Ep 5 Callie Hart Insights & Clues for Brimstone & Beyond

Summary

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"Ep 5: Callie Hart Insights & Clues for Brimstone & Beyond"

Podcast: Dear Fantasy Reader
Hosts: Kinsey & Carly
Air Date: October 21, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this energizing episode, Kinsey and Carly break down all the latest insights and teasers from Callie Hart regarding her Fae & Alchemy series—particularly the highly anticipated Brimstone. Drawing from in-person interviews (San Francisco & San Diego), Instagram Lives, and bonus Q&A moments, the hosts share author revelations, hints about upcoming installments, the evolution of the story, and exciting news about the movie adaptation. Expect detailed discussion on writing process, characters, worldbuilding, antiheroes, bonus chapters, and more, all delivered in the hosts' signature fangirl tone.

Content Warning: Contains major spoilers for Quicksilver and mature content.
Skip the opening minutes for main content—summary is ad-free and excludes non-content segments.

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Key Highlights & Insights

1. Brimstone Fast Facts & Series Scope

• Length: Brimstone clocks in at ~220,000 words—longer than Quicksilver (207,000 words). (03:43)
• Writing Speed:
  • Brimstone: Written in about three months, mostly while touring.
  • Quicksilver: Completed in just six weeks of focused writing.
    • “She’s like, I literally wrote ‘the end’ and then had to run out the door for a tour stop.” – Carly (04:03)
• Series Plan:
  • Contracted for three books; Callie wants five (potential for a Carrion novel/novella).
    • Hosts urge listeners to pre-order and request at libraries:
      “Requesting extra holds at your libraries… also indicators of how popular a series is.” – Carly (05:26)

2. Brimstone Structure & POVs

• Main POVs:
  • Dual: Seras and Kingfisher. Nearly half the book is from Kingfisher’s perspective. (06:09)
    • “You really get a front row seat into his psyche… and there’s a softening too, which was really fun to write.” – Paraphrased from Callie Hart (07:19)
  • Carrion: Receives bonus POV chapters in certain editions; possible third POV in Book 3.
• Book 3 ETA: Aiming for a 2026 release despite heavy touring.
  • “I am writing it… the goal is for ‘26 release. You know, we do not want to keep you guys waiting.” – Callie Hart via hosts (08:01)
• Graphic Audio: None for now due to movie rights legalese; possible after movie adaptation.
  • “It did sound like maybe there was some hope… but I was really sad.” – Carly (08:45–09:00)

3. Spice Level & Genre Expectations

• Spice Level:
  • Brimstone is “cranked up a little”—Callie rates it a 3.5/5, just above Quicksilver. (10:01)
    • “I was like, I think we need a Romantasy specific chili pepper scale…” – Carly (10:27)
• Comparison: Spicy for Romantic Fantasy standards, though lower on the all-romance spectrum.

4. Callie Hart’s Writing Process & Origins

• Background: Prolific writer, with 42 books pre-Quicksilver, mostly paranormal romance. (11:42)
• Quicksilver’s Early Struggles:
  • Initially failed to break into Amazon Top 100; almost shelved the series.
    • “This is my soul book, and I was desperate for it to do well... and it… kind of disappeared into the ether.” – Callie Hart, via hosts (12:49)
  • Turnaround: Contacted 30 Booktokers; explosion after 15 featured it.
    • “Within days, it blew up on TikTok and just kept getting bigger.” – Carly (12:58)
• Reader Connection: Callie emphasized deep gratitude to her reader community—reciprocity of appreciation is a major theme. (14:19)
• Genesis: Idea for Quicksilver came in 2017, but she didn’t write it until 2023.
  • “There were so many roadblocks… but I was just like, screw it. I need to write the story.” – Callie Hart, via Kinsey (14:37–14:41)
• Drafting Style:
  • Fully plotted, almost zero editing—didn’t delete a word after finishing first draft!
    • “I don’t go back in and… cut things out… I didn’t delete a single word when I finished.” – Callie (15:57)
• Biggest Challenge: Impatience to reach certain scenes; “just the fact that I had to sleep.” (15:57–17:02)

5. Brimstone Teasers & Author Humor

• Three-Word Description:
  • “Total fucking mayhem.” – Callie Hart (18:17)
    • Breakneck speed, wild ride—especially highlighting Kingfisher and Carrion “alone, unsupervised.”
      “Let me tell you, it’s a bad idea.” (18:47)
• Predicted Character Separation: Kingfisher & Seras likely separated for part of Brimstone; expect great world-building and humor from unlikely pairings. (07:11, 18:53)
• Quicksilver, Summed Up: “Do me, Daddy.” – Callie Hart (19:17)

6. Antiheroes, Music, & Thematic Elements

• Antiheroes:
  • “I just think anti heroes are the most interesting characters in any book… I don’t believe any character is truly good or bad…” – Callie Hart (21:15)
• Kingfisher’s Arc: Readers will see “a softening” and understand his trauma in Book 2.
• Soundtrack for Writing:
  • Brimstone songs: “Dumbest Girl Alive” (100 gecs), “Villain” (MISSIO), Corpse’s music (“hot and angry”), “Affair with the Moon” (unlisted artist).
  • Quicksilver song: “Start a War” (Valerie Broussard). (22:17–23:15)
• Names Matter:
  • “There’s a reason for everything in this book series. Everyone’s name has meaning. Kingfisher’s name is for a reason. Carrion’s name is for a reason…” (23:15)

7. Bonus Chapters & Edition Mysteries

• Bonus Chapters:
  • Four currently (three free on Callie’s site; one in Quicksilver’s new edition); Waterstones/Brimstone edition may have a new Carrion POV. (24:22–25:09)
    • None were “deleted scenes”—all written after for reader enjoyment.
      • “Anything that's being advertised as, quote, a deleted scene is, like, stuff that she had to write because she didn’t delete anything.” – Carly (25:17)

8. New Characters & Red Flags

• New Faces:
  • New character introduced in Brimstone, not met in Book 1. Hinted to be a “very cool” and “tortured” boy—expect more “red flags.” (26:13–27:01)
  • Taladeus will play a big part; fans should revisit “The Maze” bonus chapter.

9. On Writing Sex & Fight Scenes (and Humor)

• No “Sex Editors” (Audience Q&A):
  • “It sounds like you’re talking yourself into a new job… The research would be fun.” – Callie (29:08)
  • “There’s no more fun scene to write than fighting and fucking. Like, they’re both the same thing… they should serve a purpose. Then it’s just organizing people’s limbs.” (29:10–29:45)
  • Fight scenes are her favorite; organizing logistics in sex scenes = comedic hazard.
    • “He has three hands now. Oh God. What else has multiplied?” – Callie Hart (29:59)

10. Character Details & Transformations

• Carrion’s Senses:
  • Was “glamoured,” thus had human senses; will now appear more Fae and become even hotter in the next book.
    • “Carrion’s probably going to look more Fae now.” – Carly (31:02)
    • “Carrion is like if Riddick and Cassian had a kid…” – Carly (31:47)
• **Teased: Kingfisher/Carrion chemistry, yearning, and more spicy/chaotic moments.

11. Movie Adaptation News

• Studio: Netflix
• Author Involvement:
  • Callie was courted by multiple producers; chose Netflix for their commitment to her creative control and fan inclusion.
    • “They were very intense about me being very collaborative… That was very important to me.” – paraphrased from Callie (32:57)
  • She will be executive producer, have a say in casting, and share BTS content with fans.
  • Producer has also worked on The Love Hypothesis and Alien: Romulus, hinting at skill with both romance and dark tone. (33:38–34:56)
• Casting Input: Callie wants input; asked fans if they prefer a known or unknown Kingfisher—overwhelmingly, fans want a new face.
  • “I’m so surprised. Okay, like, let’s… do it then. New name.” – Callie (36:04)
• Adaptation Tone: Will not be “dumbed down”—expected to retain darkness, violence, and heat.
  • “…It’s gritty and dark and there’s violence… I didn’t want it dumbed down or romanticized.” – Callie (34:30)
• Pinterest: Callie keeps active boards for current AND future projects. (36:52)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Total fucking mayhem.” – Callie Hart on describing Brimstone (18:17)
• “Do me, Daddy.” – Callie Hart on Quicksilver (19:17)
• “Just the fact that I had to sleep… was very inconvenient.” – Callie Hart on hardest part of writing (15:57)
• “He has three hands now… oh god, what else has multiplied?” – Callie Hart (29:45)
• “I don’t believe that any character is truly good or bad.” – Callie Hart on antiheroes (21:15)
• “It blew up on TikTok and just kept getting bigger.” – Carly on Quicksilver’s discovery (12:58)
• “Anything that’s being advertised as a deleted scene is stuff she had to write because she didn’t delete anything.” – Carly (25:17)
• “Not a single word was removed...” – Callie Hart (15:57)
• “We want those extra books.” – Hosts, urging preorders/libraries (05:25)
• “They want to invite you guys along for the ride as well… being on set, sharing casting news, and just the general logistics of making the story come to life.” – Callie Hart on Netflix adaptation (33:02)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:19–03:52] — Interview Recap & Brimstone Stats
• [05:03–06:55] — Book 3 Plans, Pre-orders, Library Support
• [06:09–07:19] — POV Breakdown, Kingfisher’s Role
• [09:00–10:27] — Audio Production, Spice Talk
• [11:42–14:41] — Callie’s Career, Quicksilver’s Rocky Launch, Booktok’s Role
• [15:57–18:15] — Writing Process, Editing, Plotting
• [18:15–19:43] — Wild Ride: Three-Word Book Summaries, Audience Reactions
• [21:15–22:17] — Antiheroes, Kingfisher’s Depths
• [22:17–23:15] — Book Playlists & Character Theme Songs
• [24:22–25:17] — Bonus Chapters, Waterstones/Brimstone Editions
• [26:13–27:01] — New Characters, Taladeus & Red Flags
• [29:08–29:59] — Sex Editors Q&A, Fight vs. Sex Scene Logistics
• [31:02–31:47] — Carrion’s Glamour, Character Transformations
• [32:57–36:52] — Netflix Movie Deal, Adaptation Philosophy, Casting
• [36:52–end] — Pinterest Boards, Future Projects, Closing

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Tone & Style

The Dear Fantasy Reader hosts keep it fresh and fangirlish, balancing deep book nerdery with playful banter and memorable quips. Their conversations are humorous, emphatic, and filled with personal reactions, making it feel like a book club chat with best friends.

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Takeaways for Listeners

• Brimstone promises more action, spice, and emotional insight, especially from Kingfisher’s perspective.
• Callie Hart’s writing style is intensely plotted, heartfelt, and intentionally mysterious—no detail is accidental.
• Bonus content (especially Carrion POVs) is strategically written, not leftover scenes.
• The movie adaptation is in carefully collaborative hands, with fidelity to the books’ dark, romantic, and gritty essence a top priority.
• Expect new tortured heartthrobs and dramatic relationship twists.
• Fandom and reader activism (preorders, TikTok/Bookstagram buzz) directly influence series continuation.

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Next Episode Tease:
Don’t miss the upcoming Quicksilver bonus chapters & Brimstone predictions deep-dive!

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For more resources, past episodes, or to join their online community, visit dearfantasyreader.com

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Transcript

[Carly]

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[Jeffrey]

Morning Zoe. Got donuts.

[Kinsey]

Jeff Bridges why are you still living above our garage?

[Jeffrey]

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[Kinsey]

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[Jeffrey]

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[Kinsey]

Nice. Jeffrey, you heard them.

[Jeffrey]

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[Jeffrey]

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[Kinsey]

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[Kinsey]

Dearest fantasy readers, welcome to the Dear Fantasy Reader Podcast where we travel through the pages of our favorite Romantasy novels. I'm Kinsey.

[Carly]

And I'm Carly.

[Kinsey]

Join us as we enter the world of the Faean Alchemy series, prepping for the highly anticipated release of Brimstone on November 18, 2025. Today we'll be breaking down everything Cali Hart has said in interviews for insight into Brimstone and the Faean Alchemy series.

[Carly]

With that content warning and spoiler alert, this episode is full of Quicksilver spoilers, so if you haven't read the book, go do that first. If you need a quick refresher on Quicksilver, check out our recap episode.

[Kinsey]

Also, due to the nature of this book, this podcast is rated R in content and language.

[Carly]

If you'd like to watch this episode ad free and full video or audio only. If you would prefer, it's available now on Patreon and we've dropped a link in the show notes as well.

[Kinsey]

Now grab your relics and prepare to dive into the Quicksilver. Sanity is not guaranteed.

[Carly]

So we got the opportunity, I got the opportunity to go see Kelly Hart in San Francisco and record her interview there. She is so funny. She is so charming. She's so gracious. She was so, so, so generous with her time. She answered audience questions for a full hour after answering with her conversation partner for a half an hour.

[Kinsey]

I'm impressed.

[Carly]

Yeah. So she went for a full hour and a half. I think she was only supposed to do audience questions for a half hour, but she just kept going. And she was so nice and she was so detailed and thoughtful in her responses. And if you have the opportunity to go see her, I highly, highly suggest it because she's fantastic and I really can't overemphasize how funny she is. She's so funny in real life. And our wonderful team member Katie got the opportunity to go see her in San Diego. So this information is really a combination of the information we learned at the San Diego interview, the San Francisco interview, and an Instagram live that Hannah took some notes from. So we've cobbled it all together and hopefully we are able to provide y' all some really great insights into the series as a whole, but also some hints for Brimstone and some pretty exciting movie news. So let's get into it. So some quick facts about Brimstone and the Fae and Alchemy series in general. Brimstone is about 220,000 words long and for reference, Quicksilver is about 207,000 words long. So it's going to be even longer. Yes, I'm very. I was very excited when she said that.

[Kinsey]

More Carrie in more Kingfisher.

[Carly]

Let's go. Right. It took about three months to write Brimstone, which she finished while on tour.

[Kinsey]

Wow.

[Carly]

I think she said she was in Amsterdam and she's literally like. She's like, I literally wrote, like, the end and then, like, had to run out the door to go to some tour stop thing. So she didn't even have, like, time to process the fact that she finished the book. Oh, Quicksilver. Only took her about six weeks to write. She wrote that whole book in six weeks, though. Obviously she wrote it under different time constraints because she was obviously writing Brimstone while touring. And Quicksilver. She was just writing Quicksilver. She wasn't having to tour six weeks. Yeah, yeah.

[Kinsey]

As someone who, like, writes as a hobby, I have never finished a single story I've started. So it is just like, mind boggling.

[Carly]

It's mind boggling. To me too. We'll get into her writing process a little later.

[Jeffrey]

Book.

[Carly]

Yeah. I was really surprised. I was like six weeks.

[Kinsey]

Wow.

[Carly]

And Brimstone took twice as long. But again, she wasn't necessarily getting to sit and write for like a full day every day because she was on tour.

[Kinsey]

Makes sense.

[Carly]

She is currently contracted for three books, but she would like to write five for the series, including potentially a novel or novella for Carrion. So everybody be pre ordering your books so the publisher picks up those extra books. Because they really do look at pre orders. Just a psa, in case you don't know that we want those extra books.

[Kinsey]

Yes, we do.

[Carly]

Or, you know, place a hold at your library, request it at your library, do whatever is in your budget. But even that like requesting extra holds at your libraries, that also is indicators of how popular a series is. So please, please, please. We want that Carrion.

[Kinsey]

Yes, we do. I think I literally pre ordered the AUD and the physical copy and I pre ordered a signed edition. So I'm like, please let them know that I love her books.

[Carly]

Yeah, me too. Brimstone has two POVs, Seras and Kingfisher. And she said nearly half the book is from Kingfisher's pov.

[Kinsey]

I did not know that.

[Carly]

Yeah. Are you so happy? Can't even contain it. Yeah. I mean.

[Kinsey]

Okay, for those who don't know, we do have four bonus chapters in Kingfisher's point of View.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Three of those are available for free on her website and one of them just released with the traditional re release of Quicksilver. So it's on the ebook version and also in the actual physical copies. But I love those. They're so insightful because also I love Seras, but we get so much more about the Fae and the history and his relationships with the wolves in his point of view. So the fact that we're getting for half the book.

[Carly]

I know.

[Kinsey]

Oh my God. That's gonna do so much for the world building and also the yearning. I mean, I know that they're mates and they're together, but I hope it's not because Serris is trapped in the vampire world and they're separated because that would make me upsetty spaghetti. But that's.

[Carly]

I haven't feeling they are going to be separated for part of it. But we have some updates later on down below about that and I think you'll actually be excited.

[Kinsey]

Okay, let's go.

[Carly]

And she said the following about Kingfisher's pov. You know, a lot. You don't know everything, but you really get a front row seat into his psyche and how he thinks and how he feels, and you just learn so much more about him. And there's a softening too, which was really fun to write. You see a really different side of him. So I'm so excited to share that. So excited for his POVs. And she also said there are Carrion POVs and bonus chapters in certain editions. And book three, you know, I think there's potentially room for a third POV, but she didn't say who, so that would be really interesting.

[Kinsey]

Interesting.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

She did let us know that book three should hopefully be out in 2026, so not much waiting to be done. She said, quote, I'm writing it right now. I'm chipping away. You know, I'm like, you know, piece by piece. I have done four tours in the past couple of months, and I've got another two before the end of the year, so I'm tired. But I am writing it. The goal is for 26 release. You know, we do not want to keep you guys waiting, so if I can do it, then that's the goal. Sadly, no current plans for a graphic audio. It has to do with the legalese of the sale of movie rights. But don't cry yet, because we have movie news later in this episode.

[Carly]

I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty sad when she said that. It did sound like maybe there was some hope after the movies that there potentially is maybe room for a graphic audio release. But I was really sad. I was a sad girl.

[Kinsey]

And it has to be specifically in her contract with Netflix, because obviously we have graphic audios for 4th Wing and ACOTAR, which, I mean, the ACOT has pretty much been at a standstill, but 4th Wing is supposed to get a show. But luckily, even though it's not a graphic audio, we have fantastic narrators with the regular audiobook.

[Carly]

Yeah. And she did emphasize how in love she was with her narrators and how they did such a fantastic job and how she's so happy with the audiobook. So it's definitely great. And honestly, if they did a graphic audio, I would still want that minimum Kingfisher's voice for Kingfisher, but I think I would want both of them because they're their voices now, to me.

[Kinsey]

Exactly.

[Carly]

Yeah. So they'd have to just redo the whole book, but with graphic audio.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. Plus the narrator who voiced Kingfisher is like, he's tight with graphic audio. Like he voices Rhysand.

[Carly]

So. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Anyway, moving on. When Asked, quote, compared to Quicksilver, what is the spice level for Brimstone? Callie responded, quote, you know, I would say it's cranked up a little bit. I'm always like, a three, three and a half. And that's intentional. And this is like a three and a half. I'd say it's a little bit more than Quicksilver, but not crazy. Crazy.

[Carly]

Yeah, she. She was really. When I was listening to this, I was like, I think we talked about it the other day. I'm like, I think we need a Romantasy specific chili pepper scale. Because if you think about romantasy as a genre, I would say Quicksilver is closer to a four, four and a half in standard Romanasy. But if I think about it, like, on the spectrum of all spice in all books. Yes, a three. Totally. Totally makes sense. I was like, but Quicksilver is spicy for a Romanasy.

[Kinsey]

It is spicy for a Romanasy. And when we were having this conversation the other day, I was like, what is the spiciest book that I've read? And usually they're all a. Why choose so. So, yeah, those are pretty spicy. But, yeah, I was like, girl, a three.

[Carly]

Yeah. I was like, it's a little more than a three. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

I mean, she. She also writes, like, Mafia romances, so I'm like, okay, Callie, I get it. Like, maybe compared to even just her own writing.

[Carly]

Yeah. But there. There are certain scenes that if my phone, like, auto connected to my car while there were other people in the car, and it started playing, I would never live at hell.

[Kinsey]

I'm about to introduce you to all seven gods.

[Carly]

Yes, I would never be. Okay, okay. All right. So we got some insight in her kind of path to writing the Fae and Alchemy series. So just as a reference, she wrote 42 books prior to Quicksilver. What? Yeah, mostly in the paranormal genre. But, like, I was like, that's. She is a dedicated writer. She's been writing a while. The original release of Quicksilver almost lost us the series. Callie said the following on the topic. Quote, I finally pulled the trigger in June, and it did not do well. And I was kind of like, man, you know, I typically always broke into the top 100 on Amazon, and it got to 101, and I was so sad, and I was just really, like, kind of devastated because, you know, this is my soul book, and I was desperate for it to do well, and it got progressively worse and worse and kind of disappeared into the ether. And I was like, okay, well, guess I'm not gonna write anymore. I just can't believe we almost lost this series. She said that, and I was like, I can't believe this.

[Kinsey]

I mean, I read Quicksilver before she got picked up trad. And so I'm just, like, really surprised. Cause I thought I was seeing it everywhere.

[Carly]

Well, you were. Because luckily she got the energy. She did not let this deter her. She ended up reaching out to 30 book talkers, and 15 got back to her. And with days she said, it blew up on TikTok and just kept getting bigger.

[Kinsey]

The power of Booktok.

[Carly]

You know, I always say, like, if you really love a book, go out there and talk about it on Booktok Bookstagram. Because 15 people, 15, got the word out that this book was out there so that we all knew it was there for the reading. So if you've been thinking about starting your Bookstagram, do it now. I also want to mention that she emphasized again and again how grateful she was to the readers for reading Quicksilver during this part. So she just really is connected to her readership. And I can tell she really just has so much gratitude for the reader community as a whole. And I just thought that was really nice because we always have so much, like, gratitude for our authors for writing books because it is such an isolating experience and knowing that they're also, like, engaged with their community and, like, grateful for us too. It was just. I don't know, it just felt really nice to see her enjoying the readership community and, like, having a good relationship there.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

The idea for Quicksilver came to her in 2017, and she stood on it for many years before actually starting it. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

So it took her six weeks to write, but she's been ruminating on it for years.

[Carly]

Yeah, she ruminated on it for years before she started writing it.

[Kinsey]

Now, Carly did touch on this a little bit earlier, but Callie was previously writing in the paranormal romance genre and was nervous about switching and said, quote, there were so many roadblocks between me and this passion project that didn't make sense financially or logistically for my career. But luckily for us, in 2023, she decided to write it, saying, quote, it. And it was November 23rd, and I was really miserable, and I was just like, screw it. I'm gonna roll the dice on this. I need to write the story. For me, it's the only thing I can imagine writing right now. I want to pour my heart and soul into something. And it had to be Quicksilver. So it was a really Wild experience. I wrote Quicksilver in six weeks over Christmas and went on to tell us, quote, I plotted every aspect of the story, and I knew exactly what was happening and when. So writing it was very easy. It was very much a case of, like, I couldn't get the words down fast enough. And that's the coolest thing I've ever heard. It just kept going. And just to give you an idea of how plotted it was, when asked, are there any alternate storylines or plot twists that didn't make it into Quicksilver that you're willing to share? She responded, I'm not a huge editor, so I don't go back in and start with, you know, cutting things out with the scalpel. I knew exactly what was happening in this story, and I didn't delete a single word when I finished.

[Carly]

Yeah, isn't that crazy? I'm like, that's a lot of books she wrote. And then was, like, just editing for grammar. Like, she didn't have to go in and, like, rip out scenes. And I really just think it's a testament to her plotting process and how all those things where we're like, is this gonna mean something? Is this gonna mean something? It's like, yes, it is, because it's so intentional. That whole book was very intentionally written, which makes me even more excited for Brimstone. When asked what was the hardest part about writing Quicksilver, she jokingly, but sort of seriously answered, just the fact that I had to sleep. Yeah, Was very inconvenient, and everybody started laughing. And she was kind of joking, but she was kind of serious. It was like she just had to get it down so badly that it was like, only the things that she had to do was getting in her way of writing. And I love that for her, that the story was just in her so much that she had to get it out on paper. And I think those are the most fun things to read. And I think that's why people are drawn to Quicksilver so much.

[Kinsey]

I love how inspired and dedicated she was to her own story. Oh, God, it makes me want to write. Whenever I attend author interviews or listen to other author interviews I wasn't in attendance for, I'm always like, I can do this. Just gotta sit my ass down.

[Carly]

Yeah, well, like, previously, I think we had talked about how she called it her soul book. So I'm just. I don't know. I'm just glad that it's, like, we all found it. It's out there. It's continuing as a series Cause she really just put everything into it.

[Kinsey]

I love it.

[Carly]

She went on to say that there were scenes she was super anxious to get to, but her process to write chronologically, so it was the impatience to get to those scenes that she had been picturing for years that was the hardest part. She said, in addition to just, you know, having to sleep. To sleep, yeah. And this was essentially her same answer about Brimstone. She really wanted to get to some big plot twists and emotional payoff scenes, and it was the anxiousness to get to those things that was, like, the hardest part for her about writing. So I love that for her. I love that this story is just in her, and it's getting it out on paper that's, like, fast enough is, like, the hardest part.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

Aw.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

She did give us some more insight into Brimstone, specifically. So when asked to give one word to describe Brimstone, she needed three. She said, quote, total fucking mayhem, and went on to say, quote, it's a wild ride. It's a breakneck speed kind of book, and it'll take you on a ride. There's some great moments that I am so excited for you guys to get to. Especially, you know, a good portion of the book is figuring out what would happen if you left Kingfisher and Carrion alone, unsupervised. Let me tell you, it's a bad idea.

[Carly]

That's the part that I was like, I think he's gonna be separated from Seras, from this, but I think it's gonna be so funny that we're still gonna love it.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. Oh, my God.

[T-Mobile Announcer]

No.

[Kinsey]

Unsupervised. Okay. He's probably like, okay, Carrion, this is how you, like, act as, like.

[Carly]

I think it's gonna be so great. They're gonna be so funny together.

[Kinsey]

I'm so stoked.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

And because everyone laughed so hard to her response for Quicksilver, her answer was, do me, daddy. And she went on to say, quote, I should have thrown in something more intellectual and cool, and I apologize to you deeply, but I didn't. Let me do a quick. Quick, like, you know, accounting. See if I can come up with something on the fly. Nope. It's do me, Daddy.

[Carly]

Yeah. The way the room erupted in laughter to that answer. It's so good.

[Kinsey]

I love her humor. And by the time we are recording this, she just released her Brimstone tour dates. And I'm actually heartbroken because the closest toy stop to me, I think, is Seattle, and that is not close to me. And I'm like, if it were like, a city where I could, like, do a road trip. I might do that sacrifice. But I'm like, a flight that's going to cost a couple hundred dollars plus a hotel. I'm like, I want to see her in person so badly.

[Carly]

Yeah, I do, too. I actually looked at it. I was like, maybe I could make it, because I'd like to. My local airport actually has pretty decent flights to Seattle. And I was like, I could just jump up there for the day, but it's like, I think the day or two days before Thanksgiving.

[Kinsey]

Oh, my God, that's the worst time to travel.

[Carly]

And I was like, there's. I'm not even gonna try. I'm like, there's no. It's gonna be chaos. And I just can't. I. I can't. I can't that week. There's just no way. And I was really, really sad about it because she is fantastic to go see at her events.

[Kinsey]

Oh, my God.

[Carly]

I really wanted to go see her, and I was really, really sad about it.

[Kinsey]

I just keep hoping that, because I got tickets to bookcon, so I just am like, maybe she'll get added to the roster.

[Carly]

If she gets added to the roster, I am sending you my Brimstone copy to be signed.

[Kinsey]

You got it?

[Carly]

Okay. She also was asked why she loves writing anti heroes so much, and she responded, quote, I just think that anti heroes are the most interesting characters in any book. I don't believe that any character is truly good or bad. And I really enjoy messing with readers and leading them down a path and then, you know, kind of sprinkling, like, little glimmers of hope into the way that certain characters act or behave and things like that. And that was certainly the case with Kingfisher when I first started writing him. He wasn't very likable. He was kind of grumpy. He'd been through a lot. Guys like Jesus, like, you don't even know the half of it. And you do get a nice little, little window into that, actually, in book two, which may give you some more context. So little something to look forward to with Kingfisher.

[Kinsey]

She is feeding us with this book.

[Carly]

I know. And there will be no crumbs left when we're done.

[Kinsey]

No.

[Carly]

When asked what song encapsulate Brimstone, she provided the following songs. Dumbest girl alive by 100 gags, which she said is pretty spot on, so everybody go listen to that villain by Missio. And she also provided a music artist named Corpse. She said Corpse. And then I looked it up and it said Corpse Husband. I think that's their full title. She didn't specify a song, but she did say, quote, his music is very growly, but it's really hot. Yeah, it's hot and angry music. Go listen to some of that. I'm not sure which song. She didn't have one to specify. And she said a song for Kingfisher and Saris, specifically called Affair with the Moon. Oh, yeah. She didn't name the artist in the moment. And just as a reference, Quicksilver song was Start A War by Valerie Broussard, which seemed pretty spot on.

[Kinsey]

When asked about the importance of the names in the book, she said, quote, there's a reason for everything in this book series. She went on to say, quote, you know, everyone's name has meaning. Kingfisher's name is for a reason. Carrion's name is for a reason. And you can actually find out why already in the Waterstones edition, at the back of that book, there's an extra chapter about Carrion.

[Carly]

I have the Waterstones edition of Quicksilver, and there isn't one about Carrion. So I think it must be the Brimstone edition.

[Kinsey]

That's what I'm thinking. Cause I even had just reached out to my friends in the UK for our listeners, if you don't know, that's where Waterstones. And they're like, I've never heard of that. But I had reached out to multiple friends that live there and they're like, I have the Waterstones edition, and it's just the Maze. That's the title of one of the chapters that we have as well. But she keeps mentioning this Carrion point of view and we're hoping to film an episode about specifically just the bonus chapters. So I've searched every. Everywhere I can to try to find this chapter, and I can't find it. So I feel like it has to be Brimstone.

[Carly]

It has to be Brimstone. I looked at the Waterstones exclusive edition of Brimstone, and it does say that there's bonus content and it must be the Carrion one. So if you don't see it in your Waterstones edition, I think it's because it's the Brimstone one. But I know it exists because she said she actually had it. She's like, yeah, I actually have it on me. So I think she actually got an advanced copy of it.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. And then I think. And like, don't quote me on this, but I feel like one time on Instagram Live, she Even was like, I'm surprised nobody's noticed. Noticed before. And that's why I thought that it already existed. But, like, maybe that was just like, a slip. Like, she didn't.

[Carly]

Maybe she meant the other bonus chapters.

[Kinsey]

Maybe the other bonus chapters.

[Carly]

Yeah. I'm sure it must get confusing because at this point, she has the three bonus chapters she wrote for her website. She has the one that she added to Quicksilver, and now this carrying bonus P. Like, they just keep adding up. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

And if she's so intentional with her plotting and not a single word was removed, I'm like, okay, so then did she write all of these bonus chapters.

[Carly]

After the fact, or did she said she did. She did, yeah. She said, like, anything that's being advertised as, quote, a deleted scene is, like, stuff that she had to write because she didn't delete anything. And so, yeah, she's like, everything is just extra bonus content I wrote for readers. And I was like, I love that. And I think some of it, too, is because she couldn't write from Kingfisher's POV in Quicksilver. And she said she had really wanted to, but she obviously couldn't because he knew too much. Like, so much of that plot depended on the twists of learning about the things he couldn't say because of his oath and, like, that bargain that he made. And so she couldn't. She was really, really disappointed about it. So I think the bonus chapters were her way of, like, dealing with that.

[Kinsey]

Thank you.

[Carly]

Yeah, thank you. Because they're so good. And the fact that they went and had them recorded, those three with the narrator. Thank you, publisher, who did that, because love those.

[Kinsey]

Exactly. Callie was also asked if she can give us any more hints about the personalities of the new characters she wrote into Brimstone. And she said, quote, some new people on the scene, for sure, in book two will meet one of them at the end of book one. Throughout book one, obviously, Taladeus is a big part of book two. He was a very fun character to write lots of letters like Kingfisher as well. And then the new character is not. You do not meet them in book one. So that was really fun. And he is a very cool character. And. And I'm very, very excited for you guys to meet him. And especially when we get to go through, you know, the very tortured boys. They're all very, very, you know, they've got a lot of trauma, which makes them super interesting. And, you know, we love our red flag, right? We love our red flag.

[Carly]

I was like, I feel like, like a hot new bombshell's entering the villa. Like, that was the vibe from this. I was like, are we getting like a love interest for somebody else? Because, I mean, she's saying we love. I'm like, I'm telling. I think I feel like you're telling me that this character's hot and we're all going to be in love with him and I'm here for it. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

And I'm also just going to once again plug the maze bonus chapter because there are some really interesting things in there with Taladeus. So I'm very intrigued to see more of him in book two. And when asked for a one word spoiler for Brimstone, she said, quote, fuck. Yeah.

[Carly]

That is so on brand for her. I love it because she really, like, she swears, like, in her, like, she. She swears and you can tell that she. I know, we do too. And you can tell, like, you can tell in her writing that she must, because she does her writing too. And so that was just so on brand for her. I'm excited because I feel like she was like, kind of indicated in that moment that, like, the obvious and the double entendre of it, you know?

[Kinsey]

Exactly. Because that's where I was gonna go with it. Because, like, fuck is like, well, they could be fucking, which we're expecting, especially if it's spicier, but also, oh, fuck, shit's hitting the fan type of a situation.

[Carly]

Yeah. That's kind of what she was indicating in that moment without saying it explicitly. So buckle up, everybody, we can expect.

[Kinsey]

A bit of both.

[Carly]

Yeah. And even though I feel like she's been pretty funny the whole time, some extra funny moments that happened during the interviews. One of the funniest was a night when she was asked, quote, do you guys have sex editors? Like, how does that come up? I'm genuinely, like, curious. And I thought it was such a good question, but her answer was hilarious. She responded, quote, it sounds like you're talking yourself into a new job. What it sounds like to me. So maybe you should get some business cards. The research would be fun.

[Kinsey]

Oh, my God.

[Carly]

You'd really get some really good, rewarding experiences at the workplace. I don't have an editor for that. I don't have that. Yeah, man, what a mess. It's from my heart, all seven gods. Apparently, that that part wasn't a direct close. Yeah. She went on to say, quote, there's no more fun scene to write than fighting and fucking. Like, they're both the same thing. You know, in a lot of ways, like, they're designed to instill emotion. They should serve a purpose. And then it's just organizing people's limbs. And I just loved that answer so much. And she also told us, quote, I much prefer writing fight scenes, though, because I think, I don't know, they're just so fun. You do not have to read things back quite a few times. And you're like, wait a minute, his hand was up her shirt two minutes ago. How is it now choking her? And you're like, wait, he has three hands now. Oh, God. What else is multiplied?

[Kinsey]

Hopefully his member.

[Carly]

It's not a monster romance, Kinsey.

[Kinsey]

Not yet.

[Carly]

We'll have to get you one of those. Yeah. I just love this, though, because I feel like when I tell people. One of my favorite things about Quicksilver, though, is that is how well done the fight scenes are. So when she said it was one of her favorite things to write is the fight scenes, I was like, well, that makes sense because they're so well done.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

And then when asked if Karion could hear slash, smell everything going on since he was secretly Fae, she answered. And I actually thought this was some really good insight. She said he was glamoured in Yvelia and Zilvarin up until that point. And so, no, he was essentially human, but he ain't anymore.

[Kinsey]

Oh, yeah, that's interesting. So it's kind of like you have to sacrifice your own senses and abilities in order to be glamoured.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

Interesting.

[Carly]

And then there was this funny moment where, like, there was like a little bit of a follow up question to this where she was actually asked, like, is he gonna look different now? And then she said she referred to it as shoot Upables. Like, is he gonna have like a shoot Upables moment? Like, is he gonna be taller? And I loved that because, like, she instantly knew what she meant. And she kind of implied that, yeah, like, Carrion's probably gonna look more Fae now. So I'm excited for that.

[Kinsey]

Yeah. Well, I think even, like in the last chapter of Quicksilver, it is already men that he is taller.

[Carly]

Yeah. Like, I think she noticed, like, he looks different. I think Karion's gonna be even hotter in the next book. Basically.

[Kinsey]

Like, that man is my favorite.

[Carly]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

So I'm excited.

[Carly]

Yeah. I love Carrion. I always say Carrion is like, if Riddick and Cassian had a kid, that would be Carrion.

[Kinsey]

It works so well. That's a really good comparison. And finally, one of my favorite topics of this Episode and what everyone wants to know, movie news. So when asked, quote, how involved are you with the movie adaptation for Netflix? How involved are you going to be with casting or making sure things are portrayed in the way you want it to be? Cali responded, quote, so when we first started getting interest for Movie for Film, there were multiple interested parties and I took many meetings about it and it was very strange to be sitting in those rooms with those people. It was very much a pinch me moment. And I had to turn down some really very talented, very cool producers to go with Netflix because they were very intense about me being very collaborative on a huge part of this production and translating this to a different avenue of storytelling for you guys. And that was very important to me. She went on to say, quote, so they want to invite you guys along for the ride as well. So that means, you know, being on set and sharing like, you know, casting news and things like that, and getting to share behind the scenes and like, just the general logistics of making the story come to life. She continued to say, quote, what's going to happen with Quicksilver is that I actually will be involved in the producers. The woman who produced, who is going to produce this movie is currently in Canada doing the Love Hypothesis, which, if you didn't know, Carly and I are huge. Love hypothesis.

[Carly]

Yes, we are.

[Kinsey]

We love Ally and we have plans, even though there is not a release date yet. Yeah, we have plans too. Get together and watch this movie together.

[Carly]

We're very excited about it.

[Kinsey]

Just the fact that it's the same person. I'm like, sign me up. We are in good hands. Just like, we don't even have a trailer or anything for the Love Hypothesis yet. But just seeing the cast and the behind the scenes content, I'm like, look, they know what they're doing.

[Carly]

They do. They know what they're doing.

[Kinsey]

Back into the quote. Sorry, I got a little distracted there. This is Callie referring to this producer from the Love Hypothesis. She's phenomenal. She's just top of her game. I respect and admire her so much. And she also just did Alien Romulus, which is a huge deal for me because that tells me that she's incredibly good at telling dark, gritty stories. And I desperately didn't want to lose that in this. There was always a danger that they could soften and sweeten the story like this to kind of make it more palatable. You know, this is a fairy tale at the end of the day, but it's gritty and dark and there's violence and there's sex and there's, you know, like, awful things happen. So, like, I didn't want it dumbed down or romanticized beyond the romance. You know what I mean? And I think it's going to be a really honest adaptation, and I'm really excited about it. Also, they agreed to make her executive producer, which really shows how involved they want her to be.

[Carly]

Yeah. After she said all this, I feel like the audience was collectively relieved and so excited all at once. Like, the energy on this news was just so good, because I think there's always a nervousness that your book adaptation is gonna get ruined. But the fact that she chose Netflix specifically because of how involved they wanted her to be, it just made me really relieved about the situation.

[Kinsey]

Yeah.

[Carly]

And when she was asked, do you have an idea who you can cast? She responded, I have some input. I have some input. That's all we ever have. We can't always have Henry Cavill, unfortunately. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

That man does wonders for the fantasy fandom.

[Carly]

He really does.

[Kinsey]

Then Callie asked the audience if we wanted a known name for Kingfisher or a new actor, and she seemed taken aback that the vast majority wanted a new name. And she said, quote, oh, interesting. I'm so surprised. Okay, like, let's fulfill.

[Carly]

Yeah.

[Kinsey]

And this is when her mic cut out for a second, but she continued to say, let's do it then. New name. Okay, interesting. All right. Okay, interesting. Noted.

[Carly]

Yeah. She seems so taken aback by the fact that people wanted a new name. Like, I really think she thought everybody was just gonna say Henry Cavill. But in fantasy, there is sometimes something nice of not having, like, associated that person with too many other projects. But, yeah, so she seemed a little surprised by that. But she also seemed, like, here to try to really give us what we wanted.

[Kinsey]

So, yeah, I mean, I think, too, like, I would want a new name. I would want them to embody that character and have that be the role that they're known for instead of, like. Like, oh, that's Superman and the Witcher and like, every other role that.

[Carly]

Yeah, you know, but, yeah, I do get that. But, yeah, she seemed a little surprised by it. I'm glad she asked the audience, though, so she could get, like, a vibe check on what people wanted. And just to close off with, she mentioned that she does do a lot of Pinterest boarding and said, quote, I've got some really cool ones for some other projects that I haven't even started yet. So when we are done with the Fan Alchemy series, we have other stuff to look forward to. So don't worry, she will keep us well fed.

[Kinsey]

I'm excited. And if you did miss her most recent announcement, she does have a mafia book coming our way soon.

[Carly]

Oh yeah, that's right. Yeah.

[Kinsey]

I don't know if that's what she was referring to because I don't know like if you could make a Pinterest board about mafias.

[Carly]

But she said like several boards, so I think she's got several ideas out in the works. So we have no shortage of ideas and inspiration with Kali Hart. So I'm very excited. Yeah, me too.

[Kinsey]

And that wraps up our episode on Kali Heart's interviews for insight into Brimstone and the Fae and Alchemy series. Thank you so much for listening. Join us for our next episode where we are discussing Quicksilver's bonus chapters and additional predictions as we continue our Brimstone Prep series. Once Brimstone releases, we will start our recovery phase with initial reactions, analysis, theories and more.

[Carly]

If you're looking for even more Romanasy content, we also have three completed seasons of Empyrean chapter by chapter, deep dive coverage, author interviews, and more. You can find more info about our previous and upcoming prep seasons, our episode and events calendar, author interviews, our contact form, and more on our website dearfantasyreader.com, also linked down in the Show Notes.

[Kinsey]

You can join us over on Patreon, where you can access all of our regular episodes ad free a day early and in full, video plus extras like PDF, annotations, shoutouts, bonus resources and more.

[Carly]

You'll find our Patreon link in the Show Notes along with all the ways you can support the show, whether that's joining a tier, subscribing, leaving a review, or just sharing us with your fellow Romantasy readers.

[Kinsey]

And don't forget to follow us on social media where we release book guides, author updates, our current reads, clips from episodes, pod updates, and more like funny videos.

[Carly]

Yeah, we'd love to hear from you. Send us your thoughts, tag us on Instagram or come fangirl with us over your favorite fantasy books in our free Discord Chat.

[Kinsey]

Until next time, dearest fantasy readers, Prepare for Brimstone as we continue our journey through the Fae and Alchemy series.

[Carly]

We did it.

[Jeffrey]

Morning Zoe. Got donuts.

[Kinsey]

Jeff Bridges why are you still living above our garage?

[Jeffrey]

Well, I dig the Matt and I want to be in a T mobile commercial like you teach me.

[Kinsey]

So Dana oh no, I'm not really prepared. I couldn't possibly at T Mobile get the new iPhone 17 Pro on them. It's designed to be the most powerful iPhone yet and has the ultimate pro camera system.

[Jeffrey]

Wow, impressive. Let me try. T Mobile is the best place to get iPhone 17 Pro because they've got the best network.

[Kinsey]

Nice. Jeffrey, you heard them.

[Jeffrey]

T Mobile is the best place to.

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[Jeffrey]

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[Kinsey]

Dude, my work here is done.

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