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 ..read more

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 Community ⁠Head here to join us on Discord⁠ - ⁠https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-commun ..read more

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 imagi ..read more

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 ..read more

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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ GET A TOOLSHED TSHIRT ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/ToolshedTshirt⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie ..read more

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 w ..read more

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 ⁠⁠⁠thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠ GET A TOOLSHED TSHIRT ⁠⁠⁠https://tinyurl.com/ToolshedTshir ..read more

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 wr ..read more

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 professiona ..read more

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 forme ..read more