World Anvil Worldbuilding Podcast

Fantasy mysteries are having a moment—and this week we're digging into exactly what makes the combo work. Janet welcomes author and small press publisher Leah R. Cutter (Knotted Road Press, Mystery, Crime and Mayhem magazine) for a deep dive into blending magic and murder. Topics covered include: Does a fantasy mystery need a murder? (Spoiler: not always—missing heirs, stolen artifacts, and RPG-st...

How do protagonists and villains get things done in your world? Probably not all by themselves! Factions - whether they're religious, corporate, political or trade organizations - are a VITAL part of your worldbuilding, adding spicy conflict when interests don't align. Join Janet and the AMAZING Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries) as they discuss how to write fantastic factions! https://marthawel...

How do protagonists and villains get things done in your world? Probably not all by themselves! Factions - whether they're religious, corporate, political or trade organizations - are a VITAL part of your worldbuilding, adding spicy conflict when interests don't align. Join Janet and the AMAZING Martha Wells (The Murderbot Diaries) as they discuss how to write fantastic factions! https://marthawel...

We're joined by illustrator and creature designer Shirin Sheppard to talk about making monsters that make scientific sense! How could dragons actually breathe fire? When do you reference real-world biology - and when do you leave it behind? Bring your creature questions to this fun interview! https://www.facebook.com/shirinillustration/   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil account...

We're joined by illustrator and creature designer Shirin Sheppard to talk about making monsters that make scientific sense! How could dragons actually breathe fire? When do you reference real-world biology - and when do you leave it behind? Bring your creature questions to this fun interview! https://www.facebook.com/shirinillustration/   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil account...

Join us as we chat with best-selling fantasy author Laura Anne Gilman about writing MONSTER HUNTERS. Whether you're talking historical fantasy, urban fantasy or gothic horror, these iconic characters stalk the night. Let's discuss tropes, tips, and what these archetypal heroes add to your games and stories.  https://www.lauraannegilman.net/   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil acco...

Join us as we chat with best-selling fantasy author Laura Anne Gilman about writing MONSTER HUNTERS. Whether you're talking historical fantasy, urban fantasy or gothic horror, these iconic characters stalk the night. Let's discuss tropes, tips, and what these archetypal heroes add to your games and stories.  https://www.lauraannegilman.net/   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil acco...

Join us for a spooky season interview with author Rachel Aaron (Hell of a Witch), as we explore the scary practice of worldbuilding with witches. We'll discuss how witches are often treated differently from other magic users in fantasy and TTRPGs, the tricky aspects of crafting believable witches, and how to create a witchcraft-based magic system that feels distinct and interesting.  https://rache...

Join us for a spooky season interview with author Rachel Aaron (Hell of a Witch), as we explore the scary practice of worldbuilding with witches. We'll discuss how witches are often treated differently from other magic users in fantasy and TTRPGs, the tricky aspects of crafting believable witches, and how to create a witchcraft-based magic system that feels distinct and interesting.  https://rache...

Join Janet and Caitlin Rozakis, author of The New York Times-bestselling novel Dreadful, for a delightful discussion of all things cozy fantasy! How do you create a setting that feels both cozy AND exciting? What are the essential elements of a cozy fantasy world? Bring your questions (and a cup of your favorite hot beverage) to this fun interview.  https://www.caitlinrozakis.com/   WORLDBUILD WIT...

Join Janet and Caitlin Rozakis, author of The New York Times-bestselling novel Dreadful, for a delightful discussion of all things cozy fantasy! How do you create a setting that feels both cozy AND exciting? What are the essential elements of a cozy fantasy world? Bring your questions (and a cup of your favorite hot beverage) to this fun interview.  https://www.caitlinrozakis.com/   WORLDBUILD WIT...

Emily Inkpen is the co-creator of the award-winning Dex Legacy, an incredible audio drama about to enter its 3rd season!  Learn Emily's process for writing and creating an audio drama that wins awards in this episode of the World Anvil worldbuilding podcast. https://www.emilyinkpen.com/thedexlegacy-home   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil account today! Worldbuilding software, cam...

Emily Inkpen is the co-creator of the award-winning Dex Legacy, an incredible audio drama about to enter its 3rd season!  Learn Emily's process for writing and creating an audio drama that wins awards in this episode of the World Anvil worldbuilding podcast. https://www.emilyinkpen.com/thedexlegacy-home   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil account today! Worldbuilding software, cam...

What are the unique worldbuilding challenges (and opportunities) presented by a generation ship? This week, Janet sits down with Michael Mammay, author of the popular Planetside series, to explore the corridors and cultures of this unique scifi subgenre!  https://www.michaelmammay.com/   Reviews of Generation Ship: Lightspeed   Publishers Weekly   Library Journal   Booklist   WORLDBUILD WITH US! ...

What are the unique worldbuilding challenges (and opportunities) presented by a generation ship? This week, Janet sits down with Michael Mammay, author of the popular Planetside series, to explore the corridors and cultures of this unique scifi subgenre!  https://www.michaelmammay.com/   Reviews of Generation Ship: Lightspeed   Publishers Weekly   Library Journal   Booklist   WORLDBUILD WITH US! ...

Join Janet with industry experts T. Alexander Stangroom & Amanda Hamon (Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos) to talk about MAKING MAGIC SCHOOLS, as we bring World Anvil's INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING challenge to a close!  https://koboldpress.com/the-kobold-team   https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandahamon/ https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/sacoc   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil accou...

Join Janet with industry experts T. Alexander Stangroom & Amanda Hamon (Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos) to talk about MAKING MAGIC SCHOOLS, as we bring World Anvil's INSTITUTIONS OF LEARNING challenge to a close!  https://koboldpress.com/the-kobold-team   https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandahamon/ https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/sacoc   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil accou...

Join Janet and our guest, award-winning author Chloe Gong, to talk about using history - and Shakespeare - as a jumping off point for fantasy worldbuilding. https://thechloegong.com/   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil account today! Worldbuilding software, campaign manager and novel writing software. Created by two nerds, run with love & passion, supported by the friendliest comm...

Join Janet and our guest, award-winning author Chloe Gong, to talk about using history - and Shakespeare - as a jumping off point for fantasy worldbuilding. https://thechloegong.com/   WORLDBUILD WITH US!  Create a ✨free✨ World Anvil account today! Worldbuilding software, campaign manager and novel writing software. Created by two nerds, run with love & passion, supported by the friendliest comm...

What are the benefits of collaborative worldbuilding? Who handles which part of a shared world? What mistakes did you make along the way? Janet is live with authors and worldbuilders Owen B. Greenwald and Paul Kivelson, discussing how they collaboratively built their world on World Anvil, for their latest novel, Weapons of the Mind ! https://www.owenbgreenwald.com/ https://www.paulkivelson.com/  ...

What are the benefits of collaborative worldbuilding? Who handles which part of a shared world? What mistakes did you make along the way? Janet is live with authors and worldbuilders Owen B. Greenwald and Paul Kivelson, discussing how they collaboratively built their world on World Anvil, for their latest novel, Weapons of the Mind ! https://www.owenbgreenwald.com/ https://www.paulkivelson.com/  ...

Storytellers have been remixing tales of Greek gods since... well, ancient Greece! Kat chats with award-winning author Abigail Owens, whose new release Games Gods Play retells the Hades/Persephone myth in present-day San Francisco. Let's talk about worldbuilding a mythic fantasy setting that blends ancient and modern elements! https://abigailowen.com/ https://linktr.ee/abigailowen   WORLDBUILD WIT...

Storytellers have been remixing tales of Greek gods since... well, ancient Greece! Kat chats with award-winning author Abigail Owens, whose new release Games Gods Play retells the Hades/Persephone myth in present-day San Francisco. Let's talk about worldbuilding a mythic fantasy setting that blends ancient and modern elements! https://abigailowen.com/ https://linktr.ee/abigailowen   WORLDBUILD WIT...

How do you fit creative work into an already jam-packed life? Especially when you must account for things like physical and mental health challenges? Join Janet and author Sandra Tayler, whose new book Structuring Life to Support Creativity tackles these questions and more! https://www.sandratayler.com/ https://structuring-life-to-support-creativity.backerkit.com/   https://www.onecobble.com/ WORL...

How do you fit creative work into an already jam-packed life? Especially when you must account for things like physical and mental health challenges? Join Janet and author Sandra Tayler, whose new book Structuring Life to Support Creativity tackles these questions and more! https://www.sandratayler.com/ https://structuring-life-to-support-creativity.backerkit.com/   https://www.onecobble.com/ WORL...