In episode twenty-five of the World of Azuria podcast, Iellieth's druidic magic begins to emerge. As it does, she and Marcon prepare for the next phase of their journey and learn about the forces opposing the woodland druids.    

Introduction

Hello adventurers,

And welcome to season two, episode fifteen of the World of Azuria podcast. My name is Beth Ball, and I’m the author of the Age of Azuria epic fantasy series, which we’ll be exploring in this show. In some episodes, we’ll be swept away into the magical world of Azuria as I read chapters from the novels and stories. In others, we’ll dive into the lore behind Azuria, and I’ll answer your questions about the world, characters, and more. 

If you enjoy epic fantasy worlds, immersive settings, nature-based magic, and vivid characters, then this podcast is for you. 

In our second season, we’re traveling through Buried Heroes, book one in the Age of Azuria series. I apologize that this chapter is coming a week after I’d hoped, but here we are, heading off on our adventure! In today’s episode, we join Iellieth and Marcon as they prepare for the next phase of their journey and learn about the forces opposing the woodland druids.    

Thank you so much to those who have left a rating or review of the podcast! You taking the time to do so means so much to me! If your podcast app supports ratings and/or reviews, please take a moment to share what you enjoy about the show! If it doesn’t, please do subscribe and share the episode with a friend who enjoys epic fantasy! 

At the end of the episode, you’ll find a special preview of my new project, The Tree of Silver, a weekly email serial story combining epic fantasy fiction and the extended narratives of tabletop roleplaying! To learn more, visit bethballbooks.com/tree-of-silver or you can use the link in the show notes!). There, you can sign up for the waitlist and be first in line for story previews before launch later this year!    

To find out what happens next before new episodes are released every Tuesday, you can find Buried Heroes at bethballbooks.com/shop or at your favorite book retailer. It’s now available for free!

Let’s start our adventure!

Closing

Thank you so much for joining me for today’s adventure through Buried Heroes and the world of Azuria. If you’d like to find out more about me or my fiction, you can find me at bethballbooks.com. You can also find my books worldwide at your favorite bookstore or ask your local librarian to add them to the library catalogue. 

If you’re interested in the story of Iellieth and Teodric’s separation, check out Song of Parting for their time together in Io Keep and to learn the specifics of what pulled them apart. You’ll also find Katarina’s story and an ancient legend woven through their tale! I’ve thought about doing a special, private, paid podcast feed for Song of Parting, where you could purchase access to the audio recording of the novella and listen from beginning to end—if that’s something you’d be interested in, please reach out and let me know! 

You can purchase Song of Parting direct from me here, or find it at your favorite bookstore!

Audiobooks are both time-intensive and expensive to create, and I’m waiting until I’m further along in Age of Azuria before I find a professional narrator to work with so I can make sure I’ll have the same person for the whole series. But I know for lots of people, and possibly for you since you’re listening right now, that audio is a more accessible form of reading. So, again, if you’d be interested in a podcast feed of Song of Parting without the intro and conclusion each week, send me an email or get in touch on socials and let me know! If you’d like to connect with me, you can find me on Instagram @bethballauthor or on Twitter @GroveGuardian.

To stay up to date with the world of Azuria and be the first to know about upcoming fiction projects, visit bethballbooks.com/join. I would love for you to be a part of my reading community, the Story Enclave, and, as special thanks to you, for a limited time, you’ll receive a free ebook copy of Aurora when you sign up. 

Today’s episode is sponsored by Amber Queen, book three in the Age of Azuria epic fantasy series. You can preorder your copy of Amber Queen at bethballbooks.com/shop or at your favorite bookseller. My author copies of Amber Queen in print just came in, and they are so pretty! You’ll find photos on my instagram, and you can now preorder a copy of your own in print from your favorite store! The novel releases August 31st, just three short weeks from today!

If you enjoyed our time together today and would like to hear more stories set in Azuria, you can support the podcast on Patreon at patreon.com/groveguardianpress. Look for the fae and daimon tiers. 

We return to Buried Heroes next Tuesday, August 17th for chapter fourteen, where we learn more about where Marcon is from, an ancient world called Eldura. And perhaps we might discover why fate has determined that he should now return! 

And speaking of Eldura, the time has now come for me to share with you a special preview of a new serial story project, The Tree of Silver. 

Visit bethballbooks.com/tree-of-silver to join the waitlist for early access previews and news about the release! 

The theme song for this podcast was created by Garrett Rose of The Bardic Inspiration who you can find on instagram or patreon at “thebardicinspiration”. 

Happy travels, and I hope that we’ll be adventuring together again soon!