Episodes
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Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of the biggest authors in the world right now. A #1 NYT Bestseller, as well as a #1 International Bestseller, Jennifer has penned over 70 books in a range of genres and for all different audiences.
In this episode, we talk all about Jennifer's journey into writing and how it all led to the release of her brand new book, Born Of Blood And Ash, which hit the shelves on 13.08.2024 (link below).
We take a deep dive into Born Of Blood And Ash, exploring the writing side and how it felt to bring together the final book in the Flesh And Fire series.
We also dive into worldbuilding, character creation, and plotting, and Jennifer shares her best tips for writers.
It's truly an insightful interview with one of the best writers in the world. You're bound to learn something new.
JOIN OUR DISCORD COMMUNITY
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ABOUT JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT
https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/
GET BORN OF BLOOD AND ASH
Get exlusive editions and signed copies here - https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/books/born-of-blood-and-ash/
GET IN TOUCH
www.richiebilling.com
RESOURCES
Discover more writing tips and guides here
And learn more about writing fantasy here
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In this episode, I'm delighted to welcome bestselling author, Sarah Arthur.
Sarah's debut YA fantasy novel, Once A Queen has recently hit the shelves courtesy of Penguin Random House.
We chat all about writing a YA fantasy novel, creating characters, transitioning from writing non-fiction to fiction, creating a magic portal-based system, and building a fantasy world within our real world.
We also explore writing Young Adult fiction (YA) and how it's become its own genre that deals with issue-driven stories. Sarah shares some brilliant insights into how to connect with and reach a younger audience here.
JOIN OUR DISCORD COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
ABOUT SARAH ARTHUR
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2216828/sarah-arthur/
www.saraharthur.com
ONCE A QUEEN
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/707440/once-a-queen-by-sarah-arthur/
GET IN TOUCH
www.richiebilling.com
RESOURCES
Discover more writing tips and guides here
And learn more about writing fantasy here
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Missing episodes?
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In this episode, we welcome the Kindlepreneur himself, Dave Chesson for a chat about selling books on Amazon and Kindle Direct Publishing.
Dave has devoted huge amounts of time and effort into helping authors sell books and reach readers. We chat about the latest changes Amazon has made to its book category system, how selling books on Amazon works, how you can use Amazon ads to great effect, and what best practices authors can follow (like using keywords) to find more success.
The book marketing advice you'll find here will help you sell both fantasy fiction books, non-fiction books, and books of all genres. Dave reveals all about how Amazon works for selling books here.
As always, if you have any questions, comments or requests, please email us at [email protected]
JOIN THE COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
GET FANTASY WRITING CLASSES AND BOOKS
https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
ABOUT OUR GUEST
Learn more about Dave Chesson: https://kindlepreneur.com/
Get Dave's free Amazon Ads course: www.amscourse.com
ABOUT RICHIE BILLING
www.richiebilling.com
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In this episode, I’m delighted to be joined by Sunday Times Bestselling author, Manda Scott. Manda is well known for her historical fiction series, Boudica. And in June, her new novel, Any Human Power is hitting the shelves.
Any Human Power is a fantasy story of a family at the centre of a global uprising. A band of young tech-visionaries in the real world are guided from the afterlife by their anthropologist grandmother Lan, as they find themselves at the heart of a terrifying, worldwide media storm. It offers a critique of aspects of our current society, social media culture in particular, and we chat all about it here.
We also dive into the writing process and Manda’s style of storytelling, which is known as Thrutopian.
Thrutopia is the art of writing engaging route-maps through to a world we’d all be proud to leave to future generations. The current global crisis is so overwhelming that, it’s tempting for writers to stick with what we know: dystopias, because it’s easy to imagine how bad things could be, or utopias, because we can leap forward and imagine something better as long as it’s somewhere distant.
We talk all about Thrutopian writing, how writers can incorporate it into their storytelling, and how it has the potential to change our culture and hopefully the worst parts of our world.
As always, you're bound to learn something new!
JOIN OUR DISCORD COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
ABOUT MANDA SCOTT
https://mandascott.co.uk/
ANY HUMAN POWER
https://septemberpublishing.org/product/any-human-power-hb/
GET IN TOUCH
www.richiebilling.com
Discover more writing tips and guides here
And learn more about writing fantasy here
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In this episode, I'm joined by fantasy author Gabriela Houston for an honest chat about writing and publishing.
Gabriela has developed a reputation for writing brilliant, Slavic-inspired tales. The Bone Roots, published by Angry Robot, is her latest book.
We talk all about it, as well as Gabriela's journey through writing, what it's like to be traditionally published versus self-publishing, and more than a few honest assessments about the publishing process as a whole.
Join Our Discord Community
Join our writing community on Discord and get involved in the conversation - https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
Resources
Creative Writing Tips For Beginners - https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/
Advice On Writing Fantasy - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing
About The Guest
Gabriela Houston - https://www.gabrielahouston.com/
Buy The Bone Roots - https://angryrobotbooks.com/books/the-bone-roots/
Richie Billing: https://richiebilling.com
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I'm joined by author Salinee Goldenberg for a brilliantly honest chat about writing her debut novel, The Last Phi Hunter, getting published, and dealing with challenges like Imposter Syndrome.
The Last Phi Hunter is a fantasy book unlike any other, with strong inspiration taken from Thai demon folklore. Sal tells us all about the process of writing the novel, creating the amazing setting and characters, and navigating the plot as a pantser.
Learn More About Our Sponsor, Fictionary
https://fictionary.co/fwt
Join Our Discord Community
Join our writing community on Discord and get involved in the conversation - https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
Resources
Creative Writing Tips For Beginners - https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/
Advice On Writing Fantasy - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing
About The Guest
Salinee Goldenberg - https://twitter.com/salgo | https://www.instagram.com/gosalgo/
Buy The Last Phi Hunter - https://angryrobotbooks.com/books/the-last-phi-hunter/
Richie Billing: https://richiebilling.com
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In this episode, award-winning author and leader in the world of children's literature and children's books, Meredith Davis, shares many a pearl of wisdom.
Not only is Meredith a leading author of children's books, she's the founder of the Austin Chapter of the Society of Children's Books Writers and Illustrators, and also has an MFA in writing for children and young adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. A specialist if ever there was one.
We talk all about Meredith's new book, The Minor Miracle (Waterbrook/Penguin Random House), how to write a children's fantasy book, and advice for authors navigating the world of querying agents and submitting to publishers.
Learn More About Our Sponsor, Fictionary
https://fictionary.co/fwt
Join Our Discord Community
Join our writing community on Discord and get involved in the conversation
Head here to join us on Discord - https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
Resources
Creative Writing Tips For Beginners - https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/
Advice On Writing Fantasy - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing
About The Guests
Meredith Davis - https://meredithldavis.com/books/
Buy The Minor Miracle - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/721051/the-minor-miracle-by-meredith-davis-illustrated-by-billy-yong/
Richie Billing: www.richiebilling.com
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In this episode, we cover a very hot topic right now (in more ways than one)—romantasy.
With the help of editor Jennia D'Lima and author Lara Buckheit, we look at what romantasy is, its surge in popularity, the reasons behind why, and how you can write your own fantastically romantic stories.
What do you think of the romantasy phenomenon?
Do you write/read in this genre or are you thinking of giving it a go?
Join our Discord community and get involved in the conversation!
Join Our Discord CommunityHead here to join us on Discord - https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
Learn More About Our Sponsor, Fictionary
https://fictionary.co/fwt
Resources
Creative Writing Tips For Beginners - https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/
Advice On Writing Romance Scenes - https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/how-to-write-romance-scenes
About The GuestsJennia D'Lima: www.jenniaedits.com
Lara Buckheit: www.larabuckheit.com
Richie Billing: www.richiebilling.com
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In this episode of the podcast, we take a comprehensive look at fantasy maps: how to make them, tips on designs and how to draw them both freehand and with the help of digital tools and websites.Helping me do that are two of the best cartographers around, Tyndall Doodle and Dread Maps. Both are talented artists and inspirational users of the fantasy map making website, Inkarnate. We enjoy a comprehensive chat about the magic of maps and cartography, best practices for creating your own world maps and battle maps for DnD and tabletop campaigns, and how you can use Inkarnate to bring your imaginings to life. It's a brilliant discussion featuring two passionate and talented individuals, and with the beauty of video, you can see examples of their work throughout. And that's not all. If you head over to Patreon and sign up for a free or paid account, you will qualify for the draw for a year's subscription to Inkarnate Premium. Head here to enter today - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
Learn More About Our Sponsor, Fictionary
https://fictionary.co/fwt
Join The Community!
Head here to join us on Discord - https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
Resources
A Complete Guide On How To Make A Fantasy Map - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing/how-to-make-a-fantasy-map
About The GuestsTyndall Doodle: https://twitter.com/tyndalldoodle | https://www.instagram.com/tyndall_doodleDread Maps: https://www.patreon.com/dreadmaps | https://twitter.com/dreadmaps
About InkarnateInkarnate is a free digital mapmaking platform that's designed to make cartography easy and fun. You can check it out here - https://inkarnate.com/
About Richie BillingRichie Billing writes all kinds of stories, but mostly fantasy fiction. His tales tend to explore real-world issues, zooming in on the characters, their troubles and their efforts to overcome them. You can check out his acclaimed book on writing fantasy fiction, A Fantasy Writers' Handbook, here - https://mybook.to/AFWHAnd head here to check out his debut epic fantasy novel, Pariah's Lament - https://mybook.to/PariahsLament. And you can learn more at www.richiebilling.com#podcast #fantasywriter #writingtips
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With Halloween just around the corner we wanted to tackle something spooky. In this episode—our last in series 2—we're diving into all things monstrous.
I’m joined by writer, actor and producer Meghan Martin who’s a native of the monster-filled state of West Virginia.
In our chat, we dive into Bigfoot, the mothman and more monsters that are said to stalk the forests of Appalachia.
We examine the folklore, the surge in recent reports and explore the reasons why people are so fascinated by these tales—all to give you ideas and inspiration for when it comes to creating your own.If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
GET A TOOLSHED TSHIRT
https://tinyurl.com/ToolshedTshirt
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
ABOUT MEGHAN MARTIN
https://www.instagram.com/hellomeghanmartin/
ABOUT RICHIE BILLING
www.richiebilling.com
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Michael R Miller is an indie author who's forged a tremendously successful career in the world of writing.
Off the back of the launch of his new book, DEFIANT, Michael and Richie talk all about writing, the process, and how Michael's found success as an indie author.
It's essential listening for anyone who wants to go down the indie route.
If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
GET A TOOLSHED TSHIRT
https://tinyurl.com/ToolshedTshirt
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
ABOUT MICHAEL R MILLER
https://www.michaelrmiller.co.uk/
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As you may have heard, I have an audiobook coming out soon—in a few weeks in fact (called Pariah's Lament for anyone interested)
I don't know much about audiobooks, so I decided to speak to someone who does—professional voice-over artist for movies, TV and audiobooks, Rachanee Lumayno.
In our chat, we talk all about why audiobooks are so popular and why they're worth exploring as authors, how you can go about it, where to find narrators, how to do it yourself, the costs involved and much, much more.
You're guaranteed to learn something new!If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
GET A TOOLSHED TSHIRT
https://tinyurl.com/ToolshedTshirt
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
ABOUT RACHANEE LUMAYNO
https://www.rachanee.net/
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Book marketing is a thorn in many a writer's side, but here with a fine set ot tweezers is marketing whiz, Nicky Pecone.
Nicky is the founder of Iron Age Marketing, a marketing agency that specialises in helping writers promote their books and build their brand.
In our chat, we talk about the fundamentals of book marketing—what it is, what it involves, and what writers can do to start building their name and selling books.If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
GET A TOOLSHED TSHIRT
https://tinyurl.com/ToolshedTshirt
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
ABOUT NICKY AND IRON AGE MARKETING
https://nickpecone.com/iron-age-media-marketing/
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For our latest community panel, we had the pleasure of welcoming award-winning literary fantasy author Karen Healuer as our special guest.
The topic centred all on characters—creating them, getting to know them, and how to grow them.
We looked at specific strategies for character creation, discussed ways to understand what our characters want, the role of side characters in stories, and looked at different approaches for growing and developing our fictional people.A big thank you to our community members Joshua Parker and Isa Ottoni too!
If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
OUR GUESTS
Karen Heuler - The Splendid City - https://angryrobotbooks.com/books/the-splendid-city/ | More about Karen - https://www.karenheuler.com/
Isa Ottoni - https://www.instagram.com/isa.ottoni.writes/
Joshua Parker - https://ontheedgebusiness.wordpress.com/
RESOURCES
https://richiebilling.com/welcome/the-writers-toolshed/writing-tips/what-is-characterization
https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/character-plotting
https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/character-development
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Editing is tough. There's so much to think about, so much to keep an eye out for, the whole process can just be exhausting.
As a writer, it's probably the most important part of the writing process, yet so many of us despair at the thought.When it comes to enlisting the help of editors to make our lives that bit easier, there can be even more hurdles to overcome.
Where do we look? How much is a fair price? And what type of editing do we need help with, because there's a bit of a range?
It's for all of these reasons I was excited to take a deep dive into the topic with professional book editor Jennia D'Lima.
In our chat, we explore the different types of editing, how to sharpen your editing skills, where to find trusted editors, and what price is fair to pay, plus much, much more. If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
GET A TOOLSHED TSHIRT
https://tinyurl.com/ToolshedTshirt
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
ABOUT JENNIA D'LIMA
https://jenniaedits.com/
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Religion, belief systems and spirituality are huge topics in the fantasy genre. When we create our fictional worlds, so often they feature gods and goddesses or some kind of faith system.
And in many tales, there are characters who are devout or devote themselves to their faith.
Recreating these things in our fantasy worlds isn't easy. The religions we know are powerfully compelling and rich in detail and history.
And honing in on the thoughts and feelings of someone so devout can be tough to achieve.
That's why I'm delighted to welcome to the show Mark Weisman. A former Christian pastor turned Celtic and Norse shaman, Mark's life has been a spiritual journey and his insights into faith and belief and second-to-none.
In our chat, we discuss everything from the philosophical side of faith to how we can create these powerful elements in our stories.If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
GET A TOOLSHED TSHIRT
https://tinyurl.com/ToolshedTshirt
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
ABOUT MARK WEISMAN
https://akulfhednar.com/
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Daniel Polansky is a Hugo-nominated author and writer of scores of acclaimed books, including his most recent: March's End (Angry Robot).
In this jovial interview, Daniel tells us how he wrote March's End, how he crafted its unique world and the gripping conflict between his characters.
And we discuss Daniel's writing journey and processes—how he comes up with ideas and how he handles the endless challenges, before finishing with some terrific advice and tips for writers.
If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
GET A TOOLSHED TSHIRT
https://tinyurl.com/ToolshedTshirt
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
ABOUT DANIEL POLANSKY
Website: http://www.danielpolansky.com/
March's End: https://amzn.to/3D9n4VU
RESOURCES
Try our passive voice converter tool - https://richiebilling.com/passive-voice-checker
Download a free worldbuilding template - https://richiebilling.com/worldbuilding
Learn how to create a fantasy map here - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing/how-to-make-a-fantasy-map
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We're thrilled to welcome Laura Bennett as a special guest for our latest community panel discussion on working with literary agents and navigating the world of traditional publishing.With scores of questions asked and informatively answered, you're bound to learn something new about writing query letters, perfecting a blurb and synopsis, how to find a literary agent, and things to look out for. To keep up to date with our live community events, to join a critique group, to get help with beta reads and much more, just click below.JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY (DISCORD) https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshedFOLLOW LAURA https://twitter.com/LosbennettABOUT THE LIVERPOOL LITERARY AGENCYhttps://www.liverpool-literary.agency/RESOURCES ON FINDING LITERARY AGENTSCover letters - https://www.liverpool-literary.agency/news/guide-to-query-letters / https://www.mushens-entertainment.com/blog/the-perfect-cover-letterPublisher's Marketplace: https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/The Bookseller: https://www.thebookseller.com/homeR/Pubtips: https://www.reddit.com/r/PubTips/Jericho Writers: https://jerichowriters.com/I AM in Print: https://www.iaminprint.co.uk/
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Award-winning literary fantasy author Karen Heuler stops by the Toolshed to talk about pantsing and writing in the literary style.
Karen's new book, The Splendid City, published by Angry Robot, offers a fantastic example of the style and approach, and we dive into it to understand how to write literary fantasy fiction.
Karen is also a massive pantser and we discuss the benefits of taking this approach and how you can give pantsing a go yourself.
If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
OUR GUESTS
Karen Heuler - The Splendid City - https://angryrobotbooks.com/books/the-splendid-city/ | More about Karen - https://www.karenheuler.com/
Sounds and editing by 3D Sound Studio - https://www.youtube.com/@3DSoundStudio
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Over in our Discord community, we were thrilled to host our very first panel discussion with the brilliant bestselling author, Stephen Aryan.
Also joining me on the panel were three great writers from our community, Isa Ottoni, Joshua Parker and Jonny Altair.
Our chat focused all on worldbuilding. We discussed our challenges and headaches, took questions from our community and tackled some of the biggest issues and talking points.
Stephen also tells us all about his approach to building worlds and how he crafted the incredible setting for his brilliant new book, The Judas Blossom (out in July).
If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at [email protected]
JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY
https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers
LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING
To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our Patreon page - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed
ABOUT ANGRY ROBOT BOOKS
This episode is sponsored by the award-winning publisher, Angry Robot Books. You can learn more about them by clicking the link below:
https://angryrobotbooks.com/
THE JUDAS BLOSSOM
https://angryrobotbooks.com/books/judas-blossom/
OUR GUESTS
Stephen Aryan - https://stephen-aryan.com/ | Stephen's YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZlaVQ9rks4GaN-x3Jkos0A
Sounds and editing by Odysy - https://www.youtube.com/@3DSoundStudio
RESOURCES
Get a free worldbuilding template - https://richiebilling.com/worldbuilding
Learn how to start worldbuilding - https://richiebilling.com/worldbuilding/how-to-start-worldbuilding
Check out the best books on worldbuilding - https://richiebilling.com/worldbuilding/books-on-worldbuilding
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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