George Penney Podcasts

Today's episode is with the lovely Dan Rabarts. George and Dan talk about their love of fantasy and speculative fiction, Terry Pratchett and ttrpg gaming. This is a really great conversation with one of New Zealand's excellent speculative fiction authors, who just happens to also write some really hilarious fiction too!…

Today's episode is an excellent conversation with the lovely Kirstyn McDermott. Conversation ranges from the joys and limitations of being a contrarian, writing a book to procrastinate on a PhD and why and how a lot of Aussie authors end up doing post grads (it's all about the scholarship) with side-step into how wonderful it is to click with a cha…

Today's episode is a really fun one. George is talking to Jason Nahrung about vampires in Australian fiction, environmental activism in speculative fiction, with a sidestep into talking music. This is such a fun conversation with a brilliant writer and fellow lover of all things goth!By George Penney

George talks to author of Nein, Nein, Nein! and Permanent Midnight, Jerry Stahl about his inspiration behind his latest project and navigating the current climate in the publishing industry. This is a bucket list episode with one of the best gonzo writers living today.By George Penney

Today George is talking to the delightful, bubbly Kathleen Jennings and it's an absolute treat. They talk about growing up in rural Australia. The inspirations for Kathleen's art, how she got into designing book covers and her writing process. It's an excellent chat.By George Penney

Today's episode is with the lovely Susan White, author of the medical suspense thriller, Cut. This is a really great chat about sexism in the workplace and how that inspired Susan to write her book. There are also the usual fantastic tangents. It's a wonderful conversation with the perfect feel after a one-month gap while George has been travelling…

Today's episode is with the lovely Christopher Shevlin, author of the Jonathon Fairfax series. The conversation is excellent and covers the topic of shame and success, succeeding despite yourself and the pitfalls of being a comedy fiction author.By George Penney

As we are just finishing off the edit on a book, we thought we'd have a (hopefully informative) rant about editors and the editorial process. Because gnarr. Signs your editor may stink and how to find a shiny unicorn. What are the breeds of editor? How much do they cost? Various stories from the trenches... Also on another note... we gonna be trave…

Today's episode is with J.S. Breukelaar, author of The Bridge. This was a great chat about having a hybrid national identity, writing and everything in between.By George Penney

Today's episode is hilarious. George is talking to the wonderful Sasha Cottman about all the things romance authors chat about when no one's around, starting with dino porn, with a side step into Sasha's thriving career as one of the best regency romance authors today. This is an excellent, super fun conversation.…

So I had a think about it, and it turns out the Crystal Gem species is rather overpowered. Like... Immortal xenomorph meets nano-tech hegemonic-swarm combined with planet sculpting and a side salad of resurrection plus faster than light travel. So I might have gotten a tiny bit ambitious with this episode... I work out what the true purpose of the …

Today's a big episode. George's guest is Australia's leading author of women's fiction and life lit, the wonderful Rachael Johns. This is a fantastic episode that covers a lot of the nuts and bolts of what it's like to be successful in the Australian publishing industry.By George Penney

We investigate "The Affront", one of the most charismatic and truly awful alien species to ever exist. A tentacled gas-sac parody of British aristocracy from the book Excession by Iain M Banks, one of the greatest science fiction writers that ever lived. I wax poetic about the post scarcity society known as "The Culture" Overlords... Blaaargh! Geor…

Today's episode is with Grace Chan, debut author of Every Version of You, a post-apocalyptic-utopic wonder of a novel that George wants to know more about. This is a great conversation that ranges from talking about the importance of utopias in literature, Grace's experiences writing the novel and what could happen if people lived forever!…

In this episode we ramble about our current favorite anime... Jashin-chan Doroppukikku (Dropkick on my Devil) as well as think about pork cutlets and reminisce about eating roast duck ramen in Tokyo. Anyway who doesn't love a regenerating topless Lamia maid who is constantly trying to kill you (mostly via snakey dropkick)? Why are there not enough …

Today's a massive episode. George is talking to one of her favourite authors, Caimh McDonnell (C.K. McDonnell) , the author of the Dublin Trilogy and the Stranger Times Series. This is a brilliant talk that ranges from Caimh's stand up career to his screen writing career to his current successful writing career. This is such a marvellous, cracking …

George made me watch the original Predator and we consider it as a pet. For example: Does it keep walking into stuff at ambient temperature? Where to I get magic invisi-mud? We probe the dark truth as to where glowsticks REALLY come from... And realize predators are really landing in orbital drop toilets…

Today's chat is with the delightful comedy writing duo, Heide Goody and Ian Grant. Conversation spans from George discovering that they're amazingly civil when they work together, how Heide loves absurd stuff and how Ian provides the warmth. This was a really lovey talk with two of the most charming comic fiction authors in the business.…

We rant and rave about the androids and magical black goo in Alien Covenant (and Prometheus). Quite a bit, actually... Neutrino shockwave? ...no... just no. Join the egg sniffers guild today, we have cookies! Why android hair??? volcanic glass >> magic faux genetic god alien Chekhov's gun misfires again And more!…

Today's episode is the divine Anna Brooke and it's so much fun. The conversation starts with Brad Pitt's rather interesting recent GQ shoot and goes from there, ranging from David Bowie to burlesque, to creativity, to being American. This is a wonderful conversation with someone who is full of joy, creative and profound.…

We dive into the Discworld and consider Gaspode, the cynical ball of stench and disease or as he would put it "Mans best friend, et cetera, et cetera. Give the little doggie a biscuit. Homo-Sapiens! You can keep 'em." We talk about Greyfriars Bobby, the inspiration behind Gaspode. We remember the good/bad old days of London, that Pratchett parodies…

Today's episode is a chat with the lovely Alison Reynolds. She's a successful children's author who has just released her first adult fiction debut, "The Near Daphne Experience" and it's a corker. George and Alison talk about the twists and turns the novel took to publication, its wonderfully unconventional format and their mutual love of a strong …

In this episode we travel back 500 million years to look at the pure and unadulterated nightmare fuel of the Cambrian explosion. In particular the weirdest creature named after a literal hallucination: Hallucigenia. * How many pikachu's can you impale on it's back spines? * Which end is the front? * Why don't more tentacles have teeth? * Why is the…

This episode is a big of a bucket list one! George is talking to the delightful Lee Murray, Bram Stoker Award winning writer and poet. Lee is our first interviewee currently living in New Zealand and it's so great to hear her perspective on her artform.By George Penney

We delve into the potential of the beloved Mimics: Are tofu halflings an ethical food option? How do they fare against clothing, fall and chainmail blankets? Do mimics have pollen allergies? What is the saddest thing you can stick to a mimic? Are they really the most useful accessory?By George Penney & Tony Johnson

Today's episode crackles with laughter and excellent stories told by the lovely Suzanne J Willis whose novels and short stories explore other worlds through myth, fairytale and the dark, weird and wonderful. This was such a fun, wide-ranging conversation with someone whose creativity and warmth is electric. An amazing episode that is guaranteed to …

This is one of those episodes where Tony gets fascinated by the cthonic things that kicked around before Greek myth and George works out which goat head isn't plotting against you. Does your pet Chimera need house-training three times? Does the lion head end up bald on one side and charred on the other? What do Echindna's have to do with this? Lear…

See you then!!By George Penney & Tony Johnson

Today's episode is with the wonderful multi-award winner Kaaron Warren, whose horror and sff novels and short stories crackle on the page . Kaaron is a wonderful guest, hilarious and game to chat about anything. This conversation is all about the sheer enjoyment of words in all forms, embracing the similarities and differences between comedy and ho…

For George's birthday shark-o-rama we evaluate the genetically modified hyper-intelligent sharks from Deep Blue Sea. It's one of **those** episodes: Where do I buy fluffy leopard print chainmail? Are sharks anti-capitalistic or merely democratic-anarchists? Where does a dump stat rank against legs on Maslow's hierarchy of sharky danger? Should we f…

Today's episode is with the lovely Louise Guy, author of women's fiction, romance and children's fiction. This one is a look behind the scenes at what it takes to be a successful independent author writing in multiple genres. If you've ever thought of going indie, this is the one to listen to!By George Penney

This episode we evaluate the absurdly overpowered Tarrasque as a pet: Which out of D&D and Pathfinder has the sexiest Tarrasque? How did it evolve from fish-pig... to cat-tortoise... to walking apocalypse? Is Godzilla gonna sue? Why does his theme song make no sense? And how exactly do you manage something that is literally "unkillable"?…

Today's chat is with the lovely Alison Goodman. This one is a corker. Absolutely essential listening for anyone interested in peeking behind the curtain on how someone has achieved a multi-genre, multi-decade successful writing career, warts and all. Brilliant stories and a lot of laughs!By George Penney

So we thought we would rate as a pet three concurrent cat-like things, nyan. All three of these would do just fine at either a catgirl, cosplay or furry convention. Which is what a human in DnD typically feels they have joined whenever they walk into a tavern. Futhermore, nyan. Which cat is best cat? (trick question... all cats are best cat) Do cat…

Today it's all things epically Greek with the divine Efthalia. We talk about the shenanigans Zeus got up to, get squicked out by the Spartan's idea of a good meal and take a deep dive into why Efthalia thinks everyone should read Homer. This is a fantastic episode full of all the Greek Mythological facts. (And fun.)…

In this episode we evaluate the subterranean tentacle-worms, Graboids, from the iconic horror-comedy Tremors as a potential pet. Save on water with a dirt-moat for your evil lair? Is this really just a dirt-chicken? Need a rain of florescent orange entrails? Can those tentacles operate muppets? Tony has a few rants... because bad physics! Geology!!…

Today George is talking to the vivacious and lovely Lisa Ireland about all things writing, career and creativity. This is a really fun conversation with someone completely grounded who's seen it all when it comes to publishing.By George Penney

So... Spelljammer is back! And with Boo’s Astral Menagerie it's high time we took at look at Boo's kin, the Giant Space Hamsters! Wait... the giant intergalactic hamster-wheel goes how fast?!? What sub-species is right for you? Is cheek pouch bathing hygienic? Tyrannohamstersaurus rex... The Hamster of Ill Omen... how many Tarrasques can it fit in …

Today, George is chatting to the lovely Meg Caddy about writing books, academic research, being a bookseller and everything in between. This is a really lovely chat that goes into how awesome the creative community is in George's hometown.By George Penney

In this episode we discover that dentists make good fertilizer, as we explore the pet potential of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors... We even sing a little bit: Is looting a dungeon just salvage without a pirate hat? Why don't plant's have poop holes? Can you really be fired for feeding your boss to your potted plant? "Suddenly Seymour is sta…

Today George is talking to award winning gothic fantasy author, Angela Slatter about books, writing, life and everything in between. This is such a fun conversation with an author you'll binge-read the minute you pick up her first book. Enjoy!By George Penney

In this episode Tony tries to get the tin foil hat off George so he can convince her how wonderful their new Aboleth "pet" is. Honest, it's the pet, not us. We wouldn't lie to you, fellow human. Who needs rolled up newspapers when you have continent sized meteors and planetary self destruct buttons? Is Aboleth slime the biggest thing to hit the bea…

This week George talks to the lovely Vanessa McCausland about writing, life, success, her former job as a journalist interviewing celebrities and everything in between. This is a wonderful chill conversation that will leave you wearing a smile.By George Penney

In an episode that rivals the Slaad one for pure chaos, we barely evaluate Star Trek's beloved intergalactic parasite, the Tribble as a pet: What noise does one make when it's bounced off Capn Kirk's head? Why does Kirk have a better makeup budget than the Klingons? Are Tribbles the answer for saving endangered marsupials? How do I get to be part o…

Today George talks to the wonderful Laura Greaves, a multi-award-winning journalist, author and proud 'crazy dog lady'. Conversation covers Laura's recent ADD diagnosis, her love of animals and then takes some fun detours. This is a brilliant chat and is a must-listen for any creative who's wondering if they're the only one out there who finds this…

In this episode we chill out with our sentient mood lighting and wonder at what is simultaneously the most inoffensive and potentially most destructive monster in D&D. A creature that was once an April fools day joke: the Flumph. We ask: How do I monetize my flumph on youtube and twitch? Do i need a furry wall in my flumph-room(tm)? How much "seedi…

Today's chat is with award winning and highly acclaimed historical fantasy author Juliet Marillier. It's a wonderful conversation that ranges from Juliet's love of her rescue dogs, to faith as a practicing druid, to the authors she loves reading and supporting and everything in between.By George Penney

In this episode we evaluate the Anaconda(s) from the movie Anaconda. Well, to be honest mostly Tony rants at one of the worst snake movies of all time. How do I escape from a bad snake movie? Why does it FLY? Is a candy/rubber snake covered in a condom a realistic pet? Exactly how much plot armor does J.Lo and Ice Cube have? No. Not snek! Bad produ…

George talks to international burlesque superstar Perle Noire about her life, career and everything in between. This is a wonderful, inspiring conversation that showcases how much work goes into being an icon, while staying one hundred percent true to yourself. Instagram: @theperlenoire Website: www.blackburlesquequeen.com…

In this episode we debate pet merits of the iconic Gelatinous Cube. Can you push one through a ramen strainer? What happens if they get out into the open steppe? What's with D&D's weird approach to electricity? Is it bouncy or not? Is it a glorified bumper car, or just a dungeon roomba? Is it a delicacy when cooked? What happens if you feed one jel…