So, tell me a bit about you.

Meredith Kasian:
My name is Meredith Kasian and I am an engineer by day, writer by night, mom 24/7. I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, winning awards for my writing as far back as 2nd grade. I took a break from writing as I entered adulthood and motherhood, but picked it back up again in 2023 when a friend challenged me to NaNoWriMo. I ended up finishing that story, publishing it, and now I ‘m on my way to having my 3rd book published. I write mainly romantasy but as I grow as a writer I’m exploring other genres as well.

What drew you to your genre? Why do you stay with it, and what has it taught you?

Meredith Kasian:
I’ve been a fantasy reader as long as I can remember. There’s something about getting lost in a world so different and yet a mirror image of our own at the same time. I loved the idea of not having bounds, letting my imagination run wild, and that’s what ultimately drew me to write in the genre. Plus, who doesn’t love a sprinkle of romance in their stories?!

Which books or authors best capture the spirit of your genre? Any essential reads?

Meredith Kasian:
In terms of trad published authors, Rebecca Yarros, Sarah J Maas, and Carissa Broadbent are some of my favorites. But this genre for me is honestly dominated by the indie authors. There are so many, some of which have become so successful that they are now traditionally published too: Penn Cole, Helen Scheuerer, Tay Rose, and Raven Kennedy, to name a few.

What is a lesson you’ve learned from writing - something you wish you knew when you started?

Meredith Kasian:
Keep a series bible! When I started writing, I thought I’d remember who’s eyes color was what or what this character’s backstory was or who had which special power and who knew about it. Turns out, that’s a lot harder than it sounds! As I move into my second series, set in a totally different world, I started keeping a series bible where I put all important information in an easily searchable format. It has made drafting and editing so much easier!

What is a favourite prompt or creative practice for writing?

Meredith Kasian:
For me, it’s a 10 minute writing sprint. Whenever I’m stuck or just need to get words out to move on to the next exciting scene, I set a timer for 10 minutes at a time. Sometimes I’ll write almost 500 words, sometimes less than 200. But by forcing myself to work through whatever has me bogged down, I’m able to reignite the creative flow in my brain and get back on track.

What is one thing you would tell your younger writer self?

Meredith Kasian:
Don’t give up. For years, I went back and forth with writing, never figuring out how to take my sotries to the next level and get them finished so I would give up part way through. But eventually I figured out a method that worked for me, for both plotting and drafting, and I studied the craft more so I understood the key elements of storytelling. Only by sticking with it and not giving up on my dream did I get to the point of publication.

Links and BIO

Meredith Kasian:
When not dreaming up new fantasy worlds or teaching her toddlers how to recognize her favorite bookish characters, Meredith can be found curled up with a book or planning adventures with her husband. Though a chemical engineer by day, she’s been writing stories for as long as she can remember, most notably finishing her first novel (which will never be published) at the age of 12. After growing up in Virginia, she now lives outside of Philadelphia.

https://linktr.ee/meredithkasianauthor

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So, tell me a bit about you.

Jonathan Nott:
I’m Jonathan Nott, an Aussie writer in Amsterdam exploring creativity, consciousness, and what it means to live a fully expressed life. I write because I believe everyone is an Artist and I want to inspire people to become one.

What drew you to your genre? Why do you stay with it, and what has it taught you?

Jonathan Nott:
For me, writing is the foundation of everything. It’s the mine where I dig for ideas, the forge where I refine them, and the display case where they come alive in the world.
I was drawn to reflective, idea-driven writing because it allows me to blend creativity and philosophy, to make sense of my own life while hopefully sparking something in others. I stay with it because it keeps me honest. Writing shows me what I really think and believe, and it has taught me that creativity is less about genius and more about presence and spirituality.

Which books or authors best capture the spirit of your genre? Any essential reads?

Jonathan Nott:
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin, a reminder that creativity is not about doing but about being.

Start With Why by Simon Sinek, essential for understanding mission-driven work.

Alan Watts’ lectures and essays, playful wisdom on consciousness and absurdity.

Substack writers like Dan Koe, for showing how personal philosophy can become a living creative ecosystem.

These works embody the spirit of creative reflection.

What is a lesson you’ve learned from writing - something you wish you knew when you started?

Jonathan Nott:
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to write for yourself first. Don’t write to impress or to teach. Write to clarify, to express, to reveal something true.

Readers resonate most when you stop trying to perform and instead share from presence and authenticity.

I wish I knew earlier that consistency doesn’t mean publishing daily perfection, it means showing up to the page, mining raw thoughts, and trusting that over time the gems reveal themselves.

What is a favourite prompt or creative practice for writing?

Jonathan Nott:
One of my favorite practices is what I call Inspiration on Demand.

I set a ritualistic “holy hour” daily. Which means waking up early, free of distractions and focus on 1 thing. That is usually my writing process broken up into chunks.

Bonus: doing 90% of the writing with notebook and pen. The slow process helps me think deeper and unlock more creative thinking.

What is one thing you would tell your younger writer self?

Jonathan Nott:
I’d tell my younger writer self to stop waiting to be ready. You don’t need a perfect system, a perfect niche, or a perfect voice.
You find your voice by using it.
You only become a writer by writing. Trust the process, share sooner, and remember the world doesn’t need your polish, it needs your presence.

Links and BIO

Jonathan Nott:
Jonathan Nott is a writer and creative mentor helping multi-passionate people find their voice and create without limits.

He publishes the newsletter Create or Die, a manifesto and toolkit for the modern creative.

jonathannott.substack.com

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So, tell me a bit about you.

Wildwood Writer:
I am Wildwood Writer, a poet and storyteller drawn to the edges of human emotion, exploring love, loss, longing, and the hidden corners of the mind. My work seeks to illuminate the darkness and beauty that coexist in the human experience.

What drew you to your genre? Why do you stay with it, and what has it taught you?

Wildwood Writer:
I was drawn to poetry and prose that dig deep into the interior life, where rawness and vulnerability meet language. I stay with this genre because it allows me to confront truths that are often unspeakable, to give voice to the thoughts and feelings that dwell quietly or dangerously beneath the surface. Writing this way has taught me patience with myself, courage in vulnerability, and the power of language to transform pain into something resonant and alive.

Which books or authors best capture the spirit of your genre? Any essential reads?

Wildwood Writer:
Some essential voices in this genre include Sylvia Plath, Louise Glück, Sharon Olds, and Anne Sexton. Their work captures the intensity and intimacy of human emotion, blending lyricism with confession, and offering a model for how poetry can be both beautiful and unflinching.

What is a lesson you’ve learned from writing - something you wish you knew when you started?

Wildwood Writer:
One lesson I’ve learned is that the most powerful lines often come when you stop trying to be clever and start listening to the honesty beneath your words. Let the language carry the truth, even if it’s messy, dark, or uncomfortable. If I could tell myself this at the start, it would have saved me years of overthinking and self-censorship.

What is a favourite prompt or creative practice for writing?

Wildwood Writer:
A practice I return to often is freewriting a single, intense image or memory for ten minutes without stopping, then circling the phrases that burn brightest and expanding them into poems. It’s a way to bypass fear and perfectionism and get straight to the emotional pulse of the work.

What is one thing you would tell your younger writer self?

Wildwood Writer:
I would tell my younger writer self to trust the darkness, to embrace it, and to write it fully. The most honest and resonant work comes from diving deep into what frightens, saddens, or excites you, not from skimming the surface.

Links and BIO

Wildwood Writer:
Wildwood Writer explores the edges of human experience through poetry and prose that confronts emotion, longing, and truth.
Links:
Substack: Wildwood Writer
Instagram
Books
Threads: threads.com/@wildwoodwriter

Lucy May Smith
Hi, I’m Luce and I’m a debut indie dark fantasy author with an interest in urban fantasy and twisted romance. I come from an academic background of forensic psychology and currently work in research, but writing has always been my preferred method of escapism when the real world gets a little too tough.

I’m also the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of Twisted Thorn Editing House Ltd, where I support other authors in reaching their full potential. When I’m not working or writing, I am the singer, songwriter and keys player for a blues, folk-horror, and psychedelic-inspired rock band. I have a terrible tattoo addiction, spend far too much money on pretty DnD dice, and will likely have back problems very soon from being hunched over my desk plotting my next books. A little fun fact about me is I won a world dance championship in tap dancing in 2012 and it’s still my biggest flex.

What drew you to your genre (or form)? Why do you stay with it, and what has it taught you about writing or yourself?

Lucy May Smith
I would describe my debut series, as well as my other WIPs, as dark fantasy with romance, rather than “romantasy”. I don’t promise conventional happy endings, nor do I think romance takes the central focus of the stories themselves. But romance is still a very key theme in all of my projects because it’s something I personally enjoy to read. My debut series, The Courts of Daemonium, begins with a twisted romance between my main characters, Xander and Adriana, in Lord of Shadow and Blood. Their enemies-to-lovers-to-complicated relationship is what kicks everything off, but it is far from the start of the storyline and definitely not the end.

As a child I loved YA fantasy books, and then in my teenage years I began to steer towards classics and horror. What I love about some of my favourite classics, specifically Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte is their portrayal of bleak and terrible experiences many of us can relate to, even nowadays. But their ability to do so with such beautiful lessons and morals to their writing is wonderful to read and learn from. Another favourite of mine, Dracula by Bram Stoker, is a perfect example of incorporating the problematic social norms and values within a dark paranormal story.

As an adult, I got back into reading fantasy during the COVID lockdowns, and fell down the rabbit hole of NA fantasy romance which has led to a neverending TBR list. It was during the lockdown that I began to think about my own story with an aim to incorporate the themes and styles from my favourite classics with the modern stories of my favourite NA fantasy authors. My constant rambling to my boyfriend gave way to several google docs of character sheets, plot plans and my own spin on Latin and Greek mythology, ultimately leading me down the path of dark fantasy for Lord of Shadow and Blood and beyond.

Which books, stories, or authors best capture the spirit of your genre? Are there essential reads you’d recommend to anyone exploring it?

Lucy May Smith
I’d definitely suggest the books I mentioned before (Dracula, Wuthering Heights and Tess of the d’Urbervilles) to get a feel for the style of part 1 in Lord of Shadow and Blood and the type of tragic characters I write. Though morally grey men are a common trope in modern fantasy, Xander adds a whole new meaning to the label. The series is dark for a reason, and that reason primarily stems from Xander not being a good person. The necessity of his own survival for his loved ones to live forces him to be a resentful, modern Byronic hero with a necessary villainous outlook on life. To expect him to be an all-out heroic person is wrong, and so I do not expect readers to like him a lot of the time, just like the characters in my favourite classics. But what I do hope is that readers will come to understand him and fall in love with him for all that he is.

I’d also suggest NA fantasy/romantasy books with intricate lore, paranormal beings, mature content and political intrigue to get an idea of what to expect. Series such as The Crowns of Nyaxia by Carissa Broadbent, The Legends of Thezmarr by Helen Scheuerer, The Empyrean by Rebecca Yarros, and of course A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Mass, are all brilliant books to really sink your teeth into. However, for those who haven’t dabbled much in fantasy before, starting with an urban or historical fantasy series such as the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness is always a good place to start. I actually had a beta reader call my debut a mix of ‘the biblical notion of Lilith with Pride and Prejudice and A Discovery of Witches’.

Some other authors that I love and will always recommend are Toby Crabbe, Stevie Hosler, Addy O’Brien and Sabrina Voerman. Their works deserve a lot of attention and praise.

What’s one piece of advice, reflection, or lesson you’ve learned from writing in this genre? Something you wish you knew when you started.

Lucy May Smith
A key thing I wish I’d understood earlier on is that my writing doesn’t need to look the same as someone else’s in the fantasy genre. Finding my own writing style has been a long journey of trial and error, and it was only when I had the time to sit with my work that I realised I wasn’t reading what I personally would want to read. As I mentioned before, I have a soft spot for classic literature, but the genre I mainly read now is fantasy and the odd romance to break it up. I knew I wanted to write in a style that felt authentic to me, but I definitely hadn’t done that in my first few drafts. Once I realised I didn’t need to sound like anyone else, that’s when I really found my voice.

Another lesson I’ve learnt is that not everyone is going to like your writing. I previously had Lord of Shadow and Blood on Wattpad, where I received a series of very rude comments from one reader. At first it made me laugh because that’s my natural response to someone being aggressive over something so small, but then it really started to knock my confidence. But I knew, if it were anyone else, I would tell them to ignore the hate and focus on the love. And everyone that has helped me perfect Lord of Shadow and Blood, from my beta readers to my editor to my boyfriend, has shown their love and appreciation for my work whilst still giving me constructive critical feedback. So the key lesson is criticism should be welcomed, not feared, but only when it is delivered in a supportive way. If someone just wants to slag off your writing, just ignore them and let them waste their own energy, don’t let them waste yours by responding.

Do you have a favourite writing prompt, exercise, or practice that helps unlock creativity in your genre?

Lucy May Smith
I have a few writing exercises that I do for practice, but one that has always helped me and that I advise to my editing clients, is playing around with your own language. If you’ve got a paragraph that consists of a series of sentences that are quite short, abrupt, and repetitive in structure, then don’t be afraid to mess around with it. We all know the first draft is always far from perfect, and that’s why editing is so important. Editing can be a long, tedious journey that feels like it never ends, so breaking your writing down and taking a step back from the story as you pick it apart can be a great way to strengthen your work. Considering different ways you can convey a message, describe a specific action or portray an emotion is an excellent way to explore new styles of writing, and will ultimately help you solidify your own style.

As someone who has fortunately never experienced writer’s block and has the opposite problem of having too many ideas, my biggest prompt to new writers would be to just write one single word down. Just one word, whether it’s a character’s name, a theme you want to explore, a trope you want to include, or the first word of the very first sentence. Once you’ve got that down, you’ve got your starting point, and you can branch out from there.

If you could go back and tell your ‘younger writer self’ one thing about the journey ahead, what would it be?

Lucy May Smith
I wish I had told myself years ago to just go for it. I’d always loved making up stories in my head, often based on books, films, TV shows or people around me, but I never felt like I was worthy enough to write them down. The kick I needed was from my boyfriend when, after months of rambling to him, he told me to just write it all down before my head exploded. I spent weeks typing away on my laptop and scribbling random quotes and ideas in notebooks, leading to my debut’s plot finally coming together. And because I tend to have an overactive brain, that one story then became a book, which then became a trilogy, which then became several interconnected series. So just go for it and don’t worry about the end goal, just focus on what you want to say right now. You never know where your writing journey may take you.

Bio + Links

Lucy May Smith is a dark fantasy author based in Manchester, UK. @lucymsmithbooks on Instagram, X and TikTok.

Lucy’s website will be launching shortly before the release of her debut novel, Lord of Shadow and Blood, which will be available to buy on 21st December 2025.

withgrce:
I am a singer–songwriter who writes lyrics and melodies to express deep emotional connections in life grief, stress, loneliness, and past traumas. Writing is my way of transcending those experiences into something others can hold. It’s an act of healing, reflecting, and sharing with the world around me.

What drew you to your genre? Why do you stay with it, and what has it taught you?

withgrce:
I find poetry in music, which is why songs feel otherworldly to me different from a story with no melody. My dad was a songwriter, and I grew up watching him write, but it took me a long time to find the right format to express my imagination.

I stay with songwriting because it can take people on a journey in under four minutes. So much of life is made of short bursts of emotion, and songs capture that. Music is universal you don’t need to speak the same language to understand how a melody moves you. Words can create boundaries, but melody allows anyone to access emotion.

Which books or authors best capture the spirit of your genre? Any essential reads?

withgrce:
I read a lot about the brain and how we can change our choices to understand ourselves better. I love Women Living Deliciously by Florence Given she invites you to say YES to life and embrace all the delicious disruptions it brings.

I also love poetry. I recently read The Last Leaf by Oliver Wendell Holmes. It doesn’t directly depict my genre, but I’m drawn to explorations of loss physical loss as we age and soulful loss as we evolve. Those themes inspire the emotional landscapes I work with in my songs.

What is a lesson you’ve learned from writing songs something you wish you knew when you started?

withgrce:
Just write. An idea cannot be rubbish. Not every seed in a garden grows, but the ones that do are surrounded by what some might call “rubbish” yet those ideas were necessary too.

Don’t be afraid to be different. We’re conditioned to fit in, and when we don’t, we feel strange. But “strange” is originality, and that’s the part of us we’ve been taught to ignore. Lean into what sets you apart. That’s how I wrote an album by listening to my own voice in the crowd.

And don’t rush. Life isn’t a race, and neither is writing. Let it be a marathon. Your time isn’t running out.

What is a favourite prompt or creative practice for songwriting?

withgrce:
Honestly, I tend to write when I’ve had enormous stress which is ironic, considering I’m constantly trying to find ways not to be stressed. It’s a see-saw: stress triggers the need to write to find balance.

My suggestion is simple: write a line, an idea, a thought each day. I feel creativity comes from a spiritual higher being sometimes I’m just told, suddenly, “here’s an idea,” and eventually I hone in on one.

To keep the creativity flowing, I write daily ideas until one feels worth pursuing. And I think experiencing life sparks creativity get outside, see the sunshine, put your phone down, people-watch, do something you’d never do. It changes your brain chemistry and shifts your gaze, which for me creates the urge to write.

What is one thing you would tell your younger writer self?

withgrce:
Some people will not connect to your writing and that’s okay. Connection is rare. Words meet people at different times in their lives. I only understand certain literature now because I’ve experienced more or have the space to truly grasp it.

Don’t worry about everyone connecting to your words. Your connection to them is enough and anyone else connecting is a bonus.

Links and BIO:

withgrce music