Flame Tree Myth & Fiction

We’re exploring stories that use nature, and the fruits it bears, as a way of marking time. Whether working in harmony with humanity or standing in opposition to it, the natural world provides a powerful narrative tool, helping authors shape themes, track change, and deepen meaning within the short story format. In today’s episode you can look forward to heroes, villains, natural wonders and of co...

In our June Podcast Special, Olivia interviews Shilpa Varma, Flame Tree’s Writer in Residence and author of the Blood in the Battlements series! Contained within is a discussion of the series, Shilpa’s other work and her upcoming projects. We’ve also got her reading of ‘Bubban-bu’, the second episode in Blood in the Battlements , for the episode.  Blood in the Battlements is a 7-part horror series...

In this episode we’re entering otherworldly dimensions, where the rules of time no longer apply. Spaces where characters can escape the consequences of reality. Are you ready to get lost with them? Featuring  ‘The Last Night Market’ by Bella Chacha (02.47) , read by Ruhthie Durang. In this story an irresistible bait is offered up, something sweet to hide the burn of a fate unimaginably sour. From...

The idea of artificial intelligence isn’t new. Long before modern computers existed, writers and philosophers were already imagining worlds where machines might rival, reflect, or even replace humanity. Those stories endure because they’re rarely just about technology itself - they’re about us, too.  Featuring 'The Journey Home' by Ruth Knafo Setton (05.10) , read by Nathan Chatelier. In...

Romantic Fantasy and all of its glorious tropes return to The Myth & Fiction Podcast! Today’s episode turns to tales of old fashioned chivalry, court intrigue and quests of honor all in the name of love. Prepare to hear the clash of swords, tension both spoken and unspoken as well as the unrelenting call of destiny.  Featuring  ‘The Thornblade’s Promise’ by Laura Shenton (05.25) , read by Ruht...

Content Warning: This episode contains discussion of childbirth and loss. Welcome back, we’re so glad you’re here for Season 3 of The Myth & Fiction Podcast!  This episode focuses on two female figures standing on the threshold of death. Grief is given shape in both stories, posing questions as to how we process the tragedy of mortality.  Featuring ‘The Wyrd Sister’ by D.L. Stille (05.40) , re...

This week, Olivia sits down with two brilliant authors, Eugen Bacon and Cheryl S. Ntumy, to explore The Sauútiverse. If you caught our Sauúti Terrors episode a few weeks ago, you’ve already had a glimpse into the universe they helped build, but this time, we go deeper. Together, they unpack the imagination, themes, and creative vision behind their richly layered Afrofuturist universe. To learn mor...

If you joined us a couple of weeks ago for our episode featuring A Breath of Time , then you’ll already have had a glimpse into our brand-new Romantic Fantasy anthology series. And as promised, this time we’re turning to its fiery, ferocious, and, of course, romantic counterpart, Of Love & Dragons .   In this episode, we bring you two captivating stories set against sweeping oceanic backdrops,...

Life, deconstructed. The saying we’re all the same underneath, is it referring to blood and bone or something less tangible? A distinctly human essence perhaps or the concept of a soul? Today’s stories broadly look at creation but more importantly at what commonality connects us all together. Featuring  ‘Solar-Powered Buddies’ by Akis Linardos (03.09) , read by Amanda Benzecry. From our Robots Pas...

Part of the launch for our brand new Romantic Fantasy series, this episode features ‘A Breath of Time’, a collection which pits love and lovers against the greatest adversary of all: time.  Flame Tree’s Romantic Fantasy books are a captivating blend of our signature Gothic Fantasy collections with the passion and magic of Romantasy. This series is made up of stories selected from open submissions....

This week’s episode dives into Sauúti Terrors , a bold new dark science fiction collection from African and African diaspora writers. Set within the groundbreaking Sauútiverse , the anthology brings together chilling and thought-provoking short stories.  Last month, editor and contributor Eugen Bacon visited London from Australia as part of a book tour alongside fellow editors Cheryl S. Ntumy and...

February's podcast guest is none other than legend of the horror genre, Ramsey Campbell. Bea finds him at World Fantasy Con 2025 in Brighton to discuss his novel, An Echo of Children, which offers a terrifying glimpse into the practice of exorcising children. An illuminating conversation in which Ramsey reflects on 60 years in the genre and how he continues to find inspiration, refine his cra...

Content Warning: This episode contains distressing descriptions of childbirth and loss. Full disclosure, today’s two stories share little more than the word “bride.” One takes you down a shadowy, unsettling path; the other is delightfully quirky and unfailingly sweet. They’re less companion pieces and more contrasting tales but if there’s a thread that binds them, it’s this, love has a way of bloo...

Love is arguably the most central and powerful force in stories across the world. From the very first myths ever told to the stories we’re still writing today, love has always been right at the heart of it all. If an alien landed on Earth tomorrow, I think one of the first things they’d figure out is this: humans love love, even when it hurts.  Featuring ‘A Mortal Breaks Aphrodite’s Heart’ by Ev D...

Mischievous tricksters or benevolent guardians? Faeries crop up in mythology time and time again but their morality can never be taken for granted. Maybe it’s not a question of good or bad, but what the fair folk stand to teach us about ourselves. Today’s stories do exactly that, scrutinising the effects of messy fairy magic on human ambition.  Featuring  ‘Weave Us A Way’ by Nemma Wollenfang (03.5...

In the first Season 2 Special episode, Olivia journeys into fantasy worlds with acclaimed author Anna Smith Spark. Hailed as the Queen of Grimdark, Spark joins the podcast to explore her lyrical writing style, the role of motherhood in her work and the enduring importance of folklore in modern fiction. This conversation was recorded at the World Fantasy Convention over Halloween weekend.  Recently...

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you ever seen one…or felt one? Well today you’re in for a haunting. One story embraces the supernatural, it encourages the belief in things that cannot be explained, and the other sides with the sceptics amongst you, poking fun at the ghost story tradition. We’ll let you decide where you sit on the spectrum of superstition. Featuring ‘Only Bella’ by Kurt Hunt (01.25)...

In today’s episode we’re giving you a sneak peek at something that hasn’t been published yet, our upcoming Witchcraft collection. Out on the 20th of January, this anthology explores what it means to be a ‘witch’, including the rediscovery and reclaiming of that power, its links to nature and witchcraft mythology from around the world. Featuring  ‘What Bones Remember’ by Buhlebethu Sukoluhle Mpofu...

It’s 2026 and that means a brand new year and a brand new season of the Myth & Fiction Podcast. For many people, the New Year is about fresh starts, resolutions, new habits and clean slates. But it’s also a moment of closure, a chance to reflect on everything the previous year brought with it. So today’s episode sits between those two inevitabilities: beginnings and endings.  Featuring  The Ch...

We’re back and we’re festive. Today we’re embracing all things Christmas with two tales taken from our Christmas Gothic collection.  Featuring  ’And a Piece of Coal Where Her Heart Once Beat’ by Suzanne J. Willis (05.27) , a melting pot of folklore, gothic tropes and backwards Christmas symbolism. This one is read by Amanda Benzecry.  ‘Where the Christmas-Tree Grew’ by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman (19....

Here we are at the final episode of October. If this is your first time tuning in, welcome! We've been serving up horror fiction all month long. Two stories per episode, twice a week, with author insights and listener discount codes. We're closing out the month and the season with two novels. Justin Holley's Unseen Gods , and Ramsey Campbell's An Echo of Children . These are fu...

If you listened to Tuesday's episode, you’ll know that this week on the LIVE AND SPOOKY edition of the podcast, we’re spotlighting our anthology, Latin American Shared Stories. A vibrant collection of speculative stories and fascinating essays highlighting the many voices, mythologies, folklore and storytelling prowess of authors from Latin American countries or writing in the traditions of t...

Welcome back to LIVE AND SPOOKY x The Myth & Fiction Podcast! This October, we’re giving you double the episodes with double the chills. Each week, we are spotlighting the newest Flame Tree horror fiction titles so you can celebrate and fully embrace the spooky season. This week’s book star is Latin American Shared Stories. I know what you’re thinking, ‘that doesn’t sound like a horror antholo...

If you caught Tuesday's episode, you’ll know that this week on the LIVE AND SPOOKY edition of the podcast, we’re spotlighting our anthology, Fever Dreams. A collection of horror short stories edited by Mark Morris that showcases some of the very best short fiction the genre has to offer.   In that episode , we included a note from the editor, Mark Morris and shared two brand new short stories...

Welcome back to the second week of our LIVE AND SPOOKY month of horror! This October, we’re giving you double the episodes with double the chills. Each week, we are spotlighting the newest Flame Tree horror fiction titles so you can celebrate and fully embrace the spooky season. And this week, we’ll be heading into a feast of horror. The two stories we will be featuring are from ‘Fever Dreams’, wh...