Author Interview: Michael Vadney

Michael Vadney is an American fantasy author and podcaster. Born in the Florida Keys and raised in the woods of Pennsylvania, Michael's love for storytelling began at an early age. His passion for fantasy literature was ignited by classics like The Hobbit and Redwall, inspiring him to create his own worlds filled with complex characters and fantastic magic.

In his early-thirties, he rekindled his childhood dream of becoming an author. Balancing a full-time career in software, he dedicated nights, weekends, and many dawns to writing, learning the craft through trial and error, online videos, and the writing community.

Through his debut novel Crownfall and the Author Adjacent podcast, Michael explores themes of power, justice, and survival while sharing the challenges and victories of the writing life. His approach to storytelling emphasizes complex characters facing impossible choices, intricate world-building that serves the narrative, and themes that resonate with real human experiences, even in fantastical settings.

INTERVIEW

MG: Tell us about Crownfall. 

MV: Crownfall is my debut novel, releasing in April, 2026.

It’s a nobledark fantasy adventure about a noble lady, a thief, and a magic engineer who find themselves radicalized against the government. At its core, it is a story about trust: the fear of placing faith in others, the pain of betrayal, and the scars left behind. It is also about learning to be worthy of trust after a life spent using people to survive, and about trusting yourself enough to realize just how much you are capable of.

The book blends political intrigue, fast-paced action, and a subtle romance, with a world that is equal parts hopeful and dark. Early readers have compared it to The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, and The Silverblood Promise by James Logan.

MG: What’s the deal with your podcast, Author Adjacent?

MV: Author Adjacent is a space for writers who are actively working toward authorship but aren’t quite ready to claim the title of “author.” It’s also the name of my podcast, which I launched in February 2024 to explore the craft of writing and connect with the wider community of readers and writers.

The goal is simple: to share my own journey from hobbyist writer to professional author while creating a place where others can learn, grow, and find encouragement along the way.

If you’re not quite ready to call yourself an author, Author Adjacent is here to remind you that you’re not walking this path alone.

I release a new episode every Friday, with the occasional bonus episode when life gives me a little extra time. Most episodes feature author interviews, conversations with writers at every stage of the journey, sharing their experiences and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. But you will also find book reviews and the occasional writing craft lesson. 

MG: Tell us about your favourite books and authors.  What do you love about them?

MV: I love books that make me feel, stories that pull me so deeply into another life that I walk away carrying emotions I’ve never lived through myself. The kind of books that let me experience joy, heartbreak, wonder, and loss in ways that linger long after I’ve closed the final page.

Most of what I read falls into fantasy, science fiction, and the occasional romance, but every so often I’ll dive into a classic that reminds me why certain stories endure. East of Eden by John Steinbeck is one I think of often for its raw humanity and sweeping scope.

In the past few years, a few books have really stayed with me:

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab—for its aching exploration of memory, art, and what it means to be seen.

This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone—a lyrical, impossible love story that reads like poetry disguised as science fiction.

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang—a sharp, devastating tale of ambition, morality, and the cost of power.

The Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman—chaotic, clever, and laugh-out-loud entertaining while still managing to surprise me emotionally.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir—a celebration of problem-solving, self discovery, and unlikely friendship set against the vast loneliness of space.

For me, the common thread isn’t genre so much as impact. I want a book to make me care, to make me wrestle with its characters’ choices, and to leave me a little different than I was before I picked it up.

MG: What’s your writing process like? 

MV: I’m a plotter. I need to know where a story is headed before I start writing; otherwise I get stuck in the million different directions it could go.

For Crownfall, I started by plotting each of my three main characters individually across the three-act structure. If it was good enough for Aristotle, it’s good enough for me. Once I had their arcs, I braided them together into a larger outline by order of events. That outline became a series of guideposts, narrowing the unknowns enough to keep me moving, while leaving space to discovery write my characters.

I always go into a chapter knowing who’s in it and what outcome I want by the end, but how we get there is something I leave for the page. I explore characters through their backstory, desires, and the moment they’re in.

I was fortunate to have a weekly writing group while drafting, and their feedback was invaluable. After finishing the first draft, I tackled big changes first—cutting, adding, and rearranging chapters—before drilling down into grammar or polish. No plan survives contact with the enemy, and by the end of draft one, I’d already made several major changes to plot and character.

After three rounds of revisions, I sent Crownfall to beta readers, a trusted group of friends and colleagues from the online writing community. Drafts four and five incorporated their feedback and strengthened the story even further. Finally, I worked through two more rounds with my editor before I considered the book complete.

I think it’s important to emphasize that I didn’t do this alone. Writing is often cast as a solitary act, but Crownfall only became what it is because of the honest, generous feedback I received along the way.

MG: Are you working on anything new?

MV: Yes! While Crownfall was away with my editor, I started worldbuilding and outlining a story I first dreamed up years ago. Back then, I didn’t feel ready to do it justice, but everything I learned writing Crownfall gave me the confidence to dive in.

It follows two half-brothers who travel back in time to prevent the accident that killed their mother. But when they witness the event, they discover the truth: she never died at all. She faked her death and disappeared. The brothers are snapped back to the present with only questions, and the story begins with their search to uncover where she’s been all these years, and why she left them in the first place.

The project is inspired by the emotional stakes of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, the time-bending complexity of James Islington’s Licanius Trilogy, and the layered worldbuilding of the Netflix series Arcane.

I’m incredibly excited about it, and I’ll be sharing updates on my website, through Author Adjacent, and in my newsletter as the story develops.

MG: Where can you be found online? 

MV: You can find me online as @michael_vadney on X and Instagram. 

For updates on my podcast, follow @AuthorAdjacent on X or YouTube.

You can also visit MichaelVadney.com for news, and to preorder physical copies of Crownfall directly from me. Digital editions are available for preorder on Amazon, and the audiobook is currently in the works.