A girl outruns the zombie apocalypse by diving into a magical library and suddenly every book is a portal, a quest, or a test. That’s the core story behind debut author Brian Wrestler’s novel Just Another Girl At The End Of The World.

Brian and I get into how the story was born from a joke that snowballed into a full trope mash-up, then into a surprisingly cozy, satisfying ending. We talk zombie apocalypse logic that nods at real science like cordyceps behavior plus the darker twist that the zombies aren't the only thing feeding on people. There’s also Carla’s unforgettable survival angle, the “fade to purple” spice scenes, and the moment where the portal fantasy implications snap into focus and change how you read the book’s romances and encounters.

Along the way, Brian shares his creative origin story: childhood puppetry, award-winning one-act plays, Royal Shakespeare Company workshops, and even werewolf romantic comedy writing. We also dig into the indie author reality of conventions, a con-exclusive cameo that triggered a “please don’t sue me” handoff, audiobook plans, and what Brian wants to write next with an underworld labyrinth story and a very untraditional companion.

If you like LitRPG, portal fantasy, isekai, zombie fiction, magical libraries, and smart craft talk, you’ll have plenty to chew on. Subscribe, share this with a friend who hoards tropes, and leave a review so more readers can find the show.

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A hidden journal in the wall of a Victorian house. A dig site that jumps from Mexico to Oak Island. A treasure chest that doesn’t hold what everyone expects and the moment it opens, magic comes roaring back into the world. We’re joined by author Otto Schaefer to unpack the ideas behind his YA fantasy series God of Stone, including how he threads two point-of-view characters into one expanding mystery and why real locations make even the most unbelievable discoveries feel possible.

Then we pivot hard into horror with Wrack and Ruin, the most interesting zombie (I've seen in a while) built to feel plausible. We talk parasites, infection stages, the terrifying “still alive but losing your mind” phase, and why he prefers running zombies when it’s time to crank tension. Along the way, he breaks down how he balances action with character, why a great editor matters, and what he’s planning next, from finishing the series to experimenting with a techno thriller.

If you love author interviews, YA fantasy, modern fantasy mysteries, or zombie horror with a scientific edge, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves apocalypse stories, and leave a review with the detail that hooked you most.

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A VR MMO launches with a promise that sounds impossible: one game where you can play everything and finally live inside the “ultimate gaming experience.” Then the doors slam shut. The creator, Eric Shaw, wakes up trapped in his own stitched-together mega-world alongside 1.3 billion other players and the cruel punchline is that he hates video games. We talk with authors Ben Wolf and Luke Messa about how Rickshaw Riot turns that setup into a fast and funny LitRPG.
 
We dig into the co-writing process that made the book click. Ben and Luke also unpack how suffering starts to carve out empathy, and why committing to a ridiculous constraint like being stuck with a rickshaw keeps the story grounded even as the Allverse explodes into parody game zones, crossover chaos, and system-driven comedy. You’ll also hear how details like the youth filter, clean profanity, and censorship gags become worldbuilding instead of throwaway bits. 
 

If you like VRMMO stories, LitRPG worldbuilding, or game parody done with craft, hit play. Subscribe and share this with a LitRPG friend, and leave a review with your favorite Allverse crossover you want to see next.

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The most dangerous person in an isekai world might not be the hero, it might be the friend who knows every trope and can see the disaster coming. We’re joined by Tommy Kerper, also known as Sour Patch Hero, to talk about I’m Not the Hero and why making the “background character” the lead opens up fresher stakes, sharper humor, and more real friendship tension than the usual power fantasy setup. 

We get into how Orrin’s support-focused class changes the shape of the story. Tommy also breaks down the series’ biggest system-level hook: administrator access. It’s rare, scary, and wrapped in history, rumor, and politics, which turns a simple LitRPG mechanic into a long-running mystery about who controls the “rules” and why everyone wants that power hidden. 

On the craft side, Tommy shares what it’s like to write as a self-described panster while still steering toward an ending he’s known for years. We talk about writing into corners on purpose, using old plot hooks to escape, and letting characters make the choices that feel true even when it complicates the plot. We also touch on character growth (including Maddie’s evolution), dungeon design influenced by Dungeons and Dragons improvisation, upcoming releases, and what he wants to write after the finale. 

If you love LitRPG, GameLit, isekai, progression fantasy, and behind-the-scenes author process, hit play. Then subscribe, share this with a friend who loves trope flips, and leave a review so more readers can find the show.

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This week we’re joined by Bosloe, author of The Ametherean Tales, to talk about One Flew Over the Dragon’s Nest. 

We dig into SJ’s background as a forensic accountant who actually reads the terms and conditions (when the typical person wouldn't) and accidentally breaks the system by not signing them. That choice creates ripple effects across the series, including a reincarnation option that sounds overpowered until you count the costs: losing levels, losing progress, and not even knowing who will remember you. We also get into the story’s signature pairing: SJ and her sarcastic AI companion, Dave, and how their dynamic evolves from unhelpful friction to BFF's. 

Then we zoom out to the broader worldbuilding that makes this progression fantasy feel grounded... choosing a rare Fey assassin build, using size and stealth in practical ways, and navigating a setting where Fey are ostracized. We also talk about Legionnaires (the people from earth that get isekai'd), and morality. 

If you enjoy LitRPG, cozy fantasy, character-driven progression, and smart system mechanics, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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A LitRPG tutorial with a 5% survival rate is brutal. We sit down with CJ to talk about The Celestial Twins, starting with the tower-clearing Weave system, then digging into why this story hits harder than a typical system apocalypse power trip.

We get into why CJ chose twin main characters instead of a single overpowered lone wolf. He breaks down why sibling bonds and found family can create deeper stakes without losing the progression fantasy dopamine. We also talk character dynamics that feel lived-in.

We close with a roadmap for where The Celestial Twins is headed, what Earth looks like after the tutorial, and a preview of CJ’s grimdark project The Gentle Blade. If you like LitRPG, GameLit, progression fantasy, and honest conversations about resilience, hit play, then subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.

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A single system message can turn the modern world into a death trap, and Ryan Maxwell doesn’t flinch from what that would actually look like. We talk through the core idea behind Grand System Vending: Earth gets a mana core after joining an intergalactic federation, monsters start spawning with zero warning, and vending machines become the new lifeline. Survival gear, food, and tools come from unmanned magical storefronts, and monster cores become the currency that forces everyone to engage with the LitRPG system or fall behind. 

We explore how normal people react to sudden violence and why the unglamorous details matter. Bodies in the streets, resource scarcity, worn-out clothing, shelter, power failures, and the challenge of supporting hundreds to thousands of survivors turn worldbuilding into an everyday logistics problem, not just a combat loop. 

We get into magic design with chakra-inspired systems, alignment constraints, and patrons that are “godlike” only because they’ve had millennia to level into absurd power. We also talk audiobooks, including working with narrator Steve Campbell and how a great performance can transform emotional scenes. 

If you enjoy LitRPG, GameLit, post-apocalyptic fantasy, and grounded system-driven worldbuilding, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a LitRPG friend, and leave a review with the weirdest thing you’d try to buy from a survival vending machine.

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A universal library is the only thing standing between reality and a hungry kind of chaos magic that creates worlds, then devours them to start over. Insert Library System Reset, a series where a human from Earth gets pulled into a failing cosmic system, finds the sabotage, and has to reopen the library branch by branch before the whole structure collapses.

KT walks us through the craft choices that make the setting click: Lynx, the library system’s avatar, who shows up as a magic “cat” and then shifts into human form, plus the deliberate breadcrumbs she plants so reveals feel earned instead of random. We also get deep into the mechanics that power the story’s progression fantasy feel, from bookworms and night owls that literally turn magic into writing tools, to affinity design where “fire creation” and “fire extinguishing” are separate disciplines with strategic combinations.

Then we zoom out to the rest of her catalog for anyone hunting a new series: Somnia Online for VRMMO nostalgia and raid culture, Last Chance for an urban fantasy LitRPG twist where the system resurrects you and owns you, and Darling for readers who want a twisted Peter Pan horror retelling from Wendy’s perspective. If you like system glitches, high-stakes worldbuilding, and stories that treat magic like infrastructure, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves LitRPG audiobooks, and leave a review with the wildest “system rule” you’ve ever seen in fiction.

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Anthony wakes up as a giant ant and somehow that’s the start of one of the funniest monster-led LitRPGs around. We sit down with RinoZ to get specific about why Chrysalis works: the decision to keep Anthony fully monstrous, the joy of a globe-spanning dungeon that gets wilder the deeper you go, and the progression-fantasy promise that every evolution actually changes what the character can do. We also talk about the series’ comedic engine, from ant culture to the kind of puns you can only justify when your main character is literally named Anthony. 

From there, we switch gears into Book of the Dead, a much darker LitRPG built around one clear idea: necromancy should feel earned. RinoZ breaks down a system where stats are revealed through ritual, not floating UI screens, and where raising the dead is messy, technical work with time costs and real limitations. If you’ve ever been pulled out of a story by “say one word and the skeleton army appears” style necromancy, you’ll appreciate the emphasis on preparation, magical weaving, and consequences, plus the bigger plot tension of an illegal class assigned on an awakening day. 

If you enjoy LitRPG, isekai, progression fantasy, or craft talk from a working author, subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a fellow dungeon diver, and leave a quick review so more listeners can find the show.

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A brewer dies, wakes up as a dwarf, and finds out the most famous beer culture in the world is stuck drinking terrible “sacred” ale. He then decides to begin his quest to bring the dwarves better beer. The challenge ahead is that the dwarves that brew the "sacred" ale consider it sacrilege and will do whatever they can to stop him.

We talk about what makes a cozy LitRPG work when your hero isn’t a fighter: crafting progression, brewing mechanics, and the tricky job of making stats feel meaningful on the page. JollyJupiter also shares why he leaned hard into classic dwarf mythos, including female dwarves with beards, clan culture, and found family vibes.

To close, Jupiter teases Dropship Cultivation, his Royal Road serial that maps cultivation systems onto Lovecraft-style cosmic horror, featuring an eldritch Canadian along for the ride. If you like LitRPG, progression fantasy, cozy crafting stories, and fantasy brewing, you’ll feel right at home. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves dwarves, and leave a review. What’s the first drink you’d try in a dwarf brewery?

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