Interview with Hannah Baribeau

I was invited to the Westin International Hotel in the City of London to chat with Erich and Daniella Sanchack who are the father-and-daughter co-author team writing a 12-part epic fantasy series titled: The Nosam Chronicles. The authors travelled to the UK from Texas to promote their books. We chatted about book one in the series, The Orphans of Nilad, published by DES Press. This title reached #1 Amazon Bestseller status and won a Silver Medal in the Fiction "Magic/Wizardry" category at the Readers' Favorite International Book Awards. We also talked about book two in the series, The Dread from the Drows.  Danni is a lifelong reader who's always believed in the transformative power of story. Erich is a is a tech industry leader with 30 years of experience building innovative organisations, and he's a US Marine Corps combat veteran. Danni and Erich explained their unique working practices. We discussed the effort involved in writing a character-driven fantasy, and how playing the cooperative, fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D+D) helped them prepare the way for their epic fantasy, and how playing D+D stimulates ideas.

Essex UK author Gabrielle Steele has written a standalone dark epic fantasy novel titled "Reborn in Ash" that's about a tenacious thief who must navigate the changes brought about by magic's return. As a mum of two, Gabrielle balances her life around writing, childcare, and  rest but admits that life can be a bit chaotic! We chatted about character development, we discussed non-binary romances, and Gabrielle provided some helpful advice about writing gory scenes!

Emilia Langstone has a love of Greek mythology and is the talented author of "A Thread of Ash and Gold". We chatted about the challenges of writing spicy scenes. We also talked about creating heroes and writing action scenes. Emilia is a wonderful guest! If you'd like to consider how fantasy fiction reveals hidden worlds, listen to this interview!

The enormously talented Author Eira Morgan-Jones wrote  "Sentinel of the Sun" -  a dystopian tale of murdered gods and ancient magic set in the Welsh wilderness. In a dystopian world with strictly divided domains, a wonderful story unfolds about spirituality, injustice, struggle, and ambition, all placed under the control of an authoritarian religious government.  Eira's story masterfully blends plot, suspense, character development, and the gradual revelation of the Sentinels' secrets. A sense of moral uncertainty is also folded into the narrative, lending her book maturity and sophistication. We discuss world-building, Welsh folklore, and the practice and discipline that's involved in creative writing.

English author K M Rickards (Kelly) has penned a fantasy adventure that's filled with magic. Her adventure story revolves around a fairy character named "Angie Amazonite". The adventure has a magical system that utilizes the healing properties of crystals. Readers who appreciate emotional journeys, studies into self-belief, and the architecture of social bonding (instead of the intense battle scenes in some fantasy romps) will love K M Rickard's first book in a planned series of adventures that she has described as the Crystal Tinker Collection. Book One "The Adventures of Angie Amazonite" delivers a heart-warming, feel-good narrative, and is ideal for readers who might be inspired by crystal magic. In this episode of Myth & Magic Kelly and I discuss writing fairy stories and gathering crystals. 

Today's interview is with Elena Marie Ball  who is a fantasy author from Alaska, and she hand-crafts magical tales, mirroring her own reading preferences, featuring the kind of formidable female protagonists she aspired to be in her youth.  Having dedicated years to writing stories and building original worlds, Elena has now left her mechanical engineering position to focus entirely on her budding writing career. Her recently released novel "Being Red" is a contemporary fantasy thriller starring a powerful heroine, a werewolf, and lots of magic. Our conversation covered the essential elements of contemporary fantasy, the benefits of a first-person narrative, and her personal growth during her novel's development. Her cheerful disposition and impressive expertise made her a pleasure to interview; Elena is a talented communicator whose insights are both informative and engaging. It was fascinating to discover the impetus behind her novel and her powerful reasons for its completion.

In this intriguing interview, I chat  with Justin Vaelorin, a network engineer by day and an unexpected universe creator by night. J.Vaelorin is a gifted creative entrepreneur, and he has channelled his experience with depression into a dark fantasy narrative. Justin has crafted an intricate, fictional world for his debut novel, titled "Shadow Sword." He calls this paracosm "VaelorinVerse" - which he developed because he wished for a world that made trauma feel 'normal'. We explore how dark fantasy can serve as an effective 'container' for grief. And we delve into why immersing oneself in dark fantasy fiction can be an uplifting, perhaps even an empowering experience for some readers. We explore the advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing. We also discover Justin's reasons for choosing a completely independent route into publishing and why he has rejected conventional storytelling methods. 

Besides writing epic romantic fantasies, Hannah Baribeau, originally from Astoria, Oregon, but who grew up in Indonesia and now resides in Wisconsin, is a stay-at-home mom to four young boys. Gradiare is her first publication, with plans of many more titles to come, including a suspense thriller! Our conversation focused on techniques for crafting suspense in fantasy, such as cliffhangers and rising action, as well discussing the use of 'spice' in the genre. Additionally, we touched upon her love of George MacDonald fantasy books and her remarkable start as a writer… she began putting books together before she'd learned to read!

I chat with Rhode Island based author B. Marcus Walker. Brian is the author of Spirit of the Plain: The Unnamed - a fantasy about battles and magical  discoveries that readers have described as a story of "action and intrigue". We discuss how a writer can allow his characters some degree of free-will, developing a convincing system of magic, and how Brian's own experiences  helped him develop his themes.

Author Christopher Kaufman has created not just a series of fantasy books but an entire multi-media experience with his Tales of the Ocean City Tales of the Ocean City is a multimedia extravaganza that skilfully combines magnificent episodic storylines with Kaufman's award-winning music and stunning artwork... to deliver a uniquely performative adventure chronicle. I chatted with the New York based father, composer, presenter, teacher, and creative dynamo... about creating his tales for an audience, about how fantasy meets symphony in his storytelling... and about his journey into fantasy production.