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A LitRPG doesn’t have to be a power fantasy to hit hard. Live from the chaos and magic of JordanCon, we sit down with author Reckwell, the voice behind Stumbling Up: The Loser’s Guide to Progression, a LitRPG comedy that swaps flawless heroes for lovable strugglers who keep moving anyway.

We talk about why Cole and his friends feel so recognizable: the self doubt, the constant comparison, the sense that everyone else got the instruction manual. Reck Well shares how personal career pivots and real loss shaped the core message, that progress is often messy and nonlinear, and that “loser” is usually just a temporary story you tell yourself. If you’ve ever wrestled with imposter syndrome, this conversation makes the case that progression fantasy can be more than escapism, it can be a mirror.

Then we get nerdy about craft. Why give the party an animal companion who’s intentionally useless, sarcastic, and somehow unforgettable? Enter Richard, the fanged banana slug. Reck Well breaks down the audiobook choices with narrators Jeremy Fraser and Jessica Threet, the decision to stay in first person, and the “creamy not crunchy” approach to LitRPG mechanics, with just enough levels and loot to satisfy without burying the story in math. We also unpack grind, pacing, and how a system that rewards what you practice can turn self criticism into an actual in-world skill.

If you love character-driven LitRPG, progression fantasy with heart, and stories that earn their wins, you’ll want this one in your queue. Subscribe, share the episode with a LitRPG friend, and leave a review, then tell us what you prefer: light systems or crunchy spreadsheets?

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Cozy fantasy looks gentle from the outside, but the best of it cuts straight to the hard stuff: grief, identity, belonging, and the quiet fear of being remembered for the wrong thing. We’re live at JordanCon 2026 talking with author S.L. Rowland, creator of the Tales of Aedrea, about how he writes stories that feel like a warm room while still demanding real change from the characters inside it.

We dig into Rowland’s path from LitRPG to cozy fantasy, why Legends and Lattes helped unlock the “retired hero” idea for him, and how writing nine LitRPG books sharpened the deep worldbuilding that makes Adria feel lived-in. He breaks down what cozy fantasy means in plain terms, why personal stakes can be higher than any “save the world” plot, and how standalones in a shared universe let him chase fresh emotional angles book to book.

Then we stir the pot with his next swing: cozy horror. Think spooky, nostalgic vibes rather than gore, and a premise built around a retired adventurer, necromantic texts, and an aging dog he can’t bear to lose. We also talk arthritis awareness and his work with the Arthritis Foundation, plus a wild industry story about how he accidentally became “Author Steve Rowland” in Dungeon Crawler Carl. If you love character-driven fantasy, small business fantasy, and stories about legacy, this one’s for you.

Subscribe, share the episode with a cozy fantasy friend, and leave us a review. What’s the coziest book that still broke your heart?

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We’re recording from the middle of JordanCon, where the background noise is real and the best conversations are the ones you can’t script. Author Ben Wolf joins us alongside Sound Booth Theater narrators Ryan H. Reid and Gary Furlong to talk about what happens when a story moves from page to performance and how LitRPG is changing what listeners expect from audiobooks.

Ben breaks down Rickshaw Riot, his debut LitRPG series co-written with Luke Messa. The hook is pure gamer wish fulfillment with a sharp twist: a billionaire builds a massive video game world that mashes up beloved game styles across history, then gets trapped inside it with 1.3 billion players and no “good” class left. He’s stuck pulling a rickshaw like Crazy Taxi, grinding for survival while a Scrooge-like character arc pushes him from cynical profiteer toward something better. We also get practical craft talk on navigating LitRPG tropes, keeping stats readable instead of crunchy, and why planning an ending (six books, not endless sprawl) can make a series hit harder.

Ryan and Gary take us inside the booth, where “just reading” isn’t enough anymore. We dig into immersive audiobook narration, live duet chemistry, casting choices, and the little production decisions that make audio feel three-dimensional. If you care about LitRPG, audiobook performance, progression fantasy, or how fandom communities like Dungeon Crawler Carl’s ecosystem influence new work, this one is for you.

Subscribe for more creator conversations, share this with your favorite audiobook friend, and leave a review if you want more live convention chaos. What’s the one audiobook that made you forget you were “listening” and made it feel like you were there?

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We’re recording live from JordanCon, surrounded by the hum of readers, creators, and pure convention chaos, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Our guest is Jessica Threet, a voice actor, singer, and audiobook narrator with 500+ titles who knows exactly how a single voice can pull you deeper into a story than you thought possible.

We talk about the craft behind audiobook narration and voice acting: why performing on stage isn’t the same as performing into a microphone, how mic technique changes everything, and what it really takes to deliver just a few finished hours of audio. Jessica shares how she stays “on” for long sessions, how she tracks character voices with notes and sound clips, and why certain accent combinations require a mental gear shift to keep performances clean and believable.

We also get into the heart of the work. Jessica explains how she connects to characters through psychology, even when their experiences are nothing like her own, and why some series endings leave her openly sobbing in the booth. Along the way, she shouts out favorite projects, highlights the value of on-page representation in fantasy and cozy stories, and teases what’s next including Red Rising work, the Natural Magic series, Unserious, and a LitRPG release. You’ll even hear the story of a booth mishap that accidentally became a forever “Easter egg” on Audible.

If you love audiobooks, narration, fantasy, romantasy, and the behind-the-scenes reality of storytelling, hit play and join us in the noise. Subscribe, share this with an audiobook friend, and leave a review with your favorite narrator pick.

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Nobody here is destined. Nobody is crowned. And that’s exactly why Stumbling Up by Reck Well hits so hard. We’re talking about a LitRPG story that swaps the power fantasy for something messier: three lifelong friends trying to become adventurers while carrying the kind of self-doubt that never shuts up. Cole wakes up hungover with a life-changing mistake already made, Tandy is the high-achiever who’s tired of living by other people’s rules, and Leo is the friend whose insecurity curdles into ego. Also, yes, there’s Richard, a sentient banana slug companion who is funny, brutal, and way more important than he first appears.

We dig into what makes this book feel unusually human for progression fantasy and game-lit: the focus on inner dialogue, the way labels and stats become a moral problem, and why the world’s meritocracy leaves almost no room to fail. The plot doesn’t hand you a clean cinematic arc, and we actually think that’s the point. This is a setup story about relationship-building, identity, and learning how to do good while still being bad at it.

After our spoiler break, we get into the fractures that form when “be a hero” means different things to different people. We wrestle with the core questions the story raises: Do intentions matter if outcomes fall short? Is bravery a trait or a decision? And is the whole idea of a perfect hero just a comforting myth that lets the rest of us stay passive?

Subscribe for more book conversations, share this with your favorite LitRPG reader, and leave a review if you want more honest takes like this. What do you think matters more, good intentions or real results?

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Can you keep a beloved book on your shelf while refusing to excuse the person behind it? We step into the most uncomfortable corner of modern reading culture: the collision between great stories and flawed authors, where personal identity, harm, and community pressure all show up at once. We don’t chase easy answers, because “art versus artist” isn’t a slogan, it’s a lived ethical problem for readers, teachers, parents, and anyone trying to read responsibly.

We dig into the controversies that keep resurfacing online and in classrooms, including Sarah J. Maas and the backlash over representation and a disastrously tone-deaf Breonna Taylor related post, plus the long shadow of J.K. Rowling. Along the way, we talk about why some reactions are deeply personal and valid for marginalized readers, while other reactions drift into performative outrage and shelf-policing that doesn’t actually reduce harm. We also explore a paradox that many readers feel but rarely say out loud: sometimes a “bad” creator makes art that becomes a refuge for the very people the creator later harms, because meaning can move from author to reader.

Then we widen the lens to censorship, book bans, and the double standard that appears when we cheer removals we agree with while condemning removals we don’t. If the goal is real accountability culture, we argue it has to lead somewhere concrete: voting, showing up at school board and library meetings, supporting local LGBTQ groups, building safe spaces, and putting real skin in the game beyond social media.

If this conversation hits a nerve, share it with a reader friend, subscribe, and leave a review. Where do you draw your line between ethical reading and censorship?

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Cozy fantasy sounds gentle until you realize what it’s really risking: your sense of self. We step into S.L. Rowland’s Tales of Aedrea with Halfling Harvest and There Be Dragons Here, two warm-hearted fantasies where the “high stakes” aren’t wars or prophecies, but belonging, purpose, and the fear of living a life that doesn’t feel like home.

We start with Marigold, a halfling running a vineyard and inn under the long shadow of her parents’ legendary success. A yearly wine competition and a smug rival push her from pride into panic attacks and crippling self-doubt, while her found family and a vividly cozy community keep trying to pull her back to joy. We also talk about how Rowland writes romance with believable awkwardness and patience, and why the sapphic relationship at the center feels inclusive without being treated as “other.”

Then we shift to Hilda, a grandmother and former adventurer facing grief, aging, and a request that drags her back onto the road to scatter a friend’s ashes in dragon territory. Alongside her granddaughter Frida, the story becomes a love letter to legacy, intergenerational learning, and the power of stories we pass on and the stories we tell ourselves. If you’re looking for low stakes fantasy that still hits hard, this conversation is for you.

Subscribe for more book talk, share this with your favorite cozy fantasy reader, and leave a review to help others find the show. What cozy book has surprised you by going deeper than you expected?

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“Stop making everything political” sounds reasonable until you ask what politics actually is. We define it as the everyday negotiation of power, identity, values, and belonging, then we test the claim that stories can ever be “just stories.” If a narrative has conflict, rules, heroes, villains, gender roles, class signals, or consequences, it is already making choices about what matters and who counts.

From there, we zoom out to the biggest gatekeeper of all: the canon. Who decides what becomes “great literature” in schools and culture, and what gets pushed to the margins? We talk about how canon-building reflects historical power, why the “single story” is dangerous, and how controlling a set of approved texts can limit what people think reality looks like. We also draw a parallel to religious canon-making to show how authority can shape interpretation so deeply that alternative meanings disappear from view.

Then we bring it home to reading and teaching: interpretation is a negotiation between the author’s world and our own. That is why “pure entertainment” often means “I’m comfortable with the values here,” and why backlash to representation reveals who has had the luxury of not noticing politics in the first place. If you’ve ever argued about a book, a movie, or a “woke agenda,” this conversation gives you sharper tools and a better question to ask.

Subscribe for more Lit On Trial, share this with a friend who says art should be neutral, and leave a review with your answer: when you read, are you finding meaning or bringing it?

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