We are here today in Portland, Oregon, at the Independent Publishers' Booksellers Association conference. During the Independent Book Publishers Association Conference in Portland, OR, Keith Riegert spoke about the changes in the Amazon algorithm and how, given a good book, discoverability is an author’s major challenge. He explained how AI is a tool to solve this. Keith is the president of The Stable Book Group and CEO of Brooklyn-based independent publishing companies, Ulysses Press and VeloPress Books. Keith is also CEO of Perfect Bound Technologies Corporation and a co-founder of the book publicity and digital marketing firm, Pacific & Court. Keith is a member of the board of advisors at NYU’s School of Professional Studies in the Center for Publishing, where he also teaches Analytics and Consumer Insights. Keith also serves on the boards of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and the AI firm, Inkbloom. Learn more at www.keithriegert.com/

Irvin Rodriguez is a visual artist whose work offers a synthesis of painting and drawing, inspired by the European masters and 19th-century painters, paired with the narrative influence and aesthetics of illustration and contemporary art. Rodriguez’s artistic practice spans multiple disciplines, from analog to digital media, resulting in figurative compositions and portraits that communicate individual and collective experiences. Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1988, Rodriguez graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a BFA in Illustration (2010), while simultaneously studying at the Grand Central Atelier (2008–2010), and later at the Art Students League of NY (2013–2016). Since then, Rodriguez has exhibited in numerous group and solo exhibitions in Europe, South America, and the United States, and was also the recipient of the 2016 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant, the 2019 John F. and Anna Lee Stacey Scholarship, and the 2019 Donald Jurney Travel Fellowship. Over the years, he has developed into a compelling and versatile artist, with works in the film, comic book, publishing, and video game industries for clients like Naughty Dog, Lucasfilm, DC Comics, and Magic: The Gathering. He currently lives and works out of his studio in Los Angeles, California. Irvin was the 2011 recipient of the L. Ron Hubbard Golden Brush Award. He has been an Illustrators of the Future judge since 2023. In this episode, Irvin discusses his journey in a successful artistic career. Learn more at irvinrodriguez.com.

Julie Frost was a winner published in Writers of the Future Volume 32 with her werewolf short story “Cry Havoc.” She has an amazing story of how she won and the value of persistence. She recently published a novella, “Joy Shall Be In Heaven,” which was discussed in this interview. Through the genre of fantasy, she delves into morality, right and wrong, and consequences for one’s actions. Learn more at www.fantasticfiction.com/f/julie-frost/

This podcast was recorded during a lull in Tim Power’s schedule as one of the writing instructors at the Writers of the Future Workshop while the writer winners are busy with their 24-hour story. Tim was last on this podcast in episode #333. He is a three-time world fantasy award winner and is most known for his novels “The Anubis Gates,” “On Stranger Tides,” “Last Call,” and “Declare.” In this episode, we discuss his latest release, and my personal favorite, a dark fantasy, “The Mills of the Gods.” We also discuss his technique in creating his stories, researching some particular aspect of history, and then exploring from there. How he creates seamless transitions from factual history to his fantastical history. We also touch on why L. Ron Hubbard’s “Fear” is his favorite novel. Learn more about “The Mills of the Gods” at www.baen.com/the-mills-of-the-gods.html

Meet Illustrators of the Future winner Roddy Taylor, and Writers of the Future winners Brenda Posey and Thomas K. Slee, and learn their story of how they won the Contest and what it means to their future as creatives.

Meet Writers of the Future winners Mike Strickland, Shaun Stevenson, Michael Kuester, and Illustrators of the Future winners Nathan Deiwert, and Tracy Eire and learn their story of how they won the Contest and what it means to their future as creatives.

Golden Pen Award Winner Michael T. Kuester from Cincinnati, Ohio, with his story “In Living Color,” and Golden Brush Award Winner Bohuslav “Bafu” Argalas from Ruzomberok, Slovakia, with his illustration of the story “Saffron and Marigolds.” Michael is an engineer by day, a science fiction writer by night. An avid hiker and cooking enthusiast, he is a passionately curious individual and lives his life by the motto “In the twenty-first century, there’s no excuse for an unanswered question.” His story, “In Living Color,” evolved into a surprisingly personal allegory for social isolation, generational misunderstanding, and neurodivergence. Bafu began drawing before he learned to read or write. That passion led him to study art at the private school of Applied Arts in Zilina and later at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Brno, Czech Republic. Bafu creates illustrations and comics filled with humor, emotion, and a touch of the strange, hoping to make people smile, think, and drift away from reality—even just for a moment. Michael can be found at https://michaeltkuester.com/ Bafu can be found at https://www.bafu.art/

Join Stefan Rudnicki, Gabrielle de Cuir, Susan Hanfield, Orson Scott Card, Jim Meskimen, Scott Peterson, most of the cast who voiced “L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future Volume 42,” in this podcast interview talking about what made this project special, why science fiction and fantasy are so important as a genre, and the value of celebrating creativity which is what Writers and Illustrators of the Future are all about. The other cast members were unable to participate due to prior commitments, but their creativity in their role in the audiobook is equally appreciated. The full cast along with stories they narrated are: Stefan Rudnicki narrated “Artistic Presentation,” “Shell Game,” “Skinny-Shins,” “The Creator’s Journey,” “In Living Color,” and “A Girl and Her Dragon: A Life in Four Parts.” Orson Scott Card read his bio and introduction. Gabrielle De Cuir narrated Jody Lynn Nye and Echo Chernick’s introductions as well as “Bloom Decay.” Janina Edwards narrated “Thickly.” Susan Hanfield narrated “Canary” and “A Girl and Her Dragon: A Life in Four Parts.” Kirby Heyborne narrated “Saffron and Marigolds,” “Dragon Visits,” and “As Long as You Both Shall Live.” John Lee narrated “The Triceratops Effect.” Jim Meskimen narrated “Form 14B—Application for Certification of Consciousness Transfer (Post-Mortem),” “Space Can,” “Collaboration,” and “Ghost Dog.” Scott Peterson narrated “A Ready-Made Bubble of Light.” This audiobook was produced by Skyboat Media. Edited, Mixed, and Mastered by Phaseshift. And the music was composed by Mark Isham.

Ron Clements was the keynote speaker in 2025 for our Writers and Illustrators of the Future Gala. We connected up again at LTUE - Life, the Universe, and Everything Symposium - in Provo, Utah, where we recorded this interview. Ron has been an animation director, screenwriter, and producer for Disney for four decades. Along with co-producer John Muster, he is the creator of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Moana, Princess and the Frog, and one of my favorites, Pete’s Dragon. In this interview, we discuss his journey to become one of the most successful animated movie producers of today and the process of creating animated movies. The story of how Robin Williams was brought on board for Aladdin was amazing!

Brandon Mull was a guest on this podcast a few years ago in episode #251. We met when he was the Toastmaster at The Life, the Universe, and Everything Conference, after which he sent me a copy of “Fablehaven,” which became the topic of our first interview. This interview is about his newest release, “Guardians: Forbidden Mountain,” an epic adventure fantasy that can be enjoyed by YA as well as adult readers. He normally takes 6 months to write a novel, but this one took 2 ½ years due to the story’s depth—and the fact that it is the first of a three-novel series. There are two hero journeys that gradually weave into each other. Mako Boughbreaker is along one path, and Arden is on the other side of the empire, walking her path. The book deftly addresses people's spirituality while weaving in the idea that one does have the choice to do the right thing—and that one’s actions have consequences, good or bad —which is important. Possibly even more so these days. Learn more at https://brandonmull.com/

Charlie Holmberg is a Wall Street Journal and Amazon best-selling author of over 20 novels. She sent me her book “The Shattered King,” book one of a duology, a dark fantasy with a lot of adventure, and the romance contributes to the fantasy/magic. So, while it is a slow-burn romance—placing it squarely in the romantasy genre—I thoroughly enjoyed it as an adventure with a lot of political intrigue. I was fascinated by her magic, a system in which the main character, Nym, works with a physically broken Prince Renn to heal his "aura" or "soul," thereby healing his body. As I enjoy discovering new magic systems, this was an especially nice treat. And I must say that I really enjoyed meeting Charlie at the Life, the Universe, and Everything Symposium, where this interview was recorded and discussing her journey as an author. Learn more at https://www.charlienholmberg.com/