Of hearth and herbs with Mark Diacono

For Mental Health Awareness Week and Month I speak to artist and educator Kolbie about how we can navigate neurodiversity and creative life in a kind and gentle Manne tapping into the creative part of a neurodiverse mind in a way to avoid burnt out.Kolbie Blume is a watercolor artist, author, and online educator, specializing in helping closet creatives overcome perfectionism and embrace their inner artist. As a late-diagnosed autistic and ADHDer, Kolbie is passionate about making sure neurodivergent folks know there is space for everyone inside creativity, and there is no such thing as “broken” when it comes to being a human. Kolbie lives in the Washington, DC area with her spouse of ten years and their son.You can learn more about Kolbie @thiswritingdesk and her website.

What if you could find a way to allow dreams to inspire your writing? I speak to author and Certified Dreamwork Professional Tzivia Gover, about how dreams can inspire creativity and writing in ways so many of us don't explore. We talk about the ways in which you can incubate dreams and use, what Tzivia called your 'Midnight Muse' to create textured and layered writing.    Tzivia is the author of Dreaming on the Page and many other books. You can read more about her on her website here and follow her on Instagram here.

In this episode podcast, I delve into the importance of bringing real people into your memoir or food memoir. I discuss the significance of creating strong foundations for characters within your memoir and provide practical tips on shaping their personalities and relationships. Focusing on the importance of writing truthfully and authentically, while also considering the impact on the people being written about. Additionally, I explore the role of food as a character within a food memoir and how it can symbolise emotions and add depth to the story. The episode concludes with a discussion on the fine line between reality and creative embellishment, urging you to maintain authenticity and honesty in your portrayal of characters and overall storytelling.

Welcome to Season 4 of The Craft! In this episode, I share a seasonal journey into penning down your personal stories to begin the bones of your memoir.    JOIN WAITLIST FOR MEMOIRES TO MANUSCRIPT: Coming soon to you, this is a course to help you write your memoir  SIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER "THE INTUITION SEEKER": and receive Free Guite to The Wordsmith Wanderlust to help you plan your year of writing.  SIGN UP TO WORDSMITH: Find your writer's voice in 21 days with my email and audio course   JOIN THE QISSA MEMBERSHIP WAITLIST: Doors open to wait-listers only a few times a year. This is a membership community for aspiring authors and writers.     

In this episode, I speak to a food writer, author, President of the Guild of Food Writers and Masterchef semi-finalist, Orlando Murrin about how he moved from a successful food writing career to writing cosy crime fiction and talk about his debut novel, Knife Skills for Beginners, out 15th February 2024. Orlando shares such a wealth of knowledge and this is one of my favourite guest interviews. Recorded in person while Orlando was visiting the Scottish crime fiction festival 'Bloody Scotland' in Stirling, Scotland.   Learn more about Orlando: http://orlandomurrin.com Preorder Knife Skills for Beginners: https://www.orlandomurrin.com/buy  

In this episode, I’ll be sharing some  tips and strategies to help you strike that delicate balance between nurturing creativity, making time for writing and self-care to help thrive as a writer and not burn out.

It was only when I began to believe I was a writer that doors opened up for me. In this episode I talk about how the journey as a writer begins with the first step of believing that you can make your dreams a reality through consistency, commitment and most of all belief. Music credit: Simple Melody by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under an Attribution-Non-Commercial License. LEARN MORE ABOUT SUMAYYA : www.sumayyausmani.com Email [email protected] for support with one-on-one mentoring writing mentoring and coaching. JOIN THE QISSA WRITER’S MEMBERSHIP WAITLIST doors open on 31 July 2023 next Follow Sumayya on Instagram

In this episode I’ll share the reasons why it’s important to nurture self care as a writer and a creative. I talk about some of the ways I have learned to not let my creative energy be sapped by the need for productivity as a writer. Music credit: Simple Melody by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Attribution-Non-Commercial License. For more information on Sumayya’s offerings: www.sumayyausmani.com Email [email protected] for support with one-on-one mentoring writing mentoring and coaching. Join the waitlist here: for Sumayya’s new 21-day email and audio course Wordsmith, to help you find your writer’s voice. Follow Sumayya on Instagram

In this episode I talk to the author, gardener and food writer Mark Diacono, (founder of Otter Farm in Devon) about the magic of creating flavour and finding inspiration for recipes and writing through growing herbs at home. Music credit: Simple Melody by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Attribution-Non-Commercial License. For more information on Sumayya’s offerings: www.sumayyausmani.com Email [email protected] for support with one-on-one mentoring writing mentoring and coaching. Join the waitlist here: for Sumayya’s new 21-day email and audio course Wordsmith, to help you find your writer’s voice. Follow Sumayya on Instagram Learn more about Mark Diacono : https://www.otterfarm.co.uk

In this episode I talk to nature writer, author and mentor Kathryn Aalto about how nature can help the writer to see the world in a different light and draw inspiration from it in their writing. Music credit: Simple Melody by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Attribution-Non-Commercial License. For more information on Sumayya’s offerings: www.sumayyausmani.com Email [email protected] for support with one-on-one mentoring writing mentoring and coaching. Join the waitlist here: for Sumayya’s new 30 day email coure Wordsmith, to help you find your writer’s voice. Follow Sumayya on Instagram Follow Kathryn Aalto on Instagram