From Victorian penny dreadfuls to 21st century fanfiction and everything between and beyond, St John Starling chats with Sebastian Nothwell about serial fiction, Gothic romance, and bold strategies for telling stories.

St John Starling (he/him) is the author of the queer Gothic romances What Manner of Man and The Sacred Sins of Father Black. You can connect with him on tumblr @stjohnstarling and join his newsletter at stjohnstarling.substack.com

Sebastian Nothwell (he/him) is the author of Oak King Holly King, Mr Warren's Profession, Fiorenzo, and other queer romance novels. You can connect with him at sebastiannothwell.com

Ring in the new year with this special first chapter sneak peek of the A Rival Most Vial audiobook! (Written by RK Ashwick, narrated by Brendan Robert Kane.) Stay tuned next year for more author interviews and panel discussions, and thank you so much for listening.

Any adventurer worth their sword knows about Ambrose Beake. The proud, quiet half-elf sells the best, and only, potions in the city—until a handsome new shopkeeper named Eli opens another potion shop across the street, throwing Ambrose’s peace and ledgers far off balance.

Within weeks, they’re locked in a war of price tags and products—Ambrose’s expertise against Eli’s effortless charm. Toil leads to trouble, the safety gloves come off, and right as their rivalry reaches a boiling point…

The mayor commissions them to brew a potion together.

The task is as complex as it is lucrative, pushing both men to the limits of their abilities and patience. Yet as the fires burn and cauldrons bubble…they find a different sort of chemistry brewing.

A Rival Most Vial is a queer cozy romantasy perfect for anyone who’s ever fallen head-over-heels for an NPC - available now wherever fine books are found!

RK Ashwick (she/her) is the author of the cozy fantasy A Rival Most Vial and its sequel A Captured Cauldron, as well as the Lutesong trilogy beginning with The Stray Spirit. You can connect with her at her website: rkashwick.com

“Even back then, they wanted that twink obliterated.” Noah Hawthorne (he/they) interviews Trip Galey (he/him) about paying queer artists to make queer art, fae morality, identification with the alien, drawing inspiration from boredom, resonating with queer experiences outside of your own, writing the weirdest story of your heart, and the wildly entertaining I Want That Twink Obliterated anthology.

Trip Galey (he/him) is the author of the queer fantasy novel A Market of Dreams and Destiny and the cozy cosmic novella Apple Pies and Eldritch Skies as well as the co-founder of the small press Bona Books Ltd and co-creator of the I Want That Twink Obliterated anthology of queer spec fic. You can connect with him at linktr.ee/tripgaley and keep up with all the cool things Bona Books Ltd is up to at bona-books.com

Noah Hawthorne (he/they), also writing as Aelina Isaacs, is the author of the queer cozy fantasy series Adventures in Levena, beginning with Phantom and Rook. You can connect with him at their website: neshamapublishing.com