Advertise on podcast: Lit Witches: A Fantasy Book Podcast

On today's Chosen One episode we speak to debut author Braidee Otto about Songbird of the Sorrows, the first in a brand-new romantasy trilogy that ticks all the boxes – assassins, secret princesses, heists, second chance romance, forbidden love, and, of course, dark and broody men. We discuss the Greek-inspired world, why we love trials as a fantasy plot device and how romantasy is the next in a long line of undermined genres thanks to its predominantly female readership. We also delve into the benefits and pitfalls of using tropes for marketing, and we learn how Braidee overcame selfdoubt to write her debut novel in under six months. Lit Witches is hosted by Adelaide Jensen, and this episode's guest is Braidee Otto. Produced by Liz Burnett. Video Production by Michael Windle and Isabella Francis. Additional scripting and research by Shané Oosthuizen. Recording and theme song composition by Ben Cauduro. Content co-ordination by Tiana Warner. Graphic design by Sally Dunkerley and Olivia Mead.

In this Roundtable book club episode, we discuss C.S. Pacat’s groundbreaking fantasy trilogy, Captive Prince, and the importance of mitigating harm when portraying queer characters. We delve into why it’s the ultimate enemies-to-lovers story, full of slow burn, intense pining and complex power dynamics in a rich queer-normative fantasy world. We also trace our fan-fiction reading roots (shoutout to Wattpad and LiveJournal) and our favourite fantasy book-to-screen adaptions. Spoiler Alert! We discuss major spoilers and the ending of the Captive Prince series in our After Dark section, from 34.35 - 39.45. Lit Witches is hosted by Adelaide Jensen, and this episode's guests are Hannah Armstrong and Lily Crozier. Produced by Liz Burnett. Video Production by Michael Windle and Isabella Francis. Additional scripting and research by Shané Oosthuizen. Recording and theme song composition by Ben Cauduro. Content co-ordination by Tiana Warner. Graphic design by Sally Dunkerley and Olivia Mead.

On today's Chosen One episode we speak to bestselling author James Islington about The Will of the Many and The Strength of the Few, the first two books in his epic high fantasy Hierarchy series. We discuss the Roman-inspired fantasy world, the long-held tradition of writing very long fantasy books, and the rise and potential impact of AI for writers. We also find out which fantasy book turned James into a reader and why we all need to add it to our TBR. Lit Witches is hosted by Adelaide Jensen and this episode's guest is James Islington.Produced by Liz Burnett. Video Production by Michael Windle and Isabella Francis. Additional scripting and research by Shané Oosthuizen. Recording and theme song composition by Ben Cauduro. Content co-ordination by Tiana Warner. Graphic design by Sally Dunkerley and Olivia Mead.

On today's Roundtable book club episode, we chat about Sable Sorensen's addictive fantasy novel Dire Bound, and how the explosion of the romantasy genre has - in our opinion, anyway - been fuelled by our favourite young adult fantasy books and tropes of the 2010s. We also reveal our OG book boyfriends, why wolves are the new dragons when it comes to bonded creatures, whether love triangles are making a comeback, and we chart the Three Waves of Romantasy (trademark pending). Spoiler Alert! We discuss major spoilers and the ending of Dire Bound in our After Dark section, from 28.33 - 38.23. Lit Witches is hosted by Adelaide Jensen, and this episodes guests are Shané Oosthuizen and Isabelle Werro. Produced by Liz Burnett. Video Production by Michael Windle, Isabella Francis and Kate Jacobs. Additional scripting and research by Shané Oosthuizen. Recording and theme song composition by Ben Cauduro. Content co-ordination by Tiana Warner. Graphic design by Sally Dunkerley and Olivia Mead.

On today's Chosen One author interview, we talk to Lily Crozier about her debut romantasy novel, Vow of Eternal Night. We discuss the appeal of monstrous men and the morally grey love interest for female readers, and we uncover how the real history of vampires, Dracula and Howl's Moving Castle inspired the book. We also delve into Lily's career in books and her journey from BookToker to author. Lit Witches is hosted by Adelaide Jensen, and this episode's guest is Lily Crozier. Produced by Liz Burnett. Recording and Video Production by Michael Windle and Isabella Francis. Additional scripting and research by Shané Oosthuizen. Theme song composition by Ben Cauduro. Content co-ordination by Tiana Warner. Graphic design by Sally Dunkerley and Olivia Mead.

On today's Roundtable book club episode, we talk all things dark academia and well-crafted magic systems in M.L. Wang's standalone fantasy Blood Over Bright Haven. Join us to hear hot takes on how all fantasy is political and reflects real-world issues, why school settings work so well in the fantasy and dark academia genres, and also how we've never fully moved on from the formative fantasy books we read as teenagers (Vampire Academy, Hush Hush and more). Spoiler Alert! We discuss major spoilers and the ending of Blood Over Bright Haven in our After Dark section, from 36:00 to 46:15. Lit Witches is hosted by Adelaide Jensen, with guests Talia Moodley and Shané Oosthuizen. Produced by Liz Burnett. Video Production by Michael Windle and Isabella Francis. Additional scripting and research by Shané Oosthuizen. Theme song composition by Ben Cauduro. Content co-ordination by Tiana Warner. Graphic design by Sally Dunkerley and Olivia Mead.

On today's Roundtable book club episode, we discuss the internationally bestselling fantasy debut Alchemised by SenLinYu, and how gothic fantasy is the perfect vehicle for exploring dark themes in nuanced way. We also discuss our favourite fantasy tropes (enemies to lovers, the chosen one and bonded creatures) and we debate whether morally grey characters can ever be fully redeemed. Spoiler Alert! We discuss the ending of Alchemised in our After Dark section, from timecode 38.00 - 49.00. Lit Witches is hosted by Adelaide Jensen, with guests Lily Crozier and Vishali Seshadri. Produced by Liz Burnett. Video Production by Michael Windle, Isabella Francis and Kate Jacobs. Additional scripting and research by Shané Oosthuizen. Content co-ordination by Tiana Warner. Graphic design by Sally Dunkerley and Olivia Mead. Recording and theme song composition by Ben Cauduro. Powered by Penguin. 00:00 Introductions 03:23 SenLinYu's fan fiction to traditional publishing journey 06:30 The dark and confronting themes of the book 09:10 Tackling a 1000 page epic 10:35 The world-building of Alchemised and understanding the magic system 13:09 The exploration of trauma in the book 14:46 The binary of good and evil in wartimes 18:30 The class divide of Alchemised 21:19 The characters and reclaiming the chosen one through a feminist lens 25:36 The ethical dilemmas of the magic system 29:23 Helena as an unreliable narrator 31:08 Kaine as the ultimate morally grey male character 33:15 The tropes of Alchemised 38:12 AFTER DARK (SPOILERS FOR ALCHEMISED ENDING!) 42:05 The role of redemption and our favourite moments 48:58 The unconventional structure of the book 49:09 Final fantasy battle game and sign off

On today's Chosen One author interview, we talk to fantasy author and content creator Bronte-Marie Wesson about her traditional publishing debut, The Ascension of Souls - the first book in a new high fantasy series that she describes as her 'dark, queer Zelda book'. Join us as we discuss what shaped Bronte-Marie's love of fantasy, why Tywin Lannister is her favourite fantasy character and how she created an immersive fantasy world inspired by her Irish, anti-colonial heritage. This is a spoiler-free conversation. Lit Witches is hosted by Adelaide Jensen, and this episode features author Bronte-Marie Wesson. Produced by Liz Burnett. Video Production by Michael Windle, Isabella Francis and Kate Jacobs. Additional scripting and research by Shané Oosthuizen. Content co-ordination by Tiana Warner. Graphic design by Sally Dunkerley and Olivia Mead. Recording and theme song composition by Ben Cauduro. Powered by Penguin. 0:00 Introduction and Bronte-Marie's introduction to fantasy 04:50 The Ascension of Souls and how it came to be 'The Legend of Zelda but dark, gay and for adults' 07:00 The world-building of an empire and a country at war 09:07 The magic tree and Irish cultural influence on the book 15:16 Fairies and changelings vs fae and sexy elves 16:35 Building the prophecy in The Ascension of Souls 20:46 The characterisation of Luminara and the chosen family trope 23:31 Rianthran and the antidote to brooding dark love interests 27:00 Side characters and the gaming influence on Ascension 28:38 Queer representation in fantasy 32:13 Bronte-Marie's advice for queer writers 36:16 Role play and writing with a partner 40:20 Categorising the Broken Cycle trilogy, tropes and building on The Brass Wyvern 47:17 Final fantasy game and sign off

Join the Lit Witches as they open the portal to fantasy for readers, writers and all things in between. Hosted by Adelaide Jensen, take a seat at The Roundtable and delve into all of your favourite fantasy genres, with a rotating cast of special guests who share an undying passion for all things fantasy. And meet the Chosen Ones, fantasy authors from around the globe who will lift the veil on their latest spellbinding novels. Video and audio episodes out every Tuesday. Powered by Penguin.