Books Cubed: Interviews, Raves, & Reads

Books Cubed Ep 148: MisAdventures of RPG Dice with Author Douglas Van Dyke

Good Adventures,

I welcomed Douglas Van Dyke to the show this week to talk RPG games and fantasy books. I discovered him at Rewind Book Fair and had a blast reading his book, MisAdventures of RPG Dice. Comment over on our Youtube channel. 

 Links:

Douglas’s Website. Sign up for his newsletter, see his appearance schedule:

https://dhealoral.com/

Buy his books direct from him with discounts on bundled series: https://dhea-loral.square.site/

Follow Douglas on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063615218615

Find his books on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/761586.Douglas_Van_Dyke_Jr_

Rewind Book Fair:

https://rewindbookfair.com/

~~~

What do I write? Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here: https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for listening. Now go read a good book! Melissa

#RPG #RPGDice #BooksToRead

Books Cubed Ep 147 - Cozy Queer Fantasy with JP Rindfleisch IX

Good Adventures,

The name JP Rindfleisch might ring a bell because he's one of the hosts of Writers, Ink. Or mabye you discovered him on tiktok thanks to the perfect elevator pitch for his novel, Mandrake Manor.

Either way, you'll really enjoy this week's show. I was thrilled to chat with JP about his work because Mandrake Manor has been one of my favorite reads this year. It's cozy, there are witches, and an evil HOA. Anyone who lives in one of those will love this book! Plus, if you visit his site, you can not only get signed books, but merch too! I love when authors do this. Comment over on our Youtube channel. 

Links:

https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/

https://9thBooks.com

~~~

What do I write? Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here:

https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for listening. Now go read a good book!

Melissa

Books Cubed Ep 146: Portal Fantasy Amy of Earth CHs 1-4 Voice Acted by Rebecca Brokaw-Sands

Good Adventures,

This week I'm excited to share the first four chapters of my portal fantasy Amy of Earth Freefall as voice acted by Rebecca Brokaw-Sands. I hope you enjoy it. Book two, Fearless is out in paperback and Ebook and soon will be in audio as well. Comment on our Youtube channel. 

Links: Amy of Earth Freefall Audiobook - https://payhip.com/b/xfhH1

Voice Acted by https://rebeccabrokawsands.net/

~~~

What else do I write? Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here: https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for listening. Now go read a good book!

Melissa

 

 

Books Cubed Ep 145 - It’s Writing Prompt Time! Variety Shows, Suspicion, and the Word Repair

Good Adventures,

Today it’s writing prompt fun! Lisa and I are joined by author Ansley Ashe and we created a prompt from the Mystery edition of our Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts Series. If you would like to write with us on a future show, drop Melissa a note. https://melissabanczak.com/contact/. Comment over on our Youtube channel. 

Links:

Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts - direct from the authors at https://melissabanczak.com/

Ansley’s work - 

Campfire Stories

Amazon.com: Campfire Stories eBook : Ashe, Ansley, Marcotte, Jill, Jayne, Lucy, Gammons, Allison, Williamson, Kalen, Francisco, Melanie: Kindle Store

Charlie's Holidays

Universal Book Link

https://books2read.com/u/bxwJ6l

Amazon Link

Charlie's Holidays (A Charlotte "Charlie" Snow Holiday Book 7) - Kindle edition by Ashe, Ansley. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

~~~ What do I write?

Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here: https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for listening. Now go read a good book!

Melissa

 

Books Cubed Ep 144: Jeremy James Smith Updates on the 90K Person Show He Attended as an Author

Good Adventures,

This week is the final part of my in-person show interviews. Today, I’m chatting with Jeremy James Smith, who just attended an event that expected 90 thousand people over four days. Let’s see how it went. Comment over on our Youtube channel.

Links:

Jeremy’s Series on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3J1ZZ1X

Jeremy’s Website (His new covers are really nice!): https://sites.google.com/view/jeremy-james-smith/

~~~

What do I write? Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here:

https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for listening. Now go read a good book!

Melissa

Books Cubed Ep 143: In-Person Shows, Part two, with Persian Fantasy Author Amber Hansford

Good Adventures,

This is part two of my three part series on authors selling at in-person shows. Today, I’m chatting with Persian Fantasy author Amber Hansford. She has lot of great advice. Comment over on our Youtube channel. 

Links:

https://www.printful.com

Here's the battery - https://amzn.to/4rYg85Q

Amber’s Website - https://amberhansford.com/ Linktr.ee

https://linktr.ee/amberhansford

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/amberhansfordauthor

~~~

What do I write? Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here:

https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for listening. Now go read a good book!

Melissa

Books Cubed Ep 142: Multi Award Winning Author Carol Van Den Hende Chats in Person Shows

Good Adventures,

This week, I welcome multi award winning author Carol Van Den Hende to chat about interacting with readers at in person books shows. She has some excellent advice and an amazing story about a book club that welcomed her with a standout reception. Comment over on our Youtube channel. 

Links:

https://carolvandenhende.com/dear-orchid/

https://militaryfamilybooks.com/

~~~

What do I write? Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here:

https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for listening. Now go read a good book!

Melissa

 

 

 

Books Cubed Ep 141: Simply to Die for, an audio drama discussion with CJ Corl and Cait McNeal

Good Adventures,

This week, it’s murder and mayhem as we discuss the audio drama, Simply to Die for! My guests are writer CJ Corl and actress Kait McNeal. It’s a bump in the night good time! Comment over on our YouTube Channel. 

Links:

CJ Corl: found (infrequently) on most social media websites at @cjcorl

Roving Rogue Pro: found on socials at @rovingroguepro https://rovingroguepro.weebly.com/#/ Simply to Die For

https://rovingroguepro.weebly.com/simply-to-die-for-podcast.html

PRIDE & PREJUDICE, DIRECTED BY JOE SORIANO  (Mar. 6-8 and 13-15)  https://ksutt.ludus.com/index.php

~~~

What do I write? Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here:

https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for listening. Now go read a good book!

Melissa

Books Cubed Ep 140: Thriller Author Joe Battaglia on his new book and years covering Winter Olympics

Good Adventures,

The Winter Olympics are my favorite time to veg in front of the tv at all hours so I'm thrilled to chat with author Joe Battaglia about his new book, Beneath the Rings, a thriller about kidnapped athletes at the 2040 Olympics and the reporter who must figure out why it happened. Comment over on our Youtube channel. 

Links:

For more about Joe and to book him - https://prbythebook.com/experts/joe-battaglia/

Buy the book on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/BENEATH-RINGS-Joe-Battaglia-ebook/dp/B0FTGJHVL4

He'll be appearing in the future at Raven Books in Bryan, TX, 1105 S Texas Ave Ste 100, Bryan, TX 77803 https://www.ravenbooksbcs.com

Visit Joe's website to read more about the characters. https://booksbybattaglia.com

~~~

What do I write? Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here: https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for watching. Now go read a good book!

Melissa

 

 

Books Cubed Ep 139: Tolkien's Trolls and Ren Fairs with Fantasy Author Jeremy James Smith

Good Adventures,

I was so happy to chat with Jeremy this week. He's in the middle of an eight book fantasy series and promises more to come! We talked about writing styles, making worlds your own, and the very cool way he sells in person at Renaissance fairs. You won't want to miss this one. Comment over on our Youtube channel. 

Links:

March 5-8, 2026 Jeremy will be at

https://www.emeraldcitycomiccon.com/en-us.html

Booth #11308

Summer 2026:

Washington Midsummer's Renaissance Faire:

https://www.washingtonmidsummer.com/

The booth is Harkentale's Bookpub

Jeremy James Smith on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D3J1ZZ1X

Or at

https://harkentale.com https://vellum.pub

~~~

What do I write? Thanks for asking. You'll find my cozies, portal fantasy series, and Roll-A-Prompt Writing Jumpstarts here:

https://payhip.com/MelissaBanczak

Thanks for listening. Now go read a good book!

Melissa