Building Worlds and Lifting Others: A Conversation with Author Jeri Shepherd

By Nick Sampson | Epic Realms Podcast

In this week’s episode of the Epic Realms Podcast, host Nick sits down with multi-time international bestselling author Jeri Shepherd, also known under her pen names Reji LaBerge and Maggie McMahon. With more than two decades of experience across genres, children’s books, biography, nonfiction, speculative fiction, and tabletop gaming, Shepherd brings a rare mix of creativity, discipline, and purpose to everything she does.

From her earliest days writing poems before kindergarten to her current work developing role-playing games and mentoring writers, Shepherd’s story is one of lifelong creativity fueled by curiosity and community.

Early Inspiration and the Writer’s Path

Shepherd’s love of storytelling began long before publication. “I always wrote,” she recalled, describing herself as a child who turned every book report into a full dramatic performance. That early passion evolved into playwriting and acting before she realized her true joy was in creating stories rather than performing them.

Her first publication came in the fourth grade with a poem in a statewide newspaper. It wasn’t glamorous, she laughs that it was about roadkill, but it marked the beginning of a career that would span poetry, theater, nonfiction, and speculative fiction.

Although her parents were supportive of her creative pursuits, Shepherd explained that it took time for them to see the arts as a true career. “There’s this misunderstanding that you have to be famous to be successful,” she said. “But you can have a thriving creative career without being a household name.”

From the Military to the Page

Before her professional writing career, Shepherd served as an Arabic linguist in the U.S. Air Force, a path that gave her an uncommon global perspective. “I was always fascinated by language,” she said. “That training and cultural exposure changed the way I see the world.”

She credits the military with transforming her outlook from one of individual performance to one of community. “Before, I was a spotlight person,” she said. “Afterward, I became a floodlight person. I wanted to lift others up.”

That sense of connection would become a defining feature of her creative work.

Finding Success Through Authenticity

Shepherd’s path into publishing wasn’t a straight line. After leaving the military, she continued writing and teaching, but her big break came through pure serendipity. Stranded at an airport after attending Book Expo America, she decided to cheer up a distraught group of stranded travelers by organizing an impromptu birthday celebration.

One of those travelers turned out to be a publisher. While she had failed to make contact while at the convention. That chance meeting led to her first traditional publishing contract. “I was just being myself,” she said. “That’s what opened the door.”

Since then, Shepherd has written under multiple pen names: Reji LaBerge for children’s books and nonfiction, Jeri Shepherd for speculative and darker fiction, and Maggie McMahon for her more romantic and literary works. Each reflects a different creative focus, though all share her distinctive narrative style and emotional depth.

Storytelling, Gaming, and the Power of Play

A lifelong storyteller and performer, Shepherd eventually brought her love of narrative into the world of tabletop role-playing games. “I realized every story I’d ever written had the structure of a game,” she said. “The world, the catalyst, the objective, it was all there.”

She became co-creator of Dungeon Race RPG alongside designer Tiffany Rose Nickel, blending her background in story-driven design with Nickel’s rule mechanics. The two built what Shepherd calls the “Little Engine” system, flexible, fast, and accessible to players of all backgrounds.

Her work in gaming opened doors to new collaborations with other creators, including Ed Greenwood, Luke Gygax, and Christopher D. Schmitz, as well as projects connected to Chaotic Great Gaming. “When you focus on how to make someone else’s project better, the work finds you,” she explained.

Anthologies and the Modern Reader

Shepherd has also become a strong advocate for anthologies, curating and editing collections that feature both new and established authors. “Anthologies used to be hard to sell,” she said. “Now, they fit perfectly with how people read, short, powerful stories that can be enjoyed in a single sitting.”

Her ongoing projects include the Otherworldly, Outerworldly, and Netherworldly anthologies through Nerd Street, each themed around different aspects of genre fiction. She also revealed that she’s developing a project inspired by Ray Bradbury’s public domain works, along with several others yet to be announced.

Teaching, Theater, and What’s Next

In addition to writing, Shepherd continues to teach and mentor other creators. She regularly leads workshops and will soon launch Working Writers Week, a five-day intensive retreat focused on both the business and craft sides of writing. “You’ll leave with your business set up,” she said. “Your newsletter, your social, your distribution, all of it.”

Her next creative milestone will see her returning to the stage. Of Thread and Thorn, a Shakespearean-inspired play written in both Elizabethan and modern English, will premiere next year with Of Kith and Kin Theater.

A Life of Community and Creativity

Throughout her career, Jeri Shepherd has carried one guiding principle: success means lifting others. Whether mentoring writers, creating games, or leading projects that bring creators together, she remains dedicated to the idea that collaboration strengthens the entire creative world.

“I’ve been a community builder my whole life,” she said. “It’s not about being the spotlight. It’s about being the floodlight, helping others shine.”

Fans can follow her work at redwritesbooks.com, or connect with her on social media at @therealredwritesbooks. You can also catch the full conversation on the Epic Realms Podcast, available now wherever you listen.