Lasers Dragons And Keyboards

Alyssa Hazel is a writer and poet who enjoys exploring the weird, wonky, and wonderful through her work. Though she specializes in Odd Tales and Horror, she dabbles in Fantasy and Science Fiction. Her pieces have found homes in Bluestem, the Red Coyote, and the Dark River Review. Her six books include; The Twitching Light Trilogy, The Third Test, To Those Who Haunt You, and Among the Juniper Trees. Her latest release--as of the day of this recording!--is the Twitching Light Omnibus. We discuss the Twitching Light Omnibus, as well as her book coming out in July "The Beta Initiative", the sequel to "The Third Test." Alyssa offers advice for marketing for authors and how she works her strategy. She talks about the time and intentionality it takes.  We rabbit trail on how insidious the IRS is (they can find us in space!) And discuss her brainstorming techniques (you won't believe how she achieves it!) She recommends this YouTube channel for inspiration. Overall, we really enjoyed having Alyssa on and hope the bes

We talk to the always awesome Tosca Lee, discussing her latest book, The Long March Home, a fictionalized account of the Bataan Death March from WWII.  She discusses the difference in writing process as a solo author, working Ted Dekker, and writing with Marcus Brotherton.  Tosca discusses what's the most difficult thing for her to write, and you'll never guess what that is! Tosca and Liberty geek out about Midwest life. And who would Tosca sit down with for a monthly lunch?  You can find out more about Tosca at her website, ToscaLee.com . 

Today, we're talking to Lauren Brandenburg. We talk about Lauren's favorite book as a kid (The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles by Julie Andrews Edwards), her upcoming 10th book in the Gardener series, being the MC for Realm Makers, her hall of art on her website from her readers, and her guidance she offers to new writers. Lauren H. Brandenburg drinks hot cocoa every single morning and unashamedly has an alarm clock with bunny ears. She’s a multi-award-winning author, including an American Christian Fiction Writers’ Carol Award winner, Realm Award and Selah Award finalist, as well as a finalist for the People’s Book Prize in the UK. Lauren writes to give young readers and grown-ups epic stories and cozy tales of fantastically lovely places to dwell. But most importantly, she’s a wife and mother who loves our Heavenly Father so very much! She currently lives with her husband, Jamie, and their children in a lovely little town just south of Nashville, Tennessee. Visit her at LaurenHBrandenburg.com

It's our first solo episode in ...mutters...  Well, we're not exactly sure how long. But still! Aaron, Josh, and Liberty sit down to discuss what we're currently working on, our most recent projects, and among the rabbit trails, we also discuss the things we wish we knew when we first started publishing. Overall, for a free-wheeling show like ours, we managed to keep it on track. cough, cough uh-huh.  You can check out our personal projects on the following sites: Aaron: His website, AaronDeMott.com  Josh: X.com Liberty: Instagram and Substack

Today, we talk about the upcoming Realm Makers Expo, the outgrowth of the Realm Makers Writer's Conference. It's happening July 18 - 20, 2025 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  To find out more, check out RealmMakers.com . Find the RealmSphere here. Find out more about JJ Johnson's books here.

Today we have returning guest, Lindsay Franklin! Our longtime listeners might remember her from our VERY FIRST episode in 2016! We talk about her upcoming release, The Unraveling of Emlyn DuLaine. We discuss the starts of the character of Emlyn, which reach back to her first story as an adult writer. Other topics discussed: Coffee/tea/snacks! Writing male characters as a woman who is an INTJ. The most difficult scene to write in her book. AUDIOBOOKS! What questions Lindsay asks herself when starting a new project. Finding the source of your writers block. Lindsay A. Franklin is the Carol Award–winning author of The Story Peddlerand ECPA best-selling author of Adored. By day, she wrangles chaos as Managing Editor of Enclave Publishing. By night, she spins whimsical tales fueled by hot drinks, rainy days, and the thunderous purrs of her spoiled cats. Lindsay lives among the misty evergreens of thePacific Northwest with her family. She is currently on a quest to discover the sparkliest nail polish on the plan

Today with our 5th Season Debut, we have 4-time returning guest, H.L. (Heidi) Burke! We talk to her about the upcoming DOSA Files Anthology (Volume 2!) which our very own Aaron DeMott is a part of.  We also talk the RPG writing she's doing and the perils of doing a book launch just before Christmas.  Also : MUTANT CARIBOU!   H. L. Burke has written more books than she can count—because she's written a lot of books, not just because she can't count very high.  Easily distracted by shinies, she has published in many subgenres including fantasy romance, Steampunk, and superhero, and always creates story worlds with snark, feels, and wonder.  Married to her high school crush, a now retired Marine, she spends her time writing, spoiling her cats, and supervising her two supervillains in training (aka her precocious daughters).  Originally from Oregon, but currently living in a forest in West Virginia, she wilts without trees and doesn't mind the rain. She is a fan of delicious flavor, a follower of the Light, an

Kerry Nietz is an award-winning science fiction author. He has twelve speculative novels in print, along with two novellas, a handful of short stories, and a non-fiction book, FoxTales.  Kerry’s novel A Star Curiously Singing won the Readers Favorite Gold Medal Award for Christian Science Fiction and is notable for its dystopian, cyberpunk vibe in a world under sharia law. It  is often mentioned on “Best of” lists.  Among his writings, Kerry's most talked about is the genre-bending Amish Vampires in Space. AViS was mentioned on the Tonight Show and in the Washington Post, Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Newsweek called it “a welcome departure from the typical Amish fare.”  Kerry is a refugee of the software industry. He spent more than a decade of his life flipping bits, first as one of the principal developers for the now mythical Fox Software, and then as one of Bill Gates's minions at Microsoft. He is a husband, a father, a technophile and a movie buff.   In this episode, we talk about his latest b

Back in the day, Gretchen E K Engel enjoyed penning her English teacher’s favorite essays as much as earning highest marks in physics. But science won over the arts, and Gretchen pursued a career as a chemical engineer. Her love of the written word was not neglected as she authored hundreds of technical documents including such riveting works as Spill Prevention, Controls and Countermeasure Plans and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans. She lives in Tucson with her husband, her daughter aka Young Realmie, and her extroverted tuxedo cat, plus a college-aged son across town. Ms. Engel enjoys playing tennis, biking, hiking, traveling, or lying on a pool float doing nothing. An environmental consultant by day and speculative fiction writer by night, Gretchen researches STEM characters in a professional setting and gets paid to do it. She has published short stories in anthologies and magazines. Her manuscript The Barber Surgeon won the ACFW Genesis Award for speculative fiction.   Havok Legendary Anthology:

Today we interview Heidi Lynn Burke about her latest super hero book, Game On, and the anthology DOSA Files: Tales from the Supervillain Rehabilitation Files.   You can learn more about Heidi's work at: Heidi's Website

Today we interview Janeen Ippolito about her latest book release, Nobody's Hero, and Author Elevate author services. Learn more about Janeen at:  jiauthor.com  

Today we interview Laura VanArendonk Baugh about her Japanese history/fantasy book Only the Dead Face North, and other works. Learn more about Laura and her books at:  LauraVAB.com

I write with dogs wrapped around my feet. I get to wear sandals or bedroom slippers to work, and old, comfortable clothes. When the weather is fine I get to write on my back porch. I love summer. I write mysteries and fantasies because life is too short to be limited to one genre. I started getting published when I was 12, studied journalism at Northern Illinois University, then went to work as a news reporter…eventually for Scripps Howard, where I managed their Western Kentucky bureau. Getting itchy feet, I moved to Wisconsin and went to work for TSR, Inc., the then-producers of the Dungeons & Dragons game. I dipped my itchy feet into the fiction pool and wrote Dragonlance novels for several years. Now I’m back in Illinois, my land surrounded by train tracks that offer music to write by. And there are plenty of dogs in the neighborhood to provide an accompaniment. I am a recipient of the Faust, the grand master award of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers, and the Illinois Author Projec

In this episode, we talked with J.J. Johnson, Jason Joyner, and Merrie Destafano about getting your Author Kickstarter going.  Quick points: Kickstarter for Authors FB group $500 is a good, solid number to shoot for Keep holidays in mind when planning when to run your campaign Backer update swaps w/other KS authors. Make sure you have your book and graphics complete before launching the campaign. Find out more about the authors at their websites: Merrie Destafano JJ Johnson Jason Joyner   THIS EPISODE ORIGINALLY AIRED ON JANUARY 27, 2024 ON TWITCH.TV/LDK_PODCAST

Pam Halter was a home-schooling mom for nine years, has been a children’s book author since 1995, a freelance children’s book editor since 2006, and was the children’s book editor for Fruitbearer Publishing until January 2023 when the publishing house closed. She’s the author of Fairyeater, a YA fantasy novel published by Love2ReadLove2Write Publishing, and Willoughby and Friends, a picture book series about friendship featuring Willoughby, who is a dragon. Pam lives in Southern New Jersey with her husband, Daryl, special needs adult daughter, Anna, and four cats. When she’s not writing, Pam enjoys reading, quilting, gardening, cooking, playing the piano, Bible study, and walking long country roads where she discovers fairy homes, emerging dragons, and trees eating wood gnomes.   You can find out more about Pam and Willoughby at PamHalter.com

Thomas Doscher is an author and retired Air Force journalist with a degree in history from the University of Maryland University College. During his Air Force career, Thomas wrote news and feature stories for the Air Force and joint military publications across 20 years and three deployments. Thomas retired from the Air Force in 2021 and now spends his time writing and being with his wife and two sons in Illinois. We had a delightful chat with author Thomas Doscher, primarily discussing his upcoming book in the Vixen War Bride series. Highlights included: Reading 'Blossoms in the Wind', cultural mixing, being a history nerd Having an epic troll in the book, matching tone of the book with the subplots. Upcoming projects! American Isakai Getting punched by wife for editing. 20 Books to 50K Don't sweat the marketing!   Be sure to check out Thomas's books on Amazon and Facebook.   THIS EPISODE WAS LIVESTREAMED ON TWITCH.TV/LDK_PODCAST ON AUGUST 12, 2023.

Paul Regnier is a speculative fiction author. He believes one of the closest things to magic on this earth is imagination. His favorite type of story is filled with adventure, humor, and heartfelt moments between characters. He likes to dream up worlds of fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and the supernatural. Sometimes they end up in a book. Paul is the writer of a new fantasy book called Bard Tidings, as well as the Luke and Bandit cozy mystery series, the Paranormia series, and the Space Drifters series. Paul lives in Treasure Valley, Idaho, with his wife and two children. You can learn more about Paul and his books at PaulJRegnier.com THIS EPISODE WAS LIVESTREAMED ON TWITCH.TV/LDK_PODCAST ON JULY 22, 2023.

We had the incomparable John Otte on the show this week!  John W. Otte is a husband, a father, a Lutheran pastor, and a big ol’ geek. He graduated from Concordia University in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a theatre major, and then from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. By night, he writes unusual stories of geeky grace. He lives in the Kansas City area with his wife and two boys.   On today's show, we discussed his recent forays into Kickstarter campaigns, both for his Drawn in Ash novel and forthcoming sequel, Drawn Through Blood. His influence to try the Kickstarter method? Novel Marketing Podcast (which is a great podcast for novelists! Check out this podcast about Kickstarting with Chris Fox, which we think is the episode John refers to in the episode.) We also hear about balancing his life as full-time Lutheran pastor and writing novels, and the challenges there.  Many shout outs today! John W. Otte  Novel Marketing Podcast John's editor, Megan Gerig One Year Adventure Novel All links to Amazon hel

For the second time, we had Cindy Koepp on, author of LitRPG novels and graphic novels, among other things! We had a blast learning about the process of turning a novel into a comic book, what it takes to do in-person events at comic-cons, and even a little bit about hooking. (Get your head out of the gutter! It's a legit thing!)  Originally from Michigan, Cindy Koepp combined a love of pedagogy and ecology into a 14-year career as an elementary science specialist. After teaching four-footers -- that's height, not leg count, she pursued a Master's in Adult Learning with a specialization in Performance Improvement. Her published works include science fiction novels, fantasy novels, a passel of short stories, and educator resources. When she isn't reading or writing, Cindy is currently working as a tech writer, hat collector, quilter, crafter, and weird joke teller. Find out where Cindy's going to be via her website and sign up for her newsletter at CKoepp.com.  Cindy's books can be purchased on Amazon too.

We got to hear quite a bit about how Heidi has jumped from many different genres to focus on Superhero Romance. It's a niche that she greatly enjoys and hasn't been able to find many clean examples of. From there, we moved on to favorite characters, what it's like to put yourself in the mind of who started out as a side character and suddenly needing to write a tale about them specifically, and how she researches. To the latter point: ex-marine husband! Snails were mentioned, of course.   We love having Heidi on! She's an absolute blast in person and on the show! Follow Heidi at: https://www.hlburkeauthor.com/ On Amazon: https://amzn.to/3J7cz93