We are delighted to welcome Shanna Germain - Lead Editor for Monte Cook Games (including Numenra and the NOW KICKSTARTING "No Thank You, Evil"), the NSFW but still fabulous "Geek Love: An Anthology of Full Frontal Nerdity", and purveyor of literary Awesomeness - back to the Big Chair at the Roundtable to lend her potent storytelling mojo to a tale of a betrayed sexual assassin consigned to an inescapable dungeon.

The tale is offered up by creageous Guest Writer, Micheal Elliot, a tale of wizardly experiments, a tainted assassin, and the mysterious "Dungeon Deep" where people are never heard from again. With Christiana Ellis, in the co-pilot's chair, we all dive into this feast of storytelling potential, finding LOTS of Literary Gold amid the froth!

Shanna Germain is an astonishing creator. In addition to her work as Lead Editor for Monte Cook Games (including Numenra and the NOW KICKSTARTING "No Thank You, Evil"), she has distinguished herself as an author (contributing hundreds of stories for anthologies and publications), an anthology editor (NSFW: "Geek Love: An Anthology of Full Frontal Nerdity"), an innovative leader and a refreshing voice in the speculative fiction and erotica communities.

I'm delighted to have another remarkable creator, Christianna Ellis, as my co-host and together we launch into 20(ish) minutes of writerly discourse with Shanna, exploring how she develops her (marvelous) characters, the impact of "genre" on writers, embracing diversity and sexuality in fiction, and more

This week, Justin Landon - host of "RocketTalk", co-editor of the "Speculative Fiction 2012: The Year's Best Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary" compilation, and once-and-future king of the "Staffer's Book Review" blog, strides in boldly and resumes his seat in the Big chair to apply his potent storytelling mojo to a brainstorm of epic proportions.

The story is offered up by Guest Writer Luke Koster, a YA tale of two paladins serving their god in very different - and dangerous - ways. Ancient relics, divine agendas, and the struggle for acceptance all serve as the leaping point for a legendary story workshop. With Katharina Bordet returning as co-host, we caffeinate ourselves AND the story, delving into the nature of a good protagonist, a bit of divine mythology, literary narrative forms, and more. Literary Gold is the goal and it is achieved, baby! And there's plenty to go around, just a click of the "PLAY" button away...

Justin Landon knows stories. As host of the fabulous Tor.com podcast "RocketTalk", co-editor of the "Speculative Fiction 2012: The Year's Best Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary" compilation, and maestro of the now-quiescent "Staffer's Book Review" blog, Justin has reviewed hundreds of books and read thousands more. Guided by a critical eye and a storyteller's heart, he has delved into what distinguishes good stories from "meh", exploring narratives and character arcs from scifi to fantasy, thrillers to YA, and all the genre stops in between.

Joined by co-host Katharina Bordet, we are delighted to have Justin take the Big Chair at the Roundtable for 20(ish... no really, VERY "ish") minutes of fabulous writerly discourse. Justin shares his thoughts on what makes a good story, what writers should and shouldn't take from their book reviews, how to cultivate a critical eye for fiction and more. SO MUCH writerly goodness awaits you on the the other side of that "PLAY" button, so make with the clicky-click and dive in!

Last week, Guest Host Peter Newman's book "The Vagrant" was released on the world and we couldn't be more delighted for him. So delighted in fact, that we asked him to return to lend his unique storytelling mojo to a scifi tale of a young technician thrust into a tangled web of power and corruption on a distant planet.

The story is offered up by Guest Writer Giles Hash and is a YA tale featuring a young woman defining her beliefs in a universe where its hard to tell the villains from the heroes. We're joined by Giles's co-hosts on the Beyond the Trope podcast - Emily Singer and Michelle Graham - and together we delve into the story world, exploring agendas and motivations, subverting stereotypes, and generally brainstorming the heck out this story. In the end, the Literary Gold is abundant, and there's plenty to go around... just click that "PLAY" button!

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Returning Guest Host Jilly Dreadful - founder and director of the remarkable Brainery Workshop - returns to the Big Chair to lend her potent story mojo to a brainstorming session with a story about a mutant superhero hunted by an ancient and powerful organization.

I gotta tell you... THIS is an exceptional workshop. The story - provided by creageous (creative and courageous) Guest Writer John Walker (the first and only Knight of the RTP)(so far) - gave us a solid foundation, but then Jilly and co-host Lauren "Scribe" Harris dove in and unearthed some truly astonishing story threads that transformed the idea into a potent and vital story concept. This was an inspired exploration that resulted in a veritable truckload of Literary Gold. Click that "PLAY" button and see what I'm talking about... you won't leave disappointed

Gaming and Speculative Fiction are inextricably linked... whether the tales of Conan the Barbarian led you to explore Dungeons & Dragons, or playing Warhammer 40K led you to the marvelous Black Library, the culture of Speculative Fiction is deeply informed by gaming in all it's many manifestations.

But does gaming influence Science Fiction and Fantasy literature. Is the genre altered somehow by the pervasive sensibilities of gaming culture? And, if so, then how?

The nuances of the relationship between gaming and fiction will take more than one RTP Dialog session to fully explore... but you gotta start somewhere, right? And for an expedition of this magnitude, you better load up the roster with some of the deeply informed and articulate storytellers. That's why I asked Shanna Germain, Michael R. Underwood, Andrea Phillips, and James Sutter to join me in the sumptuous RTP virtual studio to embark on an most intriguing journey into two worlds that are so very distinct yet hopelessly intertwined. Epiphanies and "Ah-HAs" await you on the other side of the "PLAY" button, so make with the clicky-click and let's get started!

Jilly Dreadful - with a Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Southern California, Associate Editor of NonBinary Review and Unbound Octavo, and founder of The Brainery Workshop - has some serious storytelling mojo. The challenges she's overcome to achieve her current position are a testament to determination of love of her craft... you won't find many professionals more committed or passionate about storytelling.

Joined by the ever-fabulous Lauren "Scribe" Harris as my co-host, we indulge in a luxurious 20(ish) minutes of writerly discourse with Dr. Dreadful, exploring the Cult of Originality, the importance of finding "your people" in a solitary craft, what you learn from teaching, and more. It's a smorgasbord for your mind and it's all just a mouse-click away!

There's can be no doubt Cat Rambo is a veteran brainstormer. Author of over 150 tales including "Beasts of Tabat (The Tabat Quartet Book 1)" (due out TOMORROW!)(No fooling!), leading hundreds of hours of online writing workshops, VP of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and so much more, she is a master storyweaver and we're delighted to have her return to the Big Chair at the Roundtable to workshop a dark tale of dragons and culinary heroics.

Our Guest Writer - Philip Overby - serves up a feast of a tale, a story of family legacies, draconic culinary preferences, and doing what you can to get by. Joined once again by co-host Moses Siregar, we dive in to Phil's dark tale, exploring the world of Splatter Elf and it's many nuances, peeling the layers of character and plot, adding our own creative spices until we have a buffet of Literary Gold. Grab a plate and we'll dish some up for you, too... just hit that "PLAY" button