I stumbled across Stacy on Threads back in early 2025 when she posted about who she was hoping the algorithim would bring to her account. I followed Stacy for awhile and then realized "I bet she has an Instagram page" and followed her work there too. One of my favorite things about Stacy is that she wants to build and engage with those who do follow her on her platforms. I love that, and it's one of the things I enjoyed as I got to know her.

This episode is split in half! The first half we're talking about Fantasy and Romantasy books. Stacy talks about what she looks for in a book, and what she's drawn to in the Romantasy sphere. We cover a number of different books including Cruel Prince, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and more. Stacy's full list of recommended titles is at the bottom of the show notes including links to purchase!

The second half of the episode features Stacy talking about what she creates! From her fantasy inspired costumes to the photography that goes along with it - including great behind the scenes stories on some of her iconic shots from her instagram. Stacy gives us the inside scoop and I am absolutely here for it. We also talk about renaissance faires and fantasy balls, including Stacy's upcoming appearance at FrostFire Ball by Storybook Soirees (link in the notes for ticket info!)

Books that Stacy recommended are:

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black - https://amzn.to/3LkH4gd

A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/4qNzFoG

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/454cG0d

The Assassin's Blade novella by Sarah J. Maas - https://amzn.to/3LumYQH

The Rogue King by Abigail Owen - https://amzn.to/4svVQS5

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros - https://amzn.to/4sz7UC1

Quicksilver by Callie Hart - https://amzn.to/4jxcX1C

You can find more info about FrostFire Ball at: https://www.storybooksoirees.com/frostfire-ball

You can find Stacy at:

https://www.instagram.com/stacylkellam/

https://www.threads.com/@stacylkellam

https://www.tiktok.com/@stacylkellam

https://linktr.ee/stacylkellam

As 2025 ended, I kept stumbling across this really wonderful reels on Instagram that kept going into the lore of The Lord of the Rings fandom. After being shown these several times and being captivated, I followed Kaia on Instagram. After a little bit more, I knew I wanted to have her as a guest and delve into Middle Earth lore.

Kaia and I talk about everything The Lord of the Rings that we can fit into one non-extended edition podcast episode! From how she got interested in this fandom to start with, to how she continued her journey and where it has taken her today.

We cover everything. From The Hobbit to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, to The Silmarillion. From the animated movies to the Peter Jackson trilogy, The Hobbit movies, Rings of Power TV series, and War of the Rohirrim.

And yes, we talk about Tom Bombadil, The Eagles (not the band), Viggo Mortensen breaking his toe, and sadly, the toxic side of the fandom.

This is a great time to learn about The Lord of the Rings, dive into some deeper lore like an audio version of Wikipedia, and learn about what challenge I'm taking in 2026 when it comes to this fandom.

You can find Kaia at:

https://www.instagram.com/kaiakayy/

https://www.tiktok.com/@kaiakays

https://www.youtube.com/@kaiakayy

https://www.threads.com/@kaiakayy

https://substack.com/@measse

https://linktr.ee/kaiakay

Lola Valentine of Winx Forever Podcast joins me for the final episode of 2025! We're talking all about the Winx Club Fandom!

This is a first for the podcast, as I knew nothing about the Winx Club show(s) and movies and only had knowledge via people who cosplayed certain characters. Lola is gracious and gives me (and you listening) a great background into Winx Club, which started in 2004!

Lola talks about the original Winx Club series, a 4Kids production back in 2004. We talk about how Lola was definitely the target audience for the show, and how she learned about it back then. We talk about its origins in Italy, being brought to the US, and the 4Kids Dub vs future dubs. We get an overview of the story, the characters, and what kept Lola coming back to the fandom.

We talk about the shows, the movies, the live action series on Netflix, and the newest Winx Club iteration, Winx Club: The Magic is Back.

Lola also talks about the origin of her podcast, Winx Forever Podcast. We talk about how she got started, what people can expect from it, and what the podcast has meant for her and the Winx Club fandom in general.

You can find Lola and the Winx Club Forever Podcast at:

https://www.winxforeverpodcast.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/WinxForeverNews

https://www.instagram.com/winxforeverpodcast/

https://open.spotify.com/show/5zf5Do3T1hy6wgNE6nKmVf?si=67c3430b674e4338

https://discord.gg/VPCZUYqhMJ