Hear us Roar: Recent Episodes
Maggie Smith
If you’re an aspiring author and want insights into what’s involved in launching a book into the world, this is the podcast for you. Maggie Smith, author and blogger, interviews debut novelists from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association discussing not only the inspiration behind their book, but also their insights into the writing process, the best advice they ever got, and the joys and sometimes pitfalls they encountered on their path to publication.
This week our guest is Lindsay Marie Morris (The Last Letter from Sicily, Storm Publishing, January 2025). We discuss how actually going to your book's location beats online research, the difference between writing as a journalist and as a novelist, and why it's good to have a second novel in your back pocket when you're querying your debut. We also explore content creation as a marketing approach (Lindsay published 300 articles related to her book in the months before publication) and how you also need a plan to maintain momentum after your debut's release.
Lindsay Marie Morris is a novelist and journalist in Los Angeles. Inspired by her Sicilian-American roots, her debut novel traces a World War II–era story of love, resilience, and family secrets that spans continents and generations. Her second novel, Beneath the Sicilian Stars, returns to this pivotal moment in history, following a family divided between California and Sicily whose lives are forever changed by the war, forcing them to confront questions of loyalty, belonging, and sacrifice. A graduate of Marquette University, Lindsay began her career in magazine publishing, serving as an editor at publications including Folio: and Shape, before expanding into digital media and nonprofit communications. She coaches writers, visits book clubs, and blogs about history, culture, and writing. She has presented lectures at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, libraries, bookstores, museums, and organizations throughout the US.
To learn more about Lindsay, click here.
Our podcast guest this week is N. J. Mastro (Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft, Black Rose Writing, February 2025) Nancy's debut is an historical, biographical novel of the woman most people consider the first true feminist. We discuss how to deal with the news that two novels with the same general subject matter are being released right before yours, how she had to narrow her focus to Mary's last ten years, and how research is never over, even during revision. Finally, we talk about how and why Nancy changed her cover after publication and the WFWA groups which were instrumental to her writing success. N.J. Mastro writes historical fiction and publishes Herstory Revisited, a blog where she reviews biographical novels about prominent women from the past. In 2025, she published her debut novel, Solitary Walker: A Novel of Mary Wollstonecraft. Besides writing, Mastro is an avid reader, a seasoned cook, and a wine enthusiast. A former school superintendent, she holds a doctorate in educational leadership, a master's in school administration, and a bachelor's degree in elementary education. Originally from Minnesota, she and her husband retired to South Carolina so they could golf year around. You can find N.J. and her blog Herstory Revisited on Substack at https://nancy691.substack.com/.
To learn more about N.J., click here.
This week's podcast guest is Lisa F. Rosenberg (Fine, I'm a Terrible Person, Sibylline Press, January 2025). What happens when you come across a character so juicy you want someone to write about them and the only person who can is you? If you're Lisa F. Rosenberg, you go back to school to get an MFA, make your thesis a debut novel, and enter the world of writing. We discuss her journey, including working with a woman-centric publisher, learning to grow from feedback, and the process of finding the community and the venues that match your novel. Lisa Rosenberg has a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley in Art History, a M.A. in Graduate Humanities, and MFA in Creative writing from Dominican University. Her early professional career was in the blue-chip retail art world as a Gallerist for several prominent San Francisco art dealers including Crown Point Press and John Berggruen Gallery. After transitioning to museum education, she was most recently a public guide at SFMOMA and Museum Educator on staff at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco. Her writing until recently has been in her professional life, primarily non-fiction, essays for exhibition catalogs, art criticism, tours, and public talks. Her fiction has appeared in Amaranth: a journal of food writing, art, and design, and she was recently a quarter-finalist in the Driftwood Press in house short story contest. Her debut novel: Fine, I'm a Terrible Person was published in January of 2025 by Sibylline Press.
To learn more about Lisa, click here.
Our guest this week is Evelyn Ann Casey (Candlewood, Three Towers Press, February 2025). Evelyn's debut, set in the 1970's, is considered historical fiction and we commiserate about how old that makes us feel. Then we discuss how Flea Bag's second season with its "hot priest" theme helped her see deeper into her own novel which centers around both a predatory priest and a forbidden love story. Listen to hear her take on Catholic vs. Christian-based small presses and what a bookseller taught her about what shelf her novel actually belonged on (hint: it wasn't romance). Evelyn Ann Casey writes stories filled with grace and gumption. Her writing asks hard questions yet reflects hope in the darkest hours. A love of language and storytelling grew from her Chicago roots in a multi-ethnic neighborhood filled with Irish brogues, Sicilian music, and the banter of Jewish delis. Evelyn worked in government relations in Milwaukee and Madison before managing outreach programs in healthcare at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. When not exploring locales near and far with her husband, Evelyn attends music and theatre venues as often as possible and volunteers with community reading programs.
To learn more about Evelyn, click here.
This week's podcast guest is Angela Douglas (Every Fall, indie published, January 2025). Initially published by Rising Action, Angela bought her rights back to her debut and is now releasing her second book as well, The Mentor. We discuss having to take mental-health breaks during the writing because of more serious subject matter, and how many of the critiques she got back from beta readers and editors suggested changing different things, making revision tricky. We explore what's different about publishing in Canada, how she advises new authors to not say yes to everything to avoid burnout and she describes her new venture, Eyes on Books, where peers share marketing successes and missteps and learn from each other's experiences. Angela Douglas is an award-winning Canadian author of psychological thrillers, based in the Okanagan. Her debut novel, Every Fall, has been recognized by the Crime Writers of Canada Excellence Awards, the Canadian Book Club Awards, the Pen Craft Awards, and the National Indie Excellence Awards. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Crime Writers of Canada, the Women's Fiction Writers Association and Sisters in Crime. She is also the founder of Eyes on Books, a Book Marketing Hub. When she isn't working or hanging out with her family, she hides in her studio, writing. Her next psychological thriller, The Mentor, comes out in Fall 2026.
To learn more about Angela, click here.
Our guest this week is Mary Hansen (The Traveling Archivist Eastern Oregon, Luminare Press, January 2025). We delve into the differences between a librarian and an archivist, how Mary thinks of archival research as a 'creative act', how a PBS documentary provided the inspiration for her debut, and the positives of working with a book coach who doesn't try to change your story. Then she discusses how she initially used SubStack as a safe, low-profile rehearsal space for testing out her unique voice and how her character's rich back story became her follow-up novel. Mary B. Hansen is a writer and archivist who understands the power of stories and information to transform lives, including her own. As a writer, Mary uses story to facilitate change and deepen emotion. As an archivist, she sees information, archival and current, as a tool for finding our place in the larger world. Mary is a Certified Archivist with a Master's in Library and Information Science. She is currently focused on writing about archives rather than working in them. She lives and writes in Portland, Oregon with her partner, 2 cats and a very smart Australian Shepherd.
To learn more about Mary, go to https://marybhansen.com/
This week's guest is Wanda Penalver Bevan (The Rains of Wishton, The Book Reality Experience, February 2025). We discuss writing dual timelines, point of view, and what it's like to write a "story within a story". Wanda describes how she used an existing book club as beta readers before her book was published, her experiences with a hybrid press, and her "try everything and find out what sticks" approach to marketing. WANDA PENALVER BEVAN was born in Ithaca, New York. A graduate of Northwestern University, she's worked as an actress, legal assistant, event manager, and hotel industry professional. She's the songwriter of Little Girl, a tribute to the youngest victim of the 2011 Tucson shooting that wounded former Arizona congresswoman, Gabby Giffords, and her poem America's Child is on display at the Oklahoma City National Memorial honoring those who perished in the federal building bombing in 1995. Her latest book, The Rains of Wishton (2025) is the second in the Wishton series, following her first novel, Their Souls Met in Wishton, (2016). She is also the author of A Slow Dance in Memoriam and Other Poems, (2022), a poetry anthology. After three decades in southern California, Wanda now lives in Phoenix.
To learn more, go to Wanda's website https://www.wandaswayiswrite.com/about
Our guest this week is Lisa Montanaro (Everything We Thought Was True, Red Adept, January 2025). We discuss how Lisa taps into her background as an actress to "method act" her novels as she writes, including acting out scenes and writing scenes out of order based on her personal headspace that day. In the publication arena, she points out pluses and minuses to going traditional but with a smaller press and the differences between writing and marketing non-fiction and fiction. Finally we examine the challenges of distribution to bookstores and why book clubs are the best. Lisa Montanaro is part no-nonsense Italian American New Yorker and part sunny Californian. Her background encompasses performer, teacher of the Deaf, lawyer, productivity consultant, writer coach, speaker, and author. Lisa's debut novel, Everything We Thought Was True, published by Red Adept Publishing, drew inspiration from her family history and examines the corrosive nature of secrets—those we keep from ourselves, from each other, and from society. It won Best New Fiction/Debut in the 2025 American Writing Awards and first place for LGBTQ Fiction in the 2024 International Firebird Book Awards, among other awards. Lisa has served as webinar host for WFWA since 2019 and is a passionate member of its Diversity and Inclusion committee. When not writing, you can find her cycling and hiking with her veterinarian husband, gardening, and chasing after her rescue dog. Lisa has enjoyed living snow-free since 2012 in Northern California, where she's made it her mission to sample the wines of the region.
To learn more about Lisa and subscriber to hew newsletter Prosecco & Prose, click here.
This week's guest is Rosa Kwon Easton (White Mulberry, Lake Union, December 2024). We discuss how an unusual query approach got Rosa her dream agent, who helped her strategically pinpoint editors during submission resulting in a two-book deal with Amazon and a selection as a First Reads. We also delve into why you might want to hire a publicist, financing your own book tour, and how your college alumnae group may be your secret weapon in finding book clubs. Rosa Kwon Easton is a Korean American lawyer, a library trustee, and the author of the debut novel, White Mulberry, an Amazon First Reads Editor's Pick and a #1 Best Seller in Historical Fiction. Her novel has been reviewed by Booklist and named a "Best Book" by Parade Magazine, BookBub, and Book Riot, among others. Easton is an Anaphora Writing Residency Fellow, a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association, and her work has been published in CRAFT Literary, Electric Literature, Writer's Digest and elsewhere. A graduate of Smith College, Columbia University, and Boston College Law School, she resides with her husband and Maltipoo in sunny Southern California. White Mulberry has been translated into multiple languages, and her sequel, Red Seal, is due out in October 2026.
For more information about Rosa, go to https://rosakwoneaston.com/
Our guest this week is Kristin Owens (Elizabeth Sails, Rising Action Publishing, October 2024). We discuss how Kristin's critique group convinced her to write a novel instead of short fiction, how a trip on the Queen Mary inspired her setting, and how she learned to stop being kind to her main character and to get tough instead. Then we discuss how she's paired with cruise lines like Cunard to market her book, spending six months last year on ships where she lectures about the publishing industry and teaches classes. Kristin Owens holds a Ph.D. in higher education and is an award-winning faculty member with over 25 years university experience. Now a full-time writer in sticky southwest Florida, Kristin has over 100 bylines with celebrated magazines such as Wine Enthusiast, Writer's Digest, and 5280. Her personal essays have won Honorable Mention for the New Millennium Writing Awards, awarded finalist for the New Letters' award in nonfiction, and included in RISE! Colorado's Book of the Year. Her debut novel, Elizabeth Sails, was shortlisted for The Gilda Prize and Killer Nashville's Silver Falchion Award for Best Cozy. With her background in instructional design, she takes complex subjects and breaks them down into entertaining bite-sized pieces. Her high-energy presentations motivate writers to stick with it.
To learn more about Kristin, go to her website https://www.kristin-owens.com/
This week we talk with Faye Arcand (Inside Outside, indie published November 2024). Learn how a best-seller psychological suspense informed Faye's debut plot, how she delved into a fourteen-year-old's brain, and how having an agent didn't work out for her. Then we discuss the importance of an author website and how having a plan for marketing makes everything smoother. And don't miss her quirky secret—it's a doozy. Faye Arcand is the author of the award-winning psychological suspense novel INSIDE OUTSIDE. Arcand spent several years working within the criminal justice system before travelling the world. Every experience is fodder for her twisted writer brain. She's fascinated by the quirks and perspectives life presents as she peers through the lens of deviance, mental health, fear, or anything antisocial, weird, or different. When she's not eavesdropping on a conversations or observing from afar, you'll find her studying reality TV, chatting with her golden retriever Piper, or editing her upcoming thriller, Can You See Me? She lives somewhere in the wilds of British Columbia, Canada.
To learn more about Faye, go to https://fayearcand.com/
Our guest this week is Stephanie Claypool (A Thousand Tiny Stitches, Atmosphere Press, November 2024) Here how tips about outlining from both James Patterson and J.K. Rowling were key to Stephanie's finding a new way to approach her novel, which she wrote out in narrative form and on a spreadsheet first before drafting a word. Hear why she chose a hybrid press over a small press and how she plans to write a series centered not around her characters but around the town she invented for her debut. Stephanie Claypool, a native of metro New York, weaves her diverse life experiences into stories that celebrate resilience and the surprising untapped capabilities that lie within us all. From London to San Diego and Annapolis, her journey eventually led her to call Pittsburgh home, where she lives with her retired Navy husband, her father, and a menagerie of beloved pets. Beyond her writing desk, Stephanie pursues passions as varied as her travels. An enthusiast of cooking and wine, fountain pens and notebooks, and fabrics and threads, her greatest joys are the simple things in life. As Vice President of Finance for the Women's Fiction Writers Association, Stephanie is an active member of the writing community. Her debut novel, A Thousand Tiny Stitches, was published in November 2024.
To learn more about Stephanie, go to https://stephanieclaypool.com/
This week we talk with Zelly Ruskin (Not Yours to Keep, She Writes Press, October 2024). We delve into the 3 unrelated parts of her past—her former career, an ex-boyfriend, and her own experiences with IVF—that coalesced into the spine of her debut novel, how she put off major surgery to finish her rough draft, and how she found her way into a male man character by reading Jane Austen. Hear her cautionary tale of sending out a manuscript too early and why she used both contests and an outside PR firm to market her book. In her first career, Zelly was a social worker in the adoption and foster care field. From there, she owned an online retail store specializing in hand-painted children's gifts and party favors. Along the way, Zelly volunteered and raised funds for several non-profit organizations. In an alternate universe, she is probably an event planner. But once she moved to New York City, Zelly gave in to the compulsion to write women's fiction spiced with suspense about motherhood, relationships, loss and love. Her debut novel, Not Yours to Keep, published in 2024 and her second book,, One of Us Must Die ( She Writes Press) will publish in October 2026.
When she's not devising twisty plots, Zelly loves traveling, hiking, and is passionate about and volunteers for Brain Aneurysm Awareness. Her involvement in the cause is driven by personal experiences, including surviving an unruptured brain aneurysm, the tragic loss of a family member to a rupture, and supporting a friend in their recovery.
To learn more about Zelly, go to https://zellyruskin.com/
Our guest this week is Kay Smith-Blum (Tangles, Black Rose Writing, December 2024). We discuss how two unrelated occurrences in one week—one a vivid dream, the second cocktails with an old friend—led Kay into a nine-month rabbit hole of research about Hanford, WA, a former nuclear facility on the Columbia River which produced plutonium for the US nuclear weapons programs during the Cold War era. We also contrast the responses she got from agents (crickets) vs. small presses (10 out of 12 requests) when querying and how the best way to know how readers will react to your book is to let numerous critique groups read your book and give you feedback. Kay Smith-Blum, a former fashionista and Seattle School Board President, launched her third career as a writer of mid-20th-century history in 2016. The recent upheaval over leaking radioactive waste tanks at the Hanford Nuclear site and an odd dream compelled her to write her debut novel, TANGLES. A deeply human Cold War tale about the issues created by any type of nuclear production, TANGLES was recently honored as Best Historical Mystery/Suspense at the 2025 American Fiction Awards Book Fest, Best Debut Fiction by the American Writing Awards, 2025 Best Regional Fiction/West by the Nat'l Indie Excellence Awards and also named Book of the Year by the Literary Global Book Awards. Smith-Blum, a sunrise writer, has lived in Seattle for four decades. Smith-Blum also works out her writer's block in her sons' gardens and the nearest lap pool. A second novel is in the works.
To learn more about Kay, go to https://www.kaysmith-blum.com
This week's guest is Dena Polko (Don't Drop Dad, Maine Authors Publishing, October 2024). An event in Dena's family 25 years ago planted the kernel of a book idea that she finally brought to life during the pandemic in her debut novel about a close-knit Italian family, complete with feuds, secrets, and lots of scrumptious recipes. A marketing professional for non-profits in a previous career, Dena brought her expertise to book marketing and we explore some of the ways she's piggybacked on existing regional events to create connections with her readers. DENA POLKO retired from her work as a speech-language pathologist when the pandemic hit to help take care of her grandchildren. When not rocking, feeding, chasing, or playing under blanket tents with her three grands, she writes, reads, and loves exploring Maine with her husband, Tom. Dena and Tom live on the coast of Maine and also enjoy time at their camp in the western Maine mountains. Dena's book was recently selected by Maine Public for the "All Books Considered" book club. Dena's author chat with host Bill Nemitz will premiere on Tuesday, December 15, 2026.
To learn more about Dena, go to https://www.denapolko.com/
Our guest this week is Paulette Brooks (Not Just a Homemaker: The Extraordinary Life of Sheila MacGregor, indie published, September 2024). Paulette has two major gurus: Stephen King and Jane Friedman and we discuss how each has affected her writing. We also explore how she pulled in various family members to help bring her book to market, a "vintage writers" group she belongs to for those over 70, the components and structure of a successful newsletter, and how getting a tattoo resulted in her mention in the Modern Love column of the NY Times that went viral. A retired librarian and debut novelist, Paulette Brooks was born in Toronto and lived in Canada for the first half of her life. She is a member of Women's Fiction Writers Association, National League of American Pen Women, and Central Indiana Writers Association. She had two short stories published in the Gal's Guide Anthology 2025 and another in Feisty Deeds II: Historical Tales of Batches and Brews. Paulette is researching her next historical novel while promoting her book at Library Author Fair events and book clubs. She lives with her husband outside of Indianapolis where, when not writing, she loves to read, bake pies, hike nature trails, and work on jigsaw puzzles, all the while trying to keep up with the activities of her six grandchildren.
To learn more about Paulette, click here.
This week's guest is Julie McDonald Zander (The Reluctant Pioneer, St. Helen's Press, September 2024). An historical novel of a real-life woman who crossed the country on the Oregon Trail in 1847 and settled in the state of Washington, Julie's debut was her first attempt at fiction after years spent as both a reporter and columnist on the non-fiction side. We discuss the difference between the two genres, the invaluable advice she got from her critique group, and the hats she also wears as owner of her own small press which helps others write their memoirs. Julie McDonald Zander, an award-winning journalist, earned a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from the University of Washington before working two decades as a newspaper reporter and editor. Through her personal history company, Chapters of Life, she has published more than 90 individual, family, business, and community histories. Her debut novel, The Reluctant Pioneer, won a silver Will Rogers Medallion for inspirational fiction and American Bookfest's 20205 Best Book Award for religious fiction, and it was a finalist for Western Writers of America's Spur Award for Best Historical Novel. Her second novel, Shattered Peace: A Century of Silence, was released in spring 2025. She and her husband live in Southwest Washington, where they raised their two children.
To learn more about Julie, go to https://sthelenspress.net/
Our podcast guest this week is Leissa Shahrak (Half the World, Atmosphere Press, September 2024). Set in Iran during the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Leissa's book is based on her own experiences living there during that time and her desire to share themes of cultural, language, and religious differences that inform current world events. We also discuss what happens when your pub date happens on the same day a hurricane devastates your town and shuts down not only roads but power and communications. Leissa Shahrak experienced the Iranian Revolution firsthand when she taught English in Iran. Her writing credits include stories published in Del Sol Review, the Bellevue Literary Review, and a British anthology, The Final Chapter: Writings on the End of Life. A life-long traveler and enthusiast of international literature, she now resides in Asheville, North Carolina, with a chess aficionado, a spoiled Shih-Tzu named Scamp, and the occasional black bear.
To learn more about Leissa, click here.
This week's guest is Beth Dotson Brown (Rooted in Sunrise, Koehler Books, September 2024). Beth discusses how she came to write a coming-of-age book for middle-aged women because of a tornado that hit her Kentucky town, how she chose between several hybrid publishers, and how important community is to her as a writer. Finally we discuss finding your "why" and setting your personal goals for your book and how that can effect everything from your plot and your characters, to your publishing route, to setting up an effective and efficient marketing strategy. Beth Dotson Brown is the author of Rooted in Sunrise, a novel about starting over after a natural disaster. She's also an award-winning feature writer, short story author and essayist. Beth is the author of Yes! I Am Catholic and a contributor to A Cup of Comfort for Breast Cancer Survivors and Scenes from the Common Wealth. Heartland Plays published her collection of one-act plays. Her short stories have been published in literary magazines and aired on the BBC World Service Short Story Programme. Beth lives in Lancaster, Kentucky where she enjoys gardening, cooking and spending time with family and friends.
To learn more about Beth, click here.
On the podcast this week we welcome Christine Gunderson (Friends with Secrets, Lake Union, August 2024). In a wide-ranging discussion, we cover finding an agent who is a real partner, selling book on "proposal" rather than a completed manuscript, and how putting yourself on a "1,000 words a day diet" might help keep you on track. Finally, we look at examining your "why" and learning to differentiate between activities we do that are fun and make us feel good vs. things that actually sell books and how to allocate your time accordingly. Christine Gunderson grew up on a fourth-generation family farm in rural North Dakota where she read Laura Ingalls Wilder books in her very own little house on the prairie. She's a former television anchor and reporter and former Capitol Hill press secretary. She currently lives in the Washington D.C. suburbs with her husband and three children. Her debut novel, Friends with Secrets was an Amazon bestseller, an Amazon Editors First Reads pick and winner of the Women's Fiction Writer's Association Star Award for Best Debut Novel. Her next novel, Behind White Picket Fences, releases in June of 2026 with Lake Union.
For more information, go to www.christinegunderson.com.
This week's guest is Nancie Abuhaidar (The Trouble with Possibilities, indie published, September 2024). The idea for Nancie's debut originated with her sister but was passed on to Nancie to bring into being, although it had to be totally reworked after a trip to the African continent where the story takes place. We discuss how writing doesn't have to be a solitary endeavor, where Nancie found help, how effective Instagram blog tours were to publicizing her book, and how getting over the embarrassment of "hawking her book" directly to readers is an ongoing challenge. From a young age Nancie had a head full of stories and an obsession with animals, especially horses. Nancie grew up in suburban Philadelphia, transplanted to Vermont with her son, then landed in upstate New York. A late bloomer academically, Nancie entered the Frances Perkins Scholarship Program at Mount Holyoke College. She graduated with a BA in English and a Five College Certificate in International Relations. Her sister and mother-in-law want you to know she graduated Magna Cum Laude, is a Phi Beta Kappa member, and received high honors for her narrative non-fiction thesis, The Women in the Picture.
Nancie resides on a Hudson Valley farm with her husband, dogs, and horses. When she's not cleaning up her menagerie's mess, she lets her imagination loose in her writing dungeon. Nancie writes women's fiction, twisty upmarket novels, and has an upper YA fantasy duology lurking in her drawer. She is a member of the WFWA and SCBWI.
To learn more about Nancie, go to https://nancieabuhaidar.com/
Our podcast guest this week is Jan Heidrich-Rice (Secrets of the Blue Moon, indie published, September 2024). We discuss making up a whole small town for your setting, basing characters on people you know, and why writing her first novel often meant asking for help from fellow writers, including WFWA members. And listen at the end for a cute story of Jan's favorite review from an unexpected source. Jan Heidrich-Rice writes contemporary fiction and creative nonfiction—occasionally haunting, often funny, but always filled with hope and heart. Her Marnie Putnam Mystery Trilogy features cozy-dark Southern mysteries that weave together small-town secrets, emotional healing, and whispers of the supernatural. Book #1 of the trilogy, Secrets of the Blue Moon, was recognized as an Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite in Women's Fiction (2026) and as an American Book Fest Finalist for Cross Genre Fiction (2025). Jan's nonfiction combines insight and humor to help readers navigate midlife shifts, creative reinvention, and the beautiful mess that real-life detours bring. Whether she's exploring other-worldly possibilities or real-life crossroads, her work is rooted in hope and human connection.
To learn more about Jan, go to https://www.janheidrichrice.com/
This week's guest is Jessica Maffetore (Eleanora in Pieces, Black Rose Writing, September 2024). If you've ever wondered about what happens when a small press "ghosts" its writers and eventually breaks its contract, this is a must-listen. Jessica describes the process of surviving this challenge and finding another small press about losing a year in publishing purgatory, and the hidden pluses that came from that experience, including a longer runway for social media and the networking community of fellow writers that helped her navigate. Jessica Maffetore is the New England based author of the women's fiction novel, Eleanora in Pieces (Black Rose Writing, Sept 2024). Her writing has appeared in several literary magazines and she has been a guest columnist for the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise. Jessica attended the University of Hartford for undergraduate studies in Public Relations and Journalism and holds a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Fitchburg State University. When she is not writing, Jessica is running marathons, going for walks with her rescue dogs, being tolerated by her three teenagers, growing vegetables in her garden, working at her day job in marketing, and dreaming about where she and her husband should travel next.
To learn more about Jessica, go to https://www.jessicamaffetore.com/
Our podcast guest this week is Natalie Dossett (Sarita, Atmosphere Press, September 2024). Natalie's novel, set in west Texas during the 1920's Prohibition era, is a love letter to where she grew up and her family's history, We discuss how she learned skills through a creative writing program, her method of doing historical research, and how she advises new writers to find the time to write through a structured process, no matter what it is. Lastly, we discuss how entering contests can provide needed exposure for your books through not only your own PR but those from the contest management as well. Natalie Musgrave Dossett, award winning author, grew up in San Antonio. A seventh-generation Texan, she spent a lot of time on ranches listening to (mostly tall) tales of the Wild Horse Desert. Natalie's love of history and passion for writing were nurtured by wonderful high school teachers and strengthened while earning a BA in History at VandeTorbilt University. She lives in Dallas and enjoys a large, growing family with her husband.
To learn more about Natalie, go to https://nataliemdossett.com/
This week's guest is Leilani Garrett (After the Burn, Palmetto Publishing, August 2024). Leilani shares sage advice from her first writing mentor, how her debut incorporated her struggles both personally and in the tech world as a woman of color, and how she first lost her editor, then her agent, but still kept going. Hear about the workbook with exercises which she created as a companion to her novel and her adjunct career working with corporate America to use storytelling techniques to create empathy in business teams. Leilani spent more than two decades in corporate sales and leadership, navigating high-stakes environments, leading teams, and closing multi-million-dollar deals. But behind every win, she saw what most companies were missing: connection. In rooms focused on performance metrics, she paid attention to what moved people, what shut them down, and what made them feel seen. Today, she's a creative force redefining leadership, connection, and culture through storytelling. A celebrated fiction author and sought-after speaker, she brings radical empathy to the stage and the page. Her work bridges personal growth and organizational impact, helping leaders and teams break down silos, build trust, and show up more fully human. With a voice that's as bold as it is warm, Leilani equips her audiences with the tools to transform not just how they work, but who they become. To learn more about Leilani, go to https://www.leilani-garrett.com
Our podcast guest this week is Erica Colahan (The Oystercatcher of Southwark, Chrism Press, July 2024). A dual timeline historical novel set in turn-of-the-century Philadelphia and based on Erica's great-great-grandmother's dramatic story, this novel was born out of Erica's desire to explore her family's history and resulted in various serendipitous discoveries including another whole branch of her family. We discuss scenes she avoided writing, how she had to kill several darlings during editing, how to build a social media platform from scratch, and what Stephen King taught her about writing.
Erica Colahan is the award-winning author of The Oystercatcher of Southwark, a third-place winner in the 2025 Association of Catholic Publishers Excellence in Publishing Awards, and the Historical Fiction Company's 2024 Wells Time Travel-Dual Timeline Category bronze medal winner. Based on the true story of her great-great-grandmother, the novel explores the profound love of a mother for her children and the redemptive hope that transcends time.
Living in the Philadelphia region with her large family, Erica relies on copious amounts of coffee to keep up with her busy offspring while working full-time and pursuing her hobbies. A numbers gal working in the accounting department, Erica finds time for reading and creative writing every day. For relaxation, Erica loves to knit, kayak on the lake, and listen to her children say "Mom, Mom!" all day long.
To learn more about Erica, go to https://ericacolahan.com/
This week's guest is Cathelina Duvert (The Box, indie published, July 2024). Over 20 years in the making, this debut novel initially sprang from the author's own struggles with depression and her desire to use her degree in creative writing and her knowledge of the publishing industry to fashion a novel focusing on this mental health issue for a woman of color. She received invaluable help from WFWA's mentor program but because of the adult themes in her novel and her day job as a teacher, she chose to publish under a pen name. Cathelina Duvert's debut novel, The Box, was born from her own experiences with depression. Recognized for her work, Duvert received an Honorable Mention in the 2024 Chapter One Writing Competition by Black Writers Workspace. Just one year later, Cathelina earned First Place in the same competition in 2025 for her forthcoming sophomore novel. She continues to share her journey through her writing, shedding light on the complexities of mental health with authenticity, focusing on how five specific strategies can help with the healing process. She lives in New York City with her twin sister and her rescue kitten Maxie.
For more information on Cathelina and her works, visit www.cathelinaduvert.com
Our podcast guest this week is Amily D'Nas (Beneath the Swaying Willow, indie published, July 2024). Amily joined an existing writing group when she met a member through her day job and found a home with supportive and experienced authors who encouraged her to write a novel informed by her parent's experiences during the Vietnam War era and the family trauma that followed. We discuss why she chose to indie published her debut and the pluses and minuses of being in control of everything, including the cover design and the book tour. Amily D'Nas was born and raised in Southern New England and now calls South Florida home. She earned her MBA from the University of Massachusetts and is a member of the Authors Guild, the Chicago Writers Association, and the Women's Fiction Writer's Association. Her award-winning, debut, historical fiction novel, Beneath the Swaying Willow, raises awareness of the mistreatment of our Vietnam veterans who returned home to a divided nation and aims to educate readers and reduce stigma associated with PTSD and veteran suicide. She is a proud supporter of our nation's military veterans and survivors of suicide loss.
To learn more about Amily, go to https://amilydnas.com/
This week's guest is Sharon Wishnow (The Pelican Tide, Lake Union, June 2024). Sharon describes how she used both her networking contacts and her background as a non-fiction editor to research the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and its devastating effect on the Gulf Coast, in particular the Grand Isle area of Louisiana. We discuss the iterations her novel underwent during the acquisition phase and the seven editors Lake Union gave her to hone her story, including a Cajun proofreader and a sensitivity reader as well as her deep dive into how to write about animals, in this case a brown pelican named Gumbo. Listen to the end for Sharon's advice to newer writers about what it takes to succeed in traditional publishing. Sharon J. Wishnow is a transplanted New Englander who makes her home in Northern Virginia. In addition to writing upmarket fiction with environmental themes, Sharon writes non-fiction in the science, technology, and business categories with a passion for research, seashells, birds, and the ocean.
Sharon is the former Vice President of Communications for the Women's Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), the founder of Women's Fiction Day, and is the Editorial Advisor of the WFWA magazine, WriteOn! She has an MFA from George Mason University. She regularly speaks about research and writing and publishes a regular newsletter, Research for Writers and Other Curious People. When she's not writing or researching, you can find her in the garden, watching the birds in her backyard, or feedinghttp peanuts to her local squirrels.
To learn more about Sharon, go to https://sharonwishow.com.
To learn more about how to help Grand Isle rebuild, go to https://restoregrandisle.com/#jointheeffort
Our podcast guest this week is Hadley Leggett (All They Ask is Everything, Lake Union, August 2024). We discuss the intensive research Hadley did to learn about the foster system, how she changed from first to third POV and the difference in made in the novel's narrative voice, and how winning the Rising Star contest help her find an agent. Then we delve into the collaborative process after signing her publishing contract, including deleting a chapter, softening a secondary character and finding the perfect cover. Hadley Leggett writes twisty family dramas that explore truth in shades of gray. Her first novel, All They Ask Is Everything, won the 2025 Nancy Pearl Book Award and the Rising Star Award from the Women's Fiction Writers Association. Her writing has appeared in the Bellevue Literary Review, Literary Mama, Wired.com, and Greater Good Magazine, among others. Before becoming an author, she earned her medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco and worked as a medical writer. She currently lives in Seattle with her family, including her three children, three cats, and a very sassy rescue pup.
To learn more about Hadley, go to https://hadley.ink or at Substack at https://writingchat.substack.com.
This week's guest is Melissa Collings (The False Flat, Montlake/Amazon publishing, June 2024). Melissa talks about learning to filter conflicting feedback from an early writing group that stifled her flow, how she edited her debut as though it was someone else's, and how she's a fickle fan of social media. Don't miss the end where Melissa describes finding your "why" as a writer, and how writing a newsletter is her single biggest recommendation for authors building a lasting career. And if you've ever wondered about the pluses and (a few) minuses of publishing through Amazon, this is an interview you won't want to miss.
Melissa R. Collings is an award-winning author and former spine surgery physician associate. She writes diverse romance, women's fiction and psychological thrillers that balance laughter, heartbreak, and emotional depth. When she's not writing or plotting, you can find her chasing her two kids in Nashville, studying preventative health, or losing herself in a painting. Her imagination never fails to get her into trouble, and she lives by the philosophy: nothing is impossible, and everything is better with glitter—except surgical wounds.
To learn more about Melissa, click here.
Our guest this week is Kim McCollum (What Happens in Montana, Black Rose Writing, January 2024). Kim discusses how writing was her first love but she was told it wasn't a "practical career", how imposter syndrome interfered with her writing process and how she dealt with it, and how the best writing advice she received was to write the ending early on so you know where you're going. And don't miss the tale of the cross-country book tour she and a fellow novelist organized that took them to 27 bookstores from Montana to Maine.
Kim McCollum graduated from Barnard College with a major in Japanese and was soon navigating the hustle and bustle of Wall Street. When her first child was born a few years later, she stayed home to raise her children. Once they headed off to school, Kim finally found time to pursue her passion for writing. Her awardwinning debut novel, What Happens in Montana, was published in January 2024, and her short stories have appeared in several publications. She lives in Bozeman, Montana, with her supportive husband, Brian, and their blended menagerie of five kids and three spoiled pets.
To learn more about Kim, click here.
This week's guest is Wendy Haller (The Flannigan Girls, Stillwater River Publications, June 2024). Because Wendy's debut centers around sisterhood, we discuss sibling bonds, birth order research, and the experts she turned to both professionally and in her personal life when writing An author who writes out of order and skips around in various genres (she's written both a children's book series, a poetry chapbook, and now women's fiction), Wendy shares the positives and negatives to not "picking a lane" but writing whatever excites you at your particular stage in life.
Wendy Haller has always believed in the power of stories—the ones we tell, the ones we live, and the ones that change us along the way. After nearly two decades as a special education preschool teacher, she traded lesson plans for plotlines and now writes the kinds of stories that tug at the heart. Her children's books are playful and full of purpose, crafted for parents and kids to share teachable moments with laughter and love. Her novels, meanwhile, offer a tender escape—emotionally rich, coming-of-age tales that feel raw, real, and deeply human. When not writing, Wendy can be found wandering nature trails, unrolling her yoga mat, or curled up with a cup of tea, a book, and two very spoiled cats.
To learn more about Wendy, click here.
My guest this week is Catherine Matthews (Releasing the Reins, indie published, June 2024). Catherine describes writing a first draft of your debut as "building the airplane while flying it" but got lots of help and support from various writing groups she joined and classes she took. Her mash-up novel blends western, women's fiction, and mystery genres as well as a complicated structure with dual timelines and multi-POV's. After nine requests for fulls from agents, but no offer, she decided to do the indie route, saying she's "the best champion for this book" and augmented her marketing efforts through contests, book tours, and an author collaborative network in the PW region.
Catherine Matthews is an award-winning author who starts her day at 4 a.m. with a cup of coffee and an online writing session with her favorite authors from around the world. A proud Pacific Northwest native, she brings her roots to the page by telling the stories about strong women who face the storm and live their dreams—and the faithful hounds who love them. Her books, Releasing the Reins and Roadside Sisters, are filled with laughter, tears, and the reminder that we are all more powerful than our fears. When she's not writing, she can be found baking bread, road-tripping with her husband, and enjoying an evening by the fire pit with friends and her two beloved dogs, Wally and Delta.
To learn more about Catherine, go to her website here.
This week's guest is Jaclyn Westlake (Dear Dotty, Avon Books/Harper Collins, June 2024). Jaclyn signed up for Stanford's 2-year Novel Writing Course and emerged with the first draft of her debut, a humorous women's fiction centered on a young woman finding her true path following the example of an unconventional aunt. After querying over a hundred agents, Jaclyn received offers from several, and later had her book go to auction and sell in a two-book deal. We discuss how she made decisions on which agent and which editor to pick, hiring an outside publicist to market outside the book world based on her novel's themes, and how her unconventional choice of housing led to a CNBC segment that featured her book.
Jaclyn Westlake writes about funny, flawed women doing their best to find their way in the world. A recruiter turned career advice columnist, her work has appeared in Forbes, Business Insider, and Inc. Westlake is the author of two novels: LUCKY BREAK and DEAR DOTTY, both published by Avon Books/HarperCollins. DEAR DOTTY was a finalist for the debut STAR Award from the Women's Fiction Writers Association, where Jaclyn is an active member. An alumna of Stanford Continuing Studies Novel Writing program, her stories blend humor and heart, exploring the wonderfully messy realities of modern life. She's currently at work on her third novel and lives in California with her husband and their dog.
To learn more about Jaclyn, click here.
Our guest this week is Amy Dressler (How to Align the Stars, Egret Lake Books, June 2024). Amy's biggest challenge in writing her debut was finding the self-confidence to believe she was qualified to tackle a beloved Shakespeare story and update it for our current time. She was helped in that effort by a supportive critique group and a brand-new publisher who took a chance on her after a fluke meeting in a bathroom at a conference. And if you've ever wondered what to write in a newsletter when you haven't completed your novel yet, she's got some great tips.
Amy writes witty, engaging contemporary fiction featuring heroines who wrestle with their emotional baggage while maintaining a sense of humor. As a literature major, theater nerd, and believer in the cathartic power of humor, Amy has always gravitated toward Shakespeare's comedies. In the Shakespeare Project, she transposes those stories into contemporary settings that highlight the heroines' emotional arcs. She's an active member of the Author's Guild, Women's Fiction Writers Association, and the Pacific Northwest Author's Association, where her books have twice been recognized as contest finalists. She holds a certificate in Popular Fiction from the University of Washington, as well as a BA in English from Whitman College and a Master's in Library and Information Science, also from the University of Washington. She spends her days shepherding government documents but has also worked as an academic librarian and freelance pop culture writer.
Amy's hobbies include barely running (she's completed ten half marathons, slowly), cooking and baking, hiking, tending her neighborhood Little Free Library, relaxed traveling, and attending live theater. When she's not writing, Amy can often be found cozied up reading, eating fancy cheese, shopping for fancy cheese, or cooking with fancy cheese. She lives in the Seattle suburbs with her husband, two senior rescue cats, and next door to her sister. Her love language is jokes.
To learn more about Amy, click here.
This week's guest is Darlene Corbett (Visible, WordCrafts Press May 2024). A psychotherapist for over 30 years, Darlene used a therapy group as a stepping-off point to her debut, featuring five people with disparate challenges and a counselor with problems of her own. We discuss the misconceptions people have about therapy, how she used contest entries to get valuable early feedback, and how a chance pitch opening at a conference led to a contract. Darlene also shares her four pieces of advice to novice writers, including working to improve and refine your craft.
Darlene Corbett has been serving others as a licensed psychotherapist for over thirty years. Her wealth of experience in human behavior prompted Darlene to write her ideas on paper, which set the stage for her book, Stop Depriving The World of You, published by Sound Wisdom in 2018. Darlene wrote her first novel, Visible, a women's fiction about second chances, published by WordCrafts Press in the spring of 2024, and in August, she became the winner in the 2024 Storytrade Book Awards "Christian Fiction - Contemporary" category.
Besides being an avid reader, Darlene loves animals, especially dogs, which you'll see in her novel. Also, she treasures learning another language, yoga, fitness, traveling, and connecting with her inner circle. She belongs to many organizations, including the ACFW, FHL-CW, and WFWA. She lives in Central Massachusetts with her beloved Shih Tzu, Stevie.
To learn more about Darlene, click here.
In this special podcast episode we feature the five finalists for WFWA's 2025 Rising Star Award for unpublished debut women's fiction in a roundtable discussion about their manuscripts, their greatest challenges as new writers, how the organization has helped them in their writing journey, and where they'd like to be five years from now. They also share a glimpse into their books and what inspired their stories. Featured are Kristin Adams (Finding Moonstone), Alice Lyon (The Last Seven Days of Harper Balan), Lori Singaraju (All Other Ground), April Wright (The Other Hula Dancer) and Jeanette Zaichkin (Late Bloomer).
Our guest this week is Nancy Taber (A Sea of Spectres, Acorn Press, May 2024). A former member of the Canadian military and now an academic, Nancy's debut novel was inspired by her own family history as well as the culture and folklore of Prince Edward Island. A three-person POV covering distinctly different time periods, the story was restructured several times before publishing in its current form. We discuss her process for revision, based not only on peer and editorial feedback but Nancy's own organic take on the narrative. We delve into how her military training helped her in this new career, how writing a "niche" book can actually be a plus when marketing, and how she found the perfect publishing partner.
Nancy Taber is a university professor and fiction author who writes in the genres of non-fiction, historical fiction, mystery, and speculative fiction. As a former military officer who served as a Sea King helicopter Tactical Coordinator, part of her job once included leaping out of a helicopter into the ocean. Now, most of her job includes sitting at a computer, drinking massive amounts of coffee, and dropping her characters into wild and sometimes weird circumstances. Nancy has published research on the intersection of gender, war, and militarism in academic books and journals. Her short stories have appeared in journals such as The South Shore Review and Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture and Social Justice, among others. Nancy is a facilitator with Writers Collective of Canada, was named a Top Woman in Defence 2022 by Esprit de Corps magazine, and is a member of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.
To learn more about Nancy, click here.
This week's guest is Shayla Dugan (Learning to Swim, Egret Lake Books, May 2024). We discuss how adding humor can provide a more grounded emotional experience for a reader. what it's like writing a character at a life stage you haven't yet experienced, and how a background in helping professions like nursing, social work, and psychology contributes to understanding complex family dynamics in a novel. Then stay tuned for how Shayla located, then partnered with a novice publisher and how a chance remark by her husband led to her most effective marketing tool.
Shayla Dugan is a writer making her fiction novel debut. She loves to write both fiction and creative non-fiction full of humor and heart. As a former social worker, her career centered mostly around the areas of grief, loss, and end of life care. Her experiences with clients helped her to understand and appreciate a variety of personalities, family dynamics, and the importance of storytelling. She resides in Arizona with her husband in their nearly empty nest where she spends her time replacing the roles of her adult children with dogs and relishing any visits with her young grandchildren whom she lovingly refers to as "the hurricane."
To learn more about Shayla, click here.
Our guest this week is Linda Sachse (Inheriting the Shackelford Ranch, indie published, February 2024). Linda, who switched from romance to women's literature with this book, discusses the difference between the two and how she went about learning the tropes of this new genre. We explore the getaway writing retreats she creates with her best writing buddy, why she decided to self-publish, and her best ideas for expanding your word count without filling your novel up with fluff.
Linda Sachse is an author of Women's Fiction with a hint of romance. She loves to write a book that you can relax by the fire with or out by the pool, transporting you to a place or two you'd like to visit. She resides in Texas, where her stories begin with her husband, granddaughter, her Great Dane Lilly, and her two cats, Sophia and Pickles.
To learn more about Linda, click here.
This week's guest is L. L. Kirchner (Florida Girls, indie published, May 2024). We discuss taking fascinating historical facts and weaving them into a fictionalized narrative, deciding what to leave out and what to highlight, and how getting media attention can often come through developing tangential talks related to your novel's time period or themes. (in her case, the Florida Mafia and swimsuit models). Then L.L. describes the joys and drawbacks of being a pantser and the three pieces of advice she'd offer to newer writers.
L.L. Kirchner is an award-winning screenwriter, author of two memoirs, and the historical thriller series, The Queenpin Chronicles. She is currently at work on her next book, a mystery set in Pittsburgh. If you've read her work it won't surprise you to learn she was once simultaneously the bridal editor for a society rag, dating columnist for an alt-newsweekly, and religion editor for an LGBTQ+ paper. She currently lives in Florida with her favorite husband and their best boy Hartley. You can get the prequel to The Queenpin Chronicles FREE at her website.
To learn more, click here.
This week our guest is Lisa Fellinger (The Serendipity of Catastrophe, indie published, March 2024). Lisa's educational background in mental health counseling has proved handy as she moved in her current work as a book coach, developmental editor, and debut novelist, since digging deeper into what makes a character tick is one of the biggest problems she sees in her client's manuscripts. We discuss how her novel began as a 2015 NaNoWriMo project, how an editor has to learn to take off her "critique" hat when drafting their first draft, and how she credits the WFWA community with making her a stronger writer.
Lisa Fellinger writes contemporary women's fiction with lovably flawed, relatable characters. When she's not writing her own stories, she's helping others achieve their writing dreams as a book coach and developmental editor. She lives in Buffalo, New York with her husband, son, and fur babies.
To learn more about Lisa, click here.
Our podcast guest this week is Lucille Guarino (Elizabeth's Mountain, Black Rose Press, March 2024). We discuss how this book, which came to her in a dream, launched her second career as a writer, how she teamed up with her small publisher to publicize it, and how one of her most successful strategies was entering writing contests, bringing not only recognition but also outside validation. We cover how to get book reviews, how social media ads, giveaways, and in-person events are among her favorite marketing approaches, and end the interview with the quirky habit she can't seem to break.
Lucille's first novel, Like Wine, was a tribute to her mother, and getting it into print before she passed was her goal. She considers Elizabeth's Mountain, winner of the Literary Titan Gold Book Award and Readers' Favorite Award, to be her true debut novel. Elizabeth's Mountain was also a finalist in the 2024 American Writing Award contest for the elite Hawthorne Prize.
Lucille loves stories that lift her up and gratify her. An avid reader of most genres, the only thing Lucille likes more than delving and escaping into a good book is visiting noteworthy locations. Her most recent escapade road trips took her to Asheville, NC, Charleston, SC, and the Grand Canyon. And an international trip of a lifetime – Venice, Rome, and the Amalfi Coast. She's lived most of her life in northern New Jersey and now lives in South Carolina with her husband, and close to her two daughters and grandchildren.
To learn more about Lucille, click here.
This week our guest is Carolyn McBride (The Cicada Spring: A Potomac Shores Novel, indie published, April 2024). Hear how her parents' dream house finally became reality—in the pages of Carolyn's debut novel. We discuss the argument in favor of getting an MFA in Creative Writing, how publishing on her own does not necessarily mean not ever pursuing a traditional deal, how personal appearances have proved to be her best sales tool, and how her ritual of reading a chapter from a craft book before starting her writing time helps to keep her immersed in the world of story.
Carolyn McBride's debut novel in women's fiction, The Cicada Spring, is the first in her coming-of-middle-age series set on the shores of the Potomac River. It was recently awarded a 2025 Silver Award for Best Audiobook - Fiction from the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Book Awards. All of her novels feature women at the helm of their own boats and ultimately their own lives, reviving dreams, rewriting their stories, and discovering the strength that lies within. A former editor and columnist for National Geographic Traveler, she is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and holds an MFA in fiction writing from Lindenwood University. Along with her husband and pets, she divides her time between homes on Virginia's Occoquan River and South Florida's Intracoastal Waterway.
To learn more about Carolyn, click here.
Our guest this week is Susan Wadds (What the Living Do, Regal House Publishing, March 2024). Susan describes her biggest writing challenge as taking all the disparate pieces of her story and organizing/structuring them into a coherent whole and shares the various techniques she's tried (including an atelier in France!). Later we delve into how cultivating dream agents can pay off and the one thing that's most surprised her about the audience for her debut.
Resources mentioned in this interview: Amherst Writers & Artists
Winner of the 2024 Canadian Book Club Award for her debut novel and the 2016 Writer's Union of Canada's Prose Contest, Susan Wadds' work has appeared in various publications, including carteblance, The Blood Pudding, Room, and Waterwheel Review. A graduate of the Humber School for Writers and a proud member of The Writers Union of Canada and The Canadian Authors Association, Susan is a certified Amherst Writers and Artists (AWA) workshop facilitator. She grew up in Toronto, Montreal, and London Ontario, and has lived in British Columbia, Oregon, India, France, and Italy. She's sort of settled down and currently lives on a quiet river in traditional Anishinaabe territory with an odd assortment of human and cats.
To learn more about Susan, click here.
This week we welcome Jann Everard (Blue Runaways, Stonehewer Books, March 2024) to the podcast. In a switch-up to our regular fare of novelists, Jann's women's fiction debut is a collection of twelve short stories instead and we spend time talking about how one goes about first picking the selections (including looking at themes and cohesion), then ordering them for flow and pace, and finally the challenge of getting a collection published in today's market. If you've ever wondered about writing short fiction, this episode will give you a glimpse behind the scenes of an alternative marketplace for your creative ideas.
Jann Everard is a Canadian author who began writing later in life and published her first work at age 45 in Canada's national newspaper The Globe and Mail. She went on to become an award-winning writer whose stories have been published in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland. Born in Halifax, Canada, Jann settled in Toronto, where she worked in health administration and raised two sons. A life-long traveler and outdoorswoman, she now makes her home on British Columbia's Vancouver Island, hiking, kayaking, writing, and being inspired by nature. Blue Runaways is a Next Generation Indie Book Award Finalist and received an Honourary Mention from the Sunshine Coast Writers and Editors Society Book Awards for British Columbia Authors.
To learn more about Jann, click here.
Our guest this week is Melissa Bacon (Through Her Lens, Atmosphere Press, April 2024). What if you aren't setting out to build a career as an author but instead have one fascinating book you're dying to write? Where most of the writers on the pod hope to write more books, Melissa, a fine art photographer and statistician, took 10 years to research and write her historical novel set in Britain during WWII, and isn't all that sure she wants to do it again. And that's okay in our book. Meanwhile, she loves the feeling of holding a book with her byline in her hands and is excited about bringing this untold story of women analysts and the contribution they made to the Allied victory to the world.
Melissa Clark Bacon was raised and stayed in Little Rock, Arkansas. She writes stories and makes photographs using historic and alternative printing processes. Her short story, The Handkerchief, where her character Millie first appears, won Best in Show Adult Fiction Short Story at the Grand Prairie Festival of the Arts. Her current creative work focuses on revealing unnoticed women from the past through captivating stories and photographs that aspire to elevate their contributions and offer them up as role models to women today.
To learn more about Melissa, click here.
This week we welcome Gail Priest to the podcast (Soul Dancing, Red Adept Publishing, May 2024) Gail comes out of a theatre background and her previous work included plays so the first thing she writes is all the dialogue, then goes back and adds in scene, description, action, and all the rest of the connecting tissue. Her debut is a tale of an unusual love triangle with more than a hint of magic realism and she picked a small press primarily based on its offering of a developmental edit. We discuss her best tips for finding small presses (including WFWA resources) and why seeking agent representation may not be the answer for everyone.
Gail Priest has a passion for women's fiction. Her degrees and work in theatre and counseling psychology inspire her stories about healing from family trauma and secrets. A dash of romance and her love of second chances are always in the mix. Her most recent novel, Soul Dancing, was selected as 2024 Book of the Year by the American Writing Awards. Her other award-winning books include The Annie Crow Knoll Trilogy, A Collingwood Christmas, and East Shore Shorts. Gail lives in New Jersey with her husband and their Havanese dog, Annie. When she's not writing or teaching, Gail can be found reading or looking for birds and sea glass along the beaches and bays of the East Coast.
To learn more about Gail, click here.
A resource mentioned during this interview: Suzy Approved Book Tours
My guest this week is Jayna Sheats (Hanna’s Ascent, Bedazzled Ink Publishing, June 2023). Growing up a poor boy in rural Colorado, Jayna went on to receive a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford, founded 3 companies, and holds several patents, but her biggest achievement was embracing her core identity as a trans woman 20 years ago and writing a literary novel that explores the trauma and triumphs which lay at the heart of that experience. After 200,000 revisions, 5 book coaches, and 203 submissions, the manuscript found its home at Bedazzled. We discuss her journey as well as whether it helps or hinders your novel to have its subject matter at the epicenter of the cultural and political zeitgeist.
Jayna Sheats grew up on a Colorado ranch without electricity, neighbors, or schools, but obtained a ham radio license when she was seven. After language and psychology studies in Colorado and Germany and a PhD in chemistry from Stanford University, she became a researcher and entrepreneur, publishing 60 scientific articles and book chapters, and started three companies. As creator of Hewlett-Packard's e-Inclusion program she worked with Dr. Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh on telecenters for the poor. Today she lives with her children in northern California, hikes frequently in the redwoods, and writes novels involving social justice and triumph over trauma.
To learn more about Jayna, click here.
My guest this week is Micki Berthelot Morency (The Island Sisters, BHC Press, June 2023). Her book is a perfect adjunct for Women’s Fiction Week as her inspiration for putting pen to paper was to give voice to the often-unheard from victims of physical and mental abuse—women she encountered growing up in Haiti as well as women she worked with in her career as a care manager in the U.S. We explore the challenge of writing in a “third” language (after Creole and French), how her book found a home at a small publisher, and the success she’s had going outside the typical “book promotion channels” like bookstores and libraries into college campuses, often sponsored by sexual assault and other support organizations, including one university that including it in their class curriculum.
Micki Berthelot Morency is a Haitian-American, who has lived in the US for decades. Her debut novel, THE ISLAND SISTERS was launched in 2023. She’s a graduate of Northeastern University and The Institute for Writers. Micki is a fierce advocate for women and children. Her stories have appeared in Writer’s Digest Magazine, The Tampa Bay Times, The Weekly Challenger, Print magazines and E-zines. Micki is a mother of daughters. She lives in Florida with her husband.
To learn more about Micki and her writing, click here.
My guest this week is Marcy Lane (A Mercy of Widows, indie published, August 2023). Hear how two life events – serving on a jury and losing a partner – formed the basis of Marcy’s debut novel. We discuss the MAID initiative in Canada (Medical Assistant in Dying), her very personal reason for determining early on to self-publish, and how her second book is springing not from what she knows but what she wants to know more about. We close with an interesting result from a DNA test.
Marcy Lane writes character-driven fiction rooted in the quiet resilience of ordinary people navigating extraordinary challenges. Her debut novel, A Mercy of Widows (2023), explores grief, assisted dying, friendship and second chances—drawing on her lived experience of losing two life partners to cancer. After a long career leading a local charity, she turned to fiction in early 2021, diving headfirst into workshops, retreats and critique groups with a beginner’s mindset and a deep curiosity for craft.
Born to parents with itchy feet, Marcy grew up as an army brat, living across Canada, the UK, and Germany—experiences that lend authenticity to her settings. Today, she lives in a small cottage in southwestern Ontario with her two opinionated dogs, Bug and Lucy. She draws inspiration from art supplies, Lake Erie’s moods, and the layered history of her adopted community. She’s currently working on a cozy mystery set in Erie Bluff, a fictional lakeside town steeped in small-town warmth and buried secrets.
To learn more about Marcy, click here.
Our guest this week is Rosey Lee (The Gardins of Edin, Waterbrook Press, January 2024). Rosey, whose alter ego is as a float physician and health equity advocate, first began with flash fiction, which eventually helped her complete a rough draft of her novel in only 6 weeks. We discuss finding an agent and publisher for crossover “Christian” fiction, her use of a mental health sensitivity reader, and how she augmented her publisher’s marketing plan with her own, including a self-funded book tour.
Rosey Lee writes stories about complicated families and complex friendships, but a happy ending is guaranteed. She is a nominee for a 2025 Georgia Author of the Year Award for The Gardins of Edin, her debut novel. A Gardin Wedding is her second novel. Rosey lives in Atlanta, about an hour away from the fictional town of Edin, Georgia, where her characters live. She grew up on the Westbank of New Orleans and carries the area and her loved ones in her heart when she’s away from them.
To learn more about Rosey, click here.
This week we talk with Lorraine Norwood (The Solitary Sparrow, Atmosphere Press, February 2024). Lorraine fell in love with the Middle Ages at a young age and carried that interest paired with her love of research into adulthood where, as a young mother, she started writing a book about a fictional peasant girl who aspired to be the first woman doctor in 14th century England, a novel which took her 30 years to write. We discuss finding the perfect agent but being unable to land a publisher, her decision to sign with a hybrid publisher and an inspiring story of how her interest in archaeology came full circle in her fifties, when she joined a dig in York and unearthed the shoe of a Viking and the bones of a dog buried centuries ago.
Lorraine is a North Carolina native who lives in the Blue Ridge mountains. The Solitary Sparrow is her first novel. She is working on the sequel, A Pelican in the Wilderness. She is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association where she served as a judge in the Rising Star awards. She worked as a professional journalist for over 20 years, then took a turn at midlife, earning an anthropology degree and a master’s in medieval archaeology. She then worked in archaeology and historic preservation, participating in excavations in the US and England. She is the mother of two grown daughters and two granddaughters. She is happy that at long last, after two marriages, two children, fourteen jobs, three college degrees, and twenty-three moves (two of which were abroad), she has a room of her own in which to write.
To learn more about Lorraine, click here.
This week’s guest is Beth Uznis Johnson (Coming Clean, Regal House, January 2024). Beth turned her lifelong interest in what people’s belongings say about them into a novel centered on a cleaning lady at a crossroads and how one week with 5 different households helps her make life-altering decisions. We discuss the value of WFWA’s weekly virtual write-ins, how continuing education is a mantra for her, and how writing short stories at the same time she’s writing novels helps her not only flex her creative muscles but enhances her platform as a writer.
Beth Uznis Johnson has published fiction and creative nonfiction in Massachusetts Review, Cincinnati Review, Story Quarterly, Mississippi Review, Best American Essays 2018, and elsewhere. Her first novel, Coming Clean, was released by Regal House Publishing on January 9, 2024. She was the recipient of the 2017 McGinnis-Ritchie Award from Southwest Review and a finalist in the 2019 Mississippi Review fiction contest. She has an MFA in fiction from Queens University of Charlotte and lives in Chicago.
To learn more about Beth, click here.
Our guest this week is Kathryn Dodson (Tequila Midnight, indie published, July 2023). We discuss how being a book coach gave her a leg up when she decided to publish on her own, the tricky parts to writing a series in terms of backstory, and the writing process she uses to produce 3 books a year. Hear about her decision to concentrate on building an online audience vs. personal appearances and her major piece of advice for beginning writers.
Resources mentioned during this interview: Story Genius by Lisa Cron; 20 Books to 50K Conference (now Author Nation), Blueprint for a Book by Jennie Nash.
Kathryn writes about women who have to become their own heroes - whether they're solving a crime or figuring out the next phase of their lives. She grew up writing and riding horses in far West Texas. She graduated from SMU in English/Creative Writing and went on to get an MBA from Thunderbird and a PhD from Clemson. She has worked on both sides of the US/Mexico border and has held jobs with governments, chambers of commerce, and other businesses. Kathryn loves to travel and has visited 30 countries and 44 states. This inspires her novels about interesting women in fascinating places.
Originally from Texas, Kathryn had the good fortune to live in Spain, Mexico, Tanzania, and several U.S. states, and the good sense to end up in Carlsbad, California. She loves travel, fiery food, hanging out with the neighbors in the front yard on Friday evenings, and reading.
To learn more about Kathryn, click here.
This week guest is Raven West (Vashti’s Daughter, indie published, July 2023). Before there was Esther in the Bible there was Vashti, whose story provided the impetus for Raven’s women’s fiction novel set in 366 AD. We discuss why sometimes it’s good when a book takes a long time to germinate, the difficulty in finding comps for certain novels, why she went the indie route, and the four best pieces of advice she has for authors just starting out.
A seasoned guest on radio shows, podcasts, and literary festivals, Raven West has dedicated her career not just to writing but to engaging with her readers, championing independent authorship, and pushing the boundaries of storytelling
With an impressive repertoire spanning multiple genres—from riveting thrillers and espionage novels to historical fiction and deeply personal non-fiction—her storytelling is as compelling as it is diverse. Her works, including Red Wine for Breakfast, First Class Male, Undercover Reunion, and Vashti’s Daughter, have captivated readers with their rich narratives and unforgettable characters.
To learn more about Raven West, click here
This week’s guest is Marie McCurdy (The Wolf Queen, indie published, November 2023). Marie’s novel, set in the Year 1 AD was five years in the making and involved a deep dive into historical records dating back to the height of the Roman Empire and its attempted invasion of the Germanic territories of Europe. We discuss the challenges of writing an historical women’s fiction about a female character where little is known, how she broke with her first publisher, and the all importance of the right cover designer and copy editor for historical novels.
Marie is a Florida native, California transplant, and has lived almost everywhere between. She’s been writing stories since she could hold a pen, but didn’t get serious until she joined the Marines in 2009 as a Combat Correspondent. After five years telling Marine Corps stories, she knew it was time to start telling stories of her own. Marie currently lives in New Orleans with her fur family; three delightful cats and one questionable chihuahua mix.
To learn more about Marie, click here.
Our podcast guest this week is Sheila Athens (Neena Lee Is Seeing Things, indie published, January 2024). Sheila and I discuss how her book started with a famous person and a setting near her home and grew from there, how she thinks storytelling differs from writing, and how the thing readers love best about her novel is the older protagonist. Hear why she opted to spend her money on a book coach rather than a developmental editor and how an upcoming anniversary was the final push she needed to decide to self-publish.
Resources mentioned during the interview: ebooklaunch.com; suzyapprovedbooktours.com; jennienash.com; Story Genius by Lisa Cron.
Sheila Athens writes smart contemporary fiction set where the South meets the Sunshine state. Her stories are about women seeking to find the peace we all deserve. Readers are drawn to her work because they believe that everyday heroes can make a difference in our world.
After growing up in the Ozarks, she moved to Florida—sight unseen—with the man who would become her husband. Thirty-five years later, she’s still on the shores of the Atlantic, grateful that her two grown sons and their families live nearby.
After many years as a vice president of human resources, she now spends her time ensconced in her quiet little lair, where she reads, writes and communes with the ducks who live on the lake right off her back porch. She loves quiet spaces, eccentric people and the little band of writer hikers who walk at sunrise on a regular basis.
To learn more about Sheila, to subscribe to her newsletter, or to invite her to your book club, click here.
This week’s guest is Gayle Brown (A Deadly Game, Black Rose Writing, December 2023). We why you might want to consider hiring a book coach, how a TV show provided the spark for this suspense book, and how Gayle re-wrote her ending numerous times to make sure it hit the sweet spot between satisfying but also surprising. She gives us her take on publishing with the Big Five vs. a smaller press, the marketing efforts behind her successful launch, and how she’s planning to grow her new career as a full-time writer.
Formerly a full-time teacher, now a full-time writer, my passion for writing started when I could hold a crayon in my hand, using the walls as my storyboard. Since then, I’ve connected pen to paper and fingers to the keyboard at every given chance. My debut novel, A DEADLY GAME, came out in December 2023. Aside from a being a full-time writer, I am also a writing mentor for The Book Incubator, a twelve-month, comprehensive alternative to an MFA, and a member of various organizations, including Women’s Fiction Writers Association (where I'm also a mentor), The International Women’s Writing Guild, SavvyAuthors, and Sisters in Crime. When not writing or reading, you can find me working out, traveling, and spending time in Florida with my family, including a very spoiled mini dachshund.
To learn more about Gayle, click here.
My guest this week is Olivia Sparrow (Secret of the Sassafras, indie published, October 2023). Olivia’s someone who dived into the writing world with the attitude of “I’ll figure it out” and has done just that, including initially penning a 175,000 word debut (a Beta Reader taught her about word count), turning to Google and the library for Query Tracker and agent contacts, using Fiverr and Reedsy to find book cover designers and editors, and teaching herself Vellum software to format her book. If you’ve ever wondered about TikTok and its BookTok and BookMail communities, Olivia’s got some advice. Come for the magical description of the moment that set her on the writing path, stay for her upbeat attitude about how to find and nurture readers.
Award-winning author Olivia Sparrow grew up in a small Indiana town, where her passion for reading first sparked her love for storytelling. After relocating to New York City, she encountered both the challenges and triumphs of city life that ultimately inspired her debut novel, Secret of the Sassafras—a heartfelt tribute to courageous women and the city that helped her discover her own resilience. A seasoned portrait photographer with over fifteen years of experience, Olivia's transition from capturing images behind the lens to weaving stories on the page marks a bold new chapter in her creative journey. Her writing uncovers long-buried secrets and exposes the deeper truths often hidden behind outwardly flawless, yet deceptive, facades.
When she’s not crafting stories, Olivia, a self-proclaimed California enthusiast, can be found hiking the national parks or wandering the rugged beauty of Big Sur with her family and their dog, Zuzu.
To learn more about Olivia, click here.
My guest this week is Amy Hagstrom (The Wild Between Us, Lake Union Press, November 2023). If you’ve ever wondered whether to keep working on a manuscript or put it in a drawer, this episode will resonate with you. Amy’s debut was one that got rejected by over a hundred agents, but she kept revising this dual-timeline, dual POV story of lost kids in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and after landing an agent with another book that didn’t get picked up, this one found a home at the Amazon women’s fiction imprint and her career took off. Now working on what will be her third published novel, we discuss the women’s fiction genre, what the right agent brings to the table, and what it’s like to sign on with the biggest book retailer in the world.
Amy Hagstrom is the author of The Wild Between Us and Smoke Season. She is a writer and editor with two decades of experience in the travel and outdoor industry, recognized as an O Magazine Insider and previous columnist and feature writer at Travel Oregon, US News, and Huff Post. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing from Whitworth University. A lifelong outdoors enthusiast, she served as a volunteer EMT with her local county search and rescue unit before launching her travel writing career. After raising three children in the Pacific Northwest, Amy traded the Cascade, Siskiyou, and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges for The Berkshires, making her home in Western Mass with her wife. You can find her writing on Substack at Beyond the Books.
To learn more about Amy, go to her website here.
This week’s guest is Kerry F. Freeman (Sedona: A Novel, The Wild Rose Press, November 2023). Kerry’s book, a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz set in present-day Sedona, was written as an antidote to COVID-isolation and has proved a hit with book clubs as they chase down the Easter Eggs Kerry planted from the original source material, including who’s the lion, the tinman, and the scarecrow. We discuss how she started a feature on her website called Books and Bevies which led to a fan base even before she was published and how that led to partnering with a well-known Charlotte brewery to produce an exclusive IPA beer for her launch.
Kerry Fryar Freeman crafts fiction as if it were a new puzzle. The settings are real and well-researched, the details are rich and layered, and the stories absorb and propel readers one piece at a time. Kerry’s debut novel, SEDONA: A NOVEL, was published by Wild Rose Press in November of 2023 and was long-listed for the Santa Fe Writers Project Literary Award and a 2023 finalist for Indie Ink’s Best Setting Award. Kerry also writes a blog called “Books and Bevies” where she features an array of authors from New York Times and Amazon bestsellers to debut Indie gems. Books and Bevies can be found on her website www.KerryFryarFreeman.com or by following her on X @KerryFFreeman and Instagram @Books_and_Bevies. Kerry resides in North Carolina and is a member of the NC Writers’ Network and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association.
To learn more about Kerry, click here.
Our guest this week is Karen Klink (At What Cost, Silence? She Writes Press, October 2023). Karen’s novel grew out of her desire to explore bi-sexuality but in an historical setting – in this case, pre-Civil War. We discuss how her writing journey began when she contributed to a fan-fiction internet site and subsequently received encouragement from a writing professor. Unable to find an agent and thus closed out of traditional publishing, she received a posthumous monetary gift from a lifelong friend which allowed her to publish through a hybrid press. We discuss research rabbit holes, her decision to write a trilogy, and how writing about sexual abuse in her novel helped her get over her own childhood trauma.
Karen’s interest and experience in psychology and therapy inform her writing about individuals who persevere through difficulty and crisis in order to become stronger and accept themselves for who they truly are. Karen is a child abuse survivor, and humbly hopes her stories give readers pleasure and confidence to face their own difficulties, knowing they are not alone.
Karen believes in taking risks, for this is how we grow. With over fifty years of overcoming her own fears and challenges she hopes to help others find their own true selves, to not only survive, but to thrive.
To learn more about Karen, click here.
Our guest this week is KJ Fieler (Shadow Runner, Black Rose Press, June 2023). Fieler set out to write a short story for an anthology but soon found her tale ballooning past the standard word count, eventually becoming a 3-book series. We discuss where this epic trilogy belongs on the shelf—it straddles historical fantasy, women’s fiction, Victorian adventure and Gaslamp (this last a truly niche genre similar to Steampunk, which focuses more on characters than plot). Learn about what it’s like to write a book with a co-author, the fascination of research, and how networking with fellow authors can off when launching your book. And don’t miss the story of how Fieler’s manuscript earned a spot on a spaceship to the moon.
KJ Fieler got her start as a humor columnist and stringer for newspapers and magazines in North Florida and Rockwall, Texas. Book two of Fieler's Historical Fantasy series SHADOW HUNTER is due out in the fall of 2025. Her short story “LOYALTY” was included in the Lunar Codex Project, Peregrine Mission, which launched into space and returned to Earth on January 18th, ending its journey over The Great Barrier Reef. Fieler also hosts Writer 2 Writer, an enlightening YouTube author spotlight show. Through this platform, she delves into the lives and works of fellow authors, shedding light on their creative processes and showcasing their latest works.
To learn more about Kat, click here.
This week’s guest is Janie Emaus (The Advice Columnist, Bombay Circle Press, October 2023). The inspiration for Janie’s book was a flip on the “notes to your younger self” trope as she imagined it’s the older protagonist being given life lessons instead. Janie’s childhood dream to become a songwriter faded when she discovered she couldn’t carry a tune but she soon segued into telling stories, gaining a following with the boomer crowd with her humorous essays for AARP. After parting ways with a top NYC agent, she instead signed with an India-based publisher and couldn’t be happier. She’s proof that not sticking to a single “author brand” isn’t always the answer, as she’s published several best-selling children’s books, as well as creative non-fiction, romance, and women’s fiction.
Janie Emaus is the author of the blended holiday picture books, Latkes for Santa Claus, a finalist in the 2022 International Book Awards, and Easter Eggs & Matzo Balls. As well as the novels, The Advice Columnist and The Time Traveling Matchmaker. Her essays, stories and articles have been published in numerous magazines, anthologies, and websites. In 2016, she won honorary mention in the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition. In 2023, she won second place in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists Contest in the lifestyle category. But no award is more important to her than family.
To learn more about Janie, click here.
This week’s guest is Cheryl Walsh (Unequal Temperament, American Buffalo Books, September 2023). We discuss her writing process, which entails months of thinking and writing about what she wants to write about before she starts, and how the concept of unequal temperament in baroque music became the central metaphor for her main character’s situation as well as providing her unique title. Our wide-ranging talk pinged between her research into meteorology and opera to harpsichords, community theater, and how having Iowa City in her return address enhanced agent’s response rate. As the first podcast guest to win a competition which included a publishing contract, Cheryl shares what it’s like to work with a non-profit university-based micro publisher. And we end the episode with a discussion about writing as a way to deal with grief, both your own and your reader’s as well.
Cheryl Walsh is the author of the novel Unequal Temperament (American Buffalo Books, 2023). She earned a master's degree in history at Cornell University before giving in to the tug of fabrication and pursuing her MFA in creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University. She has been awarded writing residencies with the Djerassi Resident Artists Program and Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts. Her creative work has appeared in Short Édition, the online journals Embark and Burningword, the audio magazine The Drum, and such print magazines as Confrontation and The MacGuffin. Originally from Michigan, she traded in lake-effect snow squalls for prairie blizzards and now lives and writes in a 110-year-old house in Iowa City, which she shares with her husband, the Australian photographer Bruce Hart.
To learn more about Cheryl, click here.
Our guest this week is Ann Marie Jackson (The Broken Hummingbird, She Writes Press, October 2023). After stints at the US State Department in Southeast Asia and China, Ann Marie and her family immigrated to San Miguel de Allende, a thriving ex-pat town in central Mexico which also became the setting for her debut. Ann Marie has been active in non-profit organizations in the area, first building homes and then co-founding a micro-lending organization and how that desire to give back to her adopted country led to her writing this novel. We discuss the American Dirt controversy which hits the news at the same time she was querying and how that affected her publishing options, her perspective on hiring an outside publicist, and how her job as a journalist at a large news outlet in Mexico helps her spread the word about her book.
Ann Marie Jackson is the award-winning author of The Broken Hummingbird and a writer for Mexico News Daily. She's also the co-founder of microlending organization Mano Amiga and former Vice President of Casita Linda, which builds homes for families living in extreme poverty in central Mexico. Early in her career, after earning degrees from Stanford and Harvard, Jackson joined the U.S. Department of State to promote human rights in China and other East Asian and Pacific Island nations. She has worked with Human Rights Watch, A Better Chance, and Internews to further social justice causes and advance respect for human rights. A portion of the proceeds from book sales benefit Casita Linda and Mano Amiga. A native of Seattle, Washington, Jackson resides in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
To learn more about Ann Marie, click here.
This week’s guest is Deborah King (Glory Bishop, Red Adept Publishing, June 2019). A prompt in a writing class set the stage for what became Deborah’s trilogy of The Bishop Women, two books that follow the named character and eventually a prequel which narrates the tale of her mother. Hear Deborah describe her creative process, including the voices that “speak” to her, her experience querying a 130,000 word debut novel, and how writing a chapter a week for Vella brought its own unique share of challenges. Finally we discuss the efficacy of Facebook ads and how a rebooted cover design would up boosting sales of her debut.
Though Deborah L. King has been a writer and storyteller her whole life, publishing her first short story at seven years old, she took 32 years to complete her first novel. She is the author of three award-winning women’s fiction books. Most recently, her series The Bishop Women won Best Series at the 2024 Page Turner Awards. Deborah loves the work of Octavia Butler, Peter David, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and the illustrations of Dan DeCarlo. She loves storms, champagne, Old Time Radio, and 70s Blues and Soul; and refuses to believe the 1980s is historical. Thanks to an interesting childhood, she’s afraid of escalators, bill collectors, and sometimes fresh produce.
To learn more about Deborah, click here.
Our guest this week is Lynne Golodner (Woman of Valor, Scotia Road Books, September 2023). Once Lynne decided to stop writing fiction “on the side” and make it her focus, she leaped in with both feet, moving from a pure pantser to a more hybrid plotter, and solidifying her author brand as “creating compelling Jewish characters” which also drives her marketing focus. We discuss how this niche informed her decision to forego traditional publishing and opt instead to form her own publishing company, then delve into juggling her different income streams like teaching and consulting to allow time for her personal goal of writing one novel per year. We close out by exploring her “curious approach” to marketing and how she keeps it fun.
Lynne Golodner is the award-winning, bestselling author of ten books and hundreds of essays and articles as well as a marketing expert, writing coach and retreat leader. After working as a journalist in New York and Washington, D.C., and earning an MFA, Lynne returned to the Midwest, where she created Your People, a marketing company with a focus on storytelling. Between 1996 and 2013, Lynne wrote eight books—two poetry collections and six nonfiction titles. Around 2020, she started writing fiction with a goal of producing a book year. Her first novel, WOMAN OF VALOR, won an honorable mention in the Eric Hoffer Award for Spiritual Fiction and her second novel, CAVE OF SECRETS, hit #1 on Amazon in Jewish fiction, gay fiction and British and Irish literature.
She has degrees from the University of Michigan, Goddard College and a Certificate in Entrepreneurship from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program. She is the mother of four young adults and lives in Huntington Woods, Michigan.
To learn more about Lynne, click here.
This week’s guest is Delise Torres (One Tough Cookie, Alcove Press, July 2023). Described as a Latina Fleabag, Delise’s novel is both a women’s fiction and a romance and she purposely made choices in both character and venue to make it more appealing in the marketplace before she queried. We discuss the revisions both her agent and later her publisher asked for, the challenges of marketing a book when you live overseas, and how Delise benefitted from several programs WFWA offered including critique groups, the mentor program, and the annual pitch event.
Delise Torres grew up in Puerto Rico, watching telenovelas and re-enacting scenes with her Barbies. Once she outgrew her dolls, she turned to daydreaming, and it wasn’t until her late thirties when she finally put her own stories to paper, and her passion for writing was born. She has a PhD in Food Science and former work experience as a quality assurance manager in the food industry. When not writing, you can find her trying to time-manage her life, singing, reading, and streaming shows and movies. She lives in Germany with her daughter and German husband.
To learn more about Delise, click here.
Our guest this week is Kristin Kisska (The Hint of Light, Lake Union Publishing, August 2023). Listen to hear how two revisions at the tail end of the publishing process unlocked deeper meanings in her novel, how the grief in the story had to be toned down, and the thought-provoking question Kristin uses at book clubs to promote discussion. We discuss the pluses and minuses of publishing with an Amazon imprint and how placing short stories in anthologies benefitted not only her networking efforts but her learning curve about the publishing industry.
KRISTIN KISSKA used to be a finance geek, complete with her MBA and Wall Street pedigree, but now she is a self-proclaimed #SuspenseGirl. She has contributed over a dozen short suspense stories to crime and mystery anthologies. Her debut novel, The Hint of Light, was an Agatha Award finalist for Best First Novel. Kristin is a Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, Sisters in Crime, and James River Writers member. Kristin lives in Richmond, Virginia, with her family and their moody tabby cat, Boom. She loves hearing from friends, readers, and book clubs.
To learn more about Kristin, click here.
This week’s guest is Jude Hopkins (Babe in the Woods, The Wild Rose Press, June 2023). We discuss how women often make poor life decisions when it comes to relationships, how finding the right developmental editor led to rearranging her opening chapters which led to an offer and how challenging it is to market a debut novel. Then we segue into the phenomenon of people “wanting” to write a book but letting life get in the way and the messages Jude uses to avoid that kind of procrastination in her own writing process.
Jude Hopkins is author of Babe in the Woods, her debut novel published by Wild Rose Press in 2023. She has also written various essays, including one published in The Los Angeles Times and another about the need for self-confidence in telling a story, published in Women Writers, Women’s Books. She was one of the runners-up in Proximity Magazine’s 2018 Personal Essay Contest, judged by Hanif Abdurraqib, for her essay “The Diagnosis.” Her poetry has appeared in California Quarterly, Timber Creek Review, Gyroscope Review—and soon to be in Witcraft and The Orchards Poetry Journal.
To learn more about Jude, click here.
Our guest this week is Nigar Alam (Under The Tamarind Tree, G.P.Putnam & Sons, August 2023). We discuss the ten years she spent educating herself about writing before finding her agent in an unusual way (it involved Twitter). Hear how her first conversation with her editor took place while Nigar was stranded in Turkey during a snowstorm, and how writing a book set in Pakistan had the serendipitous effect of bringing her closer to her parents. If your dream is to sign with a Big Five publishing house, listen as Nigar takes us behind the scenes to highlight the advantages that brings and why it’s not necessarily bad to write a book that straddles genres.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Nigar Alam spent her childhood in Turkey, Nigeria, Italy, Kenya, Indonesia, and the United States before returning to Karachi. With an MBA and CPA, she has worked in both brand management and auditing. Currently, Alam teaches at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and lives with her family in Minnesota.
To learn more, click here.
This week’s guest is Joanna Monahan (Something Better, Blue Ink Press, June 2023). Initially starting out to write a YA novel about a reunion, Joanna worked with a book coach and eventually decided to switch to a coming of (middle) age novel about second chances. She discovered her small press through networking channels including the weekly WFWA newsletter and social media contacts and was realistic with her marketing ideas, setting both modest goals (things she could control like her launch party) and stretch goals (dream aspirations like winning a national writing contest). We discuss thinking about what’s right for this particular book vs. your ongoing career and how she approaches writing as her own small business in terms of resource and time allocation.
Joanna Monahan lives in North Carolina with her husband, their two children, and one hangry cat. When she isn’t writing, Joanna enjoys theater, baseball, and bookmarking recipes she will never make. A child of the 80s, she regrets that she no longer receives pizza coupons in exchange for reading books.
Joanna is an active member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association and the North Carolina Writers' Network. Her debut novel, Something Better, was recently named a Next Generation Indie Book Awards winner in both the General Fiction and Chick Lit categories.
To learn more about Joanna, click here.
This week’s guest is Cindy Maynard (Esperanza’s Way, Historium Press, June 2023). The inspiration for Maynard’s book came from her 500-mile trek of the Camino de Santiago in Spain at the age of 67 and her curiosity about what it would have been like for a woman making the same journey in the 13th century. Combining her love of history with her avid interest in the natural world, she fashioned a story that included the “physicians of the day” who dealt primarily in herbal medicine. She brings out a book every two years, spending one year in deep research, the other in the writing itself and also shares how a small winter festival in the Colorado mountains has been her best sales venue.
Cindy Burkart Maynard is passionate about history, and the natural world, a passion that adds rich detail and context to her historical fiction novels. Her characters come to life on the page as they portray what it was like to live in another time and place. She weaves compelling, dramatic stories based on strong characters facing daunting challenges. In addition to her works of historical fiction, she has co-authored two nonfiction works about the Colorado Plateau and the Desert Southwest and contributed articles to Images and Colorado Life and Utah Life Magazines. She has been active in many environmental and professional organizations.
To learn more about Cindy, click here.
My guest this week is Barbara Dullaghan (Secrets in the Hollow: A Sleepy Hollow Novel, MindStir Media, March 2023). Hear how her home town of Tarrytown, renamed Sleepy Hollow to revitalize the town’s tourist industry, serves as the backdrop to Barbara’s coming-of-age debut novel, how her local writing group’s format based on prompts led to her initially writing in vignettes, and how she pitched her novel to agents at a top NYC writing conference even though it wasn’t written yet (hint: not advisable). Deciding forego the agent/submissions process, she chose a hybrid publisher as her best option—the control and speed of self-publishing but with the help of people who knew the ins and outs of the system.
Dullaghan published in gifted education with Kendall Hunt and Prufrock Press, and her short stories and poetry can be found in three anthologies. She and her husband, Jack, now live in coastal North Carolina and love spending time at the beach with their three children, spouses, and six energetic grandchildren.
To learn more, click here.
Our guest this week is Donna Norman-Carbone (All That is Sacred, Red Adept Publishing, June 2023). Hear how two separate events, one with a well-known medium, came together to provide the inspiration for this award-winning debut, the advice Donna got from a famous author, and how the timing of her publisher’s offer caught her off-guard. We discuss what she did to create five different major characters and the fun swag that resulted as well as how networking with a fellow debut author led Donna to become a co-host of her own writer-focused podcast.
Donna Norman-Carbone, the award-winning author of All That is Sacred and Of Lies and Honey, published by Red Adept Publishing, has a passion for writing women’s fiction that tugs at the heartstrings. Donna is also co-host of the podcast, Authors Talking Bookish, and a tour guide for the Bookish Road Trip. Her writing affiliations include membership of WFWA and CAPA.
Donna is an English teacher in a small CT suburb, where she and her husband have raised three children, two Labrador retrievers and a Siamese cat. In her spare time, she enjoys reading a good book on a sunny Cape Cod beach (her happy place), spending quality time with family and friends and traveling overseas.
To learn more about Donna, click here.
This week’s guest is JJ Elliott (There are No Rules For This, She Writes Press, May 2023). We discuss how a family tragedy formed the backdrop for this debut which JJ wrote to challenge herself rather than with a eye to being published, how picking up a random book to read led her to a retreat that reawakened her to her love of writing, how she resisted the lure of big-name publishers who wanted to change her core message, why she changed her initial title, and how this last year has been one of saying “yes” to unexpected and serendipitous marketing opportunities, including a mention in Katie Couric’s newsletter.
JJ Elliott’s debut novel, There Are No Rules For This, is the winner of two Zibby Awards—Best Book for Best Friends and Best Book That Made You Cry. It was also a finalist in Best New Fiction in the International Book Awards.
Elliott lost her mother to suicide as a teenager, and spent over two years volunteering on the suicide hotlines in LA. One of the reasons she wanted to write her novel is because she is increasingly frustrated by the way suicide is treated in print and on-screen, as a mystery to be solved rather than a multi-layered, complex mental health situation that can rarely be boiled down to one specific "reason." A native of Northern California, JJ now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two teenage kids, and two poorly trained bulldogs. She loves to read, drink wine, play tennis, and eat cheese.
To learn more about JJ, click here.
This week my guest is Tracey Buchanan (Toward the Corner of Mercy and Peace, Regal House, June 2023). When Tracey was tapped to write a script for an historical re-enactment troupe in her small Kentucky town, little did she realize it would propel her into a whole new career as a novelist. We discuss the life lesson her lead character learns during the course of her book which wound up being one Tracey herself experienced, the difference between developmental editing and working with a book coach, how Tracey believes daydreaming about your novel should count as writing time. Finally she shares the atypical venues she’s used for successful book events and the quirky trait she and I share.
Tracey Buchanan crashed into the literary world when she was six and won her first writing accolades. Fast forward through years as an award-winning journalist, mom, volunteer, freelance writer, newspaper and magazine editor, artist, small business owner, and circus performer (not really, but wouldn’t that be something?) and you find her happily planted in the world of fiction with her debut novel, Toward the Corner of Mercy and Peace. Tracey and her husband, Kent, live in Paducah, Ky., with their dog, Leapin’ Naughty Lottie Moon. They travel to see their kids and eight grandchildren as often as possible. Tracey hopes to see her second novel come out soon-ish (the publishing world is frustratingly slow). She is working on her third novel while she waits.
To learn more about Tracey, click here.
Our guest this week is Rachel Corsini (Sushi and Sea Lions, Creative James Media, May 2023). What started out as journal entries morphed into Rachel’s debut which she wound up writing in standalone scenes rather than chronologically, later splicing them together using the Save the Cat story structure. We discuss her query process in depth, which resulted in 100 rejection but also 20 agent requests for full manuscripts and three offers from small presses. She went with Creative James Media and shares the pluses and minuses in working with a small press as well as how to market your book after the launch hoopla dies down.
After declaring herself a pretty pink princess during her first ballet class, Rachel dreamt of sugar plums and began pirouetting her way through life. While studying to become a ballerina, she compulsively read books under her covers by flashlight and scribbled in spiral-bound notebooks. The urge to tell stories culminated in her graduation from Columbia College Chicago with a B.F.A. in fiction writing. Never one to keep her feet on the ground, she traveled the world from Prague to Cape Town. Once settled back in Queens, she dabbled in journalism before working as an Editorial Assistant for a medical publisher. Seeking a more fulfilling career, she earned her MAT from Queens College and currently works as an English teacher in an alternative program in NYC. Rachel spends her time sipping coffee, trying to cook, and practicing her pirouettes. She currently resides in Freeport, Long Island.
To learn more about Rachel, click here.
This week’s guest is Dorette Snover (Tales of the Mistress – Historical High Adventures of a Bread Apprentice in Medieval France, indie published March 2023). We discuss how this historical fiction centering on an agrarian society has tie-ins to Dorette’s career as a chef, baker, and founder of a culinary school which sponsors cooking classes in not only the states but southern France. A story that took almost 20 years to complete, we delve into listening to other’s advice vs. finding your own voice, how direct sales through farmer’s markets have worked well for her, and the joys and challenges of researching the history and culture of another country.
Influenced by her French name, Italian heritage, and the food traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch Country where she was born and raised, Dorette Snover graduated with degrees in education and culinary arts. As a writer, she loves planting tomatoes, making sourdough bread, and walking her stories down paths lined with fig trees. As a chef she’s been a doughnut maker, hospital dietary assistant, food-styler of fried chicken, fraternity cook, private chef, NPR commentator, goat-cheese apprentice, and media escort to cookbook authors. In 1997, she founded C’est si Bon!, a second generation cooking school in Chapel Hill, where her family continues to teach the mysteries of kitchens and cooking; both here and abroad in Europe.
To learn more about Dorette, click here.
Our guest this week is Kelly Huston (Tex Miller is Dead, self-published May 2023). Kelly and I discuss how winning several writing contests not only provided her with inexpensive professional critiques but also added to her author credentials during her agent search, the unique challenges of writing humor, what makes a book a rom-com, and why she and her agent finally parted ways. We then segue into why she’s embraced the indie path to publication (including the freedom to write what she wants rather than worrying about trends), and her long-term strategy for growing her author brand.
Kelly Elizabeth Huston writes women-centric, genre-straddling fiction that always includes laughs and a love story. Often there's heartbreak, a smidge of mystery, moments of suspense, and maybe a dead body... or two. Not always. But sometimes. Above all, she hopes her protagonists are better for it in the end, and she has entertained readers along the way. After spending a few years in the traditional publishing space, Kelly leaped to the indie side without looking back and is eager to dole out her book babies and get them read. She hopes you'll join her in the adventure.
To learn more about Kelly, click here.
This week’s guest is Jane Rubin (In The Hands of Women, Level Best Books, May 2023). Jane’s novel, an historical fiction set in 1908 NYC and centering around both the suffragette movement and early reproductive rights issues, was inspired not only by Jane’s great grandmother but also her lived experience as an ovarian cancer survivor. Her health concerns drove her decision to forego an agent search and push for an expedited pub date with a small press, which has led to two published novels and a contract for two more. We discuss the importance of defining your book’s target market and how going after larger venues with honorariums can help finance a book tour.
With an extensive healthcare background and a passion for medical and women’s immigrant history, Jane Rubin began writing in 2009 after a genetically based cancer diagnosis. Her novels have culminated in a four-book deal with Level Best Books (Threadbare, In the Hands of Women-2023, and Over There-2025), following the fictional life of her great-grandmother’s family. Her characters confront the restrictive reproductive rights of the time, the limited roles for women, and the perilous road to financial success.
Her great-grandmother, Tillie, arrived in New York City in 1866 at sixteen and married a man twelve years her senior, later dying of ’a woman’s disease.’ Ms. Rubin was determined to give Tillie a fictional life, imagining her rags-to-riches life and fight with terminal disease. Threadbare was awarded First Place by the International Impact Book Awards and a Five Star designation by Readers’ Favorite. Ms. Rubin's third book, Over There, transports her characters into the thick of WW1. Over There was shortlisted by the Historical Novel Society, 2024 First Chapters Competition.
To learn more about Jane, click here.
Our guest this week is Hope Gibbs (Where The Grass Grows Blue, Red Adept, May 2023). Hope looked around as her kids left for college and thought what now? The result is this southern women’s fiction/contemporary romance mash-up that’s won 13 major writing awards and been licensed by Blackstone for an audiobook release. We discuss how a chapter her editor had her take out because it didn’t advance the story later became the perfect epilogue, how she joined WFWA and immediately binge watched every webinars we offered to learn what she didn’t know, and how, after years of saying no to requests from her five kids, her approach to marketing her debut was to say yes to every offer that came her way.
Hope Gibbs grew up in rural Scottsville, Kentucky. As the daughter of an English teacher, she was raised to value the importance of good storytelling from an early age. Today, she’s an avid reader of women’s fiction. Drawn to multi-generational family sagas, relationship issues, and the complexities of being a woman, she translates those themes into her own writing. A mother of five, she loves playing tennis, pickleball, singing karaoke, and curling up on her favorite chair with a book. She holds a B.A. from Western Kentucky University and is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, the Women’s National Book Association, a tour guide for Bookish Road Trip, and the co-host of the Authors Talking Bookish Podcast.
To learn more about Hope, click here.
This week’s podcast guest is Michelle Paris (New Normal, Apprentice House Press, May 2023). We discuss writing as a catharsis for personal grief, creating a character who’s a stand-in for your own alter ego, the benefits of working with critique groups for useful and safe advice, and how editorial feedback is only useful when you’re ready to hear it. And tune in to hear how Michelle worked with students at the country’s only college-run press at Loyola University in Maryland to bring her book to market.
Michelle Paris is an award-winning Maryland author who writes about hope with humor. Her novels, New Normal and Eat Dessert First, both published by Apprentice House Press, deal with serious subjects told in a heart-felt and humorous way. Michelle has been featured in The Baltimore Sun, The Wall Street Journal, WYPR and WJZ-News Channel 13. Her essays about grief and mid-life dating have appeared in multiple editions of Chicken Soup for the Soul inspirational book series. She is enjoying chapter two of her life with her husband, Kevin, and is a proud cat lady.
To learn more about Michelle, click here.
Our guest this week is Amanda Speights (Love’s Arrival, indie published, March 2023). We discuss how her need for control meant she planned to self-publish from the very beginning but also used experts for two important tasks, why 1800’s America has always held a special place in her heart, and how her own childhood trauma helped inform her heroine’s struggles. A self-described “woo” advocate who meditates three times a day, Amanda credits WFWA and specifically its affinity sub-group for indie authors as essential to her writing success. Her best advice for beginning writers? Just write.
Historical Western Romance author, Amanda Speights, weaves spicy tales of resilient women and bold adventures from her home at the foot of America’s Mountain where she lives with her husband and daughter. Her passion for storytelling shines through her work, honoring the Old West’s amorous spirit. Amanda invites her readers to saddle up and journey through love stories that are as enduring as the Rocky Mountains themselves.
Amanda's debut novel, "Love's Arrival," is the first book in the Laurel Springs series, set in the Colorado Territory during the late 1800s. Amanda loves engaging with her readers and offers a newsletter to keep fans informed about her latest releases and book news at her website. She divides her time between crafting her latest historical romance, homeschooling her daughter, and immersing herself in period fiction that spotlights formidable women.
To learn more about Amanda, click here.
This week’s guest is Laurie Beach (The Firefly Jar, Tule Publishing, April 2023). We discuss how she was inspired by a South Carolina wildlife preserve to create her own series’ setting, the importance and difficulty of creating a satisfying ending, and how her experience with grief informed her book’s emotional core. Laurie also shares how she initially taught herself about novel writing by deconstructing Jane Austen’s work, and how her “starter” novel proved invaluable when she took generative writing classes and worked with a book coach. And don’t miss her advice on how writing a rapid-release series can increase sales.
Laurie Beach writes about small southern beach towns, quirky friendships, and true love. When she’s not holding down the couch and typing out words, she stays busy keeping track of her husband and four children. A graduate of Auburn University with a degree in Mass Communications and Psychology, she worked as a television news reporter, an advertising producer, and a political press secretary. She now writes full-time. You can connect with Laurie Beach on Facebook as well as Instagram and TikTok @beachauthor.
To learn more about Laurie, click here.
Our podcast guest this week is Gabi Coatesworth (A Beginner’s Guide to Starting Over, Atmosphere Press, April 2023). The concept of a benevolent ghost helping a loved one move on is a popular trope at the moment and Gabi’s book fits right in. Readers like its blend of optimism and small town charm and it has proved there is room for humor in women’s fiction as well as heavier topics like grief and loss. Gabi is a member of both a local critique group and also runs one of WFWA’s Write-Ins, partly because she writes “with an English accent” and often needs help making her prose more accessible. We discuss her success with co-op ads to build her mailing list and how she’s enhanced her own author platform by positioning herself as a go-to interviewer for authors coming through Connecticut on national book tours.
Gabi Coatesworth is an award-winning British-born author and blogger, who has spent half her life living in the United States. Her memoir, Love’s Journey Home, was published by Atmosphere Press in May 2022 and her debut novel, A Beginner’s Guide to Starting Over, came out in April 2023. They both won first-place awards in the Connecticut Press Club, and the novel came first in the Indie Author Project Awards. She’s been published in trade publications, and literary journals, both in print and online, and anthologies, and is active in the Connecticut writing community, where she runs several groups for writers. If she’s not writing or traveling, she’ll be in her flower garden, wondering whether to weed, or relaxing with a book.
To learn more about Gabi, click here.
This week’s special episode is a roundtable discussion with four of the editors of the anthology Feisty Deeds published on Women’s Fiction Day June 8, 2024. This collection of 23 juried short stories came from members of WFWA’s Historical Fiction affinity group who meet weekly to share the ups and downs of writing in this genre. The selected stories range across centuries, continents, and cultures and feature ordinary women facing extraordinary challenges in astonishing ways. You’ll hear how the initial idea for an anthology morphed into a two-year collaborative venture with these five women each volunteering their time and expertise to this passion project. We discuss the initial planning process, how decisions got made, the developmental editing stage, and what each editor personally learned from the experience.
It’s obvious that this publication was truly a labor of love and a great example of what association members can achieve when they work together. The royalties from the sale of Feisty Deeds benefit the WFWA Scholarship Fund and the group of five editors are already planning their next volume. If you’re a member of WFWA, write historical fiction, and would like to join the affinity group, click here.
To learn more about the anthology, click here.
To connect with the group of Instagram, click here.
To learn more about the individual editors and their writing:
Kimberly Sullivan, click here.
Elaine Schroller, click here.
Christy Forrest, click here.
Kay Smith-Blum, click here.
Carolyn Korsmeyer, click here.
This week’s interview is with Cynthia Bogard (A History of Silence, Atmosphere Press, March 2023). A former university professor, Cynthia’s novel features six contemporary women grappling with issues of racism, misogyny, and societal challenges and she brought not only her background in Women’s Studies but also sensitivity readers to vet her story. We discussed how the lack of response from agents shocked her when compared to the academic feedback she was used to, how working with a hybrid press educated her about the publishing business, how bookstores have not proved an effective sales venue, and how being a part of two critique groups has had a profound positive effect not only on her braided novels, but on her own continued development as a creative artist.
Cynthia J. Bogard has reinvented herself as a novelist after a successful career as a Professor of Sociology and Women’s Studies at Hofstra University in New York. Born and raised in rural Wisconsin she’s lived in Kuwait, Greece, Mexico, New York, Texas, Vermont, and in Madison, Wisconsin.
World traveler, longtime feminist and environmentalist, Greece, mid- 20th century jazz, and Mother Nature are all close to her heart. These days, Cynthia lives with her spouse and two rescue dogs in Montpelier, Vermont.
To learn more about Cynthia, click here.
This week we talk to Barbara Bellesi Zito (Lucky Stiff, Literary Wanderlust, January 2023). In an interesting twist to our usual interview, Barbara’s debut features a male protagonist but one who exactly fits the WFWA definition of a “main character’s emotional journey” as he processes his lottery win and what it means to his work, his family relationships, and his own growth as an individual. Written initially as a screenplay, Barbara credits that version with honing her skill at both dialogue and story structure. We discuss whether living in a publishing hub like NYC is an advantage to a writer, how she found her publisher through a Twitter Pit Mad event, and what’s crucial to remember when injecting humor into your women’s fiction story.
Barbara Bellesi Zito is a freelance writer covering lifestyle and home trends for Apartment Therapy, The Spruce, REAL SIMPLE, Better Homes & Gardens, and other digital publications. She earned her BA from Wagner College and her MFA from Emerson College. She lives in Staten Island, New York with her husband and their dog. She is working on her second novel and has recently begun coaching other writers and creators. In her ongoing efforts to champion other women writers, she curates @thewomenwritersclub page on Instagram.
To learn more about Barbara, click here.
Our feature podcast guest this week is Kyle Ann Robertson (White Picket Fences, Fulton Books, March 2023). Kyle shares how a children’s story she imagined as a “book within a book” for an adult novel morphed into a series of ten published picture books she authored before coming back to her first love of women’s fiction. She describes how journaling was her entry into writing and then we discuss the workshops she leads where she uses prompt cards to break through writer’s block and help in brainstorming plot solutions.
Kyle Ann, the author of WHITE PICKET FENCES and NOT SO LITTLE THINGS, writes contemporary women’s fiction that sinks its teeth into families’ miscommunications, misperceptions, and the chaos they cause, even in the name of love. She’s also the creator of Journaling for Fiction Writers and Embrace Your Muse Creative Writing Workshops. She enjoys traveling to visit her 4 children and 7 grandchildren and currently resides in southwest Florida with her husband and Bichon-poo Mia.
To learn more about her and her writing workshops, click here.
This week’s guest is Patricia Bernstein (A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower, History Through Fiction, March 2023). The spark for Patricia’s story occurred on a trip to Scotland where she heard the story of a noblewoman who used trickery and cunning to rescue her husband from the Tower of London before his execution. We discuss the rabbit hole of research, the challenge of writing dialogue that sounds like historical discourse without turning off readers, and her stance that a novel should grow organically rather than following a prescribed set of “fill-in-the-blanks” structural steps. Finally, we address the task of marking a book after the initial hoopla of release week has died down.
Patricia Bernstein grew up in Dallas and earned a Degree of Distinction in American Studies from Smith College. Returning to Texas, she founded a public relations agency in Houston, while publishing dozens of articles in publications as varied as Texas Monthly, Cosmopolitan and The Smithsonian. She published three non-fiction books before her first novel. The most recent non-fiction book, about the 1920s Ku Klux Klan, was a finalist for a major award from the Texas Institute of Letters. A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower, Patricia’s debut novel, has been awarded gold medals by the American Bookfest and the IPPY awards. She lives in Houston with her husband Alan Bernstein. They have three wonderful and very different daughters.
To learn more about Patricia, click here.
In honor of Women’s Fiction Day 2024, please join me for a special episode of Hear Us Roar featuring a roundtable discussion between the finalists for the 2023 Star Award for General Fiction – Erin Litteken (The Memory Keeper of Kyiv), Lyn Liao Butler (Red Thread of Fate) and Anna Collins (These Numbered Days). We talk about the genre of women’s fiction and the alternative ways of categorizing this type of story, the current state of publishing today and the career paths each of these talented writers has taken to bring their stories to readers.
Erin Litteken is an international bestselling author of historical fiction. Her debut, THE MEMORY KEEPER OF KYIV, has been translated into sixteen languages and was the 2022 winner of the Women's Fiction Writers Association Star Award and the She Reads Best Historical Fiction Award. With a degree in history and a passion for research, Erin draws inspiration from her family roots, and in particular, her great-grandmother’s stories about life in Ukraine before, during, and after WWII. She lives outside of St. Louis with her husband and two children. For more information about Erin and her books, click here.
Lyn Liao Butler is a Taiwanese American author of thrillers, upmarket fiction, and rom-coms. Her thriller, Someone Else’s Life, was an instant Amazon bestseller and her second book Red Thread of Fate was a finalist in the WFWA Star Awards for 2023. Before becoming an author, she was a professional ballet and modern dancer, and is still a fitness and yoga instructor. She and her husband and son divide their time between New York and Kauai. To learn more about Lyn, click here.
Anna E. Collins is an award-winning Seattle-area author of contemporary romantic comedies and women’s fiction. Her work has earned praise from Kirkus, Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal, as well as coverage in USA Today, Woman’s World, and Popsugar, among other outlets. Once upon a time, Anna was a high school teacher with a master’s degree in educational psychology, but when she realized she had stories to tell, she picked up the proverbial pen and ventured into uncharted fictional waters. Nowadays, she spins her imaginary yarns under the careful watch of her mini goldendoodle, Archie, who is a Very Good Boy. To learn more about Anna, click here.
This week’s guest is Susan Carew (Take the Plunge, indie published, March 2023). Susan, who now resides in Ireland and previously lived for eight years in Spain, took up novel writing during the pandemic, following weekly instructional posts over Instagram by the best-selling author Marian Keyes. An open-water swimmer, Susan decided to create a protagonist with that same interest and has now penned two of a 3-book series. We discuss the pluses and minuses of indie publishing, how she crashed an agent-only section at the London Book Fair, and the differences and similarities in the European publishing industry vs. the United States.
Susan lives in the south of Ireland with her husband and their dog, Ruby. When not writing she enjoys going walking on the beautiful local trails. She also belongs to a choir and is getting used to singing in the Irish language!
In a former life she was a bank clerk, an English language teacher, teacher-trainer and an English language examiner, the latter of which enabled her to travel the world.
Susan has always enjoyed writing in the form of letters and keeping a diary. It was a lifelong assumption of hers that she would write a novel, but it wasn’t until 2021 that she did so. To her delight she found she loved the process and now writes full time. Take the Plunge, her debut novel, is part of a series entitled Beyond the Waves. Her second book Beyond the Buoy, is due for release in autumn of 2024.
To learn more, click here.
This week’s guest is Heidi McIntyre (Sea Magic, indie published, February 2023). Heidi’s family background with antique shops provided the impetus for her series about a dealer with paranormal powers who undercovers a series of mysteries related to found objects in her small New England town. After trying her hand at a romance, Heidi realized her emphasis on relationships meant she was a women’s fiction writer and she embraced the genre as a fit. Likewise, as a decades-long marketing consultant, she knew she wanted the control indie publishing would give her and that’s proven to be a fit as well, as she’s delved into promo stacking, A-B comparison ads, and Amazon algorithm testing to such an extent that she now offers her book marketing expertise to others in the writing community.
Always an avid reader, Heidi was inspired to write by her college professor who convinced her to switch majors to English. From then on, she harbored a secret wish to write a novel one day. Heidi spent most of her marketing career as a consultant specializing in fresh produce where she worked with a variety of growers, commodity boards, and associations. She currently enjoys working with authors as a Book Marketing Coach.
Sea Magic is her debut novel and the first of the Hidden Gems series, which was also a finalist in the 2022 Page Turner Awards. Originally from New Jersey, Heidi lives in Oviedo, Florida with her husband, Tim, and their dogs Pumpkin and Lizzie. She loves coffee, chocolate, yoga and visiting historical places.
To learn more about Heidi, click here.
Our guest this week is Kimberly Young (In the Event of Death, Post Hill Press, February 2024). Tune in for a lively discussion about how Kimberly discovered her book idea of an event planner who morphs her wedding planning business into one for end of life memorials when the 2008 recession hits. We discuss the stable of talented women professionals who aided her in bringing her book into being, from mentors at the Stanford Novel Writing program, to a dream agent she got from a referral to a social media consultant who she praises for making her book a success. Unlike some guests, Kimberly credits social media, and specifically Instagram, for her healthy sales figures.
Born in the Midwest and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kimberly Young received her BA from Dartmouth College and an MA from Stanford University, where she was a Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellow. She began her career as an advertising copywriter and marketing consultant and worked with clients ranging from startups to Apple. When she isn’t writing, she fundraises for organizations focused on conservation and reproductive rights. In the Event of Death is her debut novel, set in the suburbs of Silicon Valley. Kim and her husband have three grown children and split their time between California and the mountains of Idaho. She is currently underway on her second novel.
To learn more about Kimberly, click here.
This week we talk to Lisa Williams Kline (Between the Sky and the Sea, DragonBlade Publishing, February 2023). Previously an author of books for younger readers, Lisa decided to switch to adult fiction and she’s a proud pantser, even though she admits it takes more time to write without an outline. Her book was inspired by a real-life incident when a luxury liner (dubbed the “Titanic of the South”) sunk off the Carolina coast in 1838 and how she was hampered in her quest to do original research due to the pandemic, We discuss POV (she switched from third to first and then back to third), and how FB takeovers have proved her best technique for gaining exposure.
Lisa Williams Kline is the author of two novels for adults, Between the Sky and the Sea (Dragonblade), and Ladies’ Day (CamCat Books), as well as an essay collection entitled The Ruby Mirror (The Bridge) and a short story collection entitled Take Me (Main Street Rag). Her stories and essays have appeared in Literary Mama, Skirt, Sasee, Carolina Woman, moonShine review, The Press 53 Awards Anthology, Sand Hills Literary Magazine, and Idol Talk, among others. She is also the author of ten novels and a novella for young readers. She attended Duke University and received her MAC from UNC-Chapel Hill in Radio, Television and Motion Pictures, and her MFA from Queens University. She lives in Davidson with her veterinarian husband, a cat who can open doors, and a sweet chihuahua who has played Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical. She and her husband treasure frequent visits with their grown daughters and their husbands.
To learn more about Lisa, click here.
My guest this week is D. Liebhart (House On Fire, indie published, March 2023). Debra, whose novel examines the turmoil in a family when a mother, struggling with her husband’s dementia, asks her daughter for help in ending his life, is a speedy drafter, producing 2500 pages per day, but a slow revisor, and a meticulous plotter who is nevertheless open to surprises as she writes. We discuss the changing landscape of publishing, how she doesn’t believe in writer’s block, and how she overcome her own prejudices against self-publishing to become a successful indie author.
D. Liebhart is a writer and a nurse. Her stories delve into the moral complexity of real life and ask readers to consider what they would do faced with the same situations. House on Fire, her first novel, won the 2023 Page Turner Award for both fiction and debut. It was long-listed for the 2022 Petrichor Prize and received an honorable mention from Writer’s Digest. Her essay Thalassophobia (a true account of a very out-of-the-ordinary honeymoon) won the 2021 Linda Julian Creative Nonfiction Prize from Emrys Journal.
To learn more about this author, click here.
This week we’re talking to D.K. Silver (The Weight of Flowers, indie published, February 2023). A costume designer for most of her career, Dana is a visual person so vivid descriptions come easily – in fact, the impetus to writing her debut was an image from a dream that was so striking it wouldn’t let her go. Not only a terrible speller but severely dyslexic, she struggled in the beginning, producing a 340,000 word opus that required serious editing, but eventually yielded a series. We discuss the fact that her protagonist resembled her personally in many ways, making her the most difficult character to write, and delve into the four major reasons an author might consider indie publishing rather than the traditional route.
D.K. Silver is the author of The Weight of Flowers, the first in a genre-bending saga. The series explores themes of sexual exploitation and dalliance, greed in its many guises and the quest for self-worth.
D.K. Silver is fearless in her determination to explore taboos, using her gifts to relentlessly dig below the surface. As a costume designer, she’s been trained to visually reveal a character’s truer nature—as a writer, she takes it to another level, passionate to unmask the deliciously decadent, the deviant, and the downright misguided aspects of our collective humanness. Her stories are paced like a slow-motion car crash that’s difficult to look away from.
To learn more about D.K., click here.
Our guest on the podcast this week is Annie Cathryn (The Friendship Breakup, Alcove Press, February 2023). After three previous attempts at a novel, Annie hit the motherlode when, in four months, she wrote the story of a Mean Girls/Bad Moms mashup. A unique take on what it’s like to be ghosted from your friends group as an adult, the novel struck a cord with new imprint Alcove and became one of their first releases. We discuss how Annie’s time as a well-connected Bookstagrammer paid off when authors she’d helped along the way with their own book releases repaid the favor in an organic way with favorable blurbs and reviews.
Annie Cathryn has always dreamed of becoming an author and lives by the motto, “Creating is Living.” The Friendship Breakup is her debut book baby, born out of love. When not writing or reading, she’s organizing her personal library collection by color and discovering delectable chocolate. She earned a journalism degree and a master’s in communications from Marquette University, and lives in Chicagoland with her husband, daughter, and two fur babies.
To learn more about Annie, click here.
This week’s guest is Audrey Burges (The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone, Berkley, January 2023). Audrey came up with the title for her book first, wrote it in one month during the pandemic, worked with her WFWA mentor to hone her manuscript, then quickly found both her agent and a Big Five imprint to publish it—a true fairy tale for a debut author. We discuss how she wrote humor essays to build a platform but then that niche became its own entity, how she advises authors to not to do social media to sell books but for its own sake in establishing your writing community, and how she believes not having time enough to write is what makes her so productive (she’s currently writing her seventh book)
Audrey writes novels, humor, and essays in Richmond, Virginia. Her second novel, A House Like an Accordion, will be released in May 2024 by Ace/PRH. She is a humor contributor to McSweeney’s and The New Yorker. When she isn’t writing, she’s asking her two kids and very patient husband to bring her some more coffee.
To learn more about Audrey, click here.
Our guest this week is Kimberly McMillan (Never Enough Time, Warren Publishing, January 2023). Kimberly’s debut is squarely in the women’s fiction genre, exploring the journey of a young girl who loses her single mother, only to discover the father she thought was dead is alive and well with another family in Texas. The book explores not only this new “found” family unit but gives a POV to the step-mother as well. We discuss how Kimberly found her editor in an unusual way, by reading the acknowledgements of a writer similar to her and tracking that person down. A hybrid publisher was the right answer for her, as Warren helped her every step of the way, including significant editing expertise as well as marketing tips.
Kimberly McMillan lives in Waco, Texas with her husband, Aaron, their two amazing daughters, and a spoiled Standard Poodle. Kimberly attended The University of Texas at Austin where she studied Broadcast Journalism. She is an avid tea drinker, accomplished photographer, dog lover, adventure seeker, book lover, bourbon taster, travel enthusiast, and foodie! When she is not writing, Kimberly loves spending time with her family and friends, enjoying everything life has to offer. Kimberly loves the Lord and hopes her love for Him shines through her work.
To learn more about Kimberly, click here.
This week’s guest is Caitlin Avery (Life of Cyn, indie published, Dec. 2022). Tune in for one of our podcast’s most raw and honest interviews as Caitlin and I discuss her decision to out her high school rapist in the pages of her women’s fiction book, her inability to land an agent (who told her “MeToo” books were dead) and her determination to bring secrets like this out of the closet and into the light, making women aware of the power of sharing their stories. Once she decided to publish on her own, Caitlin found the perfect hook to sell her book through unflinching TikTok videos and IG reels which went viral with 50,000 views and an endorsement from Rosie O’Donnell.
Caitlin Avery writes about women whose lives are amiss and can’t resist dangerous impulses. She's the author of the award-winning adventure/thriller, The Last Cruz, its recently released sequel, The Last Con, and the standalone contemporary fiction, Life of Cyn. Her first book, a coming-of-age memoir, is called Lightning in my Wires. When she's not inventing transformative adventures for her readers, she loves to indulge in them. A triathlete, mountain biker, backpacker, black-diamond skier, and yoga enthusiast, she lives outside of Boston with her husband and son, and the cat and dog who rescued her.
To learn more about Caitlin, click here.
Our guest this week is Barbara Boehm Miller (When You See Her, Red Adept Publishing, January 2023). We discuss learning to cut out extraneous back story, why she set her novel in a carnival, and why she chose a plus-size woman for her protagonist. On the marketing side, we talk about how she started out as a lurker on social media and had to get comfortable with what to post. Then we compare notes on the struggle to find an agent in today’s climate where ghosting has become acceptable, leaving authors hanging in limbo.
Barbara likes to write about secret societies and marginalized people and to create desperate and unsavory characters who, nonetheless, appeal to readers. WHEN YOU SEE HER is her first novel. In addition, she earned a Master of Arts in writing from Johns Hopkins University and has had several short fiction pieces published in literary journals.
She’s also worked for many years as a translator of Romance languages into English and has published a series of translations, primarily in the field of children’s rights. She has lived in Costa Rica, France, Mexico, and Spain and, at present, serves as a senior diplomatic translator for the U.S. Department of State.
When not writing, reading, or working, Barbara likes to spend time with her inspiring husband and twin daughters, and her sweet brown dog.
To learn more about Barbara, click here.
This week’s guest is Allyson Rice (The Key to Circus-Mom Highway, indie published, January 2023). Allyson, a multi-hyphenated actor, producer, artist, jewelry designer, and writer penned her debut novel as a screenplay to begin with, then used that as a structured outline for shaping her novel, which falls into the “funny but sad” genre of Carl Hiaasen. Allyson also did her own audiobook narration for which she was nominated for a Voice Arts award in the same category as Bono. We discuss how she found the perfect marketing help through an editor at Reedsy, and explore her current project, a documentary called Banned Together which examines the issue of book banning in the US. Set to release this year, it features an interview with Jodi Picoult whose book, 19 Minutes, has been yanked from some high school shelves.
Allyson Rice is the award-winning author of the novel The Key to Circus Mom Highway. (“Fans of family drama, road trips, and non-stop laughs will love this cross-country adventure.”–BookLife/Publisher’s Weekly). She won an Earphones Award from AudioFile Magazine for her audiobook narration as well as a Voice Arts Award nomination for Best Audiobook Narration by the Author. She is a producer with Atomic Focus Entertainment, currently producing a documentary feature film about fighting book bans titled Banned Together. And she spent decades as an actress on stage and on television, her longest role being seven years as Connor Walsh on As the World Turns. You can see her multi-award-winning, comedic rap music video “Fine, I’ll Write My Own Damn Song” on YouTube. She’s also an award-winning mixed-media artist and photographer. You can sign up for her newsletter and get the chance to have a funny supporting character in her next book named after you.
To learn more, click here.
My guest this week is Roxana Motiwalla Trabulsi (Of Mud and Honey, Ten16 Press. January 2023). Her debut is based on her parent’s struggles in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s in Yemen as the country morphed into a Communist regime, her father was jailed as a political prisoner, and her mother and siblings were placed under house arrest. We discuss the emotional toll and responsibility of writing your own family’s history and how signing with a small press proved the perfect venue to not only tell the story of a little-known country but also gave Roxana the flexibility to publish the book while her parents were still alive. She also shares serendipitous contacts she made through her Internet research and finding the perfect editor who supported her vision.
Born in London, United Kingdom, but raised in Dubai, Roxana now lives just outside of Boston in Massachusetts, where she writes and teaches English Literature at a school for children with learning differences. A graduate of Northeastern University, she worked as a marketing professional for an audio company for several years. She and her husband moved to Tokyo soon after they were married and have lived there twice in the last twenty years. She sits on the board of the local farmer’s market where she has not only contributed to creating a sustainable community but has also been able to bring new and diverse programs such as a self-sustainable seed library to her town. Ultimately, she revels most in her role as mum to her three children. She loves all things farmers market, travel, yoga, art and design, and of course, reading. She lives with her husband, her teenage son, and their four-year-old cockapoo.
To learn more about Roxana, click here.
This week’s guest is Brynn Barineau (Jaguars and Other Game, Orange Blossom Publishing, November 2022). After writing two YA novels that didn’t find a publisher, Brynn tried her hand at adult fiction and, writing from her then-home in South America, penned a gender-flipped three musketeers story based in 1809 Brazil when the Portuguese royal court fled Napoleon’s army and relocated to Rio. It’s filled with sword fights, diamond smuggling, court intrigue, and best of all, female friendships as three women work to exonerate their friend who’s been accused of murder. So even though Brynn grew up equating writers with rock stars, she’s become one and is already on sub for book two.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brynn Barineau has a master’s in international communication from American University and background in international education. After college, she moved to her husband’s native Rio de Janeiro with too many sweaters and not enough Portuguese. Brynn began writing as a way to process life in a new country. Her fiction is rooted in the power and possibilities of relationships across cultures. She’s now back in Atlanta rediscovering her hometown with her Brazilian-American family.
Jaguars and Other Game is her debut novel. Kirkus Review called it an “addictive tale with drama, history and delightful protagonists,” and national best-selling author Lynn Cullen raved “this atmospheric debut had me turning the pages to cheer on the clever trio.” Jaguars and Other Game was a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards in multicultural fiction.
To learn more about Brynn, click here.
Our guest this week is Patricia Hudson (Traces, Firesign Industries, Univ of Kentucky Press, November 2022). Patricia’s historical fiction debut centers around 3 forgotten women—the wife and two daughters of Daniel Boone, the famous explorer and an early “social influencer” who gained fame for opening up the Kentucky area after the Revolutionary War. Patricia, a former free-lance writer, set out not just to record the what of these women’s lives but also the why behind their stories and to do so, joined a low-res MFA program, both to get help writing the novel but also for its networking component. We discuss what it’s like to go to market with a university press and how she’s found hand-selling to be her best marketing tool.
Patricia Hudson, a one-time university reference librarian, has been a freelance writer for 30 years, specializing in history and travel topics. She was a contributing editor at Americana magazine for more than a decade, and a regular contributor to Southern Living magazine. She’s the coeditor of Listen Here: Women Writing in Appalachia, and author of The Carolinas and the Appalachian States, a volume in the Smithsonian Guide to Historic America series. Her library background paved the way for her work on a variety of research projects for other writers, including Alex Haley. She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with her husband, photographer, Sam Stapleton, and two rescue dogs.
To learn more about Patricia, click here.
This week’s guest is Kathy Maresca (Porch Music, Touch Point Press, October 2022) In her debut novel, set in 1950’s Gainesville Florida, Kathy utilized stories from her Seminole family history to tap into a story of racial inequities, Southern culture, country music, and religious hypocrisy. Her research included not only books and museums, but also her own memories of working at Six Gun Territory, a local theme park, and absorbing the rhythm of Native American dances. When it came to marketing, her most effective tool turned out to be contests, where she used her awards to publicize her book. Her least effective? A blog tour which failed to correctly target her ideal reader.
A native Floridian, Kathy Maresca grew up with a grandmother of Seminole heritage. Kathy served in the Air Force, working at the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel and then in special operations at Hurlburt Field, Florida. She edited for the University of Florida and taught English, journalism, and drama. While she was teaching, Kathy became ill with trigeminal neuralgia. She then earned a master’s degree, became credentialed as a rehabilitation counselor, and served as the Director of Patient Services for the Trigeminal Neurgalgia Association.
Kathy recently finished her second novel, Sky Kiss, and is working on a prequel to Porch Music. She has been a Guardian ad Litem and has taught classes for a prison fellowship ministry. Kathy lives in North Carolina with her husband, Keith. They enjoy traveling and spending time with their toy fox terriers.
To learn more about Kathy, click here.
Our guest this week is Georgia Day (Of Sand and Bone, Rhapsody Press, November 2022). Hear how a recurring nightmare, complete with a haunting, portentous image, led Georgia to the story that would eventually morph into her speculative fiction novel. Set in a unique world of undulating sand and daily life-and-death struggles, her two female protagonists set out on a journey and Georgia went on her own journey as well, creating a world where everything from the environment to the origin stories and myths to the animals that share the space had to come from her own imagination. Her reading from this lyrical yet unsettling dystopia half-way through the interview will enchant you as will her future goal of growing Rhapsody Press as a joint co-op venture with her father, a fellow writer.
Georgia Day holds a B.A. in Literary Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas and has dreamed of being a writer her entire life. She is an avid reader, movie buff, and travel enthusiast. Her first novel, Of Sand and Bone, was named a 2023 National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in the category of Literary Fiction. She lives in the United States.
To learn more about Georgia, click here.
This week’s guest is Amy Watson (Closer to Okay, Alcove Press, October 2022). Amy and I discuss clinical depression (she and her husband both live with this) and how her goal in writing her debut was to give voice to this little-understood condition and ways to cope with it. Listen for the serendipitous path that led Amy to her agent and eventually to her publisher, how her biggest marketing success came from inclusion on a book box site she didn’t even solicit, and how gratifying it’s been to hear from readers about both her book’s rawness and its authenticity.
Amy Watson is a native of Little Rock, Arkansas. A wife, a mother to two boys, and a full-time office manager. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, knitting, and watching football. Closer to Okay is her first novel.
To learn more about Amy, click here.
Our guest this week is Linda Moore (Attribution, She Writes Press, October 2022). You’ll smile at Linda’s analogy of how introducing your book to your audience is a lot like offering them chocolate chip cookies and about how men are still getting it wrong in terms of the harassment present in academia. And if you’re interested in marketing to book clubs, you’ll enjoy our lengthy discussion about how Linda approached this often-neglected marketing opportunity, eventually guesting at over seventy clubs in the last 16 months, both locally and via Zoom appearances.
A recovering gallery owner, traveler and writer, Linda Moore uses her experiences in her writing. After studying and earning degrees at the University of California, Stanford and University of Washington (whew!), she spent time as a hospital administrator until she turned her love of art into a business and opened an art gallery. Drawing upon a year studying at Complutense University of Madrid in Spain, she focused the gallery's art on contemporary Hispanic art, especially from the southern cone of South America (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile). She continued traveling after she closed the gallery and has been to all seven continents multiple times and has visited over 100 countries. She lives with her husband in San Diego and takes refuge when she can in beautiful Kauai where they have a cottage.
To learn more about Linda, click here.
This week’s guest author is Karen Heenan (Coming Apart, indie published, October 2022). Our discussion ranges from what happens when the characters in your 1930’s stand-alone historical novel have more to say (your book turns into a trilogy), what to do when as agent asks you to rewrite your novel in another author’s voice (you part ways) to the unexpected and fascinating tidbits you learn when diving into research (ever heard of ‘bootleg coal-mining?’). We end with a discussion of indie vs. trad publishing where Karen maintains agents are no longer the gatekeepers; readers are. And all they care about is whether your book is any good.
As an only child, Karen Heenan learned young that boredom was the ultimate enemy. Since discovering books, she is never without one in her hand and several more in her head. Karen lives in Lansdowne, PA, just outside Philadelphia, where she grows much of her own food and makes her own clothes. She is accompanied on her quest for self-sufficiency by a very patient husband and an ever-changing number of cats. One constant: she is always writing her next book.
To learn more about Karen, click here.
The podcast this week features Wendy Adair (The Broken Hallelujah, indie published, October 2022). Once Wendy had her core idea, snippets of facts as well as sources seemed to appear serendipitously, including the old trunk of a loved one. And we delve into genre – how she set out to write a women’s fiction novel that morphed into another often overlooked genre as well, what it was like to discover a new readership to market to, and the freedom and creativity she’s found in publishing her own work. And if you’ve been on the fence about audiobooks, her experience with that medium may help you decide to take the plunge.
Wendy Adair is a former public relations professional who worked in academia and upon retirement, became a published author. Her debut women’s fiction novel received the 2023 IPPY Bronze Medal for Wartime Fiction and she was a finalist for both the 2023 International Book Award and the Page Turner Award. She is currently at work on a trilogy of cozy mysteries set in a college town featuring a multi-generational family of women amateur sleuths.
To learn more about Wendy, click here.
This week our guest is Gloria Mattioni (California Sister, Atmosphere Press, September 2022). Gloria, originally born in Italy, wrote six previous books before penning her women’s fiction debut, a story loosely resembling a traumatic incident in her own life. The memoir form proved too painful to write and a screenplay hid the interiority needed to understand the sisters, but a dual POV novel proved to be the perfect structure for showing the emotional journey of the characters. Gloria crowd-sourced 40 hand-picked creatives for feedback and once she finished the book, was clear and specific about the time frame, the cost, and the support she needed from a publisher. And it paid off – she’s won 11 of the 12 writing competitions she’s entered.
Gloria Mattioni is the author of the multi-award-winning novel California Sister and an award-winning feature writer contributing to mainstream publication around the world. She also published the narrative non-fiction Reckless - The Outrageous Lives of Nine Kick-Ass Women, Dakota Warrior-The Story of James R. Weddell, and four previous books in Italy. She's been, among other things, an investigative reporter, human rights activist, animal rescuer and magazine editor. She was born in Milan, Italy, but moved to Los Angeles in 1992. She still lives in California with her husband and part-time live-in granddaughter, conjures six impossible things every morning before breakfast, and travels much.
To learn more about Gloria, click here.
Our podcast guest this week is Nancy Yeager (When We Were Friends, Red Adept, October 2022). This was Nancy’s debut women’s fiction although during the time she worked on it with both a book coach and a developmental editor, she wrote and released six historical romances and six contemporary romances. This novel (one inspiration was a Steve Miller song) was complicated by not only two POV’s but also two timelines, one of which unspooled backwards. But her biggest challenge was the scramble at release time – due to a scheduling snafu, her launch window was only six weeks long and involved not only the standard marketing steps but also the task of recruiting a different street team for this new genre. Luckily, Nancy’s a quick study and she pulled it off.
Award-winning author Nancy Yeager writes commercial fiction, historical romance, and contemporary romantic suspense. When she’s not writing, she’s often pursuing fitness goals like completing 90-day fitness challenges and aspiring to achieve the perfect crow pose. She also spends her time drinking too much coffee, not enough red wine, and just the right amount of bourbon. She lives in Maryland with her husband and some very spoiled rescue cats. WHEN WE WERE FRIENDS is Nancy’s first book of women’s fiction.
To learn more about Nancy, click here.
This week’s podcast guest is Anastasia Zadeik (Blurred Fates, She Writes Press, August 2022). Her novel, which won the prestigious 2022 Sarton Award for Contemporary Fiction, examines the role memory—whether suppressed, purposely hidden, or misremembered—plays in a person’s life and how one of the worst days of her life gave her the insight to tell the story. We talk about how she found the perfect home with a hybrid press, embracing Facebook ads (she actually enjoys the creativity behind them) and what criteria she used to decide on which contests to enter. And don’t miss our discussion of blending genres – her readers tell her she’s written a psychological suspense when all along she thought it was women’s fiction.
Anastasia Zadeik is a writer, editor, and frequent performer of narrative nonfiction in a hushed bar. She serves as the Director of Communications for the San Diego Writers Festival, as a writing and performance coach for the literary nonprofit So Say We All, and as a board member for the International Memoir Writers Association. Her debut novel, Blurred Fates, won both the 2023 Sarton Award and the 2023 National Indie Excellence Award for Contemporary Fiction. Her second novel, The Other Side of Nothing, will be released in May 2024.
When she isn’t reading or writing, you can find her hiking, practicing yoga, or hanging out with her husband, Tom, and their empty-nest rescue dog, Charlie.
To learn more about Anastasia, click here.
Our guest this week is Suzanne Moyers (‘Til All These Things Be Done., She Writes Press, September 2022). We discuss her historical fiction debut, loosely based on her grandmother’s life story and how sometimes research isn’t onerous but fascinating when you find a fact in the past that provides context to a plot point or an old photo that sparks inspiration for the world-building necessary to bring a bygone era to life. Suzanne’s rich trove of research led to a series of fascinating blogs and Facebook posts that’s resulted in thousands of views, shares, and bestseller status and her continuing foray into both Amazon and Facebook targeted ads led to her selling out her first print run two months after her book’s release. Now her interest in both metal detecting and Victorian times is helping her write her second novel.
Suzanne Moyers, a former teacher, was an education editor and writer for over 20 years. A lifelong history geek, Suzanne spends her free time as a volunteer archeologist, mudlarker, and metal detectorist. Suzanne is the proud mom to two amazing young adults, Sara and Jassi, and resides in the greater New York City area with her husband, Edward, and spoiled fur baby, Tuxi.
To learn more about Suzanne, click here.
This week’s podcast guest is Judith Turner-Yakamoto (Loving the Dead and Gone, Regal House, September 2022). We discuss how she pulled her manuscript just before it was going to press because she realized she needed to “kill someone”, how even though she worked for 20 years as a publicist, she still considers the publishing business a deeply strange pond, how getting comfortable with sharing deeply-personal posts on Facebook has helped grow her readership and brought her speaking opportunities, and how she found her publisher through becoming a finalist for the Petrichor Prize, an annual fiction writing competition.
Judith Turner-Yamamoto’s debut novel LOVING THE DEAD AND GONE, a Mariel Hemingway Book Club pick, won the 2023 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal in Southern Regional Fiction. The North Carolina Society of Historians recognized the novel with the 2023 Historical Novel Award. Shortlisted for the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Awards Grand Prize, the book was also honorable mention in General Fiction and finalist for the First Horizon Award for Debut Fiction. Judith’s other awards include two Virginia Arts Commission fellowships, an Ohio Arts Council fellowship, the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize, and the Virginia Screenwriting Award.
Judith’s publications include StorySOUTH, Mississippi Review, Deep South, and many anthologies. Her articles have appeared in Elle, Travel & Leisure, AARP, and the Los Angeles Times, and her interviews aired on NPR affiliate WVXU. A Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau scholar, Judith speaks at conferences and book festivals, including the Chautauqua Writers’ Center, Chautauqua Institution, the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and Gaithersburg Book Festival. She lives on the Kentucky/Ohio border where her love of travel and place continues to inspire her writing.
To learn more about Judith, click here.
Our latest podcast features Jacqueline Boulden (Her Past Can’t Wait, Pine Place Press/indie, September 2022). We discuss EMDR, a new therapeutic treatment that plays a central role in her novel and has been effective in treating people suffering from PTSD, how Jacqueline’s background as a reporter both helped and got in the way when she entered the world of fiction, and the valuable advice and support she’s found in a new sub-group within WFWA that specifically helps debut indie authors navigate the tricky terrain of publishing their own work.
Jacqueline Boulden is the 2023 IPPY (Independent Press) Gold Award Winner for Best Regional Fiction, Mid-Atlantic, for Her Past Can't Wait. This debut novel was also named the 2023 Global Book Awards Gold winner for Psychological Thriller, and finalist in several other contests. Her second novel, Family Ties Family Lies (pub Jan 2024), also looks at how our past affects our present and shapes our future. Before turning to writing fiction, Jacqueline won several Emmy awards for reporting and Telly awards for video production. Her TV career took her around the country covering politics in Washington, D.C., NASA and the space shuttle program in Florida (including the Challenger accident) and fighting the wind for control of her hat during live shots in hurricanes and blizzards while working in Orlando and Philadelphia. She lives in upstate New York with her spouse and their rescue dog, who’s teaching them how to speak Beaglish.To learn more about Jacqueline, click here.
The guest this week is Carol Van Den Hende (Orchid Blooming, Azine Press, September 2022). We talk about what happens when a character you weren’t expecting comes onto the stage and demands to be heard, how Carol bought back the rights to her first book so she could stretch herself and become the publisher of her 3-book series, how she’s incorporated her life goals into her writing journey, and how she teaches writers to think of their personal brand as a promise they make to their reader which can in turn help them make choices about where to put their time and energy.
CAROL VAN DEN HENDE is an award-winning author who pens stories of resilience and hope. Her novels Orchid Blooming and Goodbye, Orchid draw from her Chinese American heritage, and have won 30+ literary and design awards, including the American Fiction Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction First Novel Award, and Royal Dragonfly Awards for Cultural Diversity and Disability Awareness.
Buzzfeed, Parade, and Travel+Leisure named Carol’s books a most anticipated read. Glamour Magazine recommended her “modern, important take on the power of love.” The International Pulpwood Queens selected Goodbye, Orchid as a 2022 Bonus Book-of-the-Month and Orchid Blooming as a 2023 International Book-of-the-Month.
Carol’s mission is unlocking optimism as a writer, speaker, strategist, Board member and Climate Reality Leader. One secret to her good fortune? Her humorous hubby and twins, who prove that love really does conquer all.
To learn more about Carol, click here.
This week’s guest is Tamatha Cain (Song of the Chimney Sweep, Orange Blossom Publishing, August, 2022). We discuss Tamatha’s love of not only the musical heritage of Jacksonville but also true crime podcasts and how she was able to mash the two together in her dual time-line debut novel which tells the story of a missing woman, an interracial marriage, and a mystery played out over the airways. We also discuss Only Oona, her second book and a biography of debutante, actress, and writer Oona Chaplin, whose absent father was the playwright Eugene O’Neill and whose husband was world-renowned Charlie Chaplin.
As the child of an Indian immigrant and her military code interceptor husband, Tamatha Cain lived in four countries and seven states. She is the winner of the 2022 Florida Book Award, the 2020 Royal Palm Literary Award, and The Experience Poetry Competition. A musician and former bandleader, she graduated with honors from the University of North Florida and has a BA in English. She writes book reviews for the Southern Literary Review and is a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association, Women Writing the West, and Florida Writers Association. She and her husband live with their weirdly smart little dog in a hundred-year-old bungalow in North Florida.
To learn more about Tamatha, click here.
In this week’s podcast with L Maristatter (Tiny Tin House, Niffy Cat Press, August 2022), we examine what she did when her manuscript grew to 380,000 words (chopped it up into bite-sized pieces and made it a trilogy), the challenges of writing a novel that takes a clear political stance (including working hard to make it more than a revenge screed), how essential it is for an indie author to not scrimp when it comes to interior design and cover art and her best advice to over-anxious authors: don’t rush to publication but include a 6-month lead-up to release to maximize your pre-publicity.
L Maristatter holds a BA in journalism and an MA in communication. Her short story, “Crying in the Sun,” was published in The Saturday Evening Post online, and the web journal Defuncted published her poem, “Child.”
Maristatter is a member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, the Wisconsin Writers Association, the Author’s Guild, and Realm Makers. She lives in the snowy Midwest, where she tries to stay warm, reads terrific fiction, and eats way too much chocolate. She’s on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter regularly, and TikTok and Instagram when she’s feeling brave.
To learn more about Lisa, click here.
This week’s guest is CJ McGroarty (Clara in a Time of War, Atmosphere Press, September 2022). We talk at length about the world-building inherent in writing historical fiction, a genre that requires the author to not only pay attention to historical facts and real-life events but also be attuned to more subtle details like language, word choice, and style of dialogue and the existing norms of gender roles and codes of conduct in a particular time period. CJ also shares her thoughts on the value of MFA programs and how in-person events are often the best way to make a connection with lifelong readers.
C.J. McGroarty is a former reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer with an MFA in Creative Writing. A Pushcart Prize nominee, her short fiction has been published in a variety of magazines and journals. Her debut novel, Clara in a Time of War, was released in September 2022 by Atmosphere Press. When she isn’t writing, C.J. gardens, reads, sings, and serves as a tour guide at Historic Waynesborough, the lifelong home of Revolutionary War General Anthony Wayne. She lives in Chester County, Pa., with her husband, Jim, and their cat. C.J. recently completed work on her second novel, The House on Chambers Road, a supernatural mystery set outside Philadelphia.
To learn more about Cynthia, click here.
Today's podcast features Leslie Kain (Secrets in the Mirror, Atmosphere Press, September 2022). We discuss how she writes out her action story first, in cinematic scenes, then goes back and adds in the emotional interiority and reactions later, making sure to not lose the magical voice which is crucial to bringing the reader into the story. Her background in psychology informs her tale of two identical twins caught up in a dysfunctional family dynamic that leaves them both scarred.
Leslie Kain writes “Psychological Fiction With Heart” ― Often dark stories about messed-up people whose greatest obstacles to happiness lie within them. Leslie was always writing something when she was a kid – fantasies, poems, secret plans; culminating in running away across country at fifteen, never looking back. But in her careers (psychology, Government Intelligence, nonprofits), her writing was limited to nonfiction: professional, research. Finally dabbling in fiction during spare moments above the clouds, her short stories found their way into literary journals and anthologies. She developed personal relationships with her characters, who relentlessly nagged her into longer stories. Her debut novel, ‘Secrets In The Mirror’ has been honored with many awards; its sequel, ‘What Lies Buried’, will be released May 2024. She also recently contributed to the anthology ‘A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood.’ Kain leverages her education, training and experience in psychology to write stories of inner conflict and emotional transformation. She earned degrees from Wellesley College and Boston University. She now lives in Mexico with her husband and 17-year old cat Sheba.
To learn more about Leslie, click here.
In this special edition, we talk round-table style with three of the hard-working volunteers behind making the 10th Anniversary Celebration a success: Jamie Beck, heading up the Agent Pitch and Query Letter happenings, Wendy Rossi, interim co-chair of the event (which means her fingerprints are pretty much everywhere), and Erin Quinn-Kong, in charge of our great line-up of guest speakers and workshop facilitators. We discuss what’s in store for the attendees, the long-term planning as well as behind-the-scenes details (nametags, anyone?) that went into making an event like this happen, and what each is most looking forward to next week as 350 members meet in real life in Chicago.
Jamie Beck is a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author of 18 novels, which have been translated into multiple languages and have sold more than three million copies worldwide. Critics at Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work "smart," "uplifting," and "entertaining." In addition to writing novels, she enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.
Erin Quinn-Kong is an award-winning writer and editor based in Austin, TX. Currently the managing editor of Texas Highways, Erin has also been an editor at Austin Monthly, Us Weekly, and Allure. She's been writing fiction since 2019, and her debut novel, HATE FOLLOW, will be released in October 2024 by William Morrow. Born and raised in Missouri, with a three-year detour to California, Erin is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism. When she’s not writing, you’ll most likely find her on an adventure with her foodie husband and their two delightful children.
Wendy Rossi is the Membership Director for WFWA, a role she's been in for almost three years. Prior to joining the Board, Wendy helped to facilitate several online activities for the organization, which led to the opportunity to be nominated for Board service. Wendy is currently polishing her draft of her first work of fiction, a dual-timeline work of Women's Fiction and Historical Fiction. She retired from her professional career in business-project management in January 2023 and is looking forward to pursuing her creative and home-centric interests until grandkids come along.
To learn more about WFWA, click here.
This week’s guest is Adele Holmes (Winter’s Reckoning, She Writes Press, August 2022). We discuss the complexity of not only writing three-POVs of different age groups and gender in her debut novel but also setting it in a tumultuous time period (the rural south of 1917 America) when the KKK was resurging and both women’s rights, civil rights, and secondary education were under attack. A former pediatrician, Adele shares how her creative well had become depleted, how more experienced writers shared not only their advice but also their audience with her, and how marketing remains her least favorite part of the writing journey.
Adele Holmes graduated from medical school in 1993. After twenty-plus years in private practice pediatrics, her unquenchable desire to wander the world, write, and give back to the community led her to retire from medicine. Her fun-loving family includes a rollicking crew of her husband Chris, two adult children and their spouses, five grandchildren of diverse ages and talents, a horse, and a Bernedoodle. Winter’s Reckoning, Adele’s debut novel, won Honorable Mention in the 2021 William Faulkner Literary Competition and first place in the 2021 Chanticleer International Book Award-Goethe Award. Kirkus Reviews called it “A notable tale that offers the hope that even small actions can lead toward greater good.” She is currently at work on her second novel in her resident town of Little Rock, Arkansas.
To learn more about Adele, click here.
Our guest this week is Carol Dunbar (The Net Beneath Us, Forge, September 2022). A successful actor in Minneapolis, Carol realized she was a storyteller working in the wrong art form so she switched from the world of the stage to the world of the page and moved off the grid with her family to rural Wisconsin. Her debut is the story of a woman who must deal with grief and open herself up to community when a tragic accident cleaves her world in two. Carol shares how an unexpected gift led to her perfect title and how investing in a writing conference changed her life. And if your dream is to be published by the Big Five, listen to her journey of finding the perfect agent to being on sub for four years to landing a two-book deal with an imprint of McMillan and working with a talented in-house editor whose probing questions taught her to be a better writer.
CAROL DUNBAR is a working writer and former actor who left her life in the city to live off the grid. She is the author of two novels, The Net Beneath Us, winner of the 2022 Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award, and A Winter’s Rime, releasing in the fall of 2023. She writes from a solar-powered office on the second floor of a water tower in northern Wisconsin, where she lives in a house in the woods with her husband, two kids, and a Great Pyrenes Mountain Dog.
To learn more about Carol, click here.
This week’s podcast guest is Angela Cairns (Touch, indie published August 2022). A resident of the UK, Angela’s fiction is informed by her work as a physiotherapist and healer. We talk about the rich history of storytelling and its ability to reach people at a deep emotional level and her belief that moving even one reader makes all the hard work behind producing a novel worthwhile. An entrepreneur at heart, Angela initially went the agent/publisher route but then, spurred on by the premature death of a beloved friend, she decided life’s too short and began to educate herself on the ins and outs of self-publishing. The result is her 4-book series which follows a woman as she navigates life’s milestones.
Angela writes books for people who love people and life in all its tangled glory – for those who quietly work for transformation and believe in happy endings. In her books, you will find resilient, relatable heroines with warm hearts who try to do the next right thing despite difficult circumstances and their own saboteur voices.Her first novel, Touch, became an Amazon best-seller. There are now four novels in the Ellie Rose Series. Her first historical romance novel, A Song for Kitty, is due for release on 24th August 2023 by The Book Reality Experience and Leschenault Press.
Her short stories have been published in ‘Yours’ magazine and feature regularly on the radio. She is a regular guest on writing podcasts and summits.Angela is also a writing coach and passionate about people being inspired to write. She believes that creativity can be messy, and scary, but we must do it anyway. The world needs each unique voice – and if not you, then who can write your truth? Married with two grown lads and three grandsons, Angela is owned by two Gordon Setter dogs.
To learn more about Angela, click here.
This week our guest is Dianne Braley (The Silence in the Sound, Koehler Books, August 2022). Her experience working on Martha’s Vineyard as private nurse to William Styron, Pulitzer-prize winning author of Sophie’s Choice, provided the framework for Dianne’s debut novel as well as her childhood trauma of growing up with an alcoholic parent. We discuss author platform (she runs a popular blog for nurses) as well as the strategy of affiliating with an existing charity that aligns with your novel’s theme.
A raw, gritty New Englander, Dianne C. Braley found love for the written word early on, reading and creating stories while trying to escape hers, growing up in the turbulent world of alcoholism while living in the tough inner city. After putting her pencil down for a time, she became a registered nurse finding strength and calm in caring for those who couldn’t care for themselves. She soon became the private nurse for an ailing Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who was not only her patient but became her friend and motivator. He and his books helped her realize she missed crafting stories, and she had some to tell.
Dianne and her family—human, furry, and feathered—are firmly planted in a small town north of Boston but not far enough away to lose her city edge. She is earning her degree in creative writing and still reeling from the success of her first novel, The Silence in the Sound, which was inspired by actual events and released in 2022. Part of the proceeds from her book are shared with the Robert F. Kennedy Community Alliance organization that assists children and families affected by addiction.
To read more about Dianne, click here.
Listen here to our interview with Rita H. Rowe (Becoming Ruthless. Indie published, October 2021). Rita’s a prolific writer, releasing eight books so far with others around the corner yet she’s still learning and growing as an author, particularly when it comes to how to publicize her work. We discuss her organic method of writing (pantser all the way) and how her first novel sprang from an event that blindsided a best friend. A resident of Australia, Rita hasn’t found it easy to connect to fellow writers, so as a recent member of WFWA, she’s found not only a trove of information but a new set of friends as well.
Rita H Rowe is a teacher and author with a Bachelor of Arts, a Diploma of Education, and a Masters in Writing. Her journey into writing began as a lifelong dream that she was finally able to pursue at the age of forty-seven, resulting in her first novel, Never the Moon. Rita pours her heart and soul into her writing, incorporating her personal experiences with love, romance, hurt, and abuse. To Rita, writing is both a form of therapy and a way to connect with like-minded readers on a deeper level. As an author, Rita hopes to be remembered as someone who created worlds that readers could lose themselves in, even just for a little while. When she isn’t writing, Rita enjoys playing pool, painting, going on motorbike rides, and spending time with her children and mother.
To learn more about Rita, click here.
This week we talk with Maggie Ginsberg (Still True, Univ of Wisconsin Press, September 2022). Maggie, a journalist and magazine editor, always thought the novelists she admired were born with “magic author brains”, that ideas simply flowed out of their fingers onto the page. It was only after she decided to write a book herself that she discovered the similarities with er non-fiction interviews—the characters were actually “real people” and all she had to do was ask the right questions so she could understand their story. We discuss the pluses and challenges of publishing with an academic press, how the key to a major character was buried in her own personal history, and how her award-winning book unabashedly claims “Midwestern Lit” as its genre.
Maggie Ginsberg is a writer, editor and author in Wisconsin. Her debut novel, Still True, was published by the University of Wisconsin Press in September 2022 and is one of three finalists in this year's WFWA STAR Award for Outstanding Debut. It was also the honorable mention selection for the 2022 Edna Ferber Fiction Book Award and a 2023 Midwest Book Awards silver medal winner in the Literary/Contemporary/Historical Fiction category. Maggie is now a senior editor at Madison Magazine after freelancing for city, regional and national magazines since 2006, and her nonfiction work has earned numerous honors from the City Regional Magazine Association, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Milwaukee Press Club. She lives with her bicycle mechanic husband and a revolving door of kids and pets.
To learn more about Maggie, click here.
This week’s podcast features Carolyn Clarke (And Then There’s Margaret, Black Rose Writing, July 2022). As the founder and resident guru of HenLit Central, Carolyn had a wealth of knowledge and contacts to draw from when she made the leap to novelist. Her idea to write a coming-of-middle-age story morphed into this light-hearted but ultimately touching tale of the challenges when your life includes not only the man you love, but his mother as well. We discuss working with a small press, the value of Kindle Unlimited and BookBub, and how entering your book in writing contests help with both discoverability and legitimacy for a debut author.
Carolyn Clarke is the founder and curator of HenLit Central, a blog focused on ‘life and lit’ for women over 40. And Then There’s Margaret is her first novel. She has been an ESL teacher for over sixteen years and has co-authored several articles and resources with Cambridge University Press, MacMillan Education and her award-winning blog ESL Made Easy. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her partner, Tony, her two daughters and a bulldog, Sophie.
To learn more about Carolyn, click here.
This week’s podcast is with D.F. (Donna) Kennedy (The Truth, indie-published, June 2022). We talk about her journey from writing a memoir about her unique and often trauma-filled life (sexual abuse, kidnaping, foster care) to changing her story into a fictional piece and how that decision unleashed her creative juices, ultimately resulting in a 3-part series she wrote for rapid release. We discuss her ties and synergies with Colleen Hoover, her decision to go indie, and the fact that satisfaction often lies in accomplishments other than financial success.
Donna F. Kennedy is the author of multiple novels under multiple pen names. She doesn't like to box herself into one type of story, but at the core of her novels is soul-searching thought-provoking love, loss, and/or pain. She writes with such emotion drawing from her own life experiences. Donna is a gypsy at heart, and when she isn't traveling and sharing her adventures between the pages of a good book, she shares them on social media.
For more information and for a schedule of events, please click here.
Tune in to our podcast episode with Staci Greason (All The Girls in Town, Touchpoint Press, July 2022). In her early twenties, Staci was a regular cast member on Days of Our Lives, a popular daytime soap, but she had things she wanted to say in her own words rather than other people’s so she switched to writing. But that acting background still comes in handy when she’s writing dialogue scenes and means she’s good at knowing how people sound and move through the world. Music is also an important part of her life —knowing what her characters listen to is an essential part of her process. Her message to writers: books can have a long and varied life – hers is billed as Bad Sisters meets 9 to 5 and is currently being shopped as a book to feature deal.
Staci Greason’s literary achievements include award-winning television pilots and screenplays. Her well-reviewed novel, All the Girls in Town, was published by Touch Point Press (July 26, 2022). Her short stories and essays have been published in Brevity, Slate, Lunch Ticket, AFLW, the Same, and the Huff Post. In her past life, she played the late Isabella Toscano Black on Days of Our Lives. Staci lives in Southern California.
To learn more about Staci, click here.
Tune in to our podcast episode with Staci Greason (All The Girls in Town, Touchpoint Press, July 2022). In her early twenties, Staci was a regular cast member on Days of Our Lives, a popular daytime soap, but she had things she wanted to say in her own words rather than other people’s so she switched to writing. But that acting background still comes in handy when she’s writing dialogue scenes and means she’s good at knowing how people sound and move through the world. Music is also an important part of her life —knowing what her characters listen to is an essential part of her process. Her message to writers: books can have a long and varied life – hers is billed as Bad Sisters meets 9 to 5 and is currently being shopped as a book to feature deal.
Staci Greason’s literary achievements include award-winning television pilots and screenplays. Her well-reviewed novel, All the Girls in Town, was published by Touch Point Press (July 26, 2022). Her short stories and essays have been published in Brevity, Slate, Lunch Ticket, AFLW, the Same, and the Huff Post. In her past life, she played the late Isabella Toscano Black on Days of Our Lives. Staci lives in Southern California.
To learn more about Staci, click here.
Give a listen to our interview with Lisa Williamson Rosenberg (Embers on the Wind, Little A, August 2022). Lisa’s life has been a study in duality. She’s a self-described Black Jew, a ballerina turned shrink, and a recovered anorexic and bulimic responsible for feeding her family. Her novel began with the local legend of a ghost from the abolitionist period said to haunt her in-law’s familial summer home and grew to include linked stories from three different time periods, as she explores the myriad lived experience of modern Black women. We discuss how she carved out time to write during carpool jaunts, how her agent stuck with her through various “almosts” until selling her debut to an Amazon imprint, and the perks that resulted from being a “First Reads” choice on that platform.
Lisa is an author and psychotherapist specializing in developmental trauma and racial identity. She is also a former ballet dancer with the Pacific Northwest and Pennsylvania Ballet companies. A Pushcart Prize nominee, Lisa’s short fiction has appeared in Literary Mama and The Piltdown Review; essays in Lithub, Longreads, Narrative.ly, The Common, Grok Nation, Oldster, and Mamalode. Lisa’s debut novel, EMBERS ON THE WIND, about an Underground Railroad safehouse turned 21st Century Airbnb, was released on August 1, 2022 by Little A Books. A born-and-raised New Yorker, Lisa now lives in Montclair, New Jersey with her husband and dog. Lisa is the mother of two college kids.
To learn more about Lisa, click here.
In honor of Women's Fiction Day 2023, pull up a chair and listen to this special edition of Hear Us Roar celebrating Women’s Fiction Day 2023. Our guests on the episode are Orly Konig, Kerry Lonsdale, and Laura Drake, three of the founding members of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. We discuss how and why the group got started “way back when”, the struggles of the early days, and how the organization has evolved over the last ten years. Finally we end with picking the brains of these seasoned professionals about the genre itself and why the term “women’s fiction” may also need to evolve.
Kerry Lonsdale is the Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Kindle bestselling author of the Everything series, No More trilogy, and multiple standalone domestic drama novels. Her books have sold more than two million copies and have been translated into twenty-seven languages. She lives in Northern California with her husband, two adult children (when they’re home from college), and three cats.
Laura Drake is a New York and self-published author of fourteen Romance and Women’s Fiction stories. Her debut, The Sweet Spot, the 2014 Romance Writers of America® RITA® award. A city girl turned Texan, she’s currently working on her accent. She's a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.
Orly Konig is the founding president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and author of The Distance Home which was a finalist in both the general and debut categories in WFWA’s Star Award; and Carousel Beach, which was named to Southern Living’s list of Beach Reads Perfect for Summer Vacation. She lives in Maryland where she can be found juggling multiple works in progress — both writing and crocheting.
Nina has no end of interesting tie-ins to her book that she uses in presentations and social media posts from the history and culture of Venice, to ancient poisons, to the world of art and art patrons, to Talmudic scholars and famous courtesans. Her three-part series straddles the line between women’s fiction, historical mystery, and historical romance and her rich background, from studying illustration for children's books to running her own advertising company, has prepared her well for her new career as a novelist.
Nina Wachsman graduated from Parsons School of Design where she studied illustration with Maurice Sendak. After a career as an ad agency creative director, she is now CEO of a digital marketing company in NYC. Her debut novel of historical suspense, The Gallery of Beauties has been nominated for an Agatha award for Best First Novel, and is the first book in this series focused on Venice, with the second book, The Courtesan’s Secret, due to release in August 2023. She has family ties to the city of Venice, as a descendant of a well-known chief rabbi, and through the heirloom Sabbath candlesticks from Venice, which her mother lit every Friday night.
To learn more about Nina, click here.
Our guest this week is Chris Posti (Falling Apart, Falling for You, Elk Lake Publishing, April 2022). During the pandemic lockdown, Chris followed the sage wisdom of “write the book you’d like to read” and penned a coming-of-age story for women over fifty. Hear how a serendipitous shared birthday resulted in a publishing contract with a well-known Christian small press and how having a husband who owns a restaurant resulted in a unique marketing opportunity.
Chris' debut novel, featured in this podcast, is the first in a planned series of three books and was recently named a Selah Awards Finalist. While self-employed as a career and executive coach, Chris also published four nonfiction books and wrote a newspaper column for the Sunday Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. She and her husband live in the Pittsburgh area. Other than writing, her favorite activity is being silly with her grandsons.
To learn more about Chris, click here.
Our guest this week is E.J. Tanda (Queen of Secrets, indie published, June 2022). The book Twilight had a profound effect on E.J. when she was suffering a low period in her life and she vowed to try her hand at moving people in the same way. Very much a pantser, her characters present themselves as fully formed and dictate the story to her. Her debut, inspired by a family story, features the unique perspective of a woman who becomes a mafia wife through an arranged marriage. We discuss why she decided to self-publish and how she worked with both a book editor and a marketing specialist to master the skills she launch her book into the marketplace.
E.J. Tanda lives in Northern California with her husband and three sons. Growing up, she was surrounded by a large Italian family. With a rich, cultural background guiding her writing, she weaves her heritage throughout her stories. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in English and creative writing. When she isn’t writing, she travels the globe to gain experiences for her next book.
To learn more about E.J., click here.
Listen here to our interview with Karla Huebner (In Search of the Magic Theater, Regal House, June 2022). We discuss this novel’s quick appearance (3 months to write) but long gestation period (8 years to publish), what it’s like to work with a small press, her self-imposed production goals, and how her own life’s journey often informs that of her characters. And stay tuned to the end to learn about her unique household pets.
Karla Huebner has lived on a boat and worked in factories, offices, theater, publishing, oil refineries, private investigation, and adolescent drug rehab; she is now professor emerita of Art History at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Over the years, her fiction has appeared in such places as the Northwest Review, Colorado State Review, Magic Realism, Fantasy Macabre, Weave, and Opossum. Her books include the novels In Search of the Magic Theater (Regal House, 2022)--a first-prize winner in Chanticleer’s 2022 Mark Twain contest and currently a Reader’s Choice finalist—and Too Early to Know Who’s Winning (Black Rose, 2023), as well as the prize-winning study Magnetic Woman: Toyen and the Surrealist Erotic (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2020). Her collection Heartwood was a finalist for the 2020 Raz-Shumaker award. She is a member of AAUP, WFWA, and SCBWI, as well as several scholarly organizations.
To learn more about Karla, click here.
Our guest this week is Jen Craven (Best Years of Your Life, Indie published, August 2022). Listen in as we discuss why she decided on an academic setting for her debut, the pluses of indie publishing, the importance of professionalism when it comes to book covers, how she used comparable authors to formulate her own marketing plan, and how she’s found her niche writing about characters where one decision changes everything.
Jen Craven is the author of emotional and suspenseful women's fiction, stories where one decision changes everything. A former college instructor, she loves dark campus novels, which led to her contemporary debut, “Best Years of Your Life.” Her writing style blends poignancy with drama to create what-would-you-do narratives of the human experience. In March 2023, she signed a 2-book deal with Bookouture, scheduled for publication in fall 2023 and spring 2024.
Aside from fiction, Jen has personal essay bylines in national outlets, including The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Today’s Parent, Scary Mommy and many more.
She writes from northwestern Pennsylvania, where she lives with her husband and three children. When not working on her books, she can be found thrift shopping, taking long walks, and beating her kids in backgammon.
To learn more about Jen, click here.
This week’s podcast features Robin Maass (The Walled Garden, Spark Press, May 2022). We discuss MFA programs and how they often neglect to teach story structure, and how, as a result, she had to move from “discovering the book” or pantsing to realizing you need stepping stones along the way. We explore how every book has some kind of mystery at its core and how important it is to spend time figuring out what kind of story you want to tell. Finally, we delve into social media and the appeal of Instagram as a platform.
Robin Farrar Maass is a lifelong writer and reader who grew up in western Washington and fell in love with England on her first trip when she was twenty-two. She enjoys tending her messy wants-to-be-an English garden, painting watercolors, and traveling. The Walled Garden is her first novel, and she’s already at work on her next novel set in England. She has an MFA from the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University and lives in Redmond, Washington with her husband and two highly opinionated Siamese cats.
Robin Farrar Maass is a lifelong writer and reader who grew up in western Washington and fell in love with England on her first trip when she was twenty-two. She enjoys tending her messy wants-to-be-an English garden, painting watercolors, and traveling. The Walled Garden is her first novel, and she’s already at work on her next novel set in England. She has an MFA from the Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University and lives in Redmond, Washington with her husband and two highly opinionated Siamese cats.
To learn more about Robin, click here.
Our guest this week is Jody Herpin (Relative Consequences, Indie Published, March 2022). Jody always starts any new writing project by getting to know her characters, which includes not only a lengthy questionnaire, but a “face to face” interview, and a visual portfolio, including facial features, how they dress, and how they move. Listen to hear the journey of her debut, her best advice to newer writers, and why querying too soon can backfire.
Jody Herpin is an award-winning author who writes with a Southern accent. A wife, mom, and Grams, she is an animal lover, painter, avid reader, and big fan of the Braves and Georgia Tech. Born in Savannah, Georgia, she currently lives in Metro Atlanta with her husband, Mike, and her dog, Bella.
In her writing, Jody uses pieces of her own life experience to create colorful characters, placing them in settings she has either visited or called home. Her novel, RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES, is set in Atlanta and Bonita Springs, Florida.
Jody's next project, the first novel in a series, takes place in the fictitious town of Sequoyah, which lies in a valley between the mountains of North Georgia. The story revolves around the Campbell family, whose youngest daughter has been missing for four years, and whose oldest daughter, a GBI Special Agent goes home to investigate a gruesome discovery at an ancient Cherokee Indian burial site.
To learn more about Jody, click here.
This week’s podcast features Carol Orange (A Discerning Eye, Cavan Bridge Press, October 2020). Carol’s background in both art (art books in London, art dealer in Boston) and publishing (editorial assistant at a Big Five house) provided plenty of ideas for her art heist novel centering around the looting of 13 masterpieces from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum over 30 years ago. We discuss how she learned the craft of writing, the importance of networking and community, and how to handle self-doubt as well as the insights (and fun)you can have during the revision process.
Carol Orange is the award-winning author or A Discerning Eye. The novel was inspired by the world’s largest unsolved theft at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Carol has worked in the art world for more than twenty years. She began as a research editor on art books in London and later became an art dealer in Boston. She has an MBA from Simmons University and worked as a marketing manager at the Polaroid Corporation. Along with concert pianist Virginia Eskin who played Chopin’s music, she read excerpts from George Sand’s novels in three salons at the French Library in Boston.
To learn more about Carol, click here.
This week’s podcast features Suzanne Mattaboni (Once in a Lifetime, Touchpoint Press, March 2023). There’s much more 1980’s America than disco balls and Andy Warhol and in Mattaboni’s debut novel we get to explore the avant-garde art scene, New Wave culture, and what it was like for a young woman trying to figure out what she wants in life amid the turmoil and energy of a burgeoning new era, shaped by young people—their clothes, their music, their boisterous embrace of life. Hear the unusual sub-groups on Facebook Suzanne has used to publicize her book and the important role networking has played in her success.
Suzanne Mattaboni is a Pushcart Prize-nominated writer of women’s fiction and horror. She’s a podcaster, Newsweek Expert Forum contributor, and former Newsday reporter. Her debut novel Once in a Lifetime, winner of a Pencraft award and a Paris Book Festival award, is available on Amazon. Suzanne has been published in Seventeen, The Huffington Post, Mysterious Ways, Guideposts.com, Motherwell, and Child. Her work has appeared in anthologies including the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, the ‘80s-themed Pizza Parties and Poltergeists, the Scars anthology, and the upcoming new wave concert “fanthology” Howard Jones – We’re In This Together. Suzanne is a past winner of Seventeen magazine’s Art and Fiction Contest and was named one of Lehigh Valley Business’ 2022 “Women of Influence.”
To learn more about Suzanne, click here.
Our guest this week is Linda MacKillop (The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon, Kregel Publications May 2022). Linda took a rough draft she’d worked on for years into her new MFA program and emerged with a polished manuscript, including a central character often likened to Olive Ketteridge. We discuss what it’s like when your protagonist is both difficult and suffering from memory loss, (which of course makes her unreliable) and how switching from first person to third person close made that task more manageable. She also shares marketing tips about interfacing with local community resources and how she didn’t avoid, but embraced using her faith to enrich the story’s themes.
Linda MacKillop writes fiction for both adults and young people, and creative nonfiction. Her articles and essays have appeared in books, magazines, and literary journals such as Under the Sun and Relief Journal. The Forgotten Life of Eva Gordon is her first novel. Hotel Oscar Mike Echo, her middle-grade novel, releases in June 2023. She earned her M.F.A. in Creative Writing at the Rainier Writing Workshop in Tacoma, Washington. As the mother of four adult sons, she and her husband live in an empty nest outside of Chicago.
To learn more about Linda, click here.
Our podcast guest this week is Grace Marcus (Visible Signs, Touchpoint Press, May 2022). Grace, a debut author at 75 years old, shares lessons she learned along the line, including not signing with the first agent who makes an offer to trusting your gut when it comes to major rewrites. We discuss her marketing initiatives which include talks at senior centers and short writing workshops in exchange for a book purchase at libraries as well as her writing process, which she describes as “creep, creep, creep, lurch.”
Grace Marcus holds a Master in Theatre Arts from Montclair University. Her debut novel, Visible Signs, published by TouchPoint Press in May, 2022. An early version of the book was a semifinalist in the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition.
She has been an actress, waitress, social worker, newspaper editor, and radio and cable TV show producer to name a few of the byways on her road to becoming a writer. Her work has been published in Philadelphia Stories, The Bucks County Writer Magazine, Adanna Literary Journal, TheWritersEye, Women on Writing, Me First Magazine, Carolina Woman, and Embark Literary Journal. A Brooklyn native, she has lived on both coasts, and now calls North Carolina home where she is working on a new novel.
To learn more about Grace, click here.
This week’s podcast guest is RLynn Johnson (Cry of the Heart, MilSpeak Books, May 2022). Taking inspiration from her years spent in the JAG Corps of the DOD, Robin fashioned a story of long-term female friendship and her first-hand experiences of being a female officer in the Army into her debut novel and then through a networking contact, found a publisher who specializes in stories told by military personnel, under the non-profit MilSpeak Foundation. But now that she’s caught the writing bug, she’s trying out the cozy mystery genre for her next endeavor.
RLynn Johnson, a military brat herself, is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps. Over the course of her military career, she served in California, the Republic of Korea, Alaska, Maryland, Kansas, Virginia, Florida, Washington, DC, and the United Kingdom. She now works as an international law attorney for the Department of Defense and lives with her rescue dogs, Dot and Dash, on the Pinellas County beaches. Johnson’s debut novel, Cry of the Heart, was released by MilSpeak Books in May 2022. She is also a contributing author to Invisible Veterans: What Happens When Military Women Become Civilians Again, edited by Dr. Kate Hendricks Thomas and Dr. Kyleanne Hunter (2019).
To learn more about Robin, click here.
This week’s guest is Janis Robinson Daly (The Unlocked Path, Black Rose Writing, August 2022). March is Women’s History Month and how better to celebrate this popular sub-genre of women’s fiction than with Janis, an active member of the WFWA Facebook sub-group and a debut writer whose great-great grandfather inspired her fictionalized story of the first women’s medical college at the turn of the century. Listen as well to our discussion of how libraries are an untapped sales avenue for authors and learn where to download Janis’ curated list of 31 books featuring research-rich stories of women who made history. .
Inspired by learning an ancestor was a founder of the Woman’s Medical College of PA, Janis Robinson Daly felt the stories of the college’s graduates needed to be told. With a love of history, she dove into research and began writing, balancing authenticity and details with a flair to create emotional connections to fictional characters.
While her family has roots in Philadelphia, she is a Boston girl through and through, from her accent to the New England Patriots flag hanging from her house. She graduated with a B.A. in Psychology from Wheaton College MA, at the time, an all-women’s college. At Wheaton, she developed a fond appreciation of supportive female relationships and a heightened awareness of female-centric issues. Both directed her writing of The Unlocked Path.
Splitting her time between Cape Cod, New Hampshire, and Florida, a tablet becomes her Kindle library and writing desk, packed into a travel bag for reading and writing wherever she might land. More adventures beckon her to document other women in history whose stories need to be discovered.
To learn more about Janis, click here.
This week’s podcast is with Erin Litteken (The Memory Keeper of Kyiv, Boldwood Books, May 2022). We discuss the serendipitous timeliness of her book, which examines the tactic of Holodomor (or forced starvation) which Russia utilized during their invasion of Ukraine in the 1930’s, her experiences with a newer small press based in England, her best advice to beginning writers, and her love of the rabbit hole called research. Added bonus: hear her formula for getting 5500+ reviews on Amazon in less than ten months.
Erin Litteken is an international bestselling author of historical fiction. Her debut, THE MEMORY KEEPER OF KYIV, has been translated into fourteen languages and was the 2022 winner of the She Reads Best Historical Fiction Award. With a degree in history and a passion for research, Erin draws inspiration from her family roots, and in particular, her great-grandmother’s stories about life in Ukraine before, during, and after WWII. She lives outside of St. Louis with her husband and two children.
To learn more about Erin, click here.
This week’s podcast is with Melanie Mitzner (Slow Reveal, Inanna Publishing, May 2022). Melanie started her writing career as a playwright and screenwriter but switched to the novel form for this story of an artist examining her life choices in 1990’s New York. We discuss her decision to print with Inanna (renowned feminist press), differences when you publish in Canada, the research needed to capture a specific time period, and what’s involved in creating characters who differ from you in terms of gender, heritage, and lifestyle.
The novel Slow Reveal, was published by York University's Inanna Publications on May 3, 2022, is a Best of Women’s Fiction Debut 2022 and Fiction Bestseller at Berkeley distributor SPD Books. An excerpt of her novel Too Good To Be True was published in the Harrington Lesbian Quarterly. An Edward Albee fellow for her screenplay Zero Gravity, she was a finalist in the Writers Guild East Foundation Fellowships for her screenplay Dodge and Burn. Her screenplays In The Name of Love and Out to Lunch were finalists in the Houston Film Festival Screenwriting Competition. She was awarded fiction grants from Vermont Studio Center and Summer Literary Seminars . As a journalist, she covered the tech industry, television production and visual effects. Her work is published in Wine Spectator, Gay and Lesbian Review,Vol1Brooklyn, Bloom and San Francisco Bay Times. Interviews and excerpts are on Open-Book, the syndicated Rainbow Country radio show, Glad Day Bookshop TV and Hasty Booklist. She’s a member of the Writers Union of Canada, ELAN and Quebec Writers Federation.
To learn more about Melanie, click here.
Listen to this week’s podcast with our guest Karen Winn (Our Little World, Dutton, May 2022). Karen’s an example of how helpful writing conferences can be as she met her dream agent at a Muse and the Marketplace event in Boston and then worked with her on an extensive revision before going out on sub. Hear what it’s like to publish through an imprint of the Big Five, including cover design, titling (hint: they may change it), and book promotion and how part of Karen’s journey has been homing in on what works best for her in terms of both writing process and generating ideas.
Karen Winn's debut novel, Our Little World, was published in May 2022 with Dutton/ Penguin Random House. Having been a nurse for decades, she is now pursuing writing as a second career. Karen's short stories and essays have appeared in Hippocampus, Lithub, Writers Digest, and elsewhere. Originally from New Jersey, where she obtained a low-residency MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, she now lives in Boston with her husband and children.
To learn more about Karen, click here.
This week’s podcast is with Judith Brenner (The Moments Between Dreams, Greenleaf Book Group Press, May 2022). An historical fiction which encompasses not only the polio epidemic but also issues of domestic abuse, Judith’s novel is a homage to both her mother and grandmother as well as the sacrifices women made in the years directly after the war. We discuss her publisher’s process for picking the book’s title, the questions she’s asked most often at book clubs, and the quirky way she makes money as a writer.
Judith Brenner is a freelance journalist, and a book editor with her own company, Creative Lakes Media, LLC. She owns the national Sharpeners’ Report and publishes related sharpening non-fiction books about how-to sharpen blades, from beauty tools to clipper blades. Judith completed a certificate program for an MFA from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She earned her MBA in Marketing from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, and her undergraduate degree from Columbia College in Chicago, where she was raised. Her favorite seasonal writing desks are at a cabin in Minnesota and in California’s Coachella Valley. Travel and gardening, reading and enjoying family are her greatest joys.
To learn more about Judith, click here.
This week’s podcast is with Eileen Brill (A Letter In The Wall, Spark Press, May 2022). We discuss how fate dropped her story’s inciting incident into her lap during a home renovation, the Facebook group her husband cultivated that wound up propelling her book to Amazon heights, and how she’s learned an important lesson – that authors need to embrace being an active cheerleader for their own books. .
Eileen Grace Brill is a painter, writer, and sign language interpreter who grew up outside of Philadelphia and graduated from Carnegie Mellon with a BS in economics. She has written professionally for the restaurant, hotel, and commercial real estate industries. A Letter in the Wall is her first novel, though she has been a writer all her life; beginning at age four, when she wrote a poem (filled with spelling errors!) for her babysitter. Eileen’s short story “Christmas Angel” appeared in the international literary magazine Beyond Words in 2021. She and her husband, Eli, raised their sons in her hometown of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, where they still live, along with their two adopted mutts, Athena and Gaia.
To learn more about Eileen, click here.
This week’s podcast is with Kimberly Nixon (Rock Bottom,Tennessee, indie-published, April 2022). Using an apocryphal family legend about her grandmother as the springboard, Kimberly set out to tell the story of an impoverished woman during the depression who went to prison for robbing trains. We discuss the delicate balance of giving yourself permission to change characters and details to further the narrative while also honoring your family’s memory, how critique partners and mentors were crucial to her writing journey, and how she thinks of the first draft as an outline or sketch and her subsequent revisions as coloring in the lines to make the story come alive.
Kimberly Nixon is an emerging author of biographical fiction. She was blessed with a plethora of family stories, featuring strong, determined—and sometimes wild—characters. She wrestles these personalities into her works of fiction. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writing Association, Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Writer’s League of Texas. Kimberly lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Paul most of the year and travels for adventure when she can.
To learn more about Kimberly, click here.
Our latest podcast episode features Kris Spisak (The Baba Yaga Mask, Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, April 2022). Kris, the previous author of three non-fiction books on writing, always knew her first novel would center around Ukraine, the country of origin of her grandparents and extended family. Little did she know that the initial concept would take 8 years to come to fruition and then, through an odd set of circumstances, would be published only 5 weeks after everyone in the world was talking about Russia’s invasion of that country. We discuss how, at first, she was reluctant to capitalize on the news cycle but then realized the release of her book provided her with a unique opportunity to share her knowledge of the Ukrainian people—their customs, history, folk tales, and historical significance. She was even able to turn speaking events into opportunities to partner with charitable organizations, resulting not only in greater visibility for her novel but donation opportunities to help the country she loves.
Kris Spisak’s debut novel was inspired by her family’s experience in the post-WWII Ukrainian diaspora and has been called “A complex, poetic tale” by Kirkus Reviews. She wrote her first three non-fiction books— Get a Grip on Your Grammar: 250 Writing and Editing Reminders for the Curious or Confused (Career Press), The Novel Editing Workbook (Davro Press), and The Family Story Workshop (Davro Press)—to help writers of all kinds sharpen their storytelling and empower their communications. Kris has been spotlighted in Writer’s Digest and The Huffington Post for her work as an editor and author dedicated to helping other writers. When not working on her own projects, she is an active speaker, workshop/webinar leader and career strategist.
To learn more about Kris, click here.
Listen here to our interview with Zoe Disigny (The Art of Traveling Strangers, Mascot Publishing, February 2022). Hear her story of initially querying agents with a 20,000 word manuscript, her thoughts on how her own self-perception changed during the writing of her novel, how she went about choosing a hybrid publisher, and how she was able to enrich her book through weaving in knowledge from her previous career as an art historian.
Zoe Disigny holds a master's degree in art history and taught college courses throughout her career. She also worked as an art gallery director, a lecturer for The Norton Simon Museum of Art, and recently as a Road Scholar lecturer.
Zoe has led numerous art tours in Europe and, at one point, established a business in Paris offering art history adventures for American tourists.
Ms. Disigny's short story ONLY AN ART CLASS was published in The Potato Soup Journal in 2020, and her writing appears in the Pulpwood Queen's WORK IN PROGRESS: a collection of excerpts Anthology, edited by Mandy Haynes and published in 2021.
Zoe produces a newsletter called "For Lovers of Art and Travelers at Heart." When not traveling, Zoe and her artist husband divide their time between the mountains and the beach in Southern California.
To learn more about Zoe and sign up for her newsletter, click here.
Here’s our latest podcast with Sarah Branson (A Merry Life, Sooner Started Press, April 2022). Our discussion ranges from what it’s like to build a world that’s set 300 years in the future but still keep it character-driven (“Like historical fiction that just hasn’t happened yet”) to a wise coach’s advice to Sarah about marketing an indie book (“No one can buy a book they haven’t heard of”) and why she decided her very long book was really a series of four and then chose to release them all within a single year.
Award-winning author Sarah Branson was a midwife for close to thirty years, helping families welcome their little ones into their arms in the hospital, at a birth center and at home. Now she writes tales of action, adventure, revenge, and romance featuring airborne pirates. Her stories are set against the backdrop of an Earth changed by fires, floods, and pandemics, but are firmly rooted in the strength and resiliency of the human spirit.
Sarah first started conjuring stories of pirates when her family hopped a freighter to Australia when she was seven. She has since grown up, traveling extensively across the US and the globe. She raised her family in Michigan and still longs to swim in Sturgeon Bay and Little Traverse Bay. She has a deep appreciation for people’s strength and endurance and fully believes that badass women will inherit the Earth and the Earth will be better for it.
Her debut novel, A Merry Life, was chosen as the 2022 Connecticut Adult Fiction winner by the Indie Author Project and was named a 2022 Book of the Year finalist in the action/adventure and science fiction categories by the Independent Author Network. It is the first book in the series Pirates of New Earth. Books 2 and 3: Navigating the Storm and Burn the Ship are available now. The exciting conclusion of the series, Blow the Man Down is slated for February 2023. Sarah lives with her husband in Connecticut.
To learn more about Sarah, click here.
Listen here to our newest podcast with Maggie Giles (The Things We Lost, Rising Action, April 2022). We discuss how her book’s concept is a twist on the Sliding Doors trope of “what if our lives had gone differently” and took her seven years to write, how she took a chance and signed with a novice publisher as their very first author, and how it’s imperative that writers discuss with their significant other that writing is not a hobby, but a job and a passion and requires us to devote time to it like any other goal we want to achieve.
Maggie Giles is a Canadian author who is usually daydreaming about fictional characters. Always looking for a new creative outlet, Maggie dove into writing a novel head first. She has been a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association since 2014 where she works as their Social Media Director. She lives in Collingwood. The Things We Lost is her first novel. Her second, Twisted, will be releasing with Rising Action September 19, 2023.
To learn more about Maggie, click here.
This week’s podcast is with Jen Gilroy (The Sweetheart Locket, Orion Dash/Orion Books, March 2022). Unlike most of our guests, Jen has been publishing since 2017 but in the romance category, so we discuss what’s involved in switching to a new genre while still holding tight to your unique creative voice. As a writer who thinks strategically about her career, Jen shares insights into how British and American audiences differ, what she’s learned from working simultaneously in two genres with two different agents, and the authors who she looked to for inspiration while composing this dual-time-line story.
Jen Gilroy writes women’s fiction for Orion Dash and sweet western romance for Harlequin Heartwarming—uplifting stories about women finding home, family and new beginnings–and finding themselves too. She’s a Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® finalist and was shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Joan Hessayon award.
A dual British-Canadian citizen, Jen lived in England for many years and earned a doctorate in geography, focusing on British cultural studies and social history, from University College London. She worked in higher education and marketing before becoming a full-time writer. She now lives in small-town Ontario, Canada with her husband, teenage daughter and floppy-eared rescue hound. When not writing, she enjoys reading, ballet and paddling her purple kayak.
To learn more about Jen, click here.
Rundquist's book is an epistolary novel, written entirely in messages, primarily emails, between two friends, so it presented unique and tricky challenges in terms of dialogue and character development. We discuss Janet’s belief in touching her current story on a daily basis to keep it fresh in her mind and how getting clear about what her goals were for her debut led to her decision to be her own publisher and she shares what she learned during the process.
J. Marie Rundquist believes a day isn’t complete without time spent reading. Stories she loves best–to read and to write– feature characters from all walks of life who learn from one another. When she isn’t writing, you’ll find J. Marie exploring all the K-12 public education world has to offer through teaching, learning, and supporting others in their educational roles.
In spite of trying to live in other parts of the U.S., J. Marie accepted her fate and now embraces six-month winters in Minnesota, showing off photos of hiking in sub-zero temperatures. She lives in the Twin Cities with her family, two cats, and a never-ending supply of Dr. Pepper.
To learn more, click here.
This week’s podcast is with Sita Romero (Words We Cannot Say, Red Adept Publishing, April 2022). Sita’s background as a former labor and delivery nurse informs her first novel, which she describes as a complex story of motherhood, infertility, and women’s traditional roles. She purposely set out to explore narratives that are often quieted and found agents loved her book but struggled with how to sell it. It wasn’t until she delved into her own feelings about what she wanted her book to be and why she wanted it published that she found the right path for her. We discuss the process of working with a publisher’s editorial staff and how editing non-fiction is exactly the opposite of novel editing and what it’s like to publish two books back to back in the space of only 3 months.
Sita Romero received her MFA in creative writing from Queens University of Charlotte. Before writing full-time, Sita worked in women’s health for 15 years. She grew up in Florida and now lives in Virginia. Her debut novel, Words We Cannot Say (April 2022), is out now with Red Adept Publishing. Her debut memoir, Vanishing Shoals (July 2022), is out now with L10 Press Unzipped.
To learn more about Sita, click this link.
This week's interview is with Judy Lannon (Nine Days, Atmosphere Press, March 2022).A novice at writing, Judy was inspired to write her novel after advising a young woman about not only the emotions involved but the practical steps needed to deal with the passing of an aging parent. She describes herself as an undisciplined writer, not keeping to a regular schedule or setting word count goals but instead writing when the mood strikes her. Even though she didn’t start marketing her book until after it was published, she’s nevertheless found success with one-on-one selling in her New England community.
Judy was born and raised on the south shore of MA and considers herself fortunate to have spent all her childhood summers in Harwich Port, a small seaside community situated on Nantucket Sound on Cape Cod. “My mother would pick us up on the last day of school, drive us to the cape house for the summer, returning home sometimes as late as the morning of the first day of school.”
Today Judy and her husband live in Orleans, still on Cape Cod, with their two perfectly imperfect standard poodles. She still spends as much time as possible on the beach, Nauset or bayside, running the dogs on the flats, looking for sea glass and always appreciating the beauty of where she lives.
Note: Nine Days reads like a memoir, but it is literary contemporary family fiction. Judy Lannon writes with wit, humor, and compassion, about family, living, and dying and describes her dramatic characters as complex and complicated with a sense of familiarity.
To learn more about Judy, click here.
This week’s interview is with Lisa Roe (Welcome to the Neighborhood, Sourcebooks, April 2022). Describing herself as too anxious to be a pantser, Lisa describes how, for her, embracing a story structure frees her creativity, her rule of thumb for when to put a novel in the drawer and start over, and how her publisher used focus groups to not only choose her book’s title but also its final cover design. A sucker for stickers to reward herself, Lisa shares exactly how much time each phase of her publishing journey took and how she enhanced her publisher’s efforts to court influential bookstagrammers in the months leading up to her book’s release.
Lisa Roe graduated from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University and spent many years as an advertising creative director and copywriter in New York City until she accepted the tougher job of stay-at-home mom and turned to writing fiction — mostly to entertain her kids, but then to tell her own stories. A classic first born, reluctant empty nester, Dr. Doolittle wannabe, and the author of WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, Lisa lives in New Jersey with her husband and three incorrigible dogs.
To learn more about Lisa, click here.
Our interview this week is with Erin Flanagan (Deer Season, University of Nebraska Press, September 2021). With four previous novels in the drawer, Erin dug into her childhood memory of her father moving their family from Chicago to a small midwestern town of 1200 residents, and crafted Deer Season, a haunting story of the ripple effect of an act of violence on a close-knit community. We discuss how she came to be a reviewer at Publishers Weekly, how she keeps track of the hours she spends in drafting vs. revision (18% vs 82%) and how she now finds the novel form comforting like a long-term relationship you can count on always being there every morning.
Erin Flanagan's latest novel Blackout (Thomas & Mercer) was an Amazon First Reads selection for June 2022. She is the author of Deer Season (University of Nebraska Press), winner of the 2022 Edgar for Best First Novel by an American Author and a Finalist for the Macavity Award for Best First Mystery. Erin is an English professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and a regular book reviewer for Publishers Weekly.
To learn more about Erin, click here.
Our podcast guest this week is Shirley Novack (The Story of … , Fulton Books, March 2022). Here how this project started as a homage to her Polish immigrant father but evolved into a sweeping saga of the hardships and triumphs of Eastern European families building a new life in America. An interior design career is an unlikely background for a novel writer but Shirley pursued her dream and can now be found most mornings either writing her next historical fiction or working out plot points on her daily walks.
Shirley B. Novack is a first-generation daughter of Polish and Russian immigrants. She originally graduated from Fisher College in Boston with a degree in laboratory science, but after marrying and bringing up three children, she went back to school and graduated from Newbury College with a degree in interior design. She has had a successful interior design practice since 1985, but her passion for writing was never far from the surface. Shirley resides in Framingham, Massachusetts, with her husband, Barry and their precious Havanese, Stevie Nicks.
Listen to our podcast guest Kathy Strobos (Partner Pursuit, Indie published, October 2021) as we discuss how she quit her job as a corporate attorney to have better work-life balance which was not coincidentally the theme of her first novel. She loves the control that comes with publishing your own work, even while she admits it’s a lot of work and you’ll love her hands-on marketing approach which includes emailing everyone she ever met from ex-classmates to corporate clients to the check-out person at Trader Joe’s.
Kathy Strobos is a writer living in New York City with her husband and two children, amid a growing collection of books, toys and dollhouses. She grew up in New York City and graduated from Stuyvesant High School, Harvard-Radcliffe University magna cum laude, and Columbia Law School. She spent two semesters abroad at the Universiteit van Amsterdam. She previously worked as a lawyer. She left law to pursue her dream of writing fiction full-time and getting in shape. She is the author of Partner Pursuit, Is This for Real?, A Scavenger Hunt for Hearts, and Caper Crush. She is still working on getting in shape.
To learn more about Kathy, click here.
Our podcast guest this week is Harriet Cannon (Exiled South, Koehler Books, January 2022). Hear how Harriet, who has dyslexia, works around this in her writing, including using foam story boards and memorizing passages to read at presentations. Her background as a family therapist and work with addictions helps her dig deep into character’s motivations and she also writes a detailed study of the location of her books, stating that “place” is just as important sometimes as a character for a novelist.
Harriet Cannon is a writer with Southern roots and wanderlust who has lived in seven US States and Internationally. Harriet’s first career, for thirty years, was as a psychotherapist with an intercultural specialty. In addition to private practice, she served as a consultant to the Boeing company, International Schools, and worked for the US State Department in Chile. Harriet is co-author of Mixed Blessings: A Guide to Multicultural and Multiethnic Relationships. After a decade participating in writing groups and classes, writing essays and short stories as a side hobby, Harriet now writes fiction full time. Exiled South is her debut novel. Harriet and her husband live in on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington State and have two grown children and four grandchildren nearby.
To learn more about Harriet, click here.
Our interview this week is with guest Tammy Harrow (All the Salt in the Sea, Red Adept Publishing, January 2022). We discuss the long gestation period this novel went through before Tammy started the querying process, her best marketing advice to beginning writers, why she has become a die-hard outliner, and the unique bucket list she just completed after working on it for two decades.
Tammy Harrow is an international solo traveler, writer, and photographer. She’s spent much of her life in the publishing industry, the first half in newspapers and more recently working for various Florida magazines. Every couple of months, she escapes to a new city or country in search of adventure. Along the way, she often finds interesting stories to share with the world. Tammy’s work has appeared in Woman’s Day, Budget Travel, Social, and Old City Life magazines, Bacopa Literary Review, and on CNN, MSNBC, and National Geographic. She has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland. Tammy lives in historic downtown Saint Augustine, Florida, with her husband, freeloading cat, and disobedient dog. Her three children have flown the nest but still visit frequently.
To learn more about Tammy, click here.
In this podcast, Kerry Chaput and I discuss how researching her genealogy inspired her trilogy of historical fiction, how she’s a big believer in writers being clear about their branding and positioning in the marketplace, and why she’s crazy about TikTok.
Kerry Chaput is an award-winning historical fiction author. She believes in the power of stories that highlight young women, first love, and found families. Her debut Daughter of the King has remained in the top one-hundred bestsellers for Historical French Fiction since its 2021 release, with the sequel set for publication in March 2023. A lifelong history nerd, Kerry spends her free time researching women’s contributions to history, which she highlights on her successful TikTok page. Born and raised in California, she now lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where she can be found on hiking trails and in coffee shops.
To learn more about Kerry, click here.
This week’s podcast is with Cheryl Corriveau (The Demanding River, Fulton Books, July 2021). We discuss how Cheryl tapped into her own experiences running a boat dealership in Florida when she outlined the plot of her debut including dealing with hurricanes, drug dealers and blatant misogyny, her persistence in searching for a way to publish her novel, and why she’s known in her neighborhood as Mrs. Fierce.
Cheryl Corriveau is a native Floridian. Being an only child, her parents instilled in her that the word can’t didn’t exist. She has always been an entrepreneur. After her day of teaching high school students, she coached the girls’ basketball B, and tennis teams. She also taught evening real estate licensing classes. She spent her summer months at CBS Network as their pilot television program coordinator. After twenty years, she retired from the classroom and became education director of a large real estate franchise corporation. Cheryl has owned and operated several businesses—a real estate corporation, an aerial photography business, a commercial interior design business. Her love for boats led her to become the sole proprietor of a boat dealership on the St. Johns River. Her real-life experiences in the boating business inspired her to write the fiction novel The Demanding River.
Our podcast guest this week is Tonya Mitchell (A Feigned Madness, Cynren Pres, October, 2020) who was inspired to write a novel based around an historical figure from the 1880’s, Nellie Bly, who went undercover for ten days at the infamous Blackwell Insane Asylum in NYC to expose the abusive conditions there. Hear about her research process, her decision to work with a boutique press, and her newest literary obsession (listen to find out)
Tonya Mitchell’s short fiction has appeared in various journals and anthologies, including The Copperfield Review and Glimmer and Other Stories and Poems, for which she won the Cinnamon Press award in fiction. Her debut novel, A Feigned Madness, won the Reader Views Reviewers Choice Award and the Kops-Fetherling International Book Award. She lives in Cincinnati, OH with her husband, three boys, and an overweight golden doodle.
To learn more about Tonya, click here.
This week’s podcast is with Kimberly Sullivan (Three Coins, indie-published, October 2021). She zooms in with us from Rome where she’s lived for over 25 years and where her novel is set. Our discussion ranges from the 1954 classic film that provided her inspiration, what the publishing world looks like in Italy, her participation in the WFWA Historical Fiction group, and what made her decide to go the indie route when it came to her debut.
Kimberly Sullivan writes the women’s fiction stories she loves to read, both contemporary and historic tales of women and the rich lives they lead along their journeys of self-discovery. A lifetime admirer and longtime resident of Italy, she's often guilty of sneaking the bel paese into her stories.
To learn more about Kimberly, click here.
Our podcast author this week is Dawn (D.W.) Hogan (Unbroken Bonds, Woodhall Press, October 2021). Her book tells the story of four teenage girls facing ostracism and hardship when unwanted pregnancies force them to a home where their rights are stripped and their babies snatched away, a dark period in US history during the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. Dawn was determined to honor the stories of these young women and their children, querying for over a decade to find a publisher for the piece. Her valuable advice to beginning writers? Never give up.
Dawn Hogan majored in English at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She’s the mother of four grown children and grandmother to two. She is a full-time author and lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband. Unbroken Bonds is her debut novel.
To learn more about Dawn, click here.
Our podcast author this week is Dawn (D.W.) Hogan (Unbroken Bonds, Woodhall Press, October 2021). Her book tells the story of four teenage girls facing ostracism and hardship when unwanted pregnancies force them to a home where their rights are stripped and their babies snatched away, a dark period in US history during the ‘50’s and ‘60’s. Dawn was determined to honor the stories of these young women and their children, querying for over a decade to find a publisher for the piece. Her valuable advice to beginning writers? Never give up.
Dawn Hogan majored in English at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She’s the mother of four grown children and grandmother to two. She is a full-time author and lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband. Unbroken Bonds is her debut novel.
To learn more about Dawn, click here.
Our guest this week is Georgina Key (Shiny Bits In Between, Balance of Seven, June 2020). Georgina’s novel explores the grief of a mother losing a child and finding solace in both the natural coastal beauty of the Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston as well as human connections with others also mourning a loss. Though she debuted during the worst months of the pandemic, Georgina was supported by friends and family around the globe, sponsoring one of the first on-line launch parties and continues two years later to not only write her next book but visit book clubs in person and virtually to encourage others to embrace the resilience of the human spirit.
Georgina Key is an award-winning author whose debut novel, Shiny Bits In Between, is a recipient of the Phoenix prize for Best New Voice of 2020 (Kops-Fetherling International Book Award) and a finalist for the 2022 International Book Awards in women’s fiction. Her poetry has appeared in several journals and anthologies. Georgina was born and raised in England and currently lives in Texas where she received her M.A. in English. She has taught writing for over 30 years at community colleges, private writing organizations, and one-on-one mentorships. She is currently finishing her second novel.
To learn more about Georgina, click here.
Our guest this week is Georgina Key (Shiny Bits In Between, Balance of Seven, June 2020). Georgina’s novel explores the grief of a mother losing a child and finding solace in both the natural coastal beauty of the Bolivar Peninsula near Galveston as well as human connections with others also mourning a loss. Though she debuted during the worst months of the pandemic, Georgina was supported by friends and family around the globe, sponsoring one of the first on-line launch parties and continues two years later to not only write her next book but visit book clubs in person and virtually to encourage others to embrace the resilience of the human spirit.
Georgina Key is an award-winning author whose debut novel, Shiny Bits In Between, is a recipient of the Phoenix prize for Best New Voice of 2020 (Kops-Fetherling International Book Award) and a finalist for the 2022 International Book Awards in women’s fiction. Her poetry has appeared in several journals and anthologies. Georgina was born and raised in England and currently lives in Texas where she received her M.A. in English. She has taught writing for over 30 years at community colleges, private writing organizations, and one-on-one mentorships. She is currently finishing her second novel.
To learn more about Georgina, click here.
Our guest this week is Kelley McNeil (A Day Like This, Lake Union, November 2021). We discuss how her book was one of several released during the pandemic which examines how our lives might be different if we’d chosen a different path, with some readers calling it a self-help book in fiction form. Kelley also takes us behind the scenes of what it’s like to publish through the women’s fiction imprint of Amazon with the full weight of their advertising power behind you, including media exposure, Kindle Unlimited and other promotional vehicles, which led to her currently sitting with over 26,000 online reviews. Kelley is one of three finalists for the 2022 WFWA Star Award for Debut Fiction which will be awarded at the annual convention in Albuquerque at the end of September.
Kelley McNeil is an author whose debut novel, A Day Like This, spent seven weeks topping the Amazon charts in the US and UK and is now available in print and audio in numerous countries and translations. It is currently a finalist for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Star Award for Outstanding Debut. A lifelong writer, Kelley’s path first took her into the entertainment industry where she promoted concert tours and theatrical events for more than a decade before returning her attention to writing. She loves telling stories with a good pen and good music on hand, often with her two daughters bopping along nearby. A native of Pittsburgh, you can find Kelley living in South Florida most of the time, and in London the rest of the time.
To learn more about Kelley, click here.
This week's guest is Joani Elliott (The Audacity of Sara Grayson, Post Hill Press, May 2021). Knowing she’d never achieve her dream of being a writer unless she made a serious commitment, Joani quit her academic teaching career to work full-time on her first novel. You won’t want to miss the backstory of how the book’s high-concept idea came to her (and where). And even though it took three years to finish after that light-bulb moment, it only took days for a top agent she met at a pitch conference to offer to represent her. The result was a traditional contract, glowing reader reviews, and a spot in the finals of this year’s WFWA’s Star Award for Debut Fiction.
Joani is the wnner of two Whitney Awards. She has taught writing at the University of Maryland and Brigham Young University and has published excerpts of her work in LitHub and Fresh Fiction. Joani is passionate about the magic of shared stories and the power of living a creative life. She and her husband are the parents of two daughters and live near Salt Lake City, Utah.
To learn more about Joani, click here.
This week's guest is Joani Elliott (The Audacity of Sara Grayson, Post Hill Press, May 2021). Knowing she’d never achieve her dream of being a writer unless she made a serious commitment, Joani quit her academic teaching career to work full-time on her first novel. You won’t want to miss the backstory of how the book’s high-concept idea came to her (and where). And even though it took three years to finish after that light-bulb moment, it only took days for a top agent she met at a pitch conference to offer to represent her. The result was a traditional contract, glowing reader reviews, and a spot in the finals of this year’s WFWA’s Star Award for Debut Fiction.
Joani is the wnner of two Whitney Awards. She has taught writing at the University of Maryland and Brigham Young University and has published excerpts of her work in LitHub and Fresh Fiction. Joani is passionate about the magic of shared stories and the power of living a creative life. She and her husband are the parents of two daughters and live near Salt Lake City, Utah.
To learn more about Joani, click here.
Our guest on this podcast is Maan Gabriel (After Perfect, She Writes Press, October 2021). What if your protagonist is the hardest character to write because she’s like your shadow self, working through events that might have happened to you if your life had taken a different path? That’s what Maan experienced when she began journaling the thoughts that became this novel. Hear her take on how her Filipino-American heritage affected her publishing journey, how she signed with the first publisher she queried, and how Barnes & Noble has turned out to be her best sales avenue.
Maan Gabriel is a mom, wife, dreamer, writer, and advocate for women’s stories in literature. She earned her BA in Communications from St. Scholastica’s College in Manila and MPS in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University. She has lived in Manila, Brussels, Dakar, and Mexico City. During the day, she works in strategic communications. Gabriel, along with her husband and son, currently calls suburban Washington DC home.
“I dream of a world filled with hope, where believing is as important as life itself, and where love can move mountains. This is in the very core of my stories, and I wish in more ways than one that I can inspire you to see the world as I see it … a fairy tale.”
Luisa's debut began as a recording of her mother’s life growing up in a small village in southern Italy and her journey to break free from the poverty and bleakness of her environment, but quickly grew into a historical novel tracing the journey of a gutsy, independent young woman yearning for a better life. Luisa also discusses publishing through a crowd-sourcing method of finance whereby pre-orders paid for most of her initial costs as well as providing her with a solid group of immediate and loyal fans.
Luisa, affectionately known for her Italian heritage and nurturing traits, is an award-winning real estate agent who lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and three sons. When she’s not writing or selling houses, Luisa can be found on the tennis courts, on a yoga mat, or in the kitchen. Luisa is known for her natural cooking abilities and effortless entertaining skills. Scents of tomato and basil drift through her welcoming home as she regularly delights her friends and family with Sunday dinners – experiences she’s carried from her own youth that helped to inspire her novel.
To learn more Luisa, click here.
Resurrecting a 30-year old manuscript loosely framed around the novel Madame Bovary by Flaubert, JoAnn set about shaping into a workable novel with help from various sources including webinars from WFWA. Working in details from her own Sicilian heritage, JoAnn fashioned a story of a woman’s reawakening in middle age to all of life’s wonder and possibilities. She took the hybrid press way to publishing and is well on her way now to a full-time career as a writer.
JoAnn Catania was born in Sicily and immigrated to Canada at the age of seven. Her writing often relates to her Sicilian roots. She has a Modern Languages degree from the University of Toronto and a speaks four languages, as well as the Sicilian dialect. She is a former freelance journalist for Macleans and the Toronto Star. A Scarcity of Virgins is her first novel, and has also been released as an audiobook narrated by Audie award-winning narrator, Cassandra Campbell. She is currently working on an historical novel that takes place in Sicily during the Unification wars led by Giuseppe Garibaldi. She is member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Canadian Authors Association. She is the mother of three and grandmother of seven, and currently lives in the beautiful Georgian Bay area of Ontario.
To learn more about JoAnn, click
Listen to our interview with Judy Stanigar (Marika’s Best Laid Plan, All Things That Matter Press, October 2021). The idea for this debut novel came from Judy’s experience working in a treatment center for heroin addicts early in her career paired with her clinical training in how people deal with grief. She also shares insights from her stint as a junior editor at Little Brown as we discuss chasing trends and plowing through slush piles and she shares how she hates writing outlines so much she purposely queried only small presses that didn’t require one.
Judy Stanigar was born and raised in Israel. When she was a teenager, she moved to the United States with her family. She attended Columbia University and worked as a psychotherapist for many years before turning her life-long passion and love of books into writing.
Her experiences as a therapist became the background for her novel Marika’s Best Laid Plan, which was published in October 2021. Judy infuses her writing with the therapist’s keen observation of human nature. She writes about people’s frailties, which make them loveable and relatable, and tries to imbue her characters with humor and poignancy in equal measure.
Judy has lived and worked across the U.S. including a stint in Jamaica. She now lives in San Diego with her Jamaican-born husband. She spends her spare time, painting, walking the local beaches and trails, and cooking Israeli food with a Jamaican twist.
To learn more about Judy, click here.
This week our guest is Pamela Stockwell (A Boundless Place, Ten16 Press, October 2021). We discuss how the idea for her debut novel sprang from the unusual neighborhood Pamela grew up in and how the 2020 pandemic affected her decisions about how and when to publish. She also shares how signing up for WFWA’s morning write-ins changed her life when she decided to volunteer to donate one of her kidneys to a fellow writer in need of a transplant.
Pamela Stockwell was born in Texas, raised in South Carolina, and now lives on a small farm in New Jersey. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and the Princeton Writers Group. Her poetry has appeared in several literary sites. Her first novel, A Boundless Place, won the 2020 LBW Page 100 Writing Competition and is a finalist in the Florida Authors and Publishers Association’s Annual President’s Book Awards Contest. Her poetry has appeared in Sparked Literary Magazine and Hope: An Anthology of Hopeful Stories and Poetry by TL;DR Press.
To learn more about Pamela, click here.
In this podcast, we discuss how Kalyn suffered a miscarriage a few years ago and sought solace in fiction only to find very few books dealing with this life-changing event. This led to her writing her debut as a way to not only explore her own experience but also reach out to others in the same situation. She re-wrote her manuscript four times, changing not only tense but point of view, but once finished, was offered a contract from all five of the small presses she queried and signed with one that offered wide distribution through not only on-line outlets like B & N, but placement in independent bookstores as well.
Although Kalyn has been writing most of her life, WHAT WE CARRY is her debut women's fiction novel. After suffering a miscarriage in 2017, Kalyn sought to write the book she wanted to read about loss and hope in the wake of grief. She is currently working on her next women's fiction project, EVERYTHING'S STILL THERE which delves into postpartum depression and the unlikely bonds that tie us together. This book releases with Alcove Press on 5/9/23.
Kalyn lives on the south shore of Long Island with her husband, two daughters (3.5 years old and 20 months old) and very large German Shepherd, Layla. By day she is a professional horseback rider and owns her own equestrian business where she trains horses and riders how to jump. The barn has always been Kalyn’s happy place and you will see echoes of this in all of her work.
Before Kalyn began her career as a rider and author, she studied Biology and Biochemistry at Stonehill College with the intention of attending veterinary school and has worked at both large and small animal clinics in the New England area where she grew up. Instead of heading to vet school, she followed her passions and moved to NY to begin her career on the elite show jumping circuit. She now hopes to find the balance between her two loves- riding and writing- as she embarks on her career as an author.
To learn more about Kalyn, click here.
Paulette took 18 years to finish this novel which deals with a secret rarely discussed in women’s fiction—the pleasure we seek and deserve in the sexual arena. Hear how Paulette’s personal experiences prepared her to tackle this controversial subject matter and how once she did, she put herself through a crash course on self-publishing to make her book a reality. We also dive deep into a discussion of why it’s so important for your book cover to send the right message to potential readers about your genre —and what can happen when it doesn’t.
Paulette Stout is the fearless author of Women’s Fiction tackling taboo topics too long ignored. Her debut, Love, Only Better, is an empowering women's fiction read and bedroom rallying cry for women everywhere. Her follow-up, What We Never Say, is due out November 1, 2022.
Raised by a single dad in Manhattan, Paulette is the gold-star wordsmith and owner of her content marketing agency, Media Goddess Inc., where she crafts content for her list of global clients. Prior to MGI, Paulette led content and design teams at several tech companies, and her New York media agency work earned her three industry awards, including a MediaWeek All-Star.
You can usually find Paulette rearranging words into pleasing patterns while wearing grammar t-shirts.
To learn more about Paulette, click here.
Enjoy our interview with Cherie Genua (Greetings from Tucson, indie-published, September 2021). Cherie, a self-described “woman in tech”, adds novelist to her resume with the release of this fictionalized account of her grandmother’s story, who lost her parents at a young age and then was separated from 2 of her 3 sisters for years afterwards. The hand-written letters Cherie discovered in a box after her grandmother’s death provided the inspiration, and Cherie provided the hard work, teaching herself not only about the craft of writing, but navigating the convoluted publication process, including cover design, formatting, Amazon ads, and social media/publicity.
After facing a life-changing breast cancer diagnosis at the age of 34, Cherie co-authored the non-fiction book “Wisdom From Five Cancer Travelers: Lessons Learned” with others affected by the disease. She was declared “no evidence of disease” in 2019 and made it a mission to write and publish her first fiction novel, “Greetings from Tucson,” inspired by her grandmother’s story. Cherie lives in Connecticut with her husband, Matt, and their Portuguese Water Dog, Poppy. She holds a B.A. in English from Southern Connecticut State University and an M.B.A. from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
To learn more about Cherie, click here.
In this episode, we talk with Rebecca Campbell about writing her debut off and on for over a decade before finally finishing it and deciding to take control of the entire project, including interior formatting, cover design, and publishing it through KDP. Hailing from a small town in Australia meant primarily marketing her book online and we discuss the importance of virtual on-line communities to a writer like herself as well as how just mentioning the words “sexual desire” in her blurb was enough to get her ads booted from several venues.
Rebecca Campbell is an amateur cook and non-practicing scientist living in the New England region of northern New South Wales with her husband, two stepsons, two cats and a dog.
After studying and researching zoology, animal ecology, entomology, myrmecology and climate change for ten years, she realized academia wasn't for her and rediscovered her passion for creative writing.
When she's not feeding people and sharing her love of food or favorite recipes, or blogging about homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck and hyena clitorises, or recounting some of her best late-night, whisky-fueled arguments with people who were wrong on the Internet, Rebecca writes women’s fiction.
Her first novel, Sandalwood, touches on grief, sex, the power of scent, and confronting the past. Her second novel, Triptych, which she is currently working on, tells the interwoven stories of three vastly different women, and explores an age-hypogamous intimate relationship, forbidden love, and a non-monogamous marriage.
After recording some very ordinary backing vocals on her husband's album, she now likes to think she's a little bit garage-punk and bluesy-swamp-rock when really she's a little bit more perfume and red lipstick.
She needs you to know that myrmecology is the scientific study of ants, not mermaids.
To learn more about Rebecca, click here.
Our host Maggie Smith leads a roundtable discussion with the three finalists for the WFWA Star Award for Women's Fiction/Debut category as they discuss what it means to write "women's fiction", the trajectory of their writing careers, finding camaraderie with their peers, the value of book awards, and what they've learned from readers since their book's publication.
Panelists are: Julie Carrick Dalton (Waiting For the Night Song, Forge, January 2021) Joani Elliott (The Audacity of Sarah Grayson, Post Hill Press, May 2021) and Kelley McNeil (A Day Like This, Lake Union, November 2021)
Julia Daily's debut novel had its seeds in the author’s personal search over forty years ago for her birth mother, a time before DNA tests and genealogical records were available online. Her tale of three disparate women, meeting at a maternity home hospital in New Orleans, has resonated with adoptees like herself, with its message of joy, hope, and renewal. We also discuss Julia’s podcast, aptly named “Authors over 50” where she interviews older debut writers, celebrating the creativity of people in the latter third of their life.
Julia Brewer Daily is a Texan with a southern accent. She holds a B.S. in English and a M.S. degree in Education from the University of Southern Mississippi. She has been a Communications Adjunct Professor at Belhaven University, Jackson, Mississippi, and Public Relations Director of the Mississippi Department of Education and Millsaps College, a liberal arts college in Jackson, MS as well as the founding director of the Greater Belhaven Market, a producers’ only market in a historic neighborhood in Jackson, and even shadowed Martha Stewart. And as the Executive Director of the Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi (300 artisans from 19 states) which operates the Mississippi Craft Center, she wrote their stories to introduce them to the public.
She is a member of the Writers’ League of Texas, the Women Fiction Writers’ Association, The Official Pulpwood Queens Book Club, Writing the West, and the Women’s National Book Association. A lifelong southerner, she now resides on a ranch in Fredericksburg, Texas, with her husband Emmerson and Labrador retrievers, Memphis Belle and Texas Star.
To learn more about Julia, click here.
Sarah’s book started out as a kind of third person typed journal, a reflection on a “what if” situation she encountered in her psychiatric practice. Once it came time to publish, you’ll laugh along with us at her fairy tale story of querying Gillian Flynn’s agent out of the blue even though she was closed to submissions and being offered representation within a day. We also discuss the pros and cons of signing with an imprint of the Big Five.
Sarah Adlakha is a native of Chicago who now lives along the Mississippi Gulf Coast with her husband, three daughters, two horses, and one dog. She started writing fiction shortly after retiring from her psychiatry practice. Her debut novel, She Wouldn’t Change a Thing, was a CNN most anticipated book of 2021. Midnight on the Marne is her second novel.
To learn more about Sarah, click here.
This novel has its roots in Karen seeking answers as a mother as to how to raise a good son which eventually resulted in her fulfilling her lifelong dream to live on a Greek island for a year, where she was disciplined enough to write her first draft, despite the lure of the seaside location. We talk about synchronicity—how sometimes a book or a person or a place comes along at precisely the moment your spirit needs it, and how Karen came to embrace the indie route to publishing as the best vehicle to make her voice heard.
Karen Martin has worked as an independent writer and director in theatre performance for over thirty years, and written and produced many notable theatre scripts as well as physical narratives for circus performance, touring nationally and internationally. She contributed to several non-fiction books: The Women’s Circus: Leaping the Wire, and Women in Theatre: Ewa Czajor Memorial Award Recipients, and received a Local History Award for the writing and publication of two booklets on her award-winning production of The Women’s Jail Project (TWJP:A History; TWJP: A Performance).
Dancing the Labyrinth is her debut novel and the first book in her themed series Women Unveiled.
To learn more about Karen, click here.
Hear how C. took events from her own life, including her Italian heritage, her closeness with her grandfather, and her love of cooking, and worked it into her debut novel. We delve into the fallout that occurred with her initial publisher, her decision to indie publish rather than starting back at square one, and how helpful the webinars available through WFWA were in teaching her the fundamentals of both novel-writing and marketing her book.
C. D’Angelo is the Women’s Fiction author of The Differenceand The Visitor. When not writing relatable stories of the Italian American culture, she can be found at home in Florida enjoying time with her husband, playing ukulele, drawing, crocheting, and partaking in a variety of other artistic endeavors.
To learn more about C., click here.
Here how the inspiration from this story came from a “what if” moment while Penny was hiking with friends in the mountainous Tsitsikamma region of South Africa where she lives, how she had to change the ending of her novel because her character insisted on it, and how after years in fact-based journalism she rediscovered her childhood joy in telling made-up stories.
Penny Haw worked as a journalist and columnist for more than three decades, writing for many leading South African newspapers and magazines before yielding to a lifelong yearning to create fiction. Her stories feature remarkable women, illustrate her love for nature and animals, and explore the interconnectedness of all living things. Her children’s book, Nicko was published in 2017. It was followed by a work of contemporary fiction, The Wilderness Between Us in 2021. Penny’s debut historical fiction, The Invincible Miss Cust is based on the life of Britain and Ireland’s first woman veterinary surgeon, Aleen Cust and will be published by Sourcebooks in October 2022. A second work of historical fiction will be published, also by Sourcebooks, in 2023. Penny lives in Hout Bay near Cape Town with her husband and three dogs, all of whom are well-walked.
To learn more about Penny, click here.
I love Elizabeth’s suggestion to “put your pen on the paper and see what happens.” When she did that to an earlier manuscript that she initially conceived of as a romantic comedy, the result was a story of three sisters dealing with the aftermath of their mother’s suicide when they were children. We discuss how her husband found her a literary agents, how it took three manuscripts for her agent to finally sell one of her books, and how, at this stage of her career, she doesn’t fill she needs a critique group so much as a social setting to interface with other writers.
Elizabeth has a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and has been admitted to writing residencies at the Jentel Artist Residency, the Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences, and the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. She is a member of several writing groups, including Grub Street Writers’ Collective of Boston, the Newburyport Writers’ Group, Sisters in Crime New England, and the New Hampshire Writers’ Project. She lives in a small town in Northeast Massachusetts with her husband, daughter, and labradoodle.
To learn more about Elizabeth, click here.
This week’s podcast guest is Julee Balko (The Things We Keep, GenZ Publishing, July 2021). The impetus for Julee’s book was her own grief following the death of her mother and her frustration at not finding books which dealt in a realistic and honest way with this crucial life experience. We discuss what it was like publishing with a small press, the difference between an author and a writer, and how she doesn’t set strict deadlines in her author life, but writes when the spirit moves her. Julee’s also a huge Twitter fan, amassing over 10,000 followers in her first year of writing both funny and creative posts as @misplacedcomma2.
Julee has been a Creative Director and freelance writer for years – while mothering and lassoing her three crazy daughters in her spare time. But she’s always wanted to be a “real” writer – the kind who has a book with her name on it. The Things We Keep is her first novel and a dream come true. Julee started writing this book after her mother passed away because she was thrust into a world of grief that no one talks about. She wrote this story especially for women and men who are a part of the sandwich generation – those who are trying to take care of their aging parents while balancing parenting, a job, and multiple glasses of wine. She is working on her second novel, “The Me List,” which brings to life an unlikely friendship between neighbors.
To learn more about Julee, click here.
Our latest podcast is with Lyn Liao Butler (The Tiger Mom’s Tale, Berkeley, July 2021). Hear how Lyn taught herself to write by tearing apart (literally and figuratively) novels she enjoyed, analyzing their story structure, their characterizations, and their narrative arcs and how she is a stalwart plotter, often going months without writing a word while she’s planning her next book in her head. We discuss what it’s like to have your pub date pushed off not once but four times, what she’s learned by writing in two different genres (women’s fiction and suspense) and how she turned her blooper reels into a social media hit on Instagram as @lynliaobutler.
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Lyn Liao Butler was born in Taiwan and moved to the States when she was seven. Before becoming an author, she was a professional ballet and modern dancer, and is still a personal trainer, fitness instructor, and yoga instructor. She is an avid animal lover and fosters dogs as well as volunteers with rescues.
When she is not torturing clients or talking to imaginary characters, Lyn enjoys spending time with her FDNY husband, their son (the happiest little boy in the world), their three stubborn dachshunds (Lokie, Mochi, Cash, and Pinot in heaven), sewing for her Etsy shop, and trying crazy yoga poses on a stand-up paddleboard. So far, she has not fallen into the water yet.
To learn more about Lyn, click here.
Amanda came to novel writing from a background as an actress where she had previously penned scripts for herself and others both for films and on the stage, but found she had to use very different muscles when it came to crafting a novel-length story loosely based on a real-life situation she and her husband experienced in New York. But during the querying process, her years of going on auditions and her experiences with the subjective nature of casting helped her keep an even keel as she researched to find a home for her contemporary women’s fiction, first with agents and eventually through a small press/digital first approach.
Amanda Johnson is an award-winning actor and the author of the women’s fiction novel East of Manhattan (June 2021). She is also a voiceover artist, host, and producer. She has written articles for Medium and About Amazon. As a screenwriter, her works include “Alice in Astoria” and “Babymoon” as well as the stage play “Jennie.” She is currently developing the television series “Tapestry Brewing” and is in pre-production for the proof-of-concept short film based on the series. After fifteen years on the east coast, Amanda now lives in her native Seattle with her family. Her favorite things are dark chocolate, the color lime green, playing on the beach with her son, Alice in Wonderland, and craft beer.
To learn more about Amanda, click here.
As an essential worker during the pandemic, Kristina learned first hand what it was like to have little control over either the risks or rewards of her job so after she finished her novel (loosely based on the story of a Standard Oil heiress paired with themes and imagery from Taylor Swift’s album Folklore), she went a different route. Taking control of the process, she became art director and model for her cover, learned formatting and book production, and got busy building her author platform including an IGTV interview show. Now a full-time writer, Kristina is once again taking risks and financing her new career through her knowledge of and success in the stock market.
Kristina Parro is a speech-language pathologist turned author, investor, entrepreneur, and lover of wisdom. Her debut, Lucky: A Novel, was published in June 2021 and is inspired by Taylor Swift’s folklore and the incredible true story of Standard Oil heiress Rebekah Harkness. You may have seen Kristina on Instagram, where she hosts live conversations with other writers and creatives.
To learn more about Kristina, click here
Amanda talks about the book that gave her permission to write “outside the lines”, what she learned about her own life through exploring the narcissistic antagonist in her novel, and the process of identifying where her book fit on the genre shelf. She also takes us step by step through her process of learning, through podcasts and YouTube videos, how to create her own book on Vellum and launch it into the world, and her eventual decision to pull it back and do a total rebranding with a new cover and the addition of a Part 2.
Amanda Jane Schiller is an up and coming indie author of women’s fiction. Her stories follow women who are anything but the typical housewife, making imperfect and almost impossible decisions. She began writing the same month her son was born and started pursuing a Bachelors of Science in biology which she has since completed. Amanda lives in the Midwest with her son and two kitties and greatly enjoys spending her free time hiking, attending heavy metal concerts, and playing video games.
To learn more about Amanda, click here.
Our guest this week is the person that generally hosts this podcast Maggie Smith (Truth and Other Lies, Ten16 Press, March 2022) and she’s interviewed by book editor and women’s fiction author Tiffany Yates Martin, WFWA 2021 Scribe. Hear Maggie’s story of how her book went through various iterations before she found a plot which could highlight the relationship between a daughter, her mother, and her mentor; how she had to pivot when her first publisher went bankrupt; and what an author needs to be prepared to do if they want to make a smash with their debut’s launch.
In a career that’s included work as a journalist, a psychologist, and the founder of a national art consulting company, Maggie Smith now adds novelist to her resume with the publication of her debut, Truth and Other Lies. In addition to her writing, Maggie hosts the weekly podcast Hear Us Roar, where she interviews debut authors about their novel and their path to publication and blogs monthly for Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. A board member of the Chicago Writer’s Association, she’s Managing Editor of their Write City Magazine, and coordinator of Book Nook, which highlights Chicago-area independent bookstores. She resides in Milwaukee WI with her husband and her aging but still adorable sheltie.
To learn more about Maggie, click here.
Mary Camarillo grew up in North Carolina. Her father worked in aerospace and was transferred to Southern California when she was fourteen. After high school, she went to work for the post office. It might be genetic--both her grandfathers were railway mail clerks. She sorted mail, sold stamps, worked in the accounting office, went to night school, and earned a degree in business administration and eventually, a CPA license.
To learn more about Mary, click here.
When Tavi wrote this debut about four female roadies who take a break to spend time at a Tuscan villa where each examines her life, she based them on women she knew from her time as a lighting specialist touring around the country with rock stars like Norah Jones. It was only after the book was complete that she realized she should run the characters by their real-life counterparts (luckily they were both flattered and helpful). We also discuss how the last year felt like a crash course in marketing and how hiring outside paid help, from editors to publicists, can be tricky.
Tavi Taylor Black settled in the Northwest after circumnavigating the United States, from Maine to New York, Florida to Texas. For over fourteen years she worked as a lighting technician, production assistant and tour manager. In 2008 Tavi earned an MFA in creative writing from Lesley University in Boston. Tavi’s debut novel Where Are We Tomorrow? was a finalist in several contests, including the 2021 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the 2021 NYC Big Book Award. Her next novel, a historical fiction set in coastal Maine, is set to be published in January 2023. Tavi hosts a writing podcast, The Personal Element, where she and co-host Christine Junge read personal essays and talk about what makes them so good.
To learn more about Tavi, click here.
Jenn Bouchard (First Course, Touchpoint Press, June 2021) combined her interest in food, her love of New England’s coastal towns, and her belief in the power of reinvention to write a debut with both romantic themes, a strong sisterhood component, and a seaside setting. Early in her writing journey, Jenn made a point of going to author talks for inspiration, even driving hours in the rain to meet her idol, Jennifer Weiner. And you’ll love the creative ideas she came up with to market her book, including various atypical venues.
Jenn Bouchard's debut, FIRST COURSE, was a finalist in the American Fiction Awards and the Independent Author Network Awards in the Women's Fiction category, among other distinctions. Her short stories have appeared in the Bookends Review, Litbreak Magazine, the Penmen Review, and the Little Patuxent Review. She is currently editing her second novel, PALMS ON THE CAPE. She is an avid cook, volunteer for good causes, and devoted Red Sox fan. A high school social studies teacher of twenty-two years, she lives with her husband and two children in the Boston suburbs.
To learn more about Jenn, click here.
Our guest on the podcast this week is Kathleen Basi (A Song for The Road, Alcove Press, May 2021). We discuss the importance of how you pitch your book in your query letter (by changing her focus and repositioning her novel, Kathleen raised her request rate from zero to 25%), how she had to learn to simplify her plot points rather than pile more on, and what it felt like to have two great agent offers on the table at the same time and how she made her decision.
Kathleen M. Basi is the quintessential jack-of-all trades writer: musical composer and songwriter, feature writer, essayist, nonfiction author, and of course--storyteller. Basi spent her childhood drawing inspiration for stories from the fields and trees on her family's farm...when she wasn't climbing on tractors and jumping off hay bales. Now, as mother to three rambunctious boys (read that: always breaking something!) and one chromosomally-gifted daughter (Down syndrome: more alike than different!), she doesn't have to look any farther than her kitchen table.
To learn more about Kathleen, click here.
This week’s interview is with Kris Clink (Goodbye, Lark Lovejoy, Spark Press, April 2021). You can tell by listening that this is an author who can’t help adding a bit of humor to her narratives despite dealing with serious subjects like the death of a spouse and PTSD. We discuss how she finished her debut and immediately started querying, only to find it needed serious developmental work. After working with an editor for over a year, she eventually decided to go with a hybrid publisher when agents wanted to change her story from women’s fiction to straight-up romance and advised her to jettison a sub-plot she considered the backbone to her story.
Kris Clink is the author of Goodbye, Lark Lovejoy and Sissie Klein is Completely Normal, which have received praise from Bustle, Midwest Book Review, Kirkus, Women.com, Lone Star Literary, Brit + Co., Travel and Leisure Magazine, and Entertainment Weekly, among others. Set in middle America, her novels are laced with love, heartbreak, and just enough snark to rock the boat for the relatable characters as they confront transformative challenges. She’s a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and The Author’s Guild. Her work has been published in Moms Don’t Have Time to Write on Medium, diyMFA, Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, Women Writers Women’s Books. She is the host of Kris Clink’s Writing Table, a podcast about books and writing. Calling Texas home for most of her life, Kris now lives in Kansas where she and her husband have filled their empty nest with two spoiled rotten pups.
To learn more about Kris, click here.
It’s almost like this book had been waiting for Margaret to write it – she lived for a few years in France growing up, has always been fascinated by Napoleon’s story, and dreamed of someday writing a novel. Finally the stars aligned. Here how she was able to travel to the island of Elba in the middle of the Atlantic and actually stay in the house where Napoleon was exiled for the last four years of his life. And more importantly, hear the lost story of Albine de Montholon – a resident of the island and his last love. Margaret Rodenberg's award-winning debut novel Finding Napoleon (She Writes Press, April 2021) includes an adaptation of Napoleon Bonaparte’s real attempt to write a romantic novel. Her passion for French history began when she lived in France as a young teen with her US Navy family. An avid traveler who has visited over sixty countries, she journeyed more than 30,000 miles to conduct Napoleonic research, including to St. Helena Island in the remote South Atlantic where Finding Napoleon takes place. She's a former businesswoman and a director of the Napoleonic Historical Society, a non-profit that promotes knowledge of the Napoleonic era. She’s as happy in a kayak as she is in a museum. She’s @margaretrodenberg on Instagram and MargaretRodenberg.author on Facebook.
To learn more about Margaret, click here.
After a long business career that included running a Montessori school and teaching deaf children, Karen decided to get serious about her writing and four years later, indie published her debut novel harkening back to the state she grew up in – Texas and her love for horses. A sweeping family saga spanning over 70 years, the book’s main character was meant to play a secondary role until she began taking over the narrative and insisted on being heard.
Blanton Brenner grew up in North Texas in a large extended family that raised horses and holy hell and, in between, sang together in four part harmony. While attending university, she met a drummer from Chicago, married him and moved to Chicago where they raised their children.
For over ten years, Brenner wrote and read stories from her life on WBEZ, the NPR station in Chicago. She was awarded the Peter Lisagor Prize from the Society of Professional Journalists for her radio story, “Driving with Frank Sinatra.” K. Blanton Brenner published her debut novel, Appaloosa Sky, in 2019. It is the story of a family of tenacious Texas women who break horses and hearts. Appaloosa Sky lives in a genre somewhere between Nancy Drew and Sex and the City. The author’s second novel, The Trinity Rivers Trilogy will be published soon. It is tells the story of the Quinn family: the enormously talented, wildly dramatic, funny and sometimes dangerous Quinns.
To learn more about Karen, click here.
If you’re curious what it might be like to self-publish your work, this is a segment you’ll want to listen to. Jensen is doing everything right – rapid release of three books in one series in one year (with another one coming in April), soaking up craft lessons from experts, being mentored by a seasoned indie author. She made the conscious decision to avoid the negativity of rejections from agents and publishers out of fear she’d lose the joy she’s found in writing and it seems to be paying off. Her enthusiasm and optimism will inspire you.
Born and raised in a small town in Michigan, Jennifer married her high school sweetheart. She got a job, which she originally left college for, and over the course of a few years, she had two beautiful sons.
In December 2019, Jennifer found herself staring down the big 3-0. Having accomplished so much and at the same time, so little, she looked at the life she had made and knew something was missing.
When picking up a pen and putting it to paper, after an almost ten-year hiatus, she quickly fell back in love with the world of writing.
She made a pact with herself to do better with self-care and putting as much effort into her own happiness that she had put into the happiness of others. Doing so gave her space and energy to create and soon share, the characters that had only existed in her mind.
As our world continues to fight the stigma around mental health issues, Jennifer’s book series, Versions of Me, gives a glimpse into the mind of Harper Jones. In book one, The Vice, Harper—a twenty-eight year old woman—is struggling to cope with her past. As the life she has been living starts to crumble around her, she finds herself fighting not only external battles, but internal ones as well. The battles that she faces drive her motivation behind everything she does. They drive her need to drink, her need to be loved—her need to be the woman she once was.
To learn more about Jennifer, click here.
Hear how the idea for Kristy’s novel originated from a ten-year old TV show, how the goal to write a novel came to her in a dream, and how her female protagonist refused the ending Kristy had planned for her and insisted on a different path. We also discuss what it’s like to work with a small press based in another country and how she manages to find time to write between a full-time job and studying for her doctorate.
Kristy was born in Southwestern Colorado. She moved to Illinois after graduating from Alfred University in Alfred, New York with her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Shortly after moving to Illinois, she began her career in the not-for-profit arena and has spent the majority of her career in human resources. In 2016 she graduated from the University of Illinois with her Master’s Degree in Public Administration and is currently working to obtain her Doctorate of Education in Organization and Leadership. When she is not writing, working, or furthering her education, Kristy is traveling the globe with her husband, having set a goal of going to one new place each year.
To learn more about Kristy, click here.
We talk with Kate Allen (Fear of Flying, Ambiguous Ink Press, March 2021) and discuss how she balances her work as a lawyer with her writing career, how writing a novel and wanting to see it published sooner rather than later sent her on a journey that resulted in her starting her own publishing company, and how her best advice for new authors is be braver about social media, that it can be fun and collaborative and essential for promoting your work.
Kate Allen is a serial multi-tasker and author of contemporary fiction. After obtaining her B.A. in English Literature she took a detour to law school and “daylights” as a lawyer. Her debut novel, Fear of Flying, is an intercontinental tale about love, friendship, and loss. In addition to writing, Kate is also co-founder of Ambiguous Ink Press and founder of www.thisbookislit.com, an online book magazine.
To learn more about Kate, click here.
A tale of two women whose lives intersect in the 1970’s in Alaska, Dorothy’s book not only reflects her own experiences when she lived for years in a remote scientific community near the Arctic Circle but also the power and lasting legacy of female friendships. We also discuss how she found her small press through another writer’s recommendation and how sometimes it’s necessary to jettison interesting back story in order to propel your story forward. .
Writer, editor, teacher, wife and mother, Dorothy Staley left the Arctic years ago, but it never left her. As the Naval Arctic Research Laboratory’s first science writer she interviewed nearly 800 scientists. After 5 years, when family responsibilities and job opportunities took her on a trajectory from the far north to the Deep South, she never stopped writing about the Arctic in her diaries, poems, short stories, and now her debut novel.
To learn more about Dorothy, go to https://bearwomanrising.com/
Leslie and I discuss the difference between an author and a writer, how her experience writing TV sit-coms and personal essays was very different than writing a full-length novel, and how the idea for her realistic story came from the challenges she observed her forty-something friends grappling with as children left home, parents aged, and marriages underwent major transformations.
Leslie A. Rasmussen was born and raised in Los Angeles and graduated from UCLA. She went on to write television comedies and is a member of The Writers’ Guild of America. Leslie wrote for Gerald McRaney, Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm McDonald, Drew Carey, as well as The Wild Thornberrys and Sweet Valley High. After leaving the business to raise her boys, she attained a master's in nutrition and ran her own business for ten years. Recently, she’s written over twenty essays for Huffington Post, MariaShriver, and SheKnows, and has been on several panels discussing women being empowerment to start a new chapter in midlife. Leslie loves dogs and is a member of The Alliance of therapy dogs and has volunteered at her local Animal Shelter. She lives in Los Angeles and is married and has two sons.
To learn more about Leslie, click here.
Elissa and Idiscuss how her book was informed by her lived experience of having MS as well as going through ALICE training at her job, how the Twitter events Pitch Wars and PitMad led to her finding an agent, how she wrote 2 other books before clicking with the third, and how her best marketing move has been interfacing with readers in private FB groups.
Elissa is a former journalist who now works in higher education communications and marketing. Though she grew up among the lakes and trees of Northern Minnesota, Elissa now lives on the South Dakota prairie with her husband and children. Her blog posts about living with multiple sclerosis have appeared on the National MS Society online Momentum Magazine Blog. The Speed of Light is her debut novel. Her second novel, Iris in the Dark, is coming in June 2022 from Lake Union Publishing.
To learn more about Elissa, click here.
Libby Hubscher describes her writing process as seeing pivotal scenes, fully formed, in her head, then writing in and around those to fill in the missing pieces. Libby landed an agent through a Twitter connection but hadn’t fully realized there was a bigger hurdle ahead – being on submission and ultimately not finding a publisher. Her first six novels, some contemporary romance, some literary fiction, failed to sell and it wasn’t until she opened herself up and wrote “the story I needed to write” that the magic happened. The book of her heart sold in two months.
Libby is a scientist as well as an author. She studied biology at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine and holds a doctor of philosophy in molecular toxicology from North Carolina State University. Her work has appeared online and in textbooks, scientific journals, and literary journals. Her short story “The Unwelcome Guest” was long-listed for the Wigleaf Top 50 in 2018. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, two young children, and a menagerie of pets.
To learn more about Libby, click here.
Debra and I discuss how her book, featuring two sisters from Mexico who cross the border illegally to find their father, avoided the controversy that enveloped American Dirt through her attention to authenticity, her background with immigrant groups, and her use of well-vetted sensitivity experts. Another highlight of Debra’s writing journey with Luz was winning Story Circle’s Sarton Book Award for Contemporary Fiction, since its namesake May Sarton wrote Journal of a Solitude, a touchstone of Debra’s since its publication in 1973. Luz was also named the 2020 Next Generation Indie Book Award for Multicultural Fiction.
Originally from Binghamton, New York, Debra has lived in Southern California most of her adult life. She taught literature and writing at James Monroe High School, a Los Angeles public school, and English as a Second Language (ESL) to adults from all over the world. Her work as an immigrant and refugee rights advocate led her to write Luz. A lover of all creatures great and small, when she isn’t with her two horses, she is relaxing with her husband and little dog, watching all the birds and critters that visit her backyard feeders. She is currently at work on her second novel to be published Spring 2023.
To learn more about Debra, click here.
Our latest interview is with Sarah Penner (The Lost Apothecary, Park Row/Harper Collins, March 2021). Starting with the high-concept hook of an apothecary who provides women in 18th century London the means to take revenge on predatory men, Sarah received offers of representative from half the agents she queried and sold her book in one day. A true-life success story, she landed a spot on the NY Times Best-Seller list and her novel has been optioned by Fox Entertainment for a long-form drama series. Hear her story of learning to write women with agency, her fascination with potions, herbs, and teas, and her decision to quit her corporate finance job to pursue life as a novelist.
A graduate of the University of Kansas, Sarah spent thirteen years in corporate finance and now writes full-time. She and her husband live in St. Petersburg, Florida with their miniature dachshund, Zoe. Her book has been translated into forty languages worldwide.
To learn more about Sarah, click here.
Jill's dual time-line debut is loosely based on her grandmother’s story of life during the depression and finding her way into a creative career, much the way Jill has since leaving her high-tech career. And if there ever was a testimonial for what the Women’s Fiction Writer’s Association can offer a novice writer, Jill’s story qualifies – she’s a member of a critique group, she’s participating in the agent pitch event, she’s taken numerous seminars, and now she’s appeared on the podcast. Truly a writer who’s open to taking advantage of every opportunity to hone her craft.
Jill’s short stories have been published in 805Lit, Oyster River Pages, The Potato Soup Journal, and elsewhere. After working for nearly thirty years as a high tech marketing and product manager, Jill now pursues her passion for creative writing full time. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband and daughter.
To learn more about Jill, click here.
Hear how an unexpected encounter in a grocery store line became the impetus for Christina Consolino's novel and how she did a major rewrite late in the process to give both her POV characters more agency. We also delve into her decision to publish with a small press, how her best marketing tool has been word of mouth advertising from groups like WFWA, and about our mutual love for the November phenomenon called NaNoWriMo.
Christina is a scientist turned writer and editor whose work has appeared in multiple online and print outlets. Her debut novel, Rewrite the Stars, was named one of ten finalists for the Ohio Writers' Association Great Novel Contest 2020, and she is the co-author of Historic Photos of University of Michigan. She serves as senior editor at the online journal Literary Mama and contributing editor for Shelf Unbound, freelance edits both fiction and nonfiction, and teaches writing classes at Word's Worth Writing Connections. Christina loves to connect with writers of all stages and lives in Kettering, Ohio, with her family and rotating cast of pets.
To learn more about Christina, click here.
We discuss KD's debut, a fictionalized version of a small-town murder in the late 1920’s that wound up garnering world-wide attention.and took place only two counties over from KD’s home base in southwestern Wisconsin. KD credits the advice she got from a former student as well as support from local bookstores and mentoring from women authors in our association with giving her the support she needed to produce this historical fiction which was subsequently selected as a finalist in the WFWA 2021 Star Awards for Best Debut Novel. Listen to the end to hear what infamous accused murderer lives in her family tree.
Kate is a retired educator who lives with her husband in the beautiful rolling hills of Wisconsin. She is a member of the Wisconsin Writers Association and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association with a passion for historical fiction mixed with true crime/mystery. She enjoys her family, her flower/fairy gardens, researching her ancestry, and traveling the backroads of Wisconsin looking for a new story to tell.
To learn more about KD, click here.
Jeannee delves into her love for the rich heritage of Afghanistan, which forms the backdrop of her debut and how, even at an early age, teachers singled her stories out for praise, so she’s always considered herself a writer despite years as a professor as well as a photographer. You’ll learn how she re-wrote her book several times based on feedback from both agents and other writers and why she opted for a small press over the agent/traditional publisher route.
A former English professor, Jeannée Sacken is a photojournalist who travels throughout Africa, South America, and Asia documenting the lives of women and children. Behind the Lens is her debut novel. Double Exposure, her second novel featuring Annie Hawkins Green, is slated for release in October 2022. She lives in Shorewood, Wisconsin with her husband and cats and loves to make guest appearances at book clubs to discuss her novels.
To learn more about Jeannee, click here.
Beatryce and I discuss about how she purposely wanted to write a book about boomers finding a soulmate rather than millennials, how she found the perfect hybrid press to teach her about launching a debut, How she lets her characters take her on a roller-coaster ride if they want, and her unique technique for capturing those novel ideas that come to all of us at 4 in the morning.
Beatryce Ruby has been an international bed and breakfast operator in Alaska and an English teacher in California. She has survived a hot air balloon crash in the Mojave Desert, an over-the-cliff and down-the-mountain auto crash in the Tehachapi Mountains, and a ski crash in Devil's Head, Wisconsin. When enjoying a more tranquil life on terra firma, she writes engrossing adult stories, fanciful children's stories, ruminative poetry, inspirational vignettes, and arresting short stories. Receiving her BA from California State University, Los Angeles, studying Romance languages and linguistics at UCLA, she completed her teacher training through the University of San Diego. Now living in the Southeast, she observes the sprawling natural surroundings and the madding crowd. With these as her inspiration, she derives fresh ideas for new stories.
To learn more about Beatryce, click here.
Gina spoke to us from Australia only hours after a major earthquake shook her town, but she’s used to living in danger zones. In fact, her real-life experience of living in Baghdad at the time of Hussein’s toppling and discovering a good friend was an informant for the Iraqi government was the springboard for Gina’s debut which subsequently became a Target Book of the Month pick. Moving from her previous career as a foreign correspondent into novel writing offered challenges but proved to be the unique card Gina played during querying her novel which landed her an agent here in the States. We discuss an ethical question explored in her book -- what happens when good people are forced to make choices which go against their moral code?
Gina Wilkinson has been a nomad from the age of six-months, when her parents packed their belongings into an old Renault and set off for a remote gold-mining town in Australia's Nullarbor desert. Since then, she’s circumnavigated the globe many times. As a foreign correspondent, she reported from some of the globe's most intriguing and dangerous places for renowned broadcasters such as the BBC, NPR, and the ABC, before trading in her reporter's notebook for an author's pen. After 20 years living and working overseas, including eight years in the United States, she returned to her homeland of Australia. She now lives in Melbourne with her Canadian-born husband, two sons, and a furless cat called Obiwan.
To learn more about Gina, click here.
Even though her fiction often has speculative and magical elements (she’s a life-long fan of monsters and snakes) Tiffany considers her primary goal as an author to dive deep into the “why” people behave the way they do, rather than contriving intricate plots. When it came to publishing, she took a gamble and went with a small publisher just starting out that she heard about through a member announcement in the WFWA newsletter. Turned out the owner herself was also a member and soon after signing, the press was acquired by a larger entity, offering additional resources and support.
Tiffany is writer and poet hailing from Phoenix, Arizona. Her debut novel, A Flood of Posies, was released in February 2021 with Black Spot Books. Her second book, Little Bird, releases in 2022 also with Black Spot. Her work has been published in multiple magazines over the years, including Shoreline of Infinity, Luna Station Quarterly, The Molotov Cocktail, and others. Find her online at Twitter and Instagram @TMeuretBooks for deep discussions about small dogs and bad movies.
To learn more about Tiffany, click here.
Elizabeth and I discuss her experience with PitchWars (thumbs up), losing her first agent (thumbs down) and how she had to segment her marketing approach to appeal to divergent audiences (historical fiction, steampunk, sci-fi, fantasy, romance, and yes, women’s fiction) since her debut didn’t fit neatly into one genre. Even though she signed with a small publisher, her novel would up topping the charts, scored a BookBub deal, garnered rave reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, and is being expanded into a five-book series. And be sure to listen to the short passage Elizabeth reads from her novel – since she's a trained actress, it's an audiobook come to life.
Elizabeth makes her home in Connecticut and is a Writers of the Future Contest winner, a Golden Heart® finalist, a Pitch Wars alumna, and a member of SFWA., The sequel to her debut, The Brass Queen: Grand Tour, will be published in 2022. When she's not writing, Elizabeth works as a voiceover actor and there's a rumor she possesses the world's best scone recipe.
To learn more about Elizabeth, click here.
Shail Rajan woke up on December 9th, after a difficult few months for her family, and decided to publish the novel she’d had in the drawer for years. And not just sometime in the future after she’d gotten an agent and found a publisher, but that very day. She followed the KDP instructions step-by-step, worked with her teenage daughter to fashion a cover, and before the sun went down, she hit publish. Our far-ranging conversation covers why she purposely wrote a “feel-good” book, how all the recipes in her book are vegetarian but no one but her father has ever mentioned it, and how she’s living out a true romance that started when she was 3 years old in India.
Born in India, raised in beautiful Upstate New York, and now soaking up the sun in California with her family, Shail has been writing stories to entertain herself for almost two decades. Her manuscripts have been sitting patiently on her laptop waiting for the day when she'd finally be ready to send them out into the world. That day came on December 9, 2020 when she published her debut novel The Summer Breeze, a book which is a celebration of all the things that mean so much to her: family, friendships, food, and falling in love. Shail is currently working on a romantic suspense novel and the next book in The Summer Breeze series.
To learn more about Shail, click here.
This week’s guest is L. Bordetsky-Williams (Forget Russia, Tailwinds Press, December 2020) whose historical fiction debut is framed around many of her family’s experiences from 1900-1980 during the Russian Revolution, the pogroms in Ukraine, and her relatives’ eventual immigration to America, and later return to their mother country once the depression hit in 1931. She’s a big believer that we’re destined to meet certain people in our lives and has stories to prove it. And because her book covers multi-generations, we discuss finding the correct structure to use, which in her case included journal and diary entries as well as the use of both first and third-person points of view.
Forget Russia is an Editors’ Choice Book of the Historical Novels Review. Lisa has also published the memoir, Letters to Virginia Woolf, The Artist as Outsider in the Novels of Toni Morrison and Virginia Woolf, and three poetry chapbooks. She is a Professor of Literature at Ramapo College of New Jersey and lives in New York City.
To learn more about her, click here.
Christina comes out of a copy-editing background but caught the novel-writing bug when a vivid dream presented her with a story she couldn’t shake. She believes young writers shouldn’t be afraid to write the book they’d want to read and that an author owes it to herself to push the envelope in terms of imagination, sensuality, and intricate plot lines instead of following trends and standard tropes. She also relished the freedom to make her own decisions on marketing and book design that going indie offered.
Christina Tsirkas grew up in New York City and has since migrated to the beautiful beaches of sunny South Florida where she lives with her partner and the most amazing cat, Kitty. She received her B.S. degree from Skidmore College in 2009 and went on to earn a full scholarship from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University. She is licensed to practice law in New York State (though she has yet to exercise that right!) The Night Sender is her debut novel.
To learn more about Christina, click here.
After years of non-fiction and business writing, Judith Teitelman fell in love with the more creative side of the craft after a friend dragged her to a regular writing group. In this interview, we discuss how her magical realism tale is an amalgam of both her German grandmother’s life story, a long-forgotten journal from an early relationship, and Judith’s longtime interest in eastern religion. And if you think getting an agent means your book is set, listen in because Judith eventually had to go hybrid after two years of not finding a publisher who’d take a chance of her novel.
Judith has straddled the worlds of arts, literature, and business since she was a teenager and worked her first job as a salesperson at a B. Dalton/Pickwick Bookstore. Life’s journeys took her from bookstores to commercial fine art galleries to the nonprofit arts and cultural sector, in which she has worked as staff, consultant, and educator for more than three decades. Throughout this time, Teitelman continued her pursuit of all things literary, and over the years her writing has been published in a variety of formats and publications. Guesthouse for Ganesha is her award-winning debut novel. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and three beloved cats.
To learn more about Judith, click here.
In this interview, Kathy and Idiscuss how writing this book meant Kathy had to revisit painful memories from her own childhood as well as the breakup of her marriage, why she decided to take the hybrid route rather than endure the long wait of traditional publication, and her goal to write a book to not only satisfy her creative spirit but also to help others going through the same life challenges.
Kathy's eighth career as an Award Winning Author, draws from her first seven careers. From dishwasher to civilian female educator on an aircraft carrier (before women were on ships), to owning her own consulting business, Kathy has met many characters and traveled to some exotic places. For now, she is content to stay put in San Antonio, TX with her husband and crazy cat Toby and create stories out of all those experiences. Currently, she is writing the sequel to the Award Winning novel, Success Is The Best Revenge.
To learn more about Kathy, click here.
This novel was eight years in the making after starting life as an award-winning short story but Joyce felt like she had to grow both as a writer and as a student of human psychology before she could do it justice. She described parting ways with her first agent and switching to a small publisher as well as tips to increase pre-orders and suggestions for turning a novel to a possible screenplay.
Joyce was born in the SE Bronx, escaped to Manhattan as a teenager and now lives in Seattle with her husband and son. Along the way to becoming a full-time author, Joyce has worked as a screenwriter, singer-songwriter, multimedia performance artist and most recently, a member of the world music vocal ensemble, Abráce.
Joyce is a Pushcart nominee, whose stories and poems have been widely published. Her first Jo Epstein mystery, Ask the Dead was selected by The Poisoned Pen as a Recommended First Novel and hailed as “Bronx noir”. The second book in the series, The Last Matryoshka was praised by Library Journal and takes place in Brooklyn and Moscow. Ms. Yarrow co-authored her third book, Rivers Run Back (Vitasta 2015), with Indian writer Arindam Roy and it was launched at The American Center (US Embassy) in New Delhi.
Ms. Yarrow considers the setting of her books to be characters in their own right and teaches workshops on "The Place of Place in Mystery Writing."
To learn more about Joyce, click here.
It’s our 100th podcast and it’s with Denny S. Bryce (Wild Women and the Blues, Kensington Books, March 2021). A former professional dancer as well as a marketing entrepreneur, Denny first got acquainted with agents who judged RWA writing contests she entered and eventually chose her agent over others because she was much more interested in Denny’s over-all writing and career goals rather than with a single book. We discuss how it’s important to get your name out in the writing community long before you finish your book, how you should always be writing other books while your first is on submission, how having her publication date delayed because of the pandemic turned out to be a blessing, and how both her grandmother’s old photos and her boss at a NY restaurant provided the inspiration for her debut. And stay tuned to the end to learn about her two upcoming novels and the now famous actor she once went out with.
Denny S. Bryce is an award-winning author and three-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, including twice for Wild Women and the Blues. The former professional dancer and public relations executive is a book critic for NPR Books and also has written for Frolic Media, USA Today, and Harper’s Bazaar. A member of the Historical Novel Society (HNS), Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), Novelists, INC., and The Tall Poppies, the former Chicagoan currently resides in Savannah, GA.
To learn more about Denny, click here.
Kathryn’s book got a new cover only days before release and published in the middle of not only the pandemic but the post-election furor and the post office debacle (it took some readers two months to receive their books). This historical novel is set in northern California in the 1960’s, with the first stirrings of the computer age (Kathryn’s brother was a classmate of Steve Wozniak), a rich Silicon Valley setting, and a plucky heroine who learns to carve her own way in life despite family pressures. Kathryn’s previous work had been in the short story genre but now that she’s discovered the novel, she’s off and running with two more books nearing completion. Kathryn's short fiction has appeared in over twenty online literary magazines and print anthologies. She is the author of a collection of short fiction, FLATLANDERS, Shire Press 2019. She received the Grand Prize in the 2020 Eyelands International Short Story Contest.
To learn more about Kathryn, click here.
In this interview with Melissa Hunter, we discuss how this story, a fictional quasi-memoir of her grandmother’s experiences as a teenager in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, was one Melissa felt compelled to write but couldn’t fully embrace until she became a mother herself. Through the years, she wrote it as a series of joined short stories and even a screenplay until finally settling on women’s historical fiction as the ideal structure. We discuss working with a small specialty publisher, using the novel as an educational tool to educate young people about the Holocaust, and how a Facebook group resulted in a filmmaker using the book in an upcoming documentary.
Melissa W. Hunter is a writer and blogger from Cincinnati, Ohio, with a passion for telling stories about her family and her own life experiences. Her articles have been published on Kveller.com, LiteraryMama.com, Booksbywomen.org, and her short stories have appeared in the Jewish Literary Journal. She is a contributing blogger to the Today Show parenting community, and her novella Through a Mirror Clear was published as a serial installment on TheSame.blog, an online literary journal written for women by women (now available in its entirety on Amazon.com). Her debut novel What She Lost is inspired by her grandmother’s life as a Holocaust survivor and is the subject of an upcoming episode of the documentary Generation to Generation (Fall, 2021). When not at her computer, Melissa loves spending family time with her husband and two beautiful daughters.
To learn more about Melissa, click here.
Florence’s background in social work as well as her own large extended family informed her decision to write a wide-ranging saga, spanning a century-worth of events, secrets, and history of a close-knit Jewish immigrant family with themes of resilience, mental health challenges, and how decisions made at a point in time cycle through and effect subsequent generations. After finding it difficult to land an agent, she decided to publish with a quality hybrid press, and has been successful interfacing with book clubs across the country as well as using Book Bub and Facebook ad placements to publicize her debut.
Florence was raised and educated in New York City. With a BA in English and a Master’s degree in Social Work, she served for over thirty years as a clinician, a family therapist and eventually CEO of a family service agency before retiring to write and travel. Her own close family of 26 aunts and uncles and 27 first cousins and listening to stories around the kitchen table, coffee klatches and family parties inspired her to write her fictional, multi-generational family drama, How to Make a Life. She has published stories for children and teens, romance stories for national magazines, literary stories, and personal essays for the Westchester section of the New York Times. Her fiction has appeared in publications such as The Evening Street Press and SNReview.
To learn more about Florence, click here.
When Geeta Schrayter first signed with a small press ten years ago, little did she realize she’d have to eventually wrest back control of her debut, rework the cover and formatting including left-out pages, and re-issue it on her own through Ingram a good decade later. Her story of perseverance will inspire writers whose books deserve a second chance at success in a marketplace where indie publishing is possible given a few dollars, some ingenuity, and a lot of hard work.
Geeta fell in love with the written word as soon as she could read. As a child she crafted pretend newspapers and fashion catalogs and penned short stories.
In fifth grade she won her first writing competition, decided she was going to be a writer, and never faltered in that decision.
She received her undergraduate degree in communications with a journalism concentration, and over the years has been a blogger, magazine intern, freelance writer, reporter, and assistant newspaper editor.
Along with the above, she’s always had a love of fiction writing—ideas are constantly swirling around in her head and have come about from random events such as stopping at a stop light, being stranded at a bar, listening to music, and working on a puzzle with her daughter. She loves to observe the world around her, and her favorite writing quote is, “Be careful, or you may end up in my next novel.”
When she’s not writing, Geeta loves to travel, read, cook, run, and savor the magic in the everyday. She currently resides in New England with her family and is working on her next two novels.
To learn more about Geeta, click here.
Listen to my interview with Densie Webb where we discuss the pluses and minuses of working with a small press, the value of writer networks, how readers often prefer true-to-life endings over happily-ever-afters, and how not every writer works best with an outline.
Densie Webb (not Denise) has spent a long career as a freelance nonfiction writer and editor, specializing in health and nutrition, and has published several books on the topic. She grew up in Louisiana, spent 13 years in New York City, and settled in Austin, TX, where it’s summer nine months out of the year. She is an avid walker (not of the dead variety, though she adores zombies, vampires and apocalyptic stories), drinks too much coffee, and has a small “devil dog” that keeps her on her toes.
The fiction bug bit her several years ago and she now has two novels, her debut women’s fiction novel, When Robins Appear, published by Red Adept Publishing and a paranormal romance, Le Reméde, published by Wild Rose Press. She also had her essay: Boob Job Regrets: In Appreciation of Your Previously Small Chest, included in an anthology compiled by Randy Susan Meyers, titled Women Under Scrutiny: An Anthology of Truths, Essays, Poems, Stories & Art. All proceeds from the anthology go to Rosie’s Place in Boston, a sanctuary for poor and homeless women. And her flash fiction piece, The Prank, was in the top ten finalists for Women on Writing’s Summer 2019 Flash Fiction contest.
To learn more about Densie, click here.
In my interview with Bhaswati, we discuss how her grandmother’s short stories about life as a Pakistani during the partition of India in 1947 provided the seed for her story, how she had to drop a fascinating plot line because she could not locate the necessary historical research, and the difference between the non-fiction writing she’s done throughout her career and the tools she needed to learn to flesh out her debut novel.
Bhaswati Ghosh writes and translates fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Her first book of fiction is 'Victory Colony, 1950'. Her first work of translation from Bengali into English, 'My Days with Ramkinkar Baij' won her the Charles Wallace (India) Trust Fellowship for translation. Bhaswati’s writing has appeared in several literary journals. She lives in Ontario, Canada, and is currently working on a nonfiction book on New Delhi, India.
To learn more about Bhaswati, click here.
Hear how KJ worked with Author Accelerator’s founder, Jennie Nash, for a year before querying, how her previous platform as a well-known non-fiction writer paved the way to quickly finding an agent and a publisher, and how she researched independent bookstores to identify the best candidates to receive a sample copy. And what it’s like when your editor calls you on a random Thursday evening during the pandemic to tell you Reese Witherspoon has picked your debut novel as her December 2020 book club selection. KJ Dell’Antonia is the author of the The Chicken Sisters, a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick and a timely, humorous exploration of the same themes she has long focused on in her journalism: the importance of finding joy in our families, the challenge of figuring out what makes us happy and the need to value the people in front of us more than the ones in our phones and laptops, every single time. She wrote and edited the Motherlode blog at the New York Times and is also the author of the viral essay Why I Didn’t Answer Your Email and the book How to Be a Happier Parent.
To learn more about KJ, click here.
In this interview, you’ll hear how an early family tragedy provided the inspiration for her story, how her research took her down rabbit holes filled with bugs, how she made a grumpy main character someone readers still want to spend time with, and how parting ways with her first agent led to a perfect fit with not only another agent but a brand-new imprint for women’s fiction as well.
Rachel Mans McKenny's essays and humor have appeared recently in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Elle, InStyle, Catapult, McSweeney's, and other outlets. She teaches at Iowa State University, and can be found @rmmckenny on Twitter, and as @rachelmansmckenny on Instagram.
To learn more about Rachel, click here.
In this episode, Jaye and I discuss how finding her grandfather’s WWI draft card paired with the time she spent living in New Orleans provided the seeds for this historical women’s fiction, how the protagonist’s name was taken from an old Constance Bennett film, and what it requires in terms of time and energy to publish your own work. JAYE BURKE is a southern historian, genealogist, and bestselling author whose focus is primarily set in the 19th and early to mid-20th centuries. She is a member of Women's Fiction Writers Assn., Romance Writers of America, Georgia Writers Assn., and Independent Book Publishers of America. A former advertising artist and copywriter, Jaye is originally from Birmingham, Alabama, a former resident of New Orleans and Mandeville, LA, and now lives with her husband in Atlanta, Georgia.
To learn more about Jaye, click here.
In this interview, Grace and I discuss the 25 “life lessons” her older characters imparted to her heroine, how Grace used her beta readers as developmental editors for her manuscript, her decision to use two publicists for different aspects of marketing, and how her absolute best decision was making a book trailer that conveyed not only the story line of her novel in less than two minutes but lent her legitimacy when she approached media contacts and book clubs.
Grace Sammon is an entrepreneur, educator, speaker, and storyteller. She has started and managed two for-profits and two not-for-profit companies. For nearly 30 years, Grace and her team worked in the United States toughest institutions, the American High School. She has worked in 32 states and with Tribal Nations, with small businesses and with large Federal Agencies. Having written three books and numerous articles in the area of education, she is utilizing skills built up over decades as she re-invents herself with her debut novel, The Eves, which is an intergenerational story about lives lived well and lives in transition. It is a novel that challenges each of us to ask who we want to be in the world, regardless of our age. Grace grew up on Long Island, NY and spent most of her life in the Washington, DC area. She currently lives on Florida’s west coast with her husband and a small herd of imaginary llamas. You can follow her on Facebook and Instagram at @GraceSammonWrites.
To learn more about Grace, click here.
In this podcast Madeleine and I discuss how working how working with a developmental editor for three years was instrumental in teaching her what she didn’t know about writing, how she researched the difficult subject matter including sexual abuse which occurs in her book, and how an early childhood experience resulted in her life-long interest in true crime.
Madeleine Van Hecke writes dark stories to help women navigate the shadow side of life. A psychologist, former college professor, and author of two nonfiction books, Van Hecke returned to writing fiction during her retirement years. Her debut novel, Once You Know, is a story of one flawed women’s struggle to survive betrayal and move herself and her family toward healing. Once You Know won the 2020 First Place in Women’s Fiction Incipere Award given by Entrada Publishing. To learn more about Madeleine, click here.
In this interview we discuss how Paula returned to writing after a 20-year hiatus and switched from romance to women’s fiction and why she signed up to go exclusive with Amazon’s KDP program. If you’ve ever wondered about what it would be like to publish your own books, don’t miss Paula’s advice on finding fans through newsletter subscription programs, how you need to write and edit quickly to satisfy your readers, and the joy that comes with controlling your own destiny as a full-time writer. Paula Adler is a born and raised Texan who doesn’t care what the DNA results say… she’s way more than 12.6% Scottish. If she’s not writing, she’s probably off SCUBA diving or dancing.
To learn more about Paula, click here.
Angela Terry (Charming Falls Apart, Spark Press, August 2020) talks about how her novel’s protagonist was inspired by a woman Angela met casually at a bachelorette party, her decision to publish with a hybrid press rather than self-publish, and how she finds the late-night hours her best time to shut off the rest of the world and concentrate on her writing. Angela is an attorney who formerly practiced intellectual property law at large firms in Chicago and San Francisco. She resides in San Francisco with her husband and two cats. She is also a Chicago Marathon legacy runner and races to raise money for PAWS Chicago—the Midwest’s largest no-kill shelter. Her debut novel, Charming Falls Apart, is a 2020 Best Book Awards Finalist. Her second novel, The Trials of Adeline Turner,will be published in September 2021.
To learn more about Angela, click here.
During a wide-ranging talk about such diverse topics as the effect of language on how we view war to a discussion on finding mentors within books themselves to what it means to nurture your creative spirit and grow your talent, Katey reveals herself to be a disciplined, intelligent writer and teacher who thinks deeply about how language and the written word can shape our lives. Katey is the award-winning author of Flashes of War (stories) and Still Come Home (novel), both published by Loyola University Maryland’s Apprentice House Press. Honors for her work include the Linda Flowers Literary Award, Indie Fab Book of the Year from Foreword Reviews, a Gold Medal from the Military Writers Society of America, four Pushcart nominations, and writing fellowships in eight states. Still Come Home was named 2020 Indie Fiction Book of the Year by the Chicago Writers Association. .She lives in Celo, North Carolina, and is the founder of Maximum Impact, a transformative mentoring service for creative writers that has been recognized by both CNBC and the What Works Network.
To learn more about Katey and her mentoring program, click here.
Sarah's lifelong obsession with Dartmouth as well as her fascination with the challenges that faced her mother's generation of women in the early '70's sparked the idea for this historical novel, which she wrote after spending seven years on a previous one that garnered her an agent but never sold. We discuss how she reached out directly to bookstores once the pandemic hit, the long tail of book promotion, and the difficulty of judging which marketing techniques really affect book sales.
Sarah McCraw Crow grew up in Virginia but has lived most of her adult life in New Hampshire. She's a graduate of Dartmouth College, Stanford University, and Vermont College of Fine Arts. When it comes to fiction writing (and reading), Sarah is obsessed with women's lives and the drama of family life. She also loves the Seventies. She lives on an old farm in New Hampshire, and when she's not reading or writing, she's probably gardening or snowshoeing (depending on the weather). Find Sarah on Instagram: @sarahmccrawcrow.
To learn more about Sarah, click here.
Mary Helen talks about the three things she was advised not to do in a debut novel (unfortunately she’d done all three), messaging her “Christmas list” one day before her pub date with specific, simple things they could do to help her, why she’s given up on Pinterest, and why she’s writing the rough draft of her next novel as pure dialogue. Mary Helen Sheriff is a co-founder of Bookish Road Trip. After 14 years in classrooms teaching elementary school, middle school, college, and professionals, Mary has taken a break from the classroom to focus on writing. She has an MFA from Hollins University, an MA from ODU, and a BA from UVA. She lives in Henrico County in Virginia with her two children, two cats, and one husband.
To learn more about Mary Helen, click here.
In this interview, Regina describes how she used her childhood experiences in the Catholic church to inform her protagonist’s guilt and shame over a long-buried secret, how she changed her original title during the publication process, and her positive experience going with a hybrid press for her first novel. And be sure to listen to the end to find out what Regina has in common with the Queen of England.
Regina Buttner is a registered nurse-turned-writer and the debut author of ABSOLUTION, a domestic drama about marriage, secrets, and betrayal, set in Seattle during the 1990s dot-com boom. She recently traded the snowy winters of Upstate New York for the fabulous sunshine of Southwest Florida, where she enjoys running, biking, and kayaking among the mangroves.
To learn more about Regina, click here.
Quế Mai shares how she wanted to write a novel set during the Vietnam War from the missing perspective of the Vietnamese themselves, specifically the women, who she felt were often portrayed in literature as having no agency, when actually they were unbelievably strong and resilient. We discuss how she wove ger country’s food, culture, proverbs and beliefs into a rich tapestry of a debut that made every best-seller list of 2020 (1400+ Amazon reviews), how her agent believed in her book so strongly she hand-carried her proposal to publishers and gave them a deadline to respond, and how Que Mai is a proponent of headstands to enhance writer’s productivity.
Dr Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai (pronounced ŋwiən fα:n kwe mai) is an award-winning writer in both Vietnamese and English. Her eight books of poetry, short fiction and non-fiction in Vietnamese have received some of Vietnam's top literary awards including the 2010 Poetry of the Year Award from the Hanoi Writers Association, the Capital’s Literature & Arts Award, and First Prize in the Poetry Competition celebrating 1,000 Years of Hanoi. Her debut novel and first book in English, THE MOUNTAINS SING, is an International Bestseller, a New York Times Editors' Choice Selection, Winner of the 2020 BookBrowse Best Debut Award, a Finalist of the Audie 2021 Best Audiobook of the Year Award, and Winner of the 2020 Lannan Literary Award Fellowship for "a work of exceptional quality" and for "contribution to peace and reconciliation". The novel has been named a best book of 2020 by many media establishments including NPR and the Washington Independent Review of Books. Quế Mai is the translator of seven books published in Vietnam and the United States and has received the Vietnam Writers Association’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Advancement of Vietnamese Literature Overseas. She currently divides her time between Indonesia and Vietnam. Her journalism regularly appears in major Vietnamese newspapers.
To learn more about Que Mai, click here.
A child raised in both Mormon and Muslim religious traditions, Ehsaneh worked in Iran for several years and her experiences there form the backdrop to her novel about three people whose lives are upended by the 2009 Green Wave protests in that country. We discuss how the 2020 US election echoed many of the themes she explored in her book, how she found her perfect agent, going on sub but not selling her book the first round, and how she centered her marketing efforts on activities she enjoyed, ranging from riding her bike to deliver ARC’s by hand to reviewers to setting a goal to talk to 50 book clubs in her first year of publication.
Ehsaneh Sadr is an Iranian-American novelist and activist with a PhD in International Relations. She has worked, in various capacities, on campaigns related to Palestinian human rights, Iranian sanctions, access to credit for rural villagers, and safe spaces for children in crisis. She currently works with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition to create the cultural and infrastructure changes needed to support a shift away from carbon-based modes of transportation. Ehsaneh currently lives in Northern California with her husband and two children but also considers Washington DC, Salt Lake City, and Tehran to be home. Her debut novel, A Door Between Us, has been named one of the 33neh Essential Works of Fiction by Iranian Writers.
To learn more about Ehsaneh, click here.
We discuss Valerie's transition from a corporate writer to writing fiction after her retirement. She’s a fan of book clubs and built her author platform partly through becoming a regular book reviewer for the national marketing firm Book Trib. In addition to her fans in the US, she’s made recent inroads into the library market in such far-off places as Singapore and Australia.
Valerie grew up in CT, graduating with two degrees from Sacred Heart University. After her divorce, she spread her wings and relocated to Boston where she earned a graduate certificate in health care administration from Simmons University (formerly Simmons College). Her thirty-year career in the financial services industry as a marketer and writer also took her to Seattle where she lived for a decade. After she retired, Valerie returned to her home state where she became a continuing contributor and book reviewer for BookTrib.com. She’s a member of Westport Writers’ Workshop, Independent Book Publishers Association, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. She enjoys practicing tai chi and being an expert sports spectator.
What’s Not True, the sequel to her debut, will be published in August 2021.
To learn more about Valerie, click here.
Mining her personal knowledge of the Balkans from a long-ago adventure, Michele’s debut braids historical events with a young woman’s personal journey to find her roots, a journey which rang to the author personally because of her own explorations into her own Jewish cultural heritage. Praised for its lyrical beauty, her manuscript nevertheless was deemed “hard to market” before finding a home with Black Rose Writing.
Now a resident of the Tar Heel state, Michele Levy lived a nomadic life growing up, living in Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Virginia. Her college degree in history and her love of language and literature steered her to UNC for graduate studies, where the field of Comparative Literature provided the perfect avenue to explore all her interests. Once she moved to New Orleans with her husband, she become an assistant professor, teaching and publishing on Russian and European authors while raising three children, and eventually chairing her department. Her life-long passion for the distinctive richness and vitality of the Balkan culture, a painful amalgam of both East and West, led her to study and eventually publish on the literature and history of that region and ultimately, provided the rich background for her debut novel.
To learn more about Michele, and connect with her, click here.
Anita, an Ottawa resident, describes the difference between Canadian writers and those in the US, how she channeled her own grief experience into her main character, how she believes writing is rewriting, and how embracing bookstagrammers was her single best marketing decision.
Kushwaha's road to publication included a fulfilling career in academia, where she studied human geography at Carleton University and earned an M.A. and a Ph.D as a Tri-council funded scholar, collaborating with Indigenous communities in the eastern Canadian Arctic and Ottawa on socio-cultural and environmental issues. A graduate of the Humber School for Writers creative writing program, her work has appeared in Ms. Magazine, The Globe and Mail, Quill and Quire, The Literary Review of Canada, The 49th Shelf, Open Book, Word on the Street, The Ottawa Review of Books, Ottawa Life Magazine, Apt613, Girly Book Club, BookTrib, SavvyMom, CBC All in a Day, and Canadian Living among others. Her first novel, Side by Side, won an Independent Publisher Book Awards’ Silver Medal for Multicultural Fiction in 2019. She is also the author of a novella, The Escape Artist. Her novel, Secret Lives of Mothers & Daughters, was released in January 2020 by HarperCollins Canada and selected as a March Book of the Month by Word on the Street, highlighted as a “Books with Buzz” by Canadian Living, selected as an “Editors’ Pick” by The 49th Shelf, and included in the “Crazy for CanLit” reading list curated by the Giller Prize Foundation. Themes in her work include exploring the social and cultural pressures faced by South Asian girls and women, immigrant experiences, diaspora, intergenerational conflict, identity, belonging, place, and mental health explored through a cultural lens. She is a member of the Canadian Authors Association, the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and is the recipient of an Ontario Arts Council Literary Creations Grant.
To learn more about Anita, click here.
). Barbara describes how her age influenced her decision to go with a small press, how her year-long engagement with reader Facebook groups proved invaluable to her book launch, and the story behind how she landed a spot on the USA Today best-seller list four months after her book release. And as a final tidbit, how a random remark she made on Twitter led to a top-drawer blurb.
For many years, Barbara worked in the health care industry before opting for an early retirement, which lasted all of three months. She then accepted a finance position, for which she had absolutely no background, and four years later, she decided to write a book. But not about finance.
Travel is her passion, along with reading, writing, hiking, and exploring antique shops. Her greatest love is Miss Molly, her rescue beagle. There are stories to be told about beagles, and Barbara hopes to incorporate some of them into her books. She lives in Pennsylvania, close to family and friends.
To learn more about Barbara, click here.
J.L. is new to writing but she’s determined to build a career, so if you’re a younger writer, or have a teenager interested in what it takes, she'll inspire you to start right now learning your craft and putting your story down on paper. Plus when was the last time you heard a writer say they actually liked the querying process?
Jenna Hanger writing as J.L. Cole resides on an ranch in Alberta, CA with her husband and two young daughters. Her debut novel, Silver Heights, was published by Black Rose Writing, and was awarded the 2020 Maxy Romance Runner-Up award. She also has been published in Dreamers Creative Writing magazine, works as the Senior Writer for a non-profit organization and in her spare time reviews books on social media.
To learn more about J.L., please click here.
If you’re a pantser, this interview is for you! Susan is squarely in the camp of letting your characters tell you their story and she’s got the books to prove it. She’s a prolific romance novelist who is now venturing into women’s fiction, specifically historical tales from late 1800’s America. Her best advice? Stay true to your unique vision. Every trope started with a writer who said “but what if I did it differently?”
A voracious reader her whole life, Susan Payne loves the written word. When reading more than fifty books per month wasn’t enough, she decided to allow her mind to take flight and write all the many stories that kept intruding in her life. She blended her love of history and her love of words to create over eighty stories. All historical and centering on a couple finding love and a happy ever after together.
To learn more about Susan, click here.
Learn how the convergence of knowing someone in a women’s prison, the popularity of Orange is the New Black, and overheard conversations at her law firm about whistleblower monetary rewards came together to inspire this best-selling novel which her agent sold in less than three weeks.
A.H. Kim is an immigrant, practicing attorney, cancer survivor, community volunteer, and proud mother of two sons. She lives in San Francisco with her husband. A Good Family is her first novel. Excerpts, interviews, and more (including blog entries about the ups, downs, and in-betweens of being a debut author) can be found on her website.
To learn more about A.H., click here.
In this podcast, Tricia and I discuss how a question her daughter posed was the “what if” inspiration behind her debut, how her background in screenwriting both helped and provided challenges when she turned to novel-writing and how, despite the fact she’d landed a top agent, she eventually decided to self-publish.
Tricia’s writing career started in 1992 after the tragic loss of her brother to AIDS. Wanting to make a difference in the fight against HIV, she turned to her love of writing and wrote a dramatic play to take to high schools. The play was performed over 450 times and inspired Tricia to continue writing. She studied screenwriting at UCLA, and Rodeo Girl, a screenplay she co-wrote, is available on Amazon, Netflix, and UP.
To learn more about Tricia, click here.
In my interview with Amanda Brainerd, we discuss how her debut novel started out as an oral history before morphing into a fictional examination of her years at an elite boarding school and then NYC in the mid ‘80’s, how Fran Leibowitz was an early fan, and a fascinating story of the evolution of her book cover design.
Amanda lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with her husband and three children, blocks from where she grew up. She attended The Nightingale-Bamford School and was expelled from Choate Rosemary Hall, before going on to graduate from Harvard College and Columbia Architecture.
To learn more about her, click here.
In our interview with Lindsey Rogers Cook, we discuss how she decided after a year to leave her first agent because they clashed over editorial changes, how her training as a journalist for first US News & World Report and now The New York Times, informs her fiction writing, and how she was able to take two months off from her day job on “Book Leave” to finish her second novel which releases next year.
Lindsey Cook is a data journalist at The New York Times and a graduate of The University of Georgia. She lives in Hoboken, NJ with her husband and a small zoo of rescue animals.
To learn more about Lindsey, click here.
Desperate Housewives meet Mean Girls in Dr. Stephanie Newman’s debut novel, which examines mother-daughter relations, the pervasive nature of social media in kid’s lives and school bullying. Stephanie, a successful psychotherapist, discusses how she had to learn the difference between writing therapy notes and writing fiction, what it’s like to debut on a social media black-out day, and using blog posts and non-fiction op-ed pieces to help promote your novel.
Stephanie Newman, Ph.D., is a psychoanalyst/psychologist, Visiting Scholar at Columbia University, and public speaker. She has practiced in New York over 25 years, treating adults and adolescents and families struggling with anxiety, depression, workplace concerns and more recently Covid-19 stress. She is the also the author of Madmen on the Couch (a psychological romp through the TV show Madmen) and is a contributor to the on line edition of Psychology Today magazine.
To learn more about Stephanie, click here.
During her career as a high school English teacher, Pamela always enjoyed the units on writing more than those on literature so when she retired, she put her skills to use to pen her debut novel. It’s the story of a woman hoping to build bridges between the tourist population and the long-time residents of a small island off the coast of Florida and in the process, discovering it's impossible to escape our past without facing it first.
Pamela is a former teacher turned writer whose love for words turned into a love for stories. She lives in Florida where she finds inspiration for stories in everyday life. Once she discovered the writing bug, she willingly adopted it and nurtures it today. When not weeding through ideas, she loves reading and spending time with her family. She's a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association and bardsy.com which feed her love for writing.
To learn more about Pamela, click here.
Twenty years ago, Anju Gattani saw a fully-formed scene in her dreams and it turned into the last scene in Book 2 of what is planned as a 5-book series, Winds of Fire. She tells how she cycled through four agents and 200 rejections before finding the perfect publisher (Scarsdale Publishing), and the exciting news of her story being optioned for a long-form television series by by Justin Shenkarow, Double Strings Inc. for adaptation to film / TV series only days before we spoke. Who says persistence doesn’t pay off?
Gattani is a fiction author, freelance journalist, writing instructor, blogger and former newspaper reporter, She was born in India but grew up in Hong Kong. She has also lived and published cover stories, short fiction, features, news stories, interviews, travel articles and and opinion pieces in Singapore, India, Australia, New Jersey and Connecticut. She has finally put her roots down in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, where she lives with her husband, two dashing boys and a rebel lion-head rabbit.
To learn more about Anju, click here.
Tracey's debut novel centers around Emily Roebling, a real life woman and ardent suffragette, who honchoed the building of the Brooklyn Bridge when her husband found himself unable to complete the project. In this podcast we discuss her decision to postulate an affair between Emily and P.T. Barnham based on three documented facts from the history of New York in the 1880’s, how she initially queried too early and wound up pulling her story back for revisions, and how her experience as a playwright paid off when faced with crafting believable dialogue for her novel.
Tracey Enerson Wood has always had a writing bug. While working as a Registered Nurse, starting her own Interior Design company, raising two children, and bouncing around the world as a military wife, she indulged in her passion as a playwright, screenwriter and novelist. She has authored magazine columns and other non-fiction, written and directed plays of all lengths, including Grits, Fleas and Carrots, Rocks and Other Hard Places, Alone, and Fog. Her screenplays include Strike Three and Roebling’s Bridge.
Other passions include food and cooking and honoring military heroes. Her co-authored anthology/cookbook Homefront Cooking, American Veterans share Recipes, Wit, and Wisdom, was released by Skyhorse Publishing in May 2018, and all authors’ profits will be donated to organizations that support veterans.
To learn more about Tracey, click here.
Hear how Jacquline uses private Pinterest boards to help flesh out her characters, how she had great fun fashioning her antagonist by channeling every person in her life who’d wronged her, and how her previous work at a health club, with its behind-the-scenes intrigue, inspired the setting for her debut novel.
When not spending her time creating make-believe people and places, Kang lives in Kirkland, WA with her very real family of 1 husband, 2 nephews, 3 children and a dog. In her past life, She's has held jobs as a personal trainer, a spa manager, a dental assistant, and an office manager, but her true love is writing and sharing a well-crafted story. She is a member of The Pacific Northwest Writers Association, and The Women’s Fiction Writers Association.
To learn more about Jacquline, click here.
In this free-wheeling interview with Carol LaHines we discuss what led her to decide to attempt a novel, pre-Bach musical theory, her best writing advice, and how she injected deadpan humor into a story that centers around her protagonist’s grief at the death of his mother. Hers novel was a finalist for the Nilsen Prize for a First Novel and an American Fiction Award.
Carol's fiction has appeared in many literary journals including Fence, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Denver Quarterly, Cimarron Review, The Literary Review, The Laurel Review, North Dakota Quarterly, South Dakota Review, The South Carolina Review, Syramore Review, Permafrost, revider, Literary Orphans,and Literal Latte. Her short story, “Papijack,” was selected by judge Patrick Ryan as the recipient of the Lamar York Prize for Fiction. Her short stories and novellas have also been finalists for the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction from Sarabande Books, the David Nathan Meyerson fiction prize, the New Letters short story award, and the Disquiet Literary Prize, among others. She is a graduate of New York University, Gallatin Division, and of St. John’s University School of Law. She has studied with Rick Moody and Phil Schultz, among others.
To learn more about Carol, click here.
Diane comes to women’s fiction after publishing three romance novels but feeling like this story didn’t revolve around a interpersonal relationship so much as a woman discovering her true self through transforming not only her body but her inner essence as well. A big fan of NaNoWriMo, Diane intends to participate again this year and gives new writers this simple piece of advice – just stay in the room and write.
Diane is the author of the romance novels WAITING FOR ETHAN, and MIXED SIGNALS. She is also a marketing and corporate communication writer in the health care industry. When she’s not writing, she’s at the gym, running or playing tennis, trying to burn off the ridiculous amounts of chocolate and ice cream she eats. She and her husband Steven live in Massachusetts and dream of moving to Turks and Caicos – at least for the winter months.
To learn more about Diane, click here.
William's debut has been described as Where the Crawdads Sing meets Ghost and definitely fits in the women's fiction/book club fiction space. He shares with me how listening to his editor’s ideas resulted in expanding a part of his novel which has since become a moving touchstone for readers. And if you’ve ever wondered about the differences between a screenplay and a novel, this is the podcast to listen to as William’s novel began life AS an award-winning movie script before he refashioned into his debut novel, which tied for the Women’s Fiction Writers Association Rising Star Award in 2019.
This debut novel was adapted from his original screenplay, which has won or been nominated for many competition awards, including the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting. He made his screenwriting debut with the coming-of-age family film Captiva Island. Currently at work on his next novel, he lives in Seattle with his wife, Pam.
To learn more about William, click here.
Dianne relates how she began writing to figure out how to integrate emotions into the philosophical theories she had studied and taught as a professor, how she decided to go with a hybrid publisher, and how, while doing research for her book, she learned to play the trumpet and has now "blown her horn" during travels to Paris, Venice, and Tuscany.
Dianne grew up in Missouri and studied philosophy at the University of Missouri at Kansas City. After completing her PhD in Philosophy at UC Berkeley, she taught feminist ethics and philosophy of emotion at Sonoma State University and published Thinking Things Through, a critical thinking textbook. While in California, she practiced fiction writing techniques in a women’s writing group. In Guanajuato, where she lives with novelist Sterling Bennett, she took up the trumpet as research for her debut novel, The Trumpet Lesson. Her current writing projects set in Guanajuato include short stories and a second novel.
To learn more about Dianne, click here.
A long-time journalist, Lisa began writing her debut novel ten years ago, although her themes of gentrification, intra-racial tensions and the struggle of recent immigrants, told through the eyes of three residents of a Massachusetts community, seemed ripped from the headlines. As Lisa so aptly puts it: "These problems never seem to go away." She found her publisher, a feminist press based in Canada, the old-fashioned way: a face to face meeting at a writer's conference.
Lisa Braxton is the recipient of a 2020 Outstanding Literary Award from the National Association of Black Journalists for this debut. The Talking Drum. Her stories and essays have appeared in The Boston Globe, WBUR’s Cognoscenti, Vermont Literary Review, Black Lives Have Always Mattered, Chicken Soup for the Soul and The Book of Hope.
She is a fellow of Kimbilio, a fellowship for fiction writers of the African diaspora, and an Emmy-nominated former television journalist. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Media from Hampton University, her Master of Science degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and her Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Southern New Hampshire University and is a former newspaper and television journalist.
To learn more about Lisa, click here.
Sherri took over a decade to write her debut novel, primarily because life intervened. With a spouse and three daughters, something always needed to give and that thing was often her book. Hear how being a finalist in the 2015 Rising Star contest through WFWA helped her hone her manuscript through feedback from agents, urging her to change the novel's structure from a chronological one to one that utilized flashbacks to tell the dual-timeline story. Her controversial ending scared off several agents but appealed to her eventual publisher, Red Adept.
Sherri Leimkuhler has written professionally for more than twenty years but is a Jill of many trades, with experience in sales, marketing, aviation, and yoga instruction. Her health-and-fitness column, “For the Fun of Fit,” appeared bi-weekly in the Carroll County Times for nearly a decade. A competitive triathlete and two-time Ironman finisher, Sherri also enjoys reading, hiking, paddle boarding, trail running, traveling, and wine tasting. Sherri lives in Maryland with her husband, three daughters, and two Labrador retrievers.
To learn more about Sherri, click here.
Hear how over a hundred agents rejected Lainey's book, saying they didn't think they could sell a novel about women in the workplace putting aside their conflicts and coming together to support and nurture each other. Lainey's answer to writers who ask her how to get people to review their books will surprise (and probably delight) you. Her innovative marketing ideas about leveraging the power of the writing community should be required listening for every debut author.
Lainey is an author of women's fiction and a recovering tech industry executive. Her award-winning novel, The Exit Strategy, a #1 Amazon Best Seller, was inspired by a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom. It's been called a "rallying call for women to believe in themselves and join together" and tells the story of a Silicon Valley investor who first meets her husband's mistress across the negotiating table.
Originally from Scotland, Lainey has a soft spot for kilts, good malt whisky, and anything equine. She’s a digital nomad--meaning she picks locations around the world to live (and write) for months at a time--Lainey is an avid instagrammer and loves to share her travel tips and insights with readers. She believes community makes the author's life worthwhile and is on a mission to obliterate the term aspiring writer.
To learn more about Lainey, click here.
Marolyn is our first international podcast, coming to us from across the globe in New Zealand, where she lives with her wife and two children. A journalist from her early twenties, Marolyn decided to try her hand at a novel after the U.S. 2016 election left her frustrated. Her heroine struggles with whether to stay away from protesting or dive back into life as a full-time activist. Not only did she publish her story in e-book form but also made it available as a long-form podcast.
Marolyn (she/her) was born in downtown Los Angeles in 1974. Her character driven stories are strategically designed to make you laugh, or not. Her first novel, The Radicals, is available as an ebook on Amazon or a podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Marolyn lives in a small city in New Zealand with her wife, two children and a small dog.
To learn more about Marolyn, click here.
If you’re thinking of self-publishing, you’ll want to listen to Shawn's interview and hear about the professionals she hired to help her launch. This novel centers around long-standing female friendships and one of the most moving aspects of this interview was hearing how book club members have told Shawn that after reading and discussing her book, they felt more comfortable opening up to each other about their own life struggles.
Shawn graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in administration of criminal justice and political science. Prior to her concentration on creative writing, she was a journalist, editorial photographer, newspaper editor, and award-winning columnist. Her professional affiliations include Women’s Fiction Writers Association, North Carolina Writers’ Network, Women’s National Book Association, Charlotte chapter, and the Charlotte Writers Club. Her publishing affiliations include Ingram Spark, IndieBound, and the Southern Independent Book Alliance.She lives at Lake Norman, North Carolina, with her husband, Jim, their two children, and two cats and a dog.
To learn more about Shawn, click here.
Liz’s novel, loosely based on snippets of family lore about her paternal grandfather, encompasses American life in the 1920’s in Vermont and is rich in historical detail about early vaudeville and small town America. She found a home for her novel with a small press which had earlier published several of her short stories.
Elizabeth Gauffreau holds a BA in English/Writing from Old Dominion University and an MA in English/Fiction Writing from the University of New Hampshire. Her fiction publications include short stories in Adelaide Literary Magazine, The Long Story, Soundings East, Ad Hoc Monadnock, Rio Grande Review, Blueline, Slow Trains, Hospital Drive, and Serving House Journal, among others. Her poetry has appeared in The Writing On The Wall, The Larcom Review, and Natural Bridge. Her debut novel Telling Sonny was published by Adelaide Books in 2018.
Liz grew up a child of the 1960s in northern New England before spending twenty years in the South as a Navy wife. After working for Granite State College in Concord, New Hampshire for eighteen years, she recently accepted a faculty position as Assistant Dean of Curriculum and Assessment at Champlain College Online in Burlington, Vermont. In addition to academic advising, teaching, and higher education administration, her professional background includes assessment of prior experiential learning for college credit. She lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire with her husband; their daughter has flown the nest to live in sunny California.
To learn more about Liz, click here.
Ever wonder whether your novel would make a good audible book? Kelly’s the one to listen to since her book is ONLY available in that format, through Audible Originals. Hear how this came about (she got the offer, THEN found an agent), why Audible thought it was a perfect fit for them (5 POV characters), and how marketing an audiobook both differs and resembles publicizing print and e-book formats.
Kelly lives in Vancouver, BC and when not writing or reading, can be found spending time with her husband and two daughters with—depending on the time of day—either a cup of coffee or a glass of wine in her hand. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @bykellyduran.
To learn more about Kelly, click here.
Jae's historical fiction, set in 1663 describes a barely-known woman Lidia Wardell, a Quaker, who defied her community in demanding religious freedom and was publicly whipped for her ideas. Jae spent years both researching and writing this debut, delving into historical documents, researching her own family history (she’s a distant, distant relative) and found her publishing house at the very first pitch session she attended.
Everyone has a history and a story. Jae uses the most alluring stories from the chronicles of her own ancestry to create timeless tales of everyday people making history. On her quest to capture the essence of walking in their footsteps, she travels and uses her pencil and camera lens to imagine them in their own surroundings. Jae lives on the Tennessee River in Alabama with her husband and companion pooch.
To learn more about Jae, click here.
Jamie Beck, an author with 15 romance books under her belt, has made the switch to women’s fiction with her latest release. Find out why she made the switch, how she’s changing her branding, and her advice to writers about how to find and embrace your unique voice.
Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author Jamie's Beck's realistic and heartwarming stories have sold more than three million copies. She is a two-time Booksellers’ Best Award finalist, a National Readers’ Choice Award winner, and critics at Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist have respectively called her work “smart,” “uplifting,” and “entertaining.” In addition to writing novels, she enjoys dancing around the kitchen while cooking and hitting the slopes in Vermont and Utah. Above all, she is a grateful wife and mother to a very patient, supportive family.
To learn more about Jamie, click here.
Sharina's book follows four long-time friends as they reach their thirties and reevaluate the directions their lives have taken. She describes one of the inspirations for the story was an Oprah interview with Viola Davis, Alfre Woodard, and Gabrielle Union, where they were lamenting the lack of parts available to Black women. Sharina decided then and there to write a book that would offer four woman of color a challenging role and the result is her debut novel. Let’s hope Netflix is paying attention!
Sharina earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Georgia State University. After college, she pursued a career in digital marketing and public relations. Although her profession required writing, she decided to pursue a career in writing in 2012. Sharina's contemporary romance series under the pen name, Rina Gray, was named Book Riot's 100 Must-Read Romantic Comedies. When she's not writing, she can be found with her head stuck in a book, yelling for her favorite NBA teams, and spending time with friends and family. She resides in Atlanta with her husband and son.
To learn more about Sharina, click here.
Kathleen debut earned a starred Kirkus review and a comparison to Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies. Listen as Kathleen describes how she used her experiences as a high-school English teacher to explore the world of helicoptering parenting and viral rumors, and how she worked together with her agent for a solid four months to revise her book for submission (which paid off when it sold after a mere three weeks). it was was a best books pick by Real Simple, Newsweek, People Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, and the New York Post.
A teacher for 20 years before she published her first novel, Kathleen is particularly interested in the topics of motherhood, ambition, competitive parenting, and the elusiveness of work-life balance. Her sophomore effort, Are We There Yet?, publishes in March 2021. She is a life-long Minnesotan and lives in Minneapolis with her family.
To learn more about Kathleen, click here.
Our 50th Podcast. Hard to believe but yes, we’ve reached a milestone. And who better to celebrate it with than Alison Hammer, an argent supporter of her fellow scribes through her Facebook group, Every Damn Day Writers, where she shares her love of all things NaNoWriMo, how she couldn’t survive without her writing buddy, and how she launched her book smack dab in the middle of the pandemic.
Alison has been spinning words to tell stories since she learned how to talk. A graduate of the University of Florida and the Creative Circus in Atlanta, she lived in nine cities before settling down in Chicago. During the day, Alison is a VP Creative Director at an advertising agency, but on nights and weekends you can find her writing upmarket women’s fiction. Alison is represented by Joanna MacKenzie of Nelson Literary Agency. Her debut novel, “You and Me and Us” is out now from William Morrow (HarperCollins), and her second novel, “Little Pieces of Me” will be released in Spring 2021.
To learn more about Alison, click here.
Sally was born in rural China, soon moved to Hong Kong when it was still a British Colony, then to Canada and eventually to California and Lili, her heroine in her debut novel, follows that same path. You’ll be moved by Sally’s thoughts of how right now we’re all in a state of feeling lost and how she hopes her book can offer readers hope for a brighter future.
She graduated college from McMaster University in Ontario of Canada. Besides writing, she also enjoys using her professional license to counsel clients on ow to achieve optimal health and wellness. She currently lives on the East Coast with her husband and two children.
To learn more about Sally, click here.
After writing a well-received YA book, Diane decided to make a switch to women’s fiction and wrote her novel primarily during NaNoWriMo for the sheer joy of exploring time travel and second chances. We discuss how important a close writing partner has been for her, not so much for trading pages, but to share the ups and downs of being an author.
Diane has been a tenured college professor, yoga teacher, psychotherapist, and executive coach. Also, she raised goats for fiber and once took a job cooking hot dogs for a NASCAR event. She still enjoys spinning and weaving, but she hasn’t eaten a hot dog or watched a car race since. Besides reading and writing, Diane loves to hike, kayak, and photograph sunsets. She and her husband divide their time between Boulder, Colorado, and Dunedin, Florida.
To learn more about Diane, click here.
Donna and Maggie talk about the value of an MFA, how she’s found success with Facebook Ads, the role libraries have played in her life, and how she once spotted her fictional character at a coffee shop while traveling in Michigan.
A writer from Maryland whose fiction and nonfiction pieces have been published in Adelaide Literary Magazine, Scarlet Leaf Review, Columbia Magazine, and the Baltimore Sun, Donna is a previous award-winning journalist and video writer-producer. A graduate of the University of Tampa MFA in Creative Writing, she authored Coffee Killed My Mother and is currently working on a second novel. When not writing, she enjoys hiking and listing to live music--especially one of her husband's bands. She credits her grade school teacher, Sister Madeline Cecilia with discovering (and inspiring) her writing abilities.
To learn more about Donna, click here.
Hear how being a finalist in the WFWA Rising Star Award provided the stepping stone to finding her agent, the experience of doing an extensive R & R for a publisher only to have them quit the business a week later, and how she doesn’t focus on word counts or page goals so much as concentrating on a time commitment in her writing practice.
Rebecca is an author of fiction, a veterinarian, and a clinical research scientist who lives and writes in North Carolina. Fiction writing is the space where her creative side comes out to play, and her writing centers on characters who discover that life is not a spectator sport. She has three grown sons, two crazy dogs, and one patient husband. When not busy writing, she loves hiking, travel, and (of course) curling up with a good book.
To learn more about Rebecca, click here.
Hear how Barbara came up with the idea to frame her story of Elizabeth, wife, mother, and Ph.D. candidate desperate to find her true self, around the life of famed artist Georgia O’Keefe. As well, we discuss what it’s like to publish your debut novel during the middle of the Covid-19 crisis and what Barbara learned about herself in the process of writing this manuscript.
A writer of fiction and non-fiction, Barbara lives on an historic dirt road in New York’s Hudson Valley. Her second novel, THE SOUND BETWEEN THE NOTES, will be published in April 2021. Barbara has a PhD in clinical social work, blogs for several award-winning sites for writers, and is a serious amateur pianist.
To learn more about Barbara, click here.
Learn why Joanne decided to use dual timelines to tell her story, how critique groups have proved invaluable to her throughout her career, and how she wrote over 20 different endings to her debut novel before finding the right one.
Joanne was born in Chicago, Illinois, has adopted Texas as her home. She lives in the Texas Hill Country on a small ranch with her husband, three rescue terriers, and abundant wildlife. Retired from a career in nursing—with dual specialties in the cold, clinical operating room, and the intense, emotional world of psychiatric nursing, she devotes her time to writing fiction. She is hard at work editing her next novel, JUST ONE LOOK, set in her native Chicago, and looking forward to her next project, LAUREN EATON.
To learn more about Joanne, click here.
Linda talks about her experiences working with a small press, her quirky habit of “collecting” bookstores, and how one chance remark on a beach sparked the idea for her novel.
She's a writer and fitness professional, lives with her husband splitting their time between New Jersey and Florida. Her debut novel, The Disharmony of Silence, was published by Black Rose Writers. Linda was a contributor to Women in the Literary Landscape: A WNBA Centennial Publication for the Women's National Book Association. She’s had stories published in Foliate Oakand Crack the Spine, both in their online magazine and print anthology and has won the Notable Stories Award in Gemini Magazine’s Short Story Contest. When not writing or teaching fitness classes Linda swims, plays tennis and pickleball, enjoys creating with clay in ceramics class and curling up with a good book. She is a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association and the Women’s National Book Association where she is National Recording Secretary and Selections Coordinator of the Great Group Reads committee which chooses books for National Reading Group Month.
To learn more about Linda, click here.
Hear how two Amys (Impellizzeri and Nathan) inspired her to begin writing, how her weekly blog frees up her creative juices, and the story behind her book trailer which you can view at her website listed below.
Michelle, whose career path includes banking, teaching, and college admissions consulting, holds a B.S. in Finance from Lehigh University and a M.S. in Education from St. Joseph’s University. Through her blog, elevate, Michelle’s goal is to inspire others to shift their perspectives and welcome change as they realize their life purpose. A Pennsylvania native, Michelle and her husband enjoy visiting their sons in Boston and spending time in Bend, Oregon, the settings of her debut novel.
To learn more about Michelle, click here.
A practicing cardiologist when she wrote this first novel, Kimmery went through 100 rejections before landing a top agent and then once her book sold, was asked to completely change the last third of her book by her editor. She has interesting anecdotes to share on book cover design, the value of social media, and the importance of sincere engagement with readers. Her second novel, The Antidote for Everything, was published in February, 2020.
She's an emergency medicine doctor-turned novelist whose works of medical fiction have been praised by The Harvard Crimson, Southern Living, The Charlotte Observer and The New York Times, among others. A lifelong literary nerd, she promotes reading, interviews authors, and teaches writing seminars. She’s a frequent speaker at libraries, conferences, and bookstores around the United States. Kimmery completed her medical training at the University of Louisville School of Medicine and the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. She lives with her husband and three children in Charlotte, North Carolina.
To learn more about Kimmery, click here.
Sarah is a prolific writer of romance novels (22 books and counting) but this is her first work in the women’s fiction genre. Find out what inspired her story of a young woman fighting to die with dignity, one early readers have compared to This Is Us. In addition to being a savvy author, Sarah works full-time as a therapist in the DC area, a profession she also loves. This is one busy 30-year old – not to mention that at the time of this podcast she was about to become a first-time Mom.
Sarah Robinson first started her writing career as a published poet in high school, and then college, winning several poetry awards and being published in local literary journals.
Never expecting to make a career of it, a freelance writing Craigslist job accidentally introduced her to the world of book publishing. Lengthening her writing from poetry to novels, Robinson published her first book through a small press publisher, before moving into self-publishing, and then finally was picked up by Penguin Random House two years later. She continues to publish both traditionally and indie with over 15+ novels to her name.
In her personal life, Sarah Robinson is in a happy and loving relationship with the man of her dreams. They have a home full of snuggly dogs and cats and are happily living in Arlington, Virginia for the time being.
To learn more about Sarah, click here.
Listen to find out why Jennifer is using a pen name for her women’s fiction, how she found her agent through very unconventional means, and how she thinks it’s a mistake for authors to typecast themselves into one mode of writing. Plus we love her definition of women’s fiction: the extraordinary nature of ordinary lives.
Jennifer Gold writes book club fiction about the relationships of real, flawed women — love, past mistakes, redemption, and all the stuff in between. Critics at Booklisthave called her characters “multifaceted” and her storylines “compelling” and “bittersweet.” Jenni is a travel-obsessed romantic and ambivert. When she’s not writing, you can find her sipping coffee, enjoying the outdoors, or curled up with a book. She loves nature documentaries and realistic hopefully-ever-afters. Jenni lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two cats. Fans can learn more through Jenni’s newsletter, which features book-related sneak peeks, photos from her travels, and funny stories from her life as a horse caretaker.
To learn more about Jennifer, click here.
Sarah grew up in the south, a fan of writers like Eudora Welty and Flannery O’Connor. Her novel began as a short story based on a Hemingway vignette and that idea became the middle of her book as she wrote both forward and backwards to complete the arc. Now she’s working to master the art of Amazon rankings which she believes controls the fate of every beginning writer’s success.
She's a graduate of the University of Tennessee (Go Vols) and has worked as an English teacher and a business writer before retiring to a lake community north of Atlanta, Georgia where she belongs to three book clubs, plays golf and tennis, lounges on the lake, and hosts dinner parties.
To learn more about Sarah, click here.
Lorelei spent two years in Pakistan as part of a US funded project to train local teachers (even receiving a death threat from the Taliban), then turned her observations into a novel centered on an articulate, educated woman living in a culture vastly different than our own. Now she relishes sharing her expertise with churches, health professionals, and educators in the hope of promoting better international understanding. And don’t miss the end of the interview – there’s a charming anecdote involving a penguin.
Lorelei Brush holds two doctoral degrees, a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology and a Doctor of Ministry focusing on Islam and Christianity. Since 1996, she has worked in international education. From 2006 to 2008 she managed a large USAID-funded education project in northwestern Pakistan, an area seriously affected by the earthquake of October 2005. Uncovering is her first novel, a work of love arising from her time among so many gifted people committed to Islam as a religion of peace and helping others. Along with two beloved cats, she lives outside of Washington, D.C. in a community of good neighbors, friends, and fellow writers. In her spare time she sings, hikes, and shows up for those healthy workouts at the gym.
To learn more about Lorelei, click here.
After a successful career in higher-education administration, Ellen moved to writing. Her first two novels, both of which caught the attention of agents, nevertheless failed to find a home, but she didn’t quit and her current book got 3 immediate offers from agents and sold to a Big Five publisher within one month. Ellen share her adventures on book tour, the challenges of writing dual POV characters, and how she writes whole chapters in the shower before she commits them to paper.
A native New Jerseyite, Ellen lived with her family for twenty-five years in Arizona before moving back. She now lives only blocks away from where Washington crossed the Delaware. She married to Mike and has two grown sons. Chris and Nick, and shares her house with Emma the cat, who is most definitely a reincarnated dog.
To learn more about Ellen, click here.
An ex-lawyer who specialized in divorce cases, Leanne took her years of knowledge and turned it into a novel, (write what you know, right?) complete with quarreling spouses headed for divorce who wind up on a tropical island on a new reality show aimed at reuniting warring couples. Hear her thoughts on working with a small press and how writing 500 words every day is her mantra.
Leanne lives in New Jersey with her husband of twenty-five years and their three wonderful children. When she's not cheering her children on in their activities, she can be found running, watching Philadelphia 76ers basketball, and spoiling her two beloved dogs. Favorite locations include the Jersey shore, Martha’s Vineyard, and any place that sells books or coffee, preferably both! A passionate student, Leanne’s dream life would include going back to college and majoring in everything. Leanne is a graduate of Lafayette College and The Dickinson School of Law. A former attorney, Leanne is now lucky enough to write full-time!
To learn more about Leanne, click here.
Kathleen's novel (first released as Are You Sleeping) grew out of her fascination with the true-crime podcast Serial which she juxtaposed with a NaNoWiMo story line involving characters she’d been writing about since high school. The result was a hugely successful debut which sold at auction, went on to be optioned by Reese Witherspoon, and was the basis for Apple TV’s 2019 streaming series Truth Be Told, starring Octavia Spencer, Lizzy Caplan, and Aaron Paul.
She's a former attorney, incurable wanderer, and yoga enthusiast. Originally from Galesburg, Illinois, she is a graduate of the University of Illinois and Northwestern University School of Law. She now lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and son. Her second novel FOLLOW ME from Gallery Books was published in February, 2020.
To learn more about Kathleen, click here.
Judy Kundert, a recipient of the Marquis Who’s Who Excellence in Authorship award, loves storytelling, from folk and fairy tales to classics for elementary school children. She authors award-winning middle-grade novels designed to inspire and intrigue children. After she left her career as a United Airlines stewardess, she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University, Chicago, a Master of Arts from DePaul University, Chicago and a Master’s Certificate in Public Relations and Marketing from the University of Denver. For fun, she likes reading (usually three or four books at a time), watching movies from the oldies to the current films, traveling, biking, and hiking in the vast Colorado outdoors with her husband.
To learn more about Judy, click here.
Leslie’s definitely a pantser (“I let my character do the driving”) and had an epiphany a year ago – chasing agents and publishers wasn’t working for her. Wanting to see her work in print before she “croaked”, she took back control and the result is two novels released back to back in February of 2019. A Buddhist scholar for 30 years as well as a graphic designer, Leslie possesses a wry sense of humor that evident in her novel about a woman who hates being middle-aged, hates thong underwear, and after buying a gun, decides to do something about both.
Despite a useless Fine Arts degree, Leslie M. Rollins has spent much of her career in the world of direct marketing and graphic design. Her writing was done on the side, in the car, in bathrooms—yes, no keyboards! With the help of sadistic writers' groups, she learned to hone her craft. The muse drove her mad. A great procrastinator, yet she completed two novels (so far), Rollins has also managed her own business, traveled, and put her big toe on the path to Enlightenment via several Buddhist retreats. She has survived marriage and widowhood, and the loss of some lovely dogs. She currently resides with cats in Virginia.
To learn more about Leslie, click here.
Marlene is a big believer in plotting and also works as a developmental editor, so she has lots of great tips for how beginning writers can improve their novels, including being very clear about what your story is about, and reading your work out loud to achieve authentic dialogue.
Marlene grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and later attended New York University where she studied film and then worked as a development executive for such movies as Mystic Pizza, Rich in Love, Driving Miss Daisy and Rush. For the last 18 years Marlene has worked as a freelance book editor as well as writer. She has been awarded residencies to The Macdowell Colony, Yaddo, The Wurlitzer Foundation, Fundacion Valpairiso, and MacNamara Foundation and her short stories and personal essays have appeared in a number of literary journals and blogs. Today Marlene can often be found walking local trails looking for abandoned birds' nests or at home hand sewing little boxes out of tree bark. She is partial to chocolate labs and in particular hers, a super friendly, good-natured girl named Honey. She lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley, in a small town filled with artists, where she loves to listen to the noise of the birds.
To learn more about Marlene, click here.
Here how Jess’ great-grandmother’s struggles in the late 1930’s were the springboard for her first novel which follows a farm wife and mother of a large family dealing with clinical depression during an era when mental illness was stigmatized. Learn how Jess wrote her book out of order and then stitched it together “like a quilt” into a cohesive whole.
Jess is a debut novelist in historical fiction centering around the early-mid 20th century. A graduate of Indiana University, Jess holds a degree in English. When she is not reading or writing, she teaches English (literature and composition) courses online to high school students. Jess currently resides in upstate New York with her husband, Josh, their three children, and their two dogs. The family travels often and is always up for an adventure. Though a Georgia native, Jess has lived in a multitude of states. Each place gives her writing fresh flare and direction as she is exposed to new people, stories, and experiences.
To learn more about Jess, click here.
Kimberly Lynne writes speculative women’s fiction that explores the inexplicable curiosities of being human. She writes from a sunny corner room in a minimalized house she shares with her husband of 35 years and a blind Havanese named Hope.
She’s a slush reader and judge for various writing competitions, a volunteer for WFWA, a member of the South Carolina Writers’ Association, and a Wild Acres Writers Workshop alumna. When not in the studio, she’s most likely to be found designing a new garden or on a long walk in the woods.
To learn more about Kimberly, click here.
Amber describes how, for her, writing feels like the kids’ game Choose Your Own Adventure, how she got signed with Lake Union even without an agent, and what she learned by reading P.D.James’ entire series of Adam Dagliesh mysteries start to finish.
Amber Cowie is a graduate of the University of Victoria and was short-listed for the 2017 Whistler Book Award. She is a mother of two, wife of one, and a novelist who enjoys skiing, running, and creating stories that make her browser search history highly suspicious. Amber lives in the mountains in a small West Coast town. Her second book, Lost Lane, was released in November, 2019 and her third, Loss Lake, in November, 2020.
To learn more about Amber, click here.