All Episodes

June 16, 2025 54 mins

"What if the secret to great storytelling was playing an online game with your guild?"

In this episode, I sit down with Richard Sparks, the imaginative mind behind the New Rock novel series (New Rock, New Role and New Rock, New Realm) available on Amazon, to explore how gaming, language, and fandom shape extraordinary fiction.

Richard’s journey is anything but ordinary: - Playing games with lifelong school mate, Douglas Adams—and the unexpected storytelling lessons he learned growing up with the Hitchhiker’s Guide legend. - How playing with a top-tiered guild in Elder Scrolls Online became the spark for his latest New Rock novels. - The power of language—why he obsesses over words and how audiobooks fuel his creativity. - Finding a community and inspiration speaking at sci-fi/fantasy conventions—and why the fandom is the unsung hero of creativity.

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

United States of Kennedy
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Stuff You Should Know

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.