Tonight on Epic Realms, we’re joined by urban fantasy author Ben Schenkman for a conversation about writing, creativity, anxiety, mythology, and finding your way back to the stories you love.

Ben shares his journey from discovering a passion for writing at a young age, stepping away to pursue school, theater, and life, and eventually returning to writing later in life. Since then, he’s gone from publishing his first book in 2023 to releasing six books in just a few years.

We also talk openly about living with anxiety as an author, finding ways to cope, and the challenges that can come with balancing creativity and everyday life.

Of course, we dive into Ben’s urban fantasy books, including My Brother’s Keeper and his four-book The Devil You Know series. We discuss Jewish mythology and representation in urban fantasy, and what it means to bring Jewish religion, mythology, and traditions into the genre.

Ben also gives us an update on Arcane Awakenings, an urban fantasy anthology Kickstarter that has already reached its initial goal and is now working toward its first stretch goal.

If you love urban fantasy, mythology, supernatural fiction, independent authors, or behind-the-scenes conversations about writing, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

Join us on Epic Realms for our conversation with Ben Schenkman! Ben Schenkman Website https://benschenkman.com/

Arcane Awakenings on Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/arcaneawakenings/arcane-awakenings Check out his Amazon Author Page here https://amzn.to/3TRFy9w

Author and game designer Tiffany Rose Nickel joins Nick on Epic Realms to talk about her journey through tabletop RPGs, writing, game design, and streaming.

Tiffany discusses her Legends of Lemuria novels, the creation of One Page Dice Dungeons, her Resident Evil survival actual play RPG, and what she has learned from years of creating and running games. She also shares her philosophy on Game Mastering and why sometimes the best stories are the ones you never planned.

We also look ahead at Tiffany's upcoming projects and her continued work as an independent creator in the tabletop gaming community. https://www.trnickel.com/

This is a replay of the Legend and Lectures podcast with Host and Author Michelle Franklin. She invited me on to talk about the history of Tabletop Roleplaying Games. Where they came from, what things inspired what evolutions and also our usual shenanigans. Its a fun episode, Make sure to go check out Michelle Franklin and of course go Subscribe to Legends and Lectures. Legends and Lectures on Spotify Legends and Lectures on Youtube.