My Imaginary Friends with L. Penelope

An accidental Instagram post about The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass went viral (174K+ views and counting), and in this episode I share what happened, what it did for pre-orders, and the surprising "secret sauce" behind it.
I also open up about giving my Blitches WIP some space, getting back into dance after 30 years, and my upcoming writer in residence role for Howard County, MD schools. 
Mentioned
Ink & Magic Mastermind (online, Sept 4–6, a few spots left) - https://inkandmagicretreat.com/
Howard County Poetry & Literarture Society - https://hocopolitso.org/
PEN/Faulkner Foundation - https://www.penfaulkner.org/
Pre-order The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass (out Aug 11) + download the first three chapters free - https://lpen.co/zaharaexcerpt
My Viral Instagram Post! https://www.instagram.com/p/DaEMBPPFBtp/
Expand Summit (July 22–25, free) — My workshop Doubling Down on Being Human: Building a Distinctive and Authentic Writing Voice — https://expandsummit2026.heysummit.com/?ac=mBuQDzGT
Writing From Your Why workshop with Jane Friedman (July 29) — https://janefriedman.com/writing-from-your-why-with-leslye-penelope/
Fiction Makers Conference — live and in person in Baltimore, Aug 22, 2026 — https://lpen.co/fictionmakers
Michaela Coel's Emmy speech quote: "Write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that isn't comfortable, I dare you."
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author Leslye Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast 
Get the Footnotes newsletter and become an Imaginary Best Friend:  https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show - https://paypal.me/heartspell
Music credit:Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on YouTube
Mentioned:
Get first 3 chapters of The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass! - http://lpen.co/zaharaexcerpt
Join the preorder giveaway - https://lpen.co/preorder
My Books - https://lpenelope.com/books/
Interview with Shyheim Williams - https://www.instagram.com/conjuringliteracy/
Vintage & Black Book Club - https://www.instagram.com/vintageandblackbookclub/
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - https://bookshop.org/a/582/9780385480017
The Compass of Character by David Corbett - https://bookshop.org/a/582/9781440300868
Filmmaker Hal Hartley - https://www.halhartley.com/
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show: https://paypal.me/heartspell
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/AedkGHaBsVI
Book News!
Zahara Preorder Campaign is live! - https://lpenelope.com/preorder
made list of “Books That Feed an Elder Millennial’s 90s Nostalgia” from SheReads magazine - https://shereads.com/books-that-feed-an-elder-millennials-90s-nostalgia/
Angelborn/Angelfall flip book is available! https://shop.lpenelope.com/
Announcements
Mastermind Retreat - September 4-6, near Baltimore, MD - https://inkandmagicretreat.com/
Storybeast - Build Your Author Empire Conference - June 27, online - https://www.storybeastpodcast.com/buildyourauthorempire
Mahogany Books Texture Book Club - June 28, National Harbor, MD
Jane Friedman - Writing from Your Why workshop - July 29, online - https://janefriedman.com/writing-from-your-why-with-leslye-penelope/ - $25 early registration
Fiction Makers Conference - August 22, in-person, Baltimore, MD - https://lpen.co/fictionmakers
From SF to Gaza Book Raffle fundraiser - bit.ly/sfgzraffle
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show: https://paypal.me/heartspell
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on Youtube
Mentioned:
lpenelope.com — My new website
inkandmagicretreat.com — Apply for the Ink and Magic Mastermind Retreat (Tihs September, outside Baltimore)
Angelborn and Angelfall by Leslye Penelope — now with new covers, PREORDER THE FLIP BOOK NOW FROM MY STORE
Femforce — brand photo shoots in cities around the country (find them on Instagram)
The Scholomance series by Naomi Novik
The Monsters We Defy and Daughter of the Merciful Deep by Leslye Penelope — my previous books with magic rooted in African traditions
Gaithersburg Book Festival — May 16, 2026 in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Vellum — Mac app for laying out print books
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show: https://paypal.me/heartspell
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on Youtube
Mentioned in the podcast:
My new book: The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass: https://lpenelope.com/book/the-inevitable-undoing-of-zahara-douglass/
My author Newsletter : https://lpenelope.com/newsletter/
Landlord’s Lamentation (short interactive fiction): https://lpenelope.com/book/landlords-lamentation/
Notion Social: https://notionsocial.app/
Sunsama (timeboxing app): https://sunsama.com/
Timeboxing article: https://lpenelope.com/2014/04/timeboxing/
Substack post "Notes from Draft 2: Plotting from Character": https://myimaginaryfriends.substack.com/p/notes-from-draft-2-plotting-from
One Stop for Writers: https://onestopforwriters.com/about-character-builder
Ink & Magic Writing Retreat: https://inkandmagicretreat.com/
InstaLove University - happening now: https://lpen.co/ilu26
Fiction Makers Conference in Baltimore this August: https://lpen.co/fictionmakers
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show: https://paypal.me/heartspell
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on YouTube
Mentioned:
The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass - coming August 11, 2026 - https://lpenelope.com/book/the-inevitable-undoing-of-zahara-douglass/
Instalove University Virtual Conference - running now! - https://lpen.co/ilu26
"Level Up Your Business with Mindset w/ Heather Hildenbrand" - all day workshop 4/11/26 - https://marylandromancewriters.com/mindset-workshop/
Whimsical - https://whimsical.com/
Jule Kucera - https://julekucera.com/
My worldbuilding course - https://learn.myimaginaryfriends.net/courses/imaginary-worldbuilding
My Father's Shadow film
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show: https://paypal.me/heartspell
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on YouTube
 Ink & Magic Retreat - https://inkandmagicretreat.com/
The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass - coming August 11, 2026
My interview with Beverly Jenkins
VirtuousCon
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show: https://paypal.me/heartspell
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on Youtube
Mentioned:- Build Your Author Funnel LIVE - Sat. Feb 7, 2026- The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass - releases August 11, 2026- Scene Study: Before & After - "The Eternal Library"- Aeon Timeline software- Locally Crafted in Gaithersburg, MD- HBCU grads, please take my survey: https://tally.so/r/zx7kJg- Read for Pixels Event
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show: https://paypal.me/heartspell
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on YouTube
Mentioned:
Ink & Magic Writing Retreat Applications open until Jan 16, 2026 - https://inkandmagicretreat.com/
EVENT: Me and Nicole Glover - January 15, 2026 - 7pm ET online + in-store at East City Bookshop in DC - Register
Read The Starseekers by Nicole Glover
Margie Lawson - https://www.margielawson.com/lawson-writers-academy/
Ray Bradbury Challenge
Writer Kaia Alderson - https://www.kaiaalderson.com/
The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton - https://bookshop.org/a/582/9781934414903
Falling in Love with Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson - https://amzn.to/452HDSC
A Black Women's History of the United States - https://bookshop.org/a/582/9780807001998
Story Engine deck - https://storyenginedeck.com/
Plur1bus TV
Better Call Saul
Playing Big by Tara Mohr - https://bookshop.org/a/582/9781592409600
Freedom app - https://freedom.to/
Erykah Badu New Year's Invocation
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show: https://paypal.me/heartspell
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Watch on YouTube
Mentioned:
Ink & Magic Writing Retreat - https://inkandmagicretreat.com/
The Better Writer Podcast with Olivia Bedford
Preorder my next book: The Inevitable Undoing of Zahara Douglass 
 
The My Imaginary Friends podcast is a behind the scenes look at the journey of a working author navigating traditional and self-publishing. Join fantasy and paranormal romance author L. Penelope as she shares insights on the writing life, creativity, inspiration, and this week's best thing.
Subscribe and view show notes at: https://lpenelope.com/podcast | Get the Footnotes newsletter & become an Imaginary Best Friend: https://myimaginaryfriends.net
Support the show: https://paypal.me/heartspell
Stay in touch with me! Website | Instagram | Facebook
Music credit:
Say Good Night by Joakim Karud https://soundcloud.com/joakimkarudCreative Commons — Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported— CC BY-SA 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/SZkVShypKgM
Affiliate Disclosure: I may receive compensation for links to products on this site either directly or indirectly via affiliate links. Heartspell Media, LLC is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.