The Mythic Mic Podcast

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where history bleeds into magic, silence can be a form of power, and stories dare you to think as much as they make you feel.  
This week, hosts Bethany Amanda and Sara Santillan sit down with bestselling, genre-defying author Ava Reid to celebrate the release of her most ambitious novel yet, Innamorata. Ava is as candid, razor-sharp, and intellectually electric as her books, and this conversation moves between craft, career, controversy, and the philosophy of art with the kind of depth Mythic Mic listeners live for.
Ava reflects on her evolution from a fanfiction writer on the early internet to a seasoned author who has weathered public backlash, editorial upheaval, and the emotional whiplash of publishing during COVID. She speaks about what it’s like to survive a deeply contentious book, rebuild her career on her own terms, and develop the “terrier-like” determination that keeps her going.
We dive into the beating heart of Innamorata, a gothic, grimdark fantasy set on a conquered island where necromantic traditions have been buried but not forgotten. Ava unpacks the fraught, toxic, and mesmerizing relationship between cousins Agnes and Marozia, the Renaissance revenge epic that inspired the book, and the psychological complexity of selective mutism as both trauma response and source of power.
Along the way, we explore Ava’s larger philosophy of storytelling: that art’s only obligation is to make people feel strongly and think interestingly. She challenges the trope-driven, trend-chasing pace of modern publishing, lamenting compressed editing timelines and “amusement park ride” books that vanish from the mind the moment you close them.
🩸 What does freedom really mean when your past refuses to release you?
🕯️ Can silence be both weapon and refuge?
⚔️ And what happens when a gothic story centers two women instead of isolating one?
This is a must-listen for dark fantasy lovers, aspiring authors, and anyone who believes books should linger long after the last page.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…
✨ Growing up writing fanfiction on the early internet.
✨ How Ava’s writing routine shifts between drafting, editing, and “admin life”.
✨ Debuting during COVID, and what that meant for her confidence, jadedness, and learning to survive edit letters.
✨ The fallout of Juniper & Thorn and how it reshaped her career.
✨ Dropping an agent, pivoting to YA, and reclaiming creative agency.
✨ Why comparison and jealousy will “rot your soul” in publishing.
✨ Reading widely as the foundation for building a distinct authorial voice.
✨ Ava’s central thematic question across her work: What is freedom?
✨ The origins of Innamorata: Renaissance revenge epics, matriarchal houses, and selective mutism.
✨ Why Innamorata is Ava’s most ambitious and best book to date. 
✨ Why fantasy can — and should — be studied like “the classics”. 
CONNECT WITH US
🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Ava Reid – @avasreid
✨ If this episode left you in awe, 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 winter bites, monsters are made by fear, and the stories we tell about ourselves can become the truths we live by. 
In this episode, host Bethany Amanda sits down with indie fantasy author Isabella Stofka to dive into her chilling, atmospheric romantasy The Ice Queen and the Keeper of Death. Equal parts frosted fairytale and Greek myth–infused epic, this is the kind of winter story that creeps under your skin, makes you question who the “real” monsters are, and lingers long after the last page.
Isabella opens up about her winding path to writing, from moving across the world to Okinawa to falling in love with fantasy through The Lunar Chronicles, Percy Jackson, and Once Upon a Time. She speaks candidly about being a “disorganized perfectionist,” battling burnout, and building a healthier writing routine after an intense year of back-to-back releases.
We explore the heart of The Ice Queen and the Keeper of Death, a story told by three main characters: Wynter, a feared immortal born from a frozen river; Kieran, a mortal rebel whose hatred turns into something far more complicated; and Niav, an exiled assassin whose loyalty and vengeance simmer just beneath the surface. Isabella unpacks how Greek mythology, personal experience, and the haunting sensation of an ice bath shaped Wynter’s origin, and why being called “the Ice Queen” became the spark for an entire series.
🧊 What makes someone a monster: their actions, or how others see them?
💀 Can fear turn someone into exactly what others believe them to be?
🗡️ And what happens when enemies begin to see each other clearly?
This is a must-listen for lovers of winter romantasy, Greek myth–tinged fantasy, and anyone curious about the realities of indie publishing.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…
✨ Books and television series that shaped Isabella as a fantasy reader and writer.
✨ Being a “disorganized perfectionist” and finding a sustainable writing routine.
✨ Publishing two books in one year and recovering from burnout.
✨ The realities of indie publishing: street teams, marketing, and decision fatigue.
✨ Why Isabella chose indie over traditional publishing, and why she doesn’t regret it.
✨ The basis forThe Ice Queen and the Keeper of Death and what inspired this story. 
✨ Perception vs. reality and how it shapes heroes, villains, and everyone in between. 
🐦 CONNECT WITH US
🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📦 Isabella Stofka – @Isabellastofka_author
✨ Enjoyed this episode? Leave a rating & review — it helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors discover The Mythic Mic.

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where ancient magic lingers in starlight, dying worlds demand sacrifice, and epic quests are forged from heartbreak, hope, and destiny.  
This week, host Bethany Amanda sits down with debut author Venetia Constantine to discuss her breathtaking epic fantasy The Last Starborn Seer. Lush, expansive, and deeply emotional, this conversation pulls back the veil on a story that feels at once mythic, intimate, and utterly unforgettable.
Venetia takes us through her long, winding path to publication — from growing up in London, falling in love with fantasy as a child, and studying art history, to returning to storytelling later in life as a mother of three. She speaks candidly about imposter syndrome, the persistence required to bring a debut into the world, and the humbling reality of how many people work behind the scenes to bring a book to life.
We also dive into the deeply personal origins of The Last Starborn Seer — a world that has lived in Venetia’s imagination since childhood, and a story that ultimately crystallized during one of the darkest moments of her life. Venetia shares how trauma shaped her creative process, how fantasy became a refuge, and how themes of healing, self-acceptance, and environmental collapse came to define her epic tale.
And of course, we sink into the dazzling world of Arcelia: a dying realm of  feuding kingdoms, cursed elemental magic, and a heroine burdened with dangerous prophetic power. We explore Leilani Stellarion — shunned princess, reluctant seer, and deeply human heart of the story — alongside Astrophel, her rival and reluctant betrothed, whose perspective reshaped the entire book.
🌌 What does it mean to bear the future when it is slowly destroying you?
✨ Can a broken world be saved without breaking the people who love it?
⚔️ And how do you reconcile wonder and beauty with a society built on darkness?
This episode is a must-listen for lovers of immersive, Tolkien-esque epic fantasy, readers who crave lyrical prose and emotional stakes, and aspiring authors dreaming of bringing their own lifelong worlds to the page.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…
✨ Writing while raising three children and how to carve out time in your busy schedule.
✨ Imposter syndrome and why it never truly goes away, even after publication.
✨ Why community and support are essential for writers.
✨ The beauty and terror of readers finally meeting your book.
✨ Practical querying advice, including agent one-on-ones and Manuscript Academy.
✨ The origins of Arcelia — a world that has lived in Venetia's mind since childhood
✨ How a traumatic real-world event catalyzed the writing of this book.
✨ Fantasy as refuge, healing, and meaning-making.
✨ Leilani’s arc from sheltered, self-loathing princess to a heroine forced to confront truth.
✨ Why adding Astrophel’s POV transformed the novel.
✨ Balancing whimsy and darkness in a dying world.
✨ What The Last Starborn Seer represents to Venetia personally. 
✨ Hints about Book Two and the true origins of “The Sickening”. 
CONNECT WITH US
🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Venetia Constantine – @venetiaconstantine
✨ If this episode left you in awe, 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 darkness can be healing, stories are forged through survival, and determination turns wounds into wings.  
This week, hosts Bethany Amanda and Sara Santillan sit down with indie fantasy author, mentor, and writing-community pillar Kara M. Zone, author of Ashes Fall at Dawn. This conversation is raw, real, and deeply inspiring with equal parts craft talk, career truth, and mental health advocacy.
Kara takes us through her long, nonlinear journey to authorship from writing dark stories as a child (yes, including a second-grade tale about Bambi’s death) to years of self-doubt, trauma, and survival, to finally waking up in her late twenties with characters who would not leave her alone until she wrote them down. She speaks candidly about neurodivergence, therapy, and how mental health has shaped not only her life but the DNA of her stories.
We dive into the gritty realities of the indie path: ghostwriting under exploitative conditions, learning the hard way about marketing, losing money with a hybrid publisher, and ultimately choosing to take full creative control over her career. Kara is honest about what worked, what didn’t, and why resilience — not perfection — is what actually builds a sustainable writing life.
We also sink into the world of Ashes Fall at Dawn and the larger series she’s building: a prophecy-driven, found-family epic full of magical bonds, morally complex villains, hedge mazes, hidden libraries, explosive power, and characters who refuse to be easy or tidy.
🖤 What happens when darkness becomes the very thing that teaches you how to survive?
🔥 How do you build confidence after years of being told you weren’t enough?
✨ And what does it really mean to choose the indie path on your own terms?
This episode is a must-listen for aspiring authors, indie writers, and readers who love messy, powerful, deeply human fantasy.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…
✨ Kara’s early writing roots — from dark childhood stories to years of creative silence and how growing up in a traumatic environment shaped her art.
✨ CPTSD, neurodivergence, and why mental health representation is central to her work.
✨ Why she ultimately chose indie publishing, including a focus on control, timing, and creative ownership.
✨ Why traditional publishing isn’t the “golden ticket” many people think it is.
✨ How Kara built visibility through Instagram and indie community.
✨ The origin of Ashes Fall at Dawn and how it originally started as “book two”.
✨ The long revision process for Cinders Burn at Midnight before it became book one. 
✨ Book Two’s intense, high-stakes weekend structure — gaslighting, stealth, and escape. 
✨ Kara’s vision for the series: four interconnected trilogies about hope and growth
✨ Why “failure” doesn’t exist — only pivots and persistence. 
✨ Advice for aspiring authors, including start now, keep going, and call yourself a writer. 
CONNECT WITH US
🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Kara M. Zone – @karamzone_writes
✨ If this episode left you in awe, 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 craft meets magic, love stories are built with intention, and the stories you dream of writing finally start to take shape. 
This week, hosts Bethany Amanda and Sara Santillan sit down with bestselling author, YouTuber, and writing expert Jenna Moreci to break down one of the most requested topics we’ve ever had on the show: how to actually write a romantasy.
Jenna joins us to celebrate her craft guide How to Write Romantasy, a powerhouse resource designed to help writers structure compelling love stories in fantastical worlds—from characters and plot to spice, pacing, and emotional payoff. In this episode, Jenna shares her journey from writing romantasy long before the genre even had a name to becoming one of its leading voices. She talks about the moment a major publisher reached out to her to write this book (which she almost deleted as spam), her lifelong love of fantasy romance, and why romantasy has always been what readers wanted, even before the industry caught up.
We dive deep into the rules of romantasy, what separates fantasy romance from romantic fantasy, and why so many writers accidentally write a fantasy with a romantic subplot instead of a true romantasy. Jenna walks us through her step-by-step structure for romantasy storytelling, including meet-cutes, inciting incidents, dark nights of the soul, and the concept that changed our brains: the intimacy destination. Along the way, we get candid about over-saturation fears, the pressure to include spice, the truth about trope trends, and how to build a world that supports your romance instead of overshadowing it. 
✨ What makes a romantasy story actually work?
💔 How do you keep romantic tension alive across an entire series?
🔥 And how do you write spice that’s intentional, varied, and emotionally meaningful?
Whether you’re drafting your first romantasy, revising your current manuscript, or just want to understand why your favorite books hit so hard, this episode is a masterclass in both craft and confidence.
🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…
✨ Jenna’s journey from lifelong romantasy fan to bestselling author and craft expert.  
✨ What romantasy actually is and why it has exploded in popularity. 
✨ Why the genre is not “oversaturated” and why there’s room for every author’s voice. 
✨ The core rules of romantasy. 
✨ How to tell if your book is romantasy or just a fantasy with a romantic subplot
✨ The essential romantasy story structure, from meet-cute to climax to resolution.
✨ The concept of an intimacy destination and how it keeps readers hooked across a series. 
✨ How to build a fantasy world that supports your romance without falling into worldbuilder’s disease. 
✨ Tropes Jenna loves (forbidden love!) and ones she hopes evolve (enemies-to-lovers done right). 
✨ How to approach spice, from clean to smut, and why you should only write what fits you and your audience. 
✨ What makes a spice scene memorable vs repetitive (yes, we went there). 
✨ Why variety, emotional purpose, and character growth matter more than explicitness. 
🐦 CONNECT WITH US
🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Jenna Moreci – @JennaMoreci
✨ Enjoyed this episode? Leave a rating & review — it helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors discover The Mythic Mic.