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This podcast discusses writing life, reviews books, and interviews authors and industry professionals.
108 Episodes
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Crankiness might be the most honest creative fuel we all share, and Stephen Joseph has built an entire writing life around it. I sat down with Stephen, a first-generation American, practicing attorney, seasoned negotiator, and 53-time marathon finisher, to talk about how irritation can become humor, clarity, and surprisingly practical life lessons for writers and readers. We trace his “cranky” origin story from a travel mishap in Rome to a children’s book idea that snowballs into blogs and m...
What does it take to turn real life into a book readers can’t put down? In this episode, I talk with Dr. Amanda Edgar, award-winning author, ghostwriter, and founder of Page and Podium Press, about the craft and business of memoir and prescriptive nonfiction. Amanda shares how she helped document firsthand stories from the summer of 2020 for a follow-up to her 2018 Black Lives Matter book, and why she measures success not just in sales, but in impact and ongoing conversations. We also g...
Want your book and brand to break past your own audience? I sat down with SEO strategist and author Brandon Leibowitz to map the fastest path: guest podcasting. Brandon lays out how stepping onto trusted shows earns the backlinks and third‑party mentions that search engines crave, while also unlocking new readers who arrive pre‑warmed by the host's credibility. We dig into why backlinks still power rankings, how to turn each interview into an evergreen content engine, and where AI chang...
Richard McColl is a British writer, publisher, and podcaster who built something entirely his own in Colombia, and the lessons he's learned apply wherever you're trying to get your work into the world. In this conversation, we dig into Fuller Vigil, his boutique indie press publishing English-language books about Colombia with tight prose, lived experience, and beautiful design. You can watch the Video Interview here. Richard breaks down the actual business of independent publishi...
A single moment on a New York subway platform can flip a life. That’s where author and coach Deborah Mallow decided to stop living by default and design days that actually felt good. We invited her to share how that choice turned into a practical, design-forward guide: Six Steps to Fewer Days That Suck. We walk through each step with real-world examples. Start with the decision to change, then strip away the habits that feed worry and fear. Feed your mindset with bravery, not dou...
A late-night encounter with a fantasy novel lit the fuse, and Richie Billing walked away from law to chase the kind of storytelling that steals your sleep. We sit down with Richie to unpack the leap, the grind, and the systems that make a modern writing life possible without the smoke and mirrors. If you’ve wondered how authors really pay the bills, this candid, generous conversation gives you the roadmap and the reality check. We get specific about the money. Richie breaks down why pe...
In this episode, W G Williams takes us inside the moment he stopped chasing agents, embraced a hybrid publisher, and brought 20 Years of Internet Humor and Other Interesting Things to life without losing the warmth that kept readers coming back for decades. We explore the nuts and bolts: sourcing stories from readers, editing for clarity and broad appeal, and verifying originality rather than recycling copyrighted material from the web. Bill walks through why he organizes nearly 200 en...
A skeptic sits down to dinner with Jesus at a quiet Italian restaurant, and a half-million readers later, David Gregory finds himself at the center of Christian fiction’s unlikely boom. I invited David to unpack how a self-published novella became a national bestseller, why some faith-forward stories cross into the mainstream, and what it really takes to write novels that don’t preach yet still carry a clear message. We get practical fast: what qualifies a book as Christian fiction, ho...
Christopher Lee Maher is the author of Free for Life, a book born not from theory but from a personal reckoning. After years as a Navy SEAL, Christopher looked physically elite yet struggled with insomnia, chronic pain, and nervous system overload. His book documents the system he built to understand why strong bodies break down—and how to restore them. In this episode, Christopher unpacks the core ideas behind Free for Life and the method he calls True Body Intelligence, which addresses...
Ready to turn your book into a voice that moves people—and moves your business forward? In this episode, I sit down with audiobook coach and producer Robert Lane to unpack how nonfiction authors can confidently narrate their own audiobooks from a simple home setup and publish professionally on major platforms. If you’ve ever thought, “I hate how my voice sounds,” or worried that your accent might hold you back, this conversation reframes your voice as a brand asset. Robert shares practical to...
What happens when Hollywood decides smart, fearless women don’t sell? We sit down with Kay A. Oliver, award-winning author and former industry insider, to explore how she turned that “no” into twelve page-turning novels, a loyal readership, and growing momentum toward the screen. Kay shares a writing process built for consistency and flow: visualizing the opening and ending, stopping mid-scene to avoid writer’s block, and using novellas to test ideas, master KDP formatting, and later ex...
If you’ve ever worried your story sounds “too foreign,” this conversation is for you. I sit down with Brussels-based writer and coach Dr. Anne Randerson (pen name Mickey Brent) to discuss writing stories that cross borders and languages without losing the reader. We discuss setting, voice, intentional use of foreign words, and navigating a publishing world that often favors the familiar. Anne shares the long road behind her Brussels-centered novels and a sequel set in Santorini, thirteen year...
Romance fiction is dominating the chart. It's also redefining how stories are told and sold. In this episode, I sit down with author and industry veteran Noel Stark to talk about why happy endings aren’t clichés. They’re promises. We dig into how a genre once brushed off as “women’s fiction” built one of publishing’s most loyal and profitable audiences. Noelle takes us from the secret paperbacks she once hid in her backpack to the binge that launched her writing career. ...
What happens when ancient biblical narratives collide with Wall Street ambition? Author Jeanne Blasberg takes us on a fascinating journey through her literary trilogy, culminating in Daughter of a Promise- a bold, contemporary reimagining of the David and Bathsheba story set in the high-stakes world of investment banking. The conversation reveals how Blasberg transforms this ancient tale of power imbalance into a relevant examination of workplace dynamics, consent, and unexpected love....
Dr. Nicole Janz, author of The Write Habit planner, brings an honest perspective to the psychological barriers that prevent writers from establishing consistent creative practices. Drawing from her own journey from burnt-out academic to thriving authorpreneur, she reveals how the most common writing struggles—procrastination, avoidance, and inconsistency- often mask deeper fears about worthiness and vulnerability. This conversation goes beyond surface-level productivity advice to expl...
When a creative mind trained in Hollywood's competitive structure ventures into the world of novel writing, the results can be illuminating. Shan Serafin's journey from James Patterson collaborator to solo novelist offers fascinating insights into the modern creative landscape, and a passionate warning about the future of human expression. Serafin reveals the unexpected path that led him to co-authoring bestsellers with Patterson, crediting his manager for seeing novel-writing potential...
What happens when a child spills leftovers on the kitchen floor and immediately labels himself "stupid"? For author Brenda Do, this heartbreaking moment sparked the creation of It's Okay Not to Know, a children's book challenging our perfection-obsessed culture. Growing up Chinese in 1970s America, Brenda never saw herself represented in children's literature; every book featured white children. This experience shaped her determination to create characters that every child could identi...
For Neera Mahajan, a professional critique about her written English didn't derail her career; it sparked an extraordinary second act as an author, book coach, and community builder. "The only thing standing between you and the senior management position is your written English," Neera's boss told her years ago. Rather than accepting this limitation, she embraced it as a challenge, eventually publishing eight books and building a thriving community of writers who benefit from her uniqu...
What does it take to build a sustainable career as a writer? In this special episode, the tables turn as I’m interviewed by author Jean Alfieri about my 25-plus years in the writing world. I talk about how it all began with a letter to the editor challenging gender discrimination in Jordan’s labor laws. Seeing that letter published and realizing my words could spark debate was the moment I knew storytelling would be at the heart of my life’s work. We cover everything from building...
What if becoming a parent actually made you MORE creative, not less? Writer and "book therapist" Heidi Fiedler discovered something surprising: when life became more demanding after she became a mom, her creative drive didn't disappear. It intensified. "I had less time, less energy when I became a mom, and yet I wanted to keep writing. It felt more important to me than ever." In this deeply personal conversation, Heidi reveals why the pressure to write fast is killing our creativity and...
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