The Balancing Act of Historical Fiction: A Teaching Episode with Amanda Cabot

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

EPISODE 290TPodcast favorite Susan May Warren, author of the new novel Sundown, shares how she manages her time as she creates a book series. Research, plotting, writing, she's got a time block for each piece. Listen to her process so you can figure out how to hone your own. Learn more about Susie May and all of her books, including nonfiction books for writers, at https://www.susanmaywarren.com/Watch Kitty's free Masterclass series on writing at https://www.youtube.com/kittybucholtz for help on how to write more with less stress and more peace and joy. Available through December 31, 2022. Get $400 off the six-month Finish Your Book Group Coaching Program by using the coupon code "2022" through January 1, 2023! A great gift for yourself or another writer you love!

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

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

EPISODE 287TOur guest today is award-winning author Susan May Warren teaching us how to write a series.There are several kinds of series and first Susie May explains them all. Then she shows us how to write a compelling series that readers can't stop reading. Plus she gives us a fantastic tip that we can use to help readers jump into a longer series.Click below to get the wonderful handout Susie May gave us! And be sure to check out Sunrise, her latest book one in a series and one of the books we used for some of the examples, as well as Sunburst (June 7, 2022) and Sundown (Nov 1, 2022) to see how she puts a series together. (Also great books! I've read the first and preordered the others.)Building a Powerful Series handout

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

EPISODE 285TIn 2022, we're taking a direction change with the podcast and, instead of bringing you 50+ interviews during the year, you'll get 8-10 full-on teaching episodes. These are sessions you normally could only hear at a writers conference, about an hour long and full of practical advice to improve your writing and advance your career.Today's guest teacher is best-selling historical author Amanda Cabot. Amanda explains about the different kinds of historical fiction with tips on how to write them well. Her latest novel, The Spark of Love, just released on March 1 and is available everywhere books are sold including Baker Book House (https://bakerbookhouse.com/products/381270, where you can find discounted pricing on paperbacks). Learn more about Amanda and her books at her website (http://www.amandacabot.com/).

EPISODE 284TWhen there's so much going on in the world, it can be easy to feel like there's little to nothing you can do to make a difference. But there are lots of things that you could do. In this episode I mentioned that City Hearts Sweden (https://www.cityheartssweden.org/ukraine) is doing a lot to help Ukrainians near the border and those seeking refuge in Sweden. I also noted that there are lots of organizations near you, wherever you live, that could use some help. For example, my sister runs a 501(c)3 charity in Michigan called CHUM Therapeutic Riding. During the pandemic, they couldn't always be open for their clients but the horses still have to eat every day. If you'd like to help feed a horse, you could donate to CHUM (https://www.chumtherapy.net/donationrider-fees), or find an organization closer to where you live or that matches your passions. Helping others -- whether physically, financially, or emotionally -- helps us to feel better about the things we can't control. And keep writing! Your book could make a difference in the world!

EPISODE 283EThe wonderful thing about stories -- whether reading or writing or listening to them or watching them -- is that they help us to know ourselves. We learn more about who we want to be, who we don't want to be, what makes us laugh and what makes us angry. I encourage you to find more of yourself this year in your writing and reading!Mentioned in the show:Switch on Your Brain by Dr. Caroline LeafLong Story Short on NetflixAuthor Reading Room -- a monthly free virtual live event where readers can listen to authors read from their work and then ask them questions. Join us!

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