
HowlerPod 119 - Interview w/ Author T.D. Orel
Mar 6, 2026
T.D. Orel, author of the Titan's Nest saga and creator of viral character content, chats about his map-driven worldbuilding and the elemental factions of Dazerath. He talks dragon eggs, bitten knights, and crafting moral ambiguity across perspectives. He also shares his self-publishing persistence and the social media breakthrough that grew his fandom.
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Dragon Eggs Seed The Bitten Knights
- The core premise: every century six dragon eggs fall; hatchlings bite chosen youths, merging minds and granting one of six elemental Furies.
- Darren, the underqualified younger brother, must secretly inherit his bitten brother Maximus's dragon and destiny.
Factions Give Instant Cultural Identity
- Orel used elemental factions to give readers instant recognition and belonging, inspired by Avatar The Last Airbender.
- He created six kingdoms each tied to an elemental Fury so readers can immediately identify culture and characteristics.
Keep Self-Publishing When Momentum Supports It
- If you build direct audience momentum as an indie author, consider continuing self-publishing to retain control during growth.
- Orel plans to self-publish books one through three and then reevaluate options with his agent.















