x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Hear us Roar

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.

arts books

All Episodes

29:31

129: Tavi Black- Author of Where Are We Tomorrow?

Hear us Roar ·

2022/02/24

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

en

27:19

128: Jenn Bouchard- Author of First Course

Hear us Roar ·

2022/02/17

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,

en

27:58

127: Kathleen Basi- Author of A Song For The Road

Hear us Roar ·

2022/02/10

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

en

29:33

126: Kris Clink - Author of Goodbye, Lark Lovejoy

Hear us Roar ·

2022/02/03

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

en

36:57

125: Margaret Rodenberg - Author of Finding Napoleon:...

Hear us Roar ·

2022/01/27

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

en

27:44

124: Karen Brenner- Author of Appaloosa Sky

Hear us Roar ·

2022/01/20

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

en

29:38

123: Jennifer Jensen- Author of The Vice

Hear us Roar ·

2022/01/13

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

en

28:15

122: Kristy Lee- Author of The Worst Thing I Could Do

Hear us Roar ·

2022/01/06

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

en

25:48

121: Kate Allen- Author of Fear of Flying

Hear us Roar ·

2021/12/16

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

en

27:23

120: Dorothy Staley- Author of Bear Woman Rising

Hear us Roar ·

2021/12/09

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,

en

26:24

119: Leslie Rasmussen - Author of After Happily Ever...

Hear us Roar ·

2021/12/02

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

en

26:58

118: Elissa Dickey - Author of The Speed of Light

Hear us Roar ·

2021/11/25

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

en

35:35

117: Libby Hubscher- Author of Meet Me In Paradise

Hear us Roar ·

2021/11/18

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”

en

32:26

116: Debra Thomas - Author of Luz

Hear us Roar ·

2021/11/11

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

en

28:22

115: Sarah Penner - Author of The Lost Apothecary

Hear us Roar ·

2021/11/04

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

en

29:44

114: Jill Caugherty: Author of Waltz in Swing Time

Hear us Roar ·

2021/10/28

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

en

29:35

113: Christina Consolino- Author of Rewrite the Stars

Hear us Roar ·

2021/10/21

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

en

26:54

112: KD Allbaugh" Author of Face Down in Rising Sun

Hear us Roar ·

2021/10/14

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

en

33:34

111: Jeannee Sacken: Author of Behind The Lens

Hear us Roar ·

2021/10/07

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

en

31:28

110: Beatryce Ruby- Author of No Sweeter Touch

Hear us Roar ·

2021/09/30

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

en

310 results

Similar Podcasts

Start The Breakthrough Full Audiobook Now, Thriller Fans!

thebookvoice.com

Get Hooked On The Life-Enhancing Full Audiobook Experience!

thebookvoice.com

西四五条

主播郑捕头

Podcast Patapoe

0d0a

On Mic Podcast

Jordan Rich