Aurelda Soul

About Aurelda Soul

Aurelda Soul is a queer-affirming podcast with epic queer fantasy, mythic storytelling, living lore, and spiritual reflection. Hosted by Jason Samadhi, author and Heart-Centered Creator of Aurelda, episodes explore The Aurelda Chronicles, The Book of Remembering, and the Aurelda Codex through audiobook chapters, lore, reflections, and conversations about belonging, identity, sacred remembrance, and coming home. For readers and seekers drawn to gay fantasy books, queer spirituality, and visionary fiction. All respectful people are welcome. Read free chapters: https://aurelda.com/subscribe/

Publisher

Jason Samadhi

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Mar 2025

Latest episode

1 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

32 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Nov 2026

   AI for Authors: The Real Cost of Building a Fantasy World

   How much does it really cost to bring an independent fantasy book series to life with AI? Author and digital strategist Jason Samadhi explores his journey creating Aurelda—a bilingual literary universe with illustrated chapters, an expanding Codex, and an evolving digital Reader. From AI-assisted publishing and creative production to the expertise of editors, illustrators, translators, and developers, Jason reflects on the possibilities, compromises, and responsibilities of creating with artificial intelligence. A personal exploration of AI for authors, independent publishing, adaptability, and why embracing new technology doesn't mean abandoning the value of human talent. Explore the Aurelda Reader The remembering begins with a story. Curious to experience the world behind this creative journey? Step into The Aurelda Chronicles and explore Chapter One of The Prophecy of Resonance in the preview of the upcoming Aurelda.com Reader. Discover the characters, the world, and the story that inspired it all. Explore the free Reader preview: https://aurelda.com/reader/

2. 

   24 Oct 2026

   AI Project Management for Creatives: 283 Images Later

   Yesterday, we finished 283 chapter illustrations for the Aurelda Reader. After months of creative work, I found myself facing a question I hadn't anticipated: how do I organize an AI-assisted website build without accidentally undoing the work I've already approved? In this episode of Aurelda Soul, I share the next stage of rebuilding Aurelda.com beyond WordPress, using ChatGPT Work to create a custom bilingual reading experience. The vision brings English and Mexican Spanish storytelling together with chapter artwork, narration, and character discovery. But behind that experience are hundreds of creative assets, competing file versions, design decisions, testing, and ongoing development. I'm now exploring how to organize separate AI-assisted workstreams while keeping human creative direction at the center. Could a coordinating lead and a specialized production workflow help manage the work more effectively? What needs to be verified before separate tasks can safely move forward? As an AI Creative Consultant and Digital Brand Strategist with more than 25 years of experience, I'm discovering that the essential skills remain familiar: defining objectives, protecting approved work, setting priorities, reviewing results, and knowing when something is actually finished. This is a real-world experiment in AI project management for creatives, digital asset management, human-AI collaboration, and responsible workflow automation. I'm sharing what we've completed, what we're testing, and what remains unresolved. Because making 283 illustrations is one achievement. Bringing them into a coherent, reliable reading experience is another. Explore the current bilingual Aurelda Reader at https://aurelda.com/reader/ #AIProjectManagement #AICreativeDirection #CreativeWorkflows #DigitalStrategy #HumanAICollaboration

3. 

   22 Oct 2026

   IngramSpark Distribution Problems: An Author's 20-Month Ordeal

   I wanted to write books. Instead, I spent nearly two years fighting the publishing systems that were supposed to help readers discover them. In this episode of Aurelda Soul, I share my personal experience with IngramSpark distribution problems, incorrect Amazon paperback covers, ISBN complications, publishing metadata errors, and the exhausting realities of independent book publishing. When I published The Aurelda Chronicles, a queer fantasy trilogy exploring love, identity, belonging, and sacred remembrance, I expected the greatest challenge to be finding readers. What I didn't anticipate was spending nearly 20 months navigating customer support tickets, investigating international book databases, correcting retailer listings, and trying to understand why approved book covers weren't appearing correctly. From Amazon to international booksellers in Sweden and South Korea, the experience exposed a troubling problem in modern publishing: a distribution system can report that everything is working while the books readers actually see remain incorrect, unavailable, or prohibitively expensive. I also explore the role of artificial intelligence and automation in publishing. AI has helped me investigate metadata discrepancies, organize evidence, translate correspondence, and communicate with international retailers. But it has also reinforced an important lesson: technology is only as useful as the human accountability behind it. This episode is about more than IngramSpark or Amazon. It's about the hidden costs of self-publishing, the challenges facing independent authors, and what happens when automated systems prioritize completing tasks over solving the problems people actually experience. I share the frustration, the lessons, the people who genuinely tried to help, and the emotional toll of watching administrative problems overshadow the joy of creating something meaningful. Because independent creators shouldn't have to become forensic investigators simply to ensure their work is represented accurately.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.