Stephanie is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive powers that mirror the human condition.

She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way.

Stephanie is a Canadian-born, Haitian-raised, Congolese descended, North American dweller who lived a colorful life in south Florida that cultivated a perspective on the world as unique as her background.

As the author of The Seraphim Resistance Prequels and The Transcendents serial, Stephanie has built her own self-publishing empire. She is also an avid reader of fantasy and fiction, and columnist for DIY MFA.

In this episode Stephanie BwaBwa and I discuss:

• How comic books helped her develop the world in her YA fantasy universe.
• Her method for crafting a serial series and dealing with the unknowns.
• Why she loves world building and how she avoided sharing too many details at once.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About Stephanie BwaBwa

Stephanie BwaBwa is a Jesus-centered, young adult and fantasy author, writing in the universe of Elledelle about black angels in magical worlds with impressive power that mirror the human condition.

She loves writing stories centered around feisty angels with complicated pasts, unexpected futures, learning to take up causes bigger than themselves, who may or may not fall in love along the way.

Stephanie is a Canadian-born, Haitian-raised, Congolese descended, North American dweller who lived a colorful life in south Florida that cultivated a perspective on the world as unique as her background.

Stephanie has authored the The Seraphim Resistance Prequels, and The Transcendents serial, and is an avid reader of fantasy and fiction. 

Jesus is her Lord, Disney+ is her safe place, she dreams of being a monkey mama and she’s always penning a new story in Elledelle. 

You can usually catch her going for a walk through a park, or simply binging Disney+ with too many snacks.

You can find Stephanie on her website or follow her on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Bookbub, and Reedsy.

The Crescent and the Ash Queen

A deadly assassin seeking freedom. A manipulative queen seeking power. A depraved court hanging in the balance.

Zavala Nightingale is a deadly assassin with a slick mouth, and devastating magic. Even though she’s the most feared Crescent in the Bones Court, she still wants out.

Zavala has one more job to finish, then she’ll collect her coin and leave…

But the Ash Queen has other plans for her.

When the Ash Queen declares Zavala as her heir and the next Crescent Queen, Zavala will be faced with one of two choices:

Accept and be a Crescent for life, or deny the Ash Queen, drawing the wrath of every assassin alive.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 380

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 380: World Building and the Fantasy YA Serial – Interview with Stephanie BwaBwa appeared first on DIY MFA.

Emily is the author of the Hundredth Queen series, along with Before the Broken Star, Into the Hourglass, and Everafter Song in the Evermore Chronicles.

Her latest novel is Wings of Fury, which was released earlier this year, and we’ll be discussing it today. It is the first in the Wings of Fury duology; the second book, Crown of Cinders, will be out in October of this year.

Born in Canada and raised in the United States, Emily is a shark advocate, a consumer of gummy bears, and an islander at heart, but her greatest interests are her children and three cantankerous cats. 

In this episode Emily and I discuss:

• How she chose which versions of mythology she was going to use in her novels.
• What she learned about the role and lives of women in Ancient Greece.
• Why she wrote a duology as opposed to a trilogy or a longer series.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

Recommended Resources for Greek Mythology

https://www.theoi.com/

Goddesses in Everywoman: Powerful Archetypes in Women’s Lives by Jean Shinoda Bolan

Muse by Brittany Cavallaro

The Book of Greek Myths by d’Aulaires

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton

Circe by Madeline Miller

If you are interested in learning more about Greek Mythology, we hope you will check out these books via our Amazon Affiliate links. DIY MFA will receive a referral fee at no cost to you.

About Emily R. King

Emily R. King is the author of the Hundredth Queen series, as well as Before the Broken Star, Into the Hourglass, and Everafter Song in the Evermore Chronicles. Her latest novel, Wings Of Fury, will be released March 1, 2021, the first in the Wings of Fury duology. 

The second book, Crown of Cinders, will be released October 5, 2021.

Born in Canada and raised in the United States, she is a shark advocate, a consumer of gummy bears, and an islander at heart, but her greatest interests are her children and three cantankerous cats.

You can find Emily on her website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  

Wings of Fury

This past March, Emily R. King, the beloved fantasy author of the Hundredth Queen series, released WINGS OF FURY (March 1, 2021; 47North; Trade Paperback Original; $14.95), an empowering new tale inspired by ancient Greek mythology. Fans of both Circe by Madeline Miller and Wonder Woman will delight in making the acquaintance of Althea Lambros, a young woman who must fight both with—and against— the gods to save her family.

Althea’s world is ruled by Cronus, the God of Gods, whose inheritance is the world and women, his playthings. He takes mortal women as prizes and discards them when he’s through. No woman dares to defy him.

After her mother is taken from her and dies as a result of Cronus’s cruelty, Althea is determined not to suffer the same fate as so many women before her. To honor the dying wish of her mother, Althea promises to take care of her sisters no matter the cost.

Following the vision that has been revealed to her by the Fates—that she will crush the Almighty and free the world from his terror—Althea travels to the southern isle of Crete, where women who seek refuge from Cronus live hidden among the exalted Boy God. The Boy God, Zeus, the only son of Cronus, is believed by most of the world to be dead. But he is very much alive and his destiny is tied with Althea, for the Fates foretold that he too will destroy his father.

As Althea and the Boy God train and gain support for their fated journey, Cronus learns of the rebellion and begins amassing his own army to quell any resistance. Cronus may be The Almighty, but Althea will not fail her mother, sisters, or the imprisoned women helpless against the cruel god.

Crown of Cinders

May Gaea be with you . . .

Althea Lambros is growing into her power, wrestling with a burdensome heritage, and unwilling to concede to Cronus, the redoubtable God of Gods. For that, Cronus is making good on his promise. Calling upon the elder Titans, he’s bringing down his wrath on the world. Suffering quakes, tempests, fire, and hail, mortals are paying in blood for the war of the gods.

With the help of her friend Theo, Althea takes cover with her sisters, Bronte and Cleora. But they can’t hide forever. To mastermind the downfall of the evil king, Althea must recruit allies of her own before the aggrieved mortals surrender the sisters to Cronus in exchange for peace.

Is Althea formidable enough to win? It’ll take the help of her sisters and those willing to fight for the cause of the just. As the gods pick sides, Althea must divide heaven and earth to defeat the enemy and write the true history of the war to end all wars.

If you decide to check out these books, we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links: Wings of Fury and Crown of Cinders, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 365

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 365: Fantasy Inspired by Greek Mythology – Interview with Emily R. King appeared first on DIY MFA.

Cherae Clark graduated from Indiana University’s creative writing MFA and was a 2012 Lambda Literary Fellow. In addition to writing, she has had various jobs as she’s traveled the world, including: personal trainer, English teacher, editor, or some combination thereof.

When she’s not writing or working, she’s learning languages, doing P90something, or reading about war and post-colonial history. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in FIYAH, PodCastle, Uncanny, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies and she is now one of the co-editors at PodCastle and editor of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) Blog.

In this episode C.L. and I discuss:

• How to identify which character is the protagonist and whether there can be two.
• The relationship between magic, religion, and technology and how she uses it.
• Different ways to handle conflict and the approach she takes in her writing.

Plus, her #1 tip for writers.

About C.L. Clark

Cherae Clark graduated from Indiana University’s creative writing MFA and was a 2012 Lambda Literary Fellow. She’s been a personal trainer, an English teacher, and an editor, and is some combination thereof as she travels the world. When she’s not writing or working, she’s learning languages, doing P90something, or reading about war and [post-]colonial history. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in FIYAH, PodCastle, Uncanny and Beneath Ceaseless Skies. Now she’s one of the co-editors at PodCastle and editor of the SFWA Blog.

You can find C.L. Clark on her website or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

The Unbroken

Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion, and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.

Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet’s edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne.

Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren’t for sale.

If you decide to check out the book, we hope you’ll do so via this Amazon affiliate link, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 354

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, or Google and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 354: Character, Conflict, and World Building in Fantasy – Interview with C.L. Clark appeared first on DIY MFA.

Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse

I first encountered Roanhorse’s work through the first book in the Sixth World series, Trail of Lightning. Her 2018 release went on to win a Locus Award. Both Trail of Lightning and Storm of Locusts, the second book, are set in Dinétah, after floods, fire, and famine transform the rest of the world. A side effect of this climate catastrophe is that the gods and monsters of ancient story walk among humans. Fortunately, Maggie Hoskie, also known as War Child, makes her living hunting monsters. 

Black Sun is Roanhorse’s most recent publication, set in a fantasy world based on the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian Americas. The protagonist Xiala, a disgraced Teek whose song can calm the waters around her as easily as it can warp a man’s mind, arrives in the city of Tova on the day of an eclipse, an event said to unbalance the world.

Bonus: On her recent My Favorite Bit feature on Mary Robinette Kowal’s blog, Roanhorse shares some of her playlist for Black Sun.

Rebecca Roanhorse is of Ohkay Owingeh (Pueblo) and African American heritage, and her husband and daughter are Diné.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

Waubgeshig Rice was host of northeastern Ontario’s CBC afternoon radio show, Up North at the time Moon of the Crusted Snow was published. I attended a reading and bought the book on the spot.

Moon of the Crusted Snow is a post-apocalyptic novel set in a small northern Anishinaabe community. Rumors of trouble in larger cities to the south precede an early winter. First, the power goes out, then the phones and the internet, leaving the community completely isolated. As they struggle to survive, strangers begin to arrive, disrupting the community’s precarious balance.

Waubgeshig Rice is an Anishinaabe writer, journalist, and radio host from the Wasauksing First Nation.

Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson

I started reading Eden Robinson on Waubgeshig Rice’s recommendation.

Son of a Trickster is the first book in the aptly named Trickster trilogy. It tells the take of Jared, a teen who sells weed cookies and tries to take care of his family. Weird thing is that crows talk to him and he keeps losing time. When a young woman with eclectic taste and a penchant for protest moves into the neighbourhood, Jared is attracted to her, but not because of the way she looks. Whenever he sees her, she has lights like fireflies dancing around her …

I loved Son of a Trickster and the follow up, Trickster Drift. The third novel, Return of the Trickster, is coming out in the spring. Bonus: If you’re like me and can’t wait for more Robinson, you may want to watch CBC’s adaptation, Trickster. The first season started October 6^th, and you can catch it on CBC’s streaming service Gem.

Bonus bonus: While you’re there, click through to CBC Listen, where they’ve put together a Trickster playlist including A Tribe Called Red, Snotty Nosed Rez Kids, Tanya Tagaq, Iskwé, and more.

Eden Robinson is a member of the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations.

Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline

Unsurprisingly, Cherie Dimaline was another recommendation from Waubgeshig Rice.

In Empire of Wild, Dimaline uses the Métis legend of the Rogarou to tell the story of married couple Joan and Victor. Victor has been missing for over a year. Just when Joan thinks she’s never going to see him again, she runs into him—or at least something that looks like him. 

If you like Empire of Wild, you may want to check out The Marrow Thieves, in which global warming has resulted in the inability of almost everyone to dream. Indigenous people are immune, however, and now they’re being hunted by Recruiters, who harvest their bone marrow for its dream-giving properties.

Cherie Dimaline is a Métis writer from the Georgian Bay Métis Nation.

Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich

Future Home of the Living God is a dystopian novel set in a future world in which the babies being born seem to be devolving. Cedar Hawk Songmaker is four months pregnant, and she decides to try to find her biological mother. Along the way, the US crumbles under the threats of martial law and Christian dogma. Erdich’s other novels aren’t SFnal, so this may be an entry into her more literary work.

Louise Erdrich is Anishinaabe and an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.

Just the Beginning of the Journey

There are so many excellent books across genres and age categories being produced by Indigenous people worldwide. While this trend has received a bump in recent years, Indigenous literature has a long and award-winning history. You owe it to yourselves to open the pages of books by these amazing storytellers.

Here are just a couple of places to start your journey:

• https://bookriot.com/sff-books-by-indigenous-authors/
• https://theportalist.com/indigenous-authors-sci-fi-fantasy

Until next time, keep speculating and see where it leads you!

Melanie Marttila creates worlds from whole cloth. She’s a dreamsinger, an ink alchemist, and an unabashed learning mutt. Her speculative short fiction has appeared in Bastion Science Fiction Magazine, On Spec Magazine, and Sudbury Ink and her speculative poetry has appeared in Polar Borealis and Stellar Evolutions. She lives and writes in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, where she spends her days working as a corporate trainer. She blogs at https://www.melaniemarttila.ca and you can find her on Facebook and Twitter.

The post Indigenous Sci-Fi and Fantasy Authors to Read Now appeared first on DIY MFA.

Aileen is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd. From Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek, she has a severe fascination with the speculative and supernatural. 

This fascination led her into writing, but after Twilight, Aileen was told that nobody wanted to read another vampire or werewolf story. She didn’t agree and wrote one anyway. She proved her critics wrong as her independently published Alpha Girl series, has sold over 1.5 million copies.

She earned a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and went on to earn her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She has since founded an independent boutique publishing house Ink Monster.

Aileen’s latest novel, Lunar Court, is the eighth installment of her USA Today bestselling series Alpha Girl, and is available now.

So listen in as Aileen and I chat about this awesome fantasy series and how to successfully write and publish your books through indie publishing.

In this episode Aileen and I discuss:

• Using reader input to help you decide what story to write next.
• How to change the point of view character throughout a series the right way.
• Planning your world organically.
• The series strategy in indie publishing, and why it works.
• Producing a book as an indie boutique publisher from beginning to end.

Plus, Aileen’s #1 tip for writers.

About Aileen Erin

Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd—from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. 

This fascination led her into writing. However, after the success of Twilight, Aileen was told that nobody wanted to read another vampire or werewolf book. She didn’t agree and wrote one anyway, proving her critics wrong with her independently published Alpha Girl series, selling over 1.5 million copies.

After earning  a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, working as a commercial editor in Los Angeles and writing after hours, Aileen decided to leave Hollywood to dedicate more time to perfecting her literary craft. She went on to earn her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University and subsequently establish her independent boutique publishing house Ink Monster, in 2013. 

Since then, she’s hit the USA Today bestsellers list twice with her Alpha Girl series, and a spin-off series based around one of Alpha Girl’s characters is also being shopped around for a TV show.

In March of this year, Aileen released a brand new series called Aunare Chronicles. The first installment, Off Planet, sold out of print before release day and was picked by iBooks to be in their “Best Books of March” in the YA and Sci-Fi & Fantasy categories.

Her latest novel Lunar Court is the eighth installment of her bestselling Alpha Girl series, and is available now.

Aileen Erin lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking butt.

To connect with Aileen check out her website at inkmonster.net

Alpha Girl 

Book 1: Becoming Alpha

Tessa McCaide has a unique talent for getting into trouble. Then again, it isn’t easy for a girl with visions to ignore what she sees. Luckily Tessa and her family are leaving California and moving halfway across the country, giving her the perfect opportunity to leave her reputation as “Freaky Tessa” behind.

But Tessa doesn’t realize that kissing the wrong guy in her new Texas town could land her in far more trouble than she ever imagined. Like being forced to attend St. Ailbe’s Academy, a secret boarding school for werewolves. 

Even if the wrong guy did accidentally turn her into one of “them” and doom her to attending the weirdest high school ever, Tessa can’t help her growing attraction to the mysterious Dastien Laurent.

When vampires attack St. Ailbe’s and her visions pinpoint an enemy in their midst, Tessa realizes that boy drama and her newfound canine tendencies might just be the least of her problems.

Book 8: Lunar Court

Chris is the guy Cosette always wanted.

Fun. Funny. Lighthearted and sweet. Chris always manages to find beauty and laughter, even when fighting a chapel full of demons. He’s exactly what she needs. Except he’s a werewolf and she’s a member of the Lunar Court—the only fey court that holds sway over the werewolves. Even on his best day, Chris isn’t strong enough to last a few hours in the Lunar Court without becoming a slave. No matter how much Cosette’s heart wants him, she knows she has to let him go.

But when Chris goes missing, Cosette realizes how much she has to lose if the worst happens. Except her mother—the Queen of the Lunar Court—won’t let her go after Chris. Being forced to stay at court is dangerous for Cosette. Assassins keep coming after her, and unless she accepts a mate, it’s only a matter of time before one of them kills her.

Cosette is the girl Chris has always dreamed of.

Chris sees through the tough facade to the girl exhausted from a lifetime of fighting off assassins and court politics. She needs a true friend, someone who she can be herself around, and craves solitude. The same solitude that Chris craves. But he knows he’ll never be enough to survive in her world. So, when Eli—a mysterious archon—requests his help, he figures why not? The guy might be a little shady, but he needs every distraction he can get.

But when Eli says that Cosette is in trouble, Chris is more than ready to play by Eli’s rules. At least until Eli takes him to the Court of Gales. Chris knows he’s about to play a very dangerous game. Bargaining with the fey is something only a desperate person would do. But what wouldn’t Chris give up to save Cosette’s life?

If you decide to check out the books in the Alpha Girl series by Aileen Erin —Becoming Alpha, Avoiding Alpha, Alpha Divided, Bruja, Alpha Unleashed, Shattered Pack, Being Alpha, and Lunar Court—we hope you’ll do so via these Amazon affiliate links, where if you choose to purchase via the link DIY MFA gets a referral fee at no cost to you. As always, thank you for supporting DIY MFA!

Link to Episode 261

(Right-click to download.)

If you liked this episode…

Head over to iTunes, Stitcher Radio or Google Play and subscribe so you’ll be first to know when new episodes are available.

Also, remember that sharing is caring so if you know anyone who might enjoy this podcast, please tell them about it or leave us a review so other listeners will want to check it out.

Until next week, keep writing and keep being awesome!

The post Episode 261: Writing and Publishing the Indie Way — Interview with Aileen Erin appeared first on DIY MFA.

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