Authors RK Ashwick (she/her) and Noah Hawthorne (they/them) discuss why so many cozy fantasy stories feature coffeeshops and bookshops, how to break out of the mold, and where the genre’s economic models may go in the future.

RK Ashwick (she/her) is the author of the Lutesong trilogy beginning with The Stray Spirit, as well as the cozy fantasy series Sidequest Row beginning with A Rival Most Vial. You can connect with her at her website: rkashwick.com

Noah Hawthorne (they/them), also writing as Aelina Isaacs, is the author of the queer cozy fantasy series Adventures in Levena, beginning with Phantom and Rook, and the solarpunk novel The Rebel Foxes, amongst other titles. You can connect with them at their website: neshamapublishing.com

Indie authors RK Ashwick, Tess Carletta, and Noah Hawthorne discuss their immortal characters and how they use immortality in their writing—from forest spirits to fae descendants and everything between and beyond. Spoilers ahead!

RK Ashwick (she/her) is the author of the Lutesong trilogy beginning with The Stray Spirit, as well as the cozy fantasy series Sidequest Row beginning with A Rival Most Vial. You can connect with her at her website: rkashwick.com

Tess Carletta (she/her) is the author of Kit & Basie, a queer cozy fantasy romance, its sequel collection Patchwork, and the forthcoming fantasy novel Goldheart. You can connect with her at her website: tesscarletta.com

Noah Hawthorne (they/them), also writing as Aelina Isaacs, is the author of the queer cozy fantasy series Adventures in Levena, beginning with Phantom and Rook, and the solarpunk novel The Rebel Foxes, amongst other titles. You can connect with them at their website: neshamapublishing.com

Carolina Cruz (they/them) is joined by Vesper Doom (she/they) to discuss their space horror anthology Astrophobia—including an audio love letter to the Alien films and the joy of collaborating with human authors and human artists.

Vesper Doom (she/they) is the author of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror works like Broodmother, The Binding of Bloom Mountain, and the upcoming Metropolis Down. You can connect with her on their website: vesperdoom.com

Carolina Cruz (they/them) is the author of the vampire horror romance Blood in the Water and the queer fantasy series The Creed of Gethin (beginning with The Unwanted Prophet). You can connect with them on instagram @ninawolverina

Cozy fantasy author RK Ashwick (she/her) chats with Sebastian Nothwell (he/him) about the rewards and challenges of wrapping up a series with her latest novel The Spirit’s Curse, the conclusion to the Lutesong trilogy.

The spirits have awoken- and can never sleep again.

After being roused to defend against a magical disaster, the nature spirits of Thalis have begun to leave their groves and mingle with humans. Eager to welcome their verdant new friends, Emry, Cal, and Aspen take center stage once more: they throw the country’s first spirit festival.

Music and merriment abound—but when an angry lynx attacks Aspen onstage, demanding to know how to go back to sleep in his grove, Emry realizes that not every spirit wants this new life…and he has no idea how to return them to their old one.

The trio and their allies venture into an old-growth forest, seeking answers from Yarrow, the country’s oldest spirit. But Yarrow has grown treacherous—instead of helping them, it traps them in Raven’s Rest, a stubborn little village fighting for its place in the forest.

As Yarrow’s malice grows and the spirits question their place in the world, Emry, Cal, and Aspen must join forces with the village to subdue Yarrow—even if it means destroying the very answers they seek.

RK Ashwick (she/her) is the author of the Lutesong trilogy beginning with The Stray Spirit, as well as the cozy fantasy series Sidequest Row beginning with A Rival Most Vial. You can connect with her at her website: rkashwick.com

Sebastian Nothwell (he/him) is the author of the Victorian romantasy Oak King Holly King, the fantasy-of-manners romance Fiorenzo, and the historical romance Mr Warren's Profession, amongst other titles. You can connect with him at his website: sebastiannothwell.com

Please enjoy this exclusive preview of the audiobook for Kit and Basie by Tess Carletta, narrated by Josh Innerst.

Immortality is a dangerous affair when it isn’t done right.

Basie Yeats knows he’s doing immortality all wrong, spending endless days in the same place, but he doesn’t see a reason to leave the home he loves in Long Lily, Pennsylvania. Once the impossible death of his mother leaves him the only immortal person he knows, Basie decides that the only thing he wants to do is get out of Long Lily and start doing immortality the right way—alone.

Kit Elliot has wandered the world looking for the right place to call home, so when a church-turned-cottage suddenly goes up for sale in a quaint Pennsylvania town, it feels like it was meant to be. It takes only a few days at Wellhead Cottage for Kit to decide that the man who sold it to him is frustrating, awkward, and terribly handsome. He offers to help Basie find a new home away from Long Lily—but as days turn to months, Kit finds himself wishing he could make Basie stay.

Tess Carletta (she/her) is the author of Kit and Basie, a cozy contemporary queer romantasy, as well as its sequel Patchwork and the stand-alone romantasy adventure novel Goldheart. You can connect with her at her website: tesscarletta.com

A roundtable of indie authors chat about why we love independent bookstores, the perfect match between indie authors and indie bookshops, and what NOT to do as an indie author who wants to work with independent bookshops.

Carolina Cruz (they/them) is the author of the vampire horror romance Blood in the Water and the queer fantasy series The Creed of Gethin (beginning with The Unwanted Prophet). You can connect with them on instagram @ninawolverina

Noah Hawthorn (they/them), also writing as Aelina Isaacs, is the author of the queer cozy fantasy series Adventures in Levena, beginning with Phantom and Rook, and the solarpunk novel The Rebel Foxes, amongst other titles. You can connect with them at their website: neshamapublishing.com

RK Ashwick (she/her) is the author of the cozy fantasy A Rival Most Vial and its sequel A Captured Cauldron, as well as the Lutesong trilogy beginning with The Stray Spirit. You can connect with her at her website: rkashwick.com

Sebastian Nothwell (he/him) is the author of the Victorian romantasy Oak King Holly King, its sequel Tales from Blackthorn Briar, and the fantasy-of-manners romance Fiorenzo, amongst other titles. You can connect with him at his website: sebastiannothwell.com

Tess Carletta (she/her) is the author of Kit & Basie, a queer cozy fantasy romance, its sequel collection Patchwork, and the forthcoming fantasy novel Goldheart. You can connect with her at her website: tesscarletta.com

Please enjoy this special sneak peek into the audiobook of Oak King Holly King - a gay Victorian fae romance by Sebastian Nothwell, read by Gary Furlong.

Shrike, the Butcher of Blackthorn, is a legendary warrior of the fae realms. When he wins a tournament in the Court of the Silver Wheel, its queen names him her Oak King - a figurehead destined to die in a ritual duel to invoke the change of seasons. Shrike is determined to survive. Even if it means he must put his heart as well as his life into a mere mortal’s hands.

Wren Lofthouse, a London clerk, has long ago resigned himself to a life of tedium and given up his fanciful dreams. When a medieval-looking brute arrives at his office to murmur of destiny, he’s inclined to think his old enemies are playing an elaborate prank. Still, he can’t help feeling intrigued by the bizarre-yet-handsome stranger and his fantastical ramblings, whose presence stirs up emotions Wren has tried to lock away in the withered husk of his heart.

As Shrike whisks Wren away to a world of Wild Hunts and arcane rites, Wren is freed from the repression of Victorian society. But both the fae and mortal realms prove treacherous to their growing bond. Wren and Shrike must fight side-by-side to see who will claim victory - Oak King or Holly King.

Oak King Holly King is a romantasy wherein a fearsome fae warrior destined for ritual sacrifice seeks a Victorian clerk fated to save him.

Sebastian Nothwell (he/him) is the author of Oak King Holly King, its sequel Tales from Blackthorn Briar, and the fantasy-of-manners romance Fiorenzo, amongst other titles. You can connect with him at his website: sebastiannothwell.com

Audiobook narrator turned author Natalie Naudus (she/her) joins Carolina Cruz (they/them) and Sebastian Nothwell (he/him) to discuss her debut novel Gay the Pray Away, a young adult tale of escaping the confines of a cult to find a sapphic happily-ever-after that deftly weaves raised stakes with even higher hopes.

Natalie Naudus (she/her) is an Audie and Earphones award-winning audiobook narrator of over 500 titles, as well as the author (and narrator!) of the young adult novel Gay the Pray Away and the co-creator of spicy sapphic short stories on her Patreon. You can connect with her at her website: natalienaudus.com

Carolina Cruz (they/them) is the author of the vampire horror romance Blood in the Water and the queer fantasy series The Creed of Gethin (beginning with The Unwanted Prophet). You can connect with them on instagram @ninawolverina