The Mythic Mic Podcast

🎙️ 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.

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where dragon eggs hide in graves, forbidden bonds can get you killed, and love triangles are best when they hurt just a little.
This week, host Bethany Amanda is joined by Amara for a fiery conversation with author Courtney Whims about her debut romantasy, Flames and Fallacies, the first book in a dragon rider series filled with forbidden magic, elemental dragons, prophecy, found family, plot twists, cliffhangers, and one very messy love triangle.
Courtney shares how her love of dragons began with childhood favorites like Pokémon, Neopets, Eragon, and the dream of one day riding a dragon herself. She opens up about how reading Fourth Wing and Iron Flame sparked her desire for even more dragon rider stories, eventually inspiring her to write the exact book she wanted to read. What started as a “maybe five strangers will read this” dream has grown into a debut readers are discovering, recommending, and going feral over online.
The conversation also dives into Courtney’s creative process as both author and artist. Not only did she write Flames and Fallacies, but she also created her own covers, maps, character art, special editions, overlays, sprayed edges, and more, making the series feel completely and unmistakably hers.
🐉 What happens when dragons are illegal, dragon riders are dead, and one girl finds an egg buried in her father’s grave?
🔥 Can Kat protect a hatchling that could get her executed?
💔 And what happens when two very different men pull out completely different sides of her heart?
Whether you love dragon rider fantasy, elemental magic, dangerous kingdoms, plot twists, he-trains-her tension, found family, spicy romantasy, or love triangles that make you choose a team and suffer, this episode is packed with magic, chaos, and so many reasons to add Flames and Fallacies to your TBR.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Courtney’s journey from graphic designer and illustrator to self-published author.
✨ Writing the dragon rider book she wanted to read.
✨ Creating her own covers, maps, character art, overlays, and special editions.
✨ Self-publishing, imposter syndrome, and learning as she went.
✨ Why aspiring authors should write the book for themselves first.
✨ The kitten-sized dragon hatchling who changes everything.
✨ Elemental dragons, including fire, earth, air, and water dragons.
✨ The larger magic system and hierarchy that unfolds more deeply in books two and three.
✨ Plot twists, breadcrumbs, foreshadowing, and Courtney’s love of emotionally damaging cliffhangers.
✨ Book two teasers, including more dragons, more answers, and even more questions.
✨ Future special editions and the possibility of a completed-series set.
CONNECT WITH US
🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Amara – @Bored_Military_Wife
📚 Courtney Whims – @CourtneyWhims
✨ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review. It helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where monsters aren't always the villains, rage can become your greatest strength, and ancient mythology hides beneath the surface of the modern world.
This week, hosts Bethany Amanda and Sara Santillan sit down for an unforgettable conversation with fantasy author Crystal Seitz about her YA fantasy thriller, Beast Becomes Her.
Crystal shares her decade-long publishing journey, from countless revisions and rejections to finally selling her novels, why timing matters just as much as talent, and how stubbornness became her greatest superpower. We also dive into her lifelong love of Norse mythology, anime, and storytelling, and how those passions shaped one of the most unique fantasy worlds you'll read this year.
At the heart of Beast Becomes Her is Edith, a teenage berserker sent to a hidden magical academy to learn how to control her terrifying new powers. But when she witnesses a murder on just her second night, she becomes the prime suspect and must uncover the real killer before she becomes the next victim.
We explore the novel's powerful themes of feminine rage, toxic masculinity, identity, and learning to embrace every part of yourself, even the emotions you've been taught to suppress. Crystal also discusses why YA continues to resonate with readers of every age and what makes standalone fantasy novels so satisfying.
⚡ What if your greatest strength is the emotion you've spent your entire life hiding?
🩸 What happens when a magical academy becomes the scene of a murder?
🔥 And what if embracing your rage is the only way to survive?
This episode is perfect for readers who love magical schools, murder mysteries, Norse mythology, YA fantasy, emotionally layered characters, and stories that challenge the expectations placed on both girls and boys.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Crystal's ten-year journey to publication.
✨ Querying, Pitch Wars, and navigating traditional publishing.
✨ Why timing can matter as much as talent.
✨ The inspiration behind Beast Becomes Her.
✨ Why this book is Wednesday meets Norse mythology.
✨ Berserkers, magical academies, and murder mysteries.
✨ Exploring feminine rage through fantasy.
✨ Challenging toxic masculinity through dual POVs.
✨ Why YA continues to resonate with adult readers.
✨ Writing emotionally cathartic scenes.
✨ Standalone fantasies versus series.
✨ Crystal's upcoming dystopian fantasy project.
CONNECT WITH US
🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚Crystal Seitz  – @Crystalswriting
✨ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review. It helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where gods demand sacrifice, hunters don't always follow the rules, and sometimes one day's head start changes everything.
This week, host Bethany Amanda is joined by Amara for a fun, fast-paced, and tension-filled conversation with romantasy author Elayna R. Gallea about Given and Hunted, the first two books in The Given Chronicles.
Elayna shares her journey from indie author to hybrid author, opening up about creative control, author communities, selling two series at the same time, and why she loves writing bingeable romantasy filled with enemies-to-lovers tension, vampires, and strong heroines.
We dive into Given, a darkly addictive romantasy where Ren discovers that being gods-blessed is not the honor she was promised. When she learns she is meant to be sacrificed, she runs, and after saving the injured hunter sent to capture her, he grants her one day’s head start before the chase begins.
But Given is only the beginning.
Elayna teases how Hunted expands the world, deepens the stakes, and turns the chase into a slow-burn love letter to yearning. We talk about forbidden attraction, bonded familiars, touch-her-and-die energy, possessive MMCs, and why Ren and Gabriel’s story only gets more intense as the series continues.
⚡ What happens when the girl marked by the gods refuses to be sacrificed?
🖤 Can you fall for the hunter sent to drag you back?
🔥 And what if one day’s mercy becomes the beginning of everything?
This episode is perfect for romantasy readers who love enemies-to-lovers, deadly gods, dangerous hunters, bonded familiars, slow-burn romance, and stories you can devour in one sitting.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Elayna's journey as an indie and hybrid author.
✨ Selling two series at the same time and navigating trad publishing.
✨ Why author community matters for aspiring writers.
✨ The inspiration behind Given and its stunning cover.
✨ A Thanksgiving-themed romantasy with human sacrifice.
✨ Ren, Gabriel, and the hunter x hunted dynamic.
✨ One day's head start and the chase that changes everything.
✨ Slow-burn romance, forbidden attraction, and yearning.
✨ Bonded familiars, panthers, wolves, eagles, and magical animal companions.
✨ Why Hunted turns up the tension and expands the world.
✨ Book three, Blessed, and what comes next for The Given Chronicles.
✨ Elayna's upcoming post-apocalyptic vampire romantasy, The Marriage Games.
CONNECT WITH US
🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚Elayna Gallea  – @AuthorElaynaRGallea
✨ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review. It helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where revenge burns bright, monsters wait in the jungle, and some princess stories are made for the girls with jagged edges.
This week, host Sara Santillan is joined by Amara for a heartfelt, hilarious, and deeply emotional conversation with author Nicolette Elzie about We Were Meant to Burn, the first book in the Ashes in Ruin saga, a romantasy inspired by Anastasia, Mexican mythology, betrayal, survival, revenge, and the kind of slow burn romance that loves the heroine in all her sharp, broken, stubborn pieces.
Nicolette shares the reality of balancing writing with work, family, motherhood, marketing, social media, and the endless pressure to do more. She opens up about setting big goals, giving yourself grace, finding small pockets of writing time, and learning that sometimes the dream survives because you keep showing up, even if it is in your car during martial arts class with a laptop and a little bit of chaos.
The conversation also dives into Nicolette’s journey from writing scary stories as a child to publishing the Ozero Curse series and finally returning to the story that became We Were Meant to Burn, a book she carried with her for nearly ten years. She discusses how horror, dark romance, trauma healing, cultural mythology, and the need to feel seen all shaped the heart of her stories.
🔥 What if Anastasia came back stabby, furious, and ready for revenge?
🌿 What happens when the jungle is filled with creatures pulled from nightmare and mythology?
🖤 And what does it mean to be loved not despite your jagged pieces, but with them?
Whether you love revenge fantasy, slow burn romance, dark emotional journeys, mythology-inspired worlds, dangerous jungles, brutal openings, special editions, or heroines who refuse to be controlled, this episode is intimate, funny, and full of heart.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Nicolette’s life as a full-time worker, mom, indie author, and chronic list-maker.
✨ Hitting major Kindle Unlimited page-read milestones and the burnout that can follow.
✨ Why horror and dark romance can feel cathartic, healing, and strangely safe.
✨ Growing up as a military brat and writing her first full-length novel by hand on a cross-country road trip.
✨ Starting We Were Meant to Burn in 2014 and carrying the story through years of drafts, healing, and growth.
✨ Choosing indie publishing and releasing the Ozero Curse series.
✨ Writing stories for readers who want to feel seen, safe, and emotionally understood.
✨ We Were Meant to Burn as “Anastasia, but make her stabby and hell-bent on revenge.”
✨ Mexican and Japanese cultural influences, family stories, food, mythology, and horror-based folklore.
✨ Why food, family gatherings, Tejano music, tacos, rice, beans, and memory matter in Nicolette’s work.
✨ The brutal opening scene and why it took more than 50 attempts to find the right beginning.
✨ Breaking writing “rules” without carving the heart and soul out of the story.
✨ Upcoming book events, indie bookstores, special editions, and the Ozero Curse omnibus announcement.
CONNECT WITH US
🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
👤 Amara – @Bored_Military_Wife
📚 Nicolette Elzie – @AuthorNicoletteElzie
✨ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review. It helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.