Podcast
Welcome to the Thriving Authors Podcast, where we delve into all aspects of what it takes to get your dream book out of your heart, onto the page and into the world, connecting with a wide audience of readers.
I don’t just want you to be a published author – I want you to be a THRIVING author, confidently sharing your ideas, making an impact with your words, and owning your unique voice that deserves to be heard! I’m here to guide you through the writing journey, from first draft to revision process, from mindset issues to craft questions, from finding inspiration to building a sustainable writing career!
On this podcast, you will find behind-the-scenes lessons from my own book-writing and publishing journey, interviews with successful published authors, and tips and advice you can start using today to move you forward in your writing life.
Episode 44: Interview with Shanthi Sekaran
Shanthi Sekaran's most recent novel, The Samosa Rebellion, was written for 8-13 year olds, but it's definitely the kind of book adults can get into, too. (I LOVED it!) Her most recent adult novel, Lucky Boy (Putnam/Penguin), was named an IndieNext Great Read and an NPR Best Book of 2017. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Salon.com, LA Review of Books and Huffington Post. When she's not writing books, she writes for television, on the staff of the NBC medical drama, New Amsterdam. Shanthi lives in Berkeley with her family and a cat named Frog. Connect with Shanthi at www.shanthisekaran.com.
Episode 43: Interview with Audiobook Narrator Elise Arsenault
Shanthi Sekaran's most recent novel, The Samosa Rebellion, was written for 8-13 year olds, but it's definitely the kind of book adults can get into, too. (I LOVED it!) Her most recent adult novel, Lucky Boy (Putnam/Penguin), was named an IndieNext Great Read and an NPR Best Book of 2017. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times, Salon.com, LA Review of Books and Huffington Post. When she's not writing books, she writes for television, on the staff of the NBC medical drama, New Amsterdam. Shanthi lives in Berkeley with her family and a cat named Frog. Connect with Shanthi at www.shanthisekaran.com.
Episode 42: Interview with Joan Steinau Lester
Joan Steinau Lester is an award-winning commentator, columnist, and author of critically acclaimed books, including Mama's Child and Black, White, Other. Her writing has appeared in such publications as USA Today, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Cosmopolitan, and Huffington Post. Her latest book Loving Before Loving: A Marriage in Black and White chronicles her marriage to the Black writer Julius Lester, and tells the story of a writer and activist fighting for love and justice before, during, and after the Supreme Court’s 1967 decision striking down bans on interracial marriage in Loving v. Virginia. Speaking candidly about every facet of her life, Lester illuminates her journey to fulfillment and healing.
Episode 41: Interview with Ruth Mitchell
Ruth Mitchell is the author of the award-winning novel Deleted, described as "Inception meets 50 First Dates." She was born and raised in Salt Lake City and grew up writing plays for the neighborhood kids and “exploring” the woods near her home.
Episode 40: Interview with Rachel Huffmire
Rachel grew up in the middle of a wheat field where she found plenty of time to read and dream. Her mom paid her a dollar per classic novel she read so, in a quest to amass a small fortune, Rachel read over 200 classic novels before junior high. After dabbling with writing novels and stage plays, she ran to the BYU bookstore for her first job. She sat behind the register, voraciously reading Shannon Hale novels while Brandon Sanderson and other internationally-selling authors held book signings in front of her. That was when she began dreaming up plots of her own.
Episode 39: Interview with Emma Dhesi
Emma Dhesi writes contemporary Women’s Fiction. She began writing seriously while a stay at home mom with 3 children under five years of age. She needed something for herself and for her future. By changing her mindset, being consistent and developing confidence, Emma has gone from having a collection of handwritten notes to two fully written, edited and published novels titled THE DAY SHE CAME HOME, and BELONGING.
Episode 37: Interview with Holli H.L. Anderson
Holli H.L. Anderson has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing—which has nothing to do with writing, except maybe by adding some pretty descriptive injury scenes to her books. She discovered her joy of writing during a very trying period in her life when escaping into make-believe saved her. She enjoys reading any book she gets her hands on, but has a particular love for anything fantasy.
Episode 36: Interview with Sonya Judd
As a thriving professional in the tech industry, Sonya Judd's life was interrupted by a premature baby and spontaneous twins less than a year later. Having three children born within a year of each other, often referred to as Irish triplets, she speaks and writes about becoming your best you when life throws you curveballs. She studied Finance and Economics at NYU and Columbia, and works as a business strategist in the tech industry. Her debut book Rest in the Nest was released earlier this year.
Episode 35: Interview with Katya Cengel
Katya Cengel is an author and freelance writer. Her work has appeared in New York Times Magazine, Marie Claire, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post among other publications. She has reported from North and Central America, Europe, Asia and Africa and was based in the former Soviet Union for half a decade. She is the author of Independent Publisher Book Award (IPPY) 2020 winner and Foreword Indies 2019 winner From Chernobyl with Love: Reporting from the Ruins of the Soviet Union (Potomac, 2019); Exiled: From the Killing Fields of Cambodia to California and Back (Potomac, 2018) and 2013 Kentucky Literary Award finalist Bluegrass Baseball: A Year in the Minor League Life (Nebraska, 2012).
Episode 34: Interview with Mary Potter Kenyon
Mary Potter Kenyon graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BA in Psychology, and is a certified grief counselor. She is the Program Coordinator for the Shalom Spirituality Center. Mary is widely published in magazines, newspapers, and anthologies, including ten Chicken Soup books. She conducts writing workshops and does public speaking on the topics of writing, utilizing your creativity in your everyday life, and finding hope and healing in grief. She is the author of seven books including the award-winning Refined By Fire: A Journey of Grief and Grace and Expressive Writing for Healing. Her book on creativity, Called to Be Creative, was released in August 2020.