S4E12: Nobledark Fantasy with Author BSH Garcia

Recorded on April 15th, the conversation delves into the concept of Nobledark Fantasy, a sub-genre characterized by morally gray characters navigating a dark world while striving to do the right thing, comparing it to other subgenres like Noblebright and Grimdark.

💥 What You’ll Get in This Episode:
✅ My books are on sale now, all the way down to free!
✅ See me in person at Metrotham Con in Dalton, Georgia next weekend!
✅ Don’t miss the weekly print book giveaway, and join in with a new Question of the Week!
✅ And of course, this episode’s awesome author interview!

🚀 If you love Fantasy and diving deep into *why* we love it, this episode is for you!
📚 Find BSH Garcia’s books here: https://www.bshgarcia.com/
🔗 Follow BSH Garcia:
https://x.com/bshgarcia
https://www.instagram.com/bshgarcia/
https://www.tiktok.com/@bshgarcia

🎙 Subscribe to my channel for more author interviews & writing insights!
🔥 Got a Nobledark recommendation? Drop it in the comments!
➤Weekly Book Giveaway: Last week’s winner: Rose Bishop! Congratulations, and enjoy your pick, The Voyage of the Entdecker. The new Questions of the Week:
💥 What book, series, or franchise–not necessarily in Fantasy–would you consider Nobledark, and why?
No ideas? Listen to the interview and you’ll get the feel for it!
💥 Enter the contest by guessing a number (1–1,000). Add a letter for a chance to win two books! The best place to participate is in my Discord server, but I’m now accepting email, tweet, etc.–but make sure you @ me and I react, so you know I got your entry. Drop your dream team in the comments!

00:00 Introduction and Podcast Overview
01:20 Upcoming Events and Announcements
04:24 Weekly Book Giveaway Details
08:46 Question of the Week and Contest Rules
11:01 Interview with BSH Garcia Begins
11:24 BSH Garcia’s Writing Journey
15:51 Self-Publishing vs Traditional Publishing
20:27 Defining Noble Dark Fantasy
22:07 Defining Epic Fantasy
22:29 High Fantasy vs. Epic Fantasy
23:18 Exploring Dark Fantasy
24:09 Noble Dark Fantasy
28:09 Genre Blending and Speculative Fiction
36:12 Creating Complex Characters
36:34 Author’s Series and Final Thoughts

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Announcements:

Win Free Books: See the menu and how it works at https://www.grendhill.media/prizes/

Authors, join the giveaway: If you’re an author and you’d like to participate, I’ll buy your book when a contest winner chooses it. Please fill out my Google Form ( https://forms.gle/XKTy7Sg8H9pENm8p7 ) and I’ll consider your book for the “menu.”

➤The Grendhill Chronicles Podcast is brought to you by my YA Epic Fantasy series “Nightshade Unicorn,” written under the pen name T.S. Pedramon. You can purchase it on Amazon or elsewhere, or directly from me at https://www.grendhill.media/ (and get it signed, too). And you can really help out by leaving a comment on Amazon or on Goodreads. It helps other people find my books and join the journey!

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Buy the Nightshade Unicorn saga:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVW6L8VT
Direct: https://www.grendhill.media/

Find me online:
Author Page: https://www.pedramon.com/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GrendhillChron/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grendhillchronicles/
Discord: https://discord.gg/HvQZeG2AWu

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S4E8: Writing Beyond Reality Realistically with Author Pat Hauldren

Today I bring you an interview with Science Fiction author Pat Hauldren, in which we explore how to write hard Sci-Fi, and the different factors involved.

You can connect with Pat here:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Pat%20Hauldren/author/B06Y4H8RJ1
https://x.com/SyFyExaminer

Also, hey! It’s my birthday this week! To celebrate, discounts all around! Check it out on Amazon or on my direct sales page (links below). Plus, the eBook for Forerunner is FREE until March 10th!

Also, while I’m not officially participating in this round of Stuff Your Kindle with Fantasy, you can get lots of other free eBooks on February 28th if you go here: https://stuffwithfantasy.com/. Happy hunting.

…I’m still on the road attending conventions, so let’s cut straight to the giveaway!

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Weekly Book Giveaway:

  • Last week’s winner: Debbie. (See my Discord server.) Congratulations, and your book will be on its way soon!
  • The new Questions(!) of the Week, take your pick:
    • What fictional world has the most formidable army or military, and what makes them supreme?
    • A wizard offers you an enchanted item as a birthday present. What do you choose, and why do want that…type of animal familiar? (Okay, it doesn’t have to be an animal!)
  • Enter the contest by guessing a number (1–1,000). Add a letter for a chance to win two books!
  • The best place to participate is in my Discord server, but I’m now accepting email, tweet, etc.–but make sure you @ me and I react, so you know I got your entry!

Stay Connected:

  • Discord Server: Join the conversation, answer the question of the week, and enter the giveaway.
  • Support the Podcast: Ko-fi Supporters gain exclusive perks like early announcements and behind-the-scenes updates.

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Announcements:

Win Free Books: Head to my Discord server ( https://discord.gg/HvQZeG2AWu ), answer the “Question of the Week,” and guess a number between 1 and 1,000. For a bonus prize, guess a letter of the alphabet for a chance to win two signed books instead of one! See the full “menu” here, but check back again later—it’s growing: https://www.grendhill.media/prizes/

Authors, join the giveaway: If you’re an author and you’d like to reach more readers, I’m willing to buy your book when a contest winner chooses it. Please fill out my Google Form ( https://forms.gle/XKTy7Sg8H9pENm8p7 ) to have your book considered for the “menu.”

Upcoming Conventions:

  • ConFinement in Lebanon, TN (Feb 28-Mar 1).

Book Promo: I’m participating in a clean fantasy eBook giveaway on BookFunnel, until February 17th. See the giveaway here: https://books.bookfunnel.com/epicspeculativefiction/3elgh3hok5 .

➤The Grendhill Chronicles Podcast is brought to you by my YA Epic Fantasy series “Nightshade Unicorn,” written under the pen name T.S. Pedramon. You can purchase it on Amazon or elsewhere, or directly from me at https://www.grendhill.media/ (and get it signed, too). And you can really help out by leaving a comment on Amazon or on Goodreads. It helps other people find my books and join the journey!

➤My Nightshade Unicorn books (1 & 2) are available on Amazon, or you can grab signed copies directly from me at www.grendhill.media.

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Book 1, Forerunner:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVW6CBV9/
Direct: https://www.grendhill.media/
Purchase links everywhere else: https://books2read.com/NightshadeUnicorn-1

Book 2, Guardian:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFFZFZDZ
Direct: https://www.grendhill.media/
Purchase links everywhere else: https://books2read.com/NU2

Find me online:

Author Page: https://www.pedramon.com/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GrendhillChron/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grendhillchronicles/
Discord: https://discord.gg/HvQZeG2AWu

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S4E7 – 3D Prints and Miscellaneous

It’s another solo episode today, with the weekly book giveaway, announcements, and a little bit of 3D prints show-and-tell.

After recording an interview for a future episode relevant to tabletop games, the new giveaway contest Question of the Week is also in that realm!

Here are some of the answers from last week’s question, “What’s your favorite twist on a classic fantasy trope?”:

Michelle Sagara did a fun take on the ‘chosen one’/reluctant hero trope in the Chronicles of Elantra by having the MC be from the poorest part of the city. She makes mistake after mistake while still trying to avoid pretty much everything. And all the while, the MC is pretty much the only one who can save the city/world because she was chosen as a child to basically be a sacrifice. Kaylin ends up having a long, varied list of allies because of her naive, almost-innocent behavior/mentality, and yet she’s also extremely capible. She’s someone most of us can relate to and yet she’s still the hero. And she never ends up rich or wealthy (also something you don’t see a lot of in fantasy…).

I don’t know if it even counts, but the biggest twist I’ve enjoyed in recent years was Wen Spencer’s Brother’s Keeper I think that was the name anyway. Very few authors do a good job of switching traditional gender roles. In that book, the women were the warriors, the business people, the bosses, and the men (who were rare) were the keepers of the home and raisers of the children. It was done surprisingly well. But it did get a little romancy and ew toward the end. My motto is: I don’t care who is doing what with or to whom, JUST DON’T TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Libraries filled with books, the more expansive the better. My personal favorite is The Library at The Citadel in Game of Thrones. It is said to house knowledge from across Westeros and Essos, the two main continents featured in the book and television series.

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Weekly Book Giveaway:

  • Last week’s winner: JFPosthumus. (See my Discord server.) Congratulations, and I’m glad your book already arrived!
  • The new Question of the Week: What’s the most epic or unexpected moment you’ve experienced in a tabletop game?
  • Enter the contest by guessing a number (1–1,000). Add a letter for a chance to win two books!
  • The best place to participate is in my Discord server, but I’m now accepting email, tweet, etc.–but make sure you @ me and I react, so you know I got your entry!

Stay Connected:

  • Discord Server: Join the conversation, answer the question of the week, and enter the giveaway.
  • Support the Podcast: Ko-fi Supporters gain exclusive perks like early announcements and behind-the-scenes updates.

============================

Announcements:

Win Free Books: Head to my Discord server ( https://discord.gg/HvQZeG2AWu ), answer the “Question of the Week,” and guess a number between 1 and 1,000. For a bonus prize, guess a letter of the alphabet for a chance to win two signed books instead of one! See the full “menu” here, but check back again later—it’s growing: https://www.grendhill.media/prizes/

Authors, join the giveaway: If you’re an author and you’d like to reach more readers, I’m willing to buy your book when a contest winner chooses it. Please fill out my Google Form ( https://forms.gle/XKTy7Sg8H9pENm8p7 ) to have your book considered for the “menu.”

Upcoming Conventions:

  • StoryCon in Salt Lake City (February 21–22).
  • ConFinement in Lebanon, TN (Feb 28-Mar 1).

Book Promo: I’m participating in a clean fantasy eBook giveaway on BookFunnel, until February 17th. See the giveaway here: https://books.bookfunnel.com/epicspeculativefiction/3elgh3hok5 .

➤The Grendhill Chronicles Podcast is brought to you by my YA Epic Fantasy series “Nightshade Unicorn,” written under the pen name T.S. Pedramon. You can purchase it on Amazon or elsewhere, or directly from me at https://www.grendhill.media/ (and get it signed, too). And you can really help out by leaving a comment on Amazon or on Goodreads. It helps other people find my books and join the journey!

➤My Nightshade Unicorn books (1 & 2) are available on Amazon, or you can grab signed copies directly from me at www.grendhill.media.

============================

Book 1, Forerunner:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CVW6CBV9/
Direct: https://www.grendhill.media/
Purchase links everywhere else: https://books2read.com/NightshadeUnicorn-1

Book 2, Guardian:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DFFZFZDZ
Direct: https://www.grendhill.media/
Purchase links everywhere else: https://books2read.com/NU2

Find me online:

Author Page: https://www.pedramon.com/
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GrendhillChron/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grendhillchronicles/
Discord: https://discord.gg/HvQZeG2AWu

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