiction across various genres. Transcript Links: World Fantasy Con Archive of Our Own Organization for Transformative Works Stardew Valley Dragon Age Del Rey Books T. Kingfisher Guitar Hero Jennifer Udden on Instagram Marrying In by Jennifer Stratton Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 — "Returning to Agenting with Jennifer Udden" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. November 25, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 33 | murverse.com "Returning to Agenting with Jennifer Udden" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S.20 Ep.32: In Which Mur and Valerie Discuss NaNoWriMo Alternatives, Writing Tools, and Community Building [Explicit]  "The spirit of NaNoWriMo was to do something big, bold, and show what you're capable of." - Valerie Valdes (This post went live for supporters on November 13, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) (NOTE: It occurs to me that I have three explicit episodes--32, 33, 34--in a row. But one was a casual interview, one was rage, and one was despair. So we will get back to nice clean episodes soon. I promise.) Join Mur and Valerie Valdes as they dive into the chaos surrounding NaNoWriMo and explore alternatives for writers seeking new challenges. They discuss the current state of NaNoWriMo, the controversies, and the impact on the writing community. Valerie shares insights into her local writing group's decision to break away and create their own events. Valerie also offers a wealth of resources and tools to challenge yourself this month, including Dream Foundry's Freefall Challenge, World Anvil's World Ember, and various Pomodoro and idle games like Rusty's Retirement and Pomo Farm, and how to stay motivated with apps like 4 the Words and TrackBear. Transcript Links NaNoWriMo Twitch Discord Dream Foundry World Anvil Flights of Foundry Con or Bust Game of Tomes 4 The Words Pacemaker TrackBear Written Kitten Write or Die Placid Plastic Duck Simulator Rusty's Retirement Virtual Cottage Chill Pulse Cozy Time Melvor Idle On Track Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! "NowNoWhatMo…with Valerie Valdes" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. November 18, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 32 | murverse.com "NowNoWhatMo…with Valerie Valdes" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S.20 Ep.31: In Which Mur and Gwynne Garfinkle Discuss Short Stories, Anthologies, and the Joy of Fanfiction "I write about what I know, and what I know is family." - Gwynne Garfinkle (This post went live for supporters on November 12, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) Join me as I welcome back author Gwynne Garfinkle to discuss her anthology of short stories and the art of writing across different lengths. We dive into Gwynne's journey from novels to short stories, exploring the freedom and challenges of each format. Gwynne shares her love for fanfiction and how it rekindled her passion for writing fiction. We also delve into Gwynne's poetry, discussing her unique approach to capturing untold stories from classic films, and her process of deciding whether an idea becomes a poem or a short story. Transcript Links: Gwynne Garfinkle Escape Pod Strange Horizons Aqueduct Press Readercon Blue Sky Query Tracker Fantasy Magazine Psycho (1960 film) Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20   "From Fanfiction to Fantasy: Gwen Garfinkel's Writing Adventures" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. November 15, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 31 | murverse.com "From Fanfiction to Fantasy: Gwen Garfinkel's Writing Adventures" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep30: In Which Mur and Stacy Sivinski Discuss Cozy Fantasy, Sensory Writing, and Sisterhood "The senses are actually connected, and the way we describe sensation and prioritize sight and sound is actually attached to social biases that need to be reconstructed." - Stacy Sivinski (This post went live for supporters on November 12, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) In this episode, we welcome debut author Stacy Sivinski to discuss her new cozy fantasy novel, The Crescent Moon Tea Room. We explore the sensory elements that make her writing so immersive and the importance of sisterhood and self-discovery in her storytelling. Stacy shares her background in sensory studies, how it influences her writing, and the fascinating hierarchy of the senses that challenges traditional storytelling norms. Stacy also touches on the challenges of transitioning from a PhD in English to writing cozy fantasy, her disciplined writing routine, and how she navigates the fears of starting new projects. We delve into her upcoming book, hinting at enchanted bookstores and ghosts, and discuss the power of writing rituals to overcome writer's block and anxiety. Transcript Links: Stacy Sivinski Stacy Sivinski on Instagram The Crescent Moon Tea Room by Stacy Sivinski Wild Geese Bookshop Schuler Books Deja Brew by Celestine Martin Big Witch Energy by Molly Harper The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery Emory and Henry College Kate Chopin Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier Agatha Christie Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and the community of Fabulists over at Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20   "Exploring Cozy Fantasy and Sensory Writing with Stacy Sivinski" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. November 14, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 30 | murverse.com "Exploring Cozy Fantasy and Sensory Writing with Stacy Sivinski" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0    

S20 Ep29: In Which Mur and Cat Rambo Discuss Writing, Accountability, and Intelligent Spaceships "I think that right now there are so many very interesting and original voices that can never be replicated." - Cat Rambo Join me in welcoming author, community builder, former SFWA president, and all around awesome person Cat Rambo. We dive into Cat's writing journey, discussing their latest series featuring intelligent spaceships and former mercenaries turned restaurateurs. Cat shares their unique approach to starting a story, the importance of accountability, and how they manage their prolific output despite the challenges all writers face. Cat also talks about their recent projects, reveals their outlining process, the value of community in their Patreon, and future plans, including a horror novel set in 1976 South Bend, Indiana. Transcript Links: Rumor Has It by Cat Rambo Cat Rambo Cat's Patreon Jennifer Brozek Ursula Vernon Maurice Broaddus Bill Gibson Karen Joy Fowler Nisi Shawl Octavia Butler Stardew Valley Escape Pod Ray Naylor Stephen Graham Jones Save the Cat Robert McCammon Stephen King Griffin Bookstore Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 "Accountability and Adventures in Writing with Cat Rambo" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. October 28, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 29 | murverse.com "Accountability and Adventures in Writing with Cat Rambo" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep27: In Which Mur and Anamely Salgado Reyes Discuss Magical Realism and Writing Journeys "I write about what I know, and what I know is family." - Anamely Salgado Reyes In this episode, I chat with Anamely Salgado Reyes about her debut novel, My Mother Cursed My Name, and the intricacies of writing magical realism. We explore the differences between magical realism and fantasy, the significance of family stories, and the emotional journey of getting published. Anamely shares her unique path to becoming a published author, from Googling how to publish a book to landing her dream agent. She also talks about her second novel, her writing process, and her love for family-centric stories. Transcript Links: Anamely Salgado Reyes on Instagram Electric Spec My Mother Cursed My Name So Far From God by Ana Castillo The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel Shit No One Tells You About Writing Podcast Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20   "Writing Family Stories and Magical Realism with Anamely Salgado Reyes" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. October 14, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 27 | murverse.com "Writing Family Stories and Magical Realism with Anamely Salgado Reyes" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep25: In Which Mur Interviews Wole Talabi and Sung-Il Kim at Worldcon "Leave with more connections than you came with." - Wole Talabi In this special episode, Mur Lafferty returns with interviews recorded at Worldcon, featuring Wole Talabi and Sung-Il Kim. Apologies for audio issues, but I really wanted to get these to you because interviews with these writers can't be missed. First, I chat with Wole Talabi, the author of Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon and the short story collection Convergence Problems. Wole shares his experiences attending Worldcon, the importance of community building at conventions, and the collaborative process behind the Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology. Next, I talk to Sung-Il Kim, whose debut English novel Blood of the Old Kings is set to release in this month. Sung-Il discusses his journey from role-playing game development to fiction writing, the translation process, and the importance of starting your story with a compelling hook. NOTE- Thanks to Tor, I will be doing a giveaway for Blood of the Old Kings on October 15, 2024! Details on how to win are inside the podcast! Transcript Links and references: Wole Talabi Sung-Il Kim Worldcon Bubonicon Infinite Archive The Ophelia Network Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon Convergence Problems Mothersound: The Sauútiverse Anthology Blood of the Old Kings Author PD James Translator Anton Hur  Subterranean Press MIT Press Twelve Tomorrows Anthology Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, The Ophelia Network, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. October 1, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 25 | murverse.com “Exploring Shared Worlds and Translation Challenges with Wole Talabi and Sung-Il Kim” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

[Please note that this podcast is explicit with a few swear words and CW- parental death discussed.] S20 Ep24: In Which Mur and Tanya DePass Discuss Fanfic, Diversity Consulting, and Creative Journeys Recorded ON ISBW's birthday, in Glasgow, y'all. Nineteen years. I'd drop the mic, but it seems I'm committed now. I think people who turn up their nose at Fanfic are really A: missing out and B: being snobs. - Tanya DePass Transcript (This post went live for supporters on August 23, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) Join Mur as she celebrates the 19th anniversary of "I Should Be Writing" with special guest Tanya DePass, aka cypheroftyr. Tanya is a prolific writer, streamer, and game developer, known for her work in promoting diversity and inclusion in the gaming industry. In this episode, they delve into Tanya's multifaceted career, from founding "I Need Diverse Games" to working on the upcoming Wonder Woman game. Tanya shares her journey with fanfiction, discussing how it has evolved over the years and how it helps her hone her writing skills. They also touch on the importance of diversity consulting in creative works, offering advice on when and how to seek out consultants to ensure authentic representation. They explore the emotional challenges of creative careers, the value of finding opportunities, and the importance of community support. Tanya's insights into streaming, game development, and balancing multiple roles provide a comprehensive look at the modern creative landscape. Links I Need Diverse Games Tanya on Twitch Wonder Woman game Into the Motherlands Green Ronin Publishing RPG Rivals of Waterdeep Black Dice Society Baldur's Gate 3 Dragon Age Mafia III AO3 (Archive of Our Own) Fanfiction.net Bioware Marvel's Black Panther Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20   "Celebrating ISBW's 19th Bday Live at WorldCon with Writer and Gamer, Tanya Depass!" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. August 26, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 24 | murverse.com "Tanya DePass, Writing, and Gaming, Live from WorldCon, Glasgow!" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep23: In Which Mur and Waubgeshig Rice explore post-apocalyptic worlds. It's like, ultimately, words are expendable. You just pick different ones. - Waubgeshig Rice Transcript (This post went live for supporters on August 21, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) In this episode. Mur chats with award-winning author and journalist Waubgeshig Rice about his latest book, Moon of the Turning Leaves. They delve into the challenges and rewards of transitioning from journalism to fiction, the intricacies of writing post-apocalyptic literature, and the importance of smaller presses for budding authors. Waub also shares his inspirations, the impact of his indigenous heritage on his storytelling, and offers invaluable advice for aspiring writers. Tune in for an insightful discussion on the craft of writing and the resilience of communities in the face of global calamities. And y'all, SO MANY good book recommendations! Check the shownotes at murverse.com. Links Waub's Home Page and Instagram Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 "Exploring the Post-Apocalyptic World with Waubgeshig Rice" is brought to you in large part by my supporters, the Fabulists, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. August 23, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 23 | murverse.com "Exploring the Post-Apocalyptic World with Waubgeshig Rice" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep22: In Which Mur Chats with MJ Wassmer and Discusses Debut Novels and the Writing Journey "You can't think yourself into better actions, but you can act yourself into better thoughts."- MJ Wassmer Transcript Join Mur as she welcomes MJ Wassmer, author of Zero Stars Do Not Recommend, to discuss the ups and downs of debuting in the publishing world, writing speculative comedy, and the emotional rollercoaster that comes with finishing a book. MJ shares his personal journey, from working in corporate America to becoming a published author, and offers insights into his writing process, dealing with rejections, and the importance of having a supportive spouse. Links: MJ Wassmer Zero Stars Do Not Recommend MJ Wassmer on Instagram Doctor Who Rick Rubin Josh Ritter Inky Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 "Debut Novels and the Writing Journey with MJ Wassmer" is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. August 5, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 22 | murverse.com "Debut Novels and the Writing Journey with MJ Wassmer" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep21: In Which Mur and Mary Pascual Talk Writing and Mental Health "I refuse to feel like or believe that [ADHD] is a detriment. Honestly, there are so many things about ADHD that I personally love."- Mary Pascual  Transcript (This post went live for supporters on July 8, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) In this episode, Mur Lafferty is joined by Mary Pascual, author of Walk the Web Lightly. They dive into the challenges of writing with ADHD, the importance of mental health for writers, and the unique creative processes that come with neurodivergence. Mur shares her recent experience of turning in her eighth book, Infinite Archive, and the duo explores the intricacies of balancing deadlines with self-care. Mary discusses her latest book, its themes of time, art, and science, and the journey of her young protagonist, Nya. They also touch on the blurred lines between YA and middle grade fiction, and how personal experiences and mythological inspirations shape their storytelling. Tune in for an insightful conversation about the highs and lows of the writing life, and the shared struggles and triumphs of creative minds. Links: Walk the Web Lightly by Mary Pascual ADHD for Smart Ass Women Podcast (and the book) Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 1984 by George Orwell SpaceValkyries Stream Escape Pod (Hugo finalist semi-prozine) Evergreen Links Catch the show LIVE on Twitch Thursdays, 3pm, Eastern time! Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20   "Embracing ADHD and Crafting Timelines with Mary Pascual" is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. July 29, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 21 | murverse.com "Embracing ADHD and Crafting Timelines with Mary Pascual"  by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep19: In Which Mur Explores the Deck of Worlds and Story Engine "You know, if you use the word 'modified,' you can get away with anything."- Mur Transcript (This post went live for supporters on July 1, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) Join Mur Lafferty as she dives into a live-streamed session of world-building using the Deck of Worlds and The Story Engine. Despite a challenging week, Mur's creativity shines as she crafts unique settings and characters, from a swamp with carnivorous plants to a compromised cyborg in a cyberpunk universe. This episode is a treasure trove for writers looking to spark their imagination and explore new storytelling tools. Links: The Story Engine Deck of Worlds Madeleine L'Engle Martha Wells The Lost Room Locke & Key Unknown Armies Evergreen Links Catch the show LIVE on Twitch Thursdays, 3pm, Eastern time! Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20   "Deck of Worlds: Unleashing Creativity in Fiction" is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. July 15, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 19 | murverse.com "Deck of Worlds: Unleashing Creativity in Fiction"  by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep18: In Which Mur Explores Tarot and Historical Fiction with Susan Wands "Action is always better than no action. You can always fix what you've done. You can't fix not getting started."- Susan Wands Transcript (This post went live for supporters on June 27, 2024. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon or Substack!) In this episode, Mur chats with Susan Wands, the author of High Priestess and Empress. They delve into the fascinating world of Pamela Coleman Smith, the creator of the iconic Rider-Waite tarot deck, and discuss how historical fiction blends with magical realism in Susan's Arcana Oracle series. Susan shares her journey of rewriting her first book, dealing with genre expectations, and how tarot influences her creative process. Links: Susan Wands High Priestess and Empress Pamela Colman Smith Golden Dawn Watkins Books Atlantis Books Acculture Berlin Festival Art and Fiction Kindred Spirits Magazine Irving Society Journal Spark Press Worldcon Glasgow The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck Alistair Crowley Thoth Tarot Deck Joseph Campbell Save the Cat Sisters in Crime Evergreen Links Catch the show LIVE on Twitch Thursdays, 3pm, Eastern time! Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20   "Tarot Tales and Historical Hurdles with Susan Wands" is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. July 8, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 18 | murverse.com "Tarot Tales and Historical Hurdles with Susan Wands"  by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep17: In Which Mur Reflects on Creativity and Ambition "It's really easy. It's so relaxing to not be creative."- Mur Transcript This week, Mur shares her journey through book edits, the struggles of low energy, and the comforting realization that creation is often less comforting than consumption. Mur explores the myriad of creative opportunities available today—from writing novels to making music videos—and the emotional weight that comes with each creative endeavor. She also touches on her admiration for hybrid creators like Ursula Vernon and the spontaneous creativity of the band, The Garages. Mur reflects on her past as a sports journalist and how it shaped her writing, offering insights into finding the right angle for storytelling. Whether you're struggling with a boring main character or the challenges of prequels, Mur provides thoughtful advice and personal anecdotes to help you navigate your creative journey. Links: Ursula Vernon Kobo Evergreen Links Catch the show LIVE on Twitch Thursdays, 3pm, Eastern time! Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20   "Navigating Novel Noodling and New Ideas" is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. July 1, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 17 | murverse.com "Navigating Novel Noodling and New Ideas" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep16: In Which Mur Tackles Short Fiction Submissions "You're not gonna be Wiswell or Chambers. You're gonna be you."- Mur In this episode, Mur delves into the intricacies of submitting short fiction, sharing invaluable tips and personal experiences. From the importance of understanding market guidelines to the emotional resilience required to handle rejections, this episode is packed with advice for both new and seasoned writers. Mur also recounts her recent whirlwind trip to Buffalo, battling migraines, and the unexpected productivity boost from writing a Baldur's Gate fanfic for a friend. Plus, she answers listener questions on short story submissions, beta readers, and the pitfalls of "rejectomancy." Links: Clarkesworld QueryTracker Duotrope Submission Grinder Escape Pod Baldur's Gate 3 Neil Gaiman China Miéville Connie Willis John Scalzi Becky Chambers John Wiswell Ken Liu Hugo Awards GigaNotoSaurus Midsolar Murders Ditch Diggers Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 "Navigating Short Fiction Submissions" is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. June 24, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 16 | murverse.com "Navigating Short Fiction Submissions" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep15: In Which Mur Muses on AI and the Writer's Journey "I'm exaggerating a little bit, but if you look at the last 20 years, that's pretty much how I work."- Mur Transcript In this podcast we dive into the depths of editing my novel, Infinite Archive, and how I'm navigating the murky waters of murder mystery tweaks. We also explore the increasingly complex landscape of AI in writing and its implications for creatives. Links: Infinite Archive Valerie Valdez Premee Mohammed Savage Mill Geek Fest NASFiC in Buffalo Glasgow WorldCon World Fantasy Con Query Shark Writer Beware Preditors and Editors Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds (Gwenda Bond's book) Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 "Murder Mystery Meltdown and the AI Assistant" is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. May 2, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 15 | murverse.com "Murder Mystery Meltdown and the AI Assistant" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

S20 Ep14: In Which Mur Dives into Conventions and Confidence "You can't stop caring about something... You stop what you do about it, but you can't really just turn that switch off." - Mur From the thrill of networking to the trepidation of tax season, Mur navigates the maze of a writer's life with humor and honesty. In this episode, she shares her experiences and insights on convention attendance, from choosing the right ones to the art of mingling without the cringe. Plus, she tackles the ever-present concern of COVID safety in crowded spaces. Whether you're a cosplayer or a casual attendee, Mur advises on how to present yourself professionally, connect with industry pros, and enjoy the con experience while staying true to your comfort level. And for those not ready to dive back into the physical con scene, she discusses the merits of virtual conventions and how they can be a great alternative. Links: Escape Pod Omnihedral (game store) Boskone Worldcon Wiscon World Fantasy Con ConFusion Bubonicon FenCon ArmadilloCon San Antonio Book Festival John Scalzi Kameron Hurley Tobias Buckell Patreon Substack John Anealio (theme music) Numbersninja (art) Libsyn (podcast hosting) Valerie Valdes Evergreen Links Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing book. My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! All books featured in Season 20 "Conquering Conventions and Crafting Confidence" is brought to you in large part by by my supporters, who received an early, expanded version of this episode. You can join our Fabulist community with a pledge on Patreon or Substack! Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. Also consider leaving a review for ISBW, please! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja,and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 24, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 14 | murverse.com "Conquering Conventions and Crafting Confidence" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

I Should Be Writing Season 20, Episode 10 "I felt like a cuckoo among very pretty birds." - Mur Fresh off the JoCo cruise, we discusses the allure of nerd paradise and how navigating imposter syndrome is a frequent struggle. I share tabletop RPG antics, celebrity karaoke adventures, and the amazing feeling of having legitimately cool creators accept you. Self doubt did show up, and I'll talk about how I dealt with that. Also, what should I do for my 20th year podcasting celebration? Other links:  JoCo Cruise Jonathan Coulton Skullcrusher Mountain Chiron Beta Prime Portal (Video Game) Portal 2 (Video Game) NPR Ask Me Another That Bronze Girl (Twitch) Drunk History James S.A. Corey (Ty Franck) The Expanse Tochi Onyebuchi Mari Naomi Our Flag Means Death Oscar Nunez Vico Ortiz Scott Alexander Howard The Other Valley (Book by Scott Alexander Howard) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! (go here for all the books mentioned in Season 20) Your support keeps our ship afloat. Thank you for being part of the crew. If you can't give monetarily, then consider leaving a review wherever you get your podcasts! April 18, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 10 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

I Should Be Writing Season 20, Episode 9 Transcript "If you don't start out perfect, you're never going to be good." - Evil Mur Evil Mur is back giving terrible advice and it's a wild ride through the looking glass of a writer's darker musings. We cover questioning the point of writing when perfection eludes us to the ruthless strategy of writing on the job. She gives some seriously excellent advice about emotions in horror, and offers an unorthodox method for trimming the fat from your prose. We touch on the Hugo Awards and reveal the cover of Mur's upcoming book, Infinite Archive. Be warned: Evil Mur doesn't play by the rules, and neither does her advice. Other links:  JoCo Cruise Baldur's Gate 3 (game) The Secret (book) Jonathan Livingston Seagull (book) The Celestine Prophecy (book) Infinite Archive (book) How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method (book) Hugo Awards Save the Cat Writes a Novel (book) Penguin Random House (publisher) Twitch (MightyMur) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio Savor I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! (go here for all the books in Season 20) Support the show, if you dare, and remember: Evil Mur is watching. Write like it's your last act of defiance. CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, site design by Clockpunk Studioand files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. April 5, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 9 | murverse.com "The Epiphany of Routine" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

I Should Be Writing Season 20, Episode 7 Transcript I found myself looking for my own magic bullet and getting frustrated a the media who take the idea of a daily routine--something people with ADHD people need--and play it off as only done by stodgy, unfun dorks. I discuss Josh Zimmerman's videos, how creation is like jumping off a diving board for me, my solo RPG plans, and promote Premee Mohamed's books and bullying.  From the fear of preparation to the power of routines for neurodiverse individuals, we open up about the importance of finding what works for you—even if it means facing your own hypocrisy. Plus, hear about the anticipation of the JoCo cruise, the chaos of running Brindlewood Bay RPGs, and why sometimes, you just have to leap off the high dive.  Other links:  Apple Fitness Plus Ray Bradbury, Zen and the Art of Writing Stranger Than Fiction (movie) Publishers Weekly File 770 JoCo Cruise Ursula Vernon Brindlewood Bay (RPG) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Check out all the books we've featured this year! And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support. March 12, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 8 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Summary: You're out of this world, listener! Join Holly and Devin today as they discuss books set in or featuring outer space. Devin has always been obsessed with space exploration and studied it in college, whereas Holly only really wants to read about this subject in her books. Whether you have a passion for astronomy or astrology, whether you dream of flying to the moon or are glad your feet are firmly planted on earth, these books have something for you!  Topics Discussed: The Heart (3:41): Devin discussed A Cosmic Kind of Love by Samantha Young, a unique romance following event planner Hallie Goodman and NASA astronaut Christopher Ortiz as they orbit each other and then collide. After discovering his video diaries from the ISS (International Space Station), Hallie develops a crush on the charismatic astronaut and starts to send her own recordings to his discontinued NASA email address. Little does she know, though, that Chris is watching them and developing a crush of his own. Devin's key takeaways were: Not only is the book full of videos where Chris describes what it's like to live on the ISS, but there's metaphorical space for better and worse laced throughout this novel. Chris works for NASA and did 5 months in space, but both he and Hallie struggle with space, taking up more of it in their lives and not letting it get in the way of their fledgling romance. Both protagonists have a lot of trauma and a lot of current struggles with their families, especially their parents. This informs how they show up in their relationship and how they react to various triggers. A lot of the book involves the repair or boundary setting of Hallie and Chris with their families.  Chris, having dated a socialite named Darcy and Hallie who is consistently wrapped up in the world through her work have to fight for their positions in society and for authenticity in their relationships. Even Hallie's dad struggles with posturing and connection when he buys a gigantic house to make his ex jealous. The Dagger (23:48): Holly discussed Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty, book one in the Midsolar Murders series and a novel following Mallory Viridian, a human living on the space station Eternity amongst various species of aliens. Having left earth after realizing that people connected to her are murdered at an alarming rate, Mallory's existence on Eternity is peaceful… until a shuttle full of humans comes to the station and the bodies begin to pile up again. Holly's key takeaways were: One of the best aspects of the book was the various aliens on board, ranging from the Gneiss who are creatures made of living rock to the Sundry, an insect species similar to wasps who have a hive mind and can only communicate with you if three or more of them gather together.  The murder mystery component of the story felt misleading - there wasn't so much the real focus of this story and didn't come together in a way that felt satisfying; there was some confusion on the core thrust of the plot and what the reader should be focused on.  Ultimately, this book had a lot of promise and intriguing world building of alien species cohabitating in a sentient space station, but the execution felt chaotic and messy. If you're looking for a sci-fi thriller with a unique twist, though, check out this series.  Hot On the Shelf (47:34): Holly: Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck Devin: How You Get the Girl by Anita Kelly What's Making Our Hearts Race (50:52): Holly: Dune Part 2 Devin: Bread baking weekly   Instagram: @heartsanddaggerspod Website: www.heartsanddaggerspod.com   If you like what you hear, please tell your friends and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify so that we can find our perfect audience.

I Should Be WritingSeason 20, Episode 7 In this episode, I discuss trusting yourself because sometimes no one else will. We also talk File 770, Genre Grapevine, I mispronounce "chutzpah," make a Wizard of Oz reference, and how should I celebrate 20 seasons of ISBW? Remember, advice is supplementary. Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Go buy it! My newsletter, The Hot Mic, and my Patreon. Supporting either of those will get you perks like access to the discord, exclusive content, and early, ad-free episodes. Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! See what books we've discussed this season here. Some of the above links are affiliate, meaning I may receive a small amount of money for the purchase at no cost to you. And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support. March 9, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 7 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

ISBW S20 Ep5 Debut author Avione Lee comes to tell us about the Odyssey Workshop and the various programs!  Odyssey Your Personal Workshop (deadline is soon!) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!

ISBW S20 Ep4 Hugos are still messy, so check out Chris M. Barkley*, Paul Weimer, Alasdair Stuart, and Jason Sanford and the excellent fanwriting they do. *Accidentally call him Charles in the recording. Sorry! We talk character depth, using Baldur's Gate 3 as an example. Lastly we get in to the hybrid outline thing I'm trying to do to help me write.  Show Links Paul Weimer Chris M. Barkley  Jason Sanford Alasdair Stuart Nancy Kress' Beginnings, Middles, and Ends (affiliate) Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! February 12, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 4 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

ISBW S20 Ep3 Debut author Eilish Quin joins us to talk about her retelling of Euripedes' classic story, Medea, with glorious descriptive prose and a feminist point of view. We talk about hurdles and wins and what to keep in mind when doing a retelling. Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! (some book links are affiliate, go here if you can't see the widget) And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support. February 8, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 3 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

ISBW S20 Ep2 I am not a lawyer or an accountant, and taxes mentioned in the podcast are specific to my understanding of US tax law.  No one like to talk about money. Either you admit how bad you are or you're awkward because you make a lot. Or you're a jerk, but we aren't talking to those people. I'm here to talk about my income, what an advance really means, and how to best use your writing income. We also discuss YNAB, my favorite budgeting tool, and authors Valerie Valdes and Premee Mohamed show up in chat to give their input. Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support. February 6, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 2 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0  

ISBW S20 Ep1 Why am I still doing this show after 20 years? Believe me, I was the first person to ask this. We talk about my career, my mental health, and, well, why? Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support. CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, site design by Clockpunk Studio and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon. January 29, 2024 | Season 20 Ep 1 | murverse.com "The "Why" of this podcast" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Turns out that the stress of dealing with November has made me sit on this production. :( But Travis Baldree and I hung out online and talked about our books that launched this month, Chaos Terminal and Bookshops and Bonedust.   Transcript Travis Baldree 03:53 ...I've discovered stickers are the easiest way for me to not feel awkward at assigning or a thing, because I can just say, Do you want a sticker? Okay, well, I lay them out in front of me. There's like more than one kind of sticker. And so I say, Would you like a sticker? And then while they're preoccupied trying to pick a sticker, you run don't have to say anything. Oh, and they have to think so I can sign something. Because the thing that happens to me is if I sign things, and somebody asks me a question, I will start writing my answer. To get the rest of the interview, check out my Patreon or Substack!   Evergreen Links I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Support small bookshops and shop here! (affiliate link) November 4, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 30 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

NaNoWriMo starts tomorrow! Are you participating? Are you ready? Author, editor, and long time NaNoWriMo municipal liaison Valerie Valdes joins us to talk about her new projects and how to tackle NaNoWriMo! Don't forget, Chaos Terminal comes out in ONE WEEK. Transcript Valerie Valdes 10:08: I wonder if there's like enough NaNoWriMo people at this point who are published writers that it's kind of lost some of that sheen of the amateur. Somehow I don't know. But I definitely haven't heard that as much as I feel like I also would occasionally see that kind of grump on social media. But yeah, I think that, that more and more writers, the benefit of NaNoWriMo, even if you're a professional writer, and you write 100%, of the time all year round, is that you're doing this together with other people who are also doing this thing. And even professional writers, a lot of them don't write 50,000 words in a month, a lot of times, it's a much slower pace, and it's spread out over a longer period of time. Home page Where Peace is Lost Valerie's secret project: The Lost Caverns of Ixalan (A Magic The Gathering novella!) Escape Pod I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that? Evergreen Links Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. No more bird site. Alas. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! (affiliate links to indie stores offering books mentioned here, and more: Bookshop.org) October 30, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 29 | murverse.com | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

John, Alison and Liz read Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty. Please email your letters of comment to comment@octothorpecast.uk, check out our subtitles/transcripts, and tag @OctothorpeCast (on Twitter or on Mastodon) when you post about the show on social media. Content warnings this episode: Murder, death Other works we discussed: Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee Rosewater by Tade Thompson This didn’t make the edit due to Liz’s audio being troublesome The 2018 Hugo Award ballot Credits Cover art: “Standard-Sized Cryochambers” by Alison Scott Alt text: Three cryochambers marked “Coxon J, Scott A and Batty L” reside in a room marked “Clone Bay”. John and Liz’s heads are visible through the windows int heir chambers; Alison’s is not. Blood floats in front of them underneath the words “Octothorpe 90”. Theme music: “Surf Shimmy” by Kevin MacLeod (CC BY 4.0)

ISBW S19 Ep27 T. Kingfisher, Richard Dansky, and I are all nominated for the Manly Wade Wellman Award! It will be given at Congregate this weekend.  Escape Pod is a finalist for the Hugo Award, Best Semiprozine category! Black Mirror says just tell the story instead of worrying about the science. Gene Wolfe said it too.  There are many voices that tell us different things, and some of those voices aren't writers.  Interviews will be more frequent moving forward.  I don't talk enough about the I Should Be Writing book. It exists. Did you know that?  Evergreen Links Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! (some book links are affiliate) CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, site design by Clockpunk Studio and files hosted by Libsyn (affiliate link). Get archives of the show via Patreon or Substack. July 13, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 27 | murverse.com "Beyond the Mental Editor vs Writer Battle" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Short episode this time, and not having the best brain day. So I'm sharing with you because this happens to everyone. Transcript Mur Lafferty: And maybe what I write is crap, but I'll never know unless I write it. And then I think lies the key. It's not even allow yourself to write crappy first drafts, It's: a pro thinks they suck, but they write it anyway. And there's your Deep Thought for the Day. What I'm Reading: Savage Crowns and Dead and Gondola. Affiliate links to all of these and the other books I mentioned in the episode. Evergreen Links Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! (some book links are affiliate) June 21, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 26 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

I got to interview game designer turned YA romance writer James L. Sutter in this episode, and it was a blast. So much good stuff here! I also talk about my latest anger at ADHD and what I'm reading.  Transcript  James L. Sutter 34:10: And so it was hugely enlightening for me to see, sort of these authors were very talented and established, going through the same outline process, you know, struggling with their pitches, struggling with characters and realizing that like, oh, every great work of art, like starts out as a pile of garbage. And like, I can make a pile of garbage. (emphasis Mur's) What I'm Reading: Darkhearts, of course, but also These Prisoning Hills and People You Meet on Vacation. Affiliate links to all of these and the other books I mentioned in the episode.  Mentioned: The Artist's Way podcast (Apple link) Evergreen Links Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate, Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! (some book links are affiliate) June 14, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 25 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep24 It's June, and I have had some disappointments (She Podcasts, Live! and Blaseball), but at least I'm not worrying about travel so much. Got my 10k words turned into my agent, and lament the loss of the podcast community. But Tee Morris, Scott Sigler, and Christiana Ellis are all live streaming too. And so is Grant Baciocco! (from the transcript)  Mur Lafferty  00:59   ...Whatever you're afraid of, you're not alone. And the thing is about those fears, if everybody has them, no matter how successful you are, does it really have to do with writing?  What I'm Reading I'm currently reading The Other Side of Infinity by Joan Smith, magical real world YA romance about seeing the future and wondering if you can make a difference. Savage Crowns launch party next week on Twitch! (2pm EDT June 13, 2023) We have a transcript! Support the Patreon if you'd like to see the annotated transcripts! RIV Blaseball Evergreen Links Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate, 19 years of archives, Discord, workshops, and more if you support via Patreon! Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! June 7, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 24 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep23 Thinky bits about reading and pacing and migraines. I'll be clever next week, promise. But what I'm really excited about is the interview with Arley Sorg, editor, writer, and now a new agent! We have a transcript! Support the Patreon if you'd like to see the annotated transcripts! Patreon support will also get you ad-free episodes!   New Agent in Town: Arley Sorg! Arley Sorg KT Literary Writer Beware Preditors and Editors Query Tracker Readercon Evergreen Links Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate, 19 years of archives, Discord, workshops, and more if you support via Patreon! Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!   June 1, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 23 | murverse.com | Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep22 I'm back doing solo episodes with an interview at the end. In this episode I talk about the importance of you interviewing any agent who's interested in you, and the disasters that can happen if you don't. Then I talk to Chana Porter, then discuss the books I'm reading. News, and Let's Talk Agent Stuff The Nebula Awards The Bigolas Dickolas story (and the book that blew up) The New Leaf story Station Eternity gets a second printing! Chaos Terminal can be pre-ordered! Guest: Chana Porter Chana Porter Evergreen Links Mur's newsletter, The Hot Mic Socials: Bluesky, Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate, 19 years of archives, Discord, workshops, and more if you support via Patreon! Theme by John Anealio I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! May 4, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 22 | murverse.com | Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep21 Recorded live, April 27, 2023 Good News Good News Station Eternity gets a second printing! Chaos Terminal can be pre-ordered! Team Rejection 2023 Count: 111 Mur will be attending the Nebula Conference in Los Angeles (May 12-14, 2023) Mur will be speaking at She Podcasts, Live! (June 19-22) Main Topic: Welcome Stina Leicht! We were nominated for the Astounding Award at the same time, and we talk about the last 10 years since that nomination. Stina's book Loki's Ring is out now! Space Fantasy vs Space Opera vs Science Fiction Links Stina's website, Patreon, and books! The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate, NEW: Bluesky Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! April 27, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 21 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep20 Recorded live, April 24, 2023 Good News Good News Station Eternity gets a second printing! Chaos Terminal can be pre-ordered! Team Rejection 2023 Count: 110 Mur will be attending the Nebula Awards in Los Angeles (May 12-14, 2023) Main Topic: Rule One of WiP Club (I had to.) Had some real thoughts about what happens when I tell people what I'm working on, and decided not to do that anymore.  Links The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!

S19 Ep19 Recorded live, April 20, 2023   Good News Good News Station Eternity gets a second printing! Chaos Terminal can be pre-ordered! Team Rejection 2023 Count: 108 Mur will be attending the Nebula Awards in Los Angeles (May 12-14, 2023) Main Topic: Kat Howard Interview! The amazing fantasy author and comic book writer Kat Howard joins us to talk about her new book, A Sleight of Shadows Why are sequels so hard? Kat's site, and substack newsletter Links The Hot Mic, Mur's Newsletter Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate. Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! April 20, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 19 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep18 Recorded live, April 6, 2023 Good News Good News Station Eternity gets a second printing! Chaos Terminal can be pre-ordered! Team Rejection 2023 Count: 103 Mur will be attending the Nebula Awards in Los Angeles (May 12-14, 2023) Main Topic: The Push to the Finish Line The end of your story should end things in a way that makes the journey worth the trip Supporting characters and bit players should inhabit the import & impact of their roles Writing comedy is still hard Links The Void Door by VM Amalya (aka spacevalkyries) Writing the Other classes K-Drama Inspirations to Maximize Your Story Marple: Twelve New Mysteries The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! April 6, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 18 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep16 Recorded live, March 16, 2023 As much as I've talked about agents, I still get questions, so here are some answers. However, I realize I misused a lot of words in this one. I'm having a bad day. Please don't assume anything about me like Benoit Blanc*. All agents will look at contracts, try to sell your books to publishers, handle foreign rights and film (and other) sales, and be your best cheerleader. Beyond that, each one is different.  Links The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! *Glass Onion. Go see it if you haven't already April 10, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 17 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep16 Recorded live, March 16, 2023 Good News Good News Station Eternity gets a second printing! Chaos Terminal can be pre-ordered! Team Rejection Count: 37 Books in the Wild Savage Crowns by Matt Wallace Main Topic: Questions Writers Field Handling the common yet still not so simple questions people ask a writer Ie, “How long does it take you to write a book?” Midsomer Murders Story Bot has it made Links The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! March 16, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 16 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep15 Recorded solo, April 10, 2023 The Picasso quote that I mangled: "We artists are indestructible, even in a prison cell or a concentration camp I would be all right in my own world of art. Even if I had to paint my pictures with my tongue on the dusty floor of my cell." It's hard to feel invincible, but we are. Remember that. The word I was looking for to equal contagonist was Mirror Character, who is a lot like the protagonist but interferes. AITA letter referenced ("I am a train enthusiast..." what is it with these guys and their vehicle obsession? First this guy, then the "pilot" guy...) Links The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! April 10, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 15 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

On this week's episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: the generations after us and before us in our reading lives Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: what did we learn from a no-prep current read section? The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives As per usual, time-stamped show notes are below with references to every book and resource we mentioned in this episode. If you'd like to listen first and not spoil the surprise, don't scroll down!  We are now including transcripts of the episode (this link only works on the main site). The goal here is to increase accessibility for our fans! *Please note that all book titles linked below are Bookshop affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. If you'd prefer to shop on Amazon, you can still do so here through our main storefront. Anything you buy there (even your laundry detergent, if you recently got obsessed with switching up your laundry game) kicks a small amount back to us. Thanks for your support!*   . . . . 2:37 - Currently Reading Patreon 3:26 - Bookish Moment of the Week 4:52 - The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule  8:23 - New York Times article “Reading Around New York” 8:50 - Hot Dudes Reading on Instagram 9:03 - New York Times article “When Listening to a Book is Better than Reading It” 13:40 - Current Reads 13:49 - Cover Story by Susan Rigetti (Meredith) 16:05 - Fabled Bookshop 17:32 - Whistleblower by Susan Fowler (aka Susan Rigetti) 18:13 - The Appeal by Janice Hallett 19:35 - The Yoga Store Murder by Dan Morse (Kaytee) 26:27 - Venco by Cherie Dimaline (Meredith) 27:18 - libro.fm 30:17 - Aurora by David Koepp 34:57 - The Attic Child by Lola Jaye (Kaytee) 35:47 - Babel by RF Kuang 39:47 - Silence of the Sea by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (Meredith) 39:52 - I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir 45:24 - Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty (Kaytee) 45:36 - Schuler Books 51:24 - Prepping For CR Episodes 52:50 - Venco by Cherie Dimaline 55:38 - Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente 58:06 - Meet Us At The Fountain 59:02 - I wish listeners would pick up a book, read the first paragraph, then say “And that's when the murders started” and enjoy the giggles that ensue. (Meredith) 45:50 -  I wish listeners would support the creators they love. (Kaytee) 1:00:44 - The Popcast with Knox and Jamie Patreon 1:00:48 - Laura Tremaine's Patreon 1:00:57 - Sarah's Bookshelves Live Patreon 1:01:00 - Sorta Awesome Patreon 1:03:46 - Mindy on Instagram Connect With Us: Meredith is @meredith.reads on Instagram Kaytee is @notesonbookmarks on Instagram Mary is @maryreadsandsips on Instagram Roxanna is @roxannatheplanner on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast.com @currentlyreadingpodcast on Instagram currentlyreadingpodcast@gmail.com Support us at patreon.com/currentlyreadingpodcast and www.zazzle.com/store/currentlyreading

S19 Ep14 Good News Good News Station Eternity gets a second printing! Chaos Terminal can be pre-ordered! Team Rejection Count: 32 Books in the Wild Mr & Mrs Witch by Gwenda Bond, Death Watch by Stona Fitch, Arca by G.R. Macallister Congrats to the Nebula Award nominees Main Topic: Challenge Me, Challenge You Going beyond the routines now and again to keep the good habits strong Revisiting The Morning Pages routine (from The Artist's Way) Links: The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! March 9, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 14 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S.19 Ep.9 How quickly does a succulent grow? Does a writer grow any faster? Links: The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! February 22, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 09 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep11 Which rules must I break, and why can't beginners break rules too? Bad news, your teachers were right.   Links: The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! March 1, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 11 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep08  Good News Good News Station Eternity gets a second printing! Team Rejection Count: 19 Podcast transcript (zip of pdf, docx, txt files) Main Topic: Are Adverbs Really That Bad? About that writers advice that says “get rid of adverbs”... it goes deeper than that Pay attention to your work, and your sentence structures Shake the story up by making your characters want something; small or personal can be better than epic and world-shattering Jason Pargin TikTok Links: The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! February 16, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 08 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

What do you do if you're a murder-magnet? Everywhere you go, someone dies. Mallory Veridian's solution is to blast off to space, to a space station called Eternity. Greetings booknerds! In this episode, Honey and DIana talk about a sci-fi cozy mystery called Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty. Sentient spaceships, all forms and manners of aliens, symbiotic alien relationships, a shuttle full of humans from space - what can go wrong?

S19 Ep06 We are sponsored by Scribophile! The best place to find a writing community and join a workshop just added writers' classes,  giving them another reason they're one of the best places online for writers. Check out their classes, or just to find a writing buddy, beta readers, or form your own crit group! Good News Good News Station Eternity gets a second printing! Team Rejection Count: 19 Main Topic: There are No Wasted Words Do you really need that many words before you get to the real story? “In media res” isn't always the best way to start the action/story Ask questions of your characters to get going Free writing can loosen the words/ideas Playing with character names Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka (Edge of Tomorrow is movie adaptation) Links: The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! February 9, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 06 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S19 Ep5 Good News Good News Chaos Terminal final draft is accepted! Team Rejection Count: 19 Main Topic: Emotions Again I talk about how emotions trip us up- and by "us" I mean "me" time and time again. Brave Mur on TikTok Links: The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! February 7, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 05 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

S8 Ep22 Streamed live, December 12, 2022 Matt joins us to close down the year and send seasonal greetings! Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!   Support Local Book Stores! Station Eternity (The Midsolar Murders Book 1), Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! Savage Legion, Supervillain's Guide to Being a Fat Kid and more! December 12, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 22 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Show Notes: ISBW S19 Ep02 Good News Good News Chaos Terminal edits are done! Team Rejection 2023 Count: 17 Main Topic: Keeping Yourself Going The path of creativity might not always be upwards, but it's usually forward You can't control reader responses to your work, so avoid responding in anger (or at all) Links: The Hot Mic Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! January 26, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 03 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Yep, I'm still behind in posting the final episodes for 2022! Here you go! S8 Ep21 Streamed live, December 5, 2022 Matt can't make this episode, so Mur handles it herself!    Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!   Support Local Book Stores! Station Eternity (The Midsolar Murders Book 1), Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! Savage Legion, Supervillain's Guide to Being a Fat Kid and more! December 5, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 21 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Sup? I record from my car in the rain as the dog is getting rehab. (Knees, not addiction). I figured the numbers from 2023: Estimated 34,444 downloads per month. Down about 10k/mo from 2021, which was down about 10k/mo from 2020. Here's the link to the Be a Bestseller 4.0 course. The videos are free for 48 hours after release, but you can get permanent access for $37. (I am taking this course now so I can't verify the awesomeness. This is not an endorsement and this is not an affiliate link.) Links: The Hot Mic Ze Frank's The Show Beatnik Turtle's Song of the Day (site seems to be having trouble...) Escape Pod Socials: Twitter, Mastodon, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule January (Eastern time): Tues 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing Barcon (livestream is free, but this recording is exclusive to Patreon and Substack) Wed 3:00pm: TBD Thur 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing (for later release in the feed) And remember, we can't do this without you. Thanks for your support. January 17, 2023 | Season 19 Ep 1 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

ISBW PSAs Brainstorming for NaNoWriMo Project Good News Good News Team Rejection count: 355 Main Topic: Inspiration for Different Story Genres Screenwriter Jule Selbo's new book: 9 Days (Book #2 Dee Rommel mystery series) On moving from Hollywood to novels The structure of the Dee Rommel series Choosing, and sometimes combining genres Jule's novel writing & story research routines (many pro screenwriters also use Fade In, is more flexible & affordable than Final Draft) Web: https://www.juleselbo.com, https://pandamoonpub.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/juleselbo, https://twitter.com/pandamoonpub Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Go get your copy from your favorite bookseller! Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 31-Nov 3(Eastern time): M 4:30pm: Ditch Diggers with Kameron Hurley T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing NaNoWriMo Launch! W - Canceled for time being until I restructure Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing - Live write? Chat? Who knows? October 27, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 69 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

ISBW PSAs Brainstorming for NaNoWriMo Project Good News Good News Team Rejection count: 353 Main Topic: Humor, with a little Death Eden Robins new book: When Franny Stands Up Finding catharsis in humor “Write from your trauma” https://www.brentforrester.com/ Looking at Death as the ultimate mystery Funny obits, mean obits, and the snark in between Web: https://www.monkeythumbs.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/edenrobins Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Go get your copy from your favorite bookseller! Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 31-Nov 3(Eastern time): M 4:30pm: Ditch Diggers with Kameron Hurley T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing NaNoWriMo Launch! W - Canceled for time being until I restructure Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing - Live write? Chat? Who knows? October 25, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 67 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Streamed live, October 24, 2022. I was thrilled to have Veronica Roth of Divergent and Chosen Ones fame to come talk about her new book, Poster Girl, and what the business has taught her in her career!   Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 31-Nov 3 (Eastern time): M 4:30p,: Ditch Diggers After Dark with Kameron Hurley T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing NaNoWriMo Launch Day! W Gaming streams canceled for November until I get my schedule sorted out  Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing - live write? Chat? Who knows?  October 17, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 20 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

ISBW PSAs 2022 Total Word Count: ??? Solo RPG project Daily Podcast Schedule for NaNoWriMo Prep Good News Good News Team Rejection count: 348 Fountain pen: $14k. Is it really a magic wand? Main Topic: Point of View The subtle and overt bigotry against various groups is still strong, in life & in fiction The POV of privilege and misconception Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 24-Oct 27 (Eastern time): M 12:00p,: Ditch Diggers  T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Eden Robins (rescheduled) W - Canceled for time being until I restructure Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Jule Selbo (rescheduled) October 20, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 63 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

On this super-duper-sized 800th show, Devo Spice interviews key contributors and fans of Manic Mondays from over the years about how they got involved in the show and he lets them pick out the tunes! 1. Interview with Kyle Hutson - ��Fucked with an Anchor�� by Alestorm 2. Interview with Lee Seitz - ��I Can't Get Closer for That�� by There I Ruined It 3. News of the Stupid! 4. Interview with Mur Lafferty - ��Double Play�� by The Garages 5. Interview with Drachonus - ��Spooky Ooky Halloween�� by Devo Spice and MC Cone 6. Interview with Ian Morgan - ��Inner Voice�� by Sudden Death featuring Worm Quartet Alestorm is at Alestorm.net There I Ruined It is on YouTube The Garages are at TheGarages.bandcamp.com Devo Spice is at DevoSpice.com MC Cone is at soundcloud.com/mc_cone Worm Quartet is at WormQuartet.com And be sure to check out Mur Lafferty�s latest book Station Eternity available wherever book type things are sold Thank you to our Patreon backers for making this show possible!!!

S18 Ep60: NaNoWriMo, Habits and Change ISBW PSAs 2022 Total Word Count: ??? Solo RPG project Good News Good News Team Rejection count: 338 Main Topic: NaNoWriMo Cometh The distractions of emotional expectations The untapped powers of the random number generator Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Go get your copy from your favorite bookseller! Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 24-Oct 27 (Eastern time): M 12:00p,: Ditch Diggers  T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Eden Robins (rescheduled) W - Canceled for time being until I restructure Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Jule Selbo (rescheduled) October 13, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 60 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Matt had a family emergency so Ursula stepped in to talk about the gross topic of grooming, and whether any one person has the power to make or break your career.    Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 17-Oct 21 (Eastern time): M 12:00p,: Ditch Diggers with Ursula Vernon T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Eden Robins W 3:00pm: Gaming TBD Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Jule Selbo October 10, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 19 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Station Eternity is out! Cherie Priest and Chuck Wendig come on the show to celebrate with me!  Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 17-Oct 21 (Eastern time): M 12:00p,: Ditch Diggers with Ursula Vernon T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Eden Robins W 3:00pm: Gaming TBD Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Jule Selbo October 3, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 18 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Recorded live Sept 29. 2022 My entire production team is either sick, or has a sick loved one, so show notes will be minimal.  I talked with Desideria Mesa about Bindle Punk Bruja, her historical magical book about Kansas City, Prohibition, and Mexican magic!  Station Eternity is OUT by the way. Go get your copy from your favorite bookseller! September 29, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 58 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty is the first in the Midsolar Murders series, and is out this week!Amanda and I both really liked Station Eternity, so we were very excited to ask a bunch of questions!We talk about the absence of grief in the aftermath of murder in some mystery series, how aliens in Lafferty's world perceive humans (spoiler: wet) and how a sentient ship is both creepy and comforting.Worry not, this is a spoiler-free conversation, and I hope it makes you curious about this book, too.So. Would you want to be kidnapped or escorted off the planet by aliens?…Music: purple-planet.com Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty is the first in the Midsolar Murders series, and is out this week!Amanda and I both really liked Station Eternity, so we were very excited to ask a bunch of questions!We talk about the absence of grief in the aftermath of murder in some mystery series, how aliens in Lafferty's world perceive humans (spoiler: wet) and how a sentient ship is both creepy and comforting.Worry not, this is a spoiler-free conversation, and I hope it makes you curious about this book, too.So. Would you want to be kidnapped or escorted off the planet by aliens?…Music: purple-planet.com Join our Patreon for complete mayhem, shenanigans, and more! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Good News Good News Team Rejection count: 328 Main Topic: Gwendolyn Kiste, “Reluctant Immortals” Gwendolyn talks about the “reluctant immortals” in her new novel, well-known characters from Classic Literature Brainstorming is work Questions from chat https://www.gwendolynkiste.com/   https://twitter.com/GwendolynKiste Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Sept 25-Oct 1 (Eastern time): Sept 28 3:00pm: Gaming: The Wandering Village Sept 29 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Desideria Mesa Oct 1 7:00pm: Station Eternity LIVE! Mini Audio Drama performance on Twitch! September 22, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 58 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

The GET TO WORK HURLEY podcast is a monthly rant about the hustle of making a living as a writer of All of the Things. You can support this podcast each month as a Patron or make a one-time donation. EPISODE TWENTY FOUR: Mur Lafferty joins us to discuss her new book STATION ETERNITY (out Oct. 4th via ACE Books). … GET TO WORK HURLEY: Episode 24. With Guest Mur Lafferty! Read More » https://www.kameronhurley.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Sept-Pod-Audio.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window | Download The post GET TO WORK HURLEY: Episode 24. With Guest Mur Lafferty! appeared first on Kameron Hurley.

This week, Patrick and Tracy welcome Mur Lafferty, author of STATION ETERNITY. About STATION ETERNITY: Amateur detective Mallory Viridian's talent for solving murders ruined her life on Earth and drove her to live on an alien space station, but her problems still follow her in this witty, self-aware novel that puts a speculative spin on […] The post Episode 555-With Mur Lafferty appeared first on The Functional Nerds.

New Fall book releases, we are ready for ya! See what Corene, Fiona, Gabriel, Mark, and Virginia are looking forward to reading. Parallel universe, old man with a bag, worms, murder, existential crisis, and more. Books mentioned on this episode: Kilometre 101 by Maxim Osipov, Leech by Hiron Ennes, Self-Portrait with Nothing by Aimee Pokwatka, The Sunbearer Trial by Aiden Thomas, I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Sehee, A Scatter of Light by Malinda Lo, The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler, Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott, Novelist as a Vocation by Haruki Murakami, Jackal by Erin E. Adams, OUr Shadows Have Claws by Amp, aro Ortiz and Yamile Saied Mendez, A Minor Chorus by Billy-Ray Belcourt, Even Though I Knew the End by C.L. Polk, Ocean's Echo by Everina Maxwell, and Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty. Join us next week for part two. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/keepitfictional/message

Back to Basics S18 Ep45 The first in our twelve episode Back to Basics series! But did you know you could pre-order signed copies of my new book Station Eternity?  I'm going to be covering basic writing advice for the next twelve episodes. Open STATION: ETERNITY will be out October 4 2022  2022 Word Count: 120k Upcoming changes to ISBW: themed limited series are the new normal Good News Good News Team Rejection count: 204 Main Topic: Back to Basics Addressing the imagined fears that sneak up on you when considering a creative career Fear of failure when starting a project, Fear of success and its link to impostor syndrome Having the courage to say “yes” or “hello” There are a few real concerns when walking the path of a creative career Perfectionism: It's A Trap! Refer to: Ira Glass, “The Gap”: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/extras/the-gap Comparison to others: It's A Trap! Links Check out the official ISBW merch! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Twitch schedule for July 18-22: 18th Monday 12pm: Ditch Diggers with Ursula Vernon 19th Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing 20th Wednesday 3pm: Thousand Year Old Vampire Solo RPG, 9pm (POSSIBLE) Stardew Valley stream with friends! 21st Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing Coming in August: Return of podcasts, and a live RPG play of Brindlewood Bay! July 5, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 45 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

Open Mur's newest, STATION: ETERNITY, will be out on October 4 2022 (Cover So Pretty) 2022 Word Count: ~31000 Murder mysteries should not be boring There's no such thing as a working convention visit Authors cannot control book prices. Don't yell at them about that, please? Good News Good News Hugo nominations are open for 2022 Team Rejection count: 44 Beefing up story in Midsolar Murders Book 2 Will Staehle: Art Good Main Topic: Making Story Bibles Work Why you might need a story bible, and how you might start one Building a list of what needs to be in a story bible Maintaining continuity is key for both authors and readers February 22, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 16 | murverse.comCopyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open Mur's newest, STATION ETERNITY, will be out on October 4 2022 (Cover So Pretty) 2022 Word Count: 29193 Heading for Boskone Good News Good News Hugo nominations are open for 2022 Team Rejection count: 42 Main Topic: Ending Your Stories Ambiguous endings: where lies the story satisfaction? The endings structure of romances Save the Cat Beat Sheet for story parts Advice on Endings from James Patrick Kelly “Beginnings, Middles, and Ends” by Nancy Kress “Save the Cat Writes a Novel” by Jessica Brody February 17, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 15 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open Mur's newest, STATION ETERNITY, will be out on October 4, 2022 Saved by Save The Cat Beat Sheets 2022 Word Count: 27890 Good News Good News Hugo nominations are open for 2022 Team Rejection count: 40 New Book Cover Reveal on io9 Feb 17th Evil Mur Appears! Main Topic: LIES Emotions are not Reality Self confidence, self doubt, and the roller coaster ride between Depression Lies, Anxiety Lies, Dr House reminds us Everybody Lies Artist's Way vs Finding Water February 15, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 14 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open (Pre-Open) Pick a word, and use it a lot (new Evil Mur tip?) Mur's newest, STATION ETERNITY, will be out on October 4 2022 Good News Good News Hugo nominations are open for 2022 Team Rejection count: 38 New book: Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs Main Topic: Let's Build A Character! Using a character toolkit to help create characters for your story Better Backstories cards (see links) could help jumpstart ideas Yes, fictional characters living rent-free in your head is common with storytellers How hard is it to write a character who is completely manipulative/psychologically abusive/etc Next, Rory's Story Cubes as a different story building tool Writer Emergency Pack idea cards by screenwriter John August Let's Play A Game: group building a character's backstory February 10, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 13 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

Open (Pre-Open) Dogs Run the Joint! Mur's newest, STATION ETERNITY, will be out on October 4 2022 Good News Good News Hugo nominations are open for 2022 Team Rejection count: 35 Audio Drama inspiration New Assistant onboard Main Topic: How Do I Workshops ADHD-Friendly organization methods, revisited Prioritizing tasks randomly: Taking the D20 roll to heart Will there be a Brindlewood Bay stream in the future? Writing Workshop Etiquette & Guidelines Structure for receiving and giving critiques February 8, 2022 | Season 18 Ep 12 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty | BY-NC-SA 3.5 License

[Warning- I did drop one S-bomb in this episode.] It's been a rough week. Mom's in the hospital again and freelance work has kicked my butt. So I've broken my streaks, all the streaks, and Valerie Valdes is here to help me. The very very cool thing is that I got cover art for Station Eternity in the middle of the live recording. And I will show y'all as soon as I can! Visit murverse.com | CC BY NC SA | 2021