The Mythic Mic Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

Off the Shelf Ep. 2: Are We Buying the Book or the Hype: What Actually Makes Readers Buy Aug 11, 2026

Show notes

Has book marketing become just as important as the book itself?

Welcome to the second episode of Off The Shelf, a new monthly segment where we dive into bookish trends, deep dives, hot takes, and all things fantasy!

In this Off the Shelf episode, Britt, Bethany, and Amara unpack how BookTok, Bookstagram, special editions, influencer hype, preorder culture, and collector FOMO are reshaping the way books are discovered, bought, and even published.

From authors being expected to build platforms before release to readers choosing books based on sprayed edges and character art, the conversation explores where smart marketing ends and the hype machine begins. The group also digs into what authors can actually learn from today’s market, including the value of street teams, smaller influencers, preorder strategy, and finding ways to stand out without chasing every trend.

We’re asking:

Has hype become more important than the story?
What actually makes readers buy a book?
Are special editions helping authors or sometimes hurting them?
What marketing tactics are worth authors’ time and money?

If you’re an author trying to build buzz, a reader drowning in special editions, or simply fascinated by how publishing is changing, this episode is for you.

CONNECT WITH THE MYTHIC MIC TEAM

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
👤 Britt – @BrittBooksit
👤 Amara – @Bored_Military_Wife

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

S.2 Ep. 105: Sirens, Blood Bonds, and a King Ready to Be Ruined: Kalie Cassidy on the Siren Mage Series Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where sirens have wings instead of tails, blood bonds offer dangerous freedom, and some kings are more than willing to be ruined.

This week, host Bethany Amanda and Mythic Mic Rep Teresa sit down with fantasy author Kalie Cassidy to discuss her bestselling Siren Mage series and its highly anticipated second installment.

Kalie shares her journey from professional stage actor and dialect coach to debut novelist, including the seven years she spent teaching herself how to write, revise, and position a novel for traditional publishing. She opens up about landing an agent during romantasy’s rise, and why resilience matters more than any single success in an unpredictable publishing career.

We also dive into the story of Imogen, a winged siren forced to hide in a kingdom that hunts her kind, and Theodore, the neighboring king whose blood bond helps her escape. Kalie discusses Greek mythology, gothic atmosphere, autonomy, belonging, and flipping the traditional siren archetype by creating a man entirely willing to be ruined. She also teases Theodore’s expanded point of view, deeper politics and lore, painful separation, maximum yearning, and the difficult path toward a hard-earned happily ever after in book two.

🪽 What happens when the creature everyone fears is the person who finally makes a king question his crown?
🩸 Can Imogen and Theodore overcome the kingdoms, secrets, and impossible odds keeping them apart?
👑 And what if being ruined by a siren is the first step toward becoming free?

This is a must-listen for romantasy readers, mythology lovers, fans of gothic atmosphere and dangerous heroines, and anyone who believes yearning is enough to earn immediate book-boyfriend status.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Kalie’s career as a stage actor, acting teacher, and dialect coach.
✨ How theater training shaped her character-driven approach to fiction.
✨ Beginning her first novel in a phone notes app while caring for a newborn.
✨ Spending seven years learning how to draft, revise, and understand publishing.
✨ Aging the series from YA to adult romantic fantasy.
✨ Landing an agent and selling quickly as romantasy began its rapid rise.
✨ Why publishing is not a meritocracy and success never guarantees the next success.
✨ Focusing on craft instead of unstable sales, rankings, and moving career goals.
✨ Why resilience is one of the most important qualities an author can possess.
✨ Imogen, a siren hiding in a kingdom determined to destroy her kind.
✨ The blood bond that connects her to Theodore and offers her a chance to escape.
✨ Returning sirens to their winged roots in Greek mythology.
✨ Blending gothic dread, historical romance, and traditional fantasy.
✨ Theodore’s complicated relationship with kingship, duty, and autonomy.
✨ A hero who is completely willing to be ruined by the woman he loves.
✨ Adding Theodore’s point of view as the world, politics, and mythology expand.
✨ Sustaining romantic tension through separation, impossibility, and maximum pain.
✨ The pressure of writing a sequel under contract and on a shortened deadline.
✨ Kalie’s Frankenstein and The Nightmare Before Christmas-inspired next project.
✨ Dark fairy tales, pathetic yearning men, therapy bills, and rapid-fire chaos.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Kalie Cassidy – @KalieCassidyBooks

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

S.2 Ep. 104: A Corpse Bride Romantasy with a Masked Knight: A.R. Schilling on Not Another Happily Ever After Aug 07, 2026

Show notes

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where fairy tales are twisted, curses linger for generations, and sometimes the greatest act of rebellion is choosing kindness.

This week, host Bethany Amanda sits down with fantasy author A.R. Schilling to discuss Not Another Happily Ever After, a hauntingly beautiful fairy tale inspired by Corpse Bride, Tim Burton, classic folklore, and every happily-ever-after you've ever been told to expect.

A.R. shares her unique journey from wildlife conservation to writing fiction, why she intentionally writes stories that celebrate the beauty of our own world, and the publishing lessons she learned after a difficult debut. We also have an incredibly candid conversation about protecting your work, overcoming setbacks, and why perseverance matters far more than perfection.

Then we dive into the unforgettable world of Not Another Happily Ever After. Meet Sunday, a princess whose body has been sacrificed piece by piece to satisfy an ancient curse, yet somehow refuses to die. Sent to marry the prince she despises to save her kingdom, she instead embarks on a dangerous journey through a cursed fairy tale world alongside Frog, a painfully shy masked knight hiding far more than his face.

Filled with ghostly companions, enchanted forests, deadly rose mazes, quirky dragons, fairy tale kingdoms, heartbreaking found family, and one of the most charming casts of characters we've seen all year, this story blends whimsical adventure with emotional depth in all the best ways.

🖤 What if happily ever after was never the ending?
🌹 Can kindness break a curse that sacrifice never could?
✨ And what happens when the knight beneath the mask is hiding the one truth that could change everything?

If you love fractured fairy tales, unforgettable romance, Tim Burton aesthetics, whimsical magic, and stories that make you laugh, cry, and immediately need book two, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

✨ A.R.'s journey from wildlife conservation and journalism to becoming a fantasy author.
✨ Why she writes stories that encourage readers to rediscover the beauty of the real world through fiction.
✨ The lessons she learned from her debut, navigating publishing setbacks, and why perseverance matters more than immediate success.
✨ Protecting your work as an author—from finding trustworthy collaborators to overcoming plagiarism and publishing scams.
✨ Building a career across multiple genres and why ADHD has become one of her greatest creative strengths.
✨ Designing the stunning Tim Burton-inspired cover and hiding story clues and symbolism throughout the artwork.
✨ Creating Sunday, a heroine who has literally sacrificed pieces of herself for her kingdom while refusing to lose her compassion.
✨ The heartbreaking romance between Sunday and Frog, the painfully shy masked knight whose greatest secret could change everything.
✨ Building a fairy tale world full of cursed forests, enchanted kingdoms, ghostly companions, quirky dragons, deadly rose mazes, and unforgettable magical creatures.
✨ Why found family, kindness, hope, and seeing beauty in broken places became the emotional heart of the novel.
✨ What's next for Sunday, Frog, and the fairy tale world waiting in Book Two.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 A.R. Schilling – @a.r.schilling

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

S.2 Ep. 103: Lily Crozier on Vow of Eternal Night Author Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Lily Crozier – @LilyCantStopReading

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

S.2 Ep. 102: The Final Chapters of Nyaxia Begin: Carissa Broadbent on The Lion and the Deathless Dark Aug 05, 2026

Show notes

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where gods wage war, morally gray heroes steal the spotlight, and every choice comes with a price.

This week, host Bethany Amanda sits down with #1 New York Times bestselling author Carissa Broadbent to celebrate The Lion and the Deathless Dark, the highly anticipated continuation of the Crowns of Nyaxia saga.

Carissa opens up about her remarkable publishing journey from self-publishing books that sold just a handful of copies to building one of fantasy's biggest indie success stories before becoming a bestselling hybrid author. We discuss the realities of indie publishing, the pressure of traditional publishing, why slow career growth can be a strength, and the lessons she wishes every aspiring author knew before publishing their debut.

Then we dive deep into The Lion and the Deathless Dark, where readers return to Nyaxia a decade after the events of The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk. The world is at war. The gods are no longer distant figures but active players reshaping civilization. And one of the series' most infamous antagonists—Septimus—finally steps into the role of romantic lead alongside the fierce, sword-wielding bounty hunter Kyrene.

We explore why Carissa always planned for Septimus to have his own story, how she approached writing a romance between two deeply morally compromised characters, what it means to rebuild a fantasy world ten years after everything changed, and why every book she writes begins with a question she's trying to answer herself.

⚔️ What happens when the villain becomes the hero of his own story?
🩸 Can two morally gray people ever become the heroes their world needs?
🌑 And what if saving the world means questioning everything you believed about justice, power, and redemption?

Whether you're a longtime Crowns of Nyaxia fan or discovering Carissa's books for the first time, this episode is packed with behind-the-scenes insights, publishing wisdom, and an unforgettable look inside one of romantasy's biggest worlds.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

✨ Carissa's journey from writing stories online as a teenager to becoming a bestselling hybrid author.
✨ Why she chose self-publishing first, how she built a full-time writing career, and the reality behind "overnight success."
✨ The surprising story behind Daughter of No Worlds, including its slow-burn launch and why selling just 40 copies in its first month didn't stop it from changing her life.
✨ Practical advice for aspiring authors on finishing books.
✨ How the Crowns of Nyaxia universe grew into an interconnected eight-book saga spanning multiple vampire houses, gods, timelines, and romances.
✨ Returning to Nyaxia ten years later and completely reshaping the world through war, evolving magic systems, and shifting political alliances.
✨ Why Septimus was always destined to become a romantic lead and why Carissa believes readers have misunderstood him from the very beginning.
✨ Building the dynamic between Septimus and Kyrene, two characters who both see themselves as morally compromised and question whether they're worthy of love or redemption.
✨ Carissa's philosophy that every novel begins with a question she's personally trying to answer, from hope during impossible times to whether anyone can truly become a hero.
✨ The challenges of balancing multiple POV characters, interconnected duologies, and standalone novels while bringing an enormous fantasy universe toward its conclusion.
✨ What's next after Crowns of Nyaxia and why Carissa already has an entirely new fantasy world waiting to be explored.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Carissa Broadbent – @CarissaBroadbentBooks

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

S.2 Ep. 101: Dreams, Darkness, and a Masked Shadowbringer: Logan Karlie on Dream by the Shadows Aug 04, 2026

Show notes

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where dreams can devour your soul, villains hide behind crumbling masks, and falling asleep may be the most dangerous thing you do.

This week, hosts Bethany Amanda and Sara Santillan sit down with fantasy author Logan Karlie to discuss the Shadow Weavers Duology, including Dream by the Shadows and its highly anticipated finale, Cursed by the Dawn!

Logan shares her journey from high school English teacher and lifelong perfectionist to indie author and traditionally published success. She opens up about writing chapters late at night while teaching and raising two young children, refusing to give up on the story she had carried since high school, and why there is no countdown clock on achieving your dreams.

We also dive into Dream by the Shadows, where Esmer enters a haunted dream world to avenge her family and becomes trapped with the Shadowbringer, the masked Prince of Darkness blamed for cursing her kingdom. Logan discusses soul-devouring dreams, forced proximity, fractured masks, and the Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera, and Labyrinth inspirations behind the series. She also teases escalating trials, dream gods, devastating twists, and a world-ending race against time in Cursed by the Dawn.

🌙 What happens when the villain you were taught to fear is the only person who can help save your kingdom?
🖤 Can Esmer and the Shadowbringer escape the dream world before it claims their souls?
🎭 And what truth is waiting beneath the mask?

This is a must-listen for dark fantasy readers, lovers of haunted castles and masked love interests, Beauty and the Beast fans, and anyone who wants romance tangled with horror, mystery, and dangerous dreams.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Logan’s journey from English teacher to full-time fantasy author.
✨ Overcoming perfectionism and the fear of sharing your writing.
✨ Why there is no deadline for achieving your creative dreams.
✨ Self-publishing Dream by the Shadows after a year of querying.
✨ How social media led to an agent and major UK and US publishing deals.
✨ Leaving teaching after receiving an offer from her dream publisher.
✨ Esmer, the Shadowbringer, and a kingdom where dreams can consume your soul.
✨ The real dream that inspired the masked Prince of Darkness.
✨ Transforming the story from a contemporary portal fantasy into a haunted secondary world.
✨ Blending romance, horror, mystery, and hopeful YA storytelling.
✨ Beauty and the Beast, Phantom of the Opera, and Labyrinth influences.
✨ Forced proximity, enemies-to-allies tension, and the appeal of a mysterious mask.
✨ Trials, dream gods, higher stakes, and the end of the world in Cursed by the Dawn.
✨ Why book two contains more romance, action, twists, and emotional devastation.
✨ Logan’s upcoming vampire standalone and its dangerous love triangle.
✨ Favorite characters, perfect plot-twist placement, masked men, and rapid-fire chaos.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Logan Karlie – @AuthorLoganKarlie

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

S.2 Ep. 100: Dancers, Deception, and Death Magic: Brittney Arena on A Dance of Lies Aug 03, 2026

Show notes

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where royal bargains come with deadly consequences, dancers make unexpectedly brilliant spies, and the most dangerous person at court may also be the one holding your heart.

This week, host Bethany Amanda and Mythic Mic Team Member Britt sit down with bestselling fantasy author Brittney Arena to discuss her debut novel, A Dance of Lies, and its highly anticipated sequel, To Dance with Death.

Brittney shares how reading and writing helped her survive two years of being bedbound with undiagnosed chronic illnesses, and how that experience inspired Vasalie, a former royal dancer whose body no longer works as it once did. She also opens up about writing chronically ill heroines who are allowed to be clever, flawed, romantic, and centered in sweeping fantasy adventures rather than reduced to stories of pity or inspiration.

We also dive into Vasalie’s transformation from the king’s prized dancer to his imprisoned enemy, and the deadly bargain that forces her to become his spy. Brittney discusses political intrigue, morally complicated choices, multiple potential love interests, and the agonizing slow burn at the heart of the duology. She also teases the underworld, death magic, second-chance romance, and emotional healing awaiting readers in To Dance with Death.

💃 What happens when the king who destroyed your life becomes your only path to freedom?
🗡️ Can a dancer survive a royal court where everyone is hiding something?
🖤 And what if the person you are destined to love is the one you initially trust the least?

This is a must-listen for fantasy romance readers, lovers of political intrigue, chronic illness and disability representation, agonizing slow burns, and stories that break your heart before carefully putting it back together.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ How chronic illness and two years of being bedbound led Brittney back to books, and how A Dance of Lies was part of her grief and healing process.
✨ Creating a chronically ill heroine who survives through intelligence, artistry, and determination.
✨ Why disabled characters deserve adventure, romance, whimsy, and morally complicated choices.
✨ Brittney’s love of drafting and allowing characters to disrupt her carefully planned stories.
✨ Spending two years on submission before the book finally found its publishing home.
✨ How FairyLoot interest sparked UK and US publishing auctions.
✨ Vasalie’s journey from royal dancer and prisoner to reluctant spy.
✨ Murder accusations, deadly bargains, political schemes, and dangerous betrayals.
✨ Multiple love interests and discovering the true romantic direction while drafting.
✨ The willow-tree scene that changed everything.
✨ Why To Dance with Death places romance at the center of the story.
✨ Hate-to-love banter, second chances, yearning, waterfalls, and an earned love story.
✨ Exploring the underworld, death magic, and whether the gods are real.
✨ Brittney’s upcoming dream-world romantasy, Prince of Night.
✨ Unhinged love interests, K-dramas, impossible book questions, and rapid-fire chaos.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Brittney Arena – @Brittney.Arena

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

S.2 Ep. 99: Bloom, Blood, and a Murdered Other Self: Eva Chase on Bloom and Blood Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where alternate realities hide deadly secrets, skin-to-skin contact can unleash dangerous magic, and sometimes the murder you are solving is your own.

This week, host Bethany Amanda and Mythic Mic Team Member Amara sit down with bestselling indie fantasy romance author Eva Chase to discuss her newest why-choose urban fantasy, Bloom and Blood!

Eva shares her journey from telling stories before she could write to building a decade-long indie publishing career. She opens up about writing four to five books each year, choosing which ideas are ready to become full series, and why connecting with the right readers matters more than trying to create a book everyone will love.

We also dive into Bloom and Blood, where struggling outcast Elodie is pulled into a parallel reality and forced to impersonate her wealthy, privileged other self—who has just been murdered. To uncover the truth, she must survive a brutal magic academy, investigate her own death, and avoid four men who do not realize they are her fated mates. Eva discusses the alternate-universe inspiration behind the story, the dangerous magic activated through fated-mate bonds, and why everyone at the academy wears gloves to prevent accidental skin-to-skin contact. She also teases deeper mysteries, growing relationships, and more alternate realities to come.

🩸 What happens when the murder you are investigating is your own?
✨ Can you become someone new without escaping the choices of your past?
🧤 And how do you avoid your fated mates when one touch could change everything?

This is a must-listen for why-choose romance readers, magic-academy fans, murder-mystery lovers, and anyone obsessed with parallel universes, second chances, and dangerously complicated bonds.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Eva’s decade-long indie publishing career and lifelong love of storytelling.
✨ Why "why choose" is a relationship structure rather than a genre.
✨ Creating different heroes and found-family dynamics within one romance.
✨ Writing four to five books each year while avoiding burnout.
✨ Letting go of perfectionism and focusing on the emotions readers remember.
✨ Elodie’s journey into a parallel reality where her other self has been murdered.
✨ Academy rivals, a magical-mafia heir, a resentful professor, and a lost best friend.
✨ Fated-mate bonds activated through skin-to-skin contact.
✨ Gloves, graduation balls, and dangerous magical powers known as glims.
✨ Second chances, identity, past mistakes, and whether fate can be changed.
✨ What readers can expect from the expanding mystery in book two.
✨ Eva’s ideal harem size, supernatural research, special editions, and rapid-fire chaos.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Eva Chase – @AuthorEvaChase

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

S.2 Ep. 98: The Reverse Harem, Why Choose Romantasy With Deadly Cinnamon Rolls and Dark Academia Vibes: Morgan B. Lee on Blood Oath Jul 31, 2026

Show notes

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where fated mates are complicated, monster legacies come with curses, and sometimes rejecting four powerful men only makes them more obsessed.

This week, hosts Bethany Amanda and Sara Santillan are joined by team member Amara for a wildly fun conversation with author Morgan B. Lee about Blood Oath, the first book in the Cursed Legacies series, a why choose paranormal academy romance filled with monster descendants, fated bonds, secret missions, deadly cinnamon rolls, and one heroine determined not to fall for the men the gods chose for her.

Morgan shares her journey as a lifelong writer, from writing stories as a kid to publishing under a pen name, stepping away after a brutal review, and eventually returning with the spite, resilience, and determination that helped Blood Oath become a reader-favorite series. She opens up about failure, bad reviews, imposter syndrome, special editions, and why publishing your book is survivable even when the fear feels huge.

The conversation also dives into Everbound University, where descendants of monsters train, form bonds, and work to break the curses placed on them by the gods. When Maven arrives with a secret mission and every intention of staying invisible, the gods match her with the four most powerful men at the school. Her solution? Reject them. Their solution? Become even more obsessed.

🖤 What happens when a black cat heroine rejects the bond the gods chose for her?
🔥 Can four powerful men who barely get along work together for the woman they all need?
💀 And why is everyone obsessed with the nightmare prince who gives finger bouquets?

Whether you love why choose romance, paranormal academies, fated mates, monster descendants, obsessed men, dark humor, rejected bonds, or morally questionable fictional stalking, this episode is packed with chaos, honesty, and so many reasons to start Blood Oath.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Morgan’s lifelong love of writing and storytelling.
✨ Publishing under a pen name, facing a devastating review, and finding the courage to write again.
✨ Why bad reviews are survivable and why every beloved book has critics.
✨ Going from a difficult publishing experience to a bestselling why choose series.
✨ Morgan’s advice for writers, including keeping lists of ideas that spark excitement.
✨ Blood Oath, Everbound University, and the Cursed Legacies series.
✨ Monster descendants, divine curses, fated mates, and rejected bonds.
✨ Maven’s secret mission and why she cannot afford to be matched with the school’s most powerful men.
✨ Why Crypt became the fan favorite nightmare prince.
✨ Writing obsessed men, stalkery fictional romance, and why it works in fantasy.
✨ Character dynamics, black cat FMC energy, and men who need her even when she rejects them.
✨ Writing non-linearly, cutting slow scenes, and rewriting beginnings again and again.
✨ Reader expectations, bold DMs, and why not all happily ever afters need to look the same.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Morgan B. Lee – @Miss_Morgan__Author

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

S.2 Ep. 97: Spicy Casper, Stolen Souls, and Sequel Chaos: Cortney Winn on Vesselless Jul 29, 2026

Show notes

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where murdered kings make dangerously charming love interests, magical bonds come with deadly consequences, and the ghost haunting you may also be trying to steal your soul.

This week, host Bethany Amanda and Mythic Mic rep Teresa Diaz sit down with Cortney L. Winn, author of the bestselling fantasy romance Vesselless and its highly anticipated sequel, Merciless.

Cortney takes us behind the scenes of her extraordinary journey from writing her first novel as part of a personal bucket-list challenge to unexpectedly publishing Vesselless on Kindle Unlimited and landing a traditional publishing deal with Harper Voyager only seven months later. She opens up about the bizarre circumstances that pushed her to publish before she was ready, how strong reader support attracted foreign publishing interest, and why indie authors are transforming the traditional publishing landscape.

We also dive into the gloriously original premise behind Vesselless: a reluctant heiress who can see spirits, a murdered king trapped between life and death, and a magical bond that turns the creature granting her power into her dangerous and devastatingly charming love interest.

Cortney reveals why she describes the book as “spicy Casper,” how Fourth Wing helped inspire her spirit-bond magic system, and why the entire series was constructed around one pivotal sacrifice at the end of book one. She also teases a darker, twist-filled sequel that begins the instant Vesselless ends, and apparently leaves no reader’s predictions, emotions, or hairline intact.

👻 What happens when the ghost sent to steal your soul becomes the person you cannot let go?
👑 Can an heiress trust the murdered king whose throne was stolen by her own father?
🖤 And what if the greatest heroes really do have a little darkness inside them?

This is a must-listen for fantasy romance readers, ghost-boyfriend enthusiasts, aspiring authors, special-edition collectors, and anyone desperate to know what comes next after the ending of Vesselless.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Cortney’s journey from serial hobby collector to bestselling fantasy romance author.
✨ How a bucket-list challenge (and one very specific Google search) led her to write her first novel.
✨ Publishing Vesselless on Kindle Unlimited with almost no launch preparation.
✨ The unexpected path from indie publishing to a Harper Voyager book deal.
✨ How foreign-rights interest helped Cortney find her literary agent.
✨ Why indie authors are changing traditional publishing expectations and negotiations.
✨ Working with book boxes and the special editions readers have gone feral over.
✨ Cortney’s advice for aspiring authors on consistency, self-belief, and becoming comfortable with discomfort.
✨ Writing at four in the morning while balancing school, motherhood, wedding cakes, and a newborn.
✨ The inspiration behind Vesselless and its spirit-bond magic system.
✨ Why ghosts won out over zombies as Cortney’s supernatural love interest of choice.
✨ What readers can expect from the darker and more unpredictable Merciless.
✨ Why Cortney describes book two as one enormous plot twist.
✨ Ghost beliefs, delayed banter comebacks, tattoo-worthy quotes, and rapid-fire chaos.

Plus, Bethany and Teresa reveal an upcoming giveaway with Moonlight Book Box featuring its highly coveted special edition of Vesselless. So keep an eye on The Mythic Mic Podcast’s social media pages for details!

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Cortney Winn – @CortneyLWinn

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

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