Our guest Julia Vee was a trial lawyer in Silicon Valley. She attended UC Berkeley and majored in Asian Studies. She often writes with co-author Ken Bebelle. Their novel Ebony Gate, an Asian-inspired contemporary fantasy, was published by TOR and named a 2023 Golden Poppy Finalist for the Octavia E. Butler award. The trilogy conclusion, Pearl City, released in July of 2025.

We got to share an exhibitor booth with Julia at Dragonsteel last December. We had a blast hanging out with her that weekend, and we’re just lucky she still likes us enough after all that proximity to come on as a guest!

In Part Two, We Discuss:

• Shorthand Communication of Desired Genre Tropes

• Omnibusses and Sexy Hardcovers

• Comps and Inspiration

• Full Tangent into Latest Movies and Shows We Loved

Resources and Guest Links:

• https://juliavee.com/

• IG: @juliaveewrites

• Pearl City Paperback Release!

Join us in thanking Julia! She’s a talented author, fantastic booth-mate, and we’re so grateful she was willing to give us some of her time.

Host Links:

• H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/

• David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/

Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed)

• Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay

• Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,

• Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay

• Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim

Our guest Julia Vee was a trial lawyer in Silicon Valley. She attended UC Berkeley and majored in Asian Studies. She often writes with co-author Ken Bebelle. Their novel Ebony Gate, an Asian-inspired contemporary fantasy, was published by TOR and named a 2023 Golden Poppy Finalist for the Octavia E. Butler award. The trilogy conclusion, Pearl City, released in July of 2025.

We got to share an exhibitor booth with Julia at Dragonsteel last December. We had a blast hanging out with her that weekend, and we’re just lucky she still likes us enough after all that proximity to come on as a guest!

In Part One, We Discuss:

• Julia’s transition from trial lawyer to fantasy author

• How professional backgrounds can impact your creative process

• Food, making readers hungry, and using it as an anchor in your stories

• Zero drafts

• Cultural influences on fiction

• Co-writing dynamics

Resources and Guest Links:

• https://juliavee.com/

• Ebony Gate

Join us in thanking Julia! She’s a talented author, fantastic booth-mate, and we’re so grateful she was willing to give us some of her time.

Host Links:

• H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/

• David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/

Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed)

• Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay

• Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,

• Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay

• Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim

Today’s guest, Kacey Ezell, was born in South Dakota and grew up around the world on various military bases. When she was seven, her mother gave her a copy of Anne McCaffrey’s Dragondrums, and shortly thereafter, Kacey decided that she wanted to be a dragonrider when she grew up. From the time she was a small child, Kacey made up stories to tell to her friends and family.

Kacey’s emotionally-fueled fiction includes alternate history, fantasy, noir, and science fiction. She’s a master in emotional resonance and character building! Join us in learning the tips and tricks to build characters with believable emotional arcs.

In Part Two, We Discuss:

• Saving character details for reference

• Background information: what do you need to tell the story?

• Choosing where to focus your background development

• Tropes and genre

• Character motivation

• Using character flaws and strengths and plot points

Resources and Guest Links:

• https://kaceyezell.net/

• Newsletter and free short stories: https://kaceyezell.net/the-dragons-horde/

• Psyche of War: https://kaceyezell.net/book-series/the-psyche-of-war/

• World Anvil: https://www.worldanvil.com/

• Notion: https://www.notion.com/

Join us in thanking Kacey! She’s a great author and an even better friend, and we’re grateful she took time out of her relaxicon to interview and give us the inside scoop on how she crafts excellent characters.

Host Links:

• H.Y. Gregor: https://hygregor.com/

• David Shadoin: https://www.davidshadoin.com/

Credits: (all assets licensed through the sites listed)

• Intro: Music- Cinematic Epic Trailer by PaulYudin on Pixabay

• Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user- kazim hussian; from pixabay users-davidfoxx, DavidGallie, olenchic, stefaniejockschat, AiVreaSaStii, RuneSnow, duyen-nguyen, EnchantedStudios,

• Outro: Music- Good Night by FASSounds on Pixabay

• Animation and Image- From Vecteezy user-onlydesignz; from pixabay users-olenchic, Placidplace, Evgeniy_Z, Dantegrafico, Shayea_Kim