What makes a character feel real? In this episode of From the Author’s Chair, we chat about the little things that add up to big emotional depth in storytelling—like hobbies, quirks, and real-life flaws.

I talk about why your characters need lives before the plot starts, and how allergies, nervous habits, and sleepwalking belong in fantasy just as much as swords and spells do.

The reading today is Chapter 8 of Origin Curse—where Yoshiko works undercover on low-level supply duties while Asumi spies about the palace, all while watching her mother spiral into dangerous recklessness. For the first time, Yoshiko decides to step in—before it’s too late.

✨ In this episode:

• Why hobbies make characters more human
• What medieval IBS can teach us about fantasy realism
• A powerful turning point in Yoshiko’s journey
• The small cracks before everything changes

🎧 Listen now, and don’t forget: your characters deserve to feel real.

#FantasyAudiobook, #OriginCurse, #FromTheAuthorsChair, #WritingTips, #CharacterDevelopment, #CreativeLife, #EpicFantasy