#274 - Writing with Tarot with Lisa Kessler

In this episode, we are joined by Vancouver-based Bal Khabra, debut author of hockey romance novel Collide! Bal started out as an avid reader of romance and reviewer of romance titles, and after reading over 150 romance novels in one year, decided she was ready to write one! That novel, Collide, was picked up and published by Penguin Random House after starting out as a self-published work. We can’t wait to see what Bal writes next! We talked about Bal’s writing journey, her beginnings on Wattpad, how she utilizes social media and what happened when her book went viral on TikTok, advice for using social media to market books, reader vs. author spaces, her interest in hockey (and found family, and friendship) and how these subjects fit into her novel, and much more! Learn more on Bal’s website, and follow her on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter/X.

In this episode, we spoke with Patrick E. Horrigan, academic and author of American Scholar, published by Lethe Press. Since recording this episode, American Scholar was shortlisted for the 2024 Lambda Literary Awards in the Gay Fiction category. Congratulations, Patrick! Patrick is also the author of two other novels, plays, essays, and more. He and taught literature for twenty-five years at LIU Brooklyn, and was a previous winner of Long Island University’s David Newton Award for Excellence in Teaching, among many other accolades. We had a great time talking to Patrick about his career as an author, his history in academia, his past experiences at Columbia and LIU Brooklyn that helped shape him, his latest novel, the inspiration behind it, and much, much more. This episode was informative, illuminating, and an all-around great interview! Don’t miss out on listening in. And learn more via Patrick’s website or follow him on Facebook and Instagram.

In this episode, we are joined by Jeff Adams and Michele Lucchini, online and digital accessibility experts who work at UsableNet, whose goal is to “make the digital world more accessible and usable.” Jeff and Michele recently wrote and published their first book together, an amazing guide to all things digital accessibility, Content for Everyone: A Practical Guide for Creative Entrepreneurs to Produce Accessible and Usable Web Content! Jeff is the Accessibility Operations Direct at UsableNet, as well as a queer romance author and podcaster. Michele is Vice President of Delivery and Accessibility Operations at UsableNet, and has over twenty-three years of experience working with accessibility projects in digital spaces. Together, these two authors and accessibility experts offer so much info in this episode for anyone (and everyone) interested in broadening their knowledge of accessibility online. We at KWL learned a lot, too! We discussed all things digital accessibility, their book “Content for Everyone,” how making small changes makes a big difference, how to think about accessibility, all about alternative text, headers, and images, and much, much more! This is a great episode for anyone wanting to learn more about accessibility online and in their own writing life. To learn more, visit Jeff’s website.  

In this episode, we are joined by author Alison Cochrun, writer of the best-selling romance novels The Charm Offensive and Kiss Her Once For Me. Her latest work, Here We Go Again, is a “new queer rom-com following once childhood best friends forced together to drive their former teacher across the country.” Here We Go Again is available now from Simon & Schuster Canada! We had a great time hearing about Alison’s journey to becoming an author after being a full-time high school English teacher, the ups and downs of publishing, being inspired to write a story based on personal experience, how Alison incorporates humour into her books, how she writes queer characters with varying experiences of being queer, and so much more! Be sure to also check out Alison’s other titles, The Charm Offensive (one of Laura’s fave reads!) and Kiss Her Once For Me, both available from Simon & Schuster Canada. Learn more on Alison’s website, and follow Alison on Instagram!

In this week’s episode, we spoke to Jodi Drake, a bestselling author who writes multiple series under the name J.L. Drake! Jodi’s series span over thirty books, and these include the Broken Trilogy, the Quiet Mafia series, and her latest, Havoc of Sins, which begins with Grim – available to read now! For more info on her series, check out her reading order guide here. Jodi spoke to us about her writing career, writing dark romance, what drew her to dark romance, how she plots her novels, how she uses her “murder board” to keep track of all her characters and plotlines, and much, much more! Jodi gave us many great insights into what it’s like being a series author and an author (and reader) of dark romance. We had a great time chatting with Jodi, and if you’re a burgeoning dark romance author (or a romance author in general), you don’t want to miss this episode of the KWL podcast! For more, check out J.L.’s website, and follow her on X, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

In this episode, we spoke to award-winning author Bethany Maines, whose romance-fuelled action-adventure novels include Eye Contact and Bulletproof Mascara, among many others. Bethany is a multi-genre author who has written in many genres and sub-genres, including action-adventure, mystery and suspense, science fiction and paranormal romance. She’s also a hybrid author who has experience working with traditional publishing houses as well as independently publishing her work! And, further, she has also written short stories and screenplays, including a screenplay that was recently turned into a short film. Bethany had a lot of illuminating observations on the publishing industry, a lot of love for fellow indie romance authors, and a lot of great advice to offer. Be sure to grab a copy of Eye Contact – Bethany’s latest release! Follow Bethany on X, Facebook, and Instagram and learn more at her website.

In this episode, we are joined by Kiki Chatfield, CEO and founder of The Next Step PR. Kiki spoke with us about her PR company, why she founded it, her best marketing tips for authors, the conference she runs, Authors in the Bluegrass, and so much more! Kiki is always open to hearing from readers and authors alike and is enthusiastic about helping others as much as she can. She had so much great advice to offer during our conversation. If you’re interested in scheduling a free 15-minute chat with Kiki to see what she and The Next Step PR can do for you, check out her booking calendar here! Kiki recently celebrated her 10th year in the PR market and her 9th year of The Next Step PR, and these huge milestones are well-deserved! Kiki brought such great energy to this episode and we hope you learn a lot and take her advice to heart as you continue on your own author journey. Follow The Next Step PR on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok for more, and be sure to follow Kiki on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and Bookbub too!

In this episode, we are joined by best-selling Canadian author Emily Austin, whose debut novel Everyone In This Room Will Some Day Be Dead was nominated for the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour, to discuss her latest release, Interesting Facts About Space! This title is available today and was one of our top reads of last year – we were so grateful to received ARCs of this must-read new release. Emily also has a poetry collection, Gay Girl Prayers, coming out next year, so be sure to add that one to your TBR list, too! Interesting Facts About Space is available now from Simon & Schuster Canada and wherever you get your books, eBook and otherwise! We spoke to Emily about her writing career, the intersections of mental health and queerness, writing LGBTQ+ narratives, writing inspirations and influences, her editing process, what it’s like working with an editor, writing both poetry and prose, and more! Learn more about Emily on her website, and follow her on X and Instagram.

In this episode, we are joined by best-selling author of the book series that became a TikTok sensation, Playing for Keeps! Playing for Keeps is a steamy, romantic hockey romance trilogy that have taken Booktok (the bookish side of TikTok) by storm. We were so excited to talk to Becka and hear all about her writing journey, the realities of both self-publishing and traditional publishing, and, of course, to get a sneak peek at what she’s working on next. Not only that, but we talked about her publishing journey, her path to becoming a writer, hockey romance, writing hockey romance as a Canadian, discussions of our favourite hockey teams, and much more! Be sure to get your own copy of Consider Me, the first book in the Playing for Keeps series, available now from Simon & Schuster Canada. Learn more about Becka on her website, and follow her on TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.

In this episode, we are joined by Lisa Shaughnessy, founder of The Writing Retreat Sampler and creator of The Writing Retreat Directory. The Writing Retreat Sampler is a series of virtual events that help writers find writing retreats that best suit their writing and publishing goals, and The Writing Retreat Directory is a free directory that features more info on writing retreats across the globe! We have a great conversation with Lisa about all things to do with writing retreats, and how writing retreats can really be a boon to authors. Lisa also tells us how she started her business, what inspired her to create a writing retreat directory, talks about what retreats can do for authors overall, how hosts can create great workshops, virtual vs. in-person retreats, and much more! We go on to discuss how to build community at a writing retreat, what feedback can do for you and how to respond to it, and much more. If one of your goals for the coming year is to participate in a writing retreat, this is the episode for you. To learn more, check out Lisa’s blog, and follow The Writing Retreat Directory on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.