Neurodivergent Creativity: Sensory Friendly Routines for Fantasy Writers with Megan and Alicia

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[00:05:25] Welcome to Crazy Fitness Guy Healthy Living Podcast, where we strive to motivate people who are on the autism spectrum to live healthy lifestyles.

[00:05:33] If you think this podcast is only for people who are autistic, then think again.

[00:05:38] Whether you are autistic or not, we have a mix of content from healthy living to everything in between that makes up a balanced and healthy life.

[00:05:45] Autism is our backbone and we strive to support the autism community by motivating, inspiring, and educating everyone about what autism is.

[00:05:53] Please welcome your host, Jimmy Clare, who is a motivational speaker, autism advocate, author, and founder of crazyfitnessguide.com.

[00:06:03] Welcome to another episode of Crazy Fitness Guy Healthy Living Podcast, that's weekly motivation with Crazy Fitness Guy.

[00:06:08] Today's guest to USA Today's best-selling authors, Megan Linsky and Alicia Rays.

[00:06:18] I'm looking forward to talking to them because I've been reading their Academy of Magical Creatures book and I am so addicted to this series.

[00:06:30] Let's just say it's been a long time since I've read a series that has kept me up until super late at night.

[00:06:38] And yeah, I wonder why I haven't been getting in sleep because I keep on wondering, I want to know what happens to the characters.

[00:06:46] And it's literally torture when I go to bed. It's like, I need to know what happens and it's just not fair.

[00:06:52] And I believe I'm so many cliffhangers. But so let's welcome today's guest though.

[00:06:58] And I've been like literally just counting down the days to get to meet these two.

[00:07:03] And I swear they're like at my top favorite authors of all time.

[00:07:10] So here's Megan and Alicia.

[00:07:19] So my first question for both of you,

[00:07:24] my first question for you is how,

[00:07:26] with these books,

[00:07:29] why do you keep,

[00:07:30] I'll just say,

[00:07:32] why do you keep messing with the main group,

[00:07:34] four groups of characters?

[00:07:35] It's just sort of me.

[00:07:39] Because it's fun.

[00:07:41] There's no story if the main character doesn't go through trials and tribulations.

[00:07:46] And the best stories are where you watch the main character succeed at all costs.

[00:07:51] Yeah. So that's why we put our characters through what we put them through,

[00:07:53] because we want people to know that you can be a hero,

[00:07:57] no matter what you're going through.

[00:07:58] What's your answer to that, Alicia?

[00:08:00] Or would it just echo what you said?

[00:08:03] I mean, there is no story if they're not going through something and learn something at the end because of it.

[00:08:09] Well, so my next question for you guys are, how did you come up with this amazing story?

[00:08:17] And did you know it was always going to be six books in the series?

[00:08:25] We did not.

[00:08:27] So when me and Alicia first got together and started to co-write,

[00:08:30] we agreed to write a trilogy of three short books.

[00:08:34] And by the time we were about halfway through the Fire Prophecy,

[00:08:39] which is the first book of the Academy of Magical Creatures series,

[00:08:41] we realized that those were not going to be short because the first half was the length of the book that we wanted to write originally.

[00:08:50] So we decided that we needed to expand it to five books.

[00:08:53] And then after that, we decided that's not good enough either.

[00:08:56] We need to go to five or six.

[00:08:59] Sorry, I am a calculator and I cannot like I don't do numbers.

[00:09:04] So Alicia does the numbers for me.

[00:09:05] But anyway, we just kept on writing and it kept on getting more and more ideas

[00:09:12] and we just could not put it down.

[00:09:14] And that's where we ended up.

[00:09:15] Well, it's really impressive, especially because I can relate.

[00:09:23] I found for myself every time when I read another chapter in the book,

[00:09:28] I can relate to literally all the characters at once.

[00:09:32] And it was like, I have my smart moments.

[00:09:34] And then I have, let's just say, I have my Liam moments where I went to like last three weeks.

[00:09:41] I was in a total funk and I was like, I really feel very close to Liam right now.

[00:09:47] It's like, I really just wanted, I was at the point of just like, just throwing everything away.

[00:09:52] But then I was like, what's the point of that?

[00:09:57] Yeah, we all have our Liam moments.

[00:09:59] I think everybody has that time when they get really depressed and down on themselves and they don't know how to continue forward or what to do.

[00:10:05] But that's part of why we write what we do, because we want to inspire people to keep going even when they're in their darkest moments.

[00:10:12] And I think Alicia can testify to that.

[00:10:15] Yeah, 100%.

[00:10:16] You're just taking all the words right out of my mouth.

[00:10:19] I know.

[00:10:19] I'm stealing everything.

[00:10:21] We are co-writers.

[00:10:22] So we kind of work on the same wavelength anyway.

[00:10:25] So.

[00:10:26] Yeah.

[00:10:27] So we're pretty much the same person and we have each other's thoughts all the time and that kind of thing.

[00:10:32] So it's easy for us to co-write together because we bounce off of each other all the time.

[00:10:37] So my next question for you is, how did you guys come up with the, what was one of the main, one of the characters, Madame Doya, because she's a, she's just a pain in the butt.

[00:10:51] And she reminds me of my 12th grade English teacher.

[00:10:54] What book are you on?

[00:10:55] I'm curious.

[00:10:57] I'm on the fifth one.

[00:10:58] Ooh, what part of the fifth book are you on?

[00:11:02] Madame Doya doesn't play very well there.

[00:11:05] Uh, I'm, I say I'm in, uh, like 200 pages in at the moment.

[00:11:11] Okay.

[00:11:11] Yeah, we got onto the big reel yet.

[00:11:14] Uh oh.

[00:11:15] But Madame Doya, I don't know.

[00:11:17] I think you need to take this question, Alicia, because I think that you came up with a lot of her character and backstory.

[00:11:22] I don't really know how to answer that because I think she just came through naturally.

[00:11:27] Like there is not really anything I can pinpoint.

[00:11:30] But I do remember there's a scene in the first book where she's really mean to Sophia and she's, um, in this story they have elemental power.

[00:11:39] So Sophia is the main character with firepower.

[00:11:42] And she comes into this world not knowing anything about it.

[00:11:45] And Madame Doya is her teacher, sets a candle in front of her on the desk and is like, light it.

[00:11:50] Like, I don't know how to do this.

[00:11:52] So she's really mean to her.

[00:11:54] That was Megan's idea.

[00:11:55] And I think from there I'm like, okay, I understand what this character is supposed to be because she is supposed to challenge Sophia and kind of be almost like this duality for her where she's pushing her.

[00:12:08] But also like Sophia does have the capabilities and everything.

[00:12:13] Sounds exactly like my English teacher in 12th grade.

[00:12:17] She pushed me, but I don't know why she pushed me so much because I was getting straight A's.

[00:12:26] So Madame Doya doesn't have to be as mean as she is.

[00:12:29] And there are reasons behind that that you will learn later in this book that you're reading.

[00:12:36] Uh, no one wants to spoil me or anything.

[00:12:40] Well, spoilers.

[00:12:41] We don't do spoilers.

[00:12:44] Oh my goodness.

[00:12:45] Uh, so my next question for you.

[00:12:48] Um, why do you think the books have done so well and why is it characters are so related?

[00:12:58] I think that's like a two part question.

[00:13:01] Um, I think our characters are relatable just because we try to make them as real as possible.

[00:13:06] When I was writing Liam, I really didn't want to put like any tropes or like personality traits on him that are typically in our genre, which is fantasy.

[00:13:16] I wanted him to be his own person and I wanted him to be really real about how he was feeling 100% of the time.

[00:13:22] And I feel like we're like that with all of our characters, with Jonah, Imogen and everybody who comes on scene and who is a part of our cast.

[00:13:28] We want to make sure that they are real, authentic people so our readers can relate to them because it's no fun relating to a superhero who can do all this stuff and never has any problems and is infallible.

[00:13:40] It's just really, it's kind of a boring story, to be honest.

[00:13:43] We want to tell stories about real people going through real problems, even if they're in a magical setting.

[00:13:48] So that's kind of our goal.

[00:13:50] What do you think about that, Alicia?

[00:13:52] To add to that, I think that a lot of our characters are kind of like pieces of us.

[00:13:58] There are things that are unique to them and things that, you know, we sometimes do have to write outside of our experience because like, I'm not a man.

[00:14:09] But we do write from a male point of view because the characters go back and forth in their perspective.

[00:14:14] But there's a lot of Liam that comes from Megan because she is a disabled author writing a disabled character and his disease is fictional, but it is based on Megan's disease.

[00:14:28] So in that way, it's like some of our personal experience gets put into those characters, even though they're not directly like us.

[00:14:37] I don't know how to say that.

[00:14:38] I think like to add on to that, like, I share this joke with Alicia all the time.

[00:14:44] I'm like, all of our characters are neurodivergent because we're neurodivergent.

[00:14:48] They just like make neurodivergent choices.

[00:14:50] And it's really funny to see them interact in like a world that's against them.

[00:14:55] But then they go out and they build a world that's suited for them.

[00:14:59] And my personal like illness is common variable immune deficiency disorder, which is abbreviated to CVID.

[00:15:06] And it is a condition basically where you are born without an immune system.

[00:15:10] So you have to get treated in order to generate the antibodies you need to survive.

[00:15:14] So I put that experience into my books.

[00:15:17] And I think it's really helpful for people to see the spectrum of disability because people think, oh, disability is just being in a wheelchair.

[00:15:25] Well, no, it's not. There are all kinds of different disabilities out there.

[00:15:29] And your experiences of them are going to vary based on who you are and what your world is like.

[00:15:35] And to answer the second part of your question, which is why these books have done so well.

[00:15:39] I just think people really like our characters and they can relate to our characters because there's people out there who haven't experienced their story in a book.

[00:15:49] And we get people all the time who are saying, oh, like I'm disabled or I have autism or I have this condition or I have this experience and nobody ever talks about it and nobody ever writes about it.

[00:16:00] But you guys do. So that's why I think people really like our stuff.

[00:16:04] Would you agree, Alicia?

[00:16:05] I do agree.

[00:16:06] And also, I think we just really put our heart and soul into this series because we initially were kind of like, we don't care how it sells.

[00:16:15] Let's just write what we want to write. And so we didn't, you know, worry about what kind of tropes we were putting in.

[00:16:23] We were picking the ones that we loved and the ones that spoke to us and then things that aren't necessarily tropey as well.

[00:16:29] And I think that really shows through in our writing how much we really loved the series and writing these characters.

[00:16:35] Well, I definitely can relate to Liam a lot, especially not just with his disability or because this time I got bullied a lot in middle school and elementary school and high school for eight years.

[00:16:55] And I remember some people telling me that I'm a freak basically. And I was like, and I remember a part in the book where Liam overheard everybody saying that he might as well just end it right then and there because he's a freak.

[00:17:19] And he's like, these guys are a bunch of cold-hearted fools. And it's like, if I was someone, I would just walk in the room and say, screw all of you.

[00:17:31] I'm really sorry that you had to go through that. That wasn't fair to you.

[00:17:36] Thank you. But yeah, to be honest, because like Liam, I wouldn't really have a story if it wasn't for those bullies and I wouldn't be where I am today without them.

[00:17:48] So even though it stinks, but I don't think any motivational speaker has a good story without some kind of extra challenges like the characters in the book.

[00:18:00] I wouldn't really think you're right. Go ahead, Alicia.

[00:18:04] Just to say, I love that positive outlook on it. And Megan and I are really into like personal development and stuff like that.

[00:18:12] So we always try to include that in our stories and try to find the good even in bad things.

[00:18:19] Well, I also think that like really successful people can sometimes be those people who are victims of bullying.

[00:18:25] I was bullied all throughout elementary school, middle school and, you know, high school.

[00:18:30] I had my lunchbox and my stolen food eaten out of it.

[00:18:33] You know, I was, you know, called names and picked on.

[00:18:36] You know, after I got diagnosed, I was told, well, your mother should have just aborted you if you were going to turn out like this.

[00:18:42] I don't think it's an unusual experience, especially for people with disabilities or who have neurodivergence to be told they shouldn't be here and they shouldn't exist because they don't have the right to exist.

[00:18:51] But that's completely not true and that's a lie.

[00:18:54] And in my opinion, the people who have these kinds of challenges, especially early on, can sometimes grow up to be the most powerful people who make the most change because they've been through so much early on and they've learned how to struggle and how to pursue through it.

[00:19:08] I definitely agree with that 100%.

[00:19:11] There's just some people who, let's just say, they don't know how to treat others like they want to be treated as well.

[00:19:24] And I kind of see it time and time again in the book with like the elders and whatnot.

[00:19:32] I was like, everything that they've done is like, it's like karma is going to come around and bite them in the butt at some point or another.

[00:19:40] I was like, why is this just starting to sound so familiar in this day and age?

[00:19:44] It's like, hmm.

[00:19:48] Stay with us.

[00:19:49] We'll be right back.

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[00:20:59] I think people who are like that, who are the bullies of society, either they haven't been through enough themselves to understand a perspective of somebody's struggle,

[00:21:08] or they have been through it, but they chose to go the opposite way and become bitter instead of better.

[00:21:14] Because when you go through things, you only have two choices.

[00:21:17] You can either excel or you can basically wither.

[00:21:20] And the people who wither become the bullies.

[00:21:22] So my next question for you is, how did you guys come up with all the twists and turns?

[00:21:29] Because it seems like every single chapter, there's like...

[00:21:35] My e-reader tells me how much is left in the chapter, how many minutes left in the chapter.

[00:21:41] And it seems like after...

[00:21:44] Let's say, for instance, one chapter, I think it said an hour left in the chapter.

[00:21:49] It's probably based on how fast I read or how many pages I read that day.

[00:21:55] I don't know.

[00:21:56] But anyway, it seems like after the last bit of the chapter, it's like you think you're going to know what happens.

[00:22:06] And then all of a sudden you just drop it and it's like, and this happens.

[00:22:10] And I'm like, how many twists and turns do you put in one book?

[00:22:15] I'm going to leave that question to Megan because it's usually her fault.

[00:22:19] It is usually my fault because I'm evil.

[00:22:21] I just...

[00:22:22] It sounds bad, but I really get entertained by putting characters through the worst circumstances

[00:22:27] and seeing how they're going to come out of them.

[00:22:29] You know, like I said, I think some readers really like cozy stories where not much happens

[00:22:33] and it's really comfortable, but I'm not that kind of reader.

[00:22:35] I'm not that kind of author.

[00:22:36] I want to see my characters go through the worst of the worst and come out on top

[00:22:40] because it's like a victory for them.

[00:22:42] And then it becomes like a victory for the reader too.

[00:22:44] So I really like putting in all this crazy stuff that happens

[00:22:48] because it just amps the stakes up and makes things more interesting.

[00:22:52] Yeah.

[00:22:53] Funny thing you say about that because like, to be honest,

[00:22:57] like I was in the midst of between a few different series

[00:23:03] and I was like looking for another book to read.

[00:23:06] And then when I...

[00:23:07] And then like, I don't always use my Nook reading app on my tablet and everything.

[00:23:16] And I stumbled across the Fire Prophecy and I was like, this looks very interesting.

[00:23:24] And at the first few pages, I got hooked because I was like only looking for like maybe a book

[00:23:33] like a book just to get me through it until another author of mine comes along.

[00:23:38] And I was like, I'm only going to get the first book, see if I like it or not.

[00:23:44] And I'm in the fifth book and I'm like, this wasn't supposed to happen.

[00:23:51] That's kind of what happened when we wrote it too.

[00:23:54] We were just going to write three short books and the first book ended up being as long as

[00:24:00] the trilogy we wanted to write.

[00:24:01] So it definitely, it's like the story just took a hold of us.

[00:24:06] And maybe that's why it takes a hold of readers too because it was then to be told.

[00:24:11] So my next question for you, which characters do you most relate to and why?

[00:24:19] I relate to Liam the most, I would say.

[00:24:23] I write Liam and Alicia writes Sophia and Liam is my character.

[00:24:28] I was going through a lot in my life at the time that I was writing Liam.

[00:24:32] So a lot of my feelings and like internal, you know, monologue was processed through Liam

[00:24:36] because even though I wasn't going through his exact same circumstances, I was still reflecting

[00:24:42] myself onto him because I needed to figure out what I believed about the world.

[00:24:46] And I don't relate to Liam as much anymore because I think I'm grown and turned into

[00:24:51] a different person since that time in my life.

[00:24:53] But I still think that that piece of me is personified in him and the person that he's become by the

[00:24:59] end of book six, because he goes through his whole arc and his struggles with depression

[00:25:05] and his struggles with his disease and his struggles to figure out, okay, well, am I worthy

[00:25:09] enough to keep living or not?

[00:25:11] And he ultimately finds out, yes, I am.

[00:25:13] And I can provide value to myself and the people around me.

[00:25:16] And I think that that is such a powerful message that I was able to learn and process through

[00:25:21] him.

[00:25:22] What about you, Alicia?

[00:25:23] I think mine would probably be Sophia.

[00:25:26] But in the same way, I do think I've grown a lot since we wrote her because we did finish

[00:25:31] this series like three years ago, I think, once they were writing it, five or four years ago.

[00:25:38] But at the time, like Sophia was almost, I don't want to say she was me because there's

[00:25:45] a lot about her that is like her own person.

[00:25:47] But there are parts of her that are like she would react the same way that I would react

[00:25:51] in a way that she's kind of like more meek at the beginning, more kind of like a people

[00:25:57] pleaser, doesn't really know how to step into her power and things like that.

[00:26:03] Megan would actually have to like push me for Sophia to even to like stand up to her bully

[00:26:09] in the book because that's not something I would have done like as a person at that time.

[00:26:15] And so, yeah, she's kind of like almost like a part of me has been like immortalized in

[00:26:21] her at that time.

[00:26:23] But at the same time, like I have grown out of a lot of that as well.

[00:26:28] I think for me, I kind of feel like I have, it's not, I kind of relate to 04.

[00:26:34] Like I can relate to Jonah as being like relaxed and laid back.

[00:26:39] Like I don't give a gosh darn crud and trying to keep it PG.

[00:26:44] I thought of another word, but I'm not going to say that.

[00:26:46] And then, and then Liam, there's kind of like different personalities of Liam that I can relate

[00:26:56] to where I was in a depressed mood at one point or another during the bullying.

[00:27:03] And I just hated every aspect of everything.

[00:27:06] I just had like this huge, big dark cloud over me.

[00:27:09] And then, but then there's other times where like Liam seems like really cool and laid back.

[00:27:17] And it's like, oh, why can I be cool?

[00:27:22] And then, so I can relate to a lot where sometimes where I just, sometimes I can't always handle

[00:27:30] the word no, depending on like certain things.

[00:27:34] Like no, if I'm a company for certain things, I'm not going to give a specific example,

[00:27:40] because I'll just go on a rant on that.

[00:27:43] And, or, yeah, so sometimes it's that.

[00:27:48] And then, and Imogen, I would say I will relate to her because I do have some of my genius moments.

[00:27:57] And then sometimes I do not have my smart whatsoever.

[00:28:01] And I was like, how can this possibly be?

[00:28:04] I can relate to all four characters at the same time.

[00:28:06] I think it's because there are people of each other.

[00:28:09] I mean, they're all different people, but they're all really close friends.

[00:28:13] And they still reflect that love and a genuine friendship for each other at all times.

[00:28:19] So even though they can be total opposite, they're also identical kind of in a way.

[00:28:24] Okay.

[00:28:25] And I just had to do, before I ask you the next question, I have to say that Haley character,

[00:28:33] she's really just plain evil.

[00:28:37] She's never right.

[00:28:39] Does anything ever happen?

[00:28:41] Does something happen to her that like, does Karma come around to bite her in the butt somewhere?

[00:28:46] Karma will always come around to our characters.

[00:28:51] It's a little bit more for the good guys, not the ones who just keep beating them up, though.

[00:28:57] We have a saying in Hidden Legends World that there will always be a happy ending by the end of book six,

[00:29:02] but there's going to be hell to pay for the main characters to get to the end of book six.

[00:29:06] So they always have a happy ending, but there will be a price to pay to get to that happy ending.

[00:29:13] You guys ever seen having a book seven?

[00:29:15] Not in that series because Sophie and Liam's story is dumb, but they do.

[00:29:21] Okay.

[00:29:22] A little bit of a spoiler alert.

[00:29:24] They each will come back in another series.

[00:29:27] So the Prison for Supernatural Offenders series, you will see them after their journey in the Academy of Magical Creatures series.

[00:29:35] So it follows some other characters in this world, but they kind of make some cameos.

[00:29:40] So in total, how many books have you guys written so far?

[00:29:44] Together or apart?

[00:29:47] Together.

[00:29:48] Together we have-

[00:29:49] We love the universe.

[00:29:50] Because everything kind of connects anyway, even if we only do it.

[00:29:53] So together we have six in the Academy of Magical Creatures series and five in the Prison for Supernatural Offenders series.

[00:30:00] They're set in the same world.

[00:30:01] Some of the same characters cross over.

[00:30:04] And then Megan has six in the University of Sorcery series.

[00:30:07] So she wrote that on her own, but it still is in the same world.

[00:30:10] And then I have five right now in the College of Witchcraft series, which is also in that same world.

[00:30:16] Jeez.

[00:30:17] Don't you guys get tired of writing?

[00:30:20] They get tired, but not tired of writing.

[00:30:24] We'll keep writing till we die, I think.

[00:30:26] Yeah.

[00:30:28] I co-author a book with like 365 other authors in the book, and it was just kind of like a daily quote book.

[00:30:39] And I'm contemplating writing my own book just about myself and what I went through.

[00:30:49] And somebody said to me, he's like, you're not that interesting at first.

[00:30:53] And he's like, hmm, interesting.

[00:30:55] Well, I wouldn't say I'm Tony Robbins interesting.

[00:30:58] But I was like, I sure as heck.

[00:31:01] I would find it interesting if I was my own reader.

[00:31:07] Interesting enough.

[00:31:09] Well, I think everybody has the story to tell.

[00:31:11] And if you want to write a book, then write a book.

[00:31:13] It doesn't matter how many tells you.

[00:31:15] If you can do it or you can't do it.

[00:31:16] People told me I couldn't write books.

[00:31:18] And like, look where I am now.

[00:31:20] I'm writing books.

[00:31:21] I was literally going to say the same thing.

[00:31:25] Being on the same wavelength.

[00:31:27] I was going to say everyone has a story to tell.

[00:31:29] And I am sure that yours is amazing.

[00:31:32] Well, I mean, one thing I really appreciate about the books is that it doesn't reach at the reader.

[00:31:43] Because I've read a lot of books in my life.

[00:31:47] And I'll just say there's some books that doesn't just take you on a journey.

[00:31:52] They, like, preach at you.

[00:31:54] It's like, hey, this is this.

[00:31:57] You're doing this wrong.

[00:31:59] I was wrong at this.

[00:32:01] And I like books that take you on a journey.

[00:32:06] I'll be kind of escaped from.

[00:32:09] I wouldn't say escape.

[00:32:11] I mean, entertaining.

[00:32:12] Because I just feel like in this day and age, it's just so many things that are just like,

[00:32:17] kind of, like a better reference, black and white so-and-speak.

[00:32:21] It's funny that you say that, like, we're not preaching.

[00:32:24] Because we'll get reviews that are like, they're preaching their woke agenda.

[00:32:28] And I'm like, okay, if having disabled characters makes us woke, I guess we're woke.

[00:32:34] I'll take that with pride.

[00:32:38] Stay with us.

[00:32:39] We'll be right back.

[00:32:41] Did you know Crazy Fitness Guy is not backed by any corporate company and is just a one-person show?

[00:32:49] Well, there's this term around the podcasting community called indie podcasters.

[00:32:54] And I'm an independent podcast creator.

[00:32:57] So, because I'm not backed by a huge, big corporate company, well, if I run out of money and everything else,

[00:33:07] Crazy Fitness Guy would no longer exist.

[00:33:10] No website, no podcast, no nothing.

[00:33:13] If you want to help support the show and keep our lights on,

[00:33:17] consider becoming a premium podcast member of Crazy Fitness Guy's premium podcast.

[00:33:22] You got behind-the-scenes access, early access to shows, private Discord server, and premium Discord roles,

[00:33:29] and exclusive behind-the-scenes access.

[00:33:33] Plans start at $3.99 a month for $30,000 a year.

[00:33:40] Honestly, like, honestly, I don't really see that because, like,

[00:33:48] and it's from my point of view, just because, like, I can, because, like,

[00:33:55] for some of being disabled and whatnot, and some from me being autistic, I was like,

[00:34:01] no, I can relate to a lot of this, and I appreciate that these characters have their own challenges,

[00:34:06] and there's people on the reviews.

[00:34:10] I think there's, I think a lot of people are just trolls these days, especially in the intimate.

[00:34:14] Well, I can relate to what you said about a lot of issues being black and white,

[00:34:18] because I do think our world is very polarized today.

[00:34:20] I think it's very hard for a lot of people to see from other people's points of view,

[00:34:24] and we do put lessons into our novels, but the thing about our lessons is that

[00:34:29] the characters will learn something about themselves, and then it's, like, the next chapter that

[00:34:34] what they learned has turned on their head, and they have to learn all over again.

[00:34:37] And I don't think it's polarizing or offensive or woke

[00:34:41] to put a disabled person into your book or any kind of person, really, because these people exist.

[00:34:48] The world isn't split up into this kind of people and that kind of people,

[00:34:53] and this kind of people is the only kind of people that are allowed to be in stories.

[00:34:57] The world is diverse and wide, and if that person exists somewhere in the world,

[00:35:01] they can be in a fantasy novel, and it's not weird, and it's not offensive.

[00:35:06] I think I get offensive when people say that it's, like, these people are not normal.

[00:35:16] What is normal in any sense of anything anymore?

[00:35:21] How much thing is normal?

[00:35:23] Yeah, the only thing I think is normal is the normal setting on my washing machine, and that's it.

[00:35:29] And even that, I don't even know what normal does on the washing machine.

[00:35:33] It still ruins my clothes anyway, so what the heck.

[00:35:38] I don't touch that button. It will self-destruct or something.

[00:35:41] I don't know.

[00:35:42] So my next question for you is, what makes you keep writing books,

[00:35:51] even though sometimes you get mixed reviews on them?

[00:35:54] We don't listen to the reviews.

[00:35:56] So, yeah, I don't hurt that.

[00:35:58] Like, every now and then we'll see a review, you know, not on purpose or whatever.

[00:36:03] Like, we have our audiobooks up on YouTube, so every now and then we do have to go check those comments,

[00:36:07] make sure that people are asking questions so that we can respond to them.

[00:36:11] So we do see some of the not-so-nice reviews there,

[00:36:15] but we've done a lot of work to not let it get to us and just feel like, you know what,

[00:36:20] if they don't like this book, it's not for them or that's okay because there are people like you

[00:36:25] who really appreciate our work and we're writing for you and not for them.

[00:36:29] Yeah, I don't care what anybody thinks.

[00:36:32] I'm going to write what I'm going to write and if you don't like it, that's too tough for you,

[00:36:36] but I'm going to continue to do what I was born to do and what I was born on this planet to do

[00:36:40] and that's write books.

[00:36:41] And a lot of these silly reviews, I do think they're trolls and I do think they're people

[00:36:46] who don't know what they're talking about.

[00:36:47] I got a review on my University of Sorcery series one time where my main character has

[00:36:52] the same exact disability that I have and she treats herself using the subcutaneous injections

[00:36:58] that she has to get every week and she has to use like syringes in order to do it.

[00:37:03] Well, I got a very big long review of this person complaining that people with my disease

[00:37:08] can't use syringes and I obviously didn't do my research and I didn't know what I was

[00:37:11] talking about and I had to reply to this person being like, I have this disease.

[00:37:16] This is something that I go through on a daily basis and yes, I do take these and this person

[00:37:21] of course deleted their review because it made them look like they were not eligible instead

[00:37:24] of me and a lot of the one stars, sometimes you'll go through them and you'll be like,

[00:37:30] well, this is wrong, this is wrong and this is wrong.

[00:37:32] You didn't read the book.

[00:37:33] You just wanted to complain about it.

[00:37:35] So I just, I really don't care if people have a bad opinion of my book or bad opinion

[00:37:40] anything that I write about because this is my story and this is Alicia's story and we

[00:37:45] write for the people who need our stuff.

[00:37:47] We don't write for every Tom, Dick and Henry that's out there.

[00:37:51] I like that you said that because, you know, for my podcast, I know who my audience is.

[00:37:58] I have a specific target, I don't like the word target audience, but my specific niche audience,

[00:38:06] I'm going to rephrase that.

[00:38:08] And they, but I do cater to as many people as possible, but not to every single person

[00:38:17] because like maybe some of them may like politics.

[00:38:21] I hate politics.

[00:38:23] Some of them might like all about religion.

[00:38:25] I don't go over religion, but my point being is that I felt bad for this podcaster I came

[00:38:33] across in one of the podcast groups I'm a part of.

[00:38:36] He only started his very first episode the other day and he had so many one-star reviews

[00:38:42] on and it was because he was approaching on this competitive niche and I was like, oh,

[00:38:51] they must feel threatened by you if you only need one of them.

[00:38:54] And I was like, what the heck?

[00:38:56] They're like a bunch of trolls.

[00:38:57] And it's like, I said to them, it's like, I mean, technically I would report them to Apple

[00:39:02] and Spotify.

[00:39:02] I was like, I'm going to be shocked instead of they have like something in their policy

[00:39:06] about fake reviews and being trolls.

[00:39:09] And it's like, go report them.

[00:39:10] It's like, maybe they'll take them off for you.

[00:39:13] I think that was so strict.

[00:39:15] Yeah.

[00:39:16] I think too that you, it doesn't matter how much you try to please everyone, you're not

[00:39:21] going to because someone's going to be upset.

[00:39:24] You know, someone's going to be like, oh, she's trying too hard or she's not authentic

[00:39:28] enough or whatever it is.

[00:39:29] Like trying to please everyone is never going to work.

[00:39:31] So might as well like be yourself and be the best of being you.

[00:39:36] I mean, like literally if I, if I may try and make every single podcast perfect, I don't

[00:39:42] think I could ever maintain it because, uh, or keep doing it because I did literally get

[00:39:48] every rid of every single arm or I had to get rid of every single pause or every single

[00:39:55] connectivity hiccup and then I can't, I can't do it.

[00:40:00] That'd be literally impossible.

[00:40:02] I was like, I can only control for my internet.

[00:40:04] I can control for everyone else.

[00:40:06] No, they're like, we are really perfectionistic and we really try to not lead errors in our

[00:40:11] books, but there are some errors because it doesn't matter if we had a team of 100 people,

[00:40:15] we're never going to be able to catch every single thing that's there.

[00:40:18] There's always going to be something that slips through and that's okay because art is

[00:40:21] meant to be abandoned, not perfected.

[00:40:23] So as long as you're creating it, that's the important thing and that you don't quit.

[00:40:26] You don't stop.

[00:40:27] What I was really shocked about in the series is when they said that one side doesn't, uh,

[00:40:39] leave art has any merit to schools and whatnot.

[00:40:44] I'm like, how can that possibly be?

[00:40:46] It's like, if I didn't have art, I was like, who knows where I'd be today?

[00:40:52] My art was my escape from the bullying actually during in this, uh, school days.

[00:40:59] I was like, well, if I didn't have art class, I was like, I don't know if I would still be here.

[00:41:05] Yeah.

[00:41:06] Uh, so my next question for you is, uh, whose idea was it to, uh, create, uh, Hayley and the way she is?

[00:41:15] I think we both kind of have a hand in Hayley to be honest.

[00:41:18] I think Hayley is kind of one of those tropes that you're always going to kind of throw in

[00:41:24] because, um, she's the bully of the series and you, you need someone like characters there to challenge the main characters.

[00:41:32] So we can be like, Hey, Hayley is being mean, let's, let's do something about this.

[00:41:38] And then it challenges the characters to come up with unique solutions and, um, kind of even sometimes question things about themselves and make improvements for themselves.

[00:41:50] I think one of the hard parts of reading the series is when, uh, stuff always happens to the good guys,

[00:42:00] especially with the, uh, just the, uh, just the measure of creatures getting hurt or, uh, not to give a spoiler or anything,

[00:42:11] but something happens to Imogen that you just like, let's just say almost got rid of her.

[00:42:19] I think that's reflected in real life because of what's happening to the good guys now.

[00:42:24] The good guys always have some sort of opposition.

[00:42:26] And in fact, they usually have the most opposition because they're doing the right thing when everybody else wants to do the easy thing or the thing that everyone else is doing or the thing that's popular.

[00:42:37] And so I'm standing up and being like, no, this is what's right.

[00:42:40] Because I think when you're a good guy and you speak up on what you believe and you're going to get opposition from people, not even people who disagree with you.

[00:42:48] There's going to be people who come in and we're like, don't rock the boat.

[00:42:50] And those don't rock the boat people can be a bigger obstacle than the people who are actually against you because they want to maintain the status quo.

[00:42:58] But that's not what a hero does.

[00:42:59] A hero fights for change.

[00:43:00] I definitely agree with that 100%.

[00:43:04] I'm more of a person who likes to rock the butt on many different things.

[00:43:10] I mean, I kid you not.

[00:43:13] There was, I've been saying on this show for many years that there needs to be more fitness programs for people with extra challenges.

[00:43:23] And the other day I found out my workout platform that I use at home, started having a trainer who's in a wheelchair.

[00:43:34] And I was like, oh, that's pretty cool.

[00:43:36] It's like, this is like ground level stuff because I haven't seen anybody else done it.

[00:43:41] And I admitted on social media, I could be wrong that there's maybe someone else has done it before, but I haven't seen many of them.

[00:43:49] I know there's a guy on Instagram who does workouts for people with cystic fibrosis, but that's the only thing that I've heard of.

[00:43:55] Because people, I think they automatically assume, oh, you're disabled, so you don't work out, which is not true because I grew up as an athlete.

[00:44:03] I go to the gym all the time.

[00:44:05] I'm literally in the gym.

[00:44:06] I'm literally working out like six days a week.

[00:44:10] It was the time in my life I did nine, but I was like, why?

[00:44:16] Why am I torturing myself?

[00:44:19] I don't know.

[00:44:20] I thought maybe it was cool at times, and my lucky number is nine, actually.

[00:44:25] It took me nine times to start a business, and my birthday is on October 9th.

[00:44:29] And I had nine ear surgeries.

[00:44:32] So my next question for you is, do you ever see yourselves bringing the four characters back from the book into another series at some point down the road?

[00:44:49] Maybe like an aftermath of everything?

[00:44:52] Yeah, we definitely do that in prison for supernatural offenders.

[00:44:56] They're actually in most of the books in that series.

[00:45:01] Like, Liam, Sophia, Jonah, and Imogen are constantly coming back there.

[00:45:05] And there's a reason for that, but we can't tell you because it's a spoiler.

[00:45:08] And they also make some cameos.

[00:45:11] Yeah.

[00:45:12] And I know Sophia makes a cameo in my College of Witchcraft.

[00:45:17] I don't remember if she shows up in University, but you do have these other characters.

[00:45:22] Oh, yes, Jonah.

[00:45:23] Jonah comes back in University of Sorcery.

[00:45:25] Interesting.

[00:45:26] I'm definitely going to read them all because I like the characters.

[00:45:35] For me, if I don't have a good book, it's hard for me to keep reading.

[00:45:41] And I've made myself a list of authors who I literally follow, seeing when they come out with new books and whatnot.

[00:45:50] And I was like, okay, when this author has a book, I'm going to go get that book.

[00:45:55] And if then the author doesn't have a book, I'm going to go find this other author.

[00:46:01] Like James Patterson, even though I really, really like James Patterson, I wouldn't say I'm tired of his books,

[00:46:09] but sometimes I get tired of everything wrapped up with a perfect bow on it.

[00:46:14] And it's like, Alex Cross has completed another case.

[00:46:22] I'm like, oh, come on.

[00:46:24] Do you think really that's how detectives can wrap up a case that quick?

[00:46:30] I was like, I don't think so.

[00:46:32] And there's never cliffhangers.

[00:46:33] I was like, I like books with cliffhangers, apparently.

[00:46:37] Well, cliffhangers are in all of our books.

[00:46:40] One of the authors who follow me, my very first followers on Twitter, his name is Luke Murphy.

[00:46:51] He's written Charlene Taylor.

[00:46:54] He's also written a couple other books.

[00:46:59] I've read pretty much all of his books except for one so far.

[00:47:02] But I thought he had a lot of Western terms until I read your series.

[00:47:11] It literally keeps me on my toes.

[00:47:14] It's like, did I read that right?

[00:47:16] They're often this person and this is hard to keep track of.

[00:47:22] On a second, one page, there's a person's alive and this other one's dead.

[00:47:26] Really?

[00:47:27] Really?

[00:47:30] We like to do that.

[00:47:31] We like to keep our readers on their toes.

[00:47:33] We don't like our readers to guess what's happening next.

[00:47:35] We only want to surprise them.

[00:47:36] Honestly, the only thing that I got in right so far in the book was the, I think it was

[00:47:43] the third book that it happened or was it the fourth?

[00:47:46] I think it was the third or the, I don't want to say, let's just say Liam Sophia's Case.

[00:47:55] I think it was the third one, I believe.

[00:47:57] Yeah, it was the third one.

[00:47:58] Yeah.

[00:48:00] And I only predicted that because it was only the next logical thing that could happen.

[00:48:08] But then the aftermath of it, I was like, I was not expecting this either.

[00:48:16] We like writing court cases too.

[00:48:18] I feel like they're the court case in every hidden legend series.

[00:48:21] They're just fun.

[00:48:23] And sometimes Megan is like, you know what?

[00:48:25] Readers are going to know the outcome, whether they win or lose their case.

[00:48:30] They're going to know that they win, obviously, because they're the good guys or whatever.

[00:48:34] But it's the experience of going through it.

[00:48:36] That's the part.

[00:48:37] I think one thing that keeps me hooked on the books is that, just to keep reading and everything,

[00:48:51] is that, let's just say that you never know what's going to happen.

[00:48:57] And then what I really find interesting is that when you think that those characters are gone,

[00:49:02] then they just somehow magically back into the picture.

[00:49:07] And it's like, oh, that's not fair.

[00:49:11] That was rude when they come back up.

[00:49:13] Yeah.

[00:49:15] Like, we grieve for you, and now you're back.

[00:49:18] What the heck?

[00:49:19] Exactly how I feel.

[00:49:21] I mean, I'm like James Shields in book five.

[00:49:24] And I was like, okay, now I know how she's feeling.

[00:49:26] It's like, this character's gone, and now they're just back.

[00:49:32] I'm like...

[00:49:32] Just the audacity.

[00:49:36] How dare you?

[00:49:38] You know, after the fourth book, I knew I had to reach out to the two of you,

[00:49:46] because I was like, I need them on my show,

[00:49:49] because these books are just too good to pass up.

[00:49:54] And if people don't read them, that's their own problem.

[00:49:58] And I'm just amazed that you guys write this.

[00:50:04] To have a character, you get to be off,

[00:50:07] and then come back on,

[00:50:09] and then you find out why it happened.

[00:50:12] And it's like, this is like a great TV show.

[00:50:15] That was Alicia's idea, I will say.

[00:50:18] That was not mine.

[00:50:19] So, she says I come up with all the evil stuff,

[00:50:22] but she's guilty of some stuff too.

[00:50:24] It's not all me.

[00:50:25] I'll still blame you for it.

[00:50:28] Yeah, you will.

[00:50:30] You guys have like a board of like,

[00:50:32] okay, let's go kill this character off,

[00:50:34] and kill this character off,

[00:50:36] and then come back around.

[00:50:37] No, they're not really dead anymore.

[00:50:39] We have outlines, which are kind of the same thing.

[00:50:41] And the last outline we did for a book was over 20 pages long.

[00:50:45] And the next one's probably going to be just as long,

[00:50:47] because we talk about what we're going to do in a series

[00:50:50] before we even start writing.

[00:50:52] So, we know the ending of book six

[00:50:53] before we even start writing book one.

[00:50:55] That's something we do every single time.

[00:50:58] And I think it really helps us,

[00:50:59] because we always know where the story is going.

[00:51:01] We're never sitting here wondering,

[00:51:02] okay, well, what do we do next?

[00:51:03] Because we always know what we're going to do next.

[00:51:05] That sounds tiring.

[00:51:07] Sometimes there are surprises.

[00:51:11] Sometimes it comes out of nowhere,

[00:51:13] and it's like this is a really fun thing

[00:51:16] for readers to experience.

[00:51:18] But then sometimes it's like,

[00:51:20] hold on, we had this thing in book two.

[00:51:23] We didn't have any connection anymore.

[00:51:25] Now we get to connect that in book five,

[00:51:27] and we didn't know about that when we initially wrote it.

[00:51:29] So, that's really fun too,

[00:51:31] because if we're surprised,

[00:51:32] you guys are going to be surprised.

[00:51:33] So, my next question for you is,

[00:51:37] if somebody, have you ever guys thought of making

[00:51:40] into a movie or a TV show?

[00:51:44] And if so, who would you cast as their character,

[00:51:50] for each of the characters?

[00:51:51] We're definitely interested in film.

[00:51:54] We can't really say that there's anything happening right now,

[00:51:58] but we talked about it,

[00:52:01] and I would love to put our stuff into film.

[00:52:03] I don't know who I would cast,

[00:52:05] because we've talked about doing animation and live action.

[00:52:09] So, we're not sure what way about we want to go with that.

[00:52:12] There are so many different opportunities that we can go,

[00:52:15] and I think by the time that we were ready

[00:52:17] to put something into film,

[00:52:18] film, the actors that we would choose now

[00:52:20] are not going to be the actors that we would pick.

[00:52:23] Yeah, because I can.

[00:52:24] I was going to say,

[00:52:25] when we initially wrote this series five, six years ago,

[00:52:29] we did have our dream cast in mind,

[00:52:31] and now they're too old.

[00:52:34] Mm-hmm.

[00:52:35] I would kind of say,

[00:52:37] if you don't mind me sharing,

[00:52:40] I would like to see it as kind of anime a little bit,

[00:52:46] and the reason why I say that is because

[00:52:48] maybe you've heard of the show Stranger Things on Netflix.

[00:52:52] Yeah.

[00:52:52] Where you can see where a lot of time lapse

[00:52:56] and the characters who are supposed to be young

[00:52:59] now is very older.

[00:53:03] I wouldn't say it's a problem with some series

[00:53:05] where that can happen,

[00:53:09] but something around like,

[00:53:12] let's just say there's a series called Alex Rider

[00:53:17] written by Anthony Horowitz,

[00:53:20] and it's by a 14-year-old kid, spy.

[00:53:23] They made a TV show off on,

[00:53:27] used to be INDB,

[00:53:30] but now it's freebie,

[00:53:31] and it's only like three seasons,

[00:53:35] and basically for like 14 plus books

[00:53:39] condensed into three seasons,

[00:53:42] and because the actor is now too old

[00:53:44] to play the 14-year-old spy,

[00:53:48] I was like,

[00:53:49] should I want with anime?

[00:53:50] Because at least if the person's voice,

[00:53:53] even if they got deeper,

[00:53:55] it's like,

[00:53:55] okay, well,

[00:53:56] anybody's voice can change,

[00:53:57] changed,

[00:53:58] so,

[00:54:00] I was like,

[00:54:01] could I have kept with it?

[00:54:02] Like,

[00:54:03] for instance,

[00:54:04] there's this other show called

[00:54:05] The Dragon Prince on Netflix.

[00:54:07] I've watched The Dragon Prince.

[00:54:09] And there's this,

[00:54:10] one of the main actors

[00:54:12] who was,

[00:54:15] who voiced Sokka in Avatar,

[00:54:17] The Last Airbender.

[00:54:19] He,

[00:54:21] like,

[00:54:22] I think he was

[00:54:23] like 30s or 40s or something.

[00:54:25] Yeah,

[00:54:26] he's pretty old,

[00:54:27] like,

[00:54:27] he plays a young kid.

[00:54:28] Yeah,

[00:54:29] but like,

[00:54:29] his voice doesn't change,

[00:54:31] or if it does,

[00:54:33] like,

[00:54:34] yeah,

[00:54:34] he's one of those lucky ones

[00:54:35] who can,

[00:54:36] but because of Xanime,

[00:54:38] who really cares

[00:54:39] if somebody's playing

[00:54:40] however old,

[00:54:42] but,

[00:54:43] again,

[00:54:43] that's just my opinion.

[00:54:46] I just,

[00:54:46] I don't know.

[00:54:47] I think we're quite away

[00:54:47] with a little bit more

[00:54:48] because they're college kids,

[00:54:49] so they look older anyway,

[00:54:51] but I think when the time comes,

[00:54:53] we really have to sit down

[00:54:54] and consider what we wanted to do.

[00:54:56] Yeah.

[00:54:57] I just want,

[00:54:58] I know my opinion

[00:55:00] doesn't give a who,

[00:55:01] but,

[00:55:02] I don't think you're a fan

[00:55:03] and we take our fan considerations

[00:55:05] under perspective

[00:55:06] when we do anything.

[00:55:07] You know,

[00:55:08] we're obviously in our fan group

[00:55:09] asking our fans

[00:55:09] what they want

[00:55:10] and what they want to see.

[00:55:11] But I would just like,

[00:55:12] I just wanted to share

[00:55:13] because like my,

[00:55:15] because I was just kind of

[00:55:16] pretty bummed

[00:55:17] that the Alex Rider series

[00:55:18] like over on three seasons

[00:55:20] and it's like,

[00:55:21] so you condense 14 books

[00:55:23] and didn't even get to

[00:55:24] the real enemy

[00:55:26] of the whole book.

[00:55:28] I was like,

[00:55:29] okay,

[00:55:29] well that was the last

[00:55:30] series.

[00:55:32] And I was like,

[00:55:33] I'm going to finish it up,

[00:55:35] but I was like,

[00:55:36] okay,

[00:55:36] they really should have

[00:55:37] went anime on this thing.

[00:55:39] And I was like,

[00:55:39] because I could,

[00:55:40] it was a great show,

[00:55:42] but I don't know.

[00:55:43] I don't know.

[00:55:45] 14 year old spy,

[00:55:47] two,

[00:55:48] actor got old,

[00:55:50] should have just

[00:55:50] went anime.

[00:55:52] I don't know.

[00:55:53] That's just my opinion.

[00:55:55] So my last few questions

[00:55:56] for you are,

[00:55:58] who's your favorite

[00:55:59] podcaster and why?

[00:56:01] And feel free

[00:56:01] not to say me.

[00:56:02] Favorite podcaster.

[00:56:04] Do you have an answer

[00:56:04] for that one,

[00:56:05] Alicia?

[00:56:06] I love Catherine Zanchina

[00:56:08] of the Manifestation

[00:56:09] Babe podcast.

[00:56:10] I've listened to

[00:56:11] all of hers.

[00:56:12] So,

[00:56:13] it's a bit woo,

[00:56:15] but I'm into that.

[00:56:16] I write paranormal books,

[00:56:17] not a surprise.

[00:56:19] And then,

[00:56:20] I've really

[00:56:21] been into

[00:56:22] James Menwedmore

[00:56:23] of Mind Your Business

[00:56:24] podcast.

[00:56:25] So,

[00:56:26] he talks about

[00:56:26] business stuff,

[00:56:28] mindset,

[00:56:28] and yeah,

[00:56:30] I love both of them.

[00:56:31] I have to

[00:56:32] look at the name

[00:56:33] of my favorite

[00:56:34] podcaster

[00:56:34] because I don't,

[00:56:35] I don't remember

[00:56:37] the name,

[00:56:38] but I listen to

[00:56:39] so many episodes.

[00:56:41] What's the name

[00:56:41] of the podcast?

[00:56:43] Well,

[00:56:43] last thing,

[00:56:43] I don't know

[00:56:44] the name

[00:56:44] of the podcast.

[00:56:47] Oh no,

[00:56:48] I think we lost

[00:56:48] Alicia.

[00:56:50] We might have,

[00:56:51] I think her thing

[00:56:52] might have went out.

[00:56:53] I'm back.

[00:56:54] Oh yay,

[00:56:55] you're back.

[00:56:56] I thought you were gone.

[00:56:58] I think I'm a JZ4.

[00:57:00] Okay,

[00:57:00] I,

[00:57:01] I can't find the name

[00:57:02] of the podcast,

[00:57:03] but I will tell you,

[00:57:04] I really like,

[00:57:06] like any girl,

[00:57:07] like kind of

[00:57:08] in my age group,

[00:57:08] I like listening to

[00:57:09] like murder mystery

[00:57:11] podcasts,

[00:57:12] and I also really

[00:57:14] like listening to

[00:57:15] podcasts about cults

[00:57:16] and like things like

[00:57:17] that.

[00:57:17] I'm like a crime

[00:57:18] junkie,

[00:57:18] so that's my thing.

[00:57:20] That's probably also

[00:57:21] why some of my ideas

[00:57:22] are so twisted,

[00:57:24] just because like,

[00:57:25] I am really into

[00:57:26] that kind of crime

[00:57:27] aspect of stuff.

[00:57:29] So that's where

[00:57:30] I'm at with podcasting.

[00:57:32] Yeah,

[00:57:33] my mom watches

[00:57:34] a lot of NCIS

[00:57:35] and all the murder

[00:57:37] mysteries TV shows,

[00:57:39] and it's like,

[00:57:39] we really need to have

[00:57:41] a therapist

[00:57:42] talking about.

[00:57:44] I had to back off

[00:57:45] on it because

[00:57:46] I think if you

[00:57:46] didn't listen to it

[00:57:47] too much,

[00:57:47] it kind of affects

[00:57:48] your mental state,

[00:57:49] so I don't let myself

[00:57:50] listen to too much

[00:57:51] of it,

[00:57:52] but every now and then

[00:57:52] I will,

[00:57:53] you know,

[00:57:53] allow myself to

[00:57:54] listen to an episode

[00:57:55] or two.

[00:57:56] I love murder

[00:57:57] mysteries as well,

[00:57:58] and I always

[00:57:59] kind of try to put

[00:58:00] some in my books.

[00:58:02] But yeah,

[00:58:03] I tried to watch

[00:58:04] Criminal Minds

[00:58:05] and it's a great show,

[00:58:06] but I started having

[00:58:08] really weird dreams.

[00:58:11] And I was like,

[00:58:12] I was having

[00:58:12] free-mailed serial stories.

[00:58:14] I'm like,

[00:58:14] I don't know

[00:58:14] if I can keep

[00:58:15] watching this show.

[00:58:17] Yeah,

[00:58:18] I used to watch

[00:58:20] Criminal Minds

[00:58:21] and I got to a point

[00:58:25] where I couldn't

[00:58:26] sleep at night anymore.

[00:58:29] And I was like,

[00:58:30] because I noticed

[00:58:31] from my brain

[00:58:32] being autistic,

[00:58:34] it's like a replay

[00:58:35] in your mind

[00:58:36] that goes over

[00:58:37] and over

[00:58:37] and over again.

[00:58:38] I was like,

[00:58:39] oh crap.

[00:58:40] I was like,

[00:58:42] it's a good thing

[00:58:43] that I can remember

[00:58:44] lines of TV shows

[00:58:45] and movies and whatnot.

[00:58:47] I find that cool.

[00:58:48] But I was like,

[00:58:49] at the same time,

[00:58:50] they can also,

[00:58:51] depending on how

[00:58:52] gruesome the scenes are

[00:58:54] in the book,

[00:58:55] it's like,

[00:58:56] nothing.

[00:58:57] I did find the name

[00:58:58] of that podcast,

[00:58:59] by the way.

[00:58:59] It's called Leaving Eden

[00:59:00] and the hosts

[00:59:01] are Sadie and Gavi

[00:59:02] and I just,

[00:59:04] I really like their content.

[00:59:06] It's like,

[00:59:06] focuses on cults

[00:59:07] and things like that

[00:59:08] and it's very interesting

[00:59:09] to me.

[00:59:10] So,

[00:59:10] I haven't listened

[00:59:11] to an episode

[00:59:11] in a while

[00:59:12] just because

[00:59:12] I've been so busy

[00:59:13] because we're producing

[00:59:14] a lot of audiobooks

[00:59:15] right now.

[00:59:16] Like,

[00:59:17] I think I've released

[00:59:17] 30 audiobooks this year

[00:59:19] at least,

[00:59:19] but when I finally

[00:59:21] have time,

[00:59:21] I'm looking to get

[00:59:22] back into it.

[00:59:24] You make it sound

[00:59:25] sort of easy.

[00:59:26] It is and it isn't

[00:59:28] because I just feel

[00:59:29] like this is what

[00:59:30] I was born to do

[00:59:31] and this is what

[00:59:32] I do naturally

[00:59:32] and this is what

[00:59:33] I do best.

[00:59:34] It's not,

[00:59:34] I don't think it's

[00:59:35] difficult to do

[00:59:36] what you love.

[00:59:37] I think what's difficult

[00:59:38] is continuing to do it

[00:59:40] despite the obstacles

[00:59:41] that are in your way.

[00:59:42] And my last question

[00:59:44] for you is

[00:59:44] where can people

[00:59:45] follow you,

[00:59:46] find you,

[00:59:47] where can they

[00:59:48] find your books?

[00:59:49] Are they all over

[00:59:49] the place?

[00:59:50] So,

[00:59:51] you can find me

[00:59:52] at MeganLinsky.com

[00:59:53] and I'm on Facebook

[00:59:54] as well

[00:59:55] and you can find

[00:59:57] Alicia and me

[00:59:58] together

[00:59:59] at HiddenLegendsBooks.com

[01:00:01] and our Facebook group

[01:00:02] is Arenda Academy

[01:00:03] of Magical Creatures.

[01:00:04] That's where all

[01:00:05] our fans hang out

[01:00:06] and that's where

[01:00:08] everybody likes to

[01:00:09] like discuss

[01:00:09] fan theories

[01:00:10] and chill

[01:00:11] and,

[01:00:11] you know,

[01:00:12] be who they are.

[01:00:13] And Alicia,

[01:00:14] you want to get

[01:00:15] your website

[01:00:15] on top of that?

[01:00:17] Yes,

[01:00:17] I am AliciaRaddisAuthor.com

[01:00:20] as far as where

[01:00:21] you can find our books

[01:00:22] we're pretty much

[01:00:23] anywhere e-books

[01:00:24] are sold,

[01:00:25] anywhere audio books

[01:00:26] are sold

[01:00:27] and then online

[01:00:29] you can order

[01:00:29] our print books

[01:00:30] and most bookstores

[01:00:31] can order them

[01:00:32] to the store

[01:00:33] as well.

[01:00:34] Awesome,

[01:00:34] and I'll leave

[01:00:35] all this stuff

[01:00:36] in the show notes

[01:00:39] and I definitely

[01:00:41] look forward

[01:00:41] to reading

[01:00:42] more of your books.

[01:00:44] I literally

[01:00:45] got myself

[01:00:46] into trouble

[01:00:46] with a few

[01:00:47] of my colleagues

[01:00:49] and it's like,

[01:00:50] you didn't read

[01:00:51] my books yet?

[01:00:51] And it's like,

[01:00:52] I'm stuck

[01:00:53] on reading

[01:00:54] on this series

[01:00:55] at the moment.

[01:00:57] Bring out

[01:00:58] Megan

[01:00:58] and Alicia,

[01:01:00] that's my fault.

[01:01:01] You need to read

[01:01:03] this and you'll

[01:01:03] understand why

[01:01:04] I'm so addicted

[01:01:05] to this.

[01:01:07] Yeah,

[01:01:07] since I have

[01:01:09] a big pile

[01:01:10] up on my

[01:01:15] reading app

[01:01:16] that I keep

[01:01:16] track of

[01:01:17] from all my books

[01:01:18] and it's like,

[01:01:19] some people

[01:01:20] are going to

[01:01:20] get annoyed at me.

[01:01:21] It's like,

[01:01:21] why haven't you

[01:01:22] read my book yet?

[01:01:23] Because I'm reading this.

[01:01:25] I'm reading this.

[01:01:26] Not my fault.

[01:01:27] You need to read it too

[01:01:29] because it's crazy.

[01:01:31] Thank you so much

[01:01:32] for that.

[01:01:33] I appreciate that

[01:01:35] and we really

[01:01:35] appreciate you

[01:01:36] and asking us

[01:01:38] to be on the podcast

[01:01:39] with you

[01:01:40] and sharing

[01:01:40] this wonderful

[01:01:41] hour together.

[01:01:43] Thanks for tuning

[01:01:44] into Crazy Fitness

[01:01:45] by Healthy Living Podcast.

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[01:01:48] please leave us

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[01:02:19] Hydroflask

[01:02:20] is the best

[01:02:21] water bottle

[01:02:22] in my opinion

[01:02:23] because

[01:02:23] it keeps my

[01:02:24] water nice

[01:02:25] cold

[01:02:26] and refreshing

[01:02:27] throughout the day.

[01:02:28] and yes,

[01:02:29] I do drink a lot

[01:02:29] of water

[01:02:30] throughout the day

[01:02:30] so even though

[01:02:32] it stays colder

[01:02:33] for longer,

[01:02:34] I still like

[01:02:37] having a

[01:02:38] reusable water

[01:02:39] bottle like

[01:02:40] Hydroflux

[01:02:41] because it just

[01:02:43] sits on my desk

[01:02:44] and

[01:02:47] it just sits

[01:02:48] on my desk

[01:02:48] and reminds me,

[01:02:49] hey,

[01:02:50] you gotta drink

[01:02:50] water

[01:02:51] and Hydroflux

[01:02:53] it keeps it

[01:02:54] cold longer

[01:02:55] which makes me

[01:02:57] want to drink

[01:02:57] more water

[01:02:58] throughout the day

[01:02:59] because,

[01:02:59] you know,

[01:03:01] there's nothing

[01:03:02] worse than

[01:03:02] drinking warm

[01:03:03] water.

[01:03:05] Go to

[01:03:05] hydroflask.com

[01:03:07] and use the

[01:03:08] link in the

[01:03:09] show notes

[01:03:09] and yes,

[01:03:11] I do get a

[01:03:12] small commission

[01:03:13] from Hydroflask

[01:03:15] so,

[01:03:16] which also

[01:03:17] helps support

[01:03:18] the show

[01:03:18] so tell them

[01:03:20] I sent you

[01:03:20] use the link

[01:03:21] below

[01:03:21] and yeah,

[01:03:24] check out

[01:03:24] hydroflask.com

[01:03:26] for more

[01:03:26] information.