Writers of the Future Podcast

How do you weave short stories into a cohesive novel? In this episode, we’re thrilled to welcome back award-winning author Martin L. Shoemaker, a “Writers of the Future Volume 31” winner, to discuss his latest novel, “A Fine and Dangerous Season.” Martin shares his unique process of transforming a series of short stories, all written in October 2023, into a gripping, interconnected narrative. From his early success with “Unrefined” to co-authoring “How to Be a Dictator” with Kevin J. Anderson and his novel “Today I Am Carey,” Martin’s fourth appearance on our podcast dives deep into the art of storytelling. Learn practical techniques for blending short-form fiction into a novel-length masterpiece and get inspired by his creative journey. Learn more at https://shoemaker.space/.

Join us as Nev March, the first Indian-born winner of the Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America Award for a First Crime Novel and 2024 NY Chapter chair, shares her journey into murder mystery. A departure from our usual SF&F, we explore new genres, as top authors recommend reading broadly.

Lydia Sherrer is a USA Today bestselling author and has published multiple novels, including “Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus,” a delightful urban fantasy with snarky humor. In this episode, we discuss writing urban fantasy fiction and how to add a bit of snark to make it even better. Learn more at www.lydiasherrer.com.

Nicole “N. V.” Haskell was a Writers of the Future winner in Volume 38 with her fantasy short story, “The Mystical Farrago.” Her recent novel, “The Malice of Moons and Mages,” is an epic fantasy novel, first in a series, where Nicole creates a world filled with magic but with special rules and laws. In this episode, we discuss how to world-build a magical realm and the importance of staying true to the system you have created. We also discuss Nicole’s special journey as an author, including her Writers of the Future win and subsequent workshop in Hollywood. Learn more about Nicole at nvhaskell.com.

Laurence O’Bryan is an author and the Founder of the International Dublin Writers’ Festival and BooksGoSocial. In this episode, we discuss how BooksGoSocial provides personalized book promotion with expert feedback, Amazon ad optimization, and extensive social media reach to boost sales. Galaxy Press uses this service, and we want to make this known to other creatives who want to realize more success in book sales. Learn more at bgsauthors.com/

Django Degree is the founder and CEO of Focus on Words, a book platform that gives authors full ownership of their work, royalties, and audience. He’s also the author of “I Hope You Wake Up” and “They Lied To You,” books that dive deep into truth, identity, and how we break free from the systems that shape us. His mission is clear: help authors reclaim their voice, rebuild broken systems, and eventually use the success of that work to fund a city for foster youth and orphans across the country.

Craig Martelle is an international bestselling author of thrillers and science fiction. His nonfiction book, Wit and Wisdom, provides incredible advice to authors. His first podcast interview was based on his thriller Ian Bragg Series. This interview is built around his book—a must-read for writers wishing to improve their game. He founded IASFA (Independent Association of Science Fiction & Fantasy Authors), which we also discuss in this interview. If you are a science fiction or fantasy writer, this is a great group to join. Learn more here: https://iasfa.org/

Brittany “Bea” Jackson illustrated the New York Times bestselling picture books, “Parker Looks Up,” about America’s First Lady, and LeBron James’s “We Are Family,” and her own “Lilly’s Dream,” which she both wrote and illustrated. She is a former grand prize winner of the Illustrators of the Future Contest and was published in “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 24.” She has been a judge since 2021. We discuss how she developed her style as a self-taught artist, having begun as a fan fiction artist. We also discussed how she was discovered by a major publisher finding her through social pages. Visit www.beagifted.com/

Tom Wood is a fantasy art illustrator among the best-selling poster artists in the US and Canada. We met at the Dragon Con in Atlanta 10 years ago, where he exhibited at a booth next to ours. We became friends, then great friends. We also appreciated his desire to help other artists. We invited him and he has been an Illustrators of the Future judge since 2021. In “Writers of the Future Volume 41,” he wrote an article titled “An Artist’s Path,” describing his journey from very humble beginnings to being one of the most successful poster artists in North America, which we discuss in this episode. Learn more about Tom and his art at tomwoodfantasyart.com/

Robert J. Sawyer entered Writers of the Future and won three Honorable Mentions before disqualifying himself by selling professionally. We met 20 years ago at Torcon III, where he won his first Hugo award. The following year, he was invited to Hollywood to attend the Gala and subsequently invited to be a judge. He agreed and has been a judge for 20 years as of this interview. Find him at https://www.sfwriter.com/