The Droid & Dragon Cantina

J.S. Gold is the author of The Sandhedrin Chronicles. In this episode, we talked about the intersection of religion and mysticism along with how storytelling shape our identities.Author Website: Jsgoldauthor.comSocial Media LInks:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jsgoldauthorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/JS-Gold/61567156786557/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jsgoldauthor/Substack: https://jsgold.substack.com/ Artwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

L.R. Maley is the author of The Chronicles of The Manaar. In this episode we talks about the world of Indie publishing and the finer points of writing fantasy books.Author Website: https://www.lrmaleynovels.com/Social Media LInks:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LRChroniclesoftheManaarGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60792671-immersionInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/l.rmaleynovels/Artwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

JORDAN LOYAL SHORT, an author who has written the Dragon’s Reich series and the Dreadbound Ode book’s. In this episode we talked about various tropes in science fiction and fantasy and the importance of writing fiction in politically troubled times.Author Website: https://jordanloyalshort.comSocial Media LInks:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jordanloyalshortFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jordanloyalshortBlueSky:  https://bsky.app/profile/jordanloyalshort.bsky.socialrInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanloyalshortBookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/jordan-loyal-shortAmazon: https://www.amazon.com/Jordan-Loyal-Short/e/B07KCYGPFCGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18602359.Jordan_Loyal_ShortArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Cyndi Brec is author who has written The Theran: Secrets Beneath Scars. In this episode we talked about using urban lore and history as inspiration along with using other perspectives to improve one’s writing.Author Website: www.cyndibrec.comSocial Media LInks:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CBrecFantasyX: http://x.com/CyndiBrecInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/novelnook.cyndibrec/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cyndibrecArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Eric Malikyte is an author, illustrator, science communicator, and video editor who has written the OEI Files, The Sulinar’s Enigma Books, The Mind’s Horizon, Cthulu Grimoire, Echoes of Olympus Mons, and many many more. In this episode we talked about the art of writing cosmic horror and storytelling in science fiction in general.Author Website: https://ericmalikyte.comSocial Media LInks:Instagram: https://instagram.com/ericmalikyteYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@storyrantBluesky: https://ericmalikyte.bsky.socialFacebook: https://facebook.com/ericmalikyteArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Bria Rose is the author of Her Dark Promise. In this episode we talked about what inspired her unusual retelling of the Beauty and The Beast Story and the spicier side of writing dark fantasy. And due to some technical issues with video in this recording, this episode will be audio only.Author Website: authorbriarose.comSocial Media LInks:TikTok: Tiktok.com/@authorbriaroseInstagram: Instagram.com/authorbriaroseFacebook: Facebook.com/authorbriaroseArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Cal Logan is the author of Shadow Bane. In this episode we talked about how his experience in martial arts informs his work and about using the mythology of Japan as inspiration for his book.Author Website: https://callogan.com/Social Media LInks:X: https://x.com/calplogan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalPLogan/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cal_logan_author/Artwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Kay Marrie is a mother of three, who has authored such books as the Adventure series, the City of the Damned series, and A Court of Blood and Sacrifice. In this episode talked about using religion as inspiration and how Kay hones her creative process.Author Website: https://kaymarrie.com/Social Media LInks:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kaymarrie_author?_t=ZT-8v2L9pML3Os&_r=1Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/kaymarrie__?igsh=MWJmajRweXcycml6&utm_source=qrFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Kay-Marrie-Author/61562340535207/Artwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Jason Degray is the author of Those Left Behind. In this episode we talked about some of the big ideas behind science fiction and the rise of artificial intelligence in real life.Social Media LInks: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasondegrayauthorGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4858497.Jason_DeGray Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/weirdworldsjdSubstack: https://leftysinister.substack.com/Artwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Barbara J. Gilbert is the author of The Future Apocalypse series along with The Year of Reckoning. In this episode, we talked about some of Barbara’s many eclectic hobbies and the subject of time travel.Author Website: https://www.barbarajgilbert.com/Social Media LInks:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ben.schenkman.authorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070644815479# Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benschenkman.author/BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/benschenkman.bsky.socialArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

R.D. MORENO is the author of “Zada 5: Path of The One”. We talked about how he got into writing after years in the telecommunications industry and art and history of science fiction.Author website: https://www.rdmorenoauthor.comSocial Media LInks:TikTok: tiktok.com/@rdmorenoauthorInstagram: instragram.com/@rdmorenoauthorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559290987788Amazon page: https://a.co/d/1Miws2HArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

M.A. Wall is an author working out of Texas who has authored the Shattered Hollows series. We had a rollicking conversation about being in the military, world building, and the idea of tyranny in fiction.Author Website: https://www.shatteredhollows.com/Social Media LInks:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@TacticalNightmareFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16RxpobrDF/?mibextid=wwXIfr Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/whenwallswander?igsh=MWtpaTkxdmgzZ3lpNw%3D%3D&utm_source=qrArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

V.E. Huntley is the author of the Bloodstone Legacy Series. In this episode we talked about how her fear of Dracula inspired a life-long fascination with vampires, and how she came to writing novels after years in the film & television industry.Author Website: https://vehuntley.com/Social Media Links:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/v.e.huntley.authorInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/vehuntley/Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/vehuntleyauthor.bsky.socialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vehuntleyX: https://x.com/vehuntleywriterPinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/vehuntleywriter/Artwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Ben Shenkman is the author of The Devil You Know series. In this episode we talked about religion in pop culture and writing urban fantasy in New Haven, Connecticut. Author Website: https://benschenkman.com/Social Media LInks:TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ben.schenkman.authorFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070644815479#Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benschenkman.author/BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/benschenkman.bsky.socialArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Lisa Amowitz is a graphic designer and  teacher turned novelist, who has written the Lost Garden Series, Breaking Glass and Until Beth. We talked about her journey into the world of fantasy writing with the city of New York humming in the background.Author Website: https://www.lisaamowitz.com/Social Media Links:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lisa.amowitzInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisa_amowitz/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lisaamowitz_authorBluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lisaamowitz.bsky.socialLinktree: https://linktr.ee/lisa_amowitzArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

Our guest this week is Costi Gurgu, he’s a Romanian born author who moved to Canada to begin his writing career. We talked about his two post-apocalyptic novels from The Corrosion Trilogy, along with his dystopian book, Servitude and  his award winning novel, RecipeArium.Author Website: https://costigurgu.com/Social Media Links:https://www.facebook.com/CostiGurgu/https://www.instagram.com/costigurgu/https://www.threads.net/@costigurgufhttps://bsky.app/profile/costigurgu.bsky.socialArtwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC

The Droid and Dragon Cantina is a podcast that highlights independent science fiction and fantasy authors. Starting May 6th, watch the interviews on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts!Artwork by Jon StubbingtonTheme Music by Brandon DukeCopyright 2025 Karkata Media LLC