Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly as they chat with bestselling author Julie Leong about her new novel The Keeper of Magical Things, quitting a corporate job to pursue writing, the appeal of cozy fantasy, the debut author experience, underdog/outsider protagonists, varying magical powers, imposter syndrome and resilience, how opposites can attract, writing effective character arcs, community and breathing life into your setting, creating a quirky cast of side characters and much more.
Masterclass
SFF Addicts Ep. 174: How to Write Battle Scenes with Anna Smith Spark (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn and Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on How to Write Battle Scenes with author Anna Smith Spark. During the episode, Anna arms herself for war (and writing), exploring why we love battle scenes, how to study and analyze historical battles, the immersion/cinematography of a battle, laying the seeds of conflict, approaches to warfare across cultures, setting and styles of battle, scale and shifting perspectives, realism and the aftermath of battle, heightening emotional resonance, war councils, expectations, foreshadowing and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 173: Anna Smith Spark talks A Sword of Gold and Ruin, Anderson Versus Death, Grimdark & More
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly as they chat with author Anna Smith Spark about her TWO new novels A Sword of Gold and Ruin and Anderson Versus Death, the 2000 AD/Judge Dredd universe and dystopian prescience, the pursuit and joys of storytelling, the appeal of grimdark, the current state of the grimdark genre (and responses to it), the ups and downs of publishing, writing what you’re passionate about, folkloric horror, autism, dyspraxia and much more.
The Shifting Landscape of Epic Fantasy with George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb & More (LIVE at Seattle Worldcon 2025)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn and Greta Kelly for this special episode of SFF Addicts podcast recorded LIVE at Seattle Worldcon 2025, where they discuss “The Shifting Landscape of Epic Fantasy” with guest authors George R.R. Martin, Robin Hobb, Brandon Sanderson, Rebecca Roanhorse and Ryan Cahill. During this epic two-hour conversation, they delve into a (brief) history of epic fantasy, the monolith of Tolkien and LotR, approaches to epic fantasy worldbuilding, research and immersion, magic systems as a tool for storytelling, epic fantasy film/TV adaptations, breaking into epic fantasy publishing, self-publishing and crowdfunding, finding success in the modern publishing landscape and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 171: Surviving the Midlist (or Not?) with David Wragg (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn and Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Surviving the Midlist (or Not?) with author David Wragg. During the episode, David dishes on the (often harsh) realities of the midlist, including what “the midlist” is, the debut experience and expectations, (lack of) investment in authors, earnings/expenses/marketing, social support and community for midlisters, what success means, book submissions, the “midlist death spiral”, the value of midlist titles/authors, moving goalposts, persistence and more.
SFF Addicts Seattle Worldcon 2025 RECAP
Join SFF Addicts co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson, M.J. Kuhn and Greta Kelly as they recap their adventures at Seattle Worldcon 2025, from Airbnb shenanigans, yummy meals and hanging out with friends to BarCon, moderating panels and hosting their epic live episode of the podcast with George R.R. Martin, Brandon Sanderson, Robin Hobb, Rebecca Roanhorse and Ryan Cahill.
SFF Addicts Ep. 169: Fairy Tale Reimaginings with T. Kingfisher (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and Greta Kelly as they delve into a writing masterclass on Fairy Tale Reimaginings with bestselling author T. Kingfisher (AKA Ursula Vernon). During the episode, Ursula muses on fairy tales and how they can be reimagined, including our modern relationships with fairy tales, the resonance of fairy tales across time, choosing a fairy tale to reimagine and identifying its core, playing with classic themes/iconic characters, subverting reader expectations, sanitized vs. dark fairy tales, fairy tale worldbuilding, magic and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 167: Interfaces in Science Fiction with Annalee Newitz (Writing Masterclass)
Join co-hosts Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn as they delve into a writing masterclass on Interfaces in Science Fiction with author/journalist Annalee Newitz. During the episode, Annalee deconstructs interfaces, including defining what interfaces are, how they appear in science fiction, tropes and misrepresentations about interfaces, creating believable/functional interfaces in your stories, realism and specificity, communication via interfaces, connecting people and environments, the intersection of science and sci-fi, hopes for the future of interfaces and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 165: Self-Publishing as a Career with Tao Wong, Shami Stovall & Michael Michel (Indie Appreciation Month)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and guest authors Tao Wong, Shami Stovall and Michael Michel for our final Indie Appreciation Month panel on Self-Publishing as a Career. During the panel, Tao, Shami and Michael discuss the long game of self-publishing, including self-publishing as a JOB, being a full-time vs. part-time writer/creative, budgeting and investment for your books, long-term finances and project management, experimenting with release strategies, having purpose and patience, lucrative book formats and publishing platforms, career longevity, income streams, burnout and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 164: Indie Marketing 101 with Michael R. Miller, Z.S. Diamanti & Blake & Raven Penn (Indie Appreciation Month)
Join host Adrian M. Gibson and guest authors Michael R. Miller, Z.S. Diamanti and Blake & Raven Penn for an Indie Appreciation Month panel on Indie Marketing 101. During the panel, Michael, Zac, Blake and Raven offer up some marketing fundamentals, including why marketing is important for indie authors, approaches to marketing over time, building your author platform, mailing lists and reader magnets, pre-launch vs. post-launch marketing, social media platforms and content, paid advertising methods, discounts and giveaways, reviews and ARCs, comp titles, Kickstarter, networking, word-of-mouth, book tours, awards, competitions and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 163: Building Your Community with Ryan Cahill, Tatiana Obey & James Lloyd Dulin (Indie Appreciation Month)
Join host M.J. Kuhn and guest authors Ryan Cahill, Tatiana Obey and James Lloyd Dulin for an Indie Appreciation Month panel on Building Your Community. During the panel, Ryan, Tatiana and James delve into various facets of community, including what community means to authors, types of communities, your author brand, first steps and platforms for building communities, authenticity and targeting audiences, maintaining communities without burning out, community-related challenges, mental health, negativity/positivity and more.
SFF Addicts Ep. 162: Discovering Your Genre & Niche with Michael R. Fletcher, Krystle Matar & Nick Snape (Indie Appreciation Month)
Join host Greta Kelly and guest authors Michael R. Fletcher, Krystle Matar and Nick Snape for an Indie Appreciation Month panel on Discovering Your Genre & Niche. During the panel, Michael, Krystle and Nick explores the ins and outs of genre, including whether or not genre matters, finding inspiration in the genres you grew up reading, experimenting with subgenres and niches, deciphering age categories, writing to market vs. creating markets, categories/keywords on publishing platforms, grabbing readers’ attention, writing an effective synopsis and more.