#391 – From Folktales to First Drafts with A.B. Daniels-Annachi

In this episode, we are joined by A.B. Daniels-Annachi, author of the epic fantasy novel A Tide of Treason! Ari is also the author of the young adult fantasy series The Violents. His work is inspired by mythology and folktales, and he has plenty to share about his experience world-building, researching, crafting characters, and more. We talked with Ari about his journey to becoming an author, why representation in fantasy fiction is important to him, the people, folktales, and mythology that inspire A Tide of Treason and his other work, learn more about his writing process, and got to hear a little more about what Ari has coming up next… Among even more great talking points! Check out Ari's website and follow Ari on Instagram.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were joined by Maggie Marr, an author who has also been an entertainment attorney, producer, and more, to talk about all things related to adapting novels to screens. Maggie Marr has been an entertainment attorney, a producer, an entertainment agent, and is a USA Today bestselling author. She joins us on the podcast this week to discuss her journey from the courtroom to the bestseller list, what it takes to make the jump from author to screenwriter, and she gives some excellent advice to anyone looking to adapt their work for the silver screen. Visit Maggie's website to learn more.

In this episode, we are joined by author, educator, and Choctaw storyteller Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer! Sarah is the author of 19 books, including several self-published historical fiction novels and a non-fiction title. Sarah also teaches courses aimed at writers looking to learn how to write Native American characters, improve their dictation skills, and more. More information can be found on her website. We had a great conversation with Sarah about her journey to becoming an author, her indie publishing career, her experience dictating novels and what drew her to dictating in the first place, and much, much more! Visit Sarah's website, check out Sarah's writing courses and browse Sarah's books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we welcome John Gaspard to share his tips and tricks learned from film directors and the movies that apply to novels and novel writing. This is a great episode for anyone looking to improve their writing skills with the aid of different mediums! In this episode, we spoke with John Gaspard, author of The Popcorn Principles: A Novelist's Guide to Learning from the Movies, an indispensable guide to implementing tips and tricks learned from film directors and film in general into your fiction writing. John is also the author of several mystery novels across two series, and multiple standalone novels and non-fiction titles. He also hosts two podcasts and has directed six low-budget feature films! He had so much advice to offer this episode, and we had an elucidating and interesting conversation. We chatted with John about his new non-fiction title, his filmmaking experience, the times he spent interviewing well-known film directors, crafting a compelling mystery, what writers can learn from filmmakers, and so much more. Be sure to check out the "sequel" to The Popcorn Principles; John's latest, More Popcorn Principles: Further Cinematic Storytelling Strategies for Novelists is out now! To learn more, visit John's website. 

Welcome to a special episode of the Kobo Writing Life podcast, where we hear from three of Kobo's own bookselling experts!  Deandra, Tiana, and familiar face (and voice) of the podcast, Rachel, are all booksellers with years of experience in the field at Kobo and beyond. We were excited to hear from them and get some amazing insight on book sales and how to sell even more books on Kobo. Deandra, Tiana and Rachel discuss trends in book sales and marketing, get into subscription reading trends, talk about hot and upcoming genres in 2026 and beyond, share details on how they collaborate, take us behind the curtain when it comes to Kobo's marketing process, and much more! If you've ever wondered how Kobo's booksellers operate and get your books in front of readers, don't miss out on listening to this episode. To learn more about Kobo and Kobo Writing Life, visit our website.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were joined for the first time by Jackie Lau, best-selling author of romance titles since 2018. We spoke with Jackie about her journey to becoming an author, the importance of representation and diversity in romance novels, being involved in the book cover creation process, and so much more! In this episode, Jackie Lau reflects on her first year of self-publishing and the steps she took to ensure success. She discusses the importance of diversity in romance and how she wanted to write characters with backgrounds underrepresented in the romance community. To learn more, visit Jackie's website and check out Jackie's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we are joined by USA Today best-selling and internationally acclaimed author Rachel Amphlett, whose mystery and thriller titles include those in the Detective Kay Hunter series, the Detective Mark Turpin series, and more. Rachel is the full-time author of over 40 books and counting, and currently leads a nomadic life, writing wherever she goes!  The latest title in her beloved Kay Hunter series, What Evil Hides, is publishing February 9th 2026. We had such a wonderful time talking to Rachel about getting her start as an indie author, how she runs her author business, accidentally becoming a registered private investigator, her new book, What Evil Hides, and much more.  To learn more, visit Rachel's website and check out Rachel's books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were joined by editor Janice Zawerbny to chat about all things editing. One of our hosts even had the privilege of taking one of her editing classes! Don't miss a great episode that provides amazing insight into the editorial process from the editor's perspective. In this episode, editor Janice Zawerbny sits down with us this week to discuss her career in publishing and to share her advice for authors who are new to the editorial process. Janice was the editor of three books on the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize shortlist, and she talks to us about what drew her to acquire those books and how the editorial process differed between each title. Janice also tells us about the writing prize she co-founded, the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. Learn more about the Carol Shields Prize for Ficiton here.

In this episode, we are joined by best-selling author of steamy sports romance novels, Lainey Davis! Lainey began her author career in 2017 before becoming a full-time author in 2021. Her journey as a writer over the last few years has taught her a lot about indie publishing, writing romance, and writing sports romance in particular! We were totally here for this discussion about Lainey's experiences as an indie author, building up an author community, writing to market, writing sports romance, our shared love of Heated Rivalry and Rachel Reid's Game Changers series, and so much more! To learn more, visit Lainey's website and find Lainey's books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were so excited to be joined by author consultant and assistant Kate Tilton for a second time to discuss all things indie author administration. Listen in for some great advice on how to organize your goals, avoiding burnout, and more. In this episode, author consultant Kate Tilton joins us on the podcast this week to discuss figuring out your goals as an indie author and what practices to implement in order to reach them. Kate started out in the publishing industry as an author's assistant, and she talks to us about what prompted her to start her own business, why authenticity is key when it comes to social media, and why avoiding burnout as an indie author is so much easier than recovering from it.  To learn more, visit Kate's website.