Flights of Fantasy: S6 Ep8 – Sarah J. Maas: Call Her Daddy Interview Special

Date: March 10, 2026
Hosts: Anna, Kim, Christina
Focus: Deep-dive reaction to Sarah J. Maas's "Call Her Daddy" interview with Alex Cooper, discussing bombshell revelations, book announcements, and personal insights from Maas.

Episode Overview

This “emergency podcast” dove into Sarah J. Maas’s rare, revealing interview on Call Her Daddy, which shook the fantasy romance fandom with major announcements and candid commentary. The hosts—Anna, Kim, and Christina—offer emotional, theory-packed analysis, gushing excitement, and sharp insight into what Maas revealed about upcoming ACOTAR books, her writing process, character arcs, the influence of mental health, and future crossovers.

Key Discussion Points

1. Immediate Reactions: Emotions & Excitement

• The hosts describe Maas's interview as life-altering—“Our lives have changed forever.” (Kim, 01:48)
• “We've never had this access to Sarah before and thank you, Alex, for giving it to us.” (Kim, 02:01)
• Spoiler warning for all SJM series.

2. Biggest Announcements: New ACOTAR Books

• Three New ACOTAR Books Incoming:
  • Book 6: Releases October 27, 2026 (328 pages)
  • Book 7: Releases January 12, 2027 (928 pages)
  • Book 8: Date TBD
• “We are not getting one. We are getting two. No, we're actually getting three. But we are getting two new acotar books in the next 10 months.” (Christina, 03:54)
• Pace and format are shocking: “It is March, Sarah. And then the next one in January…she said, hold my beer.” (Hosts, 04:03–04:43)
• The podcast plans to cover all the developments: “We are booked and busy…with Acotar for the next year and a half.” (Kim, 05:00)

Structural Revelations

• The books are not a traditional trilogy.
  • “A book told in four parts. So essentially, it's going to be three physical books, but one story altogether.” (Christina, 05:23)
• Hosts debate what this means: a seamless character arc playing over three books rather than standalone plot arcs commonly seen in trilogies.

Notable Analogy:
Kim compares this structure to how Wicked the Musical is a single arc, while splitting it into movies fragmented that arc. (Kim, 07:23-08:24)

Why the Format Shift?

• Maas wanted to “buck all industry traditions…she didn’t want to have to adhere to the rules of the glue that binds the book together or the spot on the shelves.” (Kim, 08:34)

3. Writing Process & Mental Health

• Maas spoke candidly about why the books took years:
  • She needed the “right headspace” and to find the right story after A Court of Silver Flames (2021).
  • “It took me a while to find the right story and to be in the right headspace…and she was like, it just poured out of me…really, really big…surprised me.” (Christina, 11:45-12:24)
• Hosts reflect on creative pressures, grace, and fandom impatience.
  • “Her worth is not tied to her work.” (Christina, 26:57)
  • “It's a solid reminder that you have to allow people the space to create their art.” (Christina, 29:22)

4. Book Content: Theories, Character Focus & Structure

POVs & Arcs

• Maas would not reveal who the main POVs are, hinting that this was “one of the surprising things for me.” (Christina, 13:41)
• Hosts speculate we’ll see multiple POVs similar to Kingdom of Ash; extensive theorizing about Elain, Azriel, Lucien, Mor, Eris, and others taking center stage—fighting Koschei, tying up loose ends.

Series Closure?

• “Do you think she's tying up every character? Is she like closing the door on Acotar then?”
  • “Right now, I think yes.” (Kim, 16:52)

Crossovers

• Deep debate on ACOTAR, Throne of Glass, and Crescent City crossovers.
  • Most fans (and the hosts) don’t want full character crossovers but enjoy the well-placed Easter eggs and lore ties (e.g., Truth Teller’s cameo in Crescent City).
  • “What I don't need is characters from other series on page anymore. I think we've done that and I think that was good. But I think now let's just like stay in Acotar…” (Kim, 19:06)

Meta Moments: Writing & Psychic Coincidences

• Maas describes an event while writing that felt "almost supernatural":
  • “It lined up. I did not plan it, but my subconscious, some human psychic thing…It worked out almost to a supernatural level.” (Kim, 20:05)
• Speculation: What will be this “supernatural” plot moment?

5. TV Adaptation Rights & Authorial Control

• Maas has regained the rights to all her works.
  • “Getting the rights back to all of my things has been a big part of my journey in the recent years.” (Kim, 21:04)
• She is adamant about creative control and representation.
• Hosts would rather see Throne of Glass adapted than ACOTAR, viewing the latter as too difficult to translate to screen without losing its essence.

6. Mental Health & Writing: Therapy Journey

• Profound section on Maas’s mental health, therapy, and recovery.
  • Therapy was “life-saving", and characters’ arcs mirrored her journey.
  • “Feyre's panic attacks in Acomaf...she was experiencing them, but didn't really understand what they were…” (Christina, 25:09)
  • Nesta's arc was written “in one of the darker, like, mental health moments in her life.” (Christina, 25:38)

Notable Quote:
“One of the most powerful moments…was when she was crying and talking about looking at her son and saying like this is what I'm fighting for.” (Kim, 26:06)

7. Motherhood, Trauma, and Representation in Story

• Maas details her traumatic pregnancy and childbirth, directly linking it to Feyre’s pregnancy storyline.
  • “I love my children…I am fucking obsessed with my kids. But I hated being pregnant. It was traumatic for me.” (Kim, 31:44)
• Hosts share personal stories and discuss how these experiences validate and enrich the books’ emotional authenticity.

8. Fandom Debates: Redemption Arcs, Mating Bonds, and Power

• Tamlin: Unlikely to receive a redemption arc. Maas is sensitive not to invalidate survivors of abuse.
  • “Tamlin made his own choices, but he's also the result of his past.” (Christina, 38:38)
• Elain & Mating Bond: Maas teases “exploring the concept of free will with a mating bond”— prompting endless speculation on Elain/Lucien, possible rejection/acceptance of the bond, and whether Elain ends up with Lucien, Azriel, or alone.
  • “Does nature get it right sometimes? Does it get it wrong sometimes?” (Kim, 40:17)
• Female Character Power Loss: Authors explain that sacrificing magic (ex: Aelin, Nesta) doesn’t diminish inner strength.
  • “Taking the magic away doesn't take away their strength.” (Kim, 46:26)

9. Rapid-Fire Q&A: Fandom Questions & SJM Evasions

• Lorcan’s fate: “Maybe that'll be bonus content or a Christmas present for you.”
• Vaughn: Still a mystery (“I think about that a lot”).
• TOG world book: Maybe in the future.
• Pool of Starlight, Fury’s backstory: Non-answers, admitted fan over-analysis.
• Mor’s power: “Truth”—but possibly more to come.
• House of Wind stairs logistics: We may find out.
• Rhysand’s last name: “Does it even matter? … Like he's one of one, right.” (Kim, 48:36)
• Bryaxis gender: Maas refers to Bryaxis as “she.” (Christina, 50:54)
• Mama Archeron & Ironteeth witches: No answer but suspicious laughter.
• Otters: “It sounded really adorable and I wanted them to be in the book.”
• Twilight of the Gods: Not happening right now.

Memorable banter:
Who would win: Bryce, Aelin, Fayre, or Manon?
“They wouldn't fight…they’d support each other and go get In-N-Out burgers.” (Christina, 55:07)

Notable Quotes & Highlights

• On Sarah J. Maas’s creative control:
  • “She doesn't want to ever hear that we have to change this to appeal to XYZ demographic.” (Kim, 21:15)
• On the pacing and structure:
  • “This is not something that's normally done. No.” (Christina, 08:24)
• On mental health:
  • “Her worth is not tied to her work.” (Christina, 26:57)
• On fandom demands:
  • “It's a solid reminder that you have to allow people the space to create their art.” (Christina, 29:22)
• On Tamlin:
  • “She doesn't want to invalidate any other reader's experience.” (Christina, 38:08)
• On the power arc for women:
  • “Taking the magic away doesn't take away their strength…” (Kim, 46:26)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:26–04:55: Raw reactions, new book announcements, release dates
• 05:00–10:26: Book structure, format debate, page numbers, story arc discussion
• 11:45–16:44: Maas’s writing journey, creative process, hints at multiple POVs
• 16:52–19:39: Series closure, crossover speculation, ACOTAR vs. Crescent City vs. Throne of Glass
• 20:05–21:54: “Psychic” writing moments, TV rights, authorial control
• 22:55–26:57: Mental health, therapy, Nesta/Feyre/Aelin parallels, vulnerability
• 31:44–36:59: Pregnancy/childbirth and its impact on Feyre’s storyline
• 37:57–41:17: Tamlin, redemption, abuse representation, Elain, free will and mating bonds
• 43:25–47:45: Rapid-fire Q&A, lore mysteries, character powers, world-building teasers
• 50:39–55:18: Confirmations, fan theories, interview’s feminism, famous “burger summit” answer

Tone & Style

• Warm, irreverent, deeply knowledgeable—both fangirling and analytical
• Intimate and empathetic in discussing heavier themes
• Playful banter balanced with thoughtful commentary

Conclusion

The episode is a lively, highly informed reaction to Sarah J. Maas’s uncharacteristically revealing interview, giving shape to new hopes, fandom anxieties, and endless theorizing on the future of ACOTAR and beyond. The hosts emphasize patience with Maas’s process, gratitude for her vulnerability, and burning excitement for what’s to come—while gleefully recapping every bookish breadcrumb and meme-worthy moment from the interview.

For further listening:
See show notes for playlist links to previous “Revisited” episodes and SJM theory deep-dives!