Episode Details

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where forbidden magic can get you killed, giant birds choose their riders, and sometimes the girl everyone tried to protect is ready to protect them back.

This week, host Bethany Amanda is joined by Mythic Mic team member Amara for a fun and heartfelt conversation with author KJ Altair about Feathers of Ash and Hope, the first book in the Flameborn series. Feathers of Ash and Hope is a romantasy filled with military academy trials, bird bonding, forbidden magic, hidden identities, and sacrifice.

KJ shares her journey from medical school and trauma surgery training to becoming a self-published fantasy romance author. She opens up about burnout, long hospital shifts, motherhood, the pandemic, and the life-changing moment that made her reconsider how she wanted to spend her time. After stepping away from an unsustainable schedule, she found her way back to stories, first through bedtime tales for her children and then through the book that became Feathers of Ash and Hope. The conversation also dives into the Flameborn series, including why this book will appeal to Mulan lovers and how hope can be found even in the most unlikely places. 

🪽 What happens when a girl immune to magic lives in a kingdom that executes people like her?
🔥 Can joining a deadly military academy help Ara hide her curse and protect her family?
⚔️ And what happens when the centurion watching her every move becomes the person she cannot stay away from?

If you love Mulan energy, bonding trials, and dual POV stories, this episode is for you.

🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:
✨ KJ's path from medical school and trauma surgery training to writing romantasy.
✨ Learning self-publishing from scratch and gaining new respect for every published book.
✨ Advice for aspiring authors, including not comparing a messy first draft to a polished finished book.
✨ Feathers of Ash and Hope as Mulan meets Fourth Wing with giant birds and Roman Empire inspiration.
✨ Dual POV, military academy dynamics, bird bonding, forbidden attraction, and rule-breaking tension in this high-stakes romantasy.
✨ Realistic injuries, medical details, and why KJ only had to research bird anatomy.
✨ Hope, loss, death, sacrifice, and honoring loved ones by living fully.
✨ Book two secrets, political intrigue, manipulation, and the consequences of hidden truths.
✨ Book three themes of trauma, healing, family, found family, and what people risk for love.

CONNECT WITH US

🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic
👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland
👤 Amara – @Bored_Military_Wife
📚 JK Altair – @KJAltair

✨ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review. It helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.