I was recently interviewed for an article in WIRED magazine regarding my thoughts on why there are so few women in wargaming, especially compared to similar hobbies such as board gaming and tabletop roleplaying. The article also goes into possible solutions to make the hobby more welcoming, not just for women, but for anyone who’s new to the hobby.

In the April 2021 issue of The Imperial Herald, Paul invited me on to chat about the climactic chapters for the Legend of the Five Rings: The Card Game story arc as well as the narrative process behind L5R in general. I discuss how I came to work on the setting and what it was like to work with the many freelance fiction writers who contributed to the storyline. We also discussed the balance between preparation and spontaneity when working on a serialized story, especially when that story is interactive and involves input from a community. You can read the full interview on the Imperial Herald website.

In this episode of the Court Games RPG podcast, Kakita Kaori and Korvar invited me on to discuss my role in the development of Fantasy Flight Games’ story reboot for the Legend of the Five Rings as well as the writing I’ve done for it since. They asked me about my background with the setting as well as the aspects of the world that drew me in and are the most interesting for me to explore in the fiction and adventures I’ve created for the setting. We also consider player interaction with the storyline as well as some of the challenges of writing an inclusive and diverse setting. You can listen to this episode on Apple iOS, Spotify, or on the web!

GM Hooly and Chris Witt invited me to speak on The Forge: A Genesys RPG Podcast (one of their many fantastic podcasts on the d20 Radio Network). We had a great conversation about laying out and formatting your self-published RPGs, both for print and digital media. I highly encourage anyone who’s thought about publishing on the DM’s Guild or the Genesys Foundry to give it a listen!

What tips and tricks have you found effective when self-publishing RPGs for print or digital media? Leave a comment below!

How do you go from being a fan of a franchise to one of the people who gets to work on it? What is it like to write tie-in fiction, and what are some of the challenges these writers face?

I’m extremely grateful to be joined by Robert Denton III (@ohnospooky on Twitter) for the next installment of the +1 to Writing series. He’s the author of the upcoming The Sword and the Spirits novella, which I worked with him on as his editor. Set in the Legend of the Five Rings setting, the 144-page hardcover is due out soon from Fantasy Flight Games. The story features the spiritual Phoenix Clan and fan-favorite characters Shiba Tsukune and Isawa Tadaka, along with introductions to Kaito Kosori, her family, and their secrets.

I tracked Robert down amid several nor’easters (and power outages) to ask him a bit about his background in writing, his process, and some tips and tricks he’s discovered along the way.