An avid reader and writer since she was a child, Heather Osoy found her voice through literature. She wrote a number of plays, poems, short stories and even a screenplay during her formative years. The passing of a beloved family member right before the pandemic encouraged her to use that voice to publish her first novel, To Hold Oneself. She chose the indie route, so no one could interfere with what she wanted to say. Her stories are full of imperfect people trying to find their own voices. The subject matter tends to be heavy, but that makes the characters' journeys far more imperative. Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of To Hold Oneself at Bookshop.org at this link bookshop.org Her next installment to her series Discomfort of the Blended entitled Suspension of the Writ will be released August 24, 2024. You can find Heather Osoy on Instagram @heather_writes and Facebook www.facebook.com/heatherosoywrites. Her body of work: 2022, To Hold Oneself 2023, Comfort for Community 2024, Suspension of the Writ Learn more about her at https://linktr.ee/heatherosoy A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books - https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast