My Imaginary Friends With L. Penelope

Watch on Youtube Mentioned: lpenelope.com — My new website inkandmagicretreat.com — Apply for the Ink and Magic Mastermind Retreat (Tihs September, outside Baltimore) Angelborn and Angelfall by Leslye Penelope — now with new covers, PREORDER THE FLIP BOOK NOW FROM MY STORE Femforce — brand photo shoots in cities around the country (find them on Instagram) The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik The Monsters We Defy and Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope — my previous books with magic rooted in African traditions Gaithersburg Book Festival — May 16, 2026 in Gaithersburg, Maryland Vellum — Mac app for laying out print books The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get

Watch on Youtube Mentioned in the podcast: My new book: The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass: https://lpenelope.com/book/the-inevitable-undoing-of-zahara-douglass/ My author Newsletter : https://lpenelope.com/newsletter/ Landlord’s Lamentation (short interactive fiction): https://lpenelope.com/book/landlords-lamentation/ Notion Social: https://notionsocial.app/ Sunsama (timeboxing app): https://sunsama.com/ Timeboxing article: https://lpenelope.com/2014/04/timeboxing/ Substack post "Notes from Draft 2: Plotting from Character": https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/notes-from-draft-2-plotting-from One Stop for Writers: https://onestopforwriters.com/about-character-builder Ink & Magic Writing Retreat: https://inkandmagicretreat.com/ InstaLove University - happening now: https://lpen.co/ilu26 Fiction Makers Conference in Baltimore this August: https://lpen.co/fictionmakers The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigat

Watch on YouTube Mentioned: The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass - coming August 11, 2026 - https://lpenelope.com/book/the-inevitable-undoing-of-zahara-douglass/ Instalove University Virtual Conference - running now! - https://lpen.co/ilu26 "Level Up Your Business with Mindset w/ Heather Hildenbrand" - all day workshop 4/11/26 - https://marylandromancewriters.com/mindset-workshop/ Whimsical - https://whimsical.com/ Jule Kucera - https://julekucera.com/ My worldbuilding course - https://learn.myimaginaryfriends.net/courses/imaginary-worldbuilding My Father's Shadow film   The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myima

Watch on YouTube  Ink & Magic Retreat - https://inkandmagicretreat.com/ The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass - coming August 11, 2026 My interview with Beverly Jenkins VirtuousCon   The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to produc

Watch on Youtube Mentioned: - Build Your Author Funnel LIVE - Sat. Feb 7, 2026 - The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass - releases August 11, 2026 - Scene Study: Before & After - "The Eternal Library" - Aeon Timeline software - Locally Crafted in Gaithersburg, MD - HBCU grads, please take my survey: https://tally.so/r/zx7kJg - Read for Pixels Event The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://crea

Watch on YouTube Mentioned: Ink & Magic Writing Retreat Applications open until Jan 16, 2026 - https://inkandmagicretreat.com/ EVENT: Me and Nicole Glover - January 15, 2026 - 7pm ET online + in-store at East City Bookshop in DC - Register Read The Starseekers by Nicole Glover Margie Lawson - https://www.margielawson.com/lawson-writers-academy/ Ray Bradbury Challenge Writer Kaia Alderson - https://www.kaiaalderson.com/ The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton - https://bookshop.org/a/582/9781934414903 Falling in Love with Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson - https://amzn.to/452HDSC A Black Women's History of the United States - https://bookshop.org/a/582/9780807001998 Story Engine deck - https://storyenginedeck.com/ Plur1bus TV Better Call Saul Playing Big by Tara Mohr - https://bookshop.org/a/582/9781592409600 Freedom app - https://freedom.to/ Erykah Badu New Year's Invocation   The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publish

Watch on YouTube Mentioned: Ink & Magic Writing Retreat - https://inkandmagicretreat.com/ The Better Writer Podcast with Olivia Bedford Preorder my next book: The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass    The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation fo

Watch on YouTube Mentioned: My reader newsletter: http://lpenelope.com/newsletter Black Friday 2025 Writer Bundle Deal - https://lpen.co/vault25 MYSTERY: FICTION'S FAVORITE FORCE by Junot Diaz - https://junot.substack.com/p/mystery AI scams for writers at Writer Beware Update on those Flattering AI Book Marketing Scams from Anne R. Allen The Case of the Disappearing Author and Why You Probably Don’t Want a Six or Seven Figure Deal  The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud

Mentioned: ProWriting Aid Novel November My brother's short film Writer Duet Ines Johnson Ink & Magic podcast How to Write a Movie in 21 Days by Viki King The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly

Watch on Youtube Mentioned: - The Bliss Wars Special Edition Omnibus - The Obsidian Curse - releases June 12!  - Author Website Audit - A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience by Stephanie Burgis  The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to product

Pre-order The Bliss Wars Special Limited Edition Hardcover Omnibus Pre-order The Obsidian Curse https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/   The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author Leslye Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast  Get the Footnotes newsletter and become an Imaginary Best Friend:  https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via aff

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome  Magic in the Melanin anthology (Hardcover preorder  | Kindle: https://amzn.to/42bbxTZ) PENN/Faulkner - https://www.penfaulkner.org/ My Craft Book club  Johnny B Truant "We're Entering the Age of the Iconoclast Writer"  The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Discl

Watch on YouTube My decision matrix video Mentioned: Novel Revision Workshop  ClickUp - https://clickup.com/ Todoist - https://todoist.com/ Trello - https://trello.com/ https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVAYHjhD8hk Mentioned: Freewrite writing machines My Freewrite reviews - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33u95y8_hYY&list=PLPWpOldzxmoFtoJMjg6iSUuxU1kDichvn The device I couldn't remember in the podcast - BYOK (Bring Your Own Keyboard): https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/byok/byok-the-ultimate-distraction-free-writing-tool. Now that I've watched the video, I've changed my mind and I'm actually going to get one. LOL, I'm a mess.   The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Nigh

Mentioned: A Marriage of Undead Inconvenience by Stephanie Burgis - https://amzn.to/4dbeN3D Bookfly Design covers  Ink & Magic podcast - https://www.inkandmagic.net/ My Events - https://lpenelope.com/calendar/   The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music credit: Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarud Creative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensa

Today, I speak with New York Times bestselling author Daniel José Older. Daniel has been nominated for the Kirkus Prize, The World Fantasy Award, the Locus, and the Mythopoeic Award among others and is a winner of the International Latino Book Award. He writes novels for teens and adults, as well a monthly comic book series, and is a lead story architect for Star Wars: The High Republic. He and his wife Brittany N. Williams also have a podcast called Inkbottle, where they talk about writing, creativity, and parenting. Find Daniel online at https://www.danieljoseolder.net/ and read his Substack newsletter at https://danieljosolder.substack.com/. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast Get the Footnotes newsletter and become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell 

Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/jp0EkiGHlQ0 Mentioned:  Artist Morning - https://www.artistmorning.com/ Story Seed Workbook - https://lpen.co/storyseed Bookbub's 17 Authors on YouTube with Writing & Publishing Tips - https://insights.bookbub.com/authors-youtube-writing-publishing-tips/ My events calendar - https://lpenelope.com/calendar/ Oliver Burkeman's The Imperfectionist: What would it mean to be done for the day? "The Importance of Reaching a Point in Your Day when You Feel Finished"   The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Music

“Imagining Success” is an interview series where I talk to authors who have achieved career milestones that others only dream about and ask them how they got there and where they go from here. Today, I speak with someone who is one of my personal influences, speculative fiction author Tananarive Due. Over her two decades in publishing, she has won an American Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, as well as British and World Fantasy Awards. Find her online at https://www.tananarivedue.com/. Her Life Writing Premium course is available at here. Tananarive's latest novel is The Reformatory. One of my favorite novels of hers is My Soul to Keep. Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HGsPrw37u7Q   Subscribe to the podcast: https://lpenelope.com/podcast Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectl

Mentioned: Ink & Magic Writing Retreat: https://inkandmagicretreat.com/ Daughter of the Merciful Deep is out! https://books2read.com/dotmd  Imaginarium Book Festival - https://www.imaginariumbookfestival.com/ - The Complete Writer's Guide to Heroes and Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes - https://amzn.to/3yTVk91 | https://bookshop.org/a/582/9780615908113 Enneagram relationships: https://www.crystalknows.com/enneagram/types  Creating Character Arcs by K.M. Weiland - https://amzn.to/3ml97eR Watch on YouTube The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing. Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook

“Imagining Success” is an interview series where I talk to authors who have achieved career milestones that others only dream about and ask them how they got there and where they go from here. In this episode, I speak with New York Times Bestseller Dhonielle Clayton about writing with purpose, real markers of success, and of course, imposter syndrome.  Find her online at https://www.dhonielleclayton.com/. Her latest book is The Memory Thieves, the second entry in the middle grade Conjurverse series.   Subscribe to the podcast: https://lpenelope.com/podcast Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net Support the show: Website | Instagram | Facebook