In Episode 22 of Beyond the Page, I sit down with author and fellow podcaster Michelle Miles to talk about fantasy romance, fairy-tale retellings, dark paranormal romance, worldbuilding, and the enduring appeal of the happily-ever-after.
Michelle has written more than 45 books across fantasy, paranormal romance, and fairy-tale retellings. We discuss how the recent rise of romantasy has brought fantasy romance back into the spotlight and why Michelle was drawn to combining magic, adventure, and worldbuilding with slow-burn romance long before the genre's current boom.
We also dig into her approach to worldbuilding as a discovery writer, including how she creates kingdoms and magic systems as the story develops, keeps track of established canon, and plants connections and Easter eggs across different books and series.
From there, our conversation turns to fairy tales and why these familiar stories continue to resonate. Michelle talks about deconstructing stories like Cinderella while preserving the elements readers recognize, and why themes of hope, love, fear, rejection, and adventure remain universal.
We also discuss morally gray characters, the popularity of darker paranormal romance, genre expectations, heat levels, author branding, newsletters, finding readers, and the realities of trying to build a career in an increasingly crowded publishing industry.
Whether you love romantasy, fairy tales, paranormal romance, or simply enjoy hearing how writers build their worlds, there's plenty to dig into in this conversation.
Find Michelle: https://michellemilesbooks.com/
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