Cool Story Guys

Skeptical of the Nemarus' plan, Danvers meets with Hallister and discovers the story he was told regarding the Shift was not the whole truth.

It's our October Spooktacular episode, with resident horror master Ethan taking over the reigns to make Jeff play a spooky game inventing the perfect monster. Spoiler alert: the perfect monster is na…

Deep underground with the Irapa, Finnegan relives a traumatic experience from his past in a vivid dream, but key aspects of the memory have changed in startling ways. Although it's clear his emotions…

Inspired by some nebulous lists of dogs, we play a new game called "More or Less" in which we decide whether there is too much or not enough of things like romance and going to the bathroom in books,…

Searching for containment shrines, Elinea and the blind wanderer discover a dangerous new threat from the underworld. 

We take a look at some of our biggest literary pet peeves, ranging from merely annoying to completely story-ruining. Other topics include the morality of fooling around for old souls in young bodies,…

Danvers is led to the underwater city of Vandenala, where Adan lays out her plan for counteracting the Shift and saving Laureena. 

In honor of the possibility that someone might accidentally stumble upon our fantasy writing podcast while looking for fantasy football, we have created a new game called "the Fantastic Names of Nota…

Before the Shift, Laureena was insightful, fiercely competitive, and a loyal friend. How much of her personality and agency remain after years possessed by an embittered primordial deity?

Looking over NPR's list of the best fantasy and science fiction of the last decade, we realize that we probably aren't reading enough books, and discuss whether reading or writing has the better retu…

Finnegan explores the smoldering wreckage of the Irapa village, looking for clues that will lead him to Laureena. With a snowstorm bearing down and a host of unfriendly characters trying to do him ha…

Big life changes are underway for the Cool Story Guys: Ethan is moving back to America, threatening to dispel the magic and magnetism of our face-to-face recording sessions. In anticipation of our po…

Elinea navigates the perilous island of Vlyk, finding herself in constant danger thanks the loss of her abilities and a new, unpredictable appendage. Seeking shelter and knowledge from a sequestered …

Lots of bug talk in this episode! Discussing Ethan's crab- and insect-heavy chapter is a perfect reason to talk all about the swarm of cicadas overtaking much of the United States and how he's going …

Disfigured and bewildered, a woman awakens encased inside a massive mollusk shell. Someone - or something - has been regenerating her broken body in a bizarre laboratory deep beneath the ground, but …

After Ethan's son develops Beast Tongue and speaks with a duck, we discuss the very real probability that humans will someday be able to communicate with animals, as well as other fantasies that may …

When the Capitol Islands military forces reveal unsettling tactics for relocating the Touched to the mainland, Danvers escapes from Delvorn with the Sea Mother and is forced to make life-altering dec…

After learning that one of our big original ideas is now being used by a much more legitimate media venture, we discuss the idea of do-overs and whether or not we'd indulge in them if we had the opti…

Faullen Danvers has spent his life on the sea, always mindful to honor its protectors thanks to customs passed down by his father. When the future of Delvorn is compromised, will the Sea Mothers hear…

Desperate to be anywhere other than inside our urban apartments, we discuss the idea of using fantasy as an escape, and how our story isn't a particularly inviting travel destination. Other topics in…