The Fantasy Writers' Toolshed - Fantasy Writing Craft Advice & Author Interviews

Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of the biggest authors in the world right now. A #1 NYT Bestseller, as well as a #1 International Bestseller, Jennifer has penned over 70 books in a range of genres and for all different audiences. In this episode, we talk all about Jennifer's journey into writing and how it all led to the release of her brand new book, Born Of Blood And Ash, which hit the shelves on 13.08.2024 (link below). We take a deep dive into Born Of Blood And Ash, exploring the writing side and how it felt to bring together the final book in the Flesh And Fire series. We also dive into worldbuilding, character creation, and plotting, and Jennifer shares her best tips for writers. It's truly an insightful interview with one of the best writers in the world. You're bound to learn something new. JOIN OUR DISCORD COMMUNITY ⁠https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers⁠ ABOUT JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT ⁠https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/ GET BORN OF BLOOD AND ASH Get exlusive editions and signed copies here - https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/books/born-of-blood-and-ash/ GET IN TOUCH thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com ⁠⁠www.richiebilling.com⁠⁠ RESOURCES Discover more ⁠⁠writing tips⁠ and guides⁠ here And learn more about ⁠⁠writing fantasy⁠⁠ here

In this episode, I'm delighted to welcome bestselling author, Sarah Arthur. Sarah's debut YA fantasy novel, Once A Queen has recently hit the shelves courtesy of Penguin Random House. We chat all about writing a YA fantasy novel, creating characters, transitioning from writing non-fiction to fiction, creating a magic portal-based system, and building a fantasy world within our real world. We also explore writing Young Adult fiction (YA) and how it's become its own genre that deals with issue-driven stories. Sarah shares some brilliant insights into how to connect with and reach a younger audience here. JOIN OUR DISCORD COMMUNITY ⁠https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers⁠ ABOUT SARAH ARTHUR ⁠https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2216828/sarah-arthur/ www.saraharthur.com ONCE A QUEEN ⁠https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/707440/once-a-queen-by-sarah-arthur/ GET IN TOUCH thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com ⁠www.richiebilling.com⁠ RESOURCES Discover more ⁠writing tips⁠ and guides here And learn more about ⁠writing fantasy⁠ here

Learn how to sell books on Amazon using KDP, keywords, and ads, with expert strategies from Kindlepreneur’s Dave Chesson.Selling books on Amazon can feel complex—but with the right strategy, it becomes one of the most powerful tools for reaching readers and growing your author career.In this episode, I’m joined by Dave Chesson, creator of Kindlepreneur, to break down exactly how Amazon works and how authors can use it to their advantage.We explore the key elements of Amazon book marketing, including:How Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) worksThe latest changes to Amazon’s category systemHow to use keywords to improve visibility and rankingsAmazon Ads explained—what works and what to avoidBest practices for increasing book sales across all genresHow to position your book for long-term successThis episode is packed with practical, actionable advice from one of the leading experts in book marketing.If you want to understand how to sell books on Amazon—and do it effectively—this episode gives you the strategies that actually work.ABOUT OUR GUESTLearn more about Dave Chesson: https://kindlepreneur.com/Get Dave's free Amazon Ads course: www.amscourse.comJOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITYhttps://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed⁠LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITINGTo join our writing community, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more, head over to our ⁠Patreon⁠ page - ⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed⁠

In this episode, I’m delighted to be joined by Sunday Times Bestselling author, Manda Scott. Manda is well known for her historical fiction series, Boudica. And in June, her new novel, Any Human Power is hitting the shelves. Any Human Power is a fantasy story of a family at the centre of a global uprising. A band of young tech-visionaries in the real world are guided from the afterlife by their anthropologist grandmother Lan, as they find themselves at the heart of a terrifying, worldwide media storm. It offers a critique of aspects of our current society, social media culture in particular, and we chat all about it here. We also dive into the writing process and Manda’s style of storytelling, which is known as Thrutopian. Thrutopia is the art of writing engaging route-maps through to a world we’d all be proud to leave to future generations. The current global crisis is so overwhelming that, it’s tempting for writers to stick with what we know: dystopias, because it’s easy to imagine how bad things could be, or utopias, because we can leap forward and imagine something better as long as it’s somewhere distant. We talk all about Thrutopian writing, how writers can incorporate it into their storytelling, and how it has the potential to change our culture and hopefully the worst parts of our world. As always, you're bound to learn something new! JOIN OUR DISCORD COMMUNITY https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers ABOUT MANDA SCOTT https://mandascott.co.uk/ ANY HUMAN POWER https://septemberpublishing.org/product/any-human-power-hb/ GET IN TOUCH thefantasywriterstoolshed@gmail.com www.richiebilling.com Discover more writing tips and guides here And learn more about writing fantasy here

In this episode, I'm joined by fantasy author Gabriela Houston for an honest chat about writing and publishing. Gabriela has developed a reputation for writing brilliant, Slavic-inspired tales. The Bone Roots, published by Angry Robot, is her latest book. We talk all about it, as well as Gabriela's journey through writing, what it's like to be traditionally published versus self-publishing, and more than a few honest assessments about the publishing process as a whole. Join Our Discord Community Join our writing community on Discord and get involved in the conversation - ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers⁠⁠ Resources ⁠⁠Creative Writing Tips For Beginners⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠⁠https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/⁠⁠⁠ ⁠Advice On Writing Fantasy⁠ - ⁠⁠https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing⁠ About The Guest Gabriela Houston - ⁠https://www.gabrielahouston.com/ Buy The Bone Roots - https://angryrobotbooks.com/books/the-bone-roots/ Richie Billing: ⁠⁠⁠https://richiebilling.com

I'm joined by author Salinee Goldenberg for a brilliantly honest chat about writing her debut novel, The Last Phi Hunter, getting published, and dealing with challenges like Imposter Syndrome. The Last Phi Hunter is a fantasy book unlike any other, with strong inspiration taken from Thai demon folklore. Sal tells us all about the process of writing the novel, creating the amazing setting and characters, and navigating the plot as a pantser. Learn More About Our Sponsor, Fictionary ⁠⁠https://fictionary.co/fwt Join Our Discord Community Join our writing community on Discord and get involved in the conversation - ⁠⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers⁠ Resources ⁠⁠Creative Writing Tips For Beginners⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/⁠⁠ ⁠Advice On Writing Fantasy⁠ - ⁠https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing About The Guest Salinee Goldenberg - https://twitter.com/salgo | https://www.instagram.com/gosalgo/ Buy The Last Phi Hunter - ⁠https://angryrobotbooks.com/books/the-last-phi-hunter/ Richie Billing: ⁠⁠https://richiebilling.com

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 authors navigating the world of querying agents and submitting to publishers. Learn More About Our Sponsor, Fictionary ⁠https://fictionary.co/fwt⁠ Join Our Discord Community Join our writing community on Discord and get involved in the conversation Head here to join us on Discord⁠⁠ - ⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers ⁠⁠ Resources ⁠Creative Writing Tips For Beginners⁠ - ⁠https://richiebilling.com/writing-tips/⁠ Advice On Writing Fantasy - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing About The Guests Meredith Davis - https://meredithldavis.com/books/ Buy The Minor Miracle - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/721051/the-minor-miracle-by-meredith-davis-illustrated-by-billy-yong/ Richie Billing: ⁠www.richiebilling.com

Learn how to write romantasy with expert insights on blending romance and fantasy, understanding market trends, and crafting stories readers can’t put down.Romantasy is one of the fastest-growing genres in fantasy right now—but writing it well takes more than adding a love story to a magical world.In this episode, I’m joined by editor Jennia D'Lima and author Lara Buckheit to break down exactly what romantasy is, why it’s exploded in popularity, and how you can write stories that truly resonate with readers.We go deep into both the craft and commercial side of romantasy, including:What romantasy actually is (and what it isn’t)Why the genre is booming right nowHow to balance romance and fantasy without weakening eitherCreating compelling romantic arcs within high-stakes worldsTropes readers love—and how to use them effectivelyCommon mistakes writers make when approaching romantasyHow to position your romantasy story for today’s marketIf you’re looking to tap into one of the biggest trends in publishing while writing emotionally engaging, character-driven fantasy, this episode will show you how to do it right.THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR - FICTIONARY⁠https://fictionary.co/fwt⁠OUR ROMANTASY EXPERTSJennia D'Lima: www.jenniaedits.comLara Buckheit: www.larabuckheit.comJOIN OUR WRITING COMMUNITYhttps://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed⁠LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITINGTo join our writing community, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more, head over to our ⁠Patreon⁠ page - ⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed⁠

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 imaginings to life. It's a brilliant discussion featuring two passionate and talented individuals, and with the beauty of video, you can see examples of their work throughout. And that's not all. If you head over to Patreon and sign up for a free or paid account, you will qualify for the draw for a year's subscription to Inkarnate Premium. Head here to enter today - https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed Learn More About Our Sponsor, Fictionary https://fictionary.co/fwt Join The Community! Head here to join us on Discord - https://mailchi.mp/395aa89d6ec0/join-richie-billings-community-of-writers Resources A Complete Guide On How To Make A Fantasy Map - https://richiebilling.com/fantasy-writing/how-to-make-a-fantasy-map About The Guests Tyndall Doodle: https://twitter.com/tyndalldoodle | https://www.instagram.com/tyndall_doodle Dread Maps: https://www.patreon.com/dreadmaps | https://twitter.com/dreadmaps About Inkarnate Inkarnate is a free digital mapmaking platform that's designed to make cartography easy and fun. You can check it out here - https://inkarnate.com/ About Richie Billing Richie Billing writes all kinds of stories, but mostly fantasy fiction. His tales tend to explore real-world issues, zooming in on the characters, their troubles and their efforts to overcome them. You can check out his acclaimed book on writing fantasy fiction, A Fantasy Writers' Handbook, here - https://mybook.to/AFWH And head here to check out his debut epic fantasy novel, Pariah's Lament - https://mybook.to/PariahsLament. And you can learn more at www.richiebilling.com #podcast #fantasywriter #writingtips

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. 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-billings-community-of-writers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LEARN MORE ABOUT FANTASY WRITING To join our writing community and access our Panels feature, as well as join a weekly writing group, access exclusive interviews, discussions, fantasy writing classes, books and more head over to our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ page - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/TheFantasyWritersToolshed⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ABOUT MEGHAN MARTIN https://www.instagram.com/hellomeghanmartin/ ABOUT RICHIE BILLING www.richiebilling.com