🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where magic is born from rage and resilience, power is written in blood and choice, and stories dare you to feel everything at once.

This week, host Bethany Amanda sits down with rising romantasy author Jaclyn Rodriguez to celebrate her breakout debut, A Vow in Vengeance, which delivers deadly bargains, tarot magic, forced proximity, and one of the most addictive enemies-to-lovers dynamics we’ve read this year.

Jaclyn brings the perfect blend of warmth, humor, and honesty to this conversation as she shares her journey from relentless querying and 100+ rejections to landing her debut in a whirlwind auction. She opens up about the delusion, determination, and deep love of story that carried her through the hardest parts of publishing, and why perseverance is the single most important trait an author can have.

We dive deep into the world of A Vow in Vengeance: a brutal selection process that sends mortals into an immortal realm, a heroine fueled by grief and fury, and a prince who is just as dangerous as he is compelling. Jaclyn unpacks the tarot-based magic system, the layered power hierarchies, and the central thematic tension between vengeance and justice that defines Rune’s emotional arc.

Along the way, we explore the kind of main character we don’t see enough of—a furious, unyielding FMC who is willing to burn everything down to get what she deserves—and the MMC who meets her fire with strategy, sarcasm, and just enough vulnerability to make it hurt.

🔥 What does it mean to want vengeance instead of justice?
🗡️ How do power, trauma, and rage shape the choices we make?
🃏 And what happens when two people bound by necessity become each other’s greatest weapon—and greatest risk?

This is a must-listen for romantasy readers, aspiring authors navigating the querying trenches, and anyone who loves morally complex characters, magical systems with bite, and stories that refuse to play it safe.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…

✨ Jaclyn’s path to publication, including writing 10 books and facing 100+ rejections before her debut.
✨ How perseverance, “delusion,” and support systems helped her push through imposter syndrome.
✨ he premise of A Vow in Vengeance: a deadly selection, an immortal realm, and a heroine who will burn the world down for her family.
✨ The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Rue and Prince Draven—and why forced proximity makes it even more explosive.
✨ The tarot-based magic system, power hierarchies, and symbolism behind “The World” card.
✨ The thematic core of vengeance vs. justice and how Rune’s perspective evolves across the story.
✨ Writing an unapologetically angry female main character—and why spite queens are unforgettable.
✨ How Draven unexpectedly took over the book and reshaped the story during drafting.
✨ Why Jaclyn wants her books to be readers’ comfort worlds—even when they’re dark, violent, and emotionally intense.
✨ What we can expect from Book 2, including higher stakes, bigger twists, and a completed duology arc.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Jaclyn Rodriguez – @JaclynRodriguezAuthor

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

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where art becomes story, imagination becomes world, and creativity is as much about community as it is about craft.

This week, host Sara Santillan sits down with artist-turned-author Riley S. Quinn to talk about her stunning self-published romantasy Gold & Gossamer. This is a conversation about visual storytelling, creative obsession, and what happens when a single animation accidentally blooms into an entire epic fantasy world.

Riley pulls back the curtain on how her background in film, animation, and storyboarding shaped her prose, her pacing, and the cinematic feel of her writing. We explore the beautiful, porous boundary between art and story, including how some scenes had to be drawn before they could be written, and how switching between mediums kept her creative energy alive over two years of drafting.

We dive into the heart of Gold & Gossamer: a mage king trying desperately to appear infallible, a terrifyingly powerful fairy queen who refuses to conform, and a star-crossed dynamic built on yearning, vulnerability, and self-discovery. Riley unpacks the symbolism behind her title — why gold and gossamer perfectly mirror her leads — and how the book is as much about self-love as it is about romance.

We also get refreshingly honest about self-publishing: why Riley chose it, how she designs her own covers, why affordability matters to her, and what it’s really like building a story in public with a deeply engaged community watching every step.

🌿 What happens when a fairy queen and a human king are forced into an impossible alliance?
✨ How can art literally shape a story into existence?
💛 And what does it mean to be loved most deeply when you are your truest self?

This episode is a must-listen for romantasy readers, aspiring authors, artists who dream in story, and anyone obsessed with beautiful worlds born from pure imagination.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…

✨ How art came first for Riley and how her story followed.
✨ The accidental birth of Gold & Gossamer from two TikTok animations.
✨ Why Riley loves self-publishing, including creative control, pricing, and design.
✨ The symbolism of gold (strong, but secretly soft) and gossamer (delicate, but unbreakable) and how that fits into her book.
✨ Why the book is ultimately about self-love more than romance.
✨ Why endings should be hopeful, not cruel.
✨ Building a story alongside her online community.
✨ Marketing by worldbuilding, not sales tactics.
✨ Plans for a sequel and possibly special editions and art prints.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Riley S. Quinn – @RileyQuinnArt

✨ If you were inspired by this episode, please rate and review — it helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where grief meets magic, winter holds its breath, and love asks you to be brave even when it will break you.

This week, host Bethany Amanda sits down with New York Times Bestselling author Rachel Griffin to talk about her deeply moving novel, The Sun and the Starmaker. Equal parts luminous and devastating, this conversation weaves together craft, personal resilience, and the kind of love that lingers long after the last page.

Rachel takes us from her winding path into writing — from a career in diagnostic ultrasound to rediscovering her voice late at night on an old laptop — to the realities of querying, submission, rejection, and eventual success with The Nature of Witches. She offers honest insight into what persistence really looks like, why “no” is rarely forever, and how working on the next book saved her during long seasons of uncertainty.

We also dive into one of the most powerful parts of Rachel’s story: surviving a traumatic brain injury, navigating an often-dismissive medical system, and ultimately finding life-changing treatment. Rachel shares how her recovery reshaped her relationship with storytelling, how The Sun and the Starmaker quite literally helped her relearn how to write, and why she’s now a passionate advocate for concussion research — including donating $1 from every preorder to the Concussion Research Laboratory.

And of course, we sink into the icy, whimsical world of The Sun and the Starmaker: a land beyond the reach of sunlight, a weary immortal sorcerer who pulls the sun across the sky, and a love story that asks whether loving someone is worth the inevitable heartbreak.

🌙 What does it mean to love fully when you know loss is inevitable?
❄️ How can winter be both cruel and strangely tender?
✨ And what happens when a book becomes not just a story but a lifeline?

This episode is a must-listen for readers who love wintry fairy tales, aspiring authors chasing their own publishing dreams, and anyone who believes stories can heal.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT…

✨Rachel’s journey from healthcare to writing and why she returned to storytelling.
✨ Querying for over a year and why slow success can still be the right success.
✨ Why your first book doesn’t have to be “the one”.
✨ Surviving a traumatic brain injury and Rachel's advocacy for concussion awareness and better treatment.
✨ How The Sun and the Starmaker became part of Rachel's recovery.
✨ Aurora, the stubborn mortal beyond the sunlight, and her enchanted icebound world.
✨ Why loving someone — knowing you may lose them — is the ultimate act of bravery.
✨ What Rachel is working on next and why it’s a big departure from her prior works.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill
📚 Rachel Griffin – @timesnewRachel

✨ Loved this episode? Leave us a rating and review — it helps more fantasy and romantasy readers find The Mythic Mic.