• 35 minutes 10 seconds
    [ISBW] What does "confidence" even mean?

    ISBW 22.16

    I finished the book, I started a short story, and I have been looking at the concept of confidence a bit lately. Also been enjoying Charisma on Command videos. So let's talk about confidence.

    Don't forget the book giveaway from last time! You have a week to enter!

    The Books (along with links if you want to just order right now!):

    This post went live for supporters on August 7, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is August 13 with Ann Archer!

    Evergreen Links

    Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. Aug 7, 2026 | ISBW 22.16 | murverse.com "Are you confident? What does "confident" actually mean?" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. And "AI" or large language models are wretched and we hate it so very much. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
    9 August 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 22 minutes 46 seconds
    [ISBW] 2026 Book Giveaway (#1)

    ISBW 22.15

    I want a lot of books.

    I buy a lot of books.

    I get sent a lot of books.

    I can't with all these books. So you get to benefit! I'm discussing five new or upcoming books of several different genres and then doing a giveaway! All you have to do is email me (mightymur at gmail) and tell me which one you want to be in the drawing for!

    I will draw the winners August 15!

    This is open to anyone, Patreon supporter/follower or not!

    The Books (along with links if you want to just order right now!):

    This post went live for supporters on July 24, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is August 6!

    Evergreen Links

    Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. Jul 29, 2026 | ISBW 22.15 | murverse.com "Let's Give Away Some Books! (#1)" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
    29 July 2026, 11:00 am
  • 35 minutes 54 seconds
    [ISBW] Scams, scams, and more scams!

    ISBW 22.14

    The scammers are getting wilier, and we have to keep up, folks. They want you to pay to join book clubs, they catfish you to make you fire your agent and take theirs, and they are really into helping you promote a book you have forgotten about, and have zero control over because it was work for hire.

    GLOSSARY: Work For Hire: It is an exception to the general (copyright) rule that the person who actually creates a work is the legally-recognized author of that work.

    Meaning when Marvel* hires you to write Superman, Marvel owns the rights to everything and you get a check.

    The biggest thing we discuss is how to best battle these monsters.

    The following help too:

    This post went live for supporters on July 22, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is July 30!

    Evergreen Links

    *Yes of course I know that DC owns and publishes Superman. But I bet someone out there is trying to scam people by inviting them to write Superman from a fake Marvel address. See, guys, I'm telling you, these scammers are WILEY.

    Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. July 24, 2026 | ISBW 22.14 | murverse.com "Scams scams scams!" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
    24 July 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 46 minutes 50 seconds
    [ISBW] Dance Like Nobody's Watching

    ISBW 22.13

    Believe it or not, we got a feedback question to answer! We talk about how to get moving when you've stalled out on your writing routine, and a few of my secret anxieties. It boils down to:

    Why are you doing this?

    Notes:

    This post went live for supporters on June 22, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is July 2!

    Evergreen Links

    Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. June 26, 2026 | ISBW 22.13 | murverse.com "Dance Like Nobody's Watching" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
    26 June 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 31 minutes 46 seconds
    [ISBW] SUBLIMATION with Isabel J. Kim

    ISBW 22.12

    Happy Pride!

    Recently we welcomed Isabel J. Kim to the show to talk about her debut novel, Sublimation!

    We not only talk about her mind-bending Severence-like novel, but her use of point of view, second person, and about her award-winning story "WHY DON'T WE JUST KILL THE KID IN THE OMELAS HOLE".

    This post went live for supporters on June 19, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is June 25!

    Links:

    Evergreen Links

    Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review! CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon. Jun 19, 2026 | ISBW 22.12 | murverse.com "Isabel J. Kim talks SUBLIMATION" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.
    22 June 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 38 minutes 51 seconds
    [ISBW] Magic Systems and Ruinous Creatures

    ISBW 22.11

    (There will be a giveaway of Ruinous Creatures! I'm taking entries until May 21! Email me with GIVEAWAY in the subject line! You do not need to be a paying supporter to enter.)

    Recently we welcomed Jessi Cole Jackson to the show to talk about her debut novel, Ruinous Creatures!

    We cover Jackson's unique bone-specific magic system and her inspirations, not to mention how to wrap your head around romance and spice when you've only written tame things before.

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is May 16.

    This post went live for supporters on May 11, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

    Links:

    Evergreen Links

    Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

    CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

    May 16, 2025 | ISBW 22.11 | murverse.com "Ruinous Creatures and Magic Systems" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

    In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

    14 May 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 33 minutes 13 seconds
    [ISBW] Are you sure you want to injure that character?

    "If you injure somebody, that injury tells a story, and you have to decide whether that story fits the rest of your story."

    22.10 In this episode, I go into "realism" with regards to injuries and health. Are injuries for pain? For an instant of shock? To give the character a new hardship? We talk about some of Stephen King's works and how to balance realism with narrative flow.

    This post went live for supporters on April 21, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

    NOTE- This coming weekend (May 1-3) I will be GoH at DemiCon!

    Remember, you can join us live on Thursdays at 3 PM Eastern on Twitch! Don't miss our next live episode!

    Links

    Evergreen Links

    Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

    CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

    April 27, 2025 | ISBW 22.10 | murverse.com "Are you sure you want to injure that character?" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

    In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

    28 April 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 29 minutes 20 seconds
    [ISBW] When Characters Go Rogue

    "Every character is the star of their own story."

    ISBW 22.9

    In this episode we talk about how different writers view characterization, from the ones who struggle to the ones who say the characters live in their heads. How do you manage all these wily beasts who want their stories told?

    I will also be appearing next week at Ravencon, and then the following week at Demicon!

    This post went live for supporters on April 17, 2026. If you want early and ad-free episodes, support at Patreon!

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 24, when we will talk about A Year of Furious Creation.

    Links

    Evergreen Links

    Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

    CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

    April 21, 2025 | ISBW 22.9 | murverse.com "When Characters Go Rogue" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

    In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

    21 April 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 32 minutes 5 seconds
    [ISBW] Can Rejectomancy Save Our Sanity?

    "I think the thing people have the most problem with is, 'This was very good, but it didn't excite me.'"

    ISBW 22.8

    Mur is back solo, talking about Rejectomancy and how to interpret the rejections you get, and more importantly, how to move forward after getting said rejection.

    And the bad news: you're aiming to make writing a job, which means you have to deal with the bad parts along with the good.

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 9*, when we will talk about A Year of Furious Creation.

    *(Maybe. I may have jury duty that day. Stay tuned.)

    Links

    Evergreen Links

    — Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

    CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

    April 6, 2025 | ISBW 22.8 | murverse.com "Can Rejectomancy Save Our Sanity?" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

    In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

    6 April 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 46 minutes 40 seconds
    [ISBW] Medicine and AI with Dr. Justin C. Key

    "Acceptance is built on a pile of rejections." ~ Justin C. Key

    ISBW 22.7

    Dr. Justin C. Key joins us to discuss his debut novel, The Hospital at the End of the World, exploring intersection of medicine and AI. Justin shares his experiences as a psychiatrist and balancing a medical career with being an author.

    We go over writing process, community, and the lessons learned from both success and setbacks.

    This post went live for supporters on March 27, 2026. If you want early, ad-free, and sometimes expanded episodes, support at Patreon!

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is April 2, when we will talk about Characters with a Mind of Their Own.

    Links

    Evergreen Links

    — Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

    CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

    March 30, 2025 | ISBW 22.7 | murverse.com "Medicine and AI with Dr. Justin C. Key" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

    In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

    30 March 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 36 minutes 37 seconds
    [ISBW] Regret, Spite, and shiny new book haul

    "Weird is hot right now."

    ISBW 22.6

    CW- pet death.

    It's been a rough week, so I'm talking regret and spite. Can they help and fuel us? Or is it just wasted bile?

    Then we talk about new book releases, like Nobody's Baby by Olivia Waite and Hell's Heart by Alexis Hall. And we touch on our next show, an interview with Justin C. Key, author of The Hospital at the End of the World.

    Remember you can join us on Thursdays, 3pm Eastern on Twitch! The next live episode is March 26, when we will talk about Rejectomancy.

    Links

    Evergreen Links

    — Some of the links above may be affiliate, allowing you to support the show at no extra cost to you. You can also support by leaving a Spotify or Apple review!

    CREDITS Theme song by John Anealio, art by Numbers Ninja, and files hosted by Libsyn. Get archives of the show via Patreon.

    March 23, 2025 | ISBW 22.6 | murverse.com "Regret, Spite, and shiny new book haul" by Mur Lafferty is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

    In case it wasn't clear: Mur and this podcast are fully supportive of LGBTQ+ folks, believe that Black Lives Matter, and trans rights are human rights, despite which direction the political winds blow. If you do not agree, then there are plenty of other places to go on the Internet.

    24 March 2026, 12:00 pm
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