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 29: Interview with Maggie Reyes
Maggie Reyes is the author of the Questions for Couples Journal, and is also a blogger and podcast host. She is a Life Coach and Modern Marriage Mentor who specializes in helping driven, ambitious women create the marriages of their dreams. Her innovative, playful and practical approach to love and marriage takes the principles of cognitive psychology and luxury hospitality service and uses them to teach her clients the most effective ways to break destructive patterns and develop the mindsets and habits that make relationships thrive.
Episode 28: Interview with A.H. Kim
A.H. Ann Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to the U.S. as a young child. She was educated at Harvard College and Berkeley Law School, where she was an editor of the California Law Review. She is a practicing attorney and has served as chief of staff to the CEO and head of investor relations at a Fortune 200 company. A.H. Kim is the proud mother of two sons, a longtime cancer survivor, community volunteer, and member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto. A GOOD FAMILY is her first novel.
Episode 27: Interview with Gabi Justice
Gabi Justice is the author of Dog Girl, her young adult contemporary romance debut which just released on November 17, 2020. She is the mom to three dogs and one stray cat named Luna Buna. She lives in Florida with her husband and children. You’d be hard-pressed to find a tennis court in the state that she hasn’t visited, having three competitive junior players in the family. Gabi spent most of her adult life writing editorial copy for local magazines after graduating from the University of South Florida. Florida provides the settings for all her coming-of-age stories that highlight bullying, misjudgment, acceptance, and teen anxiety. Her main characters are goal-oriented teenage girls with a drive that can be fierce and dangerous.
Episode 26: Interview with Shana Lynn Schmidt
Shana Lynn Schmidt is the author of the award-winning memoir Over Our Hearts: a mother's journey learning to listen in, about her experience listening in to her heart during teen daughter's pregnancy and beyond. She is a licensed counselor, parenting coach, infant & early childhood mental health specialist, Conscious Discipline Certified Instructor, writer, and Nana. She lives in a small Kansas town with her husband Brian, not far from where they grew up, with their two dogs and an empty nest.
Episode 25: Interview with Hope Bolinger
Hope Bolinger is the author of the modern-day Daniel retelling trilogy, Blaze, Den, and Vision (releasing in August 2021). The YA superhero romance she co-wrote with Alyssa Roat, Dear Hero, just released from INtense Publications in September 2020. The sequel Dear Henchman is set to release in April 2021. Hope is a literary agent at C.Y.L.E. and a graduate of Taylor University's professional writing program. More than 900 of her works have been featured in various publications ranging from Writer's Digest to Keys for Kids to HOOKED to Crosswalk.com. She writes about 250-300 articles a year. She has worked for various publishing companies, magazines, newspapers, and literary agencies and has edited the work of authors such as Jerry B. Jenkins and Michelle Medlock Adams. Her column "Hope's Hacks," tips and tricks to avoid writer's block, reaches 6,000+ readers weekly in the Serious Writer newsletter.
Episode 24: Interview with Samantha Vitale
Samantha Vitale has an insatiable hunger for two things: big challenges and amazing stories. When not working at her highly technical day job, she can be found devouring books or writing new ones of her own. She lives in Virginia with her husband and their two small humans. She is the author of the debut YA novel THE LADY ALCHEMIST.
Episode 23: Interview with E.K. Baer
E.K. has been writing poetry ever since she was very young. She published her first book, A Collection of Poems, when she was 10 years old. Her second collection, Down the Road, was released only a few years later in 2018. E.K. has published work in Stone Soup Magazine and is a staff writer for Youth MENSAN Magazine. Her poetry has placed in several competitions, including but not limited to the Carl Sandburg, Ventura County Writer’s Club, Lincoln Poetry, and No Place for Hate Imagine a World Without Hate writing contests. Besides writing, E.K. loves science, math, and history! She also plays the violin, piano, and sings. Traveling the world is one of her favorite things to do. E.K. enjoys spending as much time as possible with her dog Coco.
Episode 22: Interview with Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Jennifer Lynn Alvarez is the author of two middle grade book series, each published by HarperCollins Children's Books, THE GUARDIAN HERD (a quartet) and RIDERS OF THE REALM (a trilogy). Before this, she self-published a middle grade fantasy called THE PET WASHER. She received a B.A. in English from the University of California at Berkeley. In addition to literature, she studied philosophy and sociology, and is fascinated by underdogs and power dynamics between groups of people. She is the current Literary Laureate for The Healdsburg Literary Guild. When she is not writing, you can find Jennifer galloping her little black mare through the foothills of Sonoma County or teaching free creative writing workshops to kids and adults at various branches of the local library system. She lives in Northern California with her husband, three children, and many pets!
Episode 21: Interview with Karen Strong
Karen Strong is the author of the critically acclaimed middle grade novel Just South of Home, which was selected for several Best of Year lists including Kirkus Reviews Best Books, CCBC Choices, and Bank Street Best Books. Her short fiction appears in From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back and A Phoenix First Must Burn. Born and raised in the rural South, she is a graduate of the University of Georgia and an advocate of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). An avid lover of strong coffee, yellow flowers, and night skies, Karen lives in Atlanta.
Episode 20: Interview with Lisa Moore Ramée
Lisa Moore Ramée was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in the Northern California, with her husband, two kids, two obnoxious cats and more yard than she can control. She earned a BA in Speech Communications from San Francisco State and a MA in English Literature (focusing on Creative Writing) from Cal State East Bay. She worked for several years in publishing for the Walt Disney Company, first in comics, and then with licensed publishing. While there, she co-penned The Little Mermaid, Jr. Graphic Novel and the writing bug took up permanent residence. She is a devotee of Top Chef and Project Runway and often tries to work the shows in her plots. A Good Kind of Trouble, her first novel, received critical acclaim, garnering three starred reviews (PW, Kirkus and SLJ). Something to Say has received two starred reviews (Kirkus and SLJ).