ISBW 22.13

Believe it or not, we got a feedback question to answer! We talk about how to get moving when you've stalled out on your writing routine, and a few of my secret anxieties. It boils down to:

Why are you doing this?

Notes:

• Escape Pod is a finalist for the Hugo and Ignyte awards! Amazing!
• I attended Viable Paradise once upon a time.
• Fix the News!
• Gail Carriger on Ditch Diggers
• JoCo's Thing a Week
• Beatnik Turtle's Song of the Day
• David Drake
• Elizabeth Bear on Ditch Diggers

This post went live for supporters on June 22, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is July 2!

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.
• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. June 26, 2026 | ISBW 22.13 | murverse.com "Dance Like Nobody's Watching" 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.

ISBW 22.12

Happy Pride!

Recently we welcomed Isabel J. Kim to the show to talk about her debut novel, Sublimation!

We not only talk about her mind-bending Severence-like novel, but her use of point of view, second person, and about her award-winning story "WHY DON'T WE JUST KILL THE KID IN THE OMELAS HOLE".

This post went live for supporters on June 19, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is June 25!

Links:

• Isabel J. Kim
• "WHY DON'T WE JUST KILL THE KID IN THE OMELAS HOLE"

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.
• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. Jun 19, 2026 | ISBW 22.12 | murverse.com "Isabel J. Kim talks SUBLIMATION" 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.

ISBW 22.11

(There will be a giveaway of Ruinous Creatures! I'm taking entries until May 21! Email me with GIVEAWAY in the subject line! You do not need to be a paying supporter to enter.)

Recently we welcomed Jessi Cole Jackson to the show to talk about her debut novel, Ruinous Creatures!

We cover Jackson's unique bone-specific magic system and her inspirations, not to mention how to wrap your head around romance and spice when you've only written tame things before.

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is May 16.

This post went live for supporters on May 11, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Links:

• Jessi Cole Jackson
• Sarah Maclean
• T. Kingfisher
• Naomi Novik
• The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love
• Save the Cat
• The Heroine's Journey
• The Author Burnout Cure podcast
• 4 Act Structure

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.
• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

May 16, 2025 | ISBW 22.11 | murverse.com "Ruinous Creatures and Magic Systems" 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.

"If you injure somebody, that injury tells a story, and you have to decide whether that story fits the rest of your story."

22.10 In this episode, I go into "realism" with regards to injuries and health. Are injuries for pain? For an instant of shock? To give the character a new hardship? We talk about some of Stephen King's works and how to balance realism with narrative flow.

This post went live for supporters on April 21, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

NOTE- This coming weekend (May 1-3) I will be GoH at DemiCon!

Remember, you can join us live on Thursdays at 3 PM Eastern on Twitch! Don't miss our next live episode!

Links

• Ravencon

• Demicon

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.

• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate

• Theme by John Anealio

• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

April 27, 2025 | ISBW 22.10 | murverse.com "Are you sure you want to injure that character?" 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.

"Every character is the star of their own story."

ISBW 22.9

In this episode we talk about how different writers view characterization, from the ones who struggle to the ones who say the characters live in their heads. How do you manage all these wily beasts who want their stories told?

I will also be appearing next week at Ravencon, and then the following week at Demicon!

This post went live for supporters on April 17, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 24, when we will talk about A Year of Furious Creation.

Links

• Ravencon
• Demicon
• Becca Puglisi and Angela Ackerman

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.
• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

April 21, 2025 | ISBW 22.9 | murverse.com "When Characters Go Rogue" 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.

"I think the thing people have the most problem with is, 'This was very good, but it didn't excite me.'"

ISBW 22.8

Mur is back solo, talking about Rejectomancy and how to interpret the rejections you get, and more importantly, how to move forward after getting said rejection.

And the bad news: you're aiming to make writing a job, which means you have to deal with the bad parts along with the good.

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 9*, when we will talk about A Year of Furious Creation.

*(Maybe. I may have jury duty that day. Stay tuned.)

Links

• The person who coined the phrase 'rejectomancy.'

• Escape Pod

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.

• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate

• Theme by John Anealio

• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

April 6, 2025 | ISBW 22.8 | murverse.com "Can Rejectomancy Save Our Sanity?" 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.

"Acceptance is built on a pile of rejections." ~ Justin C. Key

ISBW 22.7

Dr. Justin C. Key joins us to discuss his debut novel, The Hospital at the End of the World, exploring intersection of medicine and AI. Justin shares his experiences as a psychiatrist and balancing a medical career with being an author.

We go over writing process, community, and the lessons learned from both success and setbacks.

This post went live for supporters on March 27, 2026. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 2, when we will talk about Characters with a Mind of Their Own.

Links

• Justin C. Key
• Escape Pod
• Out There Screaming
• Vital, the Future of Healthcare
• Scribophile
• The Hospital at the End of the World

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.
• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

March 30, 2025 | ISBW 22.7 | murverse.com "Medicine and AI with Dr. Justin C. Key" 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.

"Weird is hot right now."

ISBW 22.6

CW- pet death.

It's been a rough week, so I'm talking regret and spite. Can they help and fuel us? Or is it just wasted bile?

Then we talk about new book releases, like Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite and Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall. And we touch on our next show, an interview with Justin C. Key, author of The Hospital at the End of the World.

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is March 26, when we will talk about Rejectomancy.

Links

• Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite
• Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall
• The Hospital at the End of the World by Justin C. Key
• Ruinous Creatures by Jessie Cole Jackson
• You Should Have Been Nicer to My Mom by Vincent Tirado
• Wolf Worm T. Kingfisher (Ursula Vernon)
• Flyleaf Books

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.
• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

March 23, 2025 | ISBW 22.6 | murverse.com "Regret, Spite, and shiny new book haul" 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.

"Take your time, there's no rush. The audience will be here whenever your story is ready."

ISBW 22.5

In this episode we welcome author Olivia Waite to discuss her latest books, including Murder by Memory and Nobody's Baby. We touch on one of my favorite topics, writing science fiction mysteries, but we also delve into compelling beginnings and how to avoid the cringe in romance.

Chapters: (00:00) Introduction (01:30) Writing Updates (05:00) Interview with Olivia Waite (10:00) Discussion on Book Beginnings (15:00) Overview of Nobody's Baby (25:00) Writing Process and Genre Exploration (35:00) Audience Questions

(This post went live for supporters on March 12, 2026. If you want early and ad-free, episodes, support at Patreon!)

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! Next episode is March 19, when I interview Justin C. Key, author of The Hospital at the End of the World.

Links

• Olivia Waite
• Douglas Adams
• Terry Pratchett
• Ocean's Echo

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.
• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. March 16, 2025 | ISBW 22.5 | murverse.com "Revisiting Space Murder with Olivia Waite" 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.

"It might be too much, but it looks really fun."

ISBW 22.4

I've had a strong opinion about writing contests for years, but things have apparently evolved. I was reading about writing contests and found two that were quite interesting.

A bit of housekeeping: I am no longer doing an exclusive version of Patreon episodes. They will still be early, still ad-free, but I've found that making two versions of the same show is just too much for me right now. I will still do completely exclusive episodes that the feed will never see, but I will rarely do extended interviews, etc.

(This post went live for supporters on February 25, 2026. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!)

We touch on the Webbys and why I won't enter them, and as for contests, NYC Midnight and Writing Battle intrigue me! The both have good rewards, good communities, and reasonable rules.

Then I chat with the livestream, which you can join on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! Next episode is March 5, where I interview Olivia Waite, author of Murder by Memory and Nobody's Baby.

Links

• Writer's Digest
• NYC Midnight
• Writing Battle

Evergreen Links

• Like the podcast? Get the book! I Should Be Writing.
• Socials: Bluesky, Instagram, YouTube, Focusmate
• Theme by John Anealio
• 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 of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. February 27, 2025 | ISBW 22.4 | murverse.com "Have I changed my opinion on writing contests?" 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.