I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Jenny Will Eat Us Now

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ISBW 22.23

I got to interview the delightful Gillian Daniels, whose debut novel Jenny Will Eat You Now is available now! It’s a rom-com horror novel, so of course we had to talk about genre mixing, how to write romance, and her agent hunt story.

Titles discussed in this episode: Heated Rivalry, Something Extraordinary, Manhunt, Wide Sargasso Sea, Frankenstein, Roadside Picnic, Sweet Berries.

Find Gillian online: website, Instagram, Bluesky.

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This post went live for supporters on October 16, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is October 22 when we interview Lucy Foley!

Did you hear we have merch? Yes, we do, with the new logo and everything!

white man wearing an off white shirt with ISBW logo
Even headless people like the merch.
Cover for Jenny Will Eat You Now with a webbed hand scratching down a tiled wall with moss and rust stained. It also says “A Meat Cute” but it’s not my fault.
I will allow this pun.

Evergreen Links

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn.
Get archives of the show via Patreon.
October 19, 2026 | ISBW 22.23 | murverse.com
“Jenny Will Eat Us Now” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
In case it wasn’t clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.
And “AI” or large language models are wretched and we hate them so very much.
ABSOLUTELY NO AI scraping/learning of my content is permitted.
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] The Lonesome October Club

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ISBW 22.22

In classic Mur style, I am posting this mid October, not beginning. I need a minder.

But the concept still works, if you can start now as day 1, or wait till November, or do it any time, really.

We talk about Roger Zelazny’s book, A Night In the Lonesome October, and how I map it to a writing challenge, then we cover the Snowflake Method.

Did you hear we have merch? Yes, we do, with the new logo and everything!

photo of plus sized model wearing blue shirt with the ISBW logo on it.
LOOK AT THAT NEW LOGO

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Join my Patreon for free today!

This post went live for supporters on October 13, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is October 15!

Evergreen Links

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn.
Get archives of the show via Patreon.
October 15, 2026 | ISBW 22.22 | murverse.com
“The Lonesome October Club” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
In case it wasn’t clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.
And “AI” or large language models are wretched and we hate them so very much.
ABSOLUTELY NO AI scraping/learning of my content is permitted.
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Deconstructing Imposter Syndrome

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ISBW 22.21

It’s time to talk about Imposter Syndrome, where it comes from, and how to handle it. If we can. I’m not sure I’m qualified.

In other news I have a new logo, leaning into the age of the podcast and the shiny new fountain pen crow friend designed by NumbersNinja!

(Yeah i’m gonna have merch soon)

 

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Join my Patreon for free today!

This post went live for supporters on September 30, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is October 8!

Evergreen Links

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn.
Get archives of the show via Patreon.

September 30, 2026 | ISBW 22.21 | murverse.com
“Deconstructing Imposter Syndrome” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

In case it wasn’t clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.

And “AI” or large language models are wretched and we hate them so very much.
ABSOLUTELY NO AI scraping/learning of my content is permitted.
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Isaac Green says Start Before You’re Ready

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ISBW 22.20

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustration

I met Durham author Isaac Green at a local reading and loved his work, so I invited him on the show. Get ready for some talk about MFAs, writing energy, agent hunting, and writing consistency!

 

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Join my Patreon for free today!

This post went live for supporters on September 18, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is September 17!

Evergreen Links

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn.
Get archives of the show via Patreon.

September 21, 2026 | ISBW 22.20 | murverse.com
“Isaac Green says Start Before You’re Ready” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

In case it wasn’t clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.

And “AI” or large language models are wretched and we hate them so very much.
ABSOLUTELY NO AI scraping/learning of my content is permitted.
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] The Magic Bullet Myth

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ISBW 22.19

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustration

After a heartbreaking Q&A session at a recent convention, I felt the need to say something that’s cold and honest. And that is about the magic bullet.

Shorter episode, the last one before worldcon. And since I’m posting it after worldcon, I cut out a lot of the “see me at worldcon” bits—also because no one saw me because I got covid.

We catch up in a few days with this week’s interview with Isaac Green, then we’re back on track with recording!

Join my Patreon for free today!This post went live for supporters on September 14, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch!

Evergreen Links

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn.
Get archives of the show via Patreon.

September 17, 2026 | ISBW 22.19 | murverse.com
“The Magic Bullet Myth” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

In case it wasn’t clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.

And “AI” or large language models are wretched and we hate them so very much.
ABSOLUTELY NO AI scraping/learning of my content is permitted.
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

Ditch Diggers, Podcasts, Projects

[DD] Worldcon Report, Censorship in the News, and more!

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DD 12.7

Ursula and Mur talk about Worldcon, and how great Ursula was, and how terrible Mur’s experience was. (Hint, after 6 years, COVID finally caught Mur.)

Then we talk censorship and what you can do if the overwhelming despair is threatening to consume you.

 

 

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

 

Blue logo to join the Fabulists via Patreon

 

This post went live for supporters on September 14! If you want early, ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

 

To fight censorship:

  • ALA: American Library Association
  • FTRF: Freedom to Read Foundation
  • CBLDF: Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Evergreen Links:

Support Local Book Stores!

Ditch Diggers credits:
theme song by Devo Spice, art by Numbers Ninja, site hosted by Libsyn (or Patreon).

Sept 16, 2025 | Season 12 Ep 7 | murverse.com
“Worldcon Report, Censorship, and more!” by Mur Lafferty and Ursula Vernon
is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Mur and Ursula are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.

And “AI” or large language models is wretched and we hate it so very much. 

If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

Some links are affiliate.

I Should Be Writing, Podcasts

[ISBW] Emotions are Stupid

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ISBW 22.18

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustration

I had imposter syndrome so sneaky I didn’t even realize it! (recorded before WorldCon).

  • We all talk ourselves out of good ideas.
  • Convention rules, updated for 2026! (But you still have to 3, 2, 1. That will never change.)
  • We talk 2k-10k and Page One to Done.
  • Regrettably, Roberts Rules of Order is discussed.
  • All the other perks that come with a Worldcon membership.
  • See you in Montreal in 2027!

I attended Worldcon and promptly got Covid (my first time!) and so I cut out a lot of talk of my plans and my panels because the episode is late and I had very little fun. Congrats to all the Hugo finalists!

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Join my Patreon for free today!

This post went live for supporters on September 11, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is September 17!

Evergreen Links

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn.
Get archives of the show via Patreon.

Sept 14, 2026 | ISBW 22.18 | murverse.com
“Emotions are Stupid” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

In case it wasn’t clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.

And “AI” or large language models are wretched and we hate them so very much.
ABSOLUTELY NO AI scraping/learning of my content is permitted.
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] AMA, Silly Notebook Problems

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ISBW 22.17

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustration

So much to talk about! Worldcon is looming, and we take listener questions.

  • How do you handle writing after a long break?
  • What books do you recommend for writing fight scenes? Books by Alan Baxter and Marie Brennan are mentioned
  • Mur is reading Page One to Done.
  • Mur also has silly notebook problems that no one else seems to have.
  • The HWA sent a ridiculous newsletter out and we are all seeing the fallout. See Chuck Wendig’s take on it, and HWA’s response is in the comments.

The lesson of this episode is the classic, if no one buys your thing, it is probably because THEY DO NOT WANT THE THING, not because they want to spite you. Authors have many reasons to hate AI that have nothing to do with “gatekeeping.”

Other links of stuff I said: Roterfaden Taschenbegleiter Covers, Grant Baciocco’s Creativity Journal video, Hobonichi Planners.

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

This post went live for supporters on August 17, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is August 20!

Evergreen Links

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn.
Get archives of the show via Patreon.

Aug 19, 2026 | ISBW 22.17 | murverse.com
“AMA, Silly Notebook Problems” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

In case it wasn’t clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.

And “AI” or large language models are wretched and we hate them so very much. 

If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

Ditch Diggers, Podcasts, Projects

[DD] On Lovecraft and Boobs (Also lit agent ethics discussion)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:13 — 26.3MB)

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DD 12.6

No, it’s not dirty.

Ursula is back from adventures in Spain (and adventures with a translator.) We talk about third book difficulties, travel, regal vs unregal elves, and, most importantly, the newest ethics rules the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) have adopted. 

 

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Blue logo to join the Fabulists via Patreon

 

This post went live for supporters on August 7! If you want early, ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

 

Evergreen Links:

Support Local Book Stores!

Ditch Diggers credits:
theme song by Devo Spice, art by Numbers Ninja,
site hosted by Libsyn (or Patreon).
August 12, 2025 | Season 12 Ep 6 | murverse.com
“Lovecraft and Boobs” by Mur Lafferty and Ursula Vernon
is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Mur and Ursula are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.
And “AI” or large language models is wretched and we hate it so very much. 
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
Some links are affiliate.
I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Are you confident? What does “confident” actually mean?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 35:10 — 27.3MB)

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ISBW 22.16

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustration

I finished the book, I started a short story, and I have been looking at the concept of confidence a bit lately. Also been enjoying Charisma on Command videos. So let’s talk about confidence.

Don’t forget the book giveaway from last time! You have a week to enter!

The Books (along with links if you want to just order right now!):

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)
Join my Patreon for free today!

This post went live for supporters on August 7, 2026. Support for free at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is August 13 with Ann Archer!

Evergreen Links

Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at
no extra cost to you.
You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!
CREDITS
Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn.
Get archives of the show via Patreon.
Aug 7, 2026 | ISBW 22.16 | murverse.com
“Are you confident? What does “confident” actually mean?” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
In case it wasn’t clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow.
And “AI” or large language models are wretched and we hate it so very much. 
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.