Gemma Vale discusses her debut novel 'Daughter of the Night' and her unique writing process, self-editing, and immersive marketing strategies. She also shares insights on her social media journey and the challenges of self-publishing. We cover Gemma Vale's writing process, the unique aspects of her editing style, the inspiration behind her book's shadows as characters, and the psychological horror elements of her upcoming work. Gemma also discusses her decision to self-publish and her approach to character perspectives in her writing.

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Connect with Gemma https://www.instagram.com/author.gemmavale/
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Chapters

• 00:00 Immersive Marketing Strategies
• 30:14 Inspiration from Stephen King and Editing Style
• 31:10 Unique Editing Process and Self-Publishing Decision
• 32:27 Shadows as Characters in the Book
• 33:31 Psychological Horror Elements and Character Perspectives

Fantasy Romance Month wraps up as Caty Rogan joins Devin and Pete to talk Kissed by the Gods, her recent traditional release with Requited and the first book in the Eternal Wars series. Caty writes feminine rage, winged war horses, and epic battles, and she made a believer out of Pete, a lifelong classic-fantasy reader who connected with this one harder than anything else in the genre lately.

We get into the world her husband stress-tested down to the population math, why language "rules" in fantasy are mostly made up, and the Star Wars DNA running under the whole series. Caty cops to Riot and Lena being her grown-up Anakin and Ahsoka fix-it fic, walks through Lena's training arc as someone who already had the badass part and had to learn how not to kill people, and lands on the line that took a few drafts to earn... found and furious.

Plus the pantser problem of fantasy, characters who refuse to do what you plotted, why duet audio is the only way, epigraphs she now regrets making this good, and the side couple that came to her the easiest. She also drops a strong rec on the way out.

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Connect with Caty https://www.instagram.com/catyrogan/

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Connect with Realm Runners

Subscribe: @realm_runners

Follow Realm Runners: instagram.com/realm_runners

Follow Pete: instagram.com/pete_reviews_books_good

Follow Devin: instagram.com/bromantasy

Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome and introduction to Katie Rogan

02:00 - Katie’s background in fantasy and transition into romance

05:00 - Making characters emotionally real and side characters memorable

10:00 - Worldbuilding: Landmass, population, and logistics

15:00 - Writing spicy scenes and audiobook experiences

20:00 - Social media's role in publishing success

25:00 - Developing her next project with a focus on character growth

30:00 - Indie versus traditional publishing: benefits and industry shifts

35:00 - Parenting, deadlines, and balancing creative life

40:00 - Audience questions on favorite quotes, reader reactions, and favorite reads

50:00 - Final book recommendations and upcoming projects

58:00 - Closing thoughts and thank you to Katie Rogan

Fantasy Romance Month continues as Stacia Stark joins to break down We Who Will Die, the ancient Rome-inspired romantasy she originally pitched as gladiator meets Vampire Diaries. Stacia went indie first, built her readership on the Kingdom of Lies series, and We Who Will Die is her first fully trad book, sold to Avon as a trilogy off a few chapters and a synopsis.

We get into why this is a book with trials and not a trials book, how Arvell's binding vow to kill the emperor in the first chapter gave Stacia a huge amount of rope to write into, and why a Taylor Jenkins Reed tennis novel quietly inspired one of the best training arcs in the genre. Stacia explains how she wrote real slow burn instead of miscommunication wearing a slow-burn costume, and walks through the sigil magic system where your power is literally stamped on your forehead, and a book two release date update you heard here first.

A heads up: there are a couple of light first-chapter setups discussed, all flagged in the moment.