How a Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Became a Fantasy Novel (w/ author Barak Engel)

from Bay Waves · host Johnny T & Dylan Ray

On this episode we’re joined by Bay Area author Barak Engel, who took a Dungeons & Dragons campaign he was running and turned it into a full-blown fantasy novel. Turns out being a great Dungeon Master helps when you decide to write a book (and it also helps that he wrote some other cybersecurity non-fiction books before). We talk about how the world was born at the table, the unexpectedly useful mushroom trip that helped finish the story, his deep love of nerd culture, and naturally, we take some time to bully Dylan for not reading enough.Check out the book's website: https://thecrackinthecrystal.com/ Buy the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Crack-Crystal-Ascendance-Barak-Engel/dp/B0D5KTYS8LTitle Song is ‘Island’ by Super Cassette. More Super Cassette: https://linktr.ee/supercassetteFollow Bay Waves across socials @baywavespod:InstagramTikTokXSubscribe to Bay Waves on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BayWavesPodFollow on your Podcast Channels:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3myR6fzjRdgwixLFml2Wj1Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bay-waves/id1804939206Or find us on Amazon Music, Stitcher, Pandora and any other edgy platform you consume podcasts on

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Dec 31, 2025

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How a Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Became a Fantasy Novel (w/ author Barak Engel)

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