Podcasts by How Do You Write
Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. How do you write a book? Start here. You'll gain tips to get in the chair, tricks to stay there, and inspiration to get your own words flowing.
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Ep. 400: How to Heal a Tired Writer’s Heart with Kate Elliott from 2023-12-07T11:00:55
Kate Elliott and Rachael talk about healing, bullet journaling, and (ahem) how long is TOO long a book? This episode will inspire you to not only write (a lot of words!) but als...
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Ep. 399: Stocking the Word Graveyard with Sarah Hawley from 2023-12-04T01:20:30
What's a word graveyard? When should you take a bath and let go of perfectionism? These are important issues, and you're going to love the answers.
Sarah Hawley ...
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Ep. 398: The Black Herron Ep 15 from 2023-11-30T11:00:14
Feelings, Nothing More Than Stupid FEELINGS
In which Sacha and Rachael talk about the utter sheer stupidity of feelings, what they mean, and how they can (maybe?) be m...
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Ep. 397: All Ink, No Drink - with Barbara O’Neal from 2023-11-23T11:00:18
DON'T MISS THIS EPISODE! Internationally bestselling author Barbara O'Neal talks with Rachael about what quitting drinking has done for not only her writing but her life. It's r...
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Ep. 396: How to Write 103 Books (and Counting!) with PD Workman from 2023-11-17T05:49:25
P.D. Workman is a working machine. 103 books and counting? Don't miss this! Plus: a chat with patron Jillian who has questions about Nano and morning routines!
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Ep. 395: How to Center the Memoir Reader with Jennie Nash from 2023-11-16T01:42:56
Jennie Nash KNOWS memoir, and more than that, she knows how to do the most important thing of all: to center the reader. Don't miss this one!
Jennie Nash Listen
Ep. 394: Reclaim Your Brain From Social Media with Uzma Jalaluddin from 2023-11-10T02:09:06
Is it possible? Should we even try to detox from social media? What effect does it have on our writing if we do?
Uzma Jalaluddin is the aut...
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Ep. 393: The Black Herron Ep 14 from 2023-10-31T23:44:12
Imposter Syndrome, Ahoy!
Sacha Black and Rachael Herron talk about plans for the next quarter, and about how to regain yourself after suffering imposter system. Is it...
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NANO WITH ME! Time-sensitive! - Ep. 392: The Word Because with Nigar Alam from 2023-10-30T22:39:02
Time-sensitive! Do you want to do NaNoWriMo with me? Go HERE: http://rachaelherron.com/nanowithme - we’ll write in Zoom together and have a PARTY at the end, when we all WIN NAN...
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Ep. 391: On Owning a VERY Special Book with Qin Sun Stubis from 2023-10-26T11:00:28
For the past 15 years, Qin Sun Stubis has been a newspaper columnist and writes poems, essays, short stories, and original Chinese tall tales inspired by traditional Asian theme...
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Ep. 390: Premise Vs. Plot with Sarah Adler from 2023-10-19T11:00:41
Sarah and Rachael talk about premise (whee!) vs plot (uh-oh).
Also, Rachael answers mini-coach questions on finding a...
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Ep. 389: How to Face Your Writing Fears with Ashley Wilda from 2023-10-12T11:16:49
Scared? Don't be (or really, that's okay). Being scared and writing around and toward it is where the magic happens. Enjoy this conversation with Ashley!
Ashley Wilda is an author liv...
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Ep. 388: Writing the Shadow with Joanna Penn from 2023-10-12T01:02:03
A really exciting episode today! Joanna Penn and I talk about her NEW writing book about The Shadow, something she's a veritable expert in. This is for you if you want to go deep with your writi...
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Ep. 387: The Magic of Post-Its with Julie Carrick Dalton from 2023-10-05T11:38:29
As a journalist, Julie Carrick Dalton has published more than a thousand articles in The Boston Globe, BusinessWeek, The Hollywood Reporter, Orion Magaz...
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Ep. 386: The Black Herron Episode 13 from 2023-10-01T22:41:07
Rest is hard... but is it worth it?
Today, Rachael and Sacha talk about rest (and how to do it, lol) and about the book Smart Brevity, which they both recommend. Whether they’ll put t...
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Ep. 385: Find Your Book’s GPS with Katrina Kittle from 2023-09-28T11:24:01
Katrina Kittle’s newest novel Morning in This Broken World, released September 1, 2023 and was an Amazon First Reads pick for August. Katrina is the author of four oth...
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Ep. 384: When To Put Your Writing Down with Ren DeStefano from 2023-09-21T12:27:01
Ren DeStefano lives in Connecticut, where she was born and raised. When she’s not writing thrillers, she’s listening to true crime podcasts and crocheting way too many blankets....
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Ep. 383: The Beauty of Lowering Your Standards with Jesse Q. Sutanto from 2023-09-14T12:00:18
Jesse Q Sutanto grew up shuttling back and forth between Indonesia, Singapore, and Oxford, and considers all three places her home. She has a Masters from Oxford University...
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Ep. 382: Why to Not Show EVERYTHING with Shay Galloway from 2023-09-07T12:00:38
A writer of slightly off-kilter and historically-interested fiction and contemplative non-fiction, Shay Galloway began journaling and writing stories as soon as she knew how to ...
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Ep. 381: How to Start Your Book with Jennifer Herrera from 2023-08-31T12:00:06
Jennifer Herrera is a former philosophy grad student turned literary agent, who is fascinated by the stories we tell ourselves to live and the lies we cling to that sa...
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Ep. 380: Lessons Learned from Failing to Sell a Book with Kitty Zeldis from 2023-08-24T12:05:54
Born in Chadera, Israel, Kitty Zeldis is the pseudonym for an award-winning author of nine novels and over thirty-five books for children. Her essays, articles and short fiction...
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Ep. 379: Harness Writing Sprint Power with Jenn McKinlay from 2023-08-17T12:00:02
Jenn McKinlay is the award-winning, New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of several mystery and romance series. Her ...
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Ep. 378: Using Different Mediums to Help with Revision with Kristen Bird from 2023-08-10T12:00:54
Kristen Bird lives outside of Houston, Texas with her husband and three daughters. She earned her bachelor’s degree in music and mass media before completing a master’...
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Ep. 377: Bonus Episode - Should I Revise My Book for an Agent? from 2023-08-06T23:35:08
What if an agent asks you to revise your book, but you're not working with them yet? Rachael has opinions!
Also in this episode:
* Narrative distance in memoir
* When to ...
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Ep. 376: The Black Herron Episode Ep. 12 from 2023-08-04T01:37:23
In today’s 1st anniversary episode, Sacha is a terrible human being who actually went back and listened to the goals we said we had at the beginning of the year, and today, we’r...
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Ep. 375: How to Celebrate Every Shot You Take with Edward Giordano from 2023-08-03T12:00:59
Celebrating and shot-taking and AI, huzzah!
MASTERCLASSES NOW OPEN!
90 Days to Done - http://rachaelherron.com/90
90 Day Revision - http://rachaelherron....
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Ep. 374: Why You Should Skip Ahead with Nalini Singh from 2023-07-27T12:00:37
Why is it a good idea to skip ahead sometimes (even when it feels awkward)? Nalini Singh shares tips about this, as well as an awesome timeline tracking tool!
New Yor...
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Ep. 373: How to Beat Writer's Block with Jayne Ann Krentz from 2023-07-20T12:00:04
Jayne Ann Krentz is the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She has written contemporary romantic suspense novels under that name and futuristic and historical...
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Ep. 372: Your Writing Should Be Messy with Hanna Halperin from 2023-07-13T12:00:02
Hanna Halperin is the author of Something Wild, which won the Edward Lewis Wallant Award, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award for Debut Fiction, and...
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Episode 371: The Black Herron Episode 11 from 2023-07-01T00:00:13
Plans, planning, lovely lovely plans. Rachael backs out of an agreement (whoops!), Sacha plans world domination, and together, they chat about Rachael’s new publishing contract!...
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Ep. 370: Why You Should Write with Friends with Katlyn Duncan from 2023-06-29T12:00:58
Katlyn Duncan is an award-winning, multi-published author of adult and young adult fiction, and has ghostwritten over 40 novels for children and adults. When she’s not...
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Ep. 369: Why Failing to Write is AWESOME (bonus episode) from 2023-06-23T01:36:43
In this mini-episode, Rachael talks about why failing to hit your goals (ANY of them) is a hugely important part of being a writer. If you’re failing, here’s why you’re winning.
Ep. 368: How to Give Yourself Permission to Write with Kelcey Ervick from 2023-06-22T12:00:54
Kelcey Ervick is the author and illustrator of the graphic memoir, The Keeper: Soccer, Me, and the Law That Changed Women's Lives, which is her third book. Kelcey's stories, ess...
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Ep. 376: How to Surprise the Reader (BIG TIME) with David Ellis from 2023-06-15T12:00:19
David Ellis is a judge and an Edgar-award-winning author of ten novels of crime fiction, as well as eight bestselling books co-authored with James Patterson. His novels have bee...
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Ep. 366: Monna McDiarmid on Love Tricks for Writers from 2023-06-08T12:00:42
Monna McDiarmid is a Canadian writer and international school counselor who has lived in Colombia, Mexico, Spain, Thailand and Japan. Currently, she and her partner live in a ti...
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Ep. 364: What Did That Rejection Letter REALLY Mean? from 2023-06-01T12:00:19
BONUS EPISODE, brought to you by Rachael’s patrons! Today, Rachael answers questions about what if you haven’t written in a while? What did that rejection letter REALLY mean? Ho...
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Ep. 365: The Black Herron Ep 10 from 2023-06-01T00:35:03
Today Rachael and Sacha talk about what financial freedom looks like to them. And Sacha wallops Rachael with an offer she can’t refuse. BOOM, don’t miss this one!
Ep. 363: Using the Blank Page as a Power Tool with Caroline Kepnes from 2023-05-25T12:00:37
Caroline Kepnes is the author of You, Hidden Bodies, Providence, You Love Me, and numerous short stories. Her work has been translated into a multi...
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Ep. 362: On Making a Slide Deck of AWESOMENESS with Nikki Payne from 2023-05-18T12:00:31
By day, Nikki Payne is a curious tech anthropologist asking the right questions to deliver better digital services. By night, she dreams of ways to subvert canon...
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Ep. 361: You Might Need a Break - Emi Nietfeld from 2023-05-11T12:00:19
Emi Nietfeld is a journalist, mental health activist, and author of Acceptance: A Memoir. After graduating from Harvard College in 2015, she worked as a software engine...
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Ep. 360: What To Do When You’re Stuck - Molly Fader from 2023-05-04T12:00:22
You aren’t going to want to miss this amazing tip! MOLLY FADER is the award-winning author of more than 40 romance novels under the pennames Molly O'Keefe an...
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Ep. 359: The Black Herron 09 from 2023-05-01T03:00:39
Today, Sacha talks about her EPIC writing month and Rachael talks about her epic PUPPY (and some writing stuff). Don’t miss it!
How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the ...
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Ep. 358: POV Hack: Using Method Acting with Olesya Salnikova Gilmore from 2023-04-27T12:00:30
Olesya Salnikova Gilmore was born in Moscow, Russia, raised in the US, and graduated from Pepperdine University with a BA in English / political science, and from Northwestern U...
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Ep. 357: Am I Selling Out? Mini Episode! from 2023-04-26T23:53:28
How do you know if you’re selling out? Also what about Clifton Strengths? And when might I need a virtual assistant? Rachael Herron tackles all these questions and more in this mini episode brou...
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Ep. 356: Katie Baird on How to Keep Believing After Rejection from 2023-04-13T12:00:23
Katie Baird is a Professor of Economics at the University of Washington Tacoma. Her new memoir Growing Mangos in the Desert, published by Apprentice House Pre...
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Ep. 355: Bonus Episode - How to Steal Writing Friends from 2023-04-07T12:00:20
In this bonus episode, Rachael answers questions from her amazing Patrons about:
- How to steal writing friends
- How to get the work done <... Listen
Ep. 354: Leslie Karst on Why You Shouldn’t Read Reviews from 2023-04-06T12:00:26
The daughter of a law professor and a potter, Leslie Karst waited tables and sang in a new wave rock band before deciding she was ready for a “real” job and endin...
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Ep. 353: The Black Herron 08 from 2023-04-01T00:39:43
In which Sacha Black and Rachael Herron talk about
* the launch of a new pen name and how Ruby Roe is faring in the world
* how we're STILL reading Financial Feminist, Tori Dunlap: h...
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Ep. 352: Layla Khoury-Hanold on How to Nourish Your Inner Writer from 2023-03-30T11:00:46
Food and lifestyle journalist Layla Khoury-Hanold has written for Food52, Food Network, Refinery29, The Chicago Tribune, VinePair, and The James Beard Foundation. Living in six ...
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Ep. 351: The Writer’s Well 2023 Catch Up with J Thorn! from 2023-03-23T11:00:14
J Thorn and Rachael reunite in a catchup episode that will inspire you to keep going! Don’t miss this writing duo playing their favorite hits!
How Do You Write Podcast: Explore t...
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Ep. 350: Albert Flynn DeSilver on Being Truly Okay With Your Writing from 2023-03-16T11:00:07
Albert Flynn DeSilver is an American poet, memoirist, novelist, speaker, and workshop leader. He is the author of several books of poems, the memoir “Beamish Boy,” and “Writing ...
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Ep. 349: Fighting Shiny Object Syndrome! from 2023-03-10T11:00:15
In this bonus mini-episode, Rachael answers questions from her patrons about what to do when the shiny new ideas are just too shiny for their own good. Listen
Ep. 348: Helen Scheuerer on How Your Calendar is Your Secret Superpower from 2023-03-09T11:00
Helen Scheuerer is the fantasy author of the bestselling trilogy, The Oremere Chronicles and the Curse of the Cyren Queen quartet. Her work has been highly praised for its stron...
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Ep. 347: Eleanor Shearer on the Power of 500 Words a Day from 2023-02-23T11:00:18
Eleanor Shearer is a mixed-race writer living in London, where she works as a Researcher at a think tank called the Institute for Government. She is Jeanette Winterson’s go...
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Ep. 346: Grant Faulkner on The Art of Brevity from 2023-02-16T11:00:34
Grant Faulkner is the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the co-founder of 100 Word Story. He recently published The Art of Brevity: Crafting the...
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Ep. 345: May-lee Chai on Short Story Magic from 2023-02-09T11:00:53
May-lee Chai is the author of the American Book Award–winning story collection Useful Phrases for Immigrants and ten other books. Her prize-winning short...
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Ep. 344: Violet De Luna on How to Believe You’re a Worthy Writer from 2023-02-02T11:00:24
Violet De Luna is a recovering – sometimes – attorney in Miami, FL. She prefers storytelling to legalese, as well as an open heart over the analytical mind. Violet has foun...
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Ep. 343: The Black Herron 06 from 2023-01-31T11:00:12
In this exciting episode, Sacha reveals her pen name to Rachael (gasp!) and they plot world domination for next year, along with their Great Plan for Learning in 2023.
They talk ...
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Ep. 342: Peggy Orenstein on How to Start Writing Where You Can from 2023-01-26T11:00:01
Peggy Orenstein is the New York Times bestselling author of eight books, including Boys & Sex, Girls & Sex, and ...
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Ep. 341: AM Mason on the Life-Changing Magic of A Good Outline from 2023-01-19T11:00:46
A.M. Mason is an American writer living in South Korea with her husband and cat. Growing up first outside of Chicago and then in Phoenix, she loves to explore new regions and cities, always look...
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Ep. 340: Nat Connors on Why Crime Pays In Most Books from 2023-01-12T11:00:27
Nat Connors is a romantic comedy writer, medical scientist and dance teacher, and creator of the Kindletrends newsletter for genre fiction authors. Kindletrends started when Nat...
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Ep. 339: The Annual MONEY Episode! What Did I Make and How? from 2023-01-05T11:00:56
In this annual episode, Rachael reveals what she made and how in 2022. From book sales (self and trad) to teaching and Patreon, all the details are here. Enjoy!
...
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Ep. 338: The Black Herron Ep 5 from 2023-01-01T05:00:18
You're gonna love this one! Sacha and Rachael talking about HOW TO FAIL by Elizabeth Day and their new project - the Book of Do!
How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of work...
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Ep. 337: Jasmine Guillory on How No One Will De if You Give Yourself a Break from 2022-12-29T11:00:54
Jasmine Guillory is a New York Times bestselling author; her novels include The Wedding Date, the Reese's Book Club selection The Proposal, and By The Book. Her work has appeare...
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Ep. 336: Thien-Kim Lam on What You Need to Survive Criticism from 2022-12-22T11:35:19
Thien-Kim Lam writes stories about Vietnamese characters who smash stereotypes and find their happy endings. A recovering Type-Asian, she guzzles cà phê sữa đá, PRNOUNCED caffee...
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Ep. 335: Should You Use (or Lose?) the Newest Apps from 2022-12-15T11:00:57
In this bonus episode, Rachael talks about how to use (or not use!) TikTok and Shopify, as well as sharing an email that made her heart grow three sizes.
How Do You Write Podcast...
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Ep. 334: Natalia Molina on How to Rest as a Writer from 2022-12-08T11:00:22
Natalia Molina is a Distinguished Professor in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California. She is currently serving as Interim Dir...
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Ep. 333: What Do You Do if Your Book Isn’t Selling? from 2022-12-01T11:00:17
This is a hard thing to talk about, writers. What if your beautiful book isn’t selling? What do you do next? How do you keep going? In this bonus episode, Rachael talks about wh...
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Ep. 332: The Black Herron Episode 4 from 2022-12-01T06:00:58
You're going to love this one!
Sacha and Rachael talk about Elizabeth Day's book, How to Fail, and their own new project, the Book of Do!
How Do You...
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Ep. 331: Ellen Joy on How to Succeed With Series from 2022-11-24T11:00:51
Ellen Joy is an Amazon Best Selling author. She lives in a small New Engla...
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Ep. 330: Sangu Mandanna on How to Harness ADHD as a Writing Superpower from 2022-11-17T11:00:33
Sangu Mandanna was four years old when an elephant chased her down a forest road and she decided to write her first story about it. Seventeen years and many, many manuscrip...
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Ep. 329: What Does a Traditional Publisher Want YOU To Do For Your Book? from 2022-11-10T11:00:47
In this mini-episode, Rachael talks about what a traditional publisher will expect you to do for your book’s promotion, as well as how to organize multiple POVs, and what to loo...
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Ep. 328: Kelly Sokol on How to Expose What’s Hidden In Your Writing from 2022-11-03T11:00:13
Kelly Sokol is the author of Breach and The Unprotected...
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Ep. 327: The Black Herron Episode 3 from 2022-10-31T23:00:48
Please enjoy this chat between Rachael Herron and Sacha Black (of The Rebel Author Podcast). Irreverent, cheeky, business-focused and always honest, you’re going to love this.&n...
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Ep. 326: Annabel Monaghan on What If You’re Sick of Your Book? from 2022-10-27T11:00:22
Annabel Monaghan is the author of two Young Adult novels: A Girl Named Digit, optioned by The Disney Channel, and the sequel Double Digit. ...
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Ep. 325: Elizabeth Miki Brina on How to Know When to Go Deep from 2022-10-20T11:00:19
Elizabeth Miki Brina is the recipient of a Rona Jaffe Bread Loaf Scholarship and a New York State Summer Writers Institute Scholarship. She currently lives and teaches in New Or...
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Ep. 324: Jalynn Harris on How to Use Revision in Our Real Lives from 2022-10-13T11:00:42
Jalynn Harris is a poet, educator, editor, and press founder from Baltimore, MD. She founded SoftSavagePress for the sole purpose of promoting visual and literary works by ...
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Ep. 323: Jess Montgomery on the Troll Dolls Stuck in Your Writing Couch from 2022-10-06T11:00:24
Jess Montgomery is the author of the Kinship Historical Mysteries, set in 1920s Appalachian Ohio and inspired by Ohio’s true first female sheriff. Under her given name, she writ...
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Ep. 322: The Black Herron Episode 2 from 2022-10-01T04:00:57
Please enjoy this chat between Rachael Herron and Sacha Black (of The Rebel Author Podcast). Irreverent, cheeky, business-focused and always honest, you’re going to love this.&n...
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Ep. 321: Bonus Episode - How to Write a Blurb that Hooks Your Reader from 2022-09-29T11:00:33
In this special bonus episode, Rachael talks about how to write a blurb that hooks a reader, how to write a twist that shocks, how to trust your gut, and when to consider foreig...
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Ep. 320: Juno Dawson on How Love Can Change Everything from 2022-09-16T01:35:33
The page-turning first installment in an epic fantasy trilogy, HER MAJESTY’S ROYAL COVEN follows a group of childhood friends who are also witches—and members of a cov...
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Ep. 319: Alana Quintana Albertson on How a Writer Gets a TV Deal from 2022-09-08T12:00:29
Alana Quintana Albertson has written thirty romance novels, rescued five-hundred death-row shelter dogs, and danced one thousand rumbas. She lives with her husband in sunny...
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Ep. 318: Tara T. Green on How to Claim Space for Your Work from 2022-09-01T12:00:46
Tara T. Green (she/her) is professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at the University of North Carolina where she teaches literature and gender studies courses...
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Ep. 317: The Black Herron Episode 1 (Bonus Episode!) from 2022-09-01T00:32:24
Please enjoy the very first chat that Rachael Herron and Sacha Black (of The Rebel Author Podcast) have together. Irreverent, cheeky, and always honest, you’re going to love this.
<... Listen
Ep. 316: Sarah McCraw Crow on How to Deal with Shiny Object Syndrome from 2022-08-25T12:14:48
Sarah McCraw Crow is the author of the novel The Wrong Kind of Woman (Mira/HarperCollins). Her short fiction has run in Calyx, Crab Orchard Review, Good House...
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Ep. 315: Nigel Bartlett on Indie vs Traditional Publishing from 2022-08-17T21:39:20
In this episode, Rachael talks about setting boundaries in order to be a kinder writer to ourselves, and then she and Nigel talk about indie vs trad publishing, masterminds, and...
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Ep. 314: Vanessa Hua on Moving the Body as Writing Practice from 2022-08-05T21:40:04
Vanessa Hua is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and the author of the novel A River of Stars and a story collection, <...
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Ep. 313: Erin La Rosa on How to Use Notecards to Supercharge Your Characters from 2022-07-28T12:00:18
Erin La Rosa has written many highly engaging... tweets, as a social media manager. But on her way to writing romance, she's also published two humorous non-fiction books, ...
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Ep. 312: Sascha Rothchild on How to Write Distinct Voices from 2022-07-21T12:00:08
Sascha Rothchild is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter, who has written and produced lauded shows such as GLOW, The Bold Type, The Baby-Sit...
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Ep: 311: How to Stick With a Project (Long Enough to Finish It) from 2022-07-14T22:44:58
In this bonus episode, Rachael Herron talks about staying enthralled with your work (even when you’re bored), how to approach a major revision, how to write a villain, and when you MIGHT want to...
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Ep. 310: Maddie Dawson on How Many Years it Takes to Be An Overnight Success from 2022-07-07T12:00:35
Maddie Dawson is the author of nine novels, including the bestselling Matchmaking for Beginners, and three non-fiction humor books about parenting, from when that used ...
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Ep. 309: Sarra Cannon on How to Follow Your Own (Productive) Road from 2022-06-30T12:35:01
Sarra Cannon is the indie author of more than twenty-five Young Adult contemporary fantasy novels, including her bestselling Shadow Demons Saga. Her novels often stem from her o...
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Ep. 308: Should a Straight Person Write a Gay Main Character? from 2022-06-23T21:52:59
In this bonus mini-episode, Rachael Herron talks about when you should or shouldn’t write outside your own lived experience, about how to read carefully to improve your craft, and about what to ...
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Ep. 307: Deonna Kelli Sayed on How To Silence Mental Lamentation (Bonus: Bonus: Why to Be Wary of Hybrid Publishers!) from 2022-06-16T12:00:21
(Bonus: Bonus: Why to Be Wary of Hybrid Publishers!)
Deonna Kelli Sayed is an author, TEDx speaker, and performer based in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is the author of
Ep. 306: AK Mulford - From BookTok to 7-Figures! from 2022-06-09T12:25:13
A.K. Mulford is a bestselling fantasy author and former wildlife biologist who swapped rehabilitating monkeys for writing novels. She/they are inspired to create diverse stories that transport r...
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Ep. 305: Why Am I Even Writing? (Bonus mini episode!) from 2022-06-07T00:15:51
What’s the difference between rewriting and revising? And what do you do when the existential monster of WHY AM I EVEN DOING THIS rears its ugly head? Join Rachael Herron as she talks about this...
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Ep. 304: Catherine Prendergast on How Every Writer Lies (For Truth) from 2022-05-26T12:00:20
Catherine Prendergast is a Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a Fulbright Scholar. Interviewed by NPR and...
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Ep, 303: Josephine Smith on How to Launch Your Writing Career Fast with Four Books in a Year from 2022-05-19T12:23:58
Rachael talks to Josephine Smith about how to launch a career, fast, and answers some bonus questions about indie publishing!
Josephine Smith is...
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Ep. 302: Rudy Ruiz on How to Open Yourself to Edits from 2022-05-12T12:22:19
Rudy Ruiz is a writer of literary fiction. A native of the U.S.-Mexico border, his earliest works were published at Harvard, where he studied literature, creative writing, ...
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Ep. 301: Isabel Cañas on The Magic of a Reading Journal from 2022-05-06T01:23:32
Isabel Cañas is a Mexican-American speculative fiction writer. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, and Turkey, among other places, she has settled (for now) in New Yo...
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Ep. 300: Amy S. Peele on How to Keep Your Writing Top of Mind from 2022-04-28T12:00:24
In this, the three-hundredth episode of How Do You Write, Rachael talks about how happy she is to be here, and shares how she turned her own writing around. Then she talks to
Ep. 299: What’s the Difference Between a Premise and a Hook? from 2022-04-27T00:26:18
In this bonus episode, Rachael talks about the difference between a premise and a hook, and also talks about the three legs of the stool that props up our writing! Thanks to her Patreon supporte...
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Ep. 298: Seressia Glass on Bringing Out the Inner Geek from 2022-04-21T12:00:16
Seressia Glass is an award-winning author of romance and urban fantasy. She lives south of Atlanta with her husband, son, two attack poodles, and a bulldozer of a Cane Cors...
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Ep. 297: John R. Rickford on the Gift of a Stroke from 2022-04-14T21:24:25
John R. Rickford is the J.E. Wallace Sterling Professor of Linguistics, emeritus, at Stanford University. He received his BA with highest honors in Sociolinguistics from the University of C...
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Ep. 296: Ashanti Anderson on Writing Multiple Genres from 2022-04-07T12:00:45
In this episode, Ashanti Anderson talks about how as writers we’ll always be affected by our peers and how to use different genres to feed our own, unique voices. Ashanti Anders...
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Ep. 295: How Do You Know When Your Book is Ready? from 2022-04-07T00:09:29
In this bonus mini-episode brought to you by her patrons, Rachael answers questions about how to know when you’ve outgrown your editor, how do you know when your book is ready to publish...
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Ep. 294: Eliza Nellums on Adding Ticking Clocks to Up Your Tension from 2022-03-31T21:54:06
Eliza and Rachael talk about birds, maybe a bit too much, in both their writing and this podcast! Listen as they talk about upping the tension in their writing by realizing this sooner, rather t...
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Ep. 293: Sacha Black on Finding Your Book’s G-Spot from 2022-03-24T11:00:46
Sacha Black is an author, rebel podcaster, and speaker. She has five obsessions: words, ex...
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Ep. 292: What if My Agent Can’t Sell My Book? Bonus Episode from 2022-03-17T11:00:29
Join Rachael as she reports from the battle lines of Revisionlandia - fresh from getting her OWN revision letter, she talks about how to handle the emotions that come with someone else helping y...
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Ep. 291: Kerri Maher on How to Find Your Own Community from 2022-03-10T11:00:23
On this fabulous episode, Kerri Maher talks about the way we all need community (and how to find it). She is the author of The Girl in White Gloves, ...
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Ep. 290: Farah Jasmine Griffin on How to Write Your Full Self Into Your Work from 2022-03-03T11:00:36
Farah Jasmine Griffin is the William B. Ransford Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University, where she also served as the inaugural Chair of the...
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Ep. 289: Kit Mayquist on How to Work Backward from the Dark Moment from 2022-02-24T11:00:22
Kit Mayquist uses a technique not often talked about: working backward, not from the end, but from the dark moment, and it's everything. A fan of everything spooky and indulgent, Ki...
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Ep. 288: Sabrina Benaim on Telling the Fearless Truth from 2022-02-18T06:00:56
Sabrina Benaim is a poet, storyteller, and workshop facilitator. She is one of the most-viewed spoken word poets of all time: her videos have reached more than one hundred million people. In 201...
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Ep. 287: Bonus Episode - What About Paid Reviews? from 2022-02-17T00:42:06
Rachael talks about paid reviews (you might be surprised!), how to write a personal essay, how to arrive at theme, and what’s going on with women’s fiction. Enjoy!
These Toxic Things Listen
Ep. 283: Do You Need a Beta Reader? from 2022-01-21T06:00:43
Rachael talks about the perils and the pleasures of a beta reader, as well as how to know when you’re done with the book, and whether to work on more than one project at a time! Enjoy this mini-epi...
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Ep. 282: Rachael’s Writing Goals for 2022 Q1 from 2022-01-20T00:51:12
In this episode, Rachael gets granular about not only what she wants to do this year, but WHY she wants to. Enjoy!
Ep. 280: Bonus Episode - Rachael and J Thorn Catch Up! from 2022-01-11T22:31:13
A bonus episode - Rachael Herron and J Thorn catch on this week, FIVE YEARS after they first started The Writer's Well (aka The Petal to the Metal). Enjoy the lovefest.
? It's fun, it's sexy, and Eva Moore is doing something totally unique with it. Listen in.
Eva Moore writes...
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Ep. 277: Welcome the New Year with Ease Lessons by Monna McDiarmid from 2021-12-31T06:00:04
Rachael's honored to introduce you to Monna McDiarmid and her new podcast, Ease Lessons. Here's a snip...
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Ep. 278: A Life in Stitches is a Bestseller! from 2021-12-24T03:19:05
Just a quickie miniepisode here as Rachael FREAKS OUT about how well A Life in Stitches is doing, along with a chapter from her memoir! Enjoy!
See...
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Ep. 276: Jason C. Poole on the Magic of Four Thousand Weeks from 2021-12-23T19:19:43
Jason Craig Poole is a word nerd who wants to play in all of the literary sandboxes -- especially poetry, creative nonfiction and fiction. After years of feeling like he wa...
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Ep. 275: Bonus Episode - How to Write When it’s Hard to Write from 2021-12-22T02:36:49
Rachael Herron shares tips and tricks for when writing is hard to do, as well as what to do when you lose control of a manuscript and wonder if you should just start a new book.
...
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Ep. 274: Chandra Prasad on How to Get Unstuck from 2021-12-16T19:36:19
Chandra Prasad is the author of the critically acclaimed novels On Borrowed Wings, Death of a Circus, Breathe the Sky, and Damselfly, a femal...
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Ep. 273: Renee K. Nicholson on How to Use Story as Medicine from 2021-12-09T23:40:43
RENEE K. NICHOLSON splits her artistic pursuits between writing and dance with scholarship in narrative medicine. She is Asso...
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Ep. 272: How to Keep Writing When You’ve Lost All Hope from 2021-12-07T22:24:25
In this bonus mini-episode, Rachael talks to a listener about how to keep going when it feels like all hope is lost.
How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the proces...
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Ep. 271: Cassie Roma on on How to LOVE the Blank Page from 2021-12-02T23:00:48
Cassie Roma is a powerhouse in the boardroom, in front of a camera, and speaking in front of local ...
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Ep. 270: How Do You Deal with Shiny Object Syndrome? from 2021-11-26T01:00:57
In this mini-episode sponsored by her amazing patrons, Rachael talks about dealing with the shiny writing projects that pop up just when they’re least needed, as well as how to decide between in...
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Ep. 269: Sarah Echevarre Smith on How to Hook and Keep Your Readers from 2021-11-19T04:00:36
Sarah Echevarre Smith is a copywriter turned author who wants to make the world a lovelier place, one kissing story at a time. Her love of romance began when she was eight ...
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Ep. 268: Emma Brodie on How to Hit the Reset Button in Your Writing from 2021-11-11T23:00:46
EMMA BRODIE has worked in book publishing for a decade, most recently as an executive editor at Little, Brown's Voracious imprint. She graduated from the Johns Hopkins University's Wri...
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Ep. 267: Tiffany Yates Martin on the Secret to Writing a Good Book (Truly!) from 2021-11-05T07:55:20
Tiffany Yates Martin has spent nearly thirty years as an editor in the publishing industry, working with major publishers and New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journa...
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Ep. 266: Sara Shepard on What Your Characters Might Say at a Cocktail Party from 2021-10-29T06:00:13
Sara Shepard is the author of over thirty novels, including the New York Times bestselling series Pretty Little Liars and the Lying Game, both of which were adapted for television on Freeform. H...
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Ep. 265: Cecilia Gray on How To Write About the Pandemic from 2021-10-22T03:02:33
Cecilia Gray writes about first love, second chances, and forever friendships. She has written over twenty young-adult and romance titles. That Was Then, a pandemic midlife rebo...
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Ep. 264: Amber McBride on How to Write a Novel in Verse from 2021-10-16T01:19:43
Amber McBride is an English professor at the University of Virginia and holds an MFA in poetry from Emerson College. Her poetry has been published in several literary magaz...
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Ep. 263: Bella Mahaya Carter on How to Slow Down from 2021-10-07T00:10:37
Bella Mahaya Carter is a creative writing teacher, empowerment coach, speaker, and author of an award-winning memoir, Raw: My Journey from Anxiety to Joy, and Secrets of My Sex,...
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Ep. 262: J.L. Torres on How to Read Like a Writer from 2021-09-30T22:00:28
J.L. Torres is the author of The Family Terrorist and Other Stories, the novel The Accidental Native, and the poetry collection Boricua Passport. His sh...
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Ep. 261: Dr. Saumya Dave on 200 Rejections Before Success from 2021-09-25T00:05:56
Dr. Saumya Dave is a writer, resident psychiatrist, and co-founder of thisisforHER. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post, Refi...
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Ep. 260: Lexie Elliott on How to Make Your Main Character Feel Authentic from 2021-09-17T03:36:27
Lexie Elliott graduated from Oxford University, where she obtained a doctorate in theoretical physics. A keen sportswoman, she swam and played waterpolo at university, and later...
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Ep. 259: How Do You Actually Fast-Draft a Novel? Bonus MiniEpisode from 2021-09-14T03:48:20
In this bonus mini-episode, Rachael talks about how to actually break free from your outline and get down to the good stuff: actually fast-drafting. How do you start? What does ...
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Ep. 258: Kristan Higgins on How to Write Forward Without Looking Back from 2021-09-10T03:42:37
New York Times bestselling author Kristan Higgins has sold 4.5 million books worldwide and is published in more than two dozen languages around the world...
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Ep. 257: Cassandra Lane on How to Parent Yourself as a Writer from 2021-09-03T02:38:13
Cassandra Lane is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. Lane received her MFA from Antioch University LA. Her stories have appeared in the New York Times’s Conception series...
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Ep. 256: How To Create Plot Twists from 2021-09-01T04:25:22
In this bonus miniepisode, Rachael talks about how to create plot twists for a good mystery, and what should I do if I’m about to miss a deadline?
Ep. 253: Catriona Turner On How to Write the Miraculous in the Everyday from 2021-08-13T07:01:30
Catriona Turner is a writer and editor currently living in Esbjerg, Denmark. A veteran of six international moves since leaving Scotland 12 years ago, she’s also lived with...
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Ep 252: What If I Can’t Fit Everything Into My Book? from 2021-08-10T07:00:58
In this bonus mini-episode, Rachael talk about when to have multiple POVs, and also tackles the question, What if I can’t cram everything I want to into this book? Listen
Ep. 251: Mark A. Alvarez II on How to Write Scars and Vulnerability from 2021-08-06T07:00:14
Mark A. Alvarez II is Hispanic-American born in Houston, Texas. He's a graduate of Texas State University, where he studied Public Relations and Mass Communications. He is a gra...
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Ep. 250: Rachael Herron and Sara Shepard in Conversation - How To Launch a Book in Strange Times from 2021-07-30T06:01:02
From Rachael Herron's book launch, an awesome conversation between her and Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars) about what it's like to launch a book in the middle of a pandemic!
Ep. 246: Why It’s Essential to Be Okay with Writing CRAP! from 2021-07-08T23:37:40
In this bonus miniepisode, Rachael talks about how to get better about being okay writing truly crappy first drafts. Also, she talks about marketing from a trad perspective, as well as marketing me...
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Ep. 245: Karen White on How to Leave Yourself Clues In Your Writing from 2021-07-02T07:01:09
Karen White is the New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty-five novels, including the Tradd Street series, Dreams of Falling,...
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Ep. 244: Sanjena Sathian on How to Make Every Word Count from 2021-06-25T07:01:25
A Paul and Daisy Soros fellow, Sanjena Sathian is a 2019 graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She has worked as a reporter in Mumbai and San Francisco, with nonfiction byline...
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Ep. 243: Emma Straub on How to Finish Your Book from 2021-06-18T07:01:46
Emma Straub is the New York Times-bestselling author of four novels, All Adults Here, Modern Lovers, The Vacationers and Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures, and the short story col...
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Ep. 242: Jennifer Craven on How to Get the Words On the Page from 2021-06-11T07:01:45
Jennifer Craven is the author of "A Long Way From Blair Street" and "All That Shines and Whispers," both works of historical fiction. In addition to her novels, she ha...
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Ep. 241: Ilana Masad on How to Chase Emotional Obsession from 2021-06-04T07:01:52
Ilana Masad is a fiction writer, essayist, and book critic whose work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washi...
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Ep. 240: Kathryn Nicolai on Focusing on the Good in Life and Writing from 2021-05-27T23:25:24
Kathryn Nicolai is the creator of the enormously successful podcast Nothing Much Happens and the ...
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Ep. 239: Kirsty Capes on Using Tips from Screenwriters to Write Novels from 2021-05-21T07:01:25
Kirsty Capes works in publishing and, as a care leaver, is an advocate for better representation for care-experienced people in the media. She recently completed her PhD which investigates femal...
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Ep. 238: Meghan Scott Molin on How To Write When Life is Just Too Busy from 2021-05-13T23:44:09
Meghan Scott Molin comes to writing by way of a Masters in Architecture, a minor in Opera, a professional career as a barn manager, and five years crash course as a mother. She currently re...
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Ep. 237: Kristin Beck on How to Shut Up Your Inner Editor from 2021-05-07T20:36:58
Kristin Beck first learned about World War II from her grandmother, who served as a Canadian army nurse, fell in love with an American soldier in Belgium, and married him s...
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Ep. 236: Kathleen West On Deliberately Writing Scenes You Won’t Use from 2021-04-30T07:00:33
Kathleen West's novels, Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes and Are We There Yet?, have been best books picks by Real Simple, Newsweek,
Ep. 235: Nancy Stohlman on Why Writing Short is So Exciting from 2021-04-23T07:00:24
Nancy Stohlman is the author of four books of flash fiction including Madam Velvet’s ...
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Ep: 234: Should I Write a Book Proposal? from 2021-04-19T07:00:31
Bonus mini-episode, brought to you by my mini-coached Patrons! Question include: Should I write a book proposal? What’s fictionalized memoir, anyway? And how can I learn to revise my boo...
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Ep: 233: Why Your Writing Goals Don't Matter That Much! from 2021-04-16T07:00:44
YES, you should have writing goals. But here’s why they don’t (actually) matter that much. And it’s going to blow your mind. Enjoy.
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Ep. 232: Sonya Lalli on Using Romance Beats in Mainstream Fiction from 2021-04-09T07:01:33
Sonya Lalli is a Canadian writer of Indian heritage. She studied law in her hometown of Saskatoon and at Columbia University in New York, and later completed an MA in creat...
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Ep. 231: Deanna Raybourn on Why Being a Writing Magpie is a Great Thing from 2021-04-02T07:01:02
New York Times and USA Today bestselling novelist Deanna Raybourn is a 6th-generation nat...
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Ep. 230: Erika Robuck on the Magic of YouTube Research from 2021-03-26T07:16:45
Erika Robuck is the national bestselling author of Hemingway’s Girl, Call Me Zelda, Fallen Beauty, The House of Hawthorne, an...
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Ep. 229: Chang-rae Lee on Slowing Down While Writing from 2021-03-19T18:55:38
Chang-rae Lee is the author of Native Speaker, winner of the Hemingway Foundation/PEN Award for first fiction, as well as On Such a Full Sea,
Ep. 228: Jasmine Mans on Harnessing Play to Expose the Truth from 2021-03-12T08:01:30
Jasmine Mans is a Black American poet and artist from Newark, New Jersey. She grad...
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Ep. 227: Elly Griffiths on Writing in the Garden from 2021-03-05T08:00:37
Elly Griffiths was born in London in 1963. Her first crime novel The Crossing Places is set on the Norfolk co...
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Ep. 226: What’s a Hybrid Press and What Should I Watch Out For? from 2021-03-01T08:47:53
In this episode, Rachael dives deeply into hybrid presses. What’s the difference between them and assisted self-publishing? Or vanity presses? How can you tell the difference, and most important...
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Ep. 225: What Do You Actually MEAN When You Say to Write Fast and Badly? from 2021-02-26T08:01:03
In this episode, Rachael Herron answers questions from her Patreon supporters. What does a crappy draft actually look like, for real? Also, we talk about making sure stories move forward in a re...
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Ep. 224: Abigail Dean on Writing (Very Deliciously) Dark from 2021-02-19T08:01:58
How do you write dark? Like, REALLY dark? Abigail Dean tells us.
Abigail Dean works as a lawyer for Google, and before that was a bookseller. She lives in London, and is working on he...
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Ep. 223: Janna Ruth on Transforming Trauma into Art from 2021-02-12T08:01:19
In 2016, Janna Ruth's plans for the new year was one submission to an agent. By the end of the ...
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Ep. 222: Lisa Gardner on How To Keep Moving Forward With Your Story from 2021-02-05T08:01:03
Lisa Gardner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twe...
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Ep. 221: How Do I Even START Writing My Book? Bonus Episode from 2021-02-05T00:44:46
In this bonus miniepisode, Rachael talks about how to start writing your book when it’s all you want to do and you’re still not doing it. Also: how to lay groundwork in a first novel in a series...
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Ep. 220: Rachel Lynn Solomon on Speeding up the Slow and Slowing Down the Fast from 2021-01-29T08:01:25
Rachel Lynn Solomon writes, tap dances, and collects red lipstick in Seattle, Washington. She is t...
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Ep. 219: Ashley Audrain on Getting Work Done During Lockdown from 2021-01-22T08:01:29
Ashley Audrain previously worked as the publicity director of Penguin Books Canada. Prior to Penguin, she worked in public relations. She lives in Toronto, where she a...
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Ep. 218: Ricardo Fayet on Finding the Perfect Editor from 2021-01-15T08:01:30
Ricardo Fayet is one of the four founders of Reedsy, a marketplace connecting authors to the wor...
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Ep: 217: Show Me the Money, 2020 Edition from 2021-01-08T08:01:20
Every year, Rachael Herron talks you through what she made over the previous year and how she made it because she firmly believes there’s not enough transparency in publishing. ...
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Ep. 216: Heid E. Erdrich on Writing Poetry in the Dark from 2021-01-07T19:51:54
Heid E. Erdrich is the author of seven collections of poetry. Her writing has won fellowships and awards from the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, the McKnight Fou...
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Ep. 215: Jeff Elkins on Making Dialogue Really WORK in Your Book! from 2020-12-18T08:01:52
Jeff Elkins is the author of twelve novels and leads the writing team for an innovative techn...
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Ep. 214: Bonnie Tsui on Finding Flow in Writing (and in the Water) from 2020-12-11T08:01:18
Bonnie Tsui is a journalist and longtime contributor to The New York Times. She is the author...
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Ep. 213: Melissa Storm on Writing with OCD from 2020-12-04T08:01:37
Melissa Storm is a New York Times and multiple USA Today bestselling author of Women’s Fiction, Inspirational Romance, and Cozy Mysteries. Despite an intense, lifelong desire to...
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Ep. 212: Bryan Washington on How Much Setting Matters from 2020-11-27T08:01:21
Bryan Washington is a National Book Award 5 Under 35 honoree, and winner of the Dylan Thomas Prize, the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence, and The New York Times Public Library Youn...
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Ep. 211: How to Write Dialogue for Characters Very Unlike Yourself from 2020-11-25T20:08:08
In this mini-episode, Rachael Herron answers how to write dialogue for characters who aren’t like you at all, as well as how to breathe life into an old, almost-dead book, and what the heck is t...
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Ep. 210: Pam Rosenthal on Not Letting the Page Know You’re Afraid from 2020-11-20T08:01:46
Pam Rosenthal has written award-winning sexy historical romance and award-winning brainy BDSM erotica, as well as occasional essays and reviews for Salon.com, the SF Chronicle, Dearauthor.com, a...
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Ep. 209: Matt Haig on Literally Writing the Multiverse from 2020-11-13T08:01:13
Matt Haig is the author of the internationally bestselling memoir Reasons to Stay Alive and Notes on a Nervous Planet, along with six novels, including How To Stop Tim...
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Ep. 208: CJ Cooke on the Thrills of Contemporary Gothic Horror from 2020-11-06T08:01:19
C. J. Cooke is an award-winning poet and novelist published in twenty-three languages. She ...
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Ep. 207: Donna Baier Stein’s Surprising Tip for Getting Into the Voice of a Character from 2020-10-30T07:01:19
Donna Baier Stein is the author of The Silver Baron's Wife (PEN/New England...
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Ep. 206: Do You Need a Writing Mentor? Or a Pen Name? from 2020-10-29T23:34:05
Rachael Herron tackles some difficult questions in this mini episode: Do you need a writing mentor? Or ...
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Ep. 204: Vicki Pettersson on How Yoga Helps Her Write Lots of Books from 2020-10-23T18:52:05
Vicki Pettersson is a NYT & USA Today bestseller of ten traditionally published novels - 9 fantasies and 1 really mean cat-and-mouse thriller - and she's a Las Vegas native who wor...
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Ep. 205: Kati Gardner on Planning for Writers from 2020-10-23T07:01:17
Kati Gardner is a recovering actor, wife, and mom. She is a childhood cancer survivor and amputee...
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Ep. 203: Alexis Henderson on How To Write Books, Not Just Beginnings from 2020-10-02T18:00:26
Alexis Henderson is a speculative fiction writer with a penchant for dark fantasy, witchcraft, and cosmic horror. Her debut novel is Listen
Ep. 202: Anjanette Delgado on the Magic of Preproduction in Novel Writing from 2020-09-24T23:28:17
Anjanette Delgado is a Puerto Rican writer and journalist. She is the author of The Hear...
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Ep. 201: How Do You Know When You're Overcomplicating Your Book? from 2020-09-23T19:10:17
Bonus mini-episode, brought to you by my Patrons at the $5+ levels!
Including:
- Will I lose the humor in my dark comedy if I move to thriller?
- How shoul... Listen
Ep. 200: Edward Giordano Helps Rachael Celebrate 200 Episodes! from 2020-09-18T07:01:57
Edward Giordano is a Science Fiction & Fantasy author, podcaster, curler, off-key singer, pop musi...
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Ep. 199: Becca Syme on Maximizing Your Strengths as a Writer from 2020-09-11T07:01:07
R.L. Syme is a USA Today best-selling author of small-town romance and cozy mystery. She writes small-town romance as Becca Boyd and cozy culinary mysteries as R.L. Syme.Listen
Ep. 198: Joshua Bennett on Making Sure There's Blood in Your Writing from 2020-09-04T07:01:29
Poet, performer, and scholar Joshua Bennett is the author of the just released...
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Ep. 197: Can I Write a Main Character Outside my Race? from 2020-08-28T07:01:13
Today in this mini-episode, Rachael talks about whether it’s a good idea to write outside your race, as well as what to do when you’re bored stiff by your own book. And what about virtual retrea...
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Ep. 196: Lan and Harlan Margaret Van Cao on Co-Writing their Mother-Daughter Memoir from 2020-08-21T07:01
Lan Cao is the author of Monkey Bridge and The Lotus and the Storm, and most recently of the scholarly work Culture in Law&nb...
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Ep.195: Ivuoma Okoro on Changing Forms to Get Better at Plotting from 2020-08-14T07:01:01
Ivuoma Okoro is the writer, producer, and performer of the narrative fiction podcast Listen
Ep. 194: Should You Hire an Editor Before Submitting Queries to Agents? from 2020-08-12T23:55:49
In this bonus episode, Rachael answers your questions, including:
- Should you hire an editor before sending out agent queries?
- What are some great memoirs and why s... Listen
Ep. 193: Vikram Chandra on a New App to Keep Your Writing Organized from 2020-08-07T07:01:28
Vikram Chandra’s latest book is Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty. He has also written t...
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Ep. 192: KJ Dell'Antonia on Dissecting Other Writing to Improve Your Own from 2020-07-31T12:00:41
KJ Dell’Antonia is the author of the viral New York Times essay Listen
Ep. 191: How Do You Keep From Getting Distracted While Writing? from 2020-07-24T12:00:40
Miniepisode with Rachael! How do you keep writing when your brain won’t sit still? Also, would you recommend Scribe? What about those sites that promise to promote your book for...
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Ep. 190: Anthony Moore on Capturing Ideas as they Arrive from 2020-07-17T12:00:53
Anthony Moore is an author, speaker, and one of the top 100 writers on the entire Medium.com platform. In the past 3 years, he’s gone from virtually zero readers, subscribers, a...
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Ep. 189: Steven Rowley on When You Get To Call Yourself A Writer from 2020-07-10T12:00:21
Steven Rowley is the author of The Editor and the national bestseller Lily and the O...
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Ep. 188: Elizabeth Kay on Taking Off Her Editor’s Hat to Write a Bestseller from 2020-07-03T12:00:27
Elizabeth Kay works in the publishing industry under a different name. She lives in London and has a first-class degree in English literature.
How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the pro...
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Ep. 187: Eddie King on Why There’s No Right Way of Writing from 2020-06-26T12:00:17
Eddie King is an author, screenwriter, and television presenter. Born and raised in Hampstead, Lon...
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Ep. 186: Ines Johnson on Wanting More After Finding Success from 2020-06-19T12:00:56
Lover of fairytales, folklore, and mythology, Ines Johnson spends her days reimagining the storie...
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Ep. 185: Should I Look for an Agent for my Debut or Self-Publish It? (Bonus! How To Be an Anti-Racist) from 2020-06-12T23:44:51
Ep. 185: Should I Look for an Agent for my Debut or Self-Publish It? (Bonus! How To Be an Anti-Racist)
Rachael answers Tuomas's question about what to do when you want to be a hybrid a...
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Ep. 184: Should You Build a Mailing List While Still Writing Your First Book? from 2020-05-29T18:12:46
Should you build a mailing list or reader following while you're still working on your first book? How do you find a community of writers? (Hint, join my Slack channel, link bel...
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Ep. 183: Jennie Nash on Harnessing the Power of Jealousy from 2020-05-22T12:00:13
Jennie Nash is the founder of Author Accelerator, a business that has trained more than 50 book coaches to...
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Ep. 182: How to Allow Yourself to Suck and Fix it Later from 2020-05-15T12:00:54
Ep. 182 Miniepisode: How to Allow Yourself to Suck and Fix it Later
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Ep. 178: Jennifer Louden on Why Bother from 2020-04-24T12:00:31
JENNIFER LOUDEN is a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the concept of self-care with her first...
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Ep. 177: How to do Revision Passes to Save Your Sanity from 2020-04-17T12:00:32
How to do Revision Passes to Save Your Sanity
Rachael Says Write! JOIN HERE! Listen
Ep. 176: Katie Forrest on Time Management for Writers During a Crisis from 2020-04-10T20:14:54
Katie Forrest is the author of Time Management for Writers, a tried and tested system th...
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Ep. 175: Mini-Episode - How to Keep Going from 2020-04-03T12:00:38
Ep. 175: Mini-Episode - How to Keep Going
See ac...
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Ep. 174: Rachael on Getting Your Writing Done When Life is Distracting from 2020-03-20T12:00:56
Ep. 174: Rachael on Getting Your Writing Done When Life is Distracting
Crazy times call for crazy (or totally sensible, whatever) solutions.
The Roost laptop holder (way more exp...
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Ep. 173: Chanel Cleeton on Planning Life vs. Planning a Book from 2020-03-13T12:00:58
Chanel Cleeton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick Next Year ...
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Ep. 172: Tara East on Interviewing as a Superpower for Writing from 2020-03-06T13:00:22
Tara East has four degrees in communications and is currently completing her docto...
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Ep. 171: What To Do With a Revision Letter (and where are the memoirists?) Bonus MiniEpisode from 2020-03-02T19:39
Ep. 171: What To Do With a Revision Letter (and where are the memoirists?) Bonus Mini-Episode!
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Ep. 169: Juliet Blackwell on Getting the Words on the Page from 2020-02-21T13:00:55
Juliet Blackwell is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels based in France, including Listen
Ep. 168: Tommy Arnold and Micah Epstein on the Fascinating Similarities Between Visual Artists and Writers from 2020-02-07T18:31:49
TOMMY ARNOLD: Tommy Arnold is a digital illustrator whose work showcases the athleticism, prowess, and power of the human figure in fantastic and futuristic settings. He do...
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Ep. 167: Podcasts I Love - Bonus Mini-episode from 2020-02-04T16:17:27
Rachael took a flight and listened to three podcast that may change the whole way she lives (and she loves that!). She shares them here.
Ep. 166: Nancy Richardson Fischer Share the BEST Tip for Ensuring Scene Flow from 2020-01-31T13:00:14
Nancy Richardson Fischer is the author of two YA novels, When Elephants Fly, and The Speed of Falling Objects, which published in October 2019. She’s also written multiple ...
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Ep. 165: How Do You Start Your Own Writing Group? Bonus mini-episode! from 2020-01-21T21:58:30
Say you want out of a certain writer’s organization (cough cough). How would you go about starting one? What do you need to consider? This week's mini-episode tells you how to start! (No Frida...
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Ep. 164: Aime Austin on Avoiding Headhopping in Fiction from 2020-01-17T13:00:32
Aime Austin is the author of the Casey Cort Crime Fiction Series. Casey is almost always in trouble. Ai...
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Ep. 163: How to Start Novel Revision & How to Avoid Shiny New Object Syndrome - Bonus Mini-episode! from 2020-01-16T02:01:14
Just how do you start to think about revising your book? And what if you’re being carried away with shiny new thoughts every time you turn around? Here’s what to do!
Ep. 162: Show Me The Money, 2019 Edition from 2020-01-10T10:00:12
Rachael talks about not only how much she made in 2019, but how authors need to be thinking about their finances, and gives recommendations on how to start today to fix your financial situ...
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Ep. 161: Rachael on the RWA Debacle from 2020-01-01T02:38:08
Rachael shares her personal opinions on what happened with the RWA implosion, and what has to happen next.
Mentioned: Listen
Ep. 160: How Do You Use Tarot as Tool for Writing Even if You’re Non-Woo-woo? Bonus episode! from 2019-12-27T01:57:34
Rachael talks about how she uses her tarot decks to uncover her own subconscious knowledge, and how you can, too
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Ep. 159: Steff Green on Writing Prolifically and Joyfully from 2019-12-20T16:46:15
Steff Green is a USA Today bestselling author of the paranormal, gothic, dark, and fantastical. Steff received ...
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Ep. 158: Should You Plan to Self-Publish AND Seek Agent Representation? And Are Retreats for Introverts? Bonus Episode from 2019-12-19T01:48
Ep. 158: Should You Plan to Self-Publish AND Seek Agent Representation? And Are Retreats for Introverts? Bonus Episode
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Ep. 157: Daniel Willcocks on Writing Fast and Getting into Flow from 2019-12-13T13:00:16
Daniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author and podcaster of dark fiction. He is one quarter of digita...
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Ep. 156: Jeremy Spillman on Taking Nashville Songwriting to a Novel from 2019-12-06T13:00:45
Kentucky born and bred, Jeremy Spillman moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue his dream of success as a songwriter at 24. It would be five years before he landed his first cut...
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Ep. 155: Blog vs. Memoir and Couch to 5k for Writing - Bonus Episode from 2019-12-05T00:24:27
Ep. 155: Blog vs. Memoir and Couch to 5k for Writing - Bonus Episode
How do you decide if writing a blog is for you if you're writing memoir? Are blogs even still a thing? And how do y...
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Ep. 154: How Do You Keep Writing When No One is Reading You Yet? Bonus Mini-Episode from 2019-11-28T00:50:39
How Do You Keep Writing When No One is Reading You Yet? Bonus Mini-Episode
Yeah, writing alone while you're unpublished is so difficult. How do you keep your spirits u...
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Ep. 153: Marianne Power on Writing Truth and Shame in Memoir from 2019-11-22T13:00:07
Marianne Power is a writer and journalist who lives in London. Her first book, Help Me: How self-help did NOT change my life,, is about a year long quest to change her life by f...
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Ep. 152: NaNoWriMo Crash - Bonus Episode from 2019-11-20T16:57:31
What if your NaNoWriMo novel (or any of your writing) is crashing? Does it mean you should give up writing and get a job in finance? Or move to Antarctica where there are no writing devices at a...
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Ep. 150: Shamim Sarif on Marrying Characters to Plot, Organically from 2019-11-15T13:00:16
As an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and film director, Shamim Sarif has built a career on creating powerful female...
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Ep. 151: Rachael on How to Start Sentences, How to Word Sprint, and Taking on Draft Passes (Mini-Episode) from 2019-11-15T00:21:37
How Do You Write BONUS EPISODE: This mini-episode brought to you by $5 and up Patreons. You too can use me as a writing coach on retainer - join here! http://patreon.com/rachael
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Ep. 147: Amy Rigby on Memoir Writing, Songwriting, and Tending Bar from 2019-10-11T12:00:29
AMY RIGBY is a songwriter, musician and performer. Her most recent album The Old Guys was voted one of the top 100 albums ...
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Ep. 146: Jennifer Loudon on Writing and Your Emotional Immune System from 2019-10-04T12:00:49
Jennifer Louden is a personal growth pioneer who helped launch the concept of self-care with her first b...
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Ep. 145: J.L. Brown on Finding Your Own Voice as a Writer from 2019-09-27T12:00:58
J. L. Brown is the author of the Jade Harrington novels, Don’t Speak, Rule of Law, and The Divide, and the short story, Few Are Chosen. She lives with...
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Ep. 144: Katie Forrest on Character Quirks from 2019-09-20T12:00:20
Katie Forrest is an indie author who writes fiction under two pen names and writes on time management for authors, and mor...
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Ep. 143: Abdi Nazemian on Being in a TV Writers' Room from 2019-09-13T12:00:19
Abdi Nazemian is the author of Like a Love Story and Listen
Ep. 142: Lamar Giles and His Brilliant Dialogue Craft Tip from 2019-09-06T12:00:41
Lamar Giles writes novels and short stories for teens and adults. He is the author of the Edgar Aw...
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Ep. 141: Samantha Downing on 10 Years to Overnight Success from 2019-08-30T12:00:17
Samantha Downing is the author of the USA Today and #1 International Best Seller, Listen
Ep. 140: Mindy McGinnis on Creating a Snow Globe of Writing Efficiency from 2019-08-23T12:00:14
Mindy McGinnis is an Edgar Award-winning novelist who writes across multiple genres, including post-apocalyptic, hist...
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Ep. 139: Alexandra Villasante on Staying Connected to Your Characters from 2019-08-02T12:00:08
Alexandra Villasante has always loved telling stories—though not always with words. She has a BFA in Painting and ...
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Ep. 138: Hannah Shaw on Writing Your Passion (and Kittens!) from 2019-07-26T04:51:51
Hannah Shaw is an award-winning kitten rescuer, humane educator, and unwavering animal advocate who has dedicated her life to protecting the tiniest and most vulnerable felines....
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Ep. 137: M.G. Hennessey on When Not to Revise from 2019-07-19T15:21:27
M.G. Hennessey loves Star Wars, the San Francisco Giants, strawberry ice cream, and dancing. She mentors teens at the ...
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Ep. 136: Aileen Erin on The Second Act from 2019-06-28T12:00:28
USA Today Bestselling author Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd—from Star Wars (prequels d...
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Ep. 135: Aime McNee on the Joy of Writing Community from 2019-06-21T12:00:37
Amie McNee is a writer, speaker and a mentor who writes 16th century historical fiction. Using her medieval degree, which specialised in sex culture, her stories explore the pow...
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Ep. 134: Ella Barnard on Connecting With Readers from 2019-06-07T23:48:08
Ella Barnard works with writers who are ready to become authors. She is the host of the Author Like a Boss podcast and owners o...
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Ep. 133: Jill Hedgecock on Using a Muse Board from 2019-05-31T23:51:01
Jill Hedgecock is an award-winning and internationally-published author. She writes book review columns for both Books ‘...
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Ep. 132: Julie Schooler on Finding Your Writing Sparkle from 2019-05-24T12:00:38
Julie Schooler is an author of 7 books and mama of 2 beautiful tiny humans. Her Easy Peasy books provid...
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Ep. 131: Rachael on How to Write Your Book in 90 Days! from 2019-05-17T17:25:44
Rachael Herron is a huge believer in writing fast so that you get a product that you can revise into the book of...
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Ep. 130: Barbara Poelle on What an Agent Looks For from 2019-05-10T12:00:37
Barbara Poelle began her publishing career as a freelance copywriter and editor before joining the Goodman Agency in 20...
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Ep. 129: Nancy Warren from 2019-05-03T12:00:41
Nancy Warren is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than seventy novels in romance and cozy mystery. Her current series is called T...
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Ep. 128: Beth Barany on the Importance of Play in Writing from 2019-04-05T18:27:40
Beth Barany is an award-winning novelist, master neuro-linguistic programming practitioner, and certified creativity coach fo...
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Ep. 127: W.L. Hawkin on the Magic of Writing from 2019-03-29T12:00:41
W. L. Hawkin writes “edgy urban fantasy with a twist of murder.” Her Hollystone Mysteries series features a coven of Vancouver witches who solve murders using their wits and rit...
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Ep. 126: Hank Phillipi Ryan on How to Keep Pacing Tight from 2019-03-22T12:00:55
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN is on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, winning 34 EMMYs and dozens more journalism honors. The nationally bestselling author of 11 mysteries,...
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Ep. 125: Valerie Francis on Genre Conventions from 2019-03-15T12:00:32
Valerie Francis is an author and Certified Story Grid Editor. She has published fiction for both women (love stories for busy women) and children (middle grade fantasy), and is ...
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Ep. 124: Lara Zielin on How To Write A Better Story for Your Life from 2019-03-08T13:00:14
Are you ready to write a better story for yourself? Author Your Life is the oh-heck-yeah transformation that can happen when you literally put pen to paper and write the life you want to have. <...
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Ep. 123: Tricia Bruce on Not Shying Away from the Hard Stuff from 2019-03-01T13:00:48
Tricia Bruce, Ph.D. is an accomplished sociologist of religion and award-winning author. Her work intersects the sociological and cultural implications of religion, social chang...
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Ep. 122: Katrin Schumann on Finding the Moment of Bliss in Writing from 2019-02-22T13:00:29
Katrin Schumann is the author of the novel, The Forgotten Hours, and numerous nonfiction books. She has been awarded fiction reside...
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Ep. 121: Dharma Kelleher on the Pain and Pleasure of Process from 2019-02-15T13:00:35
As one of the few transgender authors in crime fiction, Dharma Kelleher writes gritty novels with a progressive bent, including the Jinx Ballou bounty hunter series and the Shea...
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Ep. 120: Carter Wilson on Upping the Pace from 2019-02-08T16:03:02
USA Today and #1 Denver Post bestselling author Carter Wilson has written five critically acclaimed, standalone psychological thrillers, as well as numerous short...
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Ep. 119: Win Charles is Delightful from 2019-02-01T17:19:18
Born with Cerebral Palsy, Win Charles has defied the odds by becoming an author. Her memoir I, Win is an amazing s...
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Ep. 118: Eve O. Schaub on Finding the Time To Write the Truth from 2019-01-18T13:00:40
Serial memoirist Eve O. Schaub lives with her family in Vermont and enjoys performing experiments on them so she can write about it. During 2011 Eve wrote a blog about her famil...
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Ep. 117: Barbara Samuel on Finding and Keeping Inspiration from 2019-01-11T13:00:50
Barbara Samuel (also known as Barbara O’Neal) is the bestselling author of more than 40 books. In 2012, she was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall Of Fame, and sh...
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Ep. 116: Rachael’s 2018 Recap (The Money Episode) from 2019-01-07T17:43:57
As is her annual tradition, Rachael breaks down the money she made and how she made it. 2018 was her best year yet as a self-employed writer for more reasons than just writing. ...
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Ep. 115: Jim Heskett on Juggling the Writer’s Life from 2018-12-28T23:33:45
Jim Heskett was born in the wilds of Oklahoma, raised by a pack of wolves with a station wagon ...
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Ep. 114: Rachael reads Alexis Bonogofsky from 2018-12-21T19:15:47
Alexis Bonogofsky is a fourth-generation Montanan, community organizer, goat and sheep rancher, and freelance writer and photographer...
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Ep. 113: Rachael on Facebook Live from 2018-12-14T23:59:21
Rachael answers questions about the writing life, including a really hard one - what can you do when a significant other breaks your writing heart?
How Do You Write Podcast: Expl...
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Ep. 112: Tasha L. Harrison on Keeping a Writing Journal from 2018-12-07T13:00:10
Tasha L. Harrison is a romance and erotica author, freelance editor, and creative entrepreneur who is dedicated to help...
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Ep. 111: Kristen Lepionka from 2018-11-30T17:53
Kristen Lepionka is the Shamus Award-winning author of the Roxane...
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Ep. 110: Marion Roach Smith from 2018-11-24T02:11:24
Marion Roach Smith is the author of four mass-market books. A former staffer at The New York Times Listen
Ep. 109: Sophie Littlefield, Finally! from 2018-11-16T13:00:04
Called a “writing machine” by the New York Times and a “master storyteller” by the Midwest Book Review, Sophie Littlefield has writte...
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Ep. 108: Rachael on Revision from 2018-11-09T13:00:32
In this week’s episode, Rachael talks about revision in the form of a free chapter from her book, Fast-Draft Your Memoir. Learn all her tips and t...
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Ep. 107: Carly Gelsinger from 2018-11-01T12:00:11
Carly Gelsinger lives in the Bay Area with her husband and two (soon to be three!) daughters. She teaches memoir and loves helping peopl...
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Ep. 106: Alanna Okun from 2018-10-19T12:00:33
Alanna Okun is a senior editor at Vox.com and the author of The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater, an essay collection about crafting available now from Flatiron/Macmillan. Her writing has been pub...
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Ep. 105: Jessica Strawser from 2018-10-12T12:00:58
Jessica Strawser is editor-at-large at Writer’s Digest, wh...
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Ep. 104: Kilby Blades on Getting it All Done from 2018-09-21T12:00:22
Kilby Blades is a multi-award-winning author of smart, contemporary romantic fiction. A digital marketer by day, by ni...
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Ep. 103: Clare Lydon on the Freedom Found in the Writer’s Life from 2018-09-13T18:06:33
Clare Lydon is a London-based writer of contemporary lesbian romance. She’s a No.1 best-seller on lesbian fiction charts around the globe...
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Ep. 102: Writing Q&A with Rachael from 2018-08-31T12:00:16
Rachael takes questions from listeners on all aspects of writing - when should you leave your day job? When should you hire an editor? Does having a big social media platform really matter? Shou...
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Ep. 101: Rachael Talks About a Little Bit of Everything from 2018-08-24T12:00:31
Today, Rachael shares the latest personal news, as well as her first Facebook Live, in which readers and writers peppered her with questions about all aspects of life. Enjoy!
Ep. 100: Orna Ross on Capturing and Keeping Inspiration from 2018-08-17T12:00:54
Orna Ross is an award winning novelist, poet, creative facilitator and self-publishing advocate. She is Founder-Director of the Listen
Ep. 099: Laura Morelli on Writing Historical Fiction and How to Take Care of Yourself as a Writer from 2018-08-03T18:32:55
Laura Morelli is a hybrid author of fiction and non-fiction. She holds a Ph.D. in art history from Yale University and has...
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Ep. 098: Toby Neal is Completely Inspiring from 2018-07-28T02:24:19
Toby Neal was born to hippie surfer parents and grew up on Kauai in Hawaii. She read at four; wrote and illustrated her first story at five. Holding de...
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Ep. 097: Rose Lerner on the Rush of Being in the Flow of Writing from 2018-07-21T01:34:23
Rose Lerner discovered Georgette Heyer when she was thirteen, and wrote her first historical romance a few years later. Her writing has improved since then, but her fascination with all things R...
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Ep. 096: Kirsty Logan Talks About Doing What We Like from 2018-07-14T00:41:08
Kirsty Logan is a fiction writer, book reviewer, freelance editor, and writing mentor for WoMentoring. She also volunteers at Oxfam Books. She’s had four books published, two no...
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Ep. 095: Rachael’s Mid-Year Update from 2018-07-06T23:28:18
Rachael talks about how the first six months of 2018 have shaped-up, career-wise, and she discusses the most exciting things that have occurred. She hasn’t gotten as much writing done as she wou...
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Ep. 094: Leesa Renee Hall on Writing Half a Million words in 365 Consecutive Days from 2018-06-29T12:00:09
Leesa Renee Hall is an author, facilitator, social historian, and creative word artist. After writing half a million words over 365 consecutive days, Leesa helps spiritual leade...
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Ep. 093: Jeffrey Foucault on Writing a Lot of Sentences to Achieve Clarity from 2018-06-22T12:00:26
Singer-songwriter Jeffrey Foucault talks about being simple and clear in your writing in order to find your own voice.
Jeffrey Foucault is an Am...
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Ep. 92: Brenda Wilhelmson on Saying Yes from 2018-06-15T12:00:44
Brenda Wilhelmson talks about saying yes and opening the door to opportunity when there's no good reason not to.
Journalist-turned-memoirist Wilhelmson won an IP...
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Ep. 091: R.L. Merrill Talks Facing Conflict with Characters from 2018-06-15T00:45:32
Once upon a time... A teacher, tattoo collector, mom, and rock 'n' roll kinda gal opened up a doc and starting purging her demons. Several self-published books and a debut gay romance with Dream...
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Ep. 090: E.J. Russell on Shifting into the Right Brain from 2018-06-01T09:00
E.J. Russell–-grace, mother of three, recovering actor–-writes romance in a rainbow of flavors. Count on high snark, low angst and happy endings. Reality? Eh, not so much. E.J. lives in rural Or...
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Ep. 089: Emilia Zeeland Talks Character Building from 2018-05-25T09:00
Emilia Zeeland talks about batch writing, how to brainstorm story when you're stuck, and character building on this episode.
Emilia Zeeland is a Young Adult sci-fi writer and author of Th...
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Ep. 088: Nathan Van Coops on Finding the Writer's Hook from 2018-05-18T19:23:02
Nathan Van Coops talks tacos, time travel, and finding his hook as a writer.
Nathan Van Coops lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, on a diet comprised mainly of tacos. He enjoys old planes, ...
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Ep. 087: Adrienne Bell, Plot MD from 2018-05-11T09:00
Adrienne Bell, Plot MD, is the master of structure.
Adrienne Bell is the author of over a dozen action-packed romances including the bestselling contemporary Second Service series and the...
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Ep. 086: Tessa Dare is Awesome from 2018-05-05T13:44:48
Tessa Dare talks to Rachael about being her own stenographer.
Tessa is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of fourteen historical romance novels and five novellas. Her boo...
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Ep. 085: Rachael Herron Talks About Addiction from 2018-04-27T09:00
Newly sober and happy about it, Rachael shares openly about what got her to stop drinking. This isn’t your normal writing podcast - instead, today’s episode is about honesty and what that means ...
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Ep. 084: Nikki Woolfolk from 2018-04-06T19:44:37
Nikki Woolfolk is a Professional Chocolatier, Author and active member of Sister in Crime, Romance Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America. Nikki enjoys pulling readers into a humor-fi...
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Ep. 083: Priscilla Oliveras from 2018-03-30T19:43:56
PRISCILLA OLIVERAS writes sweet contemporary romance with a Latinx flavor. Proud of her Puerto Rican-Mexican heritage, she strives to bring authenticity to her novels by sharing her Latinx cultu...
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Ep. 082: Nina MacLaughlin on Wood and Words from 2018-03-23T15:54:50
Nina MacLaughlin grew up in Massachusetts. She earned a B.A. in English and Classical Studies from the University of Pennsylvania, then worked for about eight years at the Boston Phoenix, the aw...
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Ep. 081: Morgan Daimler from 2018-03-17T11:24:58
Morgan Daimler is the author of more than 2 dozen non-fiction and fiction books focusing on Irish Mythology and paganism, has been published in a variety of different magazines and journals, and...
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Ep. 080: Jill Baguchinsky on Being Fearless from 2018-03-09T10:00
Jill Baguchinsky remembers staring down the bones of prehistoric beasts during a trip to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City when she was six. That visit spurred a lifelong f...
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Ep. 079: RJ Theodore is Simply Delightful from 2018-03-02T10:00
Rekka, who writes as R J Theodore, is a multi-talented creative from New England. By day she is a graphic designer, and by the pre-dawn light she works on her Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Steam...
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Ep. 078: Robyn Kelly Talks About Being a Man in a Woman's World from 2018-02-23T10:00
Rob Kellet, writing as Robyn Kelly, talks to Rachael about imposter syndrom, the worst advice he ever got from Rachael, and about the joy of revision.
Rob Kellett is the self-published a...
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Ep. 077: Alex Courcier on the Future of Writing from 2018-02-16T10:00
In this episode, the tables are turned on Rachael as she gives an informational interview to Alex Courcier, an upcoming and inspiring 21-year-old writer. Enjoy!
Ep. 075: Joanna Penn talks about The Healthy Writer from 2018-02-02T10:00
With her coauthor, Dr. Euan Lawson, Joanna Penn has just come out with a new book on living the writer’s life healthily - enjoy!
Joanna Penn is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling ...
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Ep. 074: Alex Dolan on Crafting Characters from 2018-01-26T10:00
Alex Dolan talks about the nature of media consumption and how it's reflected in today's prose.
Alex Dolan is the author of THE EUTHANIST and THE EMPRESS OF TEMPERA. He is also the host o...
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Ep. 073: Fábio M. Barreto on Overcoming the Fear of Finding the Best Words from 2018-01-19T10:00
Fábio M. Barreto talks about translation, writing in English, and how he sold the very first novel he ever wrote.
Fábio M. Barreto is a fiction and science fiction author and translator. ...
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Ep. 072: Rachael on 2017 Achievements (and Failures) and 2018 Goals from 2018-01-05T10:00
2017: The Ups and Downs
In this episode, Rachael Herron goes over all her 2017 achievements and ALSO all her failures! She talks about money, what she made and how she made it because she...
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Ep. 071: Zach Bohannon on Getting Out of the Writing Chair Occasionally from 2017-12-15T00:31:50
Zach Bohannon talks about cowriting, the new Scrivener, launch plans and mailing lists.
Zach is a horror, science fiction, and fantasy author. His breakout post-apocalyptic zombie series,...
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Ep. 070: Liz Fenton on Authoring Books with Her Best Friend from 2017-12-08T10:00
Liz Fenton talks about writing novels with her best friend and how to be careful about becoming too emotionally attached to your writing.
Liz has written four novels, including THE GOOD W...
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Ep. 069: Jeff and Will on Sharing a Podcast and Writing and Life from 2017-12-01T20:01:09
Jeff Adams and Will Knauss talk about not fearing your editor and various methods to deal with self-doubt and resistance.
Jeff and Will are husbands, authors and podcasters based in North...
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Ep. 068: Antonia Murphy on Humor and Truth in Memoir from 2017-11-17T10:00
Antonia Murphy talks about her memoir, Dirty Chick, and various gross things that happen on a farm that might kill you. Antonia is the founder and director of The Bach (rhymes with "catch,") an ...
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Ep. 067: Lorena Hughes On Trusting Yourself as a Writer from 2017-11-10T10:00
In this episode, Lorena Hughes talks about finding your own truth and determining what’s right for your writing by listening to yourself.
Lorena was born and raised in Ecuador until movin...
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Ep. 066: Veronica Wolff on Remembering What You Love from 2017-11-03T09:00
Bestselling author Veronica Wolff talks about finding your writing community, about treadmill desks, and about how to remember what you love about the project you’re writing right now.
Ve...
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Ep. 065: Michelle Spiva on How to Grab Your Reader Instantly from 2017-10-27T09:00
In this episode, the amazing Michelle Spiva shares the 5 essential things she does to make sure her books are the ultimate page turners.
Define, harness, and propel your unique creative b...
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Ep. 064: Chloe Adler on Not Limiting Yourself in Your Writing from 2017-10-20T00:37:27
Chloe Adler talks about changing tastes in writing (and avocados), keeping it fresh, and not limiting yourself in your writing.
Chloe Adler lives in foggy Northern California under an ass...
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Ep. 063: Ryan J. Pelton on Why Editing as You Go Can Be a Viable Option from 2017-10-12T23:38:29
Ryan J. Pelton talks about revising as you go (at which Rachael gasps) and what it means to be a Hard Hat Creative.
Ryan is a pastor, writer, and founder of Rock House Publishing. Ryan ha...
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Ep. 062: Donika Kelly on How to Bring Physicality Into Your Work from 2017-10-06T09:00
Donika Kelly is a delightful ball of energy who is more prone to stability when it comes to her writing than any cliched poet’s angst, and it’s lovely to listen to her talk about how she stays i...
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Ep. 061: Olivia Dunn on What it Means to Do Two More Drafts from 2017-09-28T09:00
Olivia Dunn talks to Rachael Herron about the best and worst writing advice she ever got (which turns out to the be the same thing, on writing two more drafts) on this episode of How Do You Writ...
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Ep. 060: Rachael Herron with 3 Writing Tips You've Never Heard Before from 2017-09-12T01:01:18
Rachael Herron gives 3 tips to help you get to the page, daily. These are tips she doesn't see many other people talking about, and she wants to share them with you. Listen or watch now!
...
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Ep. 059: Amy Bernhard On Getting a Little Uncomfortable with Our Writing (While Still Finding Joy) from 2017-09-01T18:53:22
Amy Bernhard talks about finding the new joy in the process of writing and about putting ourselves in situations in which we feel a little uncomfortable, in order to have something new to write ...
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Ep. 058: Karen Dionne on Not Being Afraid to Try New Things in Your Writing from 2017-08-26T02:18:28
Karen Dionne talks to Rachael about her FABULOUS new book (Rachael loved it) and what it's like when a writer really has a room of her own (the answer might surprise you!).
Karen Dionne ...
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Ep. 057: Rachael Herron on Why You Should be a Liar and a Thief from 2017-08-17T09:00
Rachael Herron was born to lie — and guess what? It’s a hallmark of many creative types. Turns out, dissembling is actually good for your creative brain. Caught in a lie? Blame your creativity! ...
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Ep. 056: Fiona Maazel on Pushing Yourself In Your Writing from 2017-08-10T09:00
Fiona Maazel is author of the novels A Little More Human (2017), Woke Up Lonely (2013); and Last Last Chance (2008). Maazel is winner of a 2017 Guggenheim Fellowship and the Bard Prize for Ficti...
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Ep. 055: Rachael Johns on Plotting vs Pantsing vs Her Own Method from 2017-07-27T21:13:17
Rachael Johns is an English teacher by trade, a mum 24/7, a chronic arachnophobic, and a writer the rest of the time. She rarely sleeps and never irons. A lover of romance and women’s fiction, R...
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Ep. 054: Alisha Rai on Editing Sex Scenes from 2017-07-13T09:00
Alisha Rai writes hot and emotionally complex contemporary romance novels and is frequently sought as a speaker on topics such as love in the digital age, sex positivity, and inclusive represent...
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Ep. 053: Rachael Wants to Know What Next? from 2017-07-06T19:32:44
In this episode, Rachael takes her birthday week and the midyear to talk about what's next on the horizon and confesses the crime she tried to commit in Canada.
How Do You Write Podcast:...
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Ep 052: Elizabeth Greenwood on Being Bold in Your Writing Career from 2017-06-29T09:00
Elizabeth Greenwood is the author of PLAYING DEAD: A Journey Through the World of Death Fraud, a nonfiction book about people who have faked their deaths. Her writing has appeared in The Believe...
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Erika T. Wurth on Fitting What You’re Writing to the Best Form from 2017-06-22T09:00
Erika T. Wurth’s published works include a novel, Crazy Horse’s Girlfriend and two collections of poetry, Indian Trains and One Thousand Horses Out to Sea. Her collection of short stories, Bucks...
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Ep. 050: Jessica Abel on Working on One Project At a Time from 2017-06-15T09:00
Cartoonist and writer Jessica Abel is the author of Growing Gills, Out on the Wire, La Perdida, and two textbooks about making comics, Drawing Words & Writing Pictures and Mastering Comics. Abel...
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Ep. 049: Sherry Thomas on How to Craft a Character Through Pain from 2017-06-09T04:33:46
Sherry Thomas is one of the most acclaimed historical romance authors writing today, winning the RITA Award two years running, and appearing on innumerable "Best of the Year" lists, including th...
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Ep. 048: Monica Leonelle on Writing Faster with Dictation from 2017-06-01T20:28:12
Monica Leonelle has written over half a million words of fiction spread across several genres and series, most notably her young adult urban fantasy and paranormal romance series, Waters Dark an...
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Ep. 047: Rachael Herron on How She Steals Characters from Real Life from 2017-05-25T09:00
How Do You Write Podcast: Explore the processes of working writers with bestselling author Rachael Herron. Want tips on how to write the book you long to finish? Here you'll gain insight from other...
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Ep. 046 Michelle Gonzales on Not Waiting To Be Found from 2017-05-18T09:00
Punk writer, Michelle Cruz Gonzales is the author of The Spitboy Rule: Tales of a Xicana in a Female Punk Band, a book about her days in the groundbreaking female punk band, Spitboy. Gonzales ha...
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Ep. 045: Sara Ramsey on How to get Unstuck in Your Writing from 2017-05-11T17:01:08
Sara Ramsey is a historical romance author with great taste in Champagne, bad taste in movies, and a serious love for journals and washi tape. Her award-winning historical romances feature plent...
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Ep. 044: Bethany Herron on Weird Travel Writing from 2017-05-04T09:00
Bethany Herron has had short works of nonfiction and fiction published in The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, PEEQ, and the anthology Bad-Ass Faeries: It’s Elemental. In her professional li...
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Ep. 043: Rachael in Venice from 2017-04-27T09:00
Live from Venice, Rachael talks about her writing retreat, both the one she led for sixteen writers, and the private writing retreat she had alone after they left.
Ep. 028: Mridu Khullar Relph from 2016-12-21T20:56:33
Mridu Khullar Relph is the founder of The International Freelancer. She has written for The New York Times, TIME, CNN, ABC, The Christian Science Monitor, Ms., Marie Claire, and many more in a c...
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Ep. 027: Joanna Penn from 2016-12-15T23:49:58
J.F.Penn is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers on the edge, as well as bestselling non-fiction for authors published under Joanna Penn. Joanna’s site for writers, T...
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Ep. 026: Dani Shapiro from 2016-12-09T04:31:04
Dani Shapiro is the bestselling author of the memoirs Still Writing, Devotion, and Slow Motion, and five novels including Black & White and Family History. Her work has appeared in many places i...
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Ep. 025: Janine Bajus from 2016-12-02T21:36:40
Janine Bajus is an internationally known Fair Isle knitter, designer, and teacher. Her goal is to provide the information that people need to knit their own stranded garments, whether traditiona...
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Ep. 024: Tien Chiu from 2016-11-18T01:53:08
Tien Chiu is a weaver, a dyer and a couture seamstress. She’s also a writer. In addition to writing articles for Handwoven and Complex Weavers Journal, she’s written a gorgeous book, ...
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Ep. 023: J. Thorn from 2016-11-11T02:08:32
J. Thorn has published over one million words and has sold more than 170,000 books worldwide. He is an official, active member of the Horror Writers Association and a member of the Great Lakes A...
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Ep. 022: Greta Beekhuis from 2016-11-03T22:49:27
Greta Beekhuis, is an author, knitter of complex mathematical equations, word nerd, physics junkie, voracious reader, and open wheel racer. Her first novel was recently released, Remembering the...
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Ep. 021: Grant Faulkner from 2016-10-27T09:00
Grant Faulkner was born and raised in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He earned a B.A. in English from Grinnell College and an M.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. In 2011, Faulkner co...
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Ep. 020: Holly Robinson from 2016-10-20T18:39:18
Novelist, journalist and celebrity ghost writer Holly Robinson is the author of the memoir The Gerbil farmer’s Daughter and many novels including most recently Folly Cove, fr...
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Ep. 019: Larissa Brown from 2016-10-14T00:41:27
Larissa Brown writes books - about Vikings and about knitting - as well as creating designs for hand knitters. Her first novel was Beautiful Wreck and her second novel JUST launched and is calle...
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Ep. 018: Julia Skott from 2016-10-06T19:36:45
Julia Skott is a journalist and writer in Sweden. She’s published two non-fiction books called Body Panic and Shut Up I’m Counting. She also produces podcasts about knitting and roman...
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Ep. 017: Jennifer Baker from 2016-09-29T23:47:54
Jennifer Baker received her MFA from The New School’s graduate program in Creative Writing. She works as a production editor, and contributes to Bustle.com, and is the social media director and ...
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Ep. 016: Dana Kaye from 2016-09-22T09:00
Dana Kaye received her B.A. in Fiction Writing from Columbia College Chicago. After college, she worked as a freelance writer and book critic. This experience has been crucial to her ...
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Ep. 015: Chris Baty from 2016-09-15T09:00
Chris Baty accidentally founded National Novel Writing Month in 1999, and oversaw the event's growth from 21 friends to more than 300,000 writers in 90 countries. Chris now serves as a Board Member...
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Ep. 014: Cat Rambo from 2016-09-08T09:00
Cat Rambo lives, writes, and edits in the Pacific Northwest. Her work has appeared in such places as Asimov's, Weird Tales, and Strange Horizons. She was the fiction editor of award-w...
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Ep. 013: Clara Parkes from 2016-09-01T09:00
Over a decade ago, Clara Parkes abandoned San Francisco's high-tech hubbub to build a quieter creative life on the coast of Maine. Since then, she has become a trusted voice in the knitting communi...
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Ep. 012: Courtney Gillette from 2016-08-25T09:00
Courtney Gillette is an essayist and reviewer, reviewing books for Lambda Literary since 2010. She co-hosts The Hustle reading series, helps behind the scenes at BinderCon, and has served as a judg...
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Ep. 011: Kim Werker from 2016-08-18T09:00
Kim Werker is a writer and freelance editor who tries to make something – anything – every day. Many of those things are awful; some are not. She runs a project called Mighty Ugly, leading workshop...
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Ep. 10: Morgan Jerkins from 2016-08-12T23:03
Morgan Jerkins discusses her writing process. She lives and writes in New York. She graduated from Princeton University with an AB in Comparative Literature, specializing in nineteenth century ...
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Ep. 009: Raina J. Leon from 2016-08-04T09:00
Dr. Raina J. León was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was introduced to poetry by her mother from a young age. She holds multiple degrees, and she’s been nominated for a Pushcart...
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Ep. 008: Nayomi Munaweera from 2016-07-28T15:38:55
Nayomi Munaweera's debut novel, Island of a Thousand Mirrors was long-listed for the Man Asia Prize and won the Commonwealth Regional Prize for Asia . It was short-listed for the DSC ...
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Ep. 007: Arisa White from 2016-07-21T09:00
This episode: ARISA WHITE is a Cave Canem fellow, Sarah Lawrence College alumna, an MFA graduate from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and author of the poetry chapbooks Disposition for Sh...
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Ep. 006: Wendy Ortiz from 2016-07-14T09:00
Wendy C. Ortiz is a Los Angeles native. She is the author of Excavation: A Memoir (Future Tense Books, 2014), Hollywood Notebook (Writ Large Press, 2015), and the forthcoming Bruja (Civil Coping...
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Ep. 005: Esmé Weijun Wang from 2016-07-07T09:00
Esmé Weijun Wang is an award-winning author and advocate. At esmewang.com, she provides resources that assist aspiring and working writers in developing resilience on the path to building a creativ...
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Ep. 004: Adrienne Celt from 2016-06-30T08:00
Adrienne Celt was born in Seattle, WA and has lived in a great many places since then. (A non-exhaustive list: Iowa, California, Chicago, and St. Petersburg, Russia.) Currently, she resides in Tucs...
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Ep. 003: Adrienne Martini from 2016-06-23T11:00
Adrienne Martini, author of Sweater Quest and Hillbilly Gothic (Free Press), talks to Rachael about her writing process.
Ep 001: Rachael Herron from 2016-06-08T18:21:25
In this inaugural episode, Rachael Herron presents the format for upcoming shows by interviewing herself about her own process. How do you write a book? She tells you how she writes hers, ...
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