Episode Details

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where murdered kings make dangerously charming love interests, magical bonds come with deadly consequences, and the ghost haunting you may also be trying to steal your soul.

This week, host Bethany Amanda and Mythic Mic rep Teresa Diaz sit down with Cortney L. Winn, author of the bestselling fantasy romance Vesselless and its highly anticipated sequel, Merciless. 

Cortney takes us behind the scenes of her extraordinary journey from writing her first novel as part of a personal bucket-list challenge to unexpectedly publishing Vesselless on Kindle Unlimited and landing a traditional publishing deal with Harper Voyager only seven months later. She opens up about the bizarre circumstances that pushed her to publish before she was ready, how strong reader support attracted foreign publishing interest, and why indie authors are transforming the traditional publishing landscape.

We also dive into the gloriously original premise behind Vesselless: a reluctant heiress who can see spirits, a murdered king trapped between life and death, and a magical bond that turns the creature granting her power into her dangerous and devastatingly charming love interest.

Cortney reveals why she describes the book as “spicy Casper,” how Fourth Wing helped inspire her spirit-bond magic system, and why the entire series was constructed around one pivotal sacrifice at the end of book one. She also teases a darker, twist-filled sequel that begins the instant Vesselless ends, and apparently leaves no reader’s predictions, emotions, or hairline intact.

👻 What happens when the ghost sent to steal your soul becomes the person you cannot let go?
👑 Can an heiress trust the murdered king whose throne was stolen by her own father?
🖤 And what if the greatest heroes really do have a little darkness inside them?

This is a must-listen for fantasy romance readers, ghost-boyfriend enthusiasts, aspiring authors, special-edition collectors, and anyone desperate to know what comes next after the ending of Vesselless.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ Cortney’s journey from serial hobby collector to bestselling fantasy romance author.
✨ How a bucket-list challenge (and one very specific Google search) led her to write her first novel.
✨ Publishing Vesselless on Kindle Unlimited with almost no launch preparation.
✨ The unexpected path from indie publishing to a Harper Voyager book deal.
✨ How foreign-rights interest helped Cortney find her literary agent.
✨ Why indie authors are changing traditional publishing expectations and negotiations.
✨ Working with book boxes and the special editions readers have gone feral over.
✨ Cortney’s advice for aspiring authors on consistency, self-belief, and becoming comfortable with discomfort.
✨ Writing at four in the morning while balancing school, motherhood, wedding cakes, and a newborn.
✨ The inspiration behind Vesselless and its spirit-bond magic system.
✨ Why ghosts won out over zombies as Cortney’s supernatural love interest of choice.
✨ What readers can expect from the darker and more unpredictable Merciless.
✨ Why Cortney describes book two as one enormous plot twist.
✨ Ghost beliefs, delayed banter comebacks, tattoo-worthy quotes, and rapid-fire chaos.

Plus, Bethany and Teresa reveal an upcoming giveaway with Moonlight Book Box featuring its highly coveted special edition of Vesselless. So keep an eye on The Mythic Mic Podcast’s social media pages for details!

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Sara Santillan – @the_magical_quill