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PODCAST

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory

Hosted by writer and ranter Mookie Spitz, the SFFF is where science fiction & fantasy creators, fans, and technologists transform imagination into reality. Each episode explores how writers, filmmakers, and world-builders bring their universes to life, with personal stories about turning wild ideas into finished projects that connect, inspire, and thrill. From indie authors to visionary engineers, Mookie uncovers the creative engines powering the future of sci-fi & fantasy storytelling!

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All Episodes

70:32

J. Kenton Pierce Unleashes Freedom, Firepower, and...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/05/02

Some writers build stories. J. Kenton Pierce seems to have stories stalking him until he writes them down. He joins Mookie in the 49th episode of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory for a lively, sharp-edged discussion about creating an interstellar universe where frontier settlers, political schemers, orbital AI-controlled kill-satellites, engineered soldiers, traders, autocrats, and stubborn individualists all collide. Pierce breaks down the world behind his Prometheus award nominated...

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79:42

Matthew Kent Powers Up the LitRPG Revolution

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/05/01

What happens when a LitRPG writer walks into the Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory and casually reveals that one of the fastest-growing corners of modern fantasy has also built the best ecosystem in publishing? You get this fascinating conversation with author Matthew Kent, who joins Mookie to explain why game-inspired fiction is no niche gimmick, instead a thriving movement with obsessed readers, hyper-engaged communities, massive books, booming audiobooks, and writers who help each othe...

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90:49

Mike Robinson: Renaissance Author, Editor, and...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/29

What happens when two writing obsessives lock themselves in a room and start talking craft, money, madness, creativity, publishing, best (and worst) practices, and the questionable life choice known as “becoming an author”? You get this lively, funny, and honest conversation with Mike Robinson—a true Renaissance writer and editor whose career spans novels, short stories, screenplays, editing, coaching, and helping other writers turn rough ideas into compelling books. Mike talks to Mookie abou...

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63:10

The Crew Returns: Bringing Indie Sci-Fi to the LA...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/28

In this goofy and surprisingly useful roundtable episode, Mookie Spitz reunites with fellow indie author road warriors Ingrid Moon, Greg Sorber, and married co-writing duo Sherry Shimshock and Blake Shimshock to unpack their chaotic, sweaty, unexpectedly profitable adventure at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Stuffed into a booth roughly the size of a phone booth, the group somehow managed to sell books, charm strangers, cross-promote each other, and prove that readers still exist de...

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83:33

Catherine Cruzan Dons a Crown of Fire to Expand Her...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/25

In this lively and surprisingly candid 45th episode of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory, Mookie Spitz sits down with fantasy author Catherine Cruzan for a deep dive into storytelling, publishing, creativity, and the realities of trying to build an audience in 2026. What starts as a conversation about conventions like WonderCon quickly turns into a masterclass on what separates compelling fiction from genre sludge. Catherine opens up about being an introvert forced into the uncomforta...

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164:49

James Kenwood on Mars Fire and the Future of Smart...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/22

In this 44th episode of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory, Mookie dives in deep with science fiction author James Kenwood to explore his themes and best practices for storytelling. The discussion ranges from war and political power to moral responsibility, flawed heroes, pacing, worldbuilding, and the hard truth that readers do not owe writers their attention. James explains how military history and recurring cycles of conflict shape his fiction. His serialized, work-in-progress novel...

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65:03

Rick Cutler Locks & Loads Colt Ostergaard for a...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/17

Saddle up for a wild ride into one of speculative fiction’s coolest frontier mashups: the science fiction western. In this episode, Mookie stirs it up with debut novelist Rick Cutler, author of Colt Ostergaard: A Man with a Gun, to talk about laser six-shooters, frontier justice, worldbuilding grit, and how the cowboy archetype still hits hard when launched into the future. Rick breaks down why science fiction westerns work so well. The two genres combine the raw freedom and danger of the Old...

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71:12

Michael A. Clement Morphs from Auditor to Architect...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/16

In this episode of The Science Fiction and Fantasy Factory, Mookie sits down with Michael A. Clement, a former finance professional turned speculative fiction writer, to trace the unlikely path from spreadsheets to stories, and why it worked. Clement didn’t come up through the usual writer pipeline. No MFA. No lifelong literary obsession. Just a late-life pivot sparked by a single idea: what if a machine chose not to obey? From there, things escalated into asteroid-mining AI blackmailers, hom...

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68:51

John F. Holmes & Cannon Publishing: Inside the Unit...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/16

On this 41st episode of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory, Mookie sits down with Cannon Publishing founder and Editor-in-Chief John F. Holmes. He's a former platoon sergeant who runs his publishing outfit with the same mindset: train the talent, build the unit, execute the mission. Cannon gives military science fiction authors a real path between doing everything yourself and waiting years for a traditional deal that may never come. You bring the manuscript, Cannon brings the machine:...

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56:35

Saengard Begins with the World Ender

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/15

In this episode of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory, Mookie sits down with the elusive author Saengard, who emerges from behind a pseudonym to talk about his debut novel The World Ender—a fast-moving, idea-heavy sci-fi story decades in the making that answers the question: "What happens when the system meant to save humanity becomes the thing that destroys it? At the center is George Greycloud Guess, a physicist who creates a revolutionary energy source meant to save a collapsing wor...

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107:55

Michael S. Clarke Goes Synthetic: Because One Version...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/14

In this 39th episode of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory, Mookie brings Michael S. Clarke onto the factory floor to dissect the craft, the grind, and the brutal reality of trying to write—and sell—serious sci-fi in a world drowning in noise. Clarke is deep in the trenches with Synthetic, a novel about mind uploading, identity duplication, and what happens when “you” becomes plural. Mookie, never one to let a concept sit quietly, pushes it further: if you copy your brain into a machin...

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69:27

Rachanee Lumayno Spellbinds with Kingdom Legacy:...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/13

What happens when a pandemic kills your D&D campaign? If you’re Rachanee Lumayno, you don’t sulk or bake bread—you construct an entire fantasy universe instead. In the 38th episode of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory, host Mookie Spitz sits down with Rachanee, the indie author behind the Kingdom Legacy series. She describes how she turned an abandoned gaming character into a seven-book saga spanning interconnected kingdoms, shifting protagonists, and themes of identity, power, an...

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83:36

Peter Gribble and the City of Magicians: Where...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/11

In this episode of The Science Fiction and Fantasy Factory, Mookie Spitz sits down with Peter Gribble, author of the sprawling City of Magicians trilogy. They dig into a world where magic replaces military force, complacency masquerades as stability, and a barbarian invasion exposes the cracks holding everything together. At the center is a deceptively simple premise: a pacifist, pilgrimage-driven city-state has grown rich, comfortable, and dangerously soft. When violence comes knocking, the ...

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86:40

Michael Morton's Military Sci-Fi Writers' Workshop

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/09

The 36th episode of Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory features Mookie going deep into storytelling craft with Michael Morton, a military sci-fi author, editor, and former Air Force space operations specialist who breaks writing down the same way he approaches missions: Clear objectives, defined adversaries, and no wasted energy or motion. Morton lays out a core principle that drives everything: If your characters do not have goals, and nothing stands in their way, the story collapses. Con...

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63:04

D.A. Murray's Dominion Ascension: Turning the Gender...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/09

The 35th episode of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory features Mookie sharing the mic with debut novelist D.A. Murray to break open her provocative novel Dominion Ascension: a dystopian world where men are reduced to tools, women run everything, and control becomes the real antagonist. Her set-up is sharp, a post-war society reshaped by chemical damage and role reversal. The result is an authoritarian matriarchy that inverts the old system and then exposes it. Through Donnie, Linda, a...

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60:28

Daniel P. Douglas Gets Real About Indie Sci-Fi—and...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/06

In this 34th episode of Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory, Mookie gets real about what it actually takes to write and sell fiction in today’s chaos economy. Part craft talk but mostly a collision between loving to write and loving to actually get read. On one side: Mookie—unfiltered, prolific, and borderline allergic to rules. Plays, novels, rants, sci-fi, satire. No lane, no brakes, no patience for algorithm-chasing, just raw output and instinct. On the other: Daniel P. Douglas—Phi...

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74:25

Philip Cahill on Superintelligence, Telepathy, and...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/04/04

The 33rd episode of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory asks the question: What happens when intelligence stops looking human? Mookie sits down with speculative fiction author Philip Cahill—longtime contributor to the annual anthology circuit and author of Noystria—to tear into one of the biggest questions in science fiction: not whether AI will get smarter, but how alien that intelligence might actually become. Cahill’s work goes beyond the “robots take over" trope, and explores someth...

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93:04

Patrick Abbott Explores Faith, Firepower, and First...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/03/29

The 32nd episode of The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory features Mookie diving deep into science, religion, and philosophy with indie author Patrick Abbott. a writer pulling from real-world experience to build science fiction that resonates. Patrick's Fallen series hurls readers into a first contact scenario where humanity is immediately outmatched technologically, strategically, and psychologically. The alien race, the Sabia, arrives speaking our languages, offering gifts, and re...

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68:33

Al Hagan Infuses His Post-Apocalyptic Vision with...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/03/27

Mookie welcomes Al Hagan onto the Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory floor, a writer whose complex heroes and driving prose comes from his dedication to duty and service. Instead of MFA programs or writing circles, Al rose through the ranks of the United States Marine Corps, followed by decades in oil, intelligence-adjacent work, and real-world exposure to how systems break, and how people react when they do. That background bleeds directly into his fiction, especially his post-apoca...

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55:49

Howard Loring and the Elastic Limits of Time:...

The Science Fiction & Fantasy Factory ·

2026/03/27

The 30th episode of the pod features Mookie and Howard after connecting the way many indie sci-fi writers do—through an anthology collection. Both landed stories in S.A. Gibson’s 2026 sci-fi collection, turning a cold submission into a creative collision and, now, a deep dive into how they each approach the genre. Loring’s method strips the language down, leans heavily on dialogue, and avoids overbuilt worlds. His “epic fables” are simple on the surface but layered underneath, driven by myth ...

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69 results

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