What happens when a group chat turns into a published fantasy series?

This week, we’re joined by E.B. Asher—aka Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegemund-Broka—the trio behind one of the most fun, chaotic, and genuinely entertaining cozy romantasy series out right now.

We get into how their books This Will Be Fun and This Will Be Interesting were born out of a years-long group chat, what it actually looks like to write a fantasy novel as a team, and why starting with a pitch (instead of a manuscript) might change everything about how you write.

Also: sequels, worldbuilding, why humor works better when characters take themselves seriously, and the surprisingly strategic side of writing something that feels effortless.

In This Episode

•  How E.B. Asher turned a group chat into a full fantasy series 
•  Writing a sequel vs. “hoping” for one 
•  Their collaborative process (and why it works) 
•  Why they start with the pitch instead of the book 
•  The reality of co-writing a 120K word fantasy novel 
•  Balancing humor with real emotional stakes 
•  Cozy fantasy, romantasy, and writing for fun first 
•  Audiobooks, accents, and letting narrators run with it 
•  Their next project (and it’s chaotic in the best way) 
•  What they’re reading right now

About Our Guests

E.B. Asher is the collaborative pen name of authors Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegemund-Broka. Together, they write cozy, comedic romantasy stories filled with heart, chaos, and just enough emotional damage to keep things interesting.

Their series includes:

• This Will Be Fun
• This Will Be Interesting

Their work blends fantasy, romance, and humor in a way that feels both nostalgic and completely fresh—think classic adventure vibes with modern chaos and character-driven storytelling.

Announcements

✨ New Bonus Series Coming Soon:
We’re launching a new short-form bonus episode series:
“How I Got My Agent”

These will be 10–15 minute episodes featuring real stories from authors about how they landed representation or publishing deals—what worked, what didn’t, and what actually matters.

Favorite Moments from the Episode

•  “This book literally came out of a group chat.” 
•  “We start with the pitchiest version of the idea first—and build from there.” 
•  “The whole point is the class clown.” 
•  “It’s like opening a document and it’s grown without you.”

Episode Chapters

00:00 Intro – We finally got Cait into fantasy
00:41 Meet E.B. Asher (it’s three authors 👀)
02:04 How the series started (yes… the group chat)
07:18 The first idea that sparked the story
10:56 How they knew each other before writing together
12:52 How they actually write as a team
14:52 Building a fantasy world together (yes, they made an encyclopedia)
16:08 Editing, collaboration, and creative tension
17:41 Writing humor that actually works
20:27 Why fantasy still needs emotional stakes
22:04 Audiobooks, accents, and creative freedom
23:43 Their NEXT book (and it’s chaotic)
25:23 Fantasy influences + Jack Black energy
27:17 What they’re working on individually
28:53 Why they start with the pitch first
31:28 The problem with tropes (and why blurbs matter more)
33:12 Do they read while writing?
35:31 What they’re reading right now
37:13 For non-fantasy readers… start here
38:24 Why they wanted this series to feel easy and fun