BAD LIT FRIENDS FIRST ANNUAL HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

We were going to take the week off, but then a publisher was VERY WRONG on the internetz and… well. Surprise! Consider this a late holiday season present from Kirk and Meagan because who doesn’t like a little bit of legal analysis while they eat their weight in Danish butter cookies?

This episode is all Hot Goss, Contract Law Edition as we dig into the Shadowlight Press litRPG contract that’s been circulating online, why it’s so monumentally appalling, why publishers shouldn’t include Rickrolls on their websites, and what this contract can teach you about reading publishing agreements before you sign anything. We also talk litRPG as a genre, Shadowlight’s not-so-great public response to the kerfuffle, and the bigger takeaway: if a contract makes you feel like you’re being seduced into an author’s penal colony, maybe don’t do that.

Listener note: no episode on January 9th so we can have a tiny rest. We’re back on January 16, 2026 with Season Two (wut) of BAD LIT FRIENDS.

Welcome to Bad Lit Friends. We’re glad you’re here, even if none of us know what we’re doing.

Bad Lit Friends was created and is hosted by Meagan Thompson-Mann and Kirk Rafferty.

Show email: badlitfriends@gmail.com

Bluesky: @badlitfriends.bsky.social

Threads: @badlitfriends

Instagram: @badlitfriends

Website: badlitfriends.com

SHOW NOTES:

Writer Beware, “Why These Contract Clauses Are Scary”: https://writerbeware.blog/2025/12/19/why-these-contract-clauses-are-scary/

Reddit post in r/ProgressionFantasy, “PSA: Shadow Light Press Contract” (12/16/25): https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1poe338/psa_shadow_light_press_contract/

Follow up Reddit post by Shadow Light Press in r/ProgressionFantasy, “Shadow Light Press - Update” (12/19/25): https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1pppp7l/shadow_light_press_update/

Editorial Freelancers’ Association’s Editorial Rates: https://www.the-efa.org/rates/

Author’s Guild Contract Review (I know I said Writer’s Guild!): https://authorsguild.org/legal-services/contract-reviews/

EPISODE 20! We made it even though we still barely know what we’re doing. This week we’re roasting literary tropes like chestnuts in the fire. Join us as we rate enemies-to-lovers, chosen ones (spoiler: thank u, next), ticking clocks and much, much more on a scale that’s completely inconsistent! Also, Meagan gets weirdly deep about property law and Kirk insists the romance genre needs more corpses. PLUS Hot Goss about yet another AI feature that literally nobody asked for unless their last name is Bezos.

Content warning (24:25-24:35): passing reference to slash fic involving the 27th and 30th U.S. presidents that seriously the world probably never needed to know about. I mean, hey, maybe it is your bag, so no judgment and you might want to fast forward right to this part. Just listen to the rest of it, okay?

Welcome to Bad Lit Friends. We're glad you're here, even if none of us know what we're doing.

Bad Lit Friends was created and is hosted by Meagan Thompson-Mann and Kirk Rafferty.

Show email: badlitfriends@gmail.com

Bluesky: @badlitfriends.bsky.social

Threads: @badlitfriends

Instagram: @badlitfriends

Website: https://www.badlitfriends.com/

In this episode, we’re chatting with indie author Jessica Lunt about her writing journey and her debut novella, The Witch Hunter’s Wife. We talk about what it’s really like to write historical fiction, from research and routines to tackling big themes like marriage, social expectations, and pregnancy loss. Jessica also shares how she balances writing with life as a mom of four, and what the indie publishing world looks like from the inside. We dive into everything from audiobooks and marketing to handling rejection, finding community, and what she’s working on next. Jessica also imparts advice for writers trying to find their way in indie publishing.

Welcome to Bad Lit Friends. We're glad you're here, even if none of us know what we're doing.

Bad Lit Friends was created and is hosted by Meagan Thompson-Mann and Kirk Rafferty.

Show email: badlitfriends@gmail.com

Bluesky: @badlitfriends.bsky.social

Threads: @badlitfriends

Instagram: @badlitfriends

Website: https://badlitfriends.com

Show notes:

Content warning: we discuss pregnancy loss between 00:27:00 and 00:31:00.

Jessica's website where you can signup for her newsletter: https://www.jessicalunt.com/

You can buy Jessica's newest novella, The Witch Hunter's Wife at Amazon, your local bookstore, or through your local library.