Realm Runners

Pete has been dying to get Jesse Aragon on the show since he saw the cover of Demon Star back in January, and six months later the wait pays off. Jesse is a science fantasy author and full-time nurse whose debut, out July 28 from DAW, follows an exorcist and a demon-possessed warrior on a god-ruled, ruined planet, where the woman's son is chosen to become the vessel of a god-killing demon.

We get into how that cover came together, down to Jesse sketching stick-figure poses on a work schedule and sending it to the artist as reference. Jesse walks through the wild road to this book: querying at 19, a shelved 180,000-word novel that died on submission, a second agent, and a leaner 109,000-word manuscript that DAW then asked to expand by 20 to 30 percent. We talk about writing morally compromised leads without losing reader investment, the deliberate choice to let a queer relationship be as messy and "problematic" as any straight one in the genre, and how years working trauma and emergency medicine feed directly into how Jesse writes violence: ugly, consequential, never just cool.

Plus the exorcism horror movies and a half-remembered X-Files episode about a parasitic worm cult that Jesse didn't realize had shaped the whole book until a rewatch last year, the no-context text that delivered a Pierce Brown blurb, a second blurb from Rebecca Roanhorse that arrived the same way, and the advice Jesse has for anyone still years out from a book deal: the work still counts even when nobody's watching.

Demon Star releases July 28 from DAW. Book two, a standalone set in the same universe, is already in progress.

Instagram: @jva_writes

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0:00 — Intro and welcome to episode eleven with Jesse Aragon
1:02 — Jesse introduces Demon Star, out July 28
4:39 — The cover: working with artist Kieran Yanner and the stick-figure pose sketch
7:42 — Commissioning character art before the book deal even existed
10:20 — What DAW let Jesse do: expanding from a lean 109K to a longer, fuller book
12:16 — Writing flashbacks that don't break immersion
17:00 — Writing morally compromised leads without losing the reader
20:04 — Committing to an unlikable character instead of softening her
22:32 — How ER and nursing work shaped writing injury and trauma
26:52 — Why violence should hurt on the page, not just look cool
27:48 — Getting blurbed by Pierce Brown with zero context
31:31 — Messy, complicated relationships and "problematic" queer representation
35:26 — The horror side: exorcism movies, bugs, and a childhood love of possession stories
38:06 — The X-Files parasite-cult episode that quietly inspired the whole book
42:06 — Advice for aspiring authors: querying at 19, a book deal at 30
49:38 — Book two: a standalone set in the same universe
53:03 — What's surprised Jesse about early reader reactions
59:15 — Where to find Jesse and wrap-up

Gemma Vale discusses her debut novel 'Daughter of the Night' and her unique writing process, self-editing, and immersive marketing strategies. She also shares insights on her social media journey and the challenges of self-publishing. We cover Gemma Vale's writing process, the unique aspects of her editing style, the inspiration behind her book's shadows as characters, and the psychological horror elements of her upcoming work. Gemma also discusses her decision to self-publish and her approach to character perspectives in her writing.

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Connect with Gemma https://www.instagram.com/author.gemmavale/
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Chapters

• 00:00 Immersive Marketing Strategies
• 30:14 Inspiration from Stephen King and Editing Style
• 31:10 Unique Editing Process and Self-Publishing Decision
• 32:27 Shadows as Characters in the Book
• 33:31 Psychological Horror Elements and Character Perspectives

Fantasy Romance Month wraps up as Caty Rogan joins Devin and Pete to talk Kissed by the Gods, her recent traditional release with Requited and the first book in the Eternal Wars series. Caty writes feminine rage, winged war horses, and epic battles, and she made a believer out of Pete, a lifelong classic-fantasy reader who connected with this one harder than anything else in the genre lately.

We get into the world her husband stress-tested down to the population math, why language "rules" in fantasy are mostly made up, and the Star Wars DNA running under the whole series. Caty cops to Riot and Lena being her grown-up Anakin and Ahsoka fix-it fic, walks through Lena's training arc as someone who already had the badass part and had to learn how not to kill people, and lands on the line that took a few drafts to earn... found and furious.

Plus the pantser problem of fantasy, characters who refuse to do what you plotted, why duet audio is the only way, epigraphs she now regrets making this good, and the side couple that came to her the easiest. She also drops a strong rec on the way out.

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Connect with Caty https://www.instagram.com/catyrogan/

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome and introduction to Katie Rogan

02:00 - Katie’s background in fantasy and transition into romance

05:00 - Making characters emotionally real and side characters memorable

10:00 - Worldbuilding: Landmass, population, and logistics

15:00 - Writing spicy scenes and audiobook experiences

20:00 - Social media's role in publishing success

25:00 - Developing her next project with a focus on character growth

30:00 - Indie versus traditional publishing: benefits and industry shifts

35:00 - Parenting, deadlines, and balancing creative life

40:00 - Audience questions on favorite quotes, reader reactions, and favorite reads

50:00 - Final book recommendations and upcoming projects

58:00 - Closing thoughts and thank you to Katie Rogan

Fantasy Romance Month continues as Stacia Stark joins to break down We Who Will Die, the ancient Rome-inspired romantasy she originally pitched as gladiator meets Vampire Diaries. Stacia went indie first, built her readership on the Kingdom of Lies series, and We Who Will Die is her first fully trad book, sold to Avon as a trilogy off a few chapters and a synopsis.

We get into why this is a book with trials and not a trials book, how Arvell's binding vow to kill the emperor in the first chapter gave Stacia a huge amount of rope to write into, and why a Taylor Jenkins Reed tennis novel quietly inspired one of the best training arcs in the genre. Stacia explains how she wrote real slow burn instead of miscommunication wearing a slow-burn costume, and walks through the sigil magic system where your power is literally stamped on your forehead, and a book two release date update you heard here first.

A heads up: there are a couple of light first-chapter setups discussed, all flagged in the moment.

NY Times and USA today best selling author Stacey McEwan joins Devin and Pete to kick off Fantasy Romance Month on Realm Runners, and it's a full hour of craft, chaos, and chicken-flavored chips. Stacey is the bestselling author of A Forbidden Alchemy (Peaky Blinders with magic) part of The Artisan series, published by Saga Press. She breaks down how the book came together from a genuinely unhinged first draft (dark academia war fiction steampunk romantasy was a real pitch), why she almost miscommunication-trapped herself into a corner, what it's actually like to get editor notes back when your entire brain is on the page, and where book three stands right now.

A Forsaken Prophecy releases July 14 (AU/UK) and July 21 (US). Tour dates coming soon.

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Connect with Stacey

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Chapters:

0:00 — Intro and Fantasy Romance Month

1:30 — How Devin ended up with a signed copy of Ledge

4:00 — Why Patrick works for readers regardless of gender

7:30 — What makes romance land vs. what makes it die

10:00 — Writing Nina's silence without it being a miscommunication cop-out

13:30 — How the book actually came together: dark academia + war docs + nan's bodice rippers

16:30 — The school arc that became its own book and then got cut

18:45 — The editor notes reel: what it looks like on the outside vs. what it feels like on the inside

21:15 — Coles vs. Woolies

23:00 — Chicken-flavored chips and the cultural divide

26:45 — Balancing writing, mothering, and touring (and the bargain she made with herself)

31:20 — How teaching shaped her storytelling instincts

35:00 — Student plot twists, reader DMs, and Raven Kennedy's lawyers

37:00 — A Forsaken Prophecy updates and why book two was an absolute pain to write

39:15 — AFV: the book three title tease

41:00 — The Kindle highlights that surprised her

43:15 — Readers obsessing over an air charmer that isn't coming

45:30 — The gaslight fantasy world and how ANZAC tunnelers inspired the magic system

49:30 — Writing real sibling dynamics (Patrick's brothers and the banter)

52:00 — Tour dates, wrap-up, and the Stacia Stark teaser for next week

Thomas Clark Schecter joins Realm Runners to talk about The Shieldbreaker Saga, his epic dark fantasy series following 19-year-old Kareva as he leads the last of the Hodrir against the seemingly unstoppable Pohyor. Described by readers as the fantasy equivalent of 300, with the heart of Bernard Cornwell and the brutality of Abercrombie, The Shieldbreaker: Book One – The Last of the Etela is a lean, visceral, and emotionally devastating debut that proves you don't need 800 pages to build a world worth dying in.

Tom breaks down how his background as an educator and history enthusiast shaped the tribal cultures, naming conventions, and military tactics in the book, why he opened with an epilogue that tells you the ending from page one (and why that was the right call), how his multi-POV battle sequences were designed to make readers feel the tide of war shift in real time, and where the Shieldbreaker Saga goes from here.

📖 The Shieldbreaker, Book One: The Last of the Etela → https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236990876

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Connect with Thomas Schecter → https://ShieldbreakerSaga.com

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00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction

02:28 Book Cover Design and Aesthetic Choices

05:24 The Writing Process and Series Development

08:21 Influences and Inspirations for the Story

11:07 Narrative Structure and Epilogue Discussion

13:55 Character Development and Motivations

16:42 Historical Context and Research

19:23 Writing Style and POV Techniques

22:14 Final Thoughts and Future Works

31:40 Building Epic Battles and Character Depth

33:36 The Emotional Impact of Character Connections

35:44 Character-Driven Worldbuilding in Fantasy

38:20 The Challenge of Expanding a Fantasy Universe

40:25 Creating Rhythm and Pacing in Storytelling

44:49 Themes of Identity in Times of Crisis

47:11 Escapism vs. Realism in Fantasy Literature

50:26 The Future of the Shield Breaker Saga

C. William Phillips (https://www.instagram.com/words_with_will) spent 14 years writing his debut, a crime thriller that reads like Breaking Bad and The Sopranos writers got into a fistfight in a parking lot and bleed all over the pages. Then he pivoted to epic fantasy and somehow made that look easy too.

In this episode, Will breaks down the wild journey from What Blood Remembers to The Ash Remains, including how unemployment finally forced him to finish a book he'd been carrying since he was 18, why he's a proud pantser which led to adding his best character (Sen) completely by accident, and how he built a dragon bond system that actually costs something.

We also get into: why Will writes unapologetically even when beta readers tell him he'll lose people, what the Malazan book club and The Crippled Pod(https://open.spotify.com/show/1UDpA2dZNhRY0ay3Md4XVY) did to his TBR, and why epic fantasy always felt like home even when he was writing neo-Western crime fiction.

Pre-order The Ash Remains (ebook $5 before release): https://amzn.to/43aZTHK *

Find Will on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/words_with_will

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0:00 - Introduction

3:18 - Writing What Blood Remembers for 14 Years

6:50 - Why Unemployment Finished the Book

10:05 - Sprayed Edges & Indie Publishing with Mayor Golden Bookshelf

12:30 - Pivoting to Epic Fantasy with The Ash Remains

15:30 - Character Work Across Both Books

16:20 - Pantser vs. Plotter (He Pantsed Sen Entirely)

19:30 - Does He Know How the Series Ends?

21:00 - Book Length & Chapter Structure

27:20 - Chapter Formatting & the Malazan Influence

30:50 - What Makes These Dragons Different

34:10 - The Dragon Bond Training Room (No Spoilers)

36:40 - Working on Book Two

39:00 - Future Projects: Space Opera, Short Stories & a What Blood Remembers Novella

41:10 - The Malazan Book Club Podcast Origin Story

46:00 - What Malazan Did to His TBR

50:00 - Writing Unapologetically (Even When Beta Readers Push Back)

55:00 - Action Scenes & Accessibility in Epic Fantasy

1:08:00 - Sen's Book Two Scoop

1:11:30 - Closing & Where to Find Will

#realmrunners #bookpodcast #epicfantasy #indieauthor #fantasyauthors #dragonriders #writingcommunity

*Disclaimer: Affiliate links support Realm Runners at no extra cost to you

Most authors talk about writing. Jackson Ford (https://www.instagram.com/realjacksonford) proves it’s about living. In this episode, Jackson shares the real story behind his groundbreaking series The Bone Raiders, including how he dove headfirst into Mongolian culture, defying stereotypes to create a richly authentic world, nothing like the typical fantasy setting. You’ll discover the surprising reasons he chose to focus on female characters, why empathy guides his storytelling, and how to craft relationships that don’t just entertain but emotionally wreck your readers in the best way.

We break down Jackson’s unconventional approach to world-building, revealing how he uses "what if" questions instead of tropes to naturally develop compelling characters and settings. Plus, how his background in journalism fuels his obsession with getting details right, and why he believes every writer has a responsibility to portray diverse perspectives authentically.

Whether you’re an aspiring author or avid reader this episode unlocks the secret to genuine storytelling: one rooted in respect, research, and raw emotion. Perfect for anyone ready to challenge conventions, elevate their craft, or understand the mind of a storyteller who refuses to follow the crowd.

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0:00 - Introduction
3:18 - Release Day Experience
5:19 - The Broken Binding
7:13 - Transition to Fantasy
13:24 - World-Building Approach
20:14 - Writing Female Characters
32:15 - Mentorship Program
38:08 - The Business of Publishing
49:31 - Upcoming Projects
54:15 - Personal Stories
1:00:04 - Closing Remarks

#realmrunners #bookpodcast #indiefantasy #debutauthor #fantasyauthors #writingcommunity

Aaron Hall joins Pete and Devin to close out April, and this conversation goes everywhere. We dig into what makes The Legend of Uh work and hint, it's not just the jokes! We also talk about how a personal pizza video accidentally launched a social media explosion, why parody fantasy fails when it's all gag and no emotional core, and whether Aaron's next project should be a sci-fi parody or a grimdark political epic fantasy.

He also teases a caveman cookbook that somehow has a fantasy adventure threaded through it, drops some thoughts on Brandon Sanderson's underground lair, and talks about what it actually feels like to go from nobody to getting recognized at a bookstore.

The Second Legend of U is available for preorder and released on 4/27! Check out everything from Aaron at https://aaronnhall.com/ !

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Chapters:
(00:00) - Intro and reflections on April’s achievements
(01:19) - Aaron’s praise for indie author community and "The Legend of" series
(02:37) - Discussing "The Legend of Up" and its humor
(04:07) - Brandon Sanderson’s prolific writing and book size
(04:58) - Brandon’s resources and underground home tour
(05:37) - The wealth of successful authors and their real lives
(06:48) - Indie marketing challenges and successes
(08:10) - Building an author brand with social content
(10:44) - The balancing act of parody and meaningful storytelling
(12:19) - Flipping stereotypes for emotional depth
(13:55) - The unexpected popularity of side characters
(15:47) - Impactful character moments and connection with readers
(16:32) - Making audiobooks available for free on YouTube
(17:43) - The reasoning behind YouTube audiobook strategy
(19:03) - Challenges with Spotify and other platforms
(21:07) - The importance of quick editing for social media
(32:28) - Insights into attention span and short-form content
(33:17) - The value of rapid shifts in social videos
(34:37) - Content planning and engagement strategies
(39:31) - Future projects including sci-fi, prequels, and series ideas
(44:39) - Debating themes of lighthearted versus grimdark stories
(45:49) - Creating a trilogy structure with thematic covers
(47:03) - The rise of especially popular genres like sci-fi and romance
(50:18) - Challenges in genre switching and audience expectations
(52:21) - Parodies in romance and sci-fi with humorous concepts
(66:31) - Viral videos: the power of one hit to transform an author’s following
(67:23) - The thrill and humbling reality of reader recognition
(68:04) - Connecting authentically with fans and meeting influential authors
(69:03) - Final thoughts and the excitement of future projects


#realmrunners #bookpodcast #indiefantasy #debutauthor #fantasyauthors #writingcommunity

Audrey DeBoer has been living with this story since she was a teenager. What started as a school assignment became Vispilio, a Robin Hood reimagining that reads less like a fairy tale and more like Game of Thrones with a bow and arrow. Lost princes, political betrayal, morally complicated characters who never act like you'd expect. This is the kind of indie book that makes you wonder how it doesn't have a hundred thousand readers yet.

In this episode, Devin and Pete sit down with Audrey to talk about what it actually takes to carry a story for over a decade and finally put it in the world. The craft decisions, the indie publishing reality, and what's coming next. Militis, book two in the series, is on the horizon, and Audrey gives us a look at where Southborn goes from here.

If you've been sleeping on Vispilio, this is your sign to go pick this up!

Follow Audrey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/audebo96/

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction and episode overview

02:40 - Elevator pitch for "Vespiglio" and its thematic influences

03:43 - Robin Hood reimagining and political intrigue

04:54 - The importance of marketing and audiobooks in indie publishing

06:36 - Building complex characters and balancing narration perspectives

11:03 - Overcoming unexpected obstacles of indie publishing

13:28 - The power of community and IndieBookstagram for promotion

16:20 - Local events and creative marketing ideas

17:30 - The significance of audiobooks and distribution channels

21:12 - How character motivations and backgrounds shape storytelling

22:13 - Incorporating subtle twists and maintaining freshness in Robin Hood reinterpretations

26:04 - Character analysis: Morally gray and morally complex figures

27:24 - Exploring themes of destiny, trauma, and war through main characters

33:15 - The role of themes and editor input in character development

37:23 - Adelaide's role as a strategic, impactful secondary character

41:08 - The choice of using amnesia as a plot device and inspirations from history

43:39 - Effectiveness of dream sequences and visceral worldbuilding

46:23 - Multiple POV storytelling and balancing action with introspection

50:02 - Crafting compelling villains with depth, specifically Tanner

53:22 - Sneak peek into "Miletus" and future series plans

57:18 - Series scope: trilogy or beyond and world expansion

58:51 - Final thoughts, connecting with Audrey, and upcoming releases

59:41 - Closing remarks and appreciation for listeners

Subscribe on YouTube: ⁨@realm_runners⁩

#realmrunners #bookpodcast #indiefantasy #debutauthor #fantasyauthors #writingcommunity