The Writers’ Gym Podcast

Johnny Mains, British Fantasy Award-winning author, editor and genre researcher

Dr Rachel Knightley’s guest at the Writers’ Gym is Johnny Mains.

Johnny is an editor, author and genre researcher who specialises in finding 'lost' works of genre fiction. His first book as editor was Back from the Dead: The Legacy of the Pan Book of Horror Stories (2010). It won the 'Best Anthology' category at the 2011 British Fantasy Awards. He was then appointed Project Editor for Pan Book's reissue of The Pan Book of Horror Stories (1959/2010). He created the Dead Funny: Horror Stories by Comedians series (co-edited with Robin Ince), edited several volumes of Best British Horror and in 2019 with Black Shuck Books, published two volumes of 'lost' stories by forgotten Victorian female authors. He has been working with the British Library since 2022, editing books for their Gilded Nightmares range, and in 2025 discovered and introduced the lost novel of the occult, Possessed, by Rosalie and Edward Synton. Mains also runs the imprint Mislaid Books, with Trevor Kennedy, where they reproduce lost and obscure novels.

Learn more about Johnny Mains here: https://apersonalanthology.com/category/johnny-mains/, https://titanbooks.com/creators/johnny-mains/

Instagram: @johnnymains

If you enjoyed listening to the Writers' Gym Podcast, head to our website at www.writersgym.com and follow us on instagram: @jointhewritersgym

‘Liminal’ is much more than the name of award-winning author, journalist and Ovarian cancer wrangler Jennifer Steil’s Substack newsletter. In this extended episode, the winner of the Grand Prize in the international Eyelands 2020 Book Awards and Finalist for the 2021 Lambda Literary Lesbian Fiction Award for Exile Music,talks about the kidnap experience and resulting ‘what if’s that inspired her first novel, The Ambassador’s Wife,and how writing has become even more important to mental health during her cancer treatment. Liminal spaces she discusses with Dr Rachel Knightley include ‘home’, and how that truly means wherever her husband and daughter are – whatever country or even hospital room that is today.

 

Discover more about Jennifer by subscribing to Liminal:

https://jennifersteil.substack.com

Visit the Writers’ Gym:

https://www.writersgym.com/

One of the most magical things about working with writing prompts is we can find a new story every day in exactly the same piece of stimulus. And if it’s true for one prompt, it’s even more true for a bank of them. Dr Rachel Knightley gifts recipes for evergreen writing prompts to return to again and again. If you enjoyed listening to the Writers' Gym Podcast, head to our website at www.writersgym.com and follow us on instagram: @jointhewritersgym

Eliza Chan, Sunday Times bestseller

Dr Rachel Knightley’s guest at the Writers’ Gym is speculative fiction author, Eliza Chan. Eliza is a Scottish-born speculative fiction author who writes about East Asian mythology, British folklore and reclaiming the dragon lady. Her debut fantasy novel FATHOMFOLK, published in 2024, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller. Set in a semi-submerged city, revolution is brewing between the humans and the sea folk who live in its waters. TIDEBORN completed the duology in 2025. Her next novel, HARBOUR OF HUNGRY GHOSTS, a historical fantasy set in mid-Opium War era Hong Kong, is forthcoming in July 2026. Her short fiction has been shortlisted for the British Fantasy Awards and has featured in various magazine and anthologies including The Secret Romantic’s Book of Magic and The Best of British Fantasy.

She has been a medical school drop-out, a kilt shop assistant, an English teacher and a speech and language therapist, but currently spends her time collecting weapons, crafting, watching animation and trying to eat her way around the entire world. She lives in Manchester with her family and dragon collection.

Instagram: @elizachanwrites
Website: www.elizachan.co.uk
Representation: Alex Cochran of Greyhound Literary

If you enjoyed listening to the Writers' Gym Podcast, head to our website at www.writersgym.com and follow us on instagram: @jointhewritersgym

Writing prompts aren’t just spread over workshop tables: they’re how we experience the world around us. Dr Rachel Knightley shares how interaction over introspection improves our writing and creative confidence — but also combats our anxiety and our experience of other people and the world.

If you enjoyed listening to the Writers' Gym Podcast, head to our website at www.writersgym.com and follow us on instagram: @jointhewritersgym