In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles interviews bestselling author Michelle Pillow, who has written over 100 books across genres, with a focus on sci-fi and paranormal romance.

Michelle Pillow shares exciting news about her seven-book deal with Tor Bramble (Pan Macmillan), which brings new audiobook editions of her beloved backlist series—Tribes of the Vampire and Realm Immortal—along with new hardback and print releases. She also discusses her hands-on role in selecting narrators and bringing these stories to life in a new format.

The conversation dives deep into her approach to writing morally gray anti-heroes, dual POV storytelling, and the emotional core of dark romance. They explore themes of redemption, identity, duty versus desire, and the thread of hope that runs through even the darkest stories. Michelle also shares her research process, how her voice has evolved over time, and the unexpected rise of fan-favorite characters like Uncle Rebert.

🎧 Join Michelle and Michelle for an engaging, behind-the-scenes look at writing, publishing, and the enduring appeal of dark, character-driven romance.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more author interviews and creative conversations on Miles Beyond the Page!

ABOUT MICHELLE PILLOW:

Michelle has had a strange fascination with anything supernatural and sci-fi for as long as she can remember. After discovering historical romance novels, it was only natural that the supernatural and love/romance elements should someday meet in her wonderland of a brain. She’s glad they did for their children have been pouring onto the computer screen ever since.

Michelle loves to travel and try new things, whether it’s a paranormal investigation of an old Vaudeville Theatre or climbing Mayan temples in Belize. She’s addicted to movies and used to drive her mother crazy while quoting random scenes with her brother. She is the very proud mom to the most talented artist. Though it has yet to happen, her dream is to be a zombie in a horror movie. (She came close as a refugee extra on SyFy’s Z Nation, Fall 2016!) Michelle is involved with various film and historical documentary projects with her filmmaker husband.

Come say hello! She loves talking with readers on social media!

WHERE TO FIND HER:

Social Media | Press Kit

WHERE TO FIND HER BOOKS:

Website

A lot of people think worldbuilding is about maps, made-up languages, or giant lore documents.

But when I’m building a long series, worldbuilding isn’t decoration.

It’s infrastructure.

In this From the Author’s Desk episode of Miles Beyond the Page, I’m sharing how I build fictional worlds that can support 10+ books, spinoffs, evolving lore, and major plot twists—without collapsing under the weight of their own complexity.

For me, strong worldbuilding isn’t about creating more details just to have them. It’s about building load-bearing systems that generate conflict, create story pressure, and leave room for future books.

In this episode, I talk about:

• Why I think worldbuilding is really about systems, pressure, and consequences
• The 4-bucket framework I use to future-proof a series
• How I design magic systems with cost, constraint, and escalation
• Why recurring conflicts matter more than endlessly inventing new villains
• The Truth Layers method I use to avoid retconning myself later
• A quick exercise you can use to create a world with real story potential

If you’re writing fantasy, romantasy, science fiction, or any kind of multi-book series, this episode is for you.

Because the real question isn’t just, can I build a cool world?

It’s: Can I build a world strong enough to hold the stories I want to tell for years to come? That’s what I’m digging into in this episode.

💬 I’d love to know: What’s the hardest part of worldbuilding for you?

📚 About Me

I’m Michelle Miles, author of fantasy, romantasy, and fairy-tale retellings filled with quests, curses, kisses, and chaos. On Miles Beyond the Page, I share conversations with authors and behind-the-scenes thoughts on the craft and business of storytelling.

🌐 https://www.MichelleMilesBooks.com

🎧 Subscribe for more episodes on writing, publishing, and storytelling craft.

In this episode of Miles Beyond the Page, host Michelle Miles sits down with Ryan Consell, a writer, educator, and internationally acclaimed theorist on the science of fiction.

Born near Toronto and having lived and worked in Tokyo and Vancouver, Ryan brings a global perspective to his creative work. As a teacher of science and mathematics, stage actor, armorer, and passionate advocate for nerd culture, he blends analytical thinking with storytelling in fascinating ways.

Michelle and Ryan dive into his work exploring the science behind fiction—including his contributions to projects like The Science of Game of Thrones—as well as his appearances at major events like DragonCon and Convergence. They discuss how real-world science can enhance storytelling, how to make complex ideas accessible, and why overthinking fictional physics might just make stories even better.

🎧 Join Michelle and Ryan for a fun, insightful conversation about science, storytelling, and the intersection of imagination and reality.

👉 Don’t forget to subscribe for more author interviews and creative conversations on Miles Beyond the Page!

ABOUT RYAN CONSELL:

Ryan was born and raised near Toronto. He has lived and worked in Tokyo and Vancouver, but currently calls Ontario home.

Aside from writing, he is a teacher of science and mathematics, stage actor, armorer, and nerd culture activist. His work has been featured on io9, Kotaku, Boingboing, MTV Geek, madartlab.com and in Game Developer Magazine.

Ryan is an internationally acclaimed theorist on the science of fiction. He has consulted on such titles as "The Science of Game of Thrones," spoken at events including DragonCon and Convergence, and partnered with the American Chemical Society. He employs his background in materials science and engineering to overthink fictional physics and to make science more accessible to the public.

WHERE TO FIND HIM:

Website | Instagram

WHERE TO FIND HIS BOOKS:

Amazon