UpperPen Podcast

Author Chiara Bullen joins UpperPen to discuss her debut novel, The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance, a cozy fantasy filled with scholars, found family, subtle romance, and comforting food. You can find her on Instagram and TikTok @ChiaraBullenAuthor. Show her some love by picking up The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance July 7th (in the US)!The image of the Lagangarbh Hut Buachaille Etive Mòr...

Author Rebecca Thorne joins UpperPen to discuss her newest novel, Moss'd in Space , the first book in a new cozy science fiction trilogy that combines found family, slow-burn romance, and the comforts of cozy storytelling with the wonder of space exploration. We also spent a goodly amount of time chatting about Travis Baldree, Matt Dinniman, and Becky Chambers. I have interviews with all of th...

Author Amy Archer joins UpperPen to discuss her debut fantasy novel, Nemesis Mine, a charming story about a villain who isn't particularly villainous and a hero who desperately needs a comeback. We talk about how Cyrus has plant magic and his relationship with Max, a hero who needs a comeback to stay relevant in this fantasy world. The book is out in the US on June 23rd, in the UK it is out on...

Author Frances White joins UpperPen to discuss her latest novel, The Bone Door. We explore writing dark fantasy through the eyes of a hopeful child, building a story within a labyrinth of interconnected worlds, and balancing horror with hope. You can find Frances White atfrances-writes.com/Instagram @franceswhiteauthorBluesky @franceswrites

Author Molly Tanzer joins UpperPen to discuss her science fiction novella And Side By Side They Wander , exploring AI, selfishness, art, and what humanity means in speculative fiction. I found many parallels with Tanzer's novella and older science fiction literature. She seems to be asking similar questions about the mean of humanity. The novella does this through the lens of art, love, androi...

Shannon Chakaraborty joined me for the second time to talk about The Tapestry of Fate, book two in The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. She is such a wonderfully talented writer. Shannon easily places me in time and gives enough (but not too many) details to fill out Amina's world. Her work is very research driven, but not to the detriment of the story. I loved The Tapestry of Fate and I really...

Martha Wells is one of the best science fiction writers of the 21st century! I pick up every Murderbot book she writes, even the short stories you can find on Tor.com. She is such a wonderful writer. I was lucky enough to get to talk with her about the 8th Murderbot Diaries book, Platform Decay. During this interview we steered away from Platform Decay spoilers, and instead focused on themes throu...

Authors Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach join UpperPen to discuss Death Has Joined the Party , a LitRPG novel inspired by free DnD rules, imaginative dungeon design, reality show storytelling, and working with your significant other. Book description: Welcome, sentient races one and all, to the centennial season of the greatest collaboration between mortals and gods! The most thrilling, most deadly, m...

Author Kiersten White joins UpperPen to discuss The Fox and the Devil, exploring its nonlinear structure, inspiration from Dracula, the 1900 Paris World’s Fair, and the evolving space for queer horror. YouTube: https://youtu.be/mWshT6KCeP8 UpperPen.com

Hugo Award-winning author John Chu joins UpperPen to discuss The Subtle Art of Folding Space, a "science-fiction" novel about a Taiwanese-American family trying to prevent the collapse of the universe while navigating complex family relationships. Sort of. John Chu has an interesting take on how to classify his work later in the episode, so stick around to find out what he says. The Subt...

Author Jennifer Mandula joined UpperPen to discuss The Geomagician , a novel inspired by Mary Anning, exploring magic in 1820s England, science and religion in the 19th century, and the overlooked contributions of women (Mary specifically) in history. I loved this book so much and hope you enjoy Jennifer's enthusiasm for history as much as I do! You can get signed copies from Mac's Backs:...

Author S. L. Rowland joins UpperPen to discuss his shift from LitRPG (Sentenced to Troll) to cozy fantasy (Tales of Aedrea), the rise of cozy fantasy as a genre, and the realities of Kickstarter publishing, and attending book conventions. Did you know he also sells his books on his website slrowland.com for less than you would buy them for at other *cough*Amazon*cough* sites? I really want all of...

Author Nicole Glover joins UpperPen to discuss The Starseekers, exploring NASA, the influence of Hidden Figures, the history of African Americans in public television, and how magic intersects with real-world history. I found that this book literally combined my favorite topics! Nicole basically rooted around in my brain and pulled out everything, except the horror. The Starseekers is preceded by...

Author The Longwinded One joins UpperPen to discuss Get Trucked , his LitRPG reverse-isekai novel on Royal Road, and the companion app Endr, which lets readers see the in-world app used to isekai characters. The app is out now on the Google App Store and iOS. Get Trucked is still being released on Royal Road. Go show The Longwinded One some love for this fun book.

Author Edward Ashton joins UpperPen to discuss his new novel After the Fall , exploring love and power imbalance, personal storytelling, and the influence of Kurt Vonnegut’s dark comedy on his work.

Author Kate Quinn joins UpperPen to discuss The Astral Library , magical libraries as sanctuaries, choosing books to live inside, costume design, and the craft of building safe havens for lost and lonely characters. The Astral Library is in stores everywhere February 17th, 2026!

Author Helen Phifer joins UpperPen to discuss her upcoming novel The Vanishing Bookstore , exploring Salem, Massachusetts, witches and womanhood, mystery pacing, and the craft behind a powerful, violent opening.

Translator Anne McKnight joins UpperPen to discuss Long Take , a collection of interviews and writings from Akira Kurosawa. We explore Kurosawa’s films, his childhood influences, the challenges of translation, and his work as a wartime propagandist filmmaker.

Author The Longwinded One and narrator Chris Tucci discuss The Breaking Annwn (Book 2 of The Four Treasures Saga ), exploring tonal shifts in LitRPG series, writing with friends, and producing a multi-narrator audiobook. In this episode, author The Longwinded One and narrator Chris Tucci talk about the evolution of The Four Treasures Saga , focusing on The Breaking Annwn , a darker, more serious s...

Author Suzannah Rowntree joins UpperPen to discuss The Werewolf of Whitechapel. In this episode, Rowntree talks about her novel The Werewolf of Whitechapel, a dark reimagining of Victorian England that blends history, horror, and social critique. We also discuss how historical fiction can interrogate injustice, why monsters often represent systems of power, and how the past continues to haunt the...

In this episode, acclaimed translator, poet, and scholar Jeffrey Angles takes us inside his translation of The Luminous Fairies and Mothra by Shin’ichirō Nakamura, Takehiko Fukunaga, and Yoshie Hotta, offering deep insight into the origins of the film, the cultural landscape of Japan in the early 1960s, and the complexities of bringing Japanese prose into English. Whether you're a fan of kaiju...

Editor R.B. Wood of Ruadán Books joins UpperPen to discuss how to submit your fiction, what kinds of stories editors are looking for, how to stand out from the slush pile, and how writers can explore cities—and themselves—through storytelling.

Editor John Joseph Adams joins UpperPen to discuss curating The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy 2025 anthology, how stories make it through the slush pile, and what editors really look for in great speculative fiction. Welcome to UpperPen, where we explore the craft of writing, editing, and publishing. In this conversation, John Joseph Adams—award-winning editor, publisher, and series...

In the city of Dividium, the law is simple: commit a crime, and your punishment is a life sentence in Endlock. Raven Thorne is Dividium’s most notorious bounty hunter, living on the edge of society. But when her younger brother, Jed, is sentenced to Endlock, Raven will do anything to save him—even if it means getting herself arrested. Now trapped in a prison where danger lurks around every corner,...

Writing is the only interesting thing about Serra, aside from some other very interesting things that she would prefer to keep a secret. When she’s between projects, she likes to hang out with her husband (they’ve been together for over 20 years now and are very good at hanging out) and their Boston Terrier, Waffles. She can also be found reading, eating, and courting madness. She lives in Souther...