Alessandra Torre is our guest today sharing her top 4 take-aways from just the marketing portion of the 2022 Inkers Con writers conference. (Not even her top 4 overall!) If you'd like to sign up for the conference, you can still access the digital version -- and Alessandra kindly gave us a $50 off coupon! Enter the code WNWPODCAST at Inkers Con to get your discount! Download the Author Assessment Worksheet today! A gift from Alessandra!

EPISODE 290T Podcast favorite Susan May Warren, author of the new novel Sundown, shares how she manages her time as she creates a book series. Research, plotting, writing, she's got a time block for each piece. Listen to her process so you can figure out how to hone your own. Learn more about Susie May and all of her books, including nonfiction books for writers, at https://www.susanmaywarren.com/ Watch Kitty's free Masterclass series on writing at https://www.youtube.com/kittybucholtz for...

EPISODE 289 Today's guest is Suzanne Woods Fisher, author of the new novel Anything But Plain. She shares a great presentation with ten things she learned during her writing career that she wants to pass on to you. You can find Suzanne at https://suzannewoodsfisher.com/

EPISODE 288E I'm wearing my "How to Spot a Hero" Spider-Man T-shirt as I record this episode. YOU are the hero! And you can be the person who is the hero to someone else! You can be the person who writes a book that changes people's lives. Even just one life changed would be worth our time. Are you willing to keep working at it and make the world a better place?

EPISODE 287T Our guest today is award-winning author Susan May Warren teaching us how to write a series. There are several kinds of series and first Susie May explains them all. Then she shows us how to write a compelling series that readers can't stop reading. Plus she gives us a fantastic tip that we can use to help readers jump into a longer series. Click below to get the wonderful handout Susie May gave us! And be sure to check out Sunrise, her latest book one in a series and one of the...

EPISODE 286E It's the second quarter of the year -- how is your writing going? Where are you in meeting the goals you set for yourself a few months ago? Here are some tips for getting more done this quarter...and maybe more done for the rest of the year! Good luck!

EPISODE 285T In 2022, we're taking a direction change with the podcast and, instead of bringing you 50+ interviews during the year, you'll get 8-10 full-on teaching episodes. These are sessions you normally could only hear at a writers conference, about an hour long and full of practical advice to improve your writing and advance your career. Today's guest teacher is best-selling historical author Amanda Cabot. Amanda explains about the different kinds of historical fiction with tips on how...

EPISODE 284T When there's so much going on in the world, it can be easy to feel like there's little to nothing you can do to make a difference. But there are lots of things that you could do. In this episode I mentioned that City Hearts Sweden (https://www.cityheartssweden.org/ukraine) is doing a lot to help Ukrainians near the border and those seeking refuge in Sweden. I also noted that there are lots of organizations near you, wherever you live, that could use some help. For example, my...

EPISODE 283E The wonderful thing about stories -- whether reading or writing or listening to them or watching them -- is that they help us to know ourselves. We learn more about who we want to be, who we don't want to be, what makes us laugh and what makes us angry. I encourage you to find more of yourself this year in your writing and reading! Mentioned in the show: Switch on Your Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf Long Story Short on Netflix Author Reading Room -- a monthly free virtual live event...

EPISODE 282E In today's Encouraging Words episode, I share my experience of the first time I ran in the snow just last month. It was cold and wet and more miserable than fun, but I did it. And it reminded me of how I can look at the harder parts of my writing life and see how I can tweak my attitude to make it through -- and even enjoy it. I hope this helps you find a similar parallel in your own life to talk yourself through the harder areas and on to accomplishment!

EPISODE 281I Today's guest is Olivia Bowser, founder and CEO of Liberate, the first mental fitness studio. Liv explains to us how Liberate began and what it offers to help people develop and maintain mental wellness. The great thing about Liberate is that they work with both individuals and companies, in person and online. Check out their offerings and sign up for the 7-day free trial. Let's make 2022 our best year for mental health! Learn more about Liberate at https://www.liberatestudio.com/.

EPISODE 280I Today's guest is Lynn Bohart, writing teacher and author of the cozy mystery series, Old Maids of Mercer Island. Lynn shares her experiences on many of the ways she leveraged her writing skills to get more work and make money quicker while she continued writing her book series. Great ideas that will spark your imagination for things you can do as well, whether you are also moving into retirement or you're busy and only have time for small projects. We also talk about her mystery...

EPISODE 279I Today's guest is Sarah Santacroce, author of Marketing Like We're Human and Selling Like We're Human, and host of the Humane Marketing podcast. As a ‘Hippie turned Business Coach’, Sarah works with heart-centered entrepreneurs to question their assumptions when it comes to marketing and give them permission to market their business their way, the gentle way! We discuss Sarah's approach to marketing and how it differs from the traditional and online marketing styles, and talk...

EPISODE 278E In this month's Encouraging Words episode, I talk about how I've been looking at Susan May Warren's Values-Based Planning from episode 276 to decide on my priorities for 2022. After struggling with the idea that I don't want to stop doing things I love and am good at, I finally decided that I needed to let some things go - at least for now - because I'm not doing the work that is most important to me. As of January 2022, the podcast will be on semi-hiatus, meaning I'll still do...

EPISODE 277I Today's guest is mystery writer Amy S. Peele talking to us about writing her medical murder mysteries, Cut and Match. Amy tells us the advice that mystery writer Michael Connelly gave her that moved her career forward, and she shares with us her journey -- and tips! -- as she began writing while still working a very demanding career with long hours. We also talk about organ donation, a prime topic in her two mystery novels, and how you can make sure that your wishes in this...

EPISODE 276I Bestselling author Susan May Warren joins us again to help writers and other creatives understand how to plan a new year of accomplishments in a way that works best for each one of us, individually. She tells us how she developed My Brilliant Writing Planner and explains the many ways we can use it to have a more creative and productive and joyful year. The planner is not a compilation of weekly To Do lists, she says, but a way of choosing what is most important to you based on...

EPISODE 275I Author Natalie Walters returns to the show today to talk about how she finds ways to use some of the material that ends up being cut from a book, or reuse characters she created that never ended up in a published book. Natalie's new book, Lights Out, is a romantic suspense novel about a CIA analyst who brings together intelligence officers from around the world to combat global terrorism -- and one of them goes missing. When the book she set in Egypt, written while she lived...

EPISODE 274I Today's guest is Dr Sunil Raheja, author of Dancing with Wisdom: A Sacred Quest to Restore Meaning, Purpose and Fun to Your Life and Work. He's also the host of the Dancing with Wisdom podcast, and a psychiatrist and executive coach. "For the really important decisions in life, there’s no textbook that’s going to give you the answers," Dr Sunil tells us. He shares how he got started on his journey to understand how life works, and he gives us many tips about what he's found. He...

EPISODE 273I Today's guest is attorney Kathryn Goldman, founder of Creative Law Center online. This is a fascinating and informative look into copyright, copyright registration, fair use, public domain, the difference between giving credit and getting permission when using someone else's work, and so much more. Soon Kathryn also pointed listeners to an article on her site about fair use (https://creativelawcenter.com/fair-use-guidelines/), a chart on Cornell University's site about...

EPISODE 272E In this Encouraging Words episode, I talk about the fun benefits you can get out of writing during National Novel Writing Month and using the NaNoWriMo.org website. I also mention Rachel Aaron's fabulous book for writing faster, 2K to 10K: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love, and other tips I've used to write more words during this month. Even just having a grateful, positive attitude will help you write more (and possibly better).

EPISODE 272E Today's guest is Betsy St. Amant, the funny author of the new romantic comedy, Tacos For Two. In addition to talking about writing food into stories, Betsy shares how she works with her critique partner, ways she's found to increase reader engagement, how she thinks about planning her books, and much more. A fun and informative interview! Learn more about Betsy and her books on her website, https://betsystamant.com/, and follow her on social media. Sign up for her newsletter to...

EPISODE 270 Today's guest is https://jamesrhannibal.com/ (James R Hannibal), returning to share with us the story of how he purchased the rights to DragonRaid, a role playing game, and not only prepared to reissue it with a new name -- https://lightraiders.com/ (LightRaiders) -- but also decided to write a book series around it. https://amzn.to/3EqZmmY (Wolf Soldier), book one in the series, is about the band of young adventurers who rekindle the Lightraider Order and have to travel to the...

EPISODE 269E Our mindset is a crucial part of how we live our lives, how we react to and interact with the world around us. We can control our thoughts if we try to notice them, and we can choose to focus on the positive in life. I share some examples from my recent run of the Copenhagen Half Marathon, and I encourage you to look for the positive in your own life, focus on what you're grateful for, and start noticing the changes that grow out of these things.

EPISODE 268I Today's guest is Certified Executor Advisor, https://www.davidedey.com/ (David E Edey), talking to us about his new book, https://www.davidedey.com/ (Executor Help: How to Settle an Estate, Pick an Executor, and Avoid Family Fights). David has worked in the financial planning industry for over 35 years, and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to us. We talk about the writing of his book and then segue into how the topic affects us as writers. Estate planning includes not...