S.2 Ep. 88: The Dragon Rider Romantasy With Forbidden Magic, Plot Twists, and a Kitten-Sized Dragon: Courtney Whims on Flames and Fallacies

🎙️ Welcome back to The Mythic Mic Podcast, where dragon eggs hide in graves, forbidden bonds can get you killed, and love triangles are best when they hurt just a little.This week, host Bethany Amanda is joined by Amara for a fiery conversation with author Courtney Whims about her debut romantasy, Flames and Fallacies, the first book in a dragon rider series filled with forbidden magic, elemental dragons, prophecy, found family, plot twists, cliffhangers, and one very messy love triangle.Courtney shares how her love of dragons began with childhood favorites like Pokémon, Neopets, Eragon, and the dream of one day riding a dragon herself. She opens up about how reading Fourth Wing and Iron Flame sparked her desire for even more dragon rider stories, eventually inspiring her to write the exact book she wanted to read. What started as a “maybe five strangers will read this” dream has grown into a debut readers are discovering, recommending, and going feral over online.The conversation also dives into Courtney’s creative process as both author and artist. Not only did she write Flames and Fallacies, but she also created her own covers, maps, character art, special editions, overlays, sprayed edges, and more, making the series feel completely and unmistakably hers.🐉 What happens when dragons are illegal, dragon riders are dead, and one girl finds an egg buried in her father’s grave?🔥 Can Kat protect a hatchling that could get her executed?💔 And what happens when two very different men pull out completely different sides of her heart?Whether you love dragon rider fantasy, elemental magic, dangerous kingdoms, plot twists, he-trains-her tension, found family, spicy romantasy, or love triangles that make you choose a team and suffer, this episode is packed with magic, chaos, and so many reasons to add Flames and Fallacies to your TBR.🔥 IN THIS EPISODE, WE TALK ABOUT:✨ Courtney’s journey from graphic designer and illustrator to self-published author.✨ Writing the dragon rider book she wanted to read.✨ Creating her own covers, maps, character art, overlays, and special editions.✨ Self-publishing, imposter syndrome, and learning as she went.✨ Why aspiring authors should write the book for themselves first.✨ The kitten-sized dragon hatchling who changes everything.✨ Elemental dragons, including fire, earth, air, and water dragons.✨ The larger magic system and hierarchy that unfolds more deeply in books two and three.✨ Plot twists, breadcrumbs, foreshadowing, and Courtney’s love of emotionally damaging cliffhangers.✨ Book two teasers, including more dragons, more answers, and even more questions.✨ Future special editions and the possibility of a completed-series set.CONNECT WITH US🎙️ The Mythic Mic Podcast – @MythicMic👤 Bethany Amanda – @BethanyinFantasyland👤 Amara – @Bored_Military_Wife📚 Courtney Whims – @CourtneyWhims✨ If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review. It helps more fantasy readers and aspiring authors find their way to The Mythic Mic.