Found Family and Found Readers with Dakoda Mazzi
September 22, 2026
Featured Guests:
Dakoda Mazzii
Dakoda Mazzii is an author-in-bloom from the great state of Texas. Always a lover of creative writing and fiction novels, she received her Arts degree from Florida Keys Community College in 2014. Her debut Romantasy novel, CHASM OF DREAMS, was crafted to satisfy her craving for a gut-wrenching, bone-crunching, steamy story with a supernatural flare. Her writing often dances over the line between atmospheric and intense, and she’s unafraid to tackle the dark, emotive scenes that are prevalent in a brutal fantasy universe or in our modern day society. While a devout believer in the “HEA”, prepare for heartbreaking plot twists at every turn. When not reading, writing, or drawing, you can find her enjoying a coffee at the park with her daughter and husband.
We hit almost 500 downloads in a single week, and we're marking the milestone with an episode that turned into a full-circle moment for our own indie publishing journeys. Dakoda Mazzii, author of the dark fantasy trilogy The Fate of Astoran, joins us to talk about querying, signing with a literary agent, and ultimately walking away to self-publish on her own terms. Since then she's released Chasm of Dreams and Summoner of Chaos seven months apart, sold thousands of copies, and built a devoted readership from scratch.
We get into how she grew her fanbase as an indie author (hint: human-made artwork, newsletters, and a lot of giving books away), why she refuses to write to market, and why she's giving herself zero deadline for book three. Plus some honest talk about day jobs, health insurance, and the reality of chasing a creative dream without betting your whole life on it.
This Episode
Why Dakoda left the trad pipeline after a year of waiting and uncertainty
Releasing two epic fantasy books in seven months (and why book three gets all the time it needs)
Investing in human artists over AI art to draw readers in
Newsletters, giveaways, and the self-sacrificial side of indie marketing
Why "writing to market" isn't the answer
Every author has their own journey, and your craft grows with every book
A reminder for the online author community: we're all on the same teamAbout the book:
About the Book
A character-driven, fast-paced, Lord of the Rings-coded fantasy about a dream walker and her found family taking on the fallen angel who has conquered their world. Expect prophecy, revolution, a medium-burn romance with zero brooding animosity, and a story about honor, compassion, and humanity reclaiming its footing.
Instagram: @dakodamazziiauthor
