Author Reese Sharon shares her journey of creating "Scorched," a romanticist book featuring gladiator-style battles with dragons and elemental horses coming out this October. We discuss the creative spark that comes from children, authenticity on social media, and the importance of not comparing yourself to other authors.

• Writing fantasy romance gives Reese more creative freedom than her previous dystopian works
• The idea for Scorched came from watching cartoons with her children
• Children can spark creativity for authors in unexpected ways
• Reese grew her Instagram following from 2,400 to nearly 5,000 in just two months through authentic posting
• "Comparison is the thief of joy" - focusing on your unique voice rather than others' success
• Showing up as your authentic self builds deeper connections with readers

About the book:

A romantasy filled with a FMC riding a fire horse, cursed with the ability to burn men to ash, and leaves her yearning after the man she loves, yet can never touch.

Serene is on a journey to find her sister, Tilly, after she disappeared from their home in Seattle, Washington. After touching the stones and transporting to the Realm of Azure, she realizes there's more to this world than she ever knew. Along with finding her sister, she must stay alive with the two princes who protect her from those who want her dead. Especially the ninety-nine men she is thrown into the battle games with, which is forbidden by the Gods. As the first woman to compete in the deadly battle games, Serene must live to be one of the chosen eight or die trying. Serene has to face fire-breathing dragons, unrelenting Royals who would love to see her die, and most importantly, darkness that is descending upon the Realms, including the man she will die to protect.

But little does she know that very man is the only one capable of destroying her.

Will she win the games and be granted the Light Stone to get rid of the curses placed upon the Realms by the Gods? Or will she fall to the one person whom she should be able to trust the most?

SCORCHED is a book filled with banter, tension, and yearning.

Gladiator-style battle games but with dragons & horses of the elements.

Fans who love the series, House of Dragon, Outlander, Reign, Vikings, and Fourth Wing will love SCORCHED.

Follow Reese on socials HERE

About Victoria:

Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together.

Here’s how I can help:
📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.
Grab it HERE

📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.
✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.

Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!

📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria
🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial

We sit down with Sarah J. Lillenfeld to explore the journey from fanfiction to a finished debut, blending urban fantasy with a small-town murder mystery and the courage it took to complete the book after a cancer diagnosis. We also dig into edits, naming pitfalls, sustainable marketing, and resisting the comparison trap while building a genuine reader community.

Author bio:

Sara J. Lilienfeld is an urban fantasy author and lifelong reader, often spending days getting lost in books. She started writing in her teens, and hasn't stopped since. In her work, you'll find witchcraft, stories about community, and mystery. She lives in the DC metropolitan area with her two cats, Gin and Whiskey.

Blurb:

Home doesn’t always mean safe.

Adeline Coburn thought she’d left her home in Kentucky and her coven behind–permanently. After years of working as a Guardian in Seattle, tasked with keeping the supernatural world hidden from humans, tragedy strikes, and she finds herself adrift.

With nowhere else to go, she returns home to eastern Kentucky and discovers a darkness has taken root. A sinister magical force has been unleashed in the mountains, and its hunger is difficult to satisfy.

As strange and violent deaths begin to plague the small town of Evarts, everyone is a suspect, and anyone could be the next victim.

The witchcraft in Adeline's blood may be the key to stopping the spread of death and darkness, but she’ll have to confront long-held regrets from her past if she hopes to uncover who’s responsible for the blight before the darkness destroys her home and the only stability she has left.

Links: https://linktr.ee/saralilienfeld

About Victoria:

Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together.

Here’s how I can help:
📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.
Grab it HERE

📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.
✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.

Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!

📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria
🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial

In today's episode we sit down with author Nicole Beatty to explore Forge, a romantasy where magic is an artifact, councils hoard medallions, and a revenge-driven heroine steps into an open challenge that could reshape a corrupt system.

BOOK BLURB:

In Rae Airynn's world, magic is reserved only for those strong enough to earn it, or powerful enough to wield it unchallenged for generations, the most lethal Medallions firmly in the grasp of Hierathynn's most elite.

For centuries, the Council has only included the descendants of five unstoppable families, until a member dies with no heir to claim his Medallion, and his seat of power.

Forced into action, the Council hosts an Open Challenge, and Rae finds herself with a renewed hope that she may finally get the vengeance she's been dreaming of for over a decade—but she'll soon come to find that the threats she'll face in the arena aren't nearly as deadly as the ones lurking within the walls of the Council Grounds.

The Challenge will threaten Rae's life, but the choices she'll have to make will threaten the very morals she clings to so desperately. How much of herself is she willing to sacrifice just to exact her revenge—assuming she even makes it out alive.

AUTHOR BIO

Born and raised in Ontario, Canada, Nicole has been an avid reader and writer since childhood. The second she got her hands on her first Nancy Drew mysteries, she's been hooked on books. She currently writes in the Romantasy genre, but also loves to read anything Fantasy, Romantasy, or Thriller.

Her main goal as an Author is to provide stories that can help readers escape reality for a few hours. But in between the tension-filled slow burn moments, adrenaline-packed action scenes, and giggling/feet-kicking-inducing banter, readers will walk with her characters as they process tough topics like grief or trauma, and ultimately find strength in themselves as well as each other.

LINKS

BOOK LINK

WEBSITE LINK

INSTAGRAM

THREADS

TIKTOK

About Victoria:

Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together.

Here’s how I can help:
📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.
Grab it HERE

📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.
✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.

Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!

📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria
🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial