This was recorded back in July, but time and things and travel got away with me.  Actually what happened was the fact that I can't spread podcast production across more than one day. If I do, I will forget it needs to be finished. It's not great spending 4+ hours to produce and upload 2 shows, but if I don't, one will fall by the wayside. ADHD brain for the win.  We will be back in september, hopefully with lots of amazing ditch digging.  August 10, 2023 | Season 9 Ep 9 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Streamed live, July 10, 2023 Below are some affiliate links that support indie bookstores and may benefit me financially with no cost to you. S9 Ep8 Horny chaotic god energy is what we're all about in today's Ditch Diggers, "Data Wonking with Podmother Gail Carriger" where Gail joins us to talk about sifting through data in self publishing. It is some heady stuff, and we discuss tying your self worth to "bad" data and more! Gail Carriger: 30:30 (ish): My sense of failure will kick in when a reader says I love Gail Carriger. And I didn't know she had a new book out, that's when I feel like I failed at my job. I am an author, that's the one job I had is to make sure that people who liked me can read my new books, right? That's it. Transcript Let's Get WeedyTwitter doesn't kiss wellWhen you have a new book out, your main job is to make sure your existing fans know.We Links Gail's blogGail's booksMatt's siteMur on Focusmate!Mur on Twitter, Instagram, YoutubeNewsletter, The Hot MicSupport via Patreon! Or Substack!Theme song by Devo Spice (check here for all mentioned books) July 20, 2023 | Season 9 Ep 8 | murverse.com Copyright 2023, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

S9 Ep7 Recorded live on Twitch! Mur's agent Seth Fishman joins us to take your questions, and we fill up an hour FAST. Full transcript available! Seth Fishman: ...the industry is right now, where editors are just, they just have, they're just too busy. There's just not enough people working in publishing. So it's harder for agents to do to sell books is really what we're saying. There's a number of times that were like, were you passing because of this, you don't want to put that like, work into it or whatever. But you know, what the people pass for all sorts of reasons, we get the books into pretty great shape, before we send them out. And I mean, we try to, and if an editor is passing, for those reasons, they're what they're really probably saying is more along the lines of developing of an author versus, like editing an author. Transcript Links Seth's booksSeth's agency, The Gernert CompanyMatt's siteMur on Focusmate!Mur on Twitter, Instagram, YoutubeNewsletter, The Hot MicSupport via Patreon!Theme song by Devo Spice (check here for all mentioned books) June 21, 2023 | Season 9 Ep 7 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Streamed live, June 13, 2023 Below are some affiliate links that support indie bookstores and may benefit me financially with no cost to you. S9 Ep6 It's our 1001st episode (not really) and Matt is here to launch the final book in the Savage Rebellion trilogy, and it's a very honest episode. Serious Ditch Digging here, y'all. He doesn't hold back. It's publishing, warts and all. Links to Savage Crowns and other books below! Full transcript available! Matt Wallace: I was like, what if I did 'the Wire' as an epic fantasy? That was my other thought when I started it. So my mother says there are strong women characters, there are, Thank you, mom. And I was raised, but I was raised by a strong woman who's definitely a character. Transcript (I wanted to do an annotated transcript like the other two podcasts, but frankly, the others are already taking up so much time I can't do three transcripts, annotate all three, record the podcasts, AND write books.) Links Matt's siteMur on Focusmate!Mur on Twitter, Instagram, YoutubeNewsletter, The Hot MicSupport via Patreon!Theme song by Devo Spice (check here for book links) June 13 2023 | Season 9 Ep 6 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Matt and Mur welcome Premee Mohamed, multiple award winning author of No One Will Come Back for Us. We talk about chickens, sea cucumbers, conventions and anxiety, and there's a hair flip in there, but you can only see it if you get the video on Patreon. Links Premee MohamedMatt's siteMur on Focusmate!Mur on Twitter, Instagram, YoutubeNewsletter, The Hot MicSupport via Patreon!Theme song by Devo Spice May 15, 2023 | Season 9 Ep 5 | murverse.com | Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Streamed live, April 3, 2023 S9 Ep4 Matt and Mur welcome Fonda Lee, multiple award winning author of Untethered Sky. Fonda talks Patreon, starting something new after a very successful series, and more! Links Fonda LeeMatt's siteMur on Focusmate!Mur on Twitter, Instagram, YoutubeNewsletter, The Hot MicSupport via Patreon!Theme song by Devo Spice April 3, 2023 | Season 9 Ep 4 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

S9 Ep3 Matt and Mur welcome Mary Robinette Kowal, podcaster, puppeteer, former SFWA president, audiobook narrator, and Hugo Award winning writer. Mary Robinette has had blog posts helping out debut authors, so we decided to pick her brain for a few more pieces of advice, from how to run a kaffeklatch to how to write something cute into your book that isn't insufferable. Links Mary Robinette Kowal Writing Excuses Matt's siteMur on Focusmate!Mur on Twitter, Instagram, YoutubeNewsletter, The Hot MicSupport via Patreon!Theme song by Devo Spice March 13, 2023 | Season 9 Ep 3 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Streamed live, February 27, 2022 S.9 Ep.2 I'm joined at the last minute by Valerie Valdes, my co-editor at Escape Pod! We talk about the whole AI thing and look to shed some light on the current kerfuffle. Links Valerie Valdes Fault Tolerance Escape Pod Matt's siteMur on Focusmate!Mur on Twitter, Instagram, YoutubeNewsletter, The Hot MicSupport via Patreon!Theme song by Devo Spice February 27, 2023 | Season 9 Ep 2 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

S9 Ep1 Streamed live, February 6, 2022 - next livestream is Feb 27, 2023 How do we, the little guys, handle things like strikes and other uncomfortable news? HarperCollins strike newsTom Monteleone news from File 770"Missing Stair" concept Links Matt's siteMur on Focusmate!Mur on Twitter, Instagram, YoutubeNewsletter, The Hot MicSupport via Patreon!Theme song by Devo Spice February 6, 2023 | Season 9 Ep 1 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

S8 Ep22 Streamed live, December 12, 2022 Matt joins us to close down the year and send seasonal greetings! Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!   Support Local Book Stores! Station Eternity (The Midsolar Murders Book 1), Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more!Savage Legion, Supervillain's Guide to Being a Fat Kid and more! December 12, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 22 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Yep, I'm still behind in posting the final episodes for 2022! Here you go! S8 Ep21 Streamed live, December 5, 2022 Matt can't make this episode, so Mur handles it herself!    Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books!   Support Local Book Stores! Station Eternity (The Midsolar Murders Book 1), Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more!Savage Legion, Supervillain's Guide to Being a Fat Kid and more! December 5, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 21 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Streamed live, October 24, 2022. I was thrilled to have Veronica Roth of Divergent and Chosen Ones fame to come talk about her new book, Poster Girl, and what the business has taught her in her career!   Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 31-Nov 3 (Eastern time): M 4:30p,: Ditch Diggers After Dark with Kameron Hurley T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing NaNoWriMo Launch Day! W Gaming streams canceled for November until I get my schedule sorted out  Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing - live write? Chat? Who knows?  October 17, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 20 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Matt had a family emergency so Ursula stepped in to talk about the gross topic of grooming, and whether any one person has the power to make or break your career.    Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 17-Oct 21 (Eastern time): M 12:00p,: Ditch Diggers with Ursula Vernon T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Eden Robins W 3:00pm: Gaming TBD Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Jule Selbo October 10, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 19 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Station Eternity is out! Cherie Priest and Chuck Wendig come on the show to celebrate with me!  Links Mur on Focusmate! Mur on Twitter, Instagram, Youtube Newsletter, The Hot Mic Support via Patreon! John Anealio on Bandcamp I Should Be Writing tea blends Support local book stores! Station Eternity, Six Wakes, Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition and more! OR Get signed books from my friendly local store, Flyleaf Books! Twitch schedule Oct. 17-Oct 21 (Eastern time): M 12:00p,: Ditch Diggers with Ursula Vernon T 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Eden Robins W 3:00pm: Gaming TBD Th 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Jule Selbo October 3, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 18 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Streamed live, September 26, 2022. Mur has a book coming out! And it's hard to think about anything else. Matt's taking a well-earned break from writing novels.   Links Preorder Station Eternity!  Mur on Twitter, Youtube, website Matt on Twitter, YouTube, website Matt's merch! Mur's merch! Support via Patreon Twitch schedule for September (Eastern time): Sept 29 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Oct 1 7:00pm: Station Eternity LIVE! Mini Audio Drama performance on Twitch! All times EDT September 26, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 17 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Streamed live, September 23, 2022. Kameron Hurley is guest host today, and we are talking with Margaret Dunlap about the enigma that is Hollywood, money, and how you keep going when so few projects actually get to the screen.    Links Preorder Station Eternity! Mur on Twitter, Youtube, website Matt on Twitter, YouTube, website Matt's merch! Mur's merch! Support via Patreon Twitch schedule for September (Eastern time): Sept 29 3:00pm: I Should Be Writing with Oct 1 7:00pm: Station Eternity LIVE! Mini Audio Drama performance on Twitch! All times EDT

S8 Ep15   It's Post-WorldCon, and Mur and Matt have stuff to talk about regarding short stories and short story markets.  Matt has new merch!    September 5, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 15 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

S8 Ep14   Kameron and Mur aren't bitter at all. But we do mention Nick Mamatas' Starve Better. Kameron Hurley's site   August 22, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 14 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

Matt returns. This wasn't supposed to be a "buck up little camper" pep talk for Mur, but it turned out to be. But mostly, we talk about the importance of different things to focus on as a freelancer.  August 15, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 13 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License

S8 Ep12 Streamed live, August 8, 2022. Monopolies are bad, we all know that, and yet the "Big Six" publishers are eating each other, dwindling down, and claiming it's in the authors' best interest. We call shenanigans.   Links Alasdair Stuart, and his Hugo-nominated fanzine, The Full Lid Mur on Twitter, Youtube, website  Matt on Twitter, YouTube, website Support via Patreon Twitch schedule for August: Monday 12pm: Ditch Diggers Tuesday 3pm: I Should Be Writing Wednesday 3pm: Gaming TBD Thursday 3pm: I Should Be Writing Thursday 8pm: Arsenic and Old Dice, A Brindlewood Bay Livestream August 8, 2022 | Season 8 Ep 12 | murverse.com Copyright 2022, Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace | CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 License