Archive for Podcasts

I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] What Do You Do when the Characters Don’t Behave?

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“Every character is the star of their own story.”

ISBW 22.9

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

In this episode we talk about how different writers view characterization, from the ones who struggle to the ones who say the characters live in their heads. How do you manage all these wily beasts who want their stories told?

I will also be appearing next week at Ravencon, and then the following week at Demicon!

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This post went live for supporters on April 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 April 24, when we will talk about A Year of Furious Creation.

Links

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.

April 21, 2025 | ISBW 22.9 | murverse.com
“When Characters Go Rogue?” 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. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Can Rejectomancy Save Our Sanity?

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“I think the thing people have the most problem with is,
‘This was very good, but it didn’t excite me.'”

ISBW 22.8

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

Mur is back solo, talking about Rejectomancy and how to interpret the rejections you get, and more importantly, how to move forward after getting said rejection.

And the bad news: you’re aiming to make writing a job, which means you have to deal with the bad parts along with the good.

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This post went live for supporters on April 3, 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 April 9*, when we will talk about A Year of Furious Creation.

*(Maybe. I may have jury duty that day. Stay tuned.)

Links

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.

April 6, 2025 | ISBW 22.8 | murverse.com
“Can Rejectomancy Save Our Sanity?” 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. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Medicine and AI with Dr. Justin C. Key

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“Acceptance is built on a pile of rejections.”
~ Justin C. Key

ISBW 22.7

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

Dr. Justin C. Key joins us to discuss his debut novel, The Hospital at the End of the World, exploring intersection of medicine and AI. Justin shares his experiences as a psychiatrist and balancing a medical career with being an author.

We go over writing process, community, and the lessons learned from both success and setbacks.

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Blue logo to join the Fabulists via Patreon

This post went live for supporters on March 27, 2026. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 2, when we will talk about Characters with a Mind of Their Own.

 

Links

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.
March 30, 2025 | ISBW 22.7 | murverse.com
“Medicine and AI with Dr. Justin C. Key” by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Mur is fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, women’s rights are human rights, and trans women are women (and trans men are men) despite which direction the political winds blow.
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
Ditch Diggers, Podcasts, Projects

[DD] Dare You to Write Something WEirD

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 48:00 — 33.3MB)

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“We need to write the weird stuff because that’s what makes us unique.”
~ T. Kingfisher

orange logo with a shovel and pencil saying DITCH DIGGERSDD 12.3

In this episode of Ditch Diggers, hosts Mur Lafferty and Ursula Vernon (T. Kingfisher) discuss Ursula’s upcoming release of her southern gothic horror novel, Wolf Worm, and then attack Mur with a double dog dare to finally write the weird stories of her heart.

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This post went live for supporters on March 25, 2026. 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).
March 27, 2025 | Season 12 Ep 3 | murverse.com
“Dare You to Write Something Weird” 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.
If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
Family, I Should Be Writing, Personal, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Regret, Spite, and shiny new book haul

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“Weird is hot right now.”

ISBW 22.6

CW- pet death.

It’s been a rough week, so I’m talking regret and spite. Can they help and fuel us? Or is it just wasted bile?

Then we talk about new book releases, like Nobody’s Baby by Olivia Waite and Hell’s Heart by Alexis Hall. And we touch on our next show, an interview with Justin C. Key, author of The Hospital at the End of the World.

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is March 26, when we will talk about Rejectomancy.

Links

illustrated book cover -HELLS HEART- with a lot of pink tentacles
Looks wholesome, don’t it?

Evergreen Links

Rosa at her most adorable and lazy, lying on the floor but managing to wedge her face in the couch to beg for treats.
Rosa at her most adorable and lazy, lying on the floor but managing to wedge her face in the couch to beg for treats.

—
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.

March 23, 2025 | ISBW 22.6 | murverse.com
“Regret, Spite, and shiny new book haul” 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. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

 

Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Revisiting Space Murder with Olivia Waite

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 39:23 — 31.6MB)

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“Take your time, there’s no rush. The audience will be here whenever your story is ready.”

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustrationISBW 22.5

[ACK, I forgot to warn people that at the end, we had a glitch in the recording so we move abruptly from Olivia talking mid-sentence to me ending the show. Sorry about that!]

In this episode we welcome author Olivia Waite to discuss her latest books, including Murder by Memory and Nobody’s Baby. We touch on one of my favorite topics, writing science fiction mysteries, but we also delve into compelling beginnings and how to avoid the cringe in romance.

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Blue logo to join the Fabulists via Patreon

 

(This post went live for supporters on March 12, 2026. If you want early and ad-free, episodes, support at Patreon!)

Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! Next episode is March 19, when I interview Justin C. Key, author of The Hospital at the End of the World.

Links

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.
March 16, 2025 | ISBW 22.5 | murverse.com
“Revisiting Space Murder with Olivia Waite” 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. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] Have I changed my opinion on writing contests?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:08 — 21.7MB)

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“It might be too much, but it looks really fun.”

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustrationISBW 22.4

I’ve had a strong opinion about writing contests for years, but things have apparently evolved. I was reading about writing contests and found two that were quite interesting.

A bit of housekeeping: I am no longer doing an exclusive version of Patreon episodes. They will still be early, still ad-free, but I’ve found that making two versions of the same show is just too much for me right now. I will still do completely exclusive episodes that the feed will never see, but I will rarely do extended interviews, etc.

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Blue logo to join the Fabulists via Patreon

(This post went live for supporters on February 25, 2026. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!)

 

 

We touch on the Webbys and why I won’t enter them, and as for contests, NYC Midnight and Writing Battle intrigue me! The both have good rewards, good communities, and reasonable rules.

Then I chat with the livestream, which you can join on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! Next episode is March 5, where I interview Olivia Waite, author of Murder by Memory and Nobody’s Baby.

Links

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.
February 27, 2025 | ISBW 22.4 | murverse.com
“Have I changed my opinion on writing contests?” 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. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] 977 Episodes: What Have I Learned?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:22 — 22.7MB)

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“If [I] start thinking about the details, [I] will either go down the wrong path
and not record or [I’ll] talk [my]self out of it.”

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustrationISBW 22.3

I finally finished the archives, and learned quite a bit about myself, not all good things. We also touch on Hugo season, book club scams, and AI publicists.

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(This post went live for supporters on February 20, 2026. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!)

Notes

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.
February 23, 2025 | ISBW 22.3 | murverse.com
“977 Episodes: What Have I Learned?” 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. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
Ditch Diggers, Podcasts, Projects

[DD] What Do K-Pop Idols Have That We Don’t?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:37 — 25.7MB)

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“I am LARPing as an extrovert.”

orange logo with a shovel and pencil saying DITCH DIGGERSDD 12.2

Yeah, we know that K-Pop Idols have looks, style, and music and dance abilities–but what ELSE do they have that we don’t?

Support and guidance in dealing with fans.

Ursula is back from three signings, and we talk about how to deal with long signing lines and more.

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Blue logo to join the Fabulists via Patreon

This post went live for supporters on February 17, 2026. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded 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).
February 20, 2025 | Season 12 Ep 2 | murverse.com
“What Do KPop Idols Have That We Don’t?” by Mur Lafferty and Ursula Vernon
is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
I Should Be Writing, Podcasts, Projects

[ISBW] The Art of Juggling Writers (as an assistant)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:07 — 27.3MB)

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“Not every opportunity is equal, and you don’t have to chase everything.”
~Tim Minneci

Blue logo for I Should Be Writing with Season 22 and delighted Mur illustrationISBW 22.2

What do you need to have when you’re wrangling several pro writers? What can a writer expect from an assistant? Meet Tim Minneci, writer, podcaster, musician, and my assistant. (And Ursula’s, and Kameron’s.)

We discuss the challenges of being a writer, the importance of having an assistant, and the various tasks that come with supporting authors in their creative endeavors. Tim covers social media, the publishing industry, and the balance between creativity and administrative work.

Subscribe/Follow here! (All apps)

Blue logo to join the Fabulists via Patreon

 

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

Links

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.
February 18, 2026 | ISBW 22.2 | murverse.com
“The Art of Juggling Writers (as an assistant)” 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. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

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