Episode fourteen of the World of Azuria podcast takes us back into Azuria’s past with “The Ballad of Hugh and Lilia,” one of the oldest love stories in the world’s lore. Here at the beginning of their story, an unsuspecting lycan alpha encounters a fae reyanna deep in the forest.

Introduction

Hello adventurers,

And welcome to season two, episode three 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. But today, we have a special bonus episode exploring the legend of Hugh and Lilia that Katarina references in chapter one of Buried Heroes, which you can listen to in the previous episode. 

One of the things I love about Azuria is getting to play with the interconnected stories that make up the world and its past. This podcast provides an exciting outlet in that as well, because I can change up the order of the stories and dip back for a little bit, uncover the lore, and then move forward in the narrative differently than I do in the novels. 

So, this excerpt of “The Ballad of Hugh and Lilia” comes from Song of Parting, a second prequel novella for the series. It, like Buried Heroes, is available at bethballbooks.com/shop or at your favorite book retailer. 

I also wanted to announce that I’ve just released an early access copy of Story Magic, the newest novella in the Age of Azuria series, for my fiction patrons. If you’re interested in a monthly short story and early access to upcoming books, including Story Magic, head over to patreon.com/groveguardianpress and look for the fae and daimon tiers. 

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. 

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. 

If you’d like to connect with me, you can find me on Instagram @bethballauthor or on Twitter @GroveGuardian.

Today’s episode is sponsored by Song of Parting, a prequel novella for the Age of Azuria epic fantasy series situated between Aurora and Buried Heroes. You can purchase all of the books in the Age of Azuria series, including Song of Parting and Buried Heroes, at bethballbooks.com/shop or at your favorite bookseller. 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 on Tuesday, April 13th for chapter two! 

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!