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PODCAST

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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.

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All Episodes

39:22

256: Nigar Alam - Author of Under The Tamarind Tree

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2024/11/21

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

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31:26

255: Joanna Monahan- Author of Something Better

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2024/11/14

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

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28:31

254: Cindy Maynard- Author of Esperanza's Way

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2024/10/31

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

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28:10

253: Barbara Dullaghan: Author of Secrets in the...

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2024/10/24

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

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33:41

252: Donna Norman-Carbone- Author of All That is Sacred

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2024/10/11

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

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30:22

251: JJ Elliott- Author of There Are No Rules For This

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2024/10/03

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 an eye to being published, how picking up a random book to read led her to a retreat that reawakened 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

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29:39

250: Tracey Buchanan- Author of Toward the Corner of...

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2024/09/26

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,

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33:11

249: Rachel Corsini- Author of Sushi and Sea Lions

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2024/09/19

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

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26:51

248: Dorette Snover- Author of Tales of the Mistress...

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2024/09/12

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

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39:09

247: Kelly Huston - Author of Tex Miller is Dead

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2024/09/05

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

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34:48

246: Jane Rubin - Author of In The Hands of Women

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2024/08/29

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

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29:53

245: Hope Gibbs- Author of Where The Grass Grows Blue

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2024/08/22

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

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29:35

244: Michelle Paris - Author of New Normal

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2024/08/15

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

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22:10

243: Amanda Speights - Author of Love's Arrival

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2024/08/08

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

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33:36

242: Laurie Beach- Author of The Firefly Jar

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2024/08/01

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

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35:35

241: Gabi Coatsworth- Author of A Beginner's Guide to...

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2024/07/18

Our podcast guest this week is Gabi Coatsworth (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

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36:25

July 2024 Special Episode: The Editors of the Feisty...

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2024/07/11

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

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30:25

240: Cynthia Bogard- Author of The History of Silence

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2024/07/06

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

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31:14

239: Barbara Bellesi Zito - Author of Lucky Stiff

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2024/06/20

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

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36:25

238: Kyle Ann Robertson - Author of White Picket Fences

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2024/06/13

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

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301 results

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