iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 19/07/2026

It's been a privilege interviewing some authors, thank you. To listeners and viewers, I would also like to thank you too. I'm taking an indefinite break. See you on the other side.

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 04/07/2026

What’s one worldbuilding detail that'd make your life harder if you lived in your favourite fictional world? That’s where the interesting stuff is! 🎙️ Send a voice/video: rubipod.link/msg #Worldbuilding #SpeculativeFiction You can leave a voice note or video, link in first comment!

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 22/06/2026

Bob Freeman, author of H2 Lift ships sent me over a trailer for the show adaptation of his books! It looks great! Well done, Bob, congratulations! rubipod.link/bobstrailer #SpeculativeFiction #amwritingscifi

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 20/06/2026

Drop yourself into a fictional world. What’s the first thing that actually goes wrong? Be honest! 🎙️ Send a voice/video response: rubipod.link/msg #SpeculativeFiction #Worldbuilding

rubipod.link

Online & Async audio recorder

Take part in audio interviews easily.

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 18/06/2026

Good worldbuilding is not wallpaper. It changes what characters can afford, risk, refuse, investigate, and survive. That is what makes Matt Witten’s 51% worth discussing. rubipod.link/51percent #Worldbuilding #WritingCraft #SpeculativeFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 17/06/2026

Sometimes one invented job title explains the whole world. In 51%, Haylee Navarro is a crime marketing consultant. When justice needs funding, even murder has to be sold. That’s a strong bit of systems-driven worldbuilding. rubipod.link/51percent #SpeculativeFiction #Worldbuilding #Writing

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 16/06/2026

The real sting in 51% is not just corporate power. It’s the ownership model. Education, healthcare, debt, survival. Sell enough of your future and the system starts owning you back. That’s the sort of practical worldbuilding I like getting into. rubipod.link/51percent #Worldbuilding

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Reposted by John Richardson

Matt Witten @mattwitten.bsky.social · 16/06/2026

My favorite podcast I've done this year!

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 15/06/2026

What if justice had to be crowdfunded? Matt Witten’s 51% imagines a privatised America where even murder investigations depend on money, visibility, and marketability. That gives the world real teeth. Episode here: rubipod.link/51percent #SpeculativeFiction #Worldbuilding #DystopianFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 15/06/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 11/06/2026

Boarded windows, restricted movement, hunting nights. Autumn’s world changes because vampire society changes the ordinary rules of life. Fascinating chat! rubipod.link/midnight #YAFantasy #Worldbuilding #FantasyBooks

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 10/06/2026

The real hook here is not just vampire lore. It is a human protagonist trapped inside a hidden social order built by predators. That's right, she's prey. rubipod.link/midnight #SpeculativeFiction #Vampires #AuthorInterview

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 09/06/2026

Magic gets more interesting when it has limits. Sara A. Freites talks here about spellcasting tied to ingredients, control, and cost rather than easy power. rubipod.link/midnight

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 08/06/2026

In Rise of Midnight, vampires consume souls rather than blood. Strong hook. Better still, Autumn has to survive inside their society while still being seen as prey. rubipod.link/midnight #Worldbuilding #Vampires #SpeculativeFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 08/06/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 03/06/2026

Disaster stories live or die on pressure: what a character wants, what the world blocks, what they’re willing to trade. That’s the focus in this chat with Ryan McGinnis. rubipod.link/terrestrial #WritingCommunity #SciFi

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 02/06/2026

Parallel narratives: cut at the wrong moment and you kill tension. Cut at the right moment and you double it. We talk structure and escalation in Terrestrial. rubipod.link/terrestrial #AmWriting #Worldbuilding

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 01/06/2026

Meteor impacts + an invasive lifeform + an ISS crisis you can’t phone home about. Ryan McGinnis on Terrestrial. rubipod.link/terrestrial #SciFi #Podcast

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 31/05/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 27/05/2026

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 25/05/2026

A thousand apologies! This weeks episode release has been unavoidably delayed. Normal service will resume Sunday 31st May, just in time for summer! 😎☀️🌅

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 22/05/2026

From the archives: a fantasy world is more convincing when it does not hand the hero competence for free. Richard Sparks builds trust by making the leap from gamer to avatar exciting, then immediately difficult. rubipod.link/newrock #amwritingfantasy #SpeculativeFiction

rubipod.link

Worldbuilding Reader Trust and Payoff | Richard Sparks

Author Richard Sparks shares insights on crafting fantasy worlds, blending humour with adventure, and the structural art of storytelling in fiction.

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 21/05/2026

Shindo Dacan is a mechanic inside a warlord’s system, carrying guilt for what his machines enabled. Power isn’t abstract when you build it with your own hands. rubipod.link/sapiens #SpecFic #Worldbuilding #AmWriting

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 20/05/2026

If you write post-apocalyptic or rebuilding-era fiction: put a real price on travel. It instantly tightens tension, trade, and politics. rubipod.link/sapiens #WritingTips #SciFi #Worldbuilding

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 19/05/2026

“Logistics is plot” is the core takeaway: rough roads + scarce fuel = fewer easy escapes and more believable choices. rubipod.link/sapiens #WritingCraft #Worldbuilding

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 18/05/2026

No oil is a great constraint because it turns movement into a serious decision, not background noise. Biofuel exists, but it’s expensive and changes the shape of the world. rubipod.link/sapiens #Worldbuilding #SciFi #AmWriting

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 17/05/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 15/05/2026

From the archives: a setting gets more interesting when it solves a real pressure point in the world. Here, the enchanted Forest Plain explains how multiple cultures stay distinct without pretending history has no appetite for conquest. rubipod.link/SpiritOfThePlain #amwritingfantasy

rubipod.link

Cultures, Clans, and Fantasy Worldbuilding | B Marcus Walker

Author Brian Walker shares insights into creating diverse fantasy worlds, exploring magic systems, cultural dynamics, and challenges in world-building.

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 14/05/2026

If your world bans fire in the forest, ask the next question: how do people cook? Melinda Kucsera’s answer: lumir crystals. That is where worldbuilding starts to feel lived in. rubipod.link/SecrecyAndSurvival #Worldbuilding #WritingCraft #FantasyWriting

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 13/05/2026

Drop yourself into a fictional world. What’s the first thing that actually goes wrong? Be honest! 🎙️ Send a voice/video response: rubipod.link/msg #SpeculativeFiction #Worldbuilding

rubipod.link

Online & Async audio recorder

Take part in audio interviews easily.

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 13/05/2026

Sarn’s eyes glow when he uses magic. Simple detail. Huge consequence. A secret is much harder to keep when your body gives you away. rubipod.link/SecrecyAndSurvival #Worldbuilding #FantasyBooks #SpeculativeFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 12/05/2026

The Enchanted Forest has three rules: no fires no weapons no harm That is clean fantasy worldbuilding because every rule creates behaviour. rubipod.link/SecrecyAndSurvival #Worldbuilding #WritingCraft #FantasyWriting

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 12/05/2026

Magic is illegal. Magic is useful. That contradiction does a lot of work in Melinda Kucsera’s Curse Breaker: Enchanted. rubipod.link/SecrecyAndSurvival #Worldbuilding #FantasyBooks #SpeculativeFiction

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John Richardson @richardsonsrubicon.com · 12/05/2026

Heads up! There's a new episode of the show out, right now! Visit Richardson's Rubicon to subscribe via your favourite podcatching service. richardsonsrubicon.com/#subscribe #worldbuilding #specfic

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