UpperPen Podcast

In the city of Dividium, the law is simple: commit a crime, and your punishment is a life sentence in Endlock.

Raven Thorne is Dividium’s most notorious bounty hunter, living on the edge of society. But when her younger brother, Jed, is sentenced to Endlock, Raven will do anything to save him—even if it means getting herself arrested.

Now trapped in a prison where danger lurks around every corner, Raven must use all her cunning and strength to protect Jed—and herself if she is to complete her perilous mission. But there’s one obstacle she never expected: the prison guard who stirs something deep inside her. The man she should hate. The man whose true motives seem impossible to pin down.

In a world where trust is a weapon and love is a liability, Raven must decide if she will risk everything to tear down a vicious system.

Brooke has a wonderful love of dystopian literature and you can feel those influences in To Cage a Wild Bird. Don't be mistake though, this is not a copy and paste kind of book!

Writing is the only interesting thing about Serra, aside from some other very interesting things that she would prefer to keep a secret. When she’s between projects, she likes to hang out with her husband (they’ve been together for over 20 years now and are very good at hanging out) and their Boston Terrier, Waffles. She can also be found reading, eating, and courting madness. She lives in Southern California, which has beautiful weather year-round as long as you don’t count “fire season.”

Kill the Beast is out now and available from all major book sellers.

Cait (they/them) grew up somewhere between the many farms and beaches of the North Fork of Long Island, NY. There, they found escape through the fictional worlds of books. Their love of literature inspired them to found BookTok and The Bookington Book Club. When they aren’t writing or scrolling on social media, they spend their time obsessing over theater, Dungeons and Dragons, and caring for their many dogs and pet snake (known professionally as Jake from Snake Farm). The Princess Knight is their debut novel.

You can find Cait sword fighting in the woods, or on Instagram, TikTok, and all additional platforms at @caitsbooks.

Courtney Floyd grew up in New Mexico, where she learned to write between tarantula turf wars and apocalyptic dust storms. She currently lives at the bottom of a haunted mountain in the woods of Vermont with her partner and pets. Her debut fantasy novel, Higher Magic, comes out with MIRA Books on October 7th, 2025.

Courtney has a PhD in British Lit and a penchant for irreverent literary allusions. Her short fiction can be found in publications including Haven Spec, Small Wonders, and Fireside Magazine, and her cozy horror audio drama, The Way We Haunt Now, is available on all major podcast platforms.

You can find her through her webstide Courtney-Floyd.com

Writer of over seventy-five fantasy books, Harmon Cooper lives with his wife in New England. His series include, but are not limited to, Pilgrim, War Priest, Cowboy Necromancer, The Feedback Loop, Proxima Legends, Monster Hunt NYC, and The World According to Dragons.He’s probably writing his next book now.To see the latest releases and follow Harmon on the various social medias go to:https://linktr.ee/harmoncooper

Devoney Looser is a writer and professor at Arizona State University. She also goes by Stone Cold Jane Austen, especially on roller skates.

Wild for Austen takes a deep dive into who Jane Austen was, but also how her stories- mild and tame as they may seem today- were pushing boundaries and considered "wild" for Austen's time (and frankly for a while after).

Looser is does a fantastic job of laying out her argument for how and why she considers Austen's work to be boundary pushing.

Wild for Austen is available now.

Lindsey Pogue is a genre-bending survival romance author, best known for her soul-stirring Savage North Chronicles. With a master’s in history and a passion for apocalyptic landscapes, Lindsey weaves epic adventures where humanity shines brightest in the darkest of times. Her weather-ravaged worlds defy genre boundaries, inviting readers to escape the ordinary and discover the boundless strength of the human spirit.Lindsey's Savage North Chronicles are a fantastic, fun, and sweetly romantic stories. I really loved them!There are many ways to support independent authors, below are a few links that lead to ways to support Lindsey Pogue directly.Pogue Gone Rogue book club: https://poguegonerogue.com/Lindsey's bookstore: https://lindseypoguebooks.com/Grumpily Ever After podcast: https://www.lindseypogue.com/grumpy

Seanan McGuire is a prolific author who has written in many genres, but by far my favorite have been her horror novels. Overgrowth released in April 2025 and feels simultaniously timeless and timely.

Check out the October Daye books if you are into urban fairy tales!

Mystic Neptune talks cozy fantasy, LitRPG, and Hearth Con.

You can find out more about Hearth Con at lazydragonbooks.com

A reluctant heroine finds unexpected love when she's sent to assassinate a lonely dark lord in the first book of this cozy romantasy series.

Henrietta Doryn has never enjoyed fighting. She'd rather be in the kitchen baking cookies. But it's her duty as Warrior Princess to face off against the forces of evil. As such, she's unceremoniously shooed from her kingdom to go eliminate the all-powerful Dark Lord next door.

Keith Monfort has never enjoyed ruling with an iron fist. He'd prefer to be in his workroom tinkering with practical magic. But it's his duty to lead the Dark Enchanted Forest and the forces of evil. So when Henrietta shows up at his door, he's only too happy to invite her in for tea to talk it out instead.

Can this unlikely pair prevent war between their two kingdoms? Where do their true loyalties lie? And when will they finally confess their growing feelings for each other?

Blending the best of love stories, fairy tales, and whimsy—with just a dash of mystery provided by the soothsaying Madame Potts's enigmatic announcements—I Ran Away to Evil is a deliciously delightful start to a charming romantic-comedy LitRPG series.

Lauren Wiesebron is a fantasy author, writing adventures for characters who do not yet know they need them.

She grew up in France and is now an itinerant academic studying sea creatures. When not writing, you can find her acquiring yarn and naming houseplants. She has also been known to pick up cats even when they don’t want to be picked up.