Of Love & Dragons

If you joined us a couple of weeks ago for our episode featuring A Breath of Time, then you’ll already have had a glimpse into our brand-new Romantic Fantasy anthology series. And as promised, this time we’re turning to its fiery, ferocious, and, of course, romantic counterpart, Of Love & Dragons.  In this episode, we bring you two captivating stories set against sweeping oceanic backdrops, where love and transformation collide in powerful and unexpected ways.Featuring'We Are Not Them' by Georgina Kamsika (04.09), read by Sabrina Robinson. It’s an enemies-to friends-to lovers tale set against a vast, oceanic backdrop, where two women must confront the weight of their history. Found in our brand new Of Love & Dragons anthology. 'The Water Kelpie by Rebecca Sophia Clarke (29.31), read by Bea. In this tale, we meet a kelpie - not quite a dragon, but a creature just as steeped in mystery, who draws a woman down into his underwater kingdom. From our Gothic Fantasy anthology, Shadows on the Water.BiographiesGeorgina Kamsika writes about monsters and ghosts and aliens. Sometimes the people kiss. Sometimes the monsters do too! Georgina is currently writing an interactive fiction game for Choice of Games, but when the coding gets too much, she finds she must write a short story or two. This is one of them. For more information, find her at kamsika.com and @GKamsika on most socials.Writing as ‘Sophie May’, Rebecca Sophia Clarke (1833–1906) was a prolific and well-loved children’s author, best known for her ‘Little Prudy’ series. In contrast with her lively, quirky characters, she was personally quiet and unassuming. Apart from a few years as a schoolteacher in Evanston, Indiana, she spent most of her life in her birthplace, the tiny town of Norridgewock, Maine. ‘We Are Not Them’ is ©2026 Georgina Kamsika and appears in Of Love & Dragons (Flame Tree Publishing, 2026).‘The Water Kelpie’ by Rebecca Sophia Clarke was first published in 1866 in Fairy Book, but more recently appeared in Shadows on the Water (Flame Tree Publishing, 2024).....................................................................................................................................Music is an extract of Sunbeams by Allen Stroud, from his Fractal Series album, licensed courtesy of fpl-digital 2025.This podcast is hosted and sometimes narrated by Beatrix Ambery (also audio editor), Olivia Jackson (also podcast coordinator), Shilpa Varma and Nick Wells (also producer). Chosen from hundreds of wonderful tales, short stories such as these are selected by our short window open submission process, giving opportunities to writers of all levels of experience, culture and location. Look out for our submission announcements, and see the full list here:  flametreepublishing.com/gothic-fantasy-book-series-list.htmlOur full range of thematic short stories, epic tales, mythology and folklore titles are available at all good bookstores, online and in retail, and at flametreepublishing.com Flame Tree Publishing, Best Indie Press 2024 & 2025 (British Fantasy Society). Beautiful Books, Timeless Storytelling, Fresh Perspectives.The Flame Tree Myth and Fiction podcast is created and © copyright 2025 Flame Tree Publishing Ltd.