Epic Realms Podcast

This week on Epic Realms, Nick sits down with three-time Eisner Award nominated cartoonist, writer, and illustrator Chris Schweizer for a wide-ranging conversation about creativity, storytelling, and building a life around making comics. From his childhood in Louisiana and Kentucky to his years studying art, theater, and filmmaking, Chris reflects on the experiences that shaped his artistic voice...

Bestselling queer romance author Amanda Meuwissen joins Epic Realms for a special 5 Year Anniversary episode. Amanda discusses her journey from a storytelling-obsessed kid and fan fiction writer to a full-time author known for blending romance with fantasy, horror, science fiction, mythology, and paranormal elements. She shares insights into self-publishing, marketing, working with editors, findin...

On this episode of the Epic Realms Podcast, we sit down with legendary comic book artist and writer Tim Seeley for a deep dive into his life, career, and passion for storytelling through comics. Tim talks about discovering comics at an early age and how that passion shaped both his creative identity and career path. From growing up with a love for drawing to being encouraged throughout high school...

Fantasy author Chris A. Jackson returns to Epic Realms to discuss his newest Pathfinder novel, Operation Hellmouth, the revival of the Pathfinder Tales series, and his long history writing fantasy, nautical adventures, and tie-in fiction. Chris and Nick dive into the creative process behind the new novel, including writing Valeros, revisiting beloved pirate characters, crafting infernal battles, a...

Get a behind the scenes look at our live stream audience Q and A sessions, recorded right after each podcast episode wraps. These conversations give our live audience the chance to connect directly with our guests and ask questions you would not normally hear. This special release is a four part compilation featuring Q and A moments from four outstanding audiobook narrators: Jarrett Lemaster, Vict...

In this episode of Epic Realms, we sit down with musician, author, and board game designer Brady J Sadler for a deep dive into his life and creative journey. From his early influences in music and gaming to the unexpected twists along the way, Brady shares how his path was anything but traditional. We talk about his first attempt at college and how it fell apart thanks to Grand Theft Auto, and how...

In this episode of Epic Realms Podcast, I sit down with Toni Winslow-Brill, an accomplished RPG writer, editor, and project manager whose work spans multiple tabletop roleplaying game companies, including Dungeons and Dragons and the Adventurers League. Toni shares her origin story, from discovering a Monster Manual at a garage sale at age nine to attending her first Gen Con just a year later. She...

In this episode of the Epic Realms Podcast, we sit down with author Justin Rose to talk about the journey of becoming a writer. Justin shares what it was like growing up homeschooled and how that experience compares with traditional public school education. He explains how those early experiences shaped his creativity and influenced his path toward writing. The conversation also explores lessons f...

In this episode, we sit down with Duncan Rhodes, the main voice behind the D&D blog Hipsters & Dragons, to explore the journey that led to his latest book, The Creative Game Master's Guide to Extraordinary Locations, also known as Extraordinary Locations. Duncan shares how his real world travel experiences and detailed travel guides have shaped the immersive settings he creates for tableto...

This week on Epic Realms, Nick sits down with independent horror and sci fi author Joe Prosit for a deep dive into creativity, conventions, and carving your own path in publishing. From growing up on GI Joe comics to serving in the Army and eventually launching a full time writing career, Joe shares his unconventional journey into indie publishing. He opens up about rejection letters, discovering...

Author Hunter Blain and award-winning narrator Luke Daniels return to Epic Realms for an in-depth and often hilarious conversation about the creative partnership behind The Preternatural Chronicles, Chronos Paradox, and more. They discuss how R.C. Bray helped connect them, how their dynamic has evolved over multiple books, and why comedic timing and trust are essential in the author-narrator relat...

In this episode of Epic Realms, host Nick welcomes legendary actor and award winning audiobook narrator Gerard Doyle for a wide ranging and deeply personal conversation about storytelling, performance, and a life spent bringing characters to life. Gerard shares his unconventional path into acting, from amateur theatre and late drama school training to performing in the West End, touring Shakespear...

In this episode of Epic Realms, host Nick sits down with bestselling author and cartoonist Aaron Reynolds, the creator of the wildly popular Effin Birds. From Canadian comedy roots to Comic Con chaos, this wide ranging conversation dives deep into how humor, spite, and creativity built one of the internet’s most enduring web comics. Aaron shares the true origin story of Effin Birds, including the...

In this episode of Epic Realms, we sit down with game designer Rodney Thompson for an in depth conversation about his journey through tabletop roleplaying games, board games, and video game design. Rodney shares how his early love of Dungeons and Dragons and the West End Games Star Wars RPG shaped his creative path, from college gaming marathons to building homebrew content that eventually opened...

Todays guest is a returning alumni of Epic Realms. Nathan Lowell, is an award-winning author known for his captivating works across various genres, including the beloved Golden Age of the Solar Clipper series. In this episode, we dive deep into Nathan's unique perspective on storytelling, food, and the creative process. Here are a few takeaways that I believe will resonate with writers, foodies, a...

Andrea Emmes joins Epic Realms for an in depth conversation about her remarkable creative journey. Andrea is an award winning audiobook narrator, actor, singer, producer, and the voice behind more than 400 audiobook titles across a wide range of genres. Her career stretches from performing on stage and in theme parks like Disney and Universal Studios to game design with Disney Interactive, and eve...

In this episode of Epic Realms, Nick welcomes the remarkable Jeri Shepherd - a multi-time #1 bestselling author known for her expansive body of work across genres including science fiction, fantasy, horror, children’s books, and game writing. Jeri shares her lifelong journey through storytelling, from her early days as a playwright and poet to becoming a respected figure in genre fiction and table...

This week on Epic Realms, bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson joins Nick for a wide-ranging and inspiring conversation. Known for his work on Dune, Star Wars, The X-Files, and DC Comics, Kevin shares stories from his incredible career and his creative process—from his early writing days in Wisconsin to collaborating with legends like Frank Herbert’s son Brian Herbert and Rush drummer Neil Peart....

In this episode of Epic Realms, author and game writer Brandon Crilly joins us to talk about his journey from teaching to writing and how those two paths have always intertwined. We dive into Brandon’s early years, discovering tabletop roleplaying in college, and how his goals as a writer eventually led him into the world of RPGs through the Ed Greenwood Group. He shares how his background in educ...

In this episode of Epic Realms, we’re joined by Scott Curry, co-founder of Scented Realms, a groundbreaking project bringing the sense of smell into tabletop roleplaying games. From fantasy-themed scents and scent-delivery tools to integrated RPG mechanics, Scented Realms is reshaping how players experience immersion at the table. We talk with Scott about his own RPG background, how the idea for S...

In this episode of Epic Realms, we welcome veteran game designer, editor, and author Steven E. Schend. Steven’s work helped shape the Forgotten Realms, Spelljammer, and Planescape during the golden age of 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons. He’s also the author of the novel Blackstaff and contributed to the Marvel Super Heroes RPG and Alternity. Our conversation explores Steven’s journey from game...

Join us live for an exciting conversation with author Rosemary Jones! She’s written across beloved worlds including Dungeons & Dragons’ Forgotten Realms and Arkham Horror, with novels like City of the Dead, Crypt of the Moaning Diamond, Mask of Silver, and The Deadly Grimoire. We’ll talk about her career in fantasy and horror, her passion for storytelling, and her journey as both a novelist an...

In this episode of Epic Realms, we sit down with legendary game designer and author Jeff Grubb to explore his incredible career in tabletop and video games. Jeff shares how his early passion for wargaming grew into a role at TSR, then Wizards of the Coast, shaping iconic campaign settings like Forgotten Realms, Spelljammer, and Planescape. We dig into behind-the-scenes stories, from developing the...

In this episode, we’re joined by fellow podcaster Treavor Bettis, co-host of Writing About Dragons and Sh*t alongside Erin M. Evans and B. Dave Walters. You can also catch Treavor on the DungeonScrawlers YouTube and Twitch channels. Treavor was lead writer for the Dungeons & Dragons based video game Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, where he wore many hats including community manager and...

In this episode of Epic Realms, Nick welcomes debut author Lenora Woods, whose new novel Roll for Romance brings Dungeons & Dragons energy to the world of contemporary rom-coms. Lenora shares her journey from gamer and fanfiction writer to published novelist, and how her love for geek culture, fantasy, and character-driven stories shaped her writing. From Renaissance faires to video games, Len...