Episode Details

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where gods wage war, morally gray heroes steal the spotlight, and every choice comes with a price.

This week, host Bethany Amanda sits down with #1 New York Times bestselling author Carissa Broadbent to celebrate The Lion and the Deathless Dark, the highly anticipated continuation of the Crowns of Nyaxia saga.

Carissa opens up about her remarkable publishing journey from self-publishing books that sold just a handful of copies to building one of fantasy's biggest indie success stories before becoming a bestselling hybrid author. We discuss the realities of indie publishing, the pressure of traditional publishing, why slow career growth can be a strength, and the lessons she wishes every aspiring author knew before publishing their debut.

Then we dive deep into The Lion and the Deathless Dark, where readers return to Nyaxia a decade after the events of The Fallen and the Kiss of Dusk. The world is at war. The gods are no longer distant figures but active players reshaping civilization. And one of the series' most infamous antagonists—Septimus—finally steps into the role of romantic lead alongside the fierce, sword-wielding bounty hunter Kyrene.

We explore why Carissa always planned for Septimus to have his own story, how she approached writing a romance between two deeply morally compromised characters, what it means to rebuild a fantasy world ten years after everything changed, and why every book she writes begins with a question she's trying to answer herself.

⚔️ What happens when the villain becomes the hero of his own story?
🩸 Can two morally gray people ever become the heroes their world needs?
🌑 And what if saving the world means questioning everything you believed about justice, power, and redemption?

Whether you're a longtime Crowns of Nyaxia fan or discovering Carissa's books for the first time, this episode is packed with behind-the-scenes insights, publishing wisdom, and an unforgettable look inside one of romantasy's biggest worlds.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:

✨ Carissa's journey from writing stories online as a teenager to becoming a bestselling hybrid author.
✨ Why she chose self-publishing first, how she built a full-time writing career, and the reality behind "overnight success."
✨ The surprising story behind Daughter of No Worlds, including its slow-burn launch and why selling just 40 copies in its first month didn't stop it from changing her life.
✨ Practical advice for aspiring authors on finishing books.
✨ How the Crowns of Nyaxia universe grew into an interconnected eight-book saga spanning multiple vampire houses, gods, timelines, and romances.
✨ Returning to Nyaxia ten years later and completely reshaping the world through war, evolving magic systems, and shifting political alliances.
✨ Why Septimus was always destined to become a romantic lead and why Carissa believes readers have misunderstood him from the very beginning.
✨ Building the dynamic between Septimus and Kyrene, two characters who both see themselves as morally compromised and question whether they're worthy of love or redemption.
✨ Carissa's philosophy that every novel begins with a question she's personally trying to answer, from hope during impossible times to whether anyone can truly become a hero.
✨ The challenges of balancing multiple POV characters, interconnected duologies, and standalone novels while bringing an enormous fantasy universe toward its conclusion.
✨ What's next after Crowns of Nyaxia and why Carissa already has an entirely new fantasy world waiting to be explored.

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👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
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