Show Notes
Authors Rachel Aaron and Travis Bach join UpperPen to discuss Death Has Joined the Party, a LitRPG novel inspired by free DnD rules, imaginative dungeon design, reality show storytelling, and working with your significant other. Book description: Welcome, sentient races one and all, to the centennial season of the greatest collaboration between mortals and gods! The most thrilling, most deadly, most watched spectacle ever put on in any realm…Mana Runners! The infinite dungeon below Whitepeak, the famous City of Wizards, has reset itself once again, bringing new traps, new monsters, and new, never-before-seen challenges to this historic event. All of your favorite champions from Season Ninety-Nine are back and ready to face what is sure to be the most difficult season of Mana Runners ever attempted. From the lowest Copper Tier to the Platinums who shine at the top, every Runner is ready to lay down their lives defending you from the monsters that lurk beneath the mountain. All of their sacrifices shall be recorded in the pages of history, but only those blessed with unique powers from the gods can reach the deepest floors. It’s the event that brings sentient races from all over the world together! The spectacle no one can afford to miss! And you can watch it all live thanks to Whitepeak College of Wizardry’s revolutionary sendernet: the only Sending spell network that broadcasts the can’t-be-missed action of Mana Runners straight into your home! (The Mana Runners Centennial Season is produced by the Whitepeak Dungeon Committee and the Coalition of Rightfully Aligned Gods. Remember, the gods are always listening, so be sure to pray for your favorite Mana Runner to earn them blessings as they battle the unthinkable dangers of the Endless Dungeon!)
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Erynne Rivers joins UpperPen to talk about her debut book, Wench, which is out on October 13th in the US. We talked a lot about magic, environmentalism, and the dichotomy of living in two worlds. Wench is a fun take on the Robin Hood stories you grew up on. I cannot wait for more people to read this! You can find Erynne Rivers at AuthorENHaysch.com and on Instagram @BooksbyErynne . If you enjoy Wench, you don't have to wait long at all for Erynne's next book. She has The Light Between Wounds out February of 2027 under the name EN Haysch!
Alan Sepinwall joins UpperPen to talk about his new biography, Serling. Most people who have spent late nights unable to sleep know The Twilight Zone. It played at midnight or 2 in the morning, but it was worth staying up late for. The stories depicted in this half-hour anthology show, made me look at regular people and wonder who they were. Serling comes out October 13th, 2026. [words] Bookstore may have signed copies. Alan is a celebrity in his own right. You can hear his thoughts on popular TV shows with his co-host Kathryn VanArendonk on their podcast TV Is Good, which is linked on his website, WhatsAlanWatching.com. He is active on Instagram, @sepinwall.
Becky Chambers joins UpperPen to talk about her newest book As You Wake, Break the Shell. We talk about the typical Becky Chambers things like the sapphic romance, humans in space, and spaceships, but we also go in to the structure of the novel. I enjoyed the book so much. Her prose is wonderful, the love story is sweet, and the time shifts didn't bother me. You can find Becky Chambers on her website OtherScribbles.com. Preordered signed copies can be ordered at Mysterious Galaxy.
Jonathan Strahan joins UpperPen to talk about The Book of the Dead, a new anthology of popular writers....and maybe some you've never heard of. Short stories are how I "sample" authors. They are less of a commitment than an whole book, and often I find authors I follow like the internet stalker that I am. The Book of the Dead is the third in a series of these anthologies. The first two are The Book of Dragons and The Book of Witches. I hope you enjoy these stories. If you read them, or either of the previous books, let me know which short stories are your favorite. I loved Tamsyn Muir's story in The Book of the Dead!
A.T. Qureshi joins UpperPen to talk about her new book Rider of Dragons which is part of the Baby Dragon Cafe universe! This is the F1 romance book of the romantasy world. This is such an awesome shift in the already established Baby Dragon world. This is the first sharp shift that I've seen from the cozy realm to high octane dragon racing. I love it.