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 Ju ..read more

In the second episode of our mini-series on magic systems, Janina and Lucy from The Fey Fellows Podcast rejoin me for a deeper look at two big examples of magic systems: witchcraft and the systems found in Dungeons and Dragons. We look at their origins and how they've evolved over time to help spark some new ideas.  And we also take a look at some key bits of advice for making your own magic system from scratch. If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com JOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITY To join our writing community and access our P ..read more

One thing that I haven't covered an awful lot of, both in blogging form and on the podcast, is magic systems. I'll admit, I'm not a massive user of magic in stories (my current work in progress aside). However, I do love a good magic wielder with Pug from The Riftwar Cycle my all-time favourite.  So given this lack of coverage, I decided to tackle things in earnest, starting with a duology on The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed podcast. To help me, I'm joined by Janina Arndt and Lucy Atkinson from The Fey Fellowes Podcast and in this first instalment we talk all about hard and soft magic sys ..read more

In this episode, we're thrilled to welcome one of the world's top-selling fantasy authors, Amish Tripathi.  The BBC has described Amish as "India's JRR Tolkien and Asia's Paulo Coelho" and, for the first time, the books of India's fastest-selling author have been translated into English.  We have a very open and honest chat about writing, discussing everything from tackling challenging topics and how to imbue our stories with philosophies and ideas, to creating memorable characters that readers love.  If you have any questions or requests, please write to us at thefantasywrit ..read more

We're absolutely thrilled to bring you a very special interview with bestselling author and former FBI special agent, Joe Navarro. Joe is a world-leading expert on body language. In his career, he conducted over 13,000 interviews and oozes a passion for the subject that you can't help but admire.  Body language plays such a huge role in storytelling, from written fiction to that found on-screen. But it can be underused and ill-understood. To help us better our understanding and appreciation, there's no better person to ask than Joe. In this deeply insightful interview, packed with exam ..read more

I've had a lot of specialists on the podcast in recent months but it occurred to me that I've never really reflected on my own experiences as a lawyer and how that can be applied to writing. When I got to pondering I realised I draw upon these experiences an awful lot. And it was then I began to appreciate just how much scope there is to inject your stories and worlds with conflict. So in this episode, I reflect upon my time working as an accident and injury lawyer. I discuss the impact that injuries can have on a person, from minor ones to major ones, and how you can utilise these ill-used ..read more

I'm always keen to chat with book bloggers to get an insight into the latest trends in reading. Fantasy romances, for example, are particularly in demand right now.  But as well as that, I'm always keen to chat with reviewers to learn more about their experiences. Above all, I want to know how I, and other writers like you, can forge better partnerships with them. I was delighted then to chat with Blaise Ancona from Under The Radar SFF Books about these very things. Blaise runs both a podcast and a website devoted to highlighting fantasy and sci-fi novels that haven't got the credit the ..read more

We're delighted to welcome to the Writers' Toolshed bestselling fantasy author, Stephen Aryan. Stephen has published eight novels to date with both Orbit and Angry Robot. This year sees the release of the first in a new trilogy: The Judas Blossom. He's an author at the top of the game and has some wonderful insights to share.  We have a grand old natter about writing, editing, the publishing industry, working with agents, and ways to improve your writing. It's a very open and honest interview packed with insights and advice on specific topics ranging from creating memorable characters ..read more

In the final episode of 2023, we welcome Vickie Lan to the Toolshed, host of the Speculative Sandbox Podcast. Vickie is a specialist in deconstructing fantasy tropes. Her show sees her joined by top authors to discuss everything from The Chosen One to beardy wizard mentor figures.  In our chat, we cover the epic fantasy quest—its classic features and how you can spin them.  We also discuss tropes around resurrections and mentor figures, as well as tropes generally. And Vickie shares some fantastic examples of books and writers who have spun things to create something brilliant an ..read more

We're both thrilled and honoured to welcome to the Toolshed for the first time the New York Times Bestselling author Mary E Pearson. Mary is the mastermind behind the Remnant Universe, a fantasy world that she explores through her hugely popular YA novels and novellas. A talented storyteller, Mary tells us all about her latest book, Morrighan, her writing life and her best tips for writers. We cover everything from character creation to worldbuilding so it's a comprehensive chat packed with tips, advice and inspiration for writers at every stage of their careers. If you have any questions ..read more