Fantasy lovers, this one’s for you! Jo sits down with indie author Jaxon Schelhaas to talk worldbuilding, language creation, and the journey from handwritten notebooks to 600-page epics. Jaxon shares how Tolkien’s Silmarillion sparked his creative fire, the process behind his five-book fantasy series Lands of Ordia, and how he invented a full fictional language—complete with its own alphabet. It’s an inspiring deep-dive into creativity, consistency, and why you just need to keep writing.
🎧 More interviews and chaos at: https://linktr.ee/Emptyhell
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⏰ Key Moments:

• 00:20 – Tolkien shirt? Confirmed.
• 01:10 – Jaxon discovers fantasy via The Silmarillion
• 04:00 – Writing three novels in spiral notebooks at age 13
• 06:30 – How Lands of Ordia got its name and scope
• 10:50 – From Iowa forests to 600-page tomes
• 13:00 – Building lore, cities, characters—and a magic system
• 15:00 – Creating an original language (symbols and all)
• 18:00 – Writing advice for younger self: “Just keep going”
• 22:00 – How moving from Iowa to Chicago shaped his storytelling
• 26:00 – Where to find Jaxon online + future book and language plans

Ready for a fang-tastic journey through Dracula’s homeland, Universal Monsters nostalgia, and real-life haunted events? Jo sits down with Charles Rosenay of DracTours—the original vampire vacation master—for a wild ride through horror travel, celebrity top-10 horror booklists, and convention chaos. From Romanian castles to Connecticut’s Paracon and Salem Horror Con, this ep is packed with spooky insight and behind-the-scenes tales from one of horror’s friendliest promoters.

🦇 Planning your next creepy vacation? Curious how celebrities rank their scariest flicks? This episode slaps harder than a coffin lid in a thunderstorm.

👻 More at dractours.com, ghosttour.com, and paraconn.org
📲 Link up at https://linktr.ee/Emptyhell

• 00:00 – Charles’s horror book & love for Universal Monsters
• 06:40 – Vampire trivia on the tour bus!?
• 12:30 – The horror book born from celebrity “Top 10” lists
• 17:20 – Lists from Boris Karloff’s daughter, John Lennon’s sister, & more
• 18:20 – Paranormal + True Crime Con sneak peek (CT, July 12–13)
• 28:30 – How he designs vendor-first, fan-friendly cons
• 37:00 – Life tips from a decades-long horror fan’s journey

What do Victorian tea parties, buried skeletons under Philly sidewalks, and kosher cheesesteaks have in common? Public historian and founder of Offbeat Philly, Fayge, joins Jo to talk about the quirky, hidden, and jaw-dropping side of Philadelphia’s history. From guiding ghost-curious tourists past forgotten graves to designing historical adult coloring books (yes, really), this episode is a deep dive into the fun, freaky, and fascinating world of Offbeat Philly.

🎨 Learn how Fayge crafts tours that balance fact and flair, why graveyards are everywhere, and which Philly cheesesteak actually counts.

👟 Whether you're into dead presidents or vegan cheesesteaks, this one’s a walk through time—with laughs, drama, and sandwiches.

🔗 Find Fayge at OffbeatPhilly.com and the full pod at https://linktr.ee/Emptyhell

🧨 KEY MOMENTS:

• 2:00 — What makes Offbeat Philly... offbeat?
• 3:45 — Dead bodies under the sidewalks of Old City
• 5:50 — The mystery of the missing container of bones
• 10:00 — Arlington Cemetery’s hidden origin story
• 14:00 — The most unusual tour request ever
• 17:00 — The truth about Philly cheesesteaks (and sesame seed rolls?!)
• 22:30 — “Phillies Forgotten Dead” tour breakdown
• 30:00 — Why tour guides are really storytellers
• 34:30 — Fayge’s dream: coloring books for history nerds
• 36:20 — Where to find Offbeat Philly and get weird