This is the Books and Authors Fantasy Podcast Episode 115 with Darian Smith.

Good day and welcome to this episode of the Books and Authors Fantasy Podcast. I’m your host, podcaster and author of Fun Fantasy Reads, Jamie Davis. This podcast is exactly what the title says it is, a show focused on everything in fantasy books.

This show will cover everything to do with fantasy books. From Epic Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, and everything in between, expect to find the best and brightest authors from all the various corners of the fantasy book world. Plus we’ll add in a few other very special guests as well along the way.

Kicking off things this week, I’m deep into writing the first draft of my next book, Huntress Defender. That is the sixth book in the Huntress Clan Saga series and is going to wrap up a lot of loose ends. That makes it both fun and simultaneously terrifying to write. Anyway, I’ll keep you up to date on how that process goes here on the show.

In the meantime, check out Huntress Initiate, the first book in the Huntress Clan Saga.

If you’re interested in more information on what I’m up to, check out my fan group on Facebook, Jamie’s Fun Fantasy Readers and on my website and blog, JamieDavisBooks.com.

Let’s go ahead with today’s interview. Darian Smith writes mainly speculative fiction (fantasy) and lives in Auckland, New Zealand with his wife (who also writes) and their black cat (who doesn’t) and by day works with people living with neuromuscular conditions.

He has been lucky enough to have his writing win him two Koru Awards, the SpecFicNZ/Steam Press manuscript competition, a Sir Julius Vogel Award, and assorted short story competitions.

Darian is a qualified counsellor/family therapist and has used this knowledge of psychology to create a resource for writers on developing characters and conflict in fiction.

He can also be seen – by those very swift with the pause button – on television shows such as Legend of the Seeker and Spartacus where he is invariably a henchman of some kind and is most easily recognized on screen while being murdered by Spartacus.

Check out this chat with Darian where we take a look at his book, Kalanon’s Rising.