Inside Fly Stone, Fly: Worldbuilding, Darkness, and Dogs | Author Interview

In today’s episode, Jim sits down with Dust Kunkel, the author of the dark fantasy debut Fly Stone, Fly, for a wide-ranging conversation about writing, influences, and the strange, brutal, deeply human story that’s already turning heads.

We start spoiler-free, getting to know Dust as a person and a reader—favorite books, movies, and inspirations—before diving into the origins of Fly Stone, Fly, why dark fantasy was the right home for this story, and how a debut novel ends up landing award attention right out of the gate.

From there, we talk craft:

📖 the role of Shakespeare (and The Riverside Shakespeare)

🖋️ developing a powerful narrative voice

🎨 the meaning behind the cover design

🎧 audiobook plans

📚 and whether a sequel is on the horizon

⚠️ SPOILER WARNING:

Later in the episode, we clearly mark the transition into full spoiler territory. If you haven’t read Fly Stone, Fly yet, you’ll want to pause before that section and come back after you’ve finished the book.

If you enjoy thoughtful author interviews, dark fantasy with depth, indie books, and conversations that go beyond surface-level hype, this one’s for you.

👉 Have you read Fly Stone, Fly yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

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👍 Like | 🔔 Subscribe | 💬 Comment | 💻 Join Discord | ❤️ Join Patreon: patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges

#FantasyForTheAges #FlyStoneFly #DustKunkel #DarkFantasy #AuthorInterview #FantasyBooks #SpeculativeFiction #BookTube #IndieFantasy #FantasyDiscussion #indiebooks

Connect with Dust Kunkel further:

Email: [e-mail]

Author Website: https://dustauthor.com/

Want to purchase books/media mentioned in this episode?

The Book Eaters: https://t.ly/6RCdd

The Book of the New Sun: https://t.ly/klihi

Fly Stone, Fly: https://t.ly/NMVPb

The Gallivanter Saga: https://t.ly/HhSBf

The Girl with a Thousand Faces: https://t.ly/6dBox

The Lord of the Rings: https://t.ly/Nw3kY

Winter’s Bone: https://t.ly/xZCWO

The Wizard Knight: https://t.ly/snELz

Ways to connect with us:

Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven

Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk

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0:00 - Opening

1:03 - Guest Welcome & Context

3:21 - Warm-Up Questions

10:46 - Deeper Questions

23:34 - Influences, Craft, & Format

35:27 - SPOILER Questions

52:21 - Conclusion & Wrap-up

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