Life of Fiction

It’s always a treat if you get to meet with a brilliant author and talk into the night. …and you get to be a fly on the wall . This episode is a live, uncut conversation with Writer/Author Drew Briney . He’s a good friend that surprised me — let me know he was in town — so we met at a park, talked and laughed for hours…and we did a podcast. Writing Styles Worldbuilding Character Development Writin...

I woke up this morning, because God woke me up… No buttons. No plugs. Just a message. Pleas share it. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lifeoffiction.com/subscribe

For lovers of fiction, especially fantasy and science fiction, WorldAnvil is THE best place to discover new worlds on the internet. Quite the claim, I know, but I’ve watched this community grow since 2019, and I’m telling you, Summer Camp is the best way to discover new worlds and new writers, anywhere. Listen to the podcast and click on the link below to check out the Summer Camp main page…with l...

Substack is, IMO, the best publishing platform on the internet…but like any platform, writers are exploiting a hack , to gain not-so-honest social proof… This problem is a bit beyond me and I wanted to make sure my logic wasn’t faulty, so I got some help. One of the characters that will eventually be revealed is an AI named “Cryo64”. He was invented back in 2005, so I thought, with all the AI’s be...

Every fictional story requires worldbuilding. What makes children so amazing, is their imagination is not crippled by limitations of reality or logic. One of the most enjoyable aspects of worldbuilding in my own home is spending time with my creative children. They get a good measure of that from both myself and my wife, and it’s fun to see it come out in different ways. Today I wanted to share a...

Today I got to have a nice conversation with Höbin Luckyfeller and the ever-present Death (as in THE). I love doing this podcast, but even more so when I am joined family and friends. …even if they don’t always agree with each other. This week, we got to answer a question from - Jessica Thompson, Age 16, from New York . She asked: “ Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to b...

There is a new serial being launched on Life of Fiction, starting July 2nd, 2024 . It’s called The Underlings! In this first episode of Season 3, Jaime and Höbin explain the changes to the show, the backing of the G.R.R. (Gnome Resistance Revolutionaries), and share the new project launched earlier this week. Better yet, Jaime did a podcast episode with this two youngest children, Roman (age 9) an...

A special thanks to Death (as in THE) for saving my life. For those who have never seen a 2500 carnivorous red-back ape …bring an extra pair of shorts. This is the last episode for Season Two of Life of Fiction, the podcast, and it’s been a fantastic adventure. I hope you have enjoyed the episodes as much as I did making them. Höbin and I have learned a great deal. How to make podcasts, what we ca...

You have to look past the selling platforms to connect with your readers. Today I’m going to provide you with a template to do just that. Make sure you go to Life of Fiction and take advantage of the links provided for this episode: https://www.lifeoffiction.com/p/s2-e29-your-sales-strategy-outside-amazon In today’s episode,  we will go over how I interact with readers, and why. If you want to exi...

There is no guarantee of success. No one can promise you that, and if they do…they’re just after your money. There is, however, something you can do to give yourself an ‘unfair advantage’… Plant seeds. In today’s episode, we go over the mind shift and perspective to take advantage of tools and resources that far too many authors ignore. You have more options and control in your hands, than authors...

We are back in business - YAY!! In today's episode, we get a taste of what's been going on with Höbin and the issues behind his disappearance. When I got to the tavern to set up, I was given a thumb drive with a message from Cat Dumblin, a colleague of Höbin. Also in today's episode, we answer a question from 16 year old Bradly, of Washington State...who wants to know how Jaime approaches worldbui...

A Special Thanks DEATH (as in THE) for filling in and helping…connect some dots. In this episode, Death takes us on a house call to a rather famous gnome tech CEO. We hope your day turns out better than the CEO’s. Remember… You are MORE than you THINK you are! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.lifeoffiction.com...

A Special Thanks to Wood. Those were the best hash browns I’ve ever had in my life… In this episode, Jaime enjoys the protection of the Roadkill Tavern and reads the latest message from Höbin Luckyfeller, who is still on the run. Under the pressure of a timer, Jaime then answers ten questions emailed to him from a reader as fast as he can. …until he’s interrupted. A Friendly Reminder - VOTE Wanted...

A Special Thanks to Morphiophelius Smith (a.k.a. Chuck) who has personally covered our production costs for the rest of Season 2. In this episode, Jaime explains the move to the Roadkill Tavern , why the move was made and the experiences that prompted the initial conversation. Jaime also goes over the reason truth is so critical — especially for the world we live in — and gives a personal experien...

I wanted to make sure I shared this terrifying tidbit I gleaned from my adventure of doing that interview with Finley...  Apparently he has been prepping and working on solutions for this species, developing a containment suit and some forms of decontamination--because the kingdoms are going to send adventurers INTO the Dragon's Chasm.  ...on PURPOSE .  For those too young to remember, every fourt...

When I asked Simon for help with a key location in my fictional world, I was unprepared for his genius. I’m thinking this brilliance he got from his mother. She hates when I say that, but she never listens to this podcast, so neener. In this episode, Simon gets free reign to walk me through his creations within the Dragons Chasm — a key location for a chuck of the Chronicles of a Hero series. If y...

When I asked Simon for help with a key location in my fictional world, I was unprepared for his genius. I’m thinking this brilliance he got from his mother. She hates when I say that, but she never listens to this podcast, so neener. In this episode, Simon gets free reign to walk me through his creations within the Dragons Chasm — a key location for a chuck of the Chronicles of a Hero series. If y...

Every fictional story requires some form of worldbuilding. So why not become exceptionally GOOD at it? When I started writing stories in the Wanted Hero universe, I had a hope that someday, my kids would want to assist me in building this fictional world. That together, our talents and imaginations would create something to truly entertain those around us. When Simon took an interest in these stor...

All you have to do to get the attention of patrons in a library…is scream. Yes, I did that more than once…and people enjoyed the attention-getter. Today we talk about the adventure my son Simon and I had in doing a book signing at a Library — which was a first for both of us. We also go over some worldbuilding, so here’s the links to the Advanced Worldbuilding journals I mentioned. Advanced Worldb...

Did you know Wanted Hero was funded by a single pull of a slot machine? 100% True. Did you know that you’re important, just because you exist? Also 100% True. What do they have in common? Not a thing. In this BONUS LoF podcast, I get the chance to answer two similar questions from readers on the other side of the planet. Such good questions, in fact, that I felt it important enough to craft a podc...

One of the ways I know it’s likely I’m on the right course, is if everything tries to stop me. That’s when I have to smile…even at 4:35am. In this episode I go over what I’ve learned over the last 22 weeks. Writing, podcasting, and utilizing the tools and platforms I have access to, specifically Substack. Things that I like and things I don’t like, allowing me to discover what the next steps are i...

Wanted Hero was originally designed to be expandable — to have a creative world without limits — a place to connect ideas for stories and give them a home. As a reader myself, I was always interested in both the ‘end’ goals and the ‘creative’ goals of authors. What did they want me to feel, think, and what kind of experience did they want to leave with me when the story was over? I’m going to shar...

When I noticed how fiction made me feel — I watched how it made others feel. Whether you enjoy fantasy, science fiction, mysteries, thrillers, or a good love story, I believe there are roughly 10 reasons we all love fiction that overlap. I’m going to share those reasons with you in this episode. Make sure to sign up for my weekly newsletter at https://LifeofFiction.com and this newsletter, and the...

One thing I’ve learned about podcasting over the years, and I’m terrible at it, is clarity . At first, I thought it was the problem of consistency . But that’s not it. Whenever I have the time, or made the time, and I have material, there was no problem with me being consistent. It didn’t matter if I had to get up at 2 AM or stay up till 2 AM. It didn’t matter. I would get it done. The problem has...

If I decided to walk away from it all, would you follow me? I’m talking about social media. The bane of my existence. I said ‘cya’ on Facebook today, and it made me smile. Thing is, no matter what I do, how hard I try or work, I have never achieved even a fraction of the results I see posted by other indie authors. Even when I buy their books, courses, and religiously mimic what they teach. The re...