The Mythic Mic Podcast

S.2 Ep. 89: The Dragon Bond Fantasy Everyone Is Talking About: S.M. Gaither on Ashwalker

• Season 2 • Episode 89

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0:00 | 35:04

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where dragons aren't heroes, kingdoms rise from ashes, and the greatest bond can begin with hatred.

This week, host Bethany Amanda is joined by co-hosts Amara and Britt for an epic conversation with bestselling fantasy author S.M. Gaither about her newest romantasy trilogy, Ashwalker.

Stephanie shares her fifteen-year publishing journey, from traditional publishing to becoming one of indie fantasy's biggest success stories, and how persistence, adaptability, and believing in yourself carried her through every twist and turn. We also dive into her lifelong love of video games, why RPGs shaped the way she tells stories, and the inspiration behind one of this year's most unique dragon fantasies.

At the heart of Ashwalker is Arowyn, a young woman whose life was destroyed by dragons. She has every reason to hate them, until one impossible encounter leaves her magically bonded to the very creature she wants dead. Forced into the dangerous court of a dragon-controlling king, Arowyn finds herself caught between old hatred, dangerous alliances, and a destiny she never wanted.

We also discuss dragon magic, unforgettable side characters, found family, gorgeous special editions, writing emotionally satisfying character arcs, and why Stephanie believes every story deserves exactly the number of books it needs.

🐉 What if the dragon you hate refuses to leave your side?
⚔️ What happens when your greatest enemy becomes your only chance at survival?
🔥 And can a kingdom built on dragons ever escape the fire that created it?

This episode is perfect for readers who love dragons, epic romantasy, reluctant magical bonds, unforgettable found family, slow-burn romance, and richly built fantasy worlds.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

✨ Stephanie's fifteen-year publishing journey, including both traditional and indie success.
✨ How video games inspired her storytelling.
✨ The world and magic behind Ashwalker.
✨ Writing a heroine who hates dragons.
✨ Dragon bonds, kingdoms, and political intrigue.
✨ Why Arowyn's scars shape every part of her journey.
✨ The terrifying king with surprisingly soft edges.
✨ Friendship, found family, and unforgettable side characters.
✨ Gorgeous special editions and commissioned artwork.
✨ Expanding the trilogy in book two.
✨ What readers can expect next from the Ashwalker series.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 S.M. Gaither – @AuthorSMGaither

✨ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review. It helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.

SPEAKER_00

Welcome to the Mythic Mike Podcast, where myths, magic, and legendary stories come to life. Join your hosts, Bethany Amanda and Sarah Santillon, passionate authors, book collectors, and lovers of all things fantasy and romantic. As they dive into epic worlds, enchanting tropes, and the books that leave us breathless. The Mythic Mic is your getaway to the magic of fantasy fiction. So grab your favorite bookish beverage, settle it, and let's step into the extraordinary. Now, here are your hosts.

SPEAKER_01

Hey everyone, welcome to this episode of the Mythic Mic podcast. I am really excited for today's episode because we have the incredible Stephanie Gaither here with us today to talk about her newest book, Ashwalker. Welcome, Stephanie. Hi, thank you for having me. Oh, we are excited for this conversation. Oh my goodness, your books are incredible. I have read so many of them myself. Joining me today for this conversation, I have my incredible co-hosts Amara and Britt, who have actually read Ashwalker and a lot of Stephanie's other books. Welcome, Amara, welcome, Britt.

SPEAKER_03

Hi.

SPEAKER_01

Thanks for having us. So excited. We are thrilled. All right, Amara and Britt.

SPEAKER_03

I'm gonna let you take it away. All right. Well, Stephanie, for listeners meeting you for the first time, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your background? Sure.

SPEAKER_02

Like my writing background, like so many publishing. Whatever you want to tell us.

SPEAKER_03

We would love to know.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Yeah. So um I have kind of a very twisty, turny, very long publishing history. So I'll try to give you the condensed version. I've basically been doing this for about 15 years now. I started I wrote my first book fresh out of college and um queried that for a while and uh ended up getting an agent. Well, it wasn't the first book, but it took me a couple books. So I actually started in traditional publishing with like a YA fiction, sci-fi randomly, and then did that for a while. Didn't quite pan out. So then I switched over to the indie side of things and parted ways with my agent, kind of did my own thing. And after a few false starts, I released The Song of the Markt in 2020. That was my first book that I had written specifically for, I guess, indie publishing and like the genre that I really love, you know, romantic epic fantasy and stuff. And uh that just things just kind of have taken off from there, and there's still been like a lot of ups and downs. But uh yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_03

That's fantastic. I didn't realize that you had been writing for 15 years. That's a that's a long time. You must really, really love it. And that's great because your books are so wonderful.

SPEAKER_02

Uh I I I do love it most of the time. Most of the time. I'm sure there's there's ups and downs, right? Yeah, oh yeah, for sure, for sure.

SPEAKER_03

Well, Amara, I'm gonna I'm gonna be bad and I'm gonna steal one more question just because this next question is one that I am particularly attached to. Apparently, Stephanie, you're a video game girl. Is that true? And what are some of your favorite games to play?

SPEAKER_02

If it is Yes, that is true. So that that's uh that's been my hobby, that's been my thing since even before like I was writing and stuff. So, like when I was growing up, I was really big into like RPGs, like all Final Fantasy and like um pretty much every game that like Squaresoft put out and that sort of thing. That was a huge influence on me, like and my writing and stuff too. And so, yeah, so my favorite, gosh, favorite game. I don't know, uh probably Final Fantasy VII. I think I've played that game like 20 times from start to finish.

SPEAKER_03

That is one that I hear so many good things about. I I uh RPG-wise, I am a Baldur's Gate girl, and uh I don't know if you've ever heard of Expedition 33, but those two games, I get everybody's like, okay, now play Final Fantasy VII.

SPEAKER_02

So that must be well, and they did the remake too of it for the PS, the PS4 and PS5, and that has that was just I was so happy when that came out.

SPEAKER_03

It just pulled my crap. Yeah. So and video games can be such a good medium for storytelling.

SPEAKER_02

They've had a huge impact on my writing for sure. And actually, back when I was younger, I kind of had a dream about like working on like writing for video games and stuff. Like I thought it would be really cool to work for like Squaresoft or something like in story development. So yeah.

SPEAKER_03

No, you're running behind. That was my question.

SPEAKER_04

See, all of that went over my head because I'm a Nintendo girl, but I am familiar and knowledgeable about the games, and I can totally see people who like play those types of games are gonna be reading fantasy and romantic because that is essentially the world building that is in a lot of these books.

SPEAKER_02

For sure, for sure. Yeah, it is just it's so like expansive and immersive, and yeah, I so I feel like they've definitely influenced my writing and creating these huge, like epic stories that span, you know, yeah. But I'm also a Nintendo girly too. I do play I Love Zelda and Pokemon and all kinds of pretty much everything.

SPEAKER_03

But I guess the question is Ashwalker the video game when? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

That would be really cool. So my agent actually she has some connections in that, and she actually threw that out to me during her first call. Like when, yeah, and I was like, man, that would just that would be like a full circle amazing. I would, I would die. That's the dream. Like a m a movie TV show would be cool, but man, give me a video game based on something I've written. I would, yeah, I could die happy. That's great.

SPEAKER_03

I feel like we're already friends just with the video game singles.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, just just make sure that it goes out to Nintendo and we will be good to go. But I'll do what I can. Yeah. I also had the dream of like uh wanting to be a like video game um like player to you know to test it out. It's very much just like an arc reader, but you know, testing out the games before they come out and giving your input. So that was always like one of my dream jobs as well. Too. But speaking of jobs, I hear you've had some interesting ones, including working on a chicken farm.

SPEAKER_02

Oh yeah. So I actually uh randomly chicken farming is it is a thing book on my side of my family. And then uh when I met my husband, his family actually was actually they were chicken farmers as well, randomly. And so yeah, so it's just kind of been a family business thing that we've that I've helped out with occasionally because take the writing thing took a little while to take off, as uh I kind of touched on earlier. So I had you know other jobs to fill to fill in the gaps between and so I just kind of did whatever and yeah, family business, chicken farm. Don't yeah, I'm really glad the writing took off. Let's just put it that way. Cause I'm not really much of a foreigner girl, you know. I do I did what I had to, but can you just imagine that introduction though?

SPEAKER_04

Like, hey, what do you do for a living? You'd be like, oh, chicken farmer.

SPEAKER_02

Like, how cool introduction though? It's uh yeah, it's uh I don't regret it. I mean, you know, everything that I've done, all the random jobs that I've done have made me who I am, I guess. But yeah, but again, really glad the writing took off. And I've had enough about chicken farming.

SPEAKER_03

So Stephanie, was you know, from chicken farm to to author pipeline, I guess. What did you already did you always know that you wanted to write? Was that something that you know you wanted to do since you were young, or was that something that came on later in life? What what was that like for you, that journey?

SPEAKER_02

You know, I've always um I think I've always wanted to be a writer. And I've you know been writing stories and bad emo poetry since I was a teenager and all that sort of stuff. But uh as far as like making it a career, you know, I'd always heard that it was a it's very difficult to career out of writing, which is true. So I tried a couple other things in college. I actually started as like an education major. I did English. I did, I majored, yeah, I switched my major like like five times in college. At one point, I was like majoring in like Spanish. I I don't speak a word of Spanish. So like I feel I feel like I was just like, I wanted to do it, but I was scared. So I like I did a bunch of odd jobs and I switched my major and I did all this and that. But I think ultimately I was always going to end up on this path. And eventually I just sat down and did it. I don't know if I answered your question there. I kind of forgot the original question.

SPEAKER_03

No, and and I am glad that of all of the different fields you thought about pursuing that writing was what you stuck with because I have loved, I loved reading Ashwalker. Uh it was, it is, it's such a good book. I know we're gonna talk about that later, but just yeah, I I approve of your choice to pursue that as your career path because you're very good at it. Um good choice. Thanks. So would you say, you said you dabbled a bit in young adult and sci-fi. Would you say that you have found your preferred writing niche now in romanticy, fantasy, you know, is this where you want to stay? Definitely, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And it was it was always most what I mostly read and and wrote growing up. I think I just I don't the sci-fi was just another weird little detour that I took. I've I've taken a lot of detours in my life. But yeah, no, I think romantic fantasy is that's that's that's where I'm happiest. So I mean, I have a lot of other ideas and other genres, but I think it's probably the one that I'll always come back to. Someone that feels like home, I guess. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03

No, that's fabulous. And like I said, you've got a good talent for it. So hey, I'm happy to have you continue doing that, and I will continue reading your books. I think many others can say the same, right, Amara?

SPEAKER_04

For sure, for sure. I am I am already addicted in the best sense of way. I and I'm I I'm just curious, like we've been talking about your career as an author. When do you think it started to kind of like jumpstart? When did you start seeing a trajectory? And when did you start seeing the hype for it during your career as an author?

SPEAKER_02

Well, there's been a lot of ups and downs. There's been a lot of moments where I feel like things are really taking off and then they sink again. So as far as like pinpointing, I guess when I signed with my first agent, I kind of felt like, okay, well, and I actually had when I got that first agent back in like 2012, I think it was, I had several offers of representation. And I guess that was kind of a real validating moment that I I at least had some talent, even though like that it didn't, that I actually had at least some chance of making making it in this career. And so once I got that idea in my head, I became really stubbornly committed to making it happen, even through all the ups and downs. So I guess that was definitely a turning point. But there have been other turning points, you know. Like I said earlier, when I started any publishing, there were a lot of false starts, and it was really 2020 when I released the song of the marked that I really felt that felt like another turning point in things. And there have been downs since then too. But my overall trajectory, I feel like I feel like I'm heading in the direction since I released that book. I feel like I'm heading in the direction that I want to go. So does that answer your question?

SPEAKER_04

I've so it's so funny that you had mentioned previously how you're like, oh wait, I forgot the question. Did I answer it? And I say that all the time. Like, I don't know if you watch The Office, but then there's like I was just about to make that joke.

SPEAKER_02

That's exactly how I know. Sometimes I start a sentence and I don't know where it's going. I just hope I find it along the way.

SPEAKER_03

That's exactly me as well. That's okay. That just means we get to go on a journey.

SPEAKER_04

Every time you answer your question, that's something I feel like with that question, when we always ask that to to authors, I feel like people always assume there's some aha moment just because that's how it is in like books. Like we assume life is like books, but now it's not like it's a slow progression of seeing, you know, your trajectory and you know, you going up and down, and there's all those cons, pro pros, and all of that.

SPEAKER_02

For sure. Yeah, and you'll have an aha moment and you'll think you have it figured out, and then a month later the universe humbles you again, and and then you have to, yeah. So there's yeah, like I said, a lot of a lot of ups and downs, a lot of turning points. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

So your author journey just sounds a lot like my life. So okay, I get it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, yeah. I think yeah. I think one of the best uh things that you can have as an author, indie author otherwise is the ability to pivot. So when things get upended or whenever your trajectory changes, or whenever, you know, the universe throws something new at you. So yeah, it's a lot like life for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04

I love that advice. And speaking of advice, you've been around for a while. You're kind of like an OG author now. But like, what kind of what sort of advice would you give for inspiring authors?

SPEAKER_02

I get asked this question a lot. And I think that, and I give it a couple different answers, but I think the one I always come back to is take yourself seriously. Um, by which I mean writing is one of those things where, as I've touched on before, it's really difficult to make a living at. And a lot of people, like if you tell them that you're writing a book, their first instinct is either, oh, I want to write a book someday, or oh, that's nice, and that's nice, dear. So there's not, there's not a lot of people that will take you seriously when that you tell them that you're writing. And even when I started to see some success from it, it still was like a lot of people in my life that I love very much and that overall support it, but they they see it as more of like a hobby. So yeah, so take yourself seriously. That's actually some advice too that I got from a professor in college to that like nobody else is going to like do this for you. So, like, you have to a lot of people say they want to write a book, but you actually have to like do the work.

SPEAKER_03

I don't know, I don't know how else to put it besides like no, that's that seems like actually a really common um thing that a lot of the authors that we put on this podcast have said is you know, persistence and advocating for yourself and being willing to roll with the punches as they come and say, you know what, I know I'm good at this and it doesn't matter, I'm gonna keep going.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, or I'm not particularly good at this, but I'm gonna keep going anyways. I'm I'm just delusional enough to succeed.

SPEAKER_03

I think that's just great life advice too, though. That you know, yeah, you need to have confidence.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, it's gotten me, it's gotten me this far.

SPEAKER_03

I love it.

SPEAKER_02

Better or worse.

SPEAKER_03

No, that's a great piece of advice for us all, honestly. So I think it's time to maybe pivot a little bit towards Ashwalker. And actually, one of the questions, one of the first questions that we had is that the three of us, Bethany, Amara and I, actually have been chatting a little bit about how much we love the cover of your book. And we want to know a little bit about the design process. Can you talk with us a little bit about the artwork on the cover, at least on you know, your your your version and not necessarily the special editions that are coming out? But how did how did that come to be? Tell us about how an author go about commissioning artwork like yours.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so cover art is always a very stressful step in the process. And I've honestly with with Ashwalker, I put a lot of trust in the artists themselves. Basically, I just I've I made like a board and I found all the the covers that I like, and then I gave them, you know, like the vibes that I was going for. And then I was like, go, just kind of let them, and then and then she came back to me with a couple different versions, and then we just kind of tweaked from there. It's yeah, it's I've I've I spent a long time deciding who I wanted to use for this cover, basically, and then I found somebody that I felt like I could trust to like she has a great reputation, and she's worked with other authors that I admire, and she has a lot of her portfolio kind of speaks for itself. So it's just for me, it's just putting a lot of trust in the artist because I'm just I'm not particularly great at that stuff. I'm great at giving ideas and I'm great at helping refine things. But like she honestly, my cover artist, came up with the concept and she got it right, kind of right out of the bat with that one, which doesn't always happen.

SPEAKER_03

So yeah, there's I I I don't know, at least on Instagram, the discourse I've seen about your book. One of the top comments, aside from the book, is really, really good is wow, that cover is gorgeous. So I think you guys both did such a great job, kind of evoking the feel of I don't know, it feels like very like epic and and just you know, you've got a dragon on there. So obviously we've got the dragon aspect of your of your story, but yeah, it's such a pretty subtle and it's kind of yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So we've told a lot from and well, you've read the books, you know, there's kind of we kind of I was looking for sort of a a mashup of like epic and also kind of almost dystopian feel to it. So it's not like yeah, so there was we were mash we were mixing up a lot of like different vibes and genres, and she nailed it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I was yeah, that's so cool. I I have to ask as well, you know. We we were given a little bit of a teaser that uh Aurora Crate is going to do a special edition of your book as well. Are there any details like you can share with us about what that will be like, or is that all very on the download right now?

SPEAKER_02

Well, I've seen a little bit of art. I think I've just seen really just the dust jacket, and I've seen uh and I've seen the artists that they're going to use, and I'm very excited about it. Um, and they're actually going to be revealing stuff uh next month, I think. So I don't have a lot of details yet myself, but you don't have to wait long for them. So, but it's yeah, it's it's gonna be really gorgeous. I can tell you that the dust jacket is gonna feature our girl Owen, and she looks really badass on the cover.

SPEAKER_03

So yeah, I'm really excited about that. I think they've done such a nice job with your other books.

SPEAKER_02

So I'm really they have, yeah, and they're and they're really fabulous to work with. They they've just been really great about like getting our feedback and like letting us in, and and of course they choose amazing artists. Like, I don't think they've made a bad book, like all the yeah. It's they're they're really great. And it's kind of cool because I kind of started with them like when they were I was one of theirs, the Song of the Mark series is one of the first that they had done, one of the earlier ones, and I've been with them ever since. And yes, now I have a whole shelf of their books, and that's that's been a great relationship.

SPEAKER_03

I'm really grateful to them. Yeah, what a great collaboration. I I just yeah, I have uh I've got the Song of the Marked sitting here next to me. You can't see it, unfortunately. But yeah, it's such a what a beautiful book, and I'm so excited to see what they do for Ashwalker. I cannot wait to see whenever those those little uh details get revealed. I'm sure it'll be beautiful. And we also have a couple other book boxes too.

SPEAKER_02

I can tease with that. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. There's more coming.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, all of my money.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so my inbox is just constantly being flooded with beautiful art. It's it's pretty awesome.

SPEAKER_04

It's a good inbox, you know, to have right there. I I'm such a thucker for art, and we talk about art all the time on this podcast and how much Bethany has spent on artwork on hers as well.

SPEAKER_01

But do not judge me. Do not judge me.

SPEAKER_02

I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I love you, Bethany. So judgment here. My accountant next, yeah. My accountant had to double check with me when we were doing our taxes this year. She's like, is this right? Did you really spend this much to commission art last year? I'm afraid so. Yeah, it's a tax trade-off, you know. That's what I'm thinking.

SPEAKER_04

I love it. Okay, well, I I am super excited to dive into Ashwalker. And even though Britt and I have read it and loved it, obsessed over it, for our listeners just discovering Ashwalker for the first time. Give us some details of what it is about.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. This is always so hard to sum up your book. And like, especially when I've been like plotting the second book a lot this week. I've been working on the plot. So I'm like, ah, don't spoil anything. Don't like, okay. So just the gist of it. So we have our girl, Arwen, who lives in a world that uh has a very a history tied to uh dragons. Um, they have really helped shape the world and such. And in her case, they see out I'm getting this wrong. Like it's my own book. Like, why can't I like summarize this? So, yeah, anyways, so we have well I I remember GG.

SPEAKER_03

We start saying you guys summarize it. If it was you, Stephanie, that described it this way, but somebody described it as basically it's like nuclear fallout, except dragons didn't it? Is kind of the the world setting. Would you say that's accurate?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's yeah, that's pretty accurate. I mean, so you have the the central kingdom that wasn't actually a kingdom in the beginning, they got left out of the the the divine dragons, and you know, and so they and they were kind of like the neutral kingdom for so long. And so they but they worked out a way to to control the dragons for themselves, and so then they took that and they kind of rose up and like just they've been destroying and wreaking havoc across the other kingdoms, and so yeah, and so and so our girl, our female man character, lives in one of the kingdoms that's been destroyed, and so she hates dragons, they've they ruined her town, they killed her parents, they left her with all kinds of scars and stuff, and so she wants nothing to do with them, she's just trying to survive, and then she ends up uh access, she ends up finding one and tries to kill it and isn't able to, and then this little dragon starts following her around, and then she finds out that she has like a bond that she doesn't want, and because of this bond, she catches the attention of the king that is in that central kingdom that has been for the past century and a half or so controlling the dragons because she has this natural bond, and so he takes her in and and it goes from there. Yeah, so that's it. I'm so scared about like spoiling things. That's why I like I keep stopping.

SPEAKER_03

I'm like no, no, you're you're actually making me feel so much better as a reader when I like finish a book, and then the next day I'm like, I remember the vibes were so good, but I could not tell you anything about what happened.

SPEAKER_02

Well, listen, if I didn't have like my my synopsis all like laid out, like yeah, I mean I wrote the thing and like and like I know it, and like if I sat down and like floated out, like I could it's hard when you're talking and again, like I said, I'm trying to avoid like spoilers and trying not to say anything that you guys don't know because I there are things in the first book that are being further explored in the second book that I'm currently working on. So it's yeah. That's exciting though.

SPEAKER_03

I know what can happen next. I I really like the character of Arrowin, and I find her uh I think it, I don't know, it seems like it from an author's perspective, it would be difficult to get your your FMC right, right? Because you've got, you know, you want them to be um compelling and you want them to have an interesting story, you want them to be sympathetic. And I think that Arwen really embodies all of that, someone who's got this really interesting backstory, and she actually does have a physical disability being blind in one eye, which by the way, I have to tell you, Stephanie, that scene where you learn why is a little oot, but it's okay. I enjoyed it anyway. But um my ow, ooh, you. But um, oh, I I really like the character of Arwen, and I just wanted to know is that uh, you know, kind of her backstory and kind of her what she struggles with with being blind in one eye. Is that something that was that was that a character aspect that you knew going into writing this book that you wanted to include in your FNC, or was that something that kind of just developed as her story developed? What how did that come to be?

SPEAKER_02

Honestly, all the characters in this book really came sort of organically to me, uh, which was nice. It doesn't always happen, but yeah, it's it's not it's definitely not something that I necessarily started out thinking that I would write that. I knew that I wanted her to have some sort of like uh scars from dragons that she had to like look at every day or that she had to be aware of because it's such a big part of her character. It permeates like every part of her identity. And so the yeah, and so like I don't know, I guess the I thing, it just it just sort of came about organically. Like when I was thinking about how what she's been through and everything, how that. Affects her day to day. Um, and it just it was just a really good way, I felt like to show the day-to-day and that she has to struggle with uh every day. So, but I didn't necessarily start out writing that now.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, no, I think that's really smart because it is kind of a physical reminder to her every day, and I guess a really good motivation for why she feels the way she does about the dragons. Uh and it, you know, it gives her I I guess her her intense hatred of them. You understand why.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and I just wanted something a little deeper than the typical, like, you know, scars that you know, it's it's not unusual for a main character to have to carry scars of some sort, you know. But I wanted to go a little deeper than that, so it just sort of evolved into this disability that she has.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, and I and I love how it evolves and integrates into the story Futuron, which I won't give away because I, you know, spoiler, you know, I I'm getting better with that myself as well. Too. It's hard. But I love, yeah, I love how you integrated that with her character arc as well. But you know what, enough about that. I'm ready to talk about the main male character because we all love our book, boyfriends. I love the justice because wow, that was a hard word to say, justiposition of your main male character. How he's terrifying and holds great power, yet he wears slutty little glasses and begs for comfort. Like, yes, please. Why did you take the character in that direction?

SPEAKER_02

You know, again, it's just core, it's just sort of like he came about kind of organically, you know. Like, I mean, I I started off, you know, he's this this big bad king, and then as we uh get to know him better, and just as the scenes kind of unfolded, I just I just kept picturing him and just like trying to think of I I usually try to like picture them a scene. The scenes kind of come to me like and then I try and figure out like why the character is doing this sort of thing. So like the scene where we first find him baking, you know, our own is looking for him or whatever, and he's he's in the kitchens, and then so then it becomes that's just a place where I'm side of put him, and so then it becomes like, well, why is he in the kitchen? What's he doing? And why does he do this? And so it just kind of like unfolds from there. So again, I don't really just I don't sit down with my characters and like make a like I've seen and I've tried, I've seen like the list that had that that some authors use to have they have like all the different characteristics of their characters like laid out from the start. I'm I'm not I'm not like that. I just make it up as I go and then I try to figure out like why this they're coming to me this way, and then I go back out, and then I go back and like flush it out and make sure it you know all jives together. So yeah, so why? I don't I don't really know that I know my why. It's just kind of how he unfolded to me.

SPEAKER_04

Okay, but all I want to know in book two, are you gonna have a scene like in Ghost where he's behind her teaching her how to bake, you know, like that whole ceramic scene in ghost?

SPEAKER_02

You're going to be I want to know. So I can tell you that you're gonna be really excited about some art that we have commissioned if you're into that kind of scene. And uh and yes, and yes, we will we will try to, if if not an actual scene on page like that, there will at least be a visual representation, some pretty hard. Because yeah, because it's it's definitely happened, even if it doesn't happen on the page, like yeah, because they live off of the page in my mind too.

SPEAKER_03

So that's awesome, Stephanie. Well, I I have a question about dragons books, because you know, we have a lot of dragon books in this realm of fantasy romanticy right now, but I thought your book was pretty unique. Would you say, what would you say sets your book apart from other dragon books that we have out on, you know, in our bookstores right now?

SPEAKER_02

I think maybe the main character might be um Owen's relationship with the dragon and the fact that she starts out hating the dragon. She doesn't like revere it, she doesn't like want anything to do with it, honestly. I thought I felt like was kind of a unique angle to explore. And that relationship and the way that their bond grows, it felt unique to me anyways.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I I mean I don't know if I can say too much without giving away spoilers.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, again, I I stopped myself too.

SPEAKER_03

I think the magic system in this book is really unique. And I really, I really liked it. I was like, oh, that's that's a really interesting way to integrate dragons into the story in a in a way that's different. And and you know, it's funny, like you said, because a lot of our dragon books right now, it's like the main character grovels at the dragon's feet, and the dragon has to decide whether or not, you know, they want to accept them. And this book, it was like, God, get this dragon away from yeah. That was a fun, different spin on the uh on the stroke. Yeah, but yeah, no, I I really and again, I don't want to say anything spoilery, but the magic system I found very cool. And is that going to be expanded on more in the second book? Absolutely, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Um that's one of the I said earlier that I've been plotting and working on untangling some things for book two this week, and that's a big part of it. Uh yeah, the the magic and the world itself too really expands in the second book, so which has been challenging, but it's been a lot of fun, and I'm excited to keep working on that. And because yeah, so yeah, I was really just really just getting started in book one. There's definitely a lot more to come with that. I have lots of notes. Hopefully, I can put them together into a compelling narrative for you guys. I'm working on it.

SPEAKER_04

Well, there better be with that ending that you gave us. And I I to go kind of go back with the dragon a little bit as well, too. Uh how we talked about what stories kind of remind us and totally how to train your dragon. Like with that storyline, but a lot more badass, if I must say. A lot more darker. And I love seeing the growth from from hatred to them having to work together. And that's what you also don't see with a lot of dragon books, as well, too. Like what Britt had said, a lot of them are, you know, you know, bowing down to them, you're amazing, or they already start like a friendship right away. Whereas you see this beautiful growth and continuation with them uh throughout the story as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And that's another thing that kind of came about organically, just because when I was thinking about Owen and her journey and what she needed, where she started and where she needed to get to by the end of this book, and how we could make that unfold in an organic way and uh with the other characters around her. So it just sort of like, yeah, it just kind of happened that relationship kind of unfolded.

SPEAKER_04

Yeah. I love that. And I love a lot of the other characters that you see in this book as well, too. And I'm totally blanking because you know, my brain now working today as well, too. But her best friend, who's like her ride or die, I love that. And I love that you actually made it like a true friendship. Whereas a lot of people would try to add like a hidden, like, you know, I'm actually evil kind of thing. Like, no, they have such a beautiful relationship and they are like sisters, I guess you could say. So please don't do me dirty with something in book two with their friendship and their relationship.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you know, it's funny. I've seen a couple, like, I don't read reviews and stuff much, but I I have seen a couple of readers mention that they're suspicious of Briar. And I think it's I think it's because we see so often in fiction, you know, the and while yes, that would be a really nasty plot twist, and it would really hurt our girl, and it would be, you know, devastating and all that. I just I I I really love the relationship, and I don't, yeah, I don't foresee me doing you dirty there. I just think we need more strong, and there's actually, yeah, so and that gets expanded upon in book two as well. It starts off with with the two of them, a lot of them, and yeah, so that friendship gets deepened and yeah, I love that as well, too.

SPEAKER_04

And I love also, and you said like a lot of authors will try and do something to make the like that kind of character go bad or do be catty or be kind of like a bully, and you do kind of have a little bit of bully with the princess, but she's a fun bully and still like have like a really fun relationship. So I love that as well.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, we see more of her too in the second book. So they're kind of this this trio. They're uh I think they're they're a fun dynamic when you get the three of them together. So I'm looking forward to writing more scenes with them, working on more scenes with them in book two.

SPEAKER_04

They're like a little girl gang, and we love our girl gangs because we like seeing, you know, the the women being, you know, strong, independent lady.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Okay, I love a girl gang too, but I need to know do we get to see more Arlo? Because I love him.

SPEAKER_02

We do, yes. He plays a very pivotal role in book two.

SPEAKER_03

Good.

SPEAKER_02

And I can't say anymore because it's very literally, but yes, well, you you see more of him, and I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_03

No, I think that the dynamic, the sibling dynamic that you have in this between, you know, the the I guess you could say your mains, you have the king and then the princess have a good sibling dynamic, but then little Arlo. I just I don't know if it's because I have a son that's about that age, but I just was like I glommed onto him so fast, he was so cute. And it's a I don't know, it's just that also really brings out such a wonderful side of your MMC too, to see him being big bro. So I'm excited to watch those relationships develop more in the next book. Yeah. And speaking of, I guess, is this a book or excuse me, is this a series that you have planned out as far as number of books you know you want to cover? Is it kind of I'm gonna see where it goes and that will determine how many there are? Where are we looking? What are we looking at? It's a trilogy. Yes. Excellent. It's a yeah, three books. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I have I have the op overarching figured out to where three books make sense, you know, unless something drastic changes. But yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Three is great. Honestly, I just love I love trilogies. They feel so uh, I don't know, it's like the perfect amount of story. I you know, no chate on those like nine epic long book series or anything, but I don't know. I get to a point where I'm like, I want I want my story to feel complete and like I did it, like I read that and it was so good. I so I'm excited about the fact that it's a trilogy and that we get one more book after this next one. Now, as far as you know, maybe stepping outside of the world of Ashwalker, are there any other projects you're working on right now that you can tease us any details about or anything else that is in the works from you?

SPEAKER_02

What Bloom is from Death trilogy. So I'm actually working on both the the final book in that series and the second book of this series. I'm working on them simultaneously. And then I have a ton of other like projects that I've started, but nothing, yeah. But those are my two main ones.

SPEAKER_03

So awesome. Cannot wait. I'm so excited. And Amara might need to ask a question of you about the ending of the book before we move on to our rapid fire questions. Amara is that what we've been dying to ask.

SPEAKER_04

I just appreciate that it's not like a major cliffhanger because those drive me bonkers, especially since while while I appreciate the art that goes into writing and why it takes so long, it hurts us of readers when we have to wait so long. So I appreciate that it's still like a great ending. You're excited to see what happens, but it's not like a oh my god, what's gonna happen next.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you know, I just felt like she had been through so much already and we'd seen so much growth from her. I just felt like I needed to leave it on a note of like not closures, because obviously it's not closure, but just uh a moment that wasn't where it felt like she had uh something had been earned, I guess. I don't know if that makes sense. So yeah, I just wanted to leave her leave on a a good note there, like a relatively calm since she had been through so much throughout the book. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_03

I'm happy I'm sorry, Britt. Go ahead. Oh, I was just saying I'm happy for that for Arwen because she went through a whole lot. It was a rough beginning. So it gets rougher, but yeah, she's tough.

SPEAKER_02

So she's tough though. She'll be all right.

SPEAKER_04

Now I hate to ask this question, but I don't really hate because we all want to know is there going to be more spice in the second book? Because you did tease this with a little bit of those slutty little glasses that I'm just gonna keep bringing up again, keep disconnecting. Okay. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

I haven't finished the book, the second book, but there will be at least as much in book one. And generally my books, you know, what because yeah, they go through a lot in book two. Like again, I'm trying not to like spoil. So it it's it's kind of a challenge because I feel like they're at a point in their relationship where more spice makes sense, but the world kind of has other plans for them, and the plot kind of has other plans. So, and I'm never one to just throw in or I don't want to be one to just throw in spice for the sake of spice, like it has to make sense in the context of the plot and the world at large. But yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna try.

SPEAKER_04

And I sorry, sorry, Beth. I I super appreciate that you do that because I don't like it as well. Too, I mean, yes, we all like our spice, but it has to kind of flow with the story. And I hate I don't want to say, hey, that seems a little like a really harsh, but I don't like when authors just throw it in just to throw it in.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it's kind of a yeah, kind of a peeve of mine. So I'm not saying I've never done that and then I never will, but it is something that I consider the book as a whole. But I would like to write more spice between them. So we'll see, we'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_01

Fingers crossed. Uh Stephanie, this has been so wonderful. We have loved having you on the show today. Thank you for joining us. Yeah, thank you for having me again. And to all of our listeners out there, please go pick up Stephanie's books. You will not be disappointed. They're incredible. AuroraCrate has so many special editions, as we were talking about in this interview today. They look absolutely brilliant on the shelves. So let's all support Stephanie. We have Ashwalker with No Book 2, will be coming out in the near future as well. So thank you all so much for listening, and we hope to hear you and see you at our next episode. Bye, everyone.

SPEAKER_00

That's it for this chapter of the Mythic Mike Podcast. But the adventure doesn't end here. Subscribe, leave a review, and follow us on social media at Mythic Mike Pod for updates, giveaways, and all the bookish and writing fun. Want more? Join our newsletter at mythicmike.com for bonus tips, author insights, and behind the scenes magic. Until next time, stay mythical.