Writers of the Future Podcast

Django Degree is the founder and CEO of Focus on Words, a book platform that gives authors full ownership of their work, royalties, and audience. He’s also the author of “I Hope You Wake Up” and “They Lied To You,” books that dive deep into truth, identity, and how we break free from the systems that shape us. His mission is clear: help authors reclaim their voice, rebuild broken systems, and even...

Craig Martelle is an international bestselling author of thrillers and science fiction. His nonfiction book, Wit and Wisdom, provides incredible advice to authors. His first podcast interview was based on his thriller Ian Bragg Series. This interview is built around his book—a must-read for writers wishing to improve their game. He founded IASFA (Independent Association of Science Fiction & Fantas...

Brittany “Bea” Jackson illustrated the New York Times bestselling picture books, “Parker Looks Up,” about America’s First Lady, and LeBron James’s “We Are Family,” and her own “Lilly’s Dream,” which she both wrote and illustrated. She is a former grand prize winner of the Illustrators of the Future Contest and was published in “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 24.” She has been...

Tom Wood is a fantasy art illustrator among the best-selling poster artists in the US and Canada. We met at the Dragon Con in Atlanta 10 years ago, where he exhibited at a booth next to ours. We became friends, then great friends. We also appreciated his desire to help other artists. We invited him and he has been an Illustrators of the Future judge since 2021. In “Writers of the Future Volume 41,...

Robert J. Sawyer entered Writers of the Future and won three Honorable Mentions before disqualifying himself by selling professionally. We met 20 years ago at Torcon III, where he won his first Hugo award. The following year, he was invited to Hollywood to attend the Gala and subsequently invited to be a judge. He agreed and has been a judge for 20 years as of this interview. Find him at https://w...

Tim Powers is a three-time World Fantasy Award winner and Writers of the Future Contest judge and instructor. In this podcast, we discuss why fantasy has to be believable...and how to make that happen!

Sean Williams was a Writers of the Future winner in 1992 and published in Volume 9. He became a judge in 2003. He is a NYT bestselling author of 60 books and over 120 short stories for adults, young adults, and children. Sean wrote the cover story based on Craig Elliot’s cover art for “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Volume 41” titled “Under False Colours.” In this episode, we discuss his journey as a wri...

Four Illustrators of the Future winners: CL Fors, illustrator of "A World of Repetitions"; Tremani Sutcliffe, illustrator of "Ascii"; Breanda Petsch, illustrator of "Karma Birds"; and Daniel Montifar, illustrator of "The Boy from Elsewhen." We discuss their journeys as artists, Illustrator Workshop week, illustration, and the Illustrators of the Future Forum. Sign up on the forum at https://writer...

These eight winners from year 41 at the Writers & Illustrators of the Future workshop and awards gala: Seth Atwater, Jr., author of "A World of Repetitions," Jefferson Snow, author of "The Rune Witch," Joel C. Scoberg, author of "The Stench of Freedom," Sandra Skalski, author of "Slip Stone," T.R. Naus, author of "Storm Damage," Haileigh Enriquez, illustrator of "Storm Damage" and "Slip Stone," He...

These four winners from year 41 at the Writers & Illustrators of the Future workshop and awards gala: David Hoffrichter, illustrator of "The Rune Witch"; Lauren McGuire, author of "Karma Birds"; Barlow Crassmont, author of "The Boy from Elsewhen"; and, Patrick MacPhee, author of "Thirty Minutes or It's a Paradox."

These four winners from year 41 at the Writers & Illustrators of the Future workshop and awards gala: Robert Lowell, author of "Kill Switch"; Jordan Smajstrla, illustrator of "Kill Switch"; CL "Cherrie" Fors, illustrator of "A World of Repetitions"; Ian Keith, author of "Blackbird Stone." We discuss their journey as creative individuals and what makes the workshop so special for them and what Writ...

Jonathan Merkh is the President and Publisher at Forefront Books. Andrea Fleck-Nesbit, president of the Independent Book Publishers Association and a previous podcast guest, introduced Merkh to the host. Merkh previously served as vice president and publisher at Thomas Nelson Publishers, led Howard Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, and Guidepost. Jonathan has published nearly 100 New York Tim...

Isaac Stewart, once an independent author and artist, now serves as the Vice President of Creative Development at Dragonsteel Entertainment. Isaac designed and illustrated the interior art for Brandon Sanderson’s “The Way of Kings,” including the Alethi Women’s script, maps, Shallan’s and Navani’s notebook pages, and additional artwork. He also created the interior art for the Mistborn series, fea...

Today’s guests are Jim, Tamra, and Taylor Meskimen along with Kirby Heyborne. The Meskimens were recorded in a studio in Los Angeles while Kirby was from his home in Utah. This episode discusses creating the Writers of the Future Volume 41 audiobook. Jim is an actor, comedian, and impressionist best known for his voice-over work in video games. His IMDB page has over 330 entries, some of which inc...

On the evening of Thursday, April 10, 2025 at the 41st Annual Writers of the Future and the 36th Annual Illustrators of the Future L. Ron Hubbard Achievement Awards Gala in the genres of Science Fiction and Fantasy, Randyn C. J. Bartholomew from Brooklyn, NY was named the 2025 Grand Prize Writer Winner and Jordan Smajstrla of Boerne, TX was named the 2025 Grand Prize Illustrator Winner. Randyn C....

Robert Hatch has over thirty years experience as a director/producer/writer of dramatic films, documentaries, and television series, and his films have received over three hundred awards and honors from film festivals in the U.S. and internationally. He stated that he is always on the lookout for new material to turn into movies.

David Howard, renowned for his screenplay of DreamWorks’ Galaxy Quest, brings a wealth of experience from television and live theatre. Interestingly, his spot on the podcast isn’t just due to his film industry credentials. The mix-up between Galaxy Press and Galaxy Quest, a common occurrence at conventions where fans routinely confuse the two, made him an especially relevant guest when the opportu...

Jen Finelli is a physician and injured adventurer. Her real-life adventures have ranged from the funny and silly (like getting herself locked in a German nunnery by accident) to the beautiful (like scuba diving with sharks) to the severe and tragic (like breaking her spirit as she held the dying and watched sexual assault victims suffer without justice). So she often writes fantastical science fic...

Michael La Ronn built a writing career publishing 10-12 books per year while raising a family, working a full time job, and even attending law school classes in the evenings. In this interviews, we discuss how he has juggled all this and maintained a very positive outlook. Learn more at www.michaellaronn.com

Today’s guest is Edward Ashton, author of "Mickey 7" along with his most recent title "The Fourth Consort." His novel, "Mickey 7" has been made into the just released movie "Mickey 17." When Edward is not writing his international bestselling novels, he enjoys cancer research, teaching quantum physics to sullen graduate students, and whittling. https://www.edwardashton.com/

Dave Butler, pen name DJ Butler, and David Afsharirad have created a new publisher, Ark Press. Dave Butler was a guest on episode 246, discussing navigating right and wrong in storytelling. Ark Press mission is to provide stories where humans win in the end. In this episode, we discuss a new press called Ark Press and an exciting writing competition—America 2076—to be published in 2026. That’s why...

Toni Weisskopf is an American science fiction editor and the publisher of Baen Books. She has won the Phoenix Award, the Rebel Award, and the Neffy Award for best editor. She uses the nom de plume T. K. F. Weisskopf as an anthology editor. Writers of the Future and Toni initially met in New York in 1989, where she was a volunteer helping at the Awards event! She has since worked with Jim Baen, wor...

Z.S. “Zac” Diamanti, per his own bio, went to college forever and has too many pieces of paper on his wall as a result. He is a USAF veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom and has worked in ministry for 10 years. Zac came highly recommended by Superstars organizers. And rightly so. The “Guard in the Garden” is a cozy fantasy, a subgenre that has not been addressed before on this podcast. What is fa...

Marc Cameron is a former US Marshal and author of the Arliss Cutter novels, the Jericho Quinn series, and the Tom Clancy Jack Ryan books starting with "Power" and "Empire." His law enforcement career has spanned over thirty years, from uniformed police officer to mounted patrol officer and detective before becoming a US Marshal, where he served as a Deputy, Fugitive Task Force Commander, Superviso...

Scot Noel was a guest earlier, which you can listen to on episode 210. Scot was a Writers of the Future Volume 6 winner in 2010 and has since gone on to write more SF and created DreamForge, now in its fourth year. He has also spent quite some time working in computer science, specifically AI, and likens it to the parable of the two blind men describing an elephant, which we discuss in this interv...