The Fantasy Grimoire Presents: Shari Cross

Shari joins me to unpack the journey of creating her first fantasy series—how the story refused to let her go even when life got messy, and how the worlds we build can evolve right alongside us. We dive into her world-building philosophy, the unexpected challenges that come with it, and why reading remains one of the most powerful tools an author has to level up their craft.

We talk about staying open to inspiration at any moment (and actually writing it down), whether pronunciation guides are a must in high fantasy, and why readers crave real stakes and real consequences. Shari also shares how she decides which ideas deserve a full investment of time, money, and creative energy, the power of writing the book you want to read, and her take on whether authors should include series recaps.

You can find her instagram here.