S6 : Ep 17 - Author Interview : Sarah A Parker - The Ballad of Falling Dragons

Summary

Flights of Fantasy Podcast
S6 : Ep 18 – Author Interview: Sarah A. Parker – The Ballad of Falling Dragons
Release Date: May 19, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Christina, Kim, and Anna sit down with fantasy romance author Sarah A. Parker to discuss her highly-anticipated sequel, The Ballad of Falling Dragons, the follow-up to her bestselling novel When the Moon Hatched. The conversation spans both spoiler-free and spoiler-filled zones, delving into Parker's writing process, deep character arcs, themes of grief, motherhood, world-building, and tantalizing hints about book three. The hosts and Parker share laughter, emotional reflections, and reveal hidden Easter eggs sure to delight fans who obsess over every detail.

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Spoiler-Free Discussion (01:13–16:46)

Three Words to Describe Book Two (02:24)

• Sarah A. Parker: "Big. Surprises. Devastating."
  • Parker reflects on how book two brings both validation and heartache, distinguishing between devastation and emotional resonance.
  • Quote: "A number of the chapters that I actually would like, cry every time when I wrote...A lot of them weren't actually classically sad scenes for me...It was quite often a scene where something was...just finally came to light." (03:00)

POVs & Character Expansion (05:04)

• New POVs introduced: Pyrox (fun to write), but Parker was most excited for Grimm's journey and perspective.
  • Quote: "The one that I was most excited about sharing was actually Grimm's POVs...I really loved being in that part of the world." (05:15)

World-Building & Returning to the Universe (06:18)

• Parker describes the relief of not having to reestablish the world from scratch and being able to deepen existing lore.
  • Book two was initially the second half of book one; the split allowed greater focus and layering.
  • The artwork at the top of each chapter contains Easter eggs—Parker loves hiding little clues and meaning everywhere.
    • Quote: "Look, I love hiding Easter eggs. I love hiding Easter eggs everywhere." (08:58)

Crafting the Book's Physical and Artistic Flourishes (09:26)

• Parker is "meticulous to a fault" in curating everything from chapter headers to image placement.
• She continued the artistic traditions from book one to maintain cohesion and lore.

Key Reminders for Readers (10:55)

• Parker urges readers to revisit the diary entries and the prologue from book one before starting The Ballad of Falling Dragons.
  • Quote: "Even just those bits and pieces would give some of the ground to go into the next book feeling somewhat prepared..." (11:29)

Impact of Reader Response (13:05)

• Parker shares how reader connection to the world and characters—especially motherhood and healing—has been moving and validating as an author.
  • Quote: "I feel like writing this story and especially writing book two has healed me a lot." (13:32)

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Spoiler-Filled Discussion (17:13–65:21)

Favorite Scenes to Write (18:00)

• Unexpected joy in scenes with the jar of mist (Borgam).
• Writing banter between characters offered contrast and respite from the book's heavier moments.

Memorable Quotes:

• Christina: "The jar of Mist! Anna spent so much time talking about this jar of Mist...It’s the jar of mist!" (20:36)
• Kim (on Borgam): "At the same time, he was an odd delight to have on page, which is a very tricky balance." (21:49)

Villainy, Complexity, and Trauma (23:26)

• Parker is dedicated to writing nuanced villains—Arcann’s and Khan's traumatic pasts are explored in parallel, emphasizing nurture vs. nature.
  • Quote (Parker): "I'm never one that's like, okay, every bad character is just fully, wholly bad...I want to understand the psychology of what makes somebody make these bad decisions." (24:08)
  • Heartbreak for both the villains and those impacted by them permeates the narrative.

Perspective Choices & Narrative Distance (26:44)

• Arcann’s chapters use third-person to add narrative distance, keeping readers (and author) from descending too far into his psyche and maintaining a sense of unease.

Raev’s Emotional Growth and Motherhood (27:35)

• Writing Raev in book two was both cathartic and draining, due to her journey from compartmentalization to confronting traumatic memories.
• Book two’s arc gently builds Raev’s nurturing side, preparing the foundational emotional groundwork for the pivotal mother-daughter revelation.
  • Quote: "We see her as mum. As a mum, we can see that in her...I knew I couldn't get to that scene...if I didn't do the mental work with Rave to get her there." (32:45)

Impactful, Devastating Loss (37:43)

• The fate of the paper bird Nii was one of the hardest Parker has ever written—a pivotal moment to catalyze the reunion between Raev and Kaysari.
  • Quote: "I wrestled with myself so much with that. I knew it needed to happen...Letting go of Nii—but actually when I got there and I was writing it, I was like, I just don't know. I can't do this." (38:39)

Crafting the Dragon Bond (40:12)

• The dragon bond scenes were written with intention to highlight emotional complexity and the coexistence of old grief and new happiness.
  • Quote: "For her to understand that that's okay...you can allow yourself to find happiness after grief. The two can exist in synchrony, you know, and that's okay." (41:42)

Romantic Evolution: Khan & Raev (43:45)

• Maturing of the central romance: From "will they/won’t they" to established, protective, and equal partners.
• The importance of consent in their relationship and finding new conflict once tension is resolved.
  • Sarah A. Parker: "It's really hard moving on from that 'will they/won't they' angst to 'No, they will, they are'...finding that blend where there's still an anxiety, like there's still something there that's keeping you intrigued." (44:01)
  • The couple’s journey is defined by shared trauma, mutual protection, and authenticity.

Resurrection, Elding Birds, and Shocking Twists (49:45)

• Essie’s return as an Elding bird is revealed—Parker had this plotted from the very beginning.
  • Quote: "Set in stone since before I started writing draft one." (54:23)
• Hints at the origin and nature of Elding birds; book three promises more answers.
• The complexity of silver ("argent") as a recurring motif is acknowledged—its significance will unfold in future volumes.
  • Sarah A. Parker: "No, stay on the hill. You can bury yourself on the hill." (56:55)

Structure, POVs, and Future Plans (58:10)

• Parker chooses new POVs organically during drafting, ensuring each perspective brings essential emotional resonance or plot unfolding.
• Hints at broader series possibilities as the world and lore have much unexplored.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On world-building:
  • Sarah: "Coming into book two, knowing that everyone had a bit of a handhold on what to expect...It was such a relief." (06:34)
• On grief and healing:
  • Sarah: "It was hard, but it forced me to just rip myself raw and go, no, I'm dealing with this. I'm writing something difficult, and I'm dealing with something difficult." (30:05)
• On writing banter and comic relief:
  • Sarah: "I love writing all sorts of flavors and I love banter. I love writing, like, quirky, different sort of things..." (18:54)
• On meticulous process:
  • Sarah: "I like to get my hands at everything. So even where the words are placed..." (09:35)

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Rapid-Fire Character Questions (62:38)

• 12 hour flight seatmates: Raev & Khan for the banter (62:46)
• Babysitter: Khan ("He sings. He can sing at bedtime!") (63:01)
• Talk Show Host: Borg ("He'll own it.") (63:17)
• Social Media Star: Serene (potential MLM queen), with Pyrek a close second for quirky TikToks. (63:45)
• Hates Social Media: Raev ("Not about it. Get out of my face.") (64:41)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Spoiler-Free Discussion Start: 01:13
• Sarah’s Three Words for Book Two: 02:24
• Artwork & Easter Eggs: 08:42
• Important Pre-Ballad Re-reads: 11:10
• Spoiler Discussion Warning: 16:46
• Most Fun Scenes to Write: 18:00
• Borgam & Jar of Mist Chat: 20:36
• Dragon Bonding: 40:12
• Romance Evolution (Raev & Khan): 43:45
• Essie’s Return / Elding Birds: 49:45
• Silver/Argent Theory Spiraling: 55:18
• Rapid-Fire Character Games: 62:38

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Final Thoughts

This episode of Flights of Fantasy offered an in-depth, heartfelt, and often hilarious exploration of Parker’s fantasy world—characterized by meticulous lore, devastating turns, and richly nuanced character arcs. Sarah A. Parker’s passion, vulnerability, and masterful planning shine through, leaving both the hosts and listeners eager (and braced) for the next, surely wild, installment.

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"Enjoy the spiraling and buckle up." — Sarah A. Parker (57:11)

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For more discussions, follow Flights of Fantasy Podcast on Instagram and TikTok, and join the book club community for ongoing banter, theories, and updates on future books!

Transcript

[Christina]

This episode is brought to you by Hatch. You know when you finish a romantasy and you just need the next thing immediately, Hatch has made that thing. It's called Ophelia. An original audio drama inspired by Hamlet, where Ophelia finally gets to be the main character. Forbidden magic, a crumbling kingdom, a slow burn love triangle with a prince and his very guarded, very intriguing best friend. The kind of love triangle where you will absolutely pick a side and you will absolutely not be quiet about it.

[Kim]

Book one of the three part series is now available for free wherever you stream with new chapters dropping every Tuesday. For books two and three, check out Hatch, co, Ophelia

[Doug]

and Doug. There's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Christina]

Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird.

[Sarah A. Parker]

What is this, your first date?

[Doug]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Together we're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Christina]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Christina]

Welcome to Flights of Fantasy, your romantasy podcast book club. I'm Christina, joined by my book besties, Kim and Anna, and together we're diving into the characters, theories, lore and magic behind all your favorite fantasy romance books. Sarah, hello. Oh, Sarah, thank you so, so much for being here with us. We're so excited and honored to have you here.

[Sarah A. Parker]

It's my absolute pleasure to talk about

[Christina]

the Ballad of Falling Dragons. Yay.

[Kim]

Oh, my gosh.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Thank you so much for. Again, it's an honor. I cannot wait to chew through this with you guys and go think and. Yeah, just thank you for having me.

[Kim]

Oh, well, it's our pleasure.

[Christina]

Thank you for being here. Oh, my gosh. Absolutely. We're so excited.

[Kim]

Okay, so we're gonna kick off the beginning of this with a spoiler free section in regards to ballad. And our first question is, when we first interviewed you Back in 2024, we were coming off the high of when the moon hatched, and we wanted some hints for what we could expect going into book two. And we asked you to describe book two in three words. And I wanted to ask you, now

[Sarah A. Parker]

that we've read it, can't remember what ones I get.

[Kim]

I know, I know, and I'm not gonna tell you. I will tell you after you. But I was wondering if you could give us three words now. And I want to see Kind of like we can compare them.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh, golly. Oh, golly. Oh my gosh. This is hard. All right. Big.

[Christina]

It's big book, big things happen. It's big.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. Surprises.

[Kim]

Uh huh. Okay.

[Christina]

I'd go with that for sure. Yep.

[Sarah A. Parker]

And golly. Oh my gosh. I think I have to say this word. Devastating.

[Kim]

Devastating. Oh, wow.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Because there is a lot of devastating. That. Also positive.

[Christina]

You know, that's on one of my three words for the book. In a good way, guys. In the most beautiful way possible.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I mean that. Very nuanced.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Kim]

Yeah. What's interesting. Okay, so you said big, surprising and devastating. And the three words you chose last time were validating answers and heartache.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Okay.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

And then you, quote, said, just buckle up.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Was I online? Was I?

[Christina]

Do you feel the same?

[Kim]

No, I actually. We really agree with that. And after we went back and looked at those three, I do feel like there's a lot of validation that happens there. We get quite a bit of answers. There are a lot more surprises.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh, yeah, Though.

[Kim]

And the heartache, I feel like is you made a great distinction in that previous interview where you said heartache doesn't necessarily have to mean devastation.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Kim]

But it can also just be something that just makes you feel. And so I would agree on all fronts with what you said.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. It's interesting actually because with ballad, a number of the chapters that I actually would like, cry every time when I wrote and every time I have to go through them, editing them or, you know, proofing them and all that sort of stuff. A lot of them weren't actually classically sad scenes for me. It was ones that actually, you know what I mean? It was quite often a scene where like, something was, you know, just finally came to light. Something that we've been so looking forward to, but being revealed to somebody. Like, for instance, there's a particular scene and I don't want to, obviously we're non spoilers right now, but there's a particular scene with Veyr and a particular somebody, you know, where she hands something over.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

And like, I mean, every time I hit that scene, I would just be a mess. So it's.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, it's. It's. It's. That's kind of what I mean by devastating with that word. It's like, you know, it's devastating, but in a beautiful and like a validating way. And it's like, you know, you're finally getting to see these. Yeah. Anyway, that's. That's certainly what I meant by that word.

[Kim]

Well, yes, I Think we agree with all those.

[Christina]

Exactly. I would absolutely agree with that. And yeah, it's devastating in the best way in what we want from these books and why we love it so much.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, I'm glad.

[Christina]

Okay, so we get some very exciting new POVs in this book. So whose POV were you the most excited to share with everyone in book two?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh, I feel like the POV that I had the most fun writing. This isn't exactly what the question was, but the one that I had most fun writing was Pyrox. Yeah, I loved writing Pyrox, but I think the one that I was most excited about sharing was actually Grimm's POVs. Just because I. Yeah, because. Just because I really loved the journey and I was so looking forward to writing those chapters and, you know, I just. I loved that. That little journey that happened there and. Yeah, so also because I really loved being in that part of the world. It was. Yeah, it was. I just enjoyed it. I love writing that sort of. That sort of content. I love writing like, you know, really gritty and amongst the world and kind of. Yeah, so I love that. I love that.

[Kim]

We're exc. Say that Grimm is your favorite because we'll have some follow ups in our spoiler filled questions.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Sounds good.

[Christina]

Stay tuned for that. But yeah, when we came up on GRIMM and Pyrex POVs, I was like, it felt like such an exciting little nugget to get in their heads. So that was. That was really a treat.

[Kim]

Okay, so obviously your world building is so intricate and beautiful in when the Moon Hatched. And this time as a reader, we got to jump into it with book two already. Knowing the world, was that fun for you? Also as an author, not having to create it all from scratch again, but jumping back into to it.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. So I think it's almost like a relief when you've already. Because book one really is like, that was. In a lot of ways, it's. It's like you're cracking open that egg, right. You're doing it slowly. You're letting some of that guts spew out. But it's like that cracking process is quite hard, you know, to get that shelter open and to really get things to start moving. So for me, always starting a series is hard because I've got. Always got this innate need to like, you know, to just gush. All the world building down and that can kind of glug things down a bit. So there's always that. That pressure to balance things. Right. So coming into book two, knowing that everyone had A bit of a handhold on. On what to expect, on. On how the world works, on how the law works, how the politics work, all that sort of stuff. How the magic system works. It was such a relief. I could actually just get in there and find my stride straight away with this next book and with the start of the story, the second part of the story, so.

[Kim]

Right.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, I loved it. I loved it. It's interesting because follow up books in a, you know, in a series, the second books in a series is hard because there's quite often that pressure and stuff. But for me, for this one, it wasn't so much about that. It was. It was actually writing this part of the story, which was originally the second half of book one.

[Kim]

Right.

[Sarah A. Parker]

So. Yeah, yeah.

[Christina]

Yes. I remember that as we were reading, I remembered that nano, I had such a fun moment realizing and remembering that this actually was initially the end of book one, and then it was cut into two, which, I mean, absolutely love that this is its own little, little section.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I'm glad.

[Christina]

I mean, getting this all together felt so lovely and cohesive and we just got to jump back in and it was amazing. I just. We had so much fun. Yeah. So fun. And we got new world building topics, but they were beautifully layered in, like, you know, we had the basis there already, the artwork. I love the artwork at the top of the chapters. Again, so stunning, so gorgeous. And it's just like this layered little beautiful nugget at the top of every chapter. It's so fun.

[Sarah A. Parker]

You know, the interesting thing is, so Alice, I said, oh, you know, let's just get them all done for the whole series. And so she did all these hitters and then I was like, yeah, no, I'm going to use them all.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Now she's gonna have to draw me a whole bunch more for book three. But we have so much fun together.

[Christina]

They're so beautiful.

[Sarah A. Parker]

They are, aren't they?

[Kim]

Are there Easter eggs in the artwork at all or are we like, is that crazy?

[Sarah A. Parker]

No, there are. There are. There is. Yeah, there is. Yeah, there are. There is. Certainly. Yeah. Look, I love hiding Easter eggs. I love hiding Easter eggs everywhere.

[Christina]

I know you do.

[Kim]

You do.

[Sarah A. Parker]

And everywhere. Everywhere. So.

[Kim]

Okay. All right.

[Christina]

Interesting. Oh, I love those so much. They're so beautiful. And they're beautiful on the Kindle, but then in the physical copy, just something about there at the top is just really.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, they meld with the page with that, with that physical copy, so.

[Christina]

Well, how did you decide? I guess specifically where they go in the book? I Did that process was that other. Oh, yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I feel like that that was all made ridiculous.

[Christina]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

No, I. Look, I am meticulous to a fault, probably. Honestly. Yeah.

[Christina]

And that's why it's so good.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. I like to get my hands at everything. So even with where the words are placed, because I. Because obviously Alice gives me the illustrations and then I put the words in and amongst the illustration. So I did each one of those, got them all sort of placed and then sent them over to the publisher to pop them in to the actual formatting. So. And then even with the images and stuff throughout, the little like, you know, for instance, the, you know. Yeah, that was a little bit different last time. That. Yeah. And don't worry that spoiler.

[Christina]

Sorry.

[Sarah A. Parker]

And, yeah, the bits and pieces like that. So again, I did all that with book one. I did the curly quill header images and stuff. As you know, I spent I think about a month getting all that done for book one. But this one, yeah, I was like, I still wanted to do that because I did it for book one. So. Yeah, so I worked through all of those and the little images throughout and part. Not the headers, obviously, you know, the, like the poster and stuff like that. So send them all over. And the dedication page as well. I did that.

[Christina]

I love that.

[Sarah A. Parker]

So it was nice to be able to continue that tradition.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. So that there's that same flavor and that it's, you know, all feels cohesive.

[Kim]

Oh, it certainly does.

[Christina]

Exactly.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Again, I'm probably to a fault. No, I just love being involved. So.

[Christina]

Yeah, we are the same. We are type A girlies, all of us here.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. It's just beautiful. And this beautiful little lore cohesiveness. And I just. It's lovely.

[Kim]

Okay, so moving on. We pick up book two, essentially where we left off in book one, pretty much right away. Is there anything important that you want to remind readers as they head into Ballad of Falling Dragons? Like something that just is important to you that you think everybody should remember?

[Sarah A. Parker]

I think that if I was to somebody, for instance, read the book, Read book one two years ago, and they haven't got a time to do a reread prior because obviously it's been a long time since book one released. The biggest thing I would suggest, I would love people to do is at the very least going through and rereading the diary entries and.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. As a whole, going through each of them. And then also the prologue from book one as well. I feel like, as well Rereading that very last chapter, too. Even just those. Those bits and pieces would give some of the ground to. To go into the next book feeling somewhat prepared because it is the second half of book one originally. It's. It's just, you know, there is so much intertwined with book one, like, very heavily, like, so many unfinished sort of plot arcs and bits and pieces, little bits and pieces that, you know, that I started. Like, for instance, the particular. Particular point that we were talking about prior to starting recording, you know, that particular point. You know, there's. There's so many bits and pieces where I've laid so many Easter eggs in. In those chapters, and they. We finally get to see them crack open in this.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

In this next book. So. But, yeah, those are specific chapters. I think even just reading those would be. Would be wonderful.

[Kim]

Well, and I do have to call out that you. You have amazing recaps on your social media, your page that are beautifully done and also very informative for anybody who needs them going into book two. But I love that you called out the prologue, because I think I reread the prologue multiple times. Even while I was reading book two, I would go back to the prologue because I just feel like there are lots of little nuggets in both of the prologues.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh, yeah.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yes. So many.

[Kim]

So much fun.

[Sarah A. Parker]

So many.

[Christina]

Oh, so good. And when the Moon Hatched Itself has just become such a beloved book. It's just grown to such a passionate fan base, and I'm so excited to hear what that's meant to you, to see readers connect so deeply with these characters and with this world that's so important to you and that, you know, you feel so passionately about.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I mean, it's incredible. It's literally a dream come true. I could have never have imagined this. It's interesting. When I was writing book one specifically, I said to my beta readers who've been with me since the start of. There's a small group of us girls, it's about five of us, and they've always read my books very early on and given me feedback and bits and pieces. And I said to them, like, I'm frightened. Like, oh, this is. You know, this is a passion project for me. You know, this is something that has been. I've been sitting with for years. And again, it was just. I just needed get it out. But, like, I was so fearful that, you know, there's just that fear that, like, this thing that I love so much and I'm so besotted with and has, like, dominated so much of my thinking space for the past years. Just. I was just scared to put it out in the world. And then to see actually people enjoy it as much as I do, to see them loving on it as much as I do. To see them, you know, doing art of it and from the characters and just absolutely embracing it. Embracing, you know, the flaws and the strengths of the different characters and also finding healing in these books as well. I mean, I can't put that into words, how much that means to me. I feel like writing this story and especially writing book two has healed me a lot. Like, I've gone through a lot while writing Book two, and it was such a safe space for me during times when I felt very untethered. So, yeah, it's incredible. I mean, again, I can't put into words how much it means to me that I have found my readers and I found my people through this. And, you know, that now I get to do amazing things like talk with you guys and go on tour.

[Kim]

And it's so wonderful to hear you talk about how healing and how much writing the books means to you and then obviously, how they're received. But I feel like we're on the flip side of that, right? And so as a reader, there are certain books that just stick with you that you can't move on from or you can't stop talking about them. And sometimes they hit you because you're at a certain point in your life and you just needed that. In other books, they just transcend. It doesn't matter where you are, there's gonna be something for everybody in it. And I feel like when Christine and I both read when the Moon Hatched, there was just so much, so many different pieces that spoke to us. The motherhood aspect, obviously, is a very large one, but there was just so many beautiful moments between characters and plot points that just really resonated with both of us. And I feel like that, you know, I can't speak for everybody, but I feel like from the readers we speak to that we have the pleasure of speaking with on our patreon and on socials, that they all have just felt the same way. So we are so grateful to have you on to talk with us. So thank you.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I'm grateful. I'm incredibly honored. Very excited to chew into spoilers.

[Christina]

This episode is brought to you by Hatch. You know, when you finish a romantasy and you just need the next thing immediately, Hatch has made that thing. It's called Ophelia, an original audio drama Inspired by Hamlet, where Ophelia finally gets to be the main character. Forbidden magic, a crumbling kingdom, a slow burn love triangle with a prince and his very guarded, very intriguing best friend. The kind of love triangle where you will absolutely pick a side and you, you will absolutely not be quiet about it.

[Kim]

Book one of the three part series is now available for free wherever you stream. With new chapters dropping every Tuesday. For books two and three, check out Hatch, Co, Ophelia

[Doug]

and Doug. There's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Christina]

Hey everyone, check out this guy in his Bert.

[Sarah A. Parker]

What is this your first date?

[Doug]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Christina]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Kim]

Yes, well, great, great news because we are moving into that section. All right, so listeners, consider this your official spoiler warning for both when the Moon Hatched and the Ballad of Falling Dragons by Sarah A. Parker. We are moving into our spoiler filled discussions, so if you have not finished ballad cheers, we will see you next time. Come back when you're done because I promise you want to miss this. Christina, will you kick us off with our first question?

[Christina]

Oh my gosh, yes I will. Sarah. This was so much fun. Listeners, when we just got on a few minutes ago before we started recording, Sarah got on and immediately me and Anna were like, Sarah, this was incredible. We had so much fun making this book and that's how I feel about it. We just, we had so much fun. This was such a joy. And the reveals and you gave us so many answers while also giving us so many new mysteries.

[Kim]

Yes, tricky, tricky for a second book.

[Christina]

Like that is the goal. You know, like oh my gosh, we got payoff. But also now we are gonna spiral about elding birds for the next year of our lives and it's gonna be

[Kim]

crazy, let me tell you.

[Christina]

Oh gosh, it was so much fun. Okay, so what was your favorite scene to write in this book? Or what were some of your favorite scenes to write?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Ah, very good question. Okay, so I, you know, it's interesting. I loved so many different parts of the book for different reasons. Right. So something that surprised me was there is a specific character who lives in a jar. Spoiler.

[Kim]

You can talk about it.

[Christina]

The jar of mist. Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

So writing Those chapters was like. I wasn't expecting actually to be writing so much content with those particular characters and we were allowed to talk. Spoilers. Sorry, sorry. I wasn't expecting to kind of. Yeah. Have so many scenes with them both in directing, but I. I just love them so much. I love that interaction. I love the way they bounced off each other. And I. Yeah. So those. Those. I had the time of my life with those scenes. Obviously, not so much the memory scenes that came afterwards, after each one of those scenes, because they were quite. You know, some of them were quite gutting to write.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

But there's. I love writing all sorts of flavors and I love banter. I love writing, like, quirky, different sort of things. And so those scenes where there are those lighter, they kind of give me the guts to then go heavier in other areas. And it's like this sort of pop of joy for me when I. Because I do. I write some very heavy stuff and I've got to really cut myself open for these other scenes. So writing those was just such a joy. There's this particular scene where Ray finds the Book of Void. And that whole scene there, I love.

[Kim]

I love that back and forth, that dynamic. I highlighted so many sassy. There's literally a moment where is it Roan? He's like, how did you do that? That's supposed to be impossible. And she's like, what? It's like.

[Christina]

It was literally.

[Kim]

It was giving Elle woods legally mod.

[Christina]

Like, it was so great. It was so good.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I loved that. I loved. Oh, there was a series sequence of events after where they were at Bogarth and where Rave had gone to and she found Avi and then that whole area through there all to, you know, after that, the battle where they were in the forest and, you know, that whole sequence. I wrote those so quick.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I was just absolutely in my zone. Like, I love writing action. I love writing where, you know, you clop along and, you know, you kind of. You can't go too deep, you can't slow things down too much because you've got to keep things going. So. Yeah, that really forces me to kind of let go of that need to dig deeper in every single aspect and just keep things going. Yeah. And I had so much fun through there. I just adored writing that whole sequence.

[Kim]

We loved those. We were. I mean, that section was really fun. We were so excited to get the. Christina, the Jar of Mist.

[Christina]

Okay. Yes. So Anna spent so much time talking about this jar of Mist. So in the first time we interviewed you, Anna was like, I'm gonna ask her about the jar of mist. I was like, you cannot. Like, it's not even a thing. And she's like, I'm gonna do it. So she asked you, like, is the jar of mist important? And I believe what you said was, it is important. And when you find out why, you will know. It's, like, very heartbreaking. Like, when you find out why it's very heartbreakingly said how important it is. And. And the fact that it was in the first chapter, I text Anna and I was like, you are going to be very happy with the first chapter. I had started before her, and she was like, what? She's giving it to me right now. It's the jar of mist.

[Kim]

I was so valid. I was like, I knew that jar of mist was gonna be important. I didn't know it was Borg. No, but like you said, he was a very interesting. He was kind of like an enigma

[Sarah A. Parker]

because a sissy cloud.

[Christina]

Their dynamic is so fun. It's fun to read.

[Kim]

You know, he's so interesting because he feeds off of Khan's darkest, anybody's darkest, saddest memories, but at the same time, he was, like, an odd delight to have on page, which is a very tricky balance. So I look forward to his scenes because I loved seeing the little banter. You know, he was like, you kept me in this, like, gross little jar. I don't even have a window.

[Christina]

Yeah, smells.

[Kim]

But then he's like, oh, what's on the menu tonight? He was such a. And I know that we're about to get something devastating, but it was still fun to see him, and it was also a very creat to give us more of con, which was really. Yes, I really loved that.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Well, this is the thing, right, because I do have all this backstory, right? Like, I've been building this backstory for years, and again, it's like, I know there's certain. There's so much of it, and I wish I could just put it all into a book, like, the whole lot of it, but I can't. I've got to be very picky with what I give, and I've got to find moments to give it that are going to be most impactful and that, you know, so we're kind of feeling that we're getting a bit more of an understanding of him and why he is the way that he is, despite. Because he's. In a lot of ways, he's. He's been spent a lot of time moving through his grief, his trauma, you know, he's been alive through that. Or Ra. She's lost so much, but she hasn't. We haven't seen her going through, you know, she's been in the sky, you know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's like they're both at different. Very different stages of their grief. And so being able to kind of go back and show these different moments that show what made K. And then obviously, I feel like I'm giving something away here with book three, but. But, you know, like, obviously, you know, we're going to see certain things. We're going to understand a bit more what Khan's been through over that time eventually. And. And it's. Yeah, I just loved it. I loved being able to explore that in that way. And also to see or to show that kind of almost lighter side of Khan, you know, because again, he is re exploring those real painful memories. But he's doing it in such a different way compared to the way that Rave explores. You know what I mean? There's such a distinct difference there.

[Kim]

He's like, ready? He's like, cut me open, let's go.

[Christina]

Absolutely.

[Kim]

And Rave. Brush those feelings off.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Christina]

That parallel of him with the memories with Borgam and her with the memories with Slaughter and the icy. Like, that is just so, so interesting to think about. And also the trauma that we experience with Khan in this book as a child, that is so hard to read. And then that kind of giving us this not exact parallel, but understanding of similarities between him and Arkansas childhoods like that, you know, there was.

[Kim]

It wasn't sunshine and roses for Khan reinforcing that.

[Christina]

Arcann is completely wrong about his understanding of the dynamic, which we knew, but it was just seeing that, yeah, so

[Sarah A. Parker]

many ways that is heartbreaking, you know, like, I'm never one that's like, okay, every bad character is just fully, wholly bad. You know, for me, like, it's. I love writing Naunt's characters. I want to understand the psychology of what makes somebody make these bad decisions. And, you know, in so many ways, even though, like, it's so horrible the things that happened and have happened in the past with Akin, like, there is all this undercurrent of stuff that he's been through himself and this conditioning, and it's heartbreaking, you know, and again, I'm always endeavoring with the stories that I write and with the characters that I put on the page to show all those different angles and so that we can get in and understand the psychology of what makes them tick. And again, I, you know, in A lot of ways, despite all the horrible things that he did in the story and the horrible things he's done in the past, I cannot help but be heartbroken for him.

[Kim]

Well, it's true, you know, you write his story and deliver his memories in such a way that you do. He's talking to Veya and I remember Chrissy and I talking about this, like what he's doing to Vae and what he does to Kizari and what he's done to Elowen is horrible. But you also hear his memory and his side of the story and it's this, you know, the age old idea of our monsters made or born, nurture versus nature.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Kim]

You know, and a kind of Khan having his PA was awful, but he had a mother who loved him and he was able to see that. And we don't know a lot about Arin's relationship with his mother, but he seemed to be deeply upset after she passed. But so there's just these beautiful. It's very nuanced and that's what makes him such a delicious, quote unquote, villain. He's a villain. You know, it makes him really interesting to read.

[Christina]

So interesting.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I think as well. Like once upon a time he was just, just like Khan, a young boy wanting to be loved by his pa, you know, and it's like you can see these two different, different ways that these trees have sprouted. One towards the darkness and one towards the light. I find that sort of brotherly, sort of, you know, family situation interesting to write about because I'm pulling from different things here, you know, that like I've experienced in my life and for me it is very interesting to explore that. It has been on page, it's been cathartic and I'm not gonna go too deep on that.

[Christina]

But yeah, yeah, he is one of the most interesting, best villains that we've read in a really long time.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Thank you.

[Christina]

And this idea that nobody's the villain in their own story.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, yeah.

[Christina]

Like he has his own lived experience that we got to see and that we understood in a way that I feel like was so interesting. And I also thought it was really interesting, the choice to give him his own POV chapters. That decision was really cool and really effective. Also that they're in third person.

[Kim]

Third person.

[Christina]

It was interesting.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, yeah. I specifically did that because, look, I didn't want to get so deep in the psyche that we are completely, you know, I wanted to kind of take a slight step back just because I felt as if we got Too deep in there. Then I would get lost. Like, I would get lost going. I couldn't bring myself to. To go that extra step because I did want to keep a Somewhat distance, but I wanted to create that understanding without turning myself down that rabbit hole

[Kim]

because, you know, adds a layer of removal.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, it does.

[Kim]

For the readers. It does. A det. Which I think worked in the way you read it.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. Thank you.

[Christina]

I agree. Because he's specifically unhinged in a way that you never know what he's going to do.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And I feel like, in a way, being a step removed of that made that a little more unsettling in an interesting way to read.

[Kim]

Surprising. You're like, where are you going to? What are you going to do?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Okay, so back to rave.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yes.

[Kim]

The last time we talked, you mentioned you kind of sometimes identify with Raven the way that she can compartmentalize and push things aside for a little while. And did you find it not necessarily difficult, or maybe it was more cathartic? Did you find it interesting to write her in book two because she, using Slotra, was really forced to face some of those buried memories and parts of herself that she has always tried to avoid.

[Sarah A. Parker]

A bit of both. So I thought that because book one took me six months to start and publish, the first draft was six weeks. Second draft was another six weeks, and then it was another three months after that that it was published, basically.

[Kim]

Amazing.

[Sarah A. Parker]

So I was like, this is gonna take me the same amount of time. It's the second half of book one. This is gonna. It's gonna fly out of me. No. And that is mostly because, again, in book one, I was dealing with her in the way that I deal with myself. Like, no, push away, push away, push away. We just push all that heavy stuff away. And, you know, there was obviously the odd heavier chapter, but it was mainly her just going, no, no, no, no, no. Shoving it all down, not wanting to look at it. And again, that's how I cope. So with book two, no, I was forced to go, okay, all right. No, we are pulling this up. We've got no choice. And so each chapter did take me a lot longer to work through because. Yeah. And I think just because that similarity, like it is. Although I can go heavy with things, it does take more from me. So, for instance, you know, there were some chapters in that book that I, after writing, I needed, like, a few days to recoup, you know, so I would write it, and then I'd have to move on to something completely different, and then not like, jump away to a different part of the story, a different POV or something. So I had those different POVs there as, like. As like, backup for me to touch on, to go to. To move to one of those while I was recovering from this.

[Kim]

That makes sense.

[Sarah A. Parker]

So. And eventually I ran out of extra days to go and touch on, like,

[Christina]

man, we finished, Bryn, we finished.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Who else have we gone?

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

There were certain scenes for me that were cathartic because. Because of the things I was going through at the time and like, that whole sort of last chunk of the book, sort of from the point where they're taken to the end of the book. Like, that whole last chunk, I was writing that while I was going through some pretty heavy stuff myself. So that was messy and cathartic and a whole bunch of things. I felt like that part of the book was there for me during a time where I really needed have that part there for me in ways that are probably a bit. A bit messy for me to explain. But also at the same time, it was hard. It was hard, but it forced me to just rip myself raw and go, no, I'm dealing with this. I'm writing something difficult, and I'm dealing with something difficult. So we're here. We're here in this together.

[Kim]

We're all in this.

[Christina]

Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. So writing that last chunk of the book, like, there's a lot of me in the whole book, but particularly in that last sort of 20 chapters.

[Kim]

So as we move into book three, I feel like we talked about motherhood a lot in book one, and then in book two, it's not until, obviously, the end that Raev realizes who Kaysari is. But there are so many moments where she shows such a nurturing side with Leary bonding with Avi, and she doesn't even really quite recognize what it is. And I think she would probably argue with you that that's not. I'm not nurturing. But she really does have this side of her. And I'm curious to know if that theme of nurture and motherhood, if that's going to continue even more. Are we going to see more of that going into book three?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. So it's really interesting. I started with Rave at the start of book two, and because really, she hadn't grown a great deal in book one, you know, there wasn't a hell of a lot of character growth there. She was still pushing things away. She was still choosing death and revenge, and, you know, she was still making the wrong choices, and she was still shying away from all this love that was glaring at her. And so at the start of book two, I was like, okay, well, I've got to get her from here to feeling like by this time, when she does actually come face to face with Kazari, when they do embrace, I need. Sorry, I was gonna make me cry. I need to get her to the point where we. We see her as mum. As a mum, we can see that in her. We can see her and Khan as mum and dad as that powerful couple that are not only a power couple, but that are a mum and a dad. And I knew that none of that end stuff was going to work and to hit and to feel authentic and that it wasn't gonna be fair on Kazari. If I got Rave to her and she wasn't. Wasn't ready, it wasn't not going to be fair on K'. Sari. So it's obviously, I had all these fabulous opportunities to gently ease her in to motherhood, you know, for her to come to terms with certain things, to see certain things, you know, and for her to see Khan as well as a father figure. You know how he was singing to Corey and then to see them both together with Avi. And then there was, you know, the moment when Rave's in the back of the cart. Of the cart with Avi. Yeah. And then for Khan to see her that way. And there's so many little moments that I got to really just explore and just love on, you know, watching them kind of bloom into this strong, capable couple that are like a mum and dad figure. And. Yeah, I'm really happy that I. That I feel as though I got them there by the end of the book because. And again, there's that end scene where they're laying on the bed and she holds. She's holding both of their hands. And I just. I really wanted that. You know, I knew I couldn't get to that scene. That scene wasn't going to work if I didn't do the mental work with Rave to get her there.

[Kim]

Chrissy and I had a lot of discussions at the Seeing Rave's nurturing side. And before we had finished the book, we were like, we hope we're laying the groundwork so that we get to the point that in this book, Rae realizes who Kyzari is. And we were like, I think Sara's prepping us as a reader to. We even said that we feel like you're prepping us to see her in this light. And it really did translate. Like, it was such a beautiful Beautiful way to bring about her character. Yeah.

[Christina]

And when we get that moment at the end where she does choose Kaizari instead of the bloodlust where she, like, no, I. I don't need that anymore. I'm gonna go, I need her. And.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And yeah, that in that moment felt so real and rave and earned and just absolutely beautiful. It felt so real and a contrast to book one. I was proud of her and excited and I felt so cathartic as the reader too, to see that. And then because of all, all of that groundwork and where we've gotten to it, then the lines of, of her saying, like, we missed it. We missed all of it. Just.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, we're.

[Christina]

Oh, like gutting because you. Yeah, that's her thought process.

[Kim]

Like, I sobbed so much.

[Christina]

Oh, gosh. Yeah.

[Kim]

Oh, it was beautiful. It was so beautiful.

[Christina]

Again, devastation in the best way. Yes.

[Kim]

That heartache.

[Christina]

But once you got there, it just makes so much sense. You know, you're like, this is their story. It just, it was really well, well done. This episode is brought to you by Hatch. You know when you finish a romantasy and you just need the next thing immediately Hatch has made that thing. It's called Ophelia, an original audio drama inspired by Hamlet, where Ophelia finally gets to be the main character. Forbidden magic, a crumbling kingdom, a slow burn love triangle with a prince and his very guarded, very intriguing best friend. The kind of love triangle where you will absolutely pick a side and you will absolutely not be quiet about it.

[Kim]

Book one of the three part series is now available for free wherever you stream, with new chapters dropping every Tuesday. For books two and three, check out Hatch, co, Ophelia

[Doug]

and Doug. There's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front or at a comedy show.

[Christina]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird. What is this your first date?

[Doug]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual Together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Christina]

So good.

[Sarah A. Parker]

It's interesting too, because I feel like I've been so worried with book two because in a lot of ways there are a lot of readers that, you know, they're there for the romance, you know, and purely just the romance and the story is about the romance. But Kzari is so, so very much a Part of this love story, you know, and a very big part of it. Yeah. I've been nervous because, again, like, you know, this is fantasy romance, but this has got this whole other layer to it that I was so wanting to get right and wanting to transcend and for people to be as invested in her as part of, you know, this love story.

[Christina]

You did. You absolutely did it, and it's absolutely amazing. And the romance is still so central to this as a, you know, the undercurrent there. And you gave it all to us. We got romance.

[Sarah A. Parker]

We got it.

[Christina]

Sexy times. We got the. You know, we got all of it. We got all of it. So you told us in book one that you wrote all of Elowyn's diary entries in one sitting.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yes.

[Christina]

Back to back to back. Did that happen again in book two for anyone? Did you tackle anything else similarly in these POVs?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh, good question. I really did kind of chunk it up a little bit because I again, I use these chapters as, like. Like, relief, these extra pairs, but there was. I did all of Piruk's chapters at once, and that was just because I needed a really big break from what I was working on with the other P. O's at the time.

[Kim]

I needed.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I really needed. Oops. I needed to hide from them. So there I was just powering through Pyrok's chapters, and then I ran out of those, and I was like, damn it. All right, I gotta go back here. So if you sense a lot of comic relief in there, that's why. Because I was right in the thick of those last chapters, and I was like. Like, I had a moment where I was like, no, I'm hiding.

[Christina]

This is what I need. Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. So that probably. Yep.

[Christina]

Pyrock's dynamic with his brother is absolutely.

[Kim]

Oh, my gosh. Talk about banter.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I'm so glad.

[Christina]

Amazing. So funny.

[Sarah A. Parker]

It's funny because I've got. I've got two brothers who are very similar age, and I've got an older brother as well, but I've got my younger brothers. They're very similar in age. And so I was very much pulling from the way that they banter. So it was fun. It was fun playing with them on Paige because it was. Yeah, it was. It was good. Good soup.

[Christina]

That was so fun to see.

[Kim]

Okay, was there a character as you were writing book two, whose fate, you know, is necessary for the story, but you want to save them? Like, you wish you could save them from their fate because you don't want it to happen in Book two.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh, yeah. Oh yeah.

[Christina]

Who?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh yeah.

[Kim]

What?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. You mean.

[Christina]

You mean like overall.

[Sarah A. Parker]

In the overall series?

[Kim]

No, no, no, because you. I mean, well, I mean, if you want to tell us something devastating about book three, but no, for book two, is there somebody or some that you wish you could save their fate but you know, it's necessary. Okay. That's what. That's what we thought. That's. That was. That was a. That was a hard scene, Sarah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, I know. I'm so sorry.

[Kim]

The way we immediately were like, well, we can get tape. We'll just get tape. Tape exists, right?

[Christina]

Does there glue? Does that work on parchment? Larks. It was so beautifully written in the devastation. It really was. I feel like you went there in multiple ways in this book that were so well done. You went there with this and. And that was so devastating in a way that I would truly have never thought I could be devastated about. A piece of paper bird.

[Sarah A. Parker]

A paper bird.

[Christina]

And it was. Oh gosh, Kaysari. In that moment, it was amazing.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I wrestled with myself so much with that I knew that it needed to happen, that it was necessary and I knew that actually again, Nii was pulling Kaysari and rave together. Like that was knee's meaning in life. That was what all that needed ever really wanted. So I knew that this needed to happen to really, you know, that this was actually very important part of the story was actually letting go of me. But actually when I got there and I was writing it, I was like, I just don't know. I can't do this. And I wrestled. I wrestled with myself. And then as I mentioned earlier that I made the images. So for instance, the little. The knee that you see at the end, that's got the. You know, so I painted the little rip and the little stitches. Did them myself, you know, obviously on Photoshop. But I sat there for like five hours just. Just making little knee, you know, stitched back together and. But then writing that. That line where Rae folds it back up and she so desperately wants her to. Wants her to fly again. She doesn't like, you know, the need there, the want and the desire to actually give her life again was just so heavy. But, you know, Ni had achieved what NI wanted to achieve. Yeah. And then she was ready to move on, you know. And again, that was so hard to swallow.

[Kim]

There's a beauty in that though too.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, there is. But no, that was one of the hardest scenes I've ever written and the sort of arcs. But I do. I do see the beauty in that. And I do feel like Nii had purpose, and Nii fulfilled her purpose, and now Kazari has her ma. But, yes, that is.

[Kim]

He has. I need you. She has her.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Exactly, Exactly.

[Christina]

But so was so well done.

[Kim]

Christina, do you want to do the dragon bonding?

[Christina]

Oh, yes. Okay.

[Sarah A. Parker]

We love our dragon books.

[Christina]

Love a dragon bond, and we love a dragon bond, but this felt so different. It felt so complex and intimate, and it was as if you were showing us this. This version or this detailed, immersive experience that I feel like we don't usually get to see surrounding this dragon bond.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And it was clearly so important to the arc of the story, and we knew that from the beginning, even in book one. But getting to experience it with Raven, this book was so beautiful. So that decision and going into those details, what was that like kind of mapping out and feeling and dissecting that bonding moment with her and Leary?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Well, because these creatures, you know, they are such ancient, mighty, otherworldly, complex creatures. And for me, first, going into it, I was like, well, okay, like, this can't be simple. This can't be. Not only did it need to be more complex for, you know, because I had all these emotions to kind of weave through that. That particular scene was actually so challenging because, again, so many different things that I had to, like, be very aware of. And I needed to honor and respect, you know, the fact that Rave, you know, there was an area that was completely fil. Filled with another bond. I needed to honor that. I needed to, you know, show the ancient understanding and that motherliness of SLA making space for this younger dragon to come in and. And for her. I'm sorry.

[Kim]

We're sorry.

[Sarah A. Parker]

We can't. And allow Ed Rave to move on. Yeah. You know, not move on, but to find this other happiness, you know, does come after grief.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

You know, you can allow yourself to find happiness after grace.

[Christina]

Sorry. Yeah. No, it's so true.

[Sarah A. Parker]

And the two can exist in synchrony, you know, and that's okay. For her to understand that. That's okay. I feel like I tried so desperately to capture that because it was very important that I showed that SLA understood that and to show her making that space. But also, again, on a broader note, these creatures are. If they want to be. They are infinite. You know, they could live forever, but they choose at a time when they want mostly to two pass on and.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

But to encapsulate that in that moment, like, it was so challenging, but also. Also, like, such a really incredible challenge to try and show that difference in knowledge and perspective, in this moment where they are touching souls and coming together. But also because, again, there's three there showing that. The difference and the understanding. And because Lurie is a lot younger than sla, so I loved writing that area. And I also loved writing the one with Grim as well. And his bond. Yeah, I adored those scenes. I adored writing those scenes. I love challenging myself with those scenes. And I was so proud of them when I was done with them as well. So I'm so glad that, you know, that they touched you guys as well.

[Kim]

Yeah, no, it really did.

[Christina]

We loved reading them.

[Kim]

It also gave us one of our favorite rave scenes, which is when Khan goes to find her because she's gone, as it's described in the book, Almost Wild. And it was such an interesting. I say unsettling in the best way, because to see rave, I feel like we're so used to seeing FMCs, our main female characters, in, like, a very small, specific light. And to see rave be so gritty and so visceral. To see her with the raw meat and the primal instincts. And then when she sees Khan and

[Christina]

she's like, that's my man. I love Rod and Insane, and he's so unbothered.

[Kim]

Like, it's like she doesn't want to spook her in a way. You know, he's just like, I'm just going to bathe over here.

[Christina]

Keep doing this. Keep doing this.

[Kim]

But they gave us one of our favorite con and rave scenes, because you tried. Told us that we were going to love Khan even more in book two, and we did.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Which we thought was impossible, but the consent was so important to him, and it was so wonderful to see because he's like, I need Rafe. I need her. And so just. Can you talk a little bit about moving into writing them in book two? Just what was that like, moving from book one to writing them in book two?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Look, it was a challenge. So my first. I wrote the first kind of 50,000 words of the book, and then I went back, and I was like, no. Like, I need to shift the tone of this. Like, I actually initially struggled because it's, like, really hard moving on from that. Will they. Won't they angst to. No, they will. They are. You know, and finding that blend where, you know, there's still an anxiety, like, there's still something there that's keeping you intrigued. So it was challenging. But then once I found my groove, I was like, oh, no, we're good. But I got first to that particular area where they Were pulling the pins out of Khan's back. Yeah, I got there and then I was like, no, the tone is off. The tone is off. I need to go back. And I did. So it took me a bit to find my groove because again, like, there's that moving on from that will they, won't they is sometimes hard. And I have classically, with my Crystal Bloom series, there is a will they, won't they up until, you know, the very end of book three. Like, so I'm used to writing that. And so sort of hitting that point a lot earlier in the story was I had to kind of let go of that. No, it's okay. It's okay. We're doing it. It's okay, Sarah. It's okay. You know. And again, though, once I found my groove, I was off. And now I couldn't write them any other way. You know, it's like I just had to get them over that hurd. But getting them over that hurdle. And there were certain specific scenes that. So again, when I got to that pinning area, I already knew that I. Because I had the whole story mapped out, obviously. But so I knew that when Khan says goodbye to her when she's going off to tame Leary, like, I was like, okay, I need there to be a certain mindset there. And I just knew that I wasn't there with my first version of it. So again, I had to go back and find that drive again. So it was challenging. But again, once I got there with them, I. I was off. I was off. And I remember a specific scene actually, that I was writing with them, and I was like, oh, yeah, we got it. We're here. You found the groove.

[Kim]

Well, we loved it.

[Christina]

Yeah, it was so fun. It was so delicious with them the whole time. And the protectiveness that came out, both of them, the two of them together, and oh, it was so good.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I was going to say that was interesting for me, cuz actually, that protective, this thing. So in book one, right, Like. Like Khan, he hasn't seen this badass side of her.

[Kim]

No.

[Sarah A. Parker]

You know, he's actually saved her a number of times. And in his mind, like, if he takes his hands off the wheel, you know, of the dragon reigns, then who knows, like, he might lose her again. So that was actually a big thing for me. And that was like, really allowing myself to embrace. That was what helped me to find them and to find their groove. Cause it's like. Actually, no, that's where my angst is. It's the fact that they're actually on the very same level of wanting each other, like, wanting to protect each other, and actually exploring that avenue. And that part of their dynamic was, again, so meaty for me. So, yeah, so sorry I butted in there.

[Christina]

No, that's exactly it. And it was so much fun to read.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh, good. Okay.

[Christina]

And this idea, too, that getting to see them both in this book kind of be badasses together and fight together and charge into battle and both, you know, she saves him at some point from the nets and the thing, you know, it's just like they are almost each other's equals in that they're both savagely killing people if they have to, and they're both. Both badasses.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Christina]

It's just a dynamic that was not there with Elowyn, and it's not that that was missing from his relationship with Ellon. They are just two different relationships.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Absolutely.

[Christina]

And so seeing him kind of be like, oh, okay, we're fighting together. You can do this. But also, I hate that you can. But also good. Yeah. It's, like, just a lot.

[Kim]

It was really beautiful to see because we obviously know, and we see firsthand through so much of book one, that Rave is shaped by the things that have happened to her since she fell from the moon. But Khan has also been shaped over the last 124 years. So the Khan he was with Elowyn is not the same Khan that he is now. And so to, like, what Christina was saying, that just watching them be on equal footing, there's a new type of love and appreciation and, like, a sexiness that kind of drives the two of them that they. Rave doesn't. Maybe she's remembering more and more of how Elowyn and Khan were. But I think Khan is like, oh, it's nice to see him. Just like she says, do you want Rave, or do you want Elowen? And he says, I want you, Rave.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Yeah. Like, I think that's who he needs now, 100%.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. I see Elowin and Rave as two very, very different characters, and I always will. That won't change. I don't ever want them to feel like the same character. So. But, yes, absolutely. He needs Rave, and she needs him.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

You know, the versions, they are right now, so, yeah, very great.

[Kim]

And that's why this resurrection trope works. Cause it's a tricky trope.

[Sarah A. Parker]

It is.

[Kim]

And that's why it is why it works.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Ye.

[Christina]

Okay, so this episode is brought to you by Hatch. You know, when you finish a Romantasy and you just need the next thing immediately. Hatch has made that thing. It's called Ophelia. An original audio drama inspired by Hamlet, where Ophelia finally gets to be the main character. Forbidden magic, a crumbling kingdom, a slow burn love triangle with a prince and his very guarded, very intriguing best friend. The kind of love triangle where you will absolutely pick a side and you will absolutely not be quiet about it.

[Kim]

Book one of the three part series is now available for free wherever you stream, with new chapters dropping every Tuesday. For books two and three, check out Hatch, co, Ophelia

[Doug]

and Doug. There's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual Evil if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Christina]

Hey everyone, check out this guy and his bird.

[Sarah A. Parker]

What is this your first date?

[Doug]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Christina]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a'@libertymutual.com or with your local agent.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Liberty. Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Christina]

Speaking of resurrection.

[Kim]

Speaking of resurrection, should we talk about someone else, Sarah? Oh my gosh, Listeners, before we even hit record, she hopped on and we were like, like, Essie. So obviously we have to talk about this because my God, Sarah, this reveal in book two had us absolutely flabbergasted. We have something that we always say on the podcast that's a long running joke that, you know, show me the body. If there's no body, you're not dead. Like, I need to see it on page. And I really thought that we got it on page. Like, at no point was I like, show me the body. Like, Essie could be alive. Nope. Pirate goes up there and there's this beautiful red headed girl. I said, hold on, hold on. You died. I cried.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I spent two years mourning.

[Kim]

I know.

[Christina]

Oh my gosh.

[Kim]

What was that like for you to like? Yeah. Oh my God. You've been holding this in waiting for people.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Ah, yes. It's been so hard. And as well, there's been so many people that are, why would you do that? You know, she's such a cool character. Like, we so enjoyed reading. Like, you know, you put so much effort into creating this fantastic character.

[Christina]

Then she's gone and I'm like, yum, she's gone. Interesting insight. Yep.

[Kim]

Well, I know. And we spent so much time going back and rereading the chapter and trying to be like, okay, what? Hold on, what did we miss? Because this is what we love to do. We want to find all the Easter eggs. And it was just.

[Christina]

Yeah, it was so much fun.

[Kim]

And she's an Elding bird.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yes.

[Christina]

Question mark.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

It's so funny because I'm glad you picked up on that because I was so worried. I was like, are people going to realize that this, this. Are they going to realize this? Because obviously it gets super confirmed in book three. But I was like, is it obvious enough? Oh, because I can't exactly have her go up to him and go, I am this.

[Kim]

You know what I mean?

[Christina]

Like, I thought it was perfectly, perfectly, like laid where it was. Okay, it's not confirmed, but like, we feel like it is.

[Kim]

It's like slotra and the other. Which to us was like, well, it has to be. The other is sla. Right. But it's not confirmed. But there's enough Easter eggs that keep you going back and reading, going, hold on, let me dissect this a little bit more.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Kim]

And that's what's so fun.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Yeah. This one even more that we were like, hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on. Wait, hold on. Did I read that right? And then at that same time, Varg's like, I'm hallucinating. Like, are we all hallucinating? What is happening? It was so much fun.

[Kim]

Follow up question is, so neither Rave nor Essie knows. Well, now Essie is aware that Rave's alive. Rave does not know that Essie is alive.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Got no idea.

[Kim]

But are we going to? Because I think we've been trying to piece together is like, how do you become an Elding bird? Is it something you're born with? But then she shares her blood with Pyrek. And then there's this weird thing at the end with Serene and Arin, but

[Christina]

then he was saved by the Elding bird already. So there's a lot I don't know.

[Kim]

There's. There's a lot of it. So are we going to get in book three, answers?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yes. Yes.

[Christina]

Some Elden bird answers. Good.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yes, you will. Yeah, 100%.

[Kim]

So I won't spiral about that. I know that we're gonna get something.

[Christina]

Okay.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Don't worry.

[Christina]

So much fun seeing her again on page and then having this new layer with her. But she gets this whole mystery and everything. And oh my gosh, the romance with. I was not expecting that. And I had so much fun.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Christina]

I was so invested.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I'm so glad.

[Christina]

And seeing him be so sweet with her and this side of him that we don't usually get to see. Like we've seen sweet and funny and great, but I love seeing this and dynamic come out and him and God, just Essie being there is incredible. It was so fun.

[Kim]

What?

[Sarah A. Parker]

So there's the area, right, where. Where he is feeding, you know, the baby multimore.

[Christina]

Yes, yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

And. Yeah. And Essie's watching quietly watching him feed Griffin. And she's just watching him. Watching, watching and enjoying. Like. Like there's something about, like, she changes in that. She changed the way that she's sort of interacting with him in that moment.

[Kim]

Yes, she does, because he.

[Sarah A. Parker]

He.

[Kim]

He notes it, doesn't he?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Well, he does. He does. In his own sort of horror kind of way. But because she's an outing bird, right. And she's watching him nurture this young molten moor, which is also a winged. A winged feathery creature, and she's like, oh. And so there's all sorts of things going on in her mind at that moment.

[Christina]

It's like.

[Sarah A. Parker]

It's like, really? There's all these little Easter eggs that I popped in. But in book one as well, when she said to Ray, don't put me in the cold.

[Kim]

Oh. Which it's so interesting because when I first read it, I was like, oh, that's not. I was just like, she's cold, she's dying.

[Christina]

We're just all like, that's. Yeah. But it's so good. So fun. So you. That was like your plan from all along. Like, you were huge planner. Right. So that was your. Always the plan with Essie. Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Set in stone since before I started writing draft one. Wow.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Wow. Oh, my gosh.

[Christina]

Are we gonna get to see what's been happening with her? Are we gonna figure out what she's been up to? Maybe. Yep. Maybe.

[Kim]

I'm saying maybe.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Maybe.

[Kim]

Well, speaking of that, is there anything you can tell us about where you are in the writing process for book three?

[Sarah A. Parker]

So right now I'm focusing on Crystal Bloom four. So I. Obviously, I've taken a lot of time away from that series, so. And I kind of need a breath for me to do book three justice. So I'm ticking away at that at the moment. And my plan currently is to. I don't want to give dates because again, like, with book two, we put a pre order up and I had to push it back a number of times just for me to get it right. So my publishing house was fantastic in that regard. They allowed me to. To have that extra time. Book three might take me six months to write. It might take me a year. I don't I don't. I'm hoping it's a lot faster than book two took me. It is a different flavor, so we'll see how we go. It's obviously very post apocalyptic. There's been a lot that's happened.

[Christina]

Yes. So a lot of moonfalls, a lot of moon falls.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Christina]

A lot of. Lot of people are back.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Kim]

So, okay, in regards to book three, we've talked about, like, how we'll learn more about the Elding birds. I gotta bring up silver. This was a. This is. This is a point for me in this book. This is my jar of mist. The amount of times silver, argent. Those two words are used to describe things that seem to. Because I looked up argent.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I'm so glad you picked up on that.

[Kim]

I was like, the Book of Void, there's an argent.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Kim]

And then the same. The tooth.

[Christina]

Okay. So I was like, anna, what are you talking about? What's art? She's like, oh, let me tell you, last night, I went on a deep dive. We've had so much fun.

[Kim]

So obviously silver. I mean, Avi's eyes are silver, his hair is silver. I don't know if he's been touched by one of the little spools of the Aurora ribbon, the silver ribbon, which, from the prologue of book one, I believe is Kahless's cloak. That's what I believe. Interesting. That's what I think. So then to me, that's a part of Kahless. So if it struck, it struck Grim, the movie moon at Straxlaatra and the saber scythe that now Grimm has. Yeah, and. And Grimm, I think I believe. I just.

[Christina]

Anna doesn't even have a question. She just wanted to talk about silver. I'm not gonna give anything away. I don't know what I'm asking.

[Kim]

I don't even. I don't know. I just want to talk. You could play a drinking game at the amount of times I talked about silver.

[Christina]

Oh, my gosh.

[Kim]

In our chapter chats, every time it's mentioned, I'm, like, eating it up. I've got a whole note saved with. Every time I'm trying to figure it out, it's obviously important, right? Tell me if I know to, like, jump off this hill.

[Sarah A. Parker]

No, stay on the hill.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Sarah A. Parker]

You can bury yourself on the hill.

[Kim]

Don't worry, I can bury myself. I can plant my flag.

[Christina]

We don't know what any of it means, but we know it's important, and that's enough for us to spiral. And we will have fun doing it. Yes.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Enjoy the spiraling and buckle up.

[Christina]

I really. That's the ideal. Like, there are Easter eggs enough that we're like, oh, this is important. Is it? Is it? There's little clues, and then now we just get to play with it and have fun.

[Kim]

Avi was such an interesting character. I hope. I hope we get more of him in book three, but I feel like between him and Slotra and things that they say, I get nervous as well.

[Christina]

Oh, my gosh.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Kim]

I don't know.

[Christina]

Slotra had a few little cryptic things in this book that we highlighted and text each other. Like, what does this mean?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, yeah. I'm not gonna give anything away.

[Kim]

I know. No, no, no.

[Christina]

I know you can't.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I know you can't.

[Christina]

Avi was such a fun addition. He was so, like, cute and sweet in his little delivery demeanor, you know? Like, I think in a different scenario, that may have come off creepy. A little unsettling.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Christina]

And instead I was like, oh, this sweet boy. I just want to, like, just bring him in the bathroom.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Christina]

He was lovely.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. I loved writing him.

[Kim]

Are there any new POVs that we might get going into book three that you're. Or maybe you can't tell us?

[Sarah A. Parker]

I'm anticipating. Yes. So when I'm planning out a book, I don't always go, oh, this is going to be from this point of view. You know what I mean? I'm planning out the story as, like, a movie, so. And then when I get to that part of the book, I'll be like, okay, who does this need to be from? So that. Which I love doing that. I love actually leaving that to chance and seeing where, like, as I'm writing it, as I'm actually writing the different scenes, I love that bit of mystery, like, getting to each different part and going, okay, who does this need to be from?

[Kim]

Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

And so at this stage, I'm saying, yes, there will definitely be other POVs, but we'll just see how many more we land at. I don't want there to end up being, like, 50 different POVs.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

You know, I feel like there is a magic number there without actually over something stimulating people too much and having us, you know, needing to get into too many different heads. So, yeah, definitely got that in the back of my mind. And each POV that I do, I don't do it just for shock factor, you know, I want us to get into the head. I want us to understand that character. I want us to. To make a meal out of it. So I don't ever sort of do a POV unless it's very, very important or unless A, we can make a meal out of it or B, it's really important for. To show a specific art. Yeah, I mean, I can say that with book three, I really, really want to get into. Into hoping to do that. So fascinating.

[Kim]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we would love that.

[Christina]

I would be really excited about that. We'd be very, very would love that. And I love what you said about understanding, like where this needs to be from. Like, what arc are we. What is this the most, you know, interesting or effective storytelling that just so translated here. There were so many moments with Veya. Oh God, poor Veya. She had a rough.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I know she had a rough time,

[Christina]

but having those moments from her POV in certain moments were just so effective and so.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh God, I'm so glad.

[Christina]

Again, again, devastating in the best way.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah. Because I think with book one, obviously it probably felt a little bit like, okay, this is out of the blue, like suddenly having these POVs from her in like the second or the last third of the book. But it was all. Because again, that was originally the first half of book one. So originally she was just kind of out of the first, like, you know, 25% of the overall book. And then she was a very big part of it. So. Yeah, I really enjoyed being in her head even though it was so hard for this book. She. Yeah, she said a really rough spin, this one. A rough spin. Yeah.

[Kim]

Yeah, we're curious. Also with, I guess Hadean, that was.

[Christina]

Oh my gosh. That's another thing I wanted to. I mean.

[Kim]

Yeah, and he doesn't seem. He seems confused. He seems to be a little confused about. I mean, I guess falling from a moon would do that.

[Christina]

I'm a little concerned about Serene finding him the way she found.

[Kim]

I'm concerned as well. It's a little bit of a parallel between when Rave fell and was found by the scavenger king and. And now Hadean's fallen and he's found by Serene. So. Makes me a little nervous, Sarah.

[Christina]

Yeah, but I mean, my gosh, that was another crazy moment where we both were texting and screaming like, Hadean.

[Sarah A. Parker]

What?

[Christina]

It was so fun.

[Sarah A. Parker]

You thought I was done with you. That note.

[Christina]

Nope, nope.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Last couple of paragraphs.

[Christina]

Snuck another one in there.

[Kim]

We have a couple rapid fire questions. Just like fun, silly things to end this with. Before we do that, can I ask you really quickly, is, is Dorothea's son going to be important?

[Sarah A. Parker]

I'm not telling you that.

[Kim]

Darn it. But I just like sneak it in

[Christina]

and it was like literally kept. She has mentioned this a few times. And I was like, I think, who. Who are you talking about?

[Kim]

Like Dorothea's son. He's gone crazy. He's missing.

[Sarah A. Parker]

I will say that I don't mention characters generally for like zero reason, you know, So I will say that. I will say I'll work with that.

[Kim]

I'll work with that.

[Christina]

I'll work with that.

[Kim]

We'll add that to my silver ribbon.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, yeah. But in saying that as well, I also do have. So this isn't in regards to that, but there is also certain. Because again, because I spent so long building up the law and, you know, understanding this world. Like, there are so many different stories to be told in this world.

[Kim]

Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

And I don't say that lightly to the point where this is one very small part in this timeline. Like, there is so much that I could touch on, I could go into. And it's like, I've got to be very. I'm very, very picky with what I am telling in these three books because there might come a stage where I'm like, actually, I want to. I want to. Want to tell this.

[Kim]

You want to write.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, I want to. I want to go back or I want to go forward and I want to tell these other. You know, so there are specific little mentions that I have popped in there just to open up that for me in case I do decide to do that at some stage.

[Kim]

Okay. Yeah, Yeah, I love that.

[Christina]

Yeah, we would be thrilled about that. Yes. So we have like a rapid fire. That's like character. Rapid fire. Very fun and silly. So these are as if the characters are in our current today world.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Okay.

[Kim]

You know, so if you're on a 12 hour flight, which two characters would you want to sit between?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Definitely Raven Khan. Because their banter going backwards and forwards. I would just be sitting there with my drag, just laughing.

[Christina]

Yeah. Yes.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Love it. 100%. Love that. Love that.

[Kim]

Okay.

[Christina]

Okay, next, who would you let babysit your kids?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Khan.

[Christina]

Which character?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Khan.

[Kim]

He sings. He can sing at bedtime. Song.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, he absolutely kind of seen him.

[Kim]

Yeah.

[Christina]

Khan would be a great babysitter.

[Kim]

He would be.

[Sarah A. Parker]

He would. They would.

[Kim]

Okay, who would you pick to host a late night talk show?

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh,

[Christina]

Borg.

[Kim]

Oh, my God. That is perfect.

[Christina]

That's it. That's it.

[Kim]

I didn't even think about that when you came up with this question. Oh, my gosh. That is so perfect. He would.

[Sarah A. Parker]

He'll own it if you. They have to just be the best.

[Christina]

Yeah, that would be amazing. Oh, my gosh. Okay, last two. So of the characters who would love social media? Like, who would be very active on social media?

[Sarah A. Parker]

That's a very good question. Make me think. Who would love social media? Oh, God, probably Serene.

[Christina]

She totally would. She would.

[Kim]

She's like running like an MLM scam or something. I don't know.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Wow.

[Kim]

Wow.

[Christina]

Yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah.

[Kim]

Our first reaction was like, oh, Pyrek would have everybody doing the TikTok dances.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh, he would. He 100% would. My mind actually initially went to him and then I was like, he's so, like, kind of ho humbo. He'd be one of those social media people who has like six posts and they're all like, so random. Like, there's one that's really freaking funny. He didn't even realize that he just put it up without thinking. Like, he'd be so effortless in it.

[Christina]

Yes, totally.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Oh, my gosh.

[Christina]

I love that. Yes. Oh, so good. So who would hate social media? Who would be like, you know, Pyrex trying to get them to do the dances and he's like, no, she would hate it.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Not.

[Kim]

Not about it. Not about it.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Get out of my face.

[Kim]

She's private person. She's.

[Christina]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

No interest.

[Kim]

Oh, my gosh. That's amazing. I love that. Okay.

[Christina]

I think that's so much.

[Kim]

Sarah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

It's my pleasure. It's been so much fun, guys. Thank you so much for like, all your. Just everything. Such fantastic, fantastic discussion. Obvious. I felt like I've slipped back into the book and it's, you know, it's just. Yeah, it's been magic. So thank you.

[Kim]

Thank you so much. It was truly so much fun to have you on and to discuss this book and take your time on book three because we trust you. We will wait on bated breath, but we take your time.

[Sarah A. Parker]

So thank you.

[Kim]

Thank you so much for being here so much, Sarah.

[Sarah A. Parker]

My pleasure.

[Kim]

Well, friends, that wraps up another episode of Flights of Fantasy Podcast. Don't forget to join our book club

[Christina]

community on Instagram and TikTok at flights

[Kim]

of Fantasy Podcast, where you can share your thoughts, theories, and favorite moments with us and fellow listeners. We'd love to hear from you. If you enjoyed today's episode, please rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us spread the magic of Romantasy to even more book lovers. Until next time, keep dreaming, keep reading,

[Christina]

and remember, every good story deserves to take flight.

[Doug]

And Doug, there's nowhere I wouldn't go to help someone customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual. Even if it means sitting front row at a comedy show.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Hey, everyone.

[Christina]

Check out this guy and his bird.

[Sarah A. Parker]

What is this, your first date?

[Doug]

Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Yeah, the bird looks out of your lady.

[Doug]

Anyways, get a [e-mail] or with your local agent.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Liberty, Liberty. Liberty. Liberty.

[Christina]

Ready or not, summer is coming and Wayfair's Memorial Day clearance is on now. Right now through May 25th. Get up to 70% off everything home at Wayfair. Plus score amazing doorbuster deals all sale long and surprise flash deals on Memorial Day. We're talking thousands of products at every style and budget.

[Kim]

Now is the time to save big

[Christina]

on must haves for your patio, backyard and beyond.

[Kim]

These savings won't last, so don't wait.

[Christina]

Shop Wayfair's Memorial Day clearance now through May 25th.

[Kim]

Wayfair Every style, every home.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Ready or not. Summer is coming and Wayfair's Memorial Day clearance is on now. Right now through May 25th.

[Christina]

Get up to 70% off everything home at Wayfair. Plus score amazing doorbuster deals all sail long and surprise flash deals on Memorial Day.

[Sarah A. Parker]

We're talking thousands of products at every style and budget. Now is the time to save big on must haves for your patio, backyard and beyond.

[Christina]

These savings won't last, so don't wait.

[Sarah A. Parker]

Shop Wayfair's Memorial Day clearance now through May 25th.

[Kim]

Wayfair Every style, every home.