UpperPen Podcast

Dakota VanLinden
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This podcast is focused on interviewing authors, narrators, and other creators in the book world. I love literature in all its forms and want to share that joy with you!

  1. Martha Wells on Murderbot, AI, and the Apple TV Adaptation

    5 DAYS AGO

    Martha Wells on Murderbot, AI, and the Apple TV Adaptation

    Martha Wells is one of the best science fiction writers of the 21st century! I pick up every Murderbot book she writes, even the short stories you can find on Tor.com. She is such a wonderful writer. I was lucky enough to get to talk with her about the 8th Murderbot Diaries book, Platform Decay. During this interview we steered away from Platform Decay spoilers, and instead focused on themes throughout the series, such as corporate control, AI, and how she got started writing these amazing stories. You can find her at MarthaWells.com, on Instagram @marthawellswriter, BlueSky @marthawells, and marthawells.dreamwidth.org. If you would like a signed copy, go to HyperboleBookstore.com and request a signed copy. If you are ever in the Upper Peninsula, make sure to stop in at Snowbound Books and pick up a free UpperPen bookmark!

    49 min
  2. How Free D&D Rules Become a Novel: Death Has Joined the Party Explained

    19 APR

    How Free D&D Rules Become a Novel: Death Has Joined the Party Explained

    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!)

    57 min
  3. Kiersten White on The Fox and the Devil, Dracula, and Queer Horror

    11 APR

    Kiersten White on The Fox and the Devil, Dracula, and Queer Horror

    Author Kiersten White joins UpperPen to discuss The Fox and the Devil, exploring its nonlinear structure, inspiration from Dracula, the 1900 Paris World’s Fair, and the evolving space for queer horror. YouTube: https://youtu.be/mWshT6KCeP8 UpperPen.com

    42 min
  4. Hugo Winner John Chu on Family, Identity, and The Subtle Art of Folding Space

    5 APR

    Hugo Winner John Chu on Family, Identity, and The Subtle Art of Folding Space

    Hugo Award-winning author John Chu joins UpperPen to discuss The Subtle Art of Folding Space, a "science-fiction" novel about a Taiwanese-American family trying to prevent the collapse of the universe while navigating complex family relationships. Sort of. John Chu has an interesting take on how to classify his work later in the episode, so stick around to find out what he says. The Subtle Art of Folding Space is out on April 7th, 2026 You can find John at: johnchu.net mastodon.social/@john_chu@wandering.shop bsky.app/profile/johnchu.bsky.social Please let me know what you think of the episode by rating this interview and following UpperPen!

    56 min
  5. The Geomagician: Mary Anning, Magic, and 1800s England with Jennifer Mandula

    28 MAR

    The Geomagician: Mary Anning, Magic, and 1800s England with Jennifer Mandula

    Author Jennifer Mandula joined UpperPen to discuss The Geomagician, a novel inspired by Mary Anning, exploring magic in 1820s England, science and religion in the 19th century, and the overlooked contributions of women (Mary specifically) in history. I loved this book so much and hope you enjoy Jennifer's enthusiasm for history as much as I do! You can get signed copies from Mac's Backs: macsbacks.com Jennifer can be found at https://www.jennifermandula.com/ and on Instagram @jennifermandula

    52 min
  6. S.L. Rowland has successfully broken into LitRPG and Cozy Fantasy!

    21 MAR

    S.L. Rowland has successfully broken into LitRPG and Cozy Fantasy!

    Author S. L. Rowland joins UpperPen to discuss his shift from LitRPG (Sentenced to Troll) to cozy fantasy (Tales of Aedrea), the rise of cozy fantasy as a genre, and the realities of Kickstarter publishing, and attending book conventions.Did you know he also sells his books on his website slrowland.com for less than you would buy them for at other *cough*Amazon*cough* sites?I really want all of his signed Tales of Aedrea books! The cover art is all hella awesome as are the audiobooks.*I used AI to stretch an image from his website. Just FYI. I do not own any images in the thumbnail.

    35 min
  7. Nicole Glover on The Starseekers, NASA, and Hidden Figures Inspiration

    19 MAR

    Nicole Glover on The Starseekers, NASA, and Hidden Figures Inspiration

    Author Nicole Glover joins UpperPen to discuss The Starseekers, exploring NASA, the influence of Hidden Figures, the history of African Americans in public television, and how magic intersects with real-world history.I found that this book literally combined my favorite topics! Nicole basically rooted around in my brain and pulled out everything, except the horror. The Starseekers is preceded by The Conductors, The Undertakers, and The Improvisors. You can find so much extra information about the Rhodes family on Nicole's website: https://nicole-glover.com/. Also, I cannot stress how much I loved the audiobook. Shout out to the narrator Bahni Turpin!

    46 min
  8. Interactive LitRPG with The Longwinded One

    2 MAR

    Interactive LitRPG with The Longwinded One

    Author The Longwinded One joins UpperPen to discuss Get Trucked, his LitRPG reverse-isekai novel on Royal Road, and the companion app Endr, which lets readers see the in-world app used to isekai characters. The app is out now on the Google App Store and iOS. Get Trucked is still being released on Royal Road. Go show The Longwinded One some love for this fun book.

    1hr 9min
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About

This podcast is focused on interviewing authors, narrators, and other creators in the book world. I love literature in all its forms and want to share that joy with you!

Information

  • Creator
    Dakota VanLinden
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    77
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Dakota VanLinden
  • Show Website
    UpperPen Podcast

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