What do you get when you mix a shocking (and oddly funny) kidnapping story with insights on becoming a full-time content creator? This episode with Michael Kist! 🎉 Join us as Michael hilariously recounts being literally kidnapped at 11 years old (yes, really) and how his love for books, history, and fantasy shaped his path to success. Whether you’re a fan of epic reads, deep dives into creative careers, or just love hearing creators overshare, this episode has it all! 🎙️ What We Cover: Timestamps 00:00 Intro 15:19 📚 How Childhood Stories Inspire Reading & Content Creation 21:07 ⚠️ The Weird, Wild Risks of Being a Creator 24:53 🔥 Juggling Passion, Burnout, and Everything in Between 27:51 🎯 Why Success Isn’t Just About the Views 32:44 📏 From Short-Form to Long-Form Content: The Big Transition 37:39 💬 Handling Critics & Keeping Fans Happy (or Not) 42:06 🤝 Engaging with Communities Like a Pro 49:12 💡 Negotiation 101: Knowing Your Worth as a Creator 56:00 🌟 What’s Next? Michael’s Personal & Professional Aspirations If you’re into books, reading, history, or fantasy—or want to master the art of content creation—this episode is a must-listen. 📖 Love storytelling? Michael drops gems on how his love for epic tales influences his creative process. 🎥 Thinking of going full-time? Hear tips on navigating audience expectations, burnout, and the ever-evolving creator economy. 🛠️ Bonus laughs included. Tune in for inspiration, laughs, and the most unexpected kidnapping story ever.

You can find Michael's content here: @KistReadsBooks and around the web: https://linktr.ee/michaelkist biz inquiries: contact.kris.and.mads@gmail.com Patreon, Tiktok, Instagram, merch, and more here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.mads

📚 Are you wondering how we manage to read so many books every month? In this episode, we spill all our secrets! From our favorite reading spots to how we build our TBRs, track our reading progress, and decide between physical books, audiobooks, and Kindle, we cover it all. 📖✨

Plus: 🤔 How We read so many books 🎧 Why we love (or hate) different reading formats 🛋️ The best places to read and set the mood ✍🏻 How we build our TBR lists 📚 Where we buy our books, including special editions 📲 The apps and tools we swear by for tracking our reads 👩‍💻 How we engage with authors and make reading a social experience 🛍️ Bookish merch we can't get enough of! If you're looking to up your reading game, discover new tools, or simply get some bookish inspo, this episode is for you! Hit play, and let's chat all things books! 🎙️💬

🔔 Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more bookish content!

Biz inquiries: contact.kris.and.mads@gmail.com

Patreon, Tiktok, Instagram, merch, and more here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.mads

Sources: Reading Stats https://today.yougov.com/entertainmen...

Saving Highlights from Kindle on Goodreads https://www.reddit.com/r/kindle/comme...

Ambiance Videos • 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐦𝐧 | 𝐅𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐀... • Countdown to Cozy Nights | Christmas ... • 🍁 Cozy Autumn Coffee Shop Ambience wi...

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This is a show about stories for storytellers and story lovers, hosted by sisters Kristen and Maddie, lifelong readers and recent booktokers with a 100k+ following.

In this interview, John Fennec chats to us about his speculative sci-fi debut Artificial Artifacts. We discuss how the short story format shows how AI can affect multiple points of view, the ways humanity is obsessed with what is real, and how outsourcing to AI for convenience can be a slippery slope to outsourcing our human experience. We chat about Fennec's upcoming project that explores simulation theory, and the reason why he writes and explores these themes! We are obsessed with Artificial Artifacts. Fennec is a polished story-teller with such a creative outlook on the application and integration of technology and culture. We hope you pick up Artificial Artifacts and enjoy it as much as we did!

You can order Artificial Artifacts on Amazon (It is also available on Kindle Unlimited): https://a.co/d/cNCWWRd You can connect with John Fennec around the web: linktr.ee/johnfennec⁠⁠ You can find Kris and Mads on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Join the Patreon or book club on Fable, and keep up with what we're reading on Goodreads. Everything is linked here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/kris.and.mads⁠⁠⁠

This is a show about stories for storytellers and story lovers, hosted by sisters Kristen and Maddie, lifelong readers and recent booktokers with a 100k+ following.

In this interview, Gareth Brown chats to us about his international bestseller The Book of Doors. We discuss how the book can't really be put in a genre box, how Brown's reading across genres influences his style, and how being a debut author is misleading since he's been writing since he was a teen. We chat about the publishing process and how Brown might be sitting on a fantastic time-travel novel that is yet-to-be published! We are eagerly anticipating Brown's next release in 2025. Brown has the ability to blend genres, and deliver break-neck pacing and keep us hooked on every page. We hope you pick up The Book of Doors and enjoy it as much as we did!

You can order The Book of Doors on Amazon: ⁠https://a.co/d/al9mAtD⁠ You can connect with Gareth Brown around the web: ⁠https://www.garethbrownbooks.com/⁠ You can find Kris and Mads on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Join the Patreon or book club on Fable, and keep up with what we're reading on Goodreads. Everything is linked here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/kris.and.mads⁠⁠

This is a show about stories for storytellers and story lovers, hosted by sisters Kristen and Maddie, lifelong readers and recent booktokers with a 100k+ following.

In this special episode, we are sharing our experience going to Ireland with our booktok followers.

Our next trip is in Italy in April 2025! Booking for the trip will launch Oct. 22, at 8 pm EST. You can check out the itinerary and sign up to be notified when booking is open here: https://trovatrip.com/trip/europe/italy/italy-with-maddie-fisher-apr-2025 We went to Ireland with 32 strangers who follow us on Booktok. It was the trip of a lifetime. We met kindred spirits and made core memories in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. We can't express what these women mean to us. We can't explain how it fated it felt. What we can say is THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts to every woman who took a leap of faith to do something crazy for the plot. Every risk had massive payoff, and we feel so full of love and optimism for everything to come. This was an experience that proved everything we want to be true about finding best friends as adults, and the world being a lot smaller than we think. Cheers to 2025 and all the new memories and friendships to come! You can find Kristen and Maddie on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Join their book club on Fable, and keep up with what they're reading on Goodreads. Everything is linked here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/kris.and.mads⁠

This is a show about stories for storytellers and story lovers, hosted by sisters Kristen and Maddie, lifelong readers and recent booktokers with a 100k+ following.

In this interview, John Gwynne chats about his trilogy The Bloodsworn Saga, which is recently complete with its third installment The Fury of the Gods. We discuss how Norse mythology plays a role, and how research is a huge part of his writing process. Most importantly, we discussed how loss and grief have altered John's life, his work, and the way he writes grief in Fury of the Gods. We were so honored that John took the time to speak with us so openly. We hope you all pick up The Bloodsworn Saga and that it makes you feel as deeply as it did us.

You can order The Fury of the Gods on Amazon: https://a.co/d/7rIOxW4 You can connect with John Gwynne around the web: linktr.ee/johnhgwynne You can find Kristen and Maddie on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Join their book club on Fable, and keep up with what they're reading on Goodreads. Everything is linked here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/kris.and.mads⁠

This is a show about stories for storytellers and story lovers, hosted by sisters Kristen and Maddie, lifelong readers and recent booktokers with a 100k+ following.

In this interview, Shauna Lawless introduces her trilogy The Gael Song, which is recently complete with its third installment The Land of the Living and the Dead. We discuss how Irish folklore and history are a huge part of her fantasy series. We also chatted about the many themes Shauna includes in her books—motherhood, the spectrum of femininity, power dynamics, classism, war, politics, economy, and oppression. Shauna also shared her writing process with us and how it has evolved from her hobby to her full-time career. We are so excited about this series and everything Shauna is working on at the minute! We can't wait for you all to read her series!

You can order The Gael Song on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09VX99M5P?binding=kindle_edition&searchxofy=true&ref_=dbs_s_aps_series_rwt_tkin&qid=1727803340&sr=8-1 You can connect with Shauna around the web: https://linktr.ee/shaunalawless You can find Kristen and Maddie on TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Join their book club on Fable, and keep up with what they're reading on Goodreads. Everything is linked here: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/kris.and.mads⁠

In this episode we discuss our favorite sci-fi series, Red Rising. We're talking about each of the six books currently out, the key moments that stick out to us, and the primary themes that make this series transcend others in the genre. Buckle up for spoilers, emotions, and our honest opinions on this beloved series!

You can find us on our social media platforms and check out our other resources and links here: https://linktr.ee/kris.and.mads