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 19: Interview with Caitlin Horrocks
Caitlin Horrocks is author of the novel The Vexations, named one of the Ten Best Books of 2019 by the Wall Street Journal. Her story collection This Is Not Your City was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers selection. Another story collection, Life Among the Terranauts, is forthcoming from Little, Brown in 2021. Her stories and essays appear in The New Yorker, The Best American Short Stories, The PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, The Pushcart Prize, The Paris Review, Tin House, and One Story, as well as other journals and anthologies. Her awards include the Plimpton Prize and fellowships to the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, the Sewanee Writers’ Conference and the MacDowell Colony. She is on the advisory board of the Kenyon Review, where she recently served as fiction editor. She teaches at Grand Valley State University and in the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her family.
Episode 18: Interview with C. Hope Clark
C. Hope Clark is the Editor of FundsforWriters, named one of the Writer’s Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers for the past 10 years. She is also a prolific author of The Carolina Slade Mysteries and The Edisto Island Mysteries. As a freelance writer, she’s published in The Writer Magazine, Writer’s Digest, Guide to Literary Agents, Writer’s Market, Chicken Soup, and many other trade and online publications.
Episode 17: Virtual Book Launch for THE BEST WEEK THAT NEVER HAPPENED
I'm excited to share this very special episode! My debut YA novel, The Best Week That Never Happened, was published on April 21st by Month9Books and Blackstone Audio. It is such a thrill to have it out in the world and to hear from readers who are connecting with the storyline and the characters! I held a Virtual Book Launch on April 26 and was joined by my friends Tobie Easton and Jennieke Cohen, who you might remember from episodes 2 and 3 of this podcast. I’m delighted to share our conversation with you now, as well as some behind-the-scenes tidbits about my brand new book!
Episode 16: Interview with Morris Ardoin
Morris Ardoin earned a bachelor’s in journalism from Louisiana State University and a master’s in communication from the University of Louisiana. A public relations practitioner, his work has appeared in regional, national, and international media. His blog, Parenthetically Speaking, can be found at www.morrisardoin.com. His memoir STONE MOTEL: MEMOIRS OF A CAJUN BOY is now available. He divides his time between New York City and Cornwallville, New York, where he does most of his writing.
Episode 15: Interview with Natalie Lund
Natalie Lund is the author of the young adult novels, We Speak in Storms and The Sky Above Us (forthcoming Nov. ’20). She is a former middle and high school teacher and a graduate of Purdue University’s MFA program. Natalie is a member of SCBWI and is represented by Sarah Davies of Greenhouse Literary Agency. She lives in Chicago with her spouse and a very talkative cat. You can follow her on Instagram or Twitter at @nmlund.
Episode 14: Interview with Laura Sibson
After a career in undergraduate counseling, Laura Sibson pursued an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she’s not writing in a local coffee shop, you can find her running the neighborhood streets or hiking with her dog. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and their two sons. Her debut YA novel, THE ART OF BREAKING THINGS, has received wide acclaim and was one of my favorite books of last year.
Episode 13: Interview with Farrah Penn
Farrah Penn was born and raised in a suburb in Texas that’s far from the big city, but close enough to Whataburger. She now resides in Los Angeles, CA with her gremlin dog and succulents. When she’s not writing books, she can be found writing things for BuzzFeed and sending texts that contain too many emojis. 12 STEPS TO NORMAL is her first novel.
Episode 12: Interview with Mark Gottlieb
Mark Gottlieb is a highly ranked literary agent both in overall deals and other individual categories. Using that same initiative and insight for identifying talented writers, he is actively building his own client list of authors. Mark Gottlieb is excited to work directly with authors, helping to manage and grow their careers with all of the unique resources that are available at book publishing’s leading literary agency, Trident Media Group. During his time at Trident Media Group, Mark Gottlieb has represented numerous New York Times bestselling authors, as well as award-winning authors, and has optioned and sold books to film and TV production companies. He previously ran the agency’s audiobook department, in addition to working in foreign rights. Mark Gottlieb is actively seeking submissions in all categories and genres and looking forward to bringing new and established authors to the curious minds of their future readers.
Episode 11: Interview with Tara Lynn Masih
Tara Lynn Masih has won multiple book awards in her role as editor of The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction and The Chalk Circle: Intercultural Prizewinning Essays. She is also author of Where the Dog Star Never Glows: Stories and Founding Series Editor for The Best Small Fictions annual anthology. Her award-winning fiction, poetry, and prose has been heavily anthologized. Her debut novel, My Real Name Is Hanna, won a Florida Book Award, a Foreword Book of the Year Award, a Skipping Stones Honor Award, and the Julia Ward Howe Award for Young Readers, and was recognized as a finalist in the National Jewish Book Awards.
Episode 10: All About Book Covers!
In this special episode to celebrate the cover reveal for my novel The Best Week That Never Happened (check it out + read an exclusive excerpt at The Nerd Daily!) we are diving into a behind-the-scenes look at book covers. In addition to chatting about my book cover process, I also talked with Danielle Doolittle, Art & Design Projects Coordinator at Month9Books, and author N. R. Bergeson.