Mike Rawson Indie Author
Mike Rawson Indie Author

J Hirtle The Last Storyteller

Jim Hirtle talks with indie author Mike Rawson about his speculative World War II novel, from initial idea and character building to editing and self-publishing. The conversation also touches on AI tools, cover art, and the ongoing challenge of marketing a large, ambitious book.

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37:49•24 Jun 2026

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Secret Histories, Grimfang Wolves and Indie Grit with Author Mike Rawson

Episode Overview

Big, ambitious stories can grow from long-standing interests that finally collide into one central idea.
Characters need distinct voices and growth, especially when mixing humans, elves and historical figures in the same plot.
A tough development edit can cut large sections but sharpen the core story and emotional arcs.
AI can help with images, covers and ad copy, but it does not replace the sustained work of writing and revising.
Indie authors often need to test different platforms, keywords and campaigns to find what actually converts to sales.

“"The worst review I could ever have for this book was someone telling me it's boring."”

What drives someone to seek a life built on story, risk and sheer creative stubbornness? Here, poet and host Jim Hirtle chats with indie author Mike Rawson about his epic novel *Resonance Portal Wars: Book One – The Secret History of World War II*, a 500+ page mix of alternative history, horror, magic systems and cosmic sci-fi.

The conversation suits readers who love speculative fiction with teeth, and writers who want honest talk about the grind of getting a big, complicated book into readers’ hands. Mike explains how years of reading classic fantasy, a long-standing fascination with World War II, and modern obsessions like UFOs and AI all fused into a single idea. As he jokes, this convergence produced a story where Hitler, Ian Fleming, grimfang wolves and elves somehow share the same chessboard.

You’ll hear how he spent three to four years building a trilogy-ready story, only to lose the first hundred pages on a plane, and why he still chose old-school pen and paper as a kind of tech detox. He talks about characters gaining their own voices, especially complex figures like the elf Lothariel and a ruthless German villain, and the challenge of avoiding stereotypical fantasy tropes.

Mike also lifts the curtain on editing and indie publishing: a development editor who "killed 40%" of the draft to reveal the book’s true core, the painstaking layering of character depth after the main plot was in place, and the ongoing struggle of marketing in a digital jungle where thousands of new books appear every month.

His stance on AI art and tools is pragmatic: use them for covers, images and ads, but never as a shortcut for the hard work of writing. If you enjoy big, bold stories and candid talk about writing and self-publishing, this conversation might spark ideas for your own creative battles. What kind of story have you been ‘cooking’ in your head for years?

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