Demons, Dynasties, and 24 Books: Inside the Stone Slayer Epic with Candace Lynn Talmadge

About this episode

Candace Lynn Talmadge discusses her Stone Slayer series and the personal journey behind her writing.

What does it look like when a story finds you — and won’t let go for decades? In this episode of the Fresh Fiction Video Book Club, host Samantha Tennant sits down with Candace Lynn Talmadge, a former business journalist who has become one of the most singularly driven voices in dark high fantasy. Candace is the author of the Stone Slayer series — an epic saga set on the island nation of Asgard, following four generations of powerful women across at least 24 planned books. Candace shares the remarkable origin of her series: a childhood obsession rooted in what she believes are past-life memories, years of emotional and spiritual healing, and a literal reckoning with her own demons before she could fully write the story. She talks about what it means to be a “pantser-outliner hybrid,” why characters from past books keep showing up uninvited, and how she balances writing darkness on the page without carrying it through her daily life. You’ll also hear her take on the Dune legacy, vinyl records, warning labels, and why she thinks the fictional society of Asgard is beginning to look eerily familiar. The Stone Slayer series is available now. Start with Book 1 (Scandal), Book 2…

People in this episode

Host: Samantha Tennant

Guest: Candace Lynn Talmadge

Topics covered

• dark high fantasy
• writing process
• character development
• personal journey
• book series
• literary influences

Keywords

• Stone Slayer
• Candace Lynn Talmadge
• dark fantasy
• writing
• Asgard
• book series
• Dune

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Stone Slayer series, Scandal, Fallout, Payback, Dune

Places: Asgard

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