Laura Drake is a hybrid author of Women's Fiction and Romance. Her debut, The Sweet Spot, won the 2014 Romance Writers of America® RITA® award. She’s since published 14 more books. She is a founding member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and Writers in the Storm blog. Laura is a city girl who never grew out of her tomboy ways. She gave up the corporate CFO gig to write full-time. She realized a lifelong dream of becoming a Texan and is currently working on her accent. She's a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.Her logline is, 'Ordinary women at the edge of extraordinary change'. She's been described as, 'One of the most thoughtful authors out there today.'You can learn more and sign up for her quarterly newsletter at her website: https://lauradrakebooks.comShe has a fun group on Facebook - Laura Drake's Peace, Love & Books. Come join us for coffee, snark, and mayhem! www.facebook.com/groups/lauradrakespeaceloveandbooksYou can support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Amazing Gracie at https://bookshop.org/a/90599/9781611883527A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.  Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Z.S. Diamanti is an author, illustrator, and creator. The Stone & Sky series is an epic fantasy adventure and the result of his great passion for fun and fantastical stories. He went to college forever and has too many pieces of paper on his wall. He is a USAF veteran of OEF and worked in ministry for over 10 years. He and his wife reside in Colorado with their four children where they enjoy hikes and tabletop games.You can get a FREE series of his stories at https://FreeFantasyFiction.comConnect with him on social media: https://zsdiamanti.com/linksA little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Judith Turner-Yamamoto grew up in rural North Carolina in a small mill town where people either worked the land or left the land to work the mills. As an art historian, she first came to writing through learning to appraise what she saw and to describe what moved her. Her work has appeared in StorySOUTH, Mississippi Review, Snake Nation Review, and American Literary Review, among others, and in many anthologies, including Walking the Edge: A Southern Gothic Anthology, Show Us Your Papers, and Gravity Dancers.Her debut novel and Petrichor Prize finalist, Loving the Dead and Gone, is the 2023 IPPY Awards Gold Medalist in Southern Fiction, was shortlisted for the 2023 Eric Hoffer Book Award Grand Prize, and was General Fiction Honorable Mention and finalist for the Hoffer First Horizon Award.In Loving the Dead and Gone, a freak car crash in rural 1960s North Carolina puts in motion moments of grace that bring redemption to two generations of women and the lives they touch. Compact in setting; and large in emotional scope, this lyrical novel set in the tobacco farms and textile mills of central North Carolina transports readers to a very small place to experience life's biggest emotions. Full of character and common tragedy, fans of unveiled family and community secrets will appreciate this intergenerational story of love, loss, grief, and grace that offers humanity hope for healing.Judith's other awards include two Virginia Arts Commission fellowships, an Ohio Arts Council fellowship, VCCA and Fundaciön Valparaiso fellowship residencies, the Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize, the Washington Prize for Fiction, and the Virginia Screenwriting Award.An inveterate traveler, her article assignments, which include interviews with such luminaries as Frank Gehry, Annie Leibovitz, Alison Krauss, and Lucinda Williams, have taken her all over the world, and she has published more than a thousand cover stories and features on the arts, design, architecture, interiors and gardens, travel, food, fashion, and books in such publications as The Boston Globe Magazine, Elle, Interiors, Art & Antiques, The Los Angeles Times, and Travel & Leisure.Her on-air interviews were featured on NPR affiliate WVXU. She has taught fiction at the Chautauqua Writers' Center, Chautauqua Institution, the Danville Writer's Conference, and the Writers' Center, Bethesda, Maryland. She lives in Cincinnati, OH with her husband, visual artist Shinji Turner-Yamamoto.You can learn more about Judith on her website: turneryamamoto.com. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @jturneryamamoto and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/judith.turneryamamoto.Get your copy of Loving the Dead and Gone at your favorite bookstore or on Amazon at www.amazon.com/Loving-Dead-Gone-Judith-Turner-Yamamoto or support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Loving the Dead and Gone at www.bookshop.org/a/90599/9781646032587A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music,...

This week on Author Express we bring you an engaging conversation that touches on how an author's body of work can reach beyond genre to connect with readers in multiple ways. We are excited for you to get to know the writer we have with us today - Lynne Golodner writes emotional novels with compelling Jewish characters who are determined to fill their lives with passion, purpose, and love. Her first novel, Woman of Valor, joins a body of work that includes two poetry collections and six nonfiction books, including Hide and Seek: Jewish Women and Hair Covering and The Flavors of Faith: Holy Breads. Lynne is a writing coach, marketing entrepreneur, and host of the Make Meaning Podcast, and her creative nonfiction has been published around the world. With a BA from the University of Michigan and an MFA from Goddard College, Lynne is a mother of four and lives in Huntington Woods, Michigan, with her husband, Dan.A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today’s episode, we get to chat with Amy Hagstrom, a Contemporary Fiction author with her debut coming out this fall. Amy began her writing career as a travel writer and editor whose work appeared in US News, OutdoorsNW Magazine, Travel Oregon, and Huffington Post, among others, and for over a decade, she was lucky to travel all over the world, often with her children in tow. A lifelong outdoors enthusiast, she also served as a volunteer EMT with her local county search and rescue unit before launching her fiction writing career. After raising her three children in the Pacific Northwest, Amy traded the Cascade, Siskiyou, and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges for the Sierra Madre mountains, making her home in central Mexico with her wife. Perhaps thanks to her love of travel, Amy finds much of her inspiration for her novels in a deeply entrenched sense of place, often considering the setting of each of her novels to be a character in itself. Amy's four completed manuscripts take place in treasured locations across the American West, ranging from the California Sierra to the Pacific Northwest's San Juan Islands, Wyoming's Tetons, and her longtime home in Southern Oregon. The many wildfires of this region inspired her second book deal in her novel currently titled, SMOKE SEASON, which comes out with Lake Union in 2024.You can learn more about Amy on her website www.amyhagstrom.com and follow her on Instagram @amyhagstromwrites or on Threads under the same handle. Sign up for her newsletter on her website to stay up to date on her upcoming releases, and preorder THE WILD BETWEEN US on Amazon at www.amazon.com/dp/1662511485/ or support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of The Wild Between Us at https://bookshop.org/a/90599/9781662511486A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.  Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

“I never thought it was important, best to forget and left alone. The past is the past and who wants to read, hear, and know about war and its atrocities? I certainly did not and neither did anyone else who went through it. Then in my golden years, I realized the world needs to know and hear from real people who survived wars, not history books. First, that war is terrible, secondly that those who are free need to be more grateful and realize freedom comes with a price tag, and at great cost.” –Marie Vischer ElliottMarie, who goes by Rita in the historical novel, Under the Java Moon, was at first reluctant to have her story told in novel form by Heather B. Moore. In August 2021, Heather met Marie for the first time, where they both vetted each other. Heather wondered if she’d be able to do justice to a story that Marie had kept to herself for so many decades. Marie wondered if she was truly ready to trust such private and difficult memories to a historical fiction format. Marie told Heather that her family never spoke of the war after it ended. Her parents had wanted to fully move on. Because of all that she had endured, Marie never watched war movies or read books about wars. She especially stayed away from stories about concentration or prison camps and their victims and survivors. Like her parents, she kept her past firmly behind her. But in recent years, as Marie watched her grandchildren grow and have children of her own, she realized she needed to share her past. Even though she feared the pain that would return by recalling her memories, she wanted her grandchildren to know the price of freedom and to find gratitude in all walks of life. You can learn more about her on her website www.hbmoore.com and follow her on Instagram @authorhbmooreGet your copy of Under the Java Moon at your favorite bookseller https://shadowmountain.com/product/under-the-java-moon/ or support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Under the Java Moon at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the...

Nancy Christie has been living the writing life for more years than she can remember. Her writing background, like so many other writers, has been a hodgepodge of freelance work (newspaper, magazine, and corporate clients), short stories, and fiction and nonfiction books. And again, like so many other writers, she finds it challenging to balance income-producing work with what she really wants to write, which right now are the books in her Midlife Moxie Novel Series and more short stories for her fourth collection, The Language of Love, due out in 2025.In her early years, she juggled motherhood and writing, then much later, caregiving and writing. And now, it’s book marketing—and writing. The central through line for her is always fiction writing—whether she only gets half an hour a day or can manage an entire weekend. As for her novel series, she sees herself as the poster child for midlife reinvention. It wasn’t until she was forty that she had her first short story published, and she was fifty when her first book was published. Ten years later, her first short fiction collection came out and now, at the tender age of sixty-nine, she’s released her first novel, Reinventing Rita. And she plans to continue living this writing life as long as she can. You can learn more about Nancy on her website, www.nancychristie.com, where you can find links to her books, her Living the Writing Life podcast, and her Midlife Moxie Novel Series on YouTube and sign up for her newsletters. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.Get your copy of Reinventing Rita at your favorite bookseller, at https://store.bookbaby.com/book/reinventing-rita,or support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Reinventing Rita at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.  Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Dana S. Diaz made her debut as an author in June 2023, when she released her gripping memoir, GASPING FOR AIR: THE STRANGLEHOLD OF NARCISSISTIC ABUSE. The Best-Selling book invites readers along her odyssey of healing and empowerment as she breaks free from the grasp of her 25-year-long abusive relationship. She fearlessly delves into old wounds to reveal the truth behind a lifetime of lies and stitches them closed as a new and resilient woman.An inspiring true story filled with strife and revelation, Gasping for Air exposes the raw truth of emotional, psychological and physical trauma. Although some of Dana's experiences are triggering for other victims of abuse, GASPING FOR AIR has helped them better understand their circumstances and know they're not alone. It has been a tremendous help for mental health and legal professionals as well, to better understand what abuse looks and feels like from a victim's perspective, since most victims of abuse and domestic violence are unable, afraid or ashamed to express the complexities of their situation otherwise.Dana is currently working on the prequel and sequel to GASPING FOR AIR. The Prequel will delve into her childhood, wherein she was abused by her stepfather and gas lighted to believe it wasn't abuse by her mother. The Sequel will feature another narcissist who Dana didn't see coming. This one threatens to destroy her "happily ever after."Aside from writing, Dana enjoys her country life with her husband, Doug, and two cats, Tigger and Kitty Kitty. She wears her gray Converse shoes every day, enjoys walking and listening to music (she's a total "Swiftie"), and looks forward to the many vacations she takes with Doug around the world every year.For more information about Dana and to take a quiz to see if you've experienced narcissistic abuse, please visit www.danasdiaz.com.GASPING FOR AIR is available anywhere books are sold online. There is also a link on www.danasdiaz.comORSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of GASPING FOR AIR at https://bookshop.org/a/Please follow Dana on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DanaSDiazAuthor/or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/danas.diaz/A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free <a href="https://bit.ly/PodcastTitle" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

Meg Calvin is an Amazon Bestselling Author and writing and marketing coach who helps writers do the deep spiritual work to create their Amazon bestselling books (paperback, Kindle, and Audible). After 15+ years as a minister, Meg began serving nonfiction and memoir writers who are fellow (as she refers to them) Spiritually-Attuned Go-Getters back in 2020. Regardless of their book's topic, a Spiritually-Attuned Go-Getters is a writer who doesn't only have a high frequency of service to others, but also believes that ambition is holy and that birthing a book is *truly* a divine process.Through her intuitive gifts, time-tested writing and marketing techniques, and, at times, unconventional practices, she guides writers in forever unblocking those deep subconscious blocks around their identity, their time, their unique writing style, monetizing and marketing their book, and their book's target audience--just to name a few. As these become unblocked, the writer becomes unstoppable on his/her/their path in birthing an Amazon Bestselling Book that transforms readers' lives. Connect with Meg on social media (Meg Calvin) or at MegCalvin.com.She is excited to be learning the science of fiction writing as she births her third book. The Bluebonnet Child: Finding Grace in Poor Soil with Wipf &amp; Stock, is her first book. It seeks to equip us to offer hope to kids whose homes seem hopeless and equips churches, schools, and other non-profits to be the supplemental family to kids of troubled homes, i.e., bluebonnet children. Her second book and Amazon Bestseller, I Am My Own Sanctuary, with Quoir Publishing, reads like Seth Myers and the Benedictine nun, Joan Chittister conceived a book-baby.This “Full-steam comedic rant”, as Dr. David Dault of the NPR Show, Things Not Seen called it, was written for other “recovering-people-pleasers” and encourages them to take back the power over their lives from others by tapping into the power of the Divine within. It’s available on Kindle, Audible, and paperback. There is a supplemental I Am My Own Sanctuary Journal that guides readers into deeper reflection with ten questions per chapter and fancy-lined pages.Meg has been featured on NPR and has served as a workshop presenter at state-wide and national conferences.Enjoy a FREE TRAINING called, 3 WAYS TO MAKE MARKETING YOUR BOOK MORE FUN AND LESS FRUSTRATING over at MegCalvin.com and she'd love to continue the conversation with you over on the socials:Instagram: @heymegcalvinFacebook: @megcalvin TikTok: @megcalvinorSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of I Am My Own Sanctuary at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a...

On today's episode, we sit down with YA fantasy author E.A. Winters, a mom, Licensed Professional Counselor, military spouse, and—dragon rider?? Well, dragon writer, anyway!E.A. Winters has loved reading since childhood and wanted to be an author around the same time she wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Neither panned out at first, but then in 2017 she started writing her debut novel, The Forgotten Stone, a Lord of the Rings meets Narnia vibe quest adventure standalone.The Forgotten Stone took a year to write and another year to edit, but Winters was bitten by the writing bug and soon dove into book one of a dragons and assassins series, The Blood and Flame Saga. Book 1 took her four months to write, and she's now working on a branch-off series called The Melderblood Chronicles that can be enjoyed on its own or enriched by reading the original series first.Inspired by fast-paced, high-stakes stories that sweep you away the minute you open the page, E.A. Winters' books might be what you're looking for if you love stories of blackmail, kidnapping, royal intrigue, dragons, and assassins—especially if you love romance intertwined, but would rather skip explicit language and sexual material.Learn more on her website at https://www.eawinters.com and follow her on Instagram at @e.a.winters and TikTok at @eawinters.Ready for some dragon and assassin adventures?Dive into Dragon's Kiss today at books2read.com/u/bQNq8PorSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of Dragon's Kiss at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram<a href="https://instagram.com/AuthorExpressPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

lways the curious and independent (“I can do it myself”) child, Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction author Elaine Stock was stumped when she asked family members questions about her heritage and discovered no one wanted to talk about the past. She also was bemused when especially her beloved grandmother would reply “Why? Are you going to write a book about it?” Years later, after penning a few inspirational titles, Elaine, determined to write what she loved to read—historical fiction—researched her paternal heritage from Brzeziny, Poland. Learning that the likely reason behind why her family did not share about the ‘Old Country’ was because of sheer tragedy due to the horrific loss of lives in Brzeziny during the Holocaust, which would include family members that didn’t immigrate to the US, she passionately wanted to create a story of two women friends (one who is deaf and inspired by her great aunt) who dared to overcome the horrific times of a world war and the occupation of Poland by encouraging each other to continue forward despite the tough times by believing that better days are ahead for themselves, that they are the ones who have the power to make these days brighter. This first and huge leap in a new fiction direction has launched Elaine as an author of Historical Fiction, blended with Women’s Fiction. She has not one regret! Her love letter to Brzeziny became the award-winning, and Amazon Best Seller novel, We Shall Not Shatter. It also just earned the rank of 2023 Category Finalist in the Erich Hoffer Award.Like her female characters, Elaine is learning how to shove aside several fears and worries and embrace the power of hope in living on this fast-spinning planet. A member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and The Historical Novel Society, she was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lives in upstate, New York with her husband and enjoys long walks down country roads, visiting New England towns, and of course, a good book.You can learn more about Elaine and her novels on her website https://elainestock.com/ and follow her on Facebook where she hangs out with a growing readership community: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorElaineStockGet your copies of the Resilient Women of WWII Trilogy books here https://amzn.to/416o2wk or support your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of We Shall Not Shatter at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -<a href="https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast"...

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Anna Quinn, an author, and founder of the Writers’ Workshoppe in Port Townsend, Washington. Her debut novel, THE NIGHT CHILD, published in 2018, was a Washington State Book Award finalist, listed as #1 Best Real Psychological Fiction on Goodreads, and has been praised for its powerful portrayal of trauma and its impact on identity and relationships, as well as its lyrical writing and gripping storyline. Anna's latest book, ANGELINE, nominated for the National Book Award, is a powerful exploration of feminism, grief, and the imagination. Drawing on her own life experiences, as well as insights from leading feminist thinkers and writers, Anna gives voice to the silenced and the visionaries through her characters and shows how love and collaboration can free us from limiting social constructs and create a more equitable world.A little about today's author -Anna Quinn's twenty-five-year experience as a public school teacher has had an invaluable influence on her writing. Throughout her career as a teacher, she witnessed firsthand the struggles and challenges her students faced. Many of her students came from difficult backgrounds and had experienced abuse, bullying, poverty, or other forms of hardship. As a result of her time as a teacher, Quinn became deeply invested in exploring the themes of identity formation, equality, imagination, and resilience in her writing. In this podcast, Anna will also share insights into her writing process and the techniques she uses to create compelling stories. For her, writing is all about tapping into the power of the imagination and approaching her work with a sense of openness and curiosity. She rarely knows where a story is going to take her, and that's part of the magic she loves. She believes that nurturing and protecting one’s voice is an essential part of writing stories that resonate deeply with readers.To learn more about Anna and her work, you can visit her website at https://annamquinn.com. Her latest book, ANGELINE, is available for purchase at https://bookshop.org/p/ and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5PDRTMLA little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram<a href="https://instagram.com/AuthorExpressPodcast"...

Today we catch up with Rachel Stone, author of The Blue Iris who writes stories of hope and redemption, often set against vibrant Canadian backdrops. A former labour relations specialist, Rachel left the corporate world behind when a health issue from years earlier came back to haunt her. Desperate for distraction, she enrolled in creative writing courses in the hopes of finally giving her writing dream a dedicated shot. When a short writing assignment formed the seedling of The Blue Iris, Rachel found herself transfixed by the process of developing the novel's vibrant cast of characters, who offered a timely escape from her real-world health worries. The Blue Iris quickly took up residence in her heart, fulfilling Rachel in a way she'd never experienced as she re-examined her whole approach to life and made writing it a priority. Subsequent medical tests proved shocking: not only had pursuing her passion filled her soul with sparkles -- it also appeared to be healing her body. Rachel vowed to see the book through no matter how many rewrites, edits and queries it took (spoiler: it took a LOT!), then go on writing like her health depended on it.Rachel holds degrees in psychology and industrial relations, and once worked seven summers at a flower market. She’s an active member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and proud co-founder of a local volunteer initiative supporting new and newly-immigrated families in need. Born and raised in Toronto, Rachel lives near the city with her family and on weekends you’ll find her along the south shore of Georgian Bay, belting nineties pop rock from her paddleboard. You can learn more about Rachel at her website: www.rachelstoneauthor.com. The Blue Iris is available to preorder now. A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Janis Robinson Daly grew up in Massachusetts and remained there, graduating with a B.A. in Psychology from Wheaton College, at the time, an all-women’s college. At Wheaton, she developed an appreciation of the supportive relationships established between women and a heightened awareness of female-centric issues. Both directed her writing of THE UNLOCKED PATH.With a love of history and plot and themes sketched, Janis enrolled in a creative writing course to hone hery skills. Combining years of extensive research, feedback from writers’ conferences, beta readers, and editors, and with a contract in hand from indie press Black Rose Writing, she published THE UNLOCKED PATH ten weeks after her 60th birthday. My next chapter had begun. THE UNLOCKED PATH presents a “New Woman” of the 20th century: educated, career-minded, independent Eliza Pearson Edwards. In 1897 Philadelphia, after witnessing her aunt's suicide, Eliza rejects her mother’s wishes for a society debut, and at a time when five percent of doctors are female, she enters a woman’s medical college. With the support of a circle of women and driven by a determination to conquer curriculum demands, battle sexism, and overcome doubts, Eliza charts her new life path. Combining science and sympathy, she triumphs to heal others and herself.Organic Chemistry may slay her, if the strain of endless study, odoriferous labs, and gruesome surgeries don’t claim her first. As a young intern, she summons a forthright confidence asserting her abilities to those mistrustful of a woman doctor. Through her work with poverty-stricken patients, she defines her version of suffrage work to champion women’s rights for and beyond the right to vote. Love is found, love is lost. During a visit to the fairy-tale-like city of Newport, a new relationship may fulfill her desires. By 1912 Eliza moves to Boston, using her medical skills to assist at settlement houses in the South and West Ends. When global events devolve into chaos with the 1918 influenza pandemic and a world war, Eliza renews her vow to help and heal.Janis, her husband, and rescue pup now split their time between Cape Cod, NH, FL, and hotels along Route 95. She has spoken at over twenty-five libraries and joined many local book clubs for an author presentation. You can learn more about Janis, her novel, local appearances, and how to book her for an event at www.janisrdaly.com. THE UNLOCKED PATH has recently been showcased as a Top Ten book by the Women's Fiction Writers' Association which celebrates women’s fiction titles that showcase Twentieth Century Historical Fiction (1900 – 1989) and shines a light on the societal barriers women scrambled over on their journey to live and love as fully as possible.THE UNLOCKED PATH is available through Amazon in paperback, Kindle and Audible and can be ordered through any local indie bookstore or Bookshop.org.A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at <a href="https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

On today’s episode we speak with author Zachary Downing, a coming-of-age novelist who enjoys writing funny and relatable characters trudging through the everyday, frantic and transformative trials of life.His first novel, Flounder, was published in 2022, and concerns a college Freshman who stops going to class, but keeps going to parties. Downing wrote it to be the crazy college version of “The Little Engine That Could.”In 2023, Downing has published his second novel, Manhattan to Montauk, which involves a whirlwind summer romance between a 22-year-old man and a 17-year-old woman. Set in 1995, in New York City and the Long Island vacation community of Montauk, this book examines early-adulthood love through changing seasons, setting and circumstance.You can purchase Manhattan to Montauk and Flounder, through his website: zdowning.com. You can also follow Zach on Instagram at: Zachary_Downing_writes.A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

In today’s episode, writer and social worker Carla Damron explores how her two careers are intertwined. Damron worked as a clinical social worker and mental health agency administrator for thirty+ years. She worked with numerous clients experiencing serious mental illness and found she learned more from them than she’d ever learned in a textbook. After retiring from the mental health organization, Damron directed an advocacy organization where she learned more than she ever wanted to know about the prevalence and impact of human trafficking. Both legs of her career (mental health and advocacy) have informed her writing. In her mysteries, suspense, and women’s fiction, Damron tackles social issues like mental illness, homelessness, and human trafficking—with the goal of entertaining her readers while expanding their awareness of these important issues. Damron’s most recent novel, The Orchid Tattoo, has garnered several awards, but what has been more satisfying is the impact it’s had on readers, who reach out to her asking what they can do to combat human trafficking. Damron donates a large portion of her royalties to an organization that supports the recovery of trafficking survivors. You can learn more about her work at www.carladamron.com and purchase her latest book here: https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Delise Torres grew up in Puerto Rico, watching telenovelas and re-enacting scenes with her Barbies. Once she outgrew her dolls, she turned to daydreaming, and it wasn’t until her late thirties when she finally put her own stories to paper, and her passion for writing was born.She has a PhD in Food Science and former work experience as a quality assurance manager in the food industry. When not writing, you can find her trying to time-manage her life, singing, reading, and streaming shows and movies. She lives in Germany with her daughter and German husband. Her debut foodie women’s fiction, One Tough Cookie, comes out on July 18. Find bonus content and join Delise’s mailing list on her website at https://delisetorres.com/ and follow her on Instagram @torresdeliseorSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of One Tough Cookie at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

After declaring herself a pretty pink princess during her first ballet class, Rachel dreamt of sugarplums and began pirouetting her way through life. While studying to become a ballerina, she compulsively read books under her covers by flashlight and scribbled in spiral-bound notebooks. The urge to tell stories culminated in her graduation from Columbia College Chicago with a B.F.A. in fiction writing. Never one to keep her feet on the ground, she traveled the world from Prague to Cape Town. Once settled back in Queens, she dabbled in journalism before working as an Editorial Assistant for a medical publisher. Seeking a more fulfilling career, she earned her MAT from Queens College and currently works as an English teacher in an alternative program in NYC. Rachel spends her time sipping coffee, trying to cook, and practicing her pirouettes. She currently resides in Freeport, Long Island. You can learn more about Rachel at her website www.rachelcorsini.com and follow her on instagram, twitter and tiktok @madameraerae. Get your copy of Sushi and Sea Lions here https://books2read.com/u/bONod9orSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of Sushi and Sea Lions at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Anna E. Collins is a Seattle area author of contemporary romantic comedies and women’s fiction who was a dual debut in 2022 with romcom LOVE AT FIRST SPITE, and women’s fiction novel THESE NUMBERED DAYS. Anna grew up in Sweden where she was always a voracious reader with a vivid imagination, but other than occasional poems and songs, she didn’t start putting her own stories into writing until after she had kids. By that point, she had worked as a high school teacher for several years, married an American, undertaken two international moves, and needed a new outlet. Her first venture into fiction was a gargantuan 260,000-word historical family saga that will never see the light of day but that sparked a passion for creating people and worlds that illustrate and illuminate aspects of the human experience that connect us. A couple more books and a master’s degree in educational psychology later, Anna caught the break that would allow her to consider writing more than a hobby when she got into PitchWars in 2017. Since that crash course in editing and the world of publishing, she has never looked back. She placed 2nd in the PNWA literary contest 2018 and was a RWA Golden Heart finalist in 2019 with two of her women’s fiction novels. Then in 2020, with the pandemic upon us, she decided to branch into something more lighthearted and wrote the romcom that ended up being her debut. Regardless of genre, Anna aspires to write characters that jump off the page, and relationships that are as complex and imperfect as the ones we find in our everyday life. The sweet spot is where recognized experiences can be infused with fictional sprinkles to create something that’s familiar but just enough “other” to transport the reader and widen perspectives.When not writing, Anna stays busy driving her teenage kids around, training her eternal shadow and companion Archie the mini goldendoodle, and engaging in other creative pursuits such as drawing, woodworking, and baking. She is currently in the middle of the launch of her second women’s fiction novel, A Life in Bloom (Red Adept), and revising the second of two romcoms scheduled to be released in 2024 and 2025 (Forever).You can keep up with Anna on Instagram @aeccreates, and on her website www.aecollinsbooks.com where you’ll also find links to order her booksor Support your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of A Life in Bloom at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on <a href="https://amzn.to/3Ss5vcj" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

Today's guest Gabi Coatsworth was born in Britain but has spent most of her life trying to figure out how America works by living here. She arrived forty years ago to work for six months, but couldn't resist a particular American, so she stayed. Her award-winning memoir about that relationship, Love’s Journey Home, was published last year by Atmosphere Press, who also recently published her debut novel, A Beginner's Guide to Starting Over. It's not her first novel - she has two more languishing in a desk drawer. Writing historical fiction turned out to be harder than she expected. She began the first one on a bus in Vietnam, as a NaNoWriMo effort. Nowadays she lives in Connecticut in a cottage that's American on the outside, and English inside. If she’s not writing, reading, or traveling, she’s usually to be found in her flower garden, wondering whether to weed, and holding a cup of her preferred beverage, strong English tea – she believes Earl Grey is too weak. Unlike many writers, she only drinks coffee as a last resort. Gabi runs writers groups in Connecticut, and you can connect with her here. https://linktr.ee/gabicoatsworthA little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today's episode, we're chatting with Ella Shawn, a southern erotic women's fiction author who at one point, housed 13 guinea pigs, and that's just the beginning of this southerner's charm.After thirteen years of teaching high school English and creative writing, a diagnosis of systemic lupus and narcolepsy with cataplexy freed Ella from accepting a good-enough-for-now-life and demanded she creates an I-deserve-it-all-life.Ella Shawn tells the forbidden stories of Black, Southern women who find healing and freedom through the practice of sacred eroticism. She is the author of the Broken Souls Series (Broken Souls, Mirrored Souls, Consecrated Souls, Harmonious Souls), and host of the Enchanted BEAST Podcast, available on twelve platforms. Ella is excited to launch her latest podcast in June of this year entitled, Black Writer Therapy. As a member of the South Carolina Writers Association, she serves as the Critique Chapter Liaison to the Board of Directors. She is also an active member of the Women's Fiction Writer Association. At home, Ella Shawn is one-half of an old married couple. Together for thirty years, married for twenty-three of those… the high school sweethearts have three brilliant daughters, two cats, and a service dog. Ella knows without the love and support of her family and fur family, she would not be able to do any of what she does.If you'd like to purchase Ella's books, connect with her on social media, or join her monthly newsletter list, use the link below.https://bio.site/EllaShawnWritesYou can also check out Ella Shawn's latest podcast, Black Writer Therapy right where you are listening to this podcast or visit - https://www.ellashawn.com/podcast for more information.A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram<a href="https://instagram.com/AuthorExpressPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

On today's episode we chat with Kelly I. Hitchcock, a humorous fiction author who brings her wry character voice to her newest novel, Community Klepto. Kelly I. Hitchcock is a literary fiction author, humorist, and poet in Austin, Texas. She has published several poems, short stories, and creative non-fiction works in literary journals, and is the author of the coming-of-age novel The Redheaded Stepchild and the short story collection Portrait of Woman in Ink: A Tattoo Storybook. Her newest novel, Community Klepto, released June 2022, courtesy of She Writes Press and was a finalist for the Montaigne Medal from the Eric Hoffer Awards. She is world-renowned among a growing readership of several folks. She is an editorial contributor to Austin Moms and Zibby Mag.A little about today's author -Raised by a single father in the small town of Buffalo, Missouri, Kelly has fond memories of life being broke as shit in the Ozarks that strongly influence her writing and way of life. She’s a graduate of Missouri State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. She has seven-year-old identical twins and a full-time job, so writing and picking up LEGO are the only other things she can devote herself to.You can learn more about Kelly and her work on her website www.kellyhitchcock.com and follow her on all social media as Kelly Hitchcock. Get your copy of Community Klepto to support your local bookstore &amp; this podcast through Bookshop.org.A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

In today’s episode, we chat with women’s fiction author Jen Craven. After two historical fiction novels, Jen made the jump forward to contemporary times, now focusing on stories in the present day, featuring flawed protagonists making split-second decisions. Her books target readers who are drawn to complex families, morally gray characters, and fast-paced plotlines that serve for excellent chit-chat well after the last page. In fact, one of Jen’s favorite things it to join in on book club meetings—she’s Zoomed into everywhere from Florida to New England.As an indie author, Jen learned the ins and outs of self-publishing and how to make her books stand out. Her contemporary debut, Best Years of Your Life (Aug. 2022), is set on a fictional college campus where both professors and students get wrapped up in cheating scandals. Her next two books, scheduled for fall 2023 and spring 2024 will be published by Bookouture. When she’s not writing— Er, well…actually, she’s always writing, whether that’s at her computer, in her head on long walks, or at her three children’s sporting events in northwestern Pennsylvania. Jen is most active on Instagram @jencravenauthor, where she loves to create relatable, uplifting writing and book content. Learn more about Jen and her books at www.jencraven.comorSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of Best Years of Your Life at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Today's guest, Maggie Smith, makes her home in Wisconsin, land of the three seasons—summer, fall, winter. (For some reason, spring usually passes us by). When her husband starts to lobby for them to move to a warmer climate, she points to fires, tornadoes, and rising sea levels as the reason to stay put in the middle of the heartland. She doesn't mention how she likes the crunch of freshly fallen snow beneath her boots as she trudges to the mailbox. But the main reason she stays put are the great women friends she's made here. With age comes wisdom about what’s truly important, and they are.She writes full-time after a short career as a psychologist and a much longer one as the founder and CEO of a national art consulting company. If she's being honest, she's a writing conference junkie, having penned her first published short story as a result of a stint at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival and she regularly attend several events each year when a pandemic doesn’t get in the way. She's had many mentors along the way, and her way of paying that forward is by supporting fellow authors, particularly those just starting out, through podcast interviews, teaching, speaking gigs, and through shout-outs and posts on social media. She came to writing through her first love–reading. Yes, she was one of those kids who grabbed a book as a toddler and read it until the cover fell off. Now that she's got the luxury of a home office, she's lined it with bookshelves—three shelves with short story collections, twelve for novels, five for books on writing. When her husband was wooing her, he presented her with a box filled with every Agatha Christie mystery ever published, which he’d scoured used bookstores for months to find. That collection sits alongside the Sherlock Holmes canon and Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels. And yes, she decided to marry him shortly after. Not just because of the books, but she admits, it helped.Another passion of hers is movies, from the classic noirs of the forties through modern-day classics. She's decorated one hallway with lobby cards from her favorites, including Vertigo, Silence of the Lambs, and Chinatown. And has been known to throw elaborate Oscar parties with champagne and door prizes.On a personal note: her debut novel TRUTH &amp; OTHER LIES, is at its heart about how, at a formative age, young women often pattern themselves after someone older and seemingly wiser and how that choice can affect the trajectory of their lives. That theme resonated with her because of her own experiences growing up in Oklahoma until she left for college in Chicago. She describes having a prickly relationship with her mother, that they were strangers to each other, shouting across the great expanse of changing women’s roles. Her mother was a product of the Depression and a world war and thought her daughter's dreams of a career in journalism were cock-eyed and unattainable.In many ways, the scenes between Megan and her mother in her debut were easy to write because she'd lived them. She never had a role model like her famous journalist, Jocelyn Jones. And she never mended her relationship with her own mother, who died a decade ago. So in some ways writing this first novel was her attempt to come to terms with both those facts. To write a story where her 25-year-old protagonist was able to achieve what she could not. To give her own life story a better ending.You can learn more about Maggie at her website www.maggiesmithwriter.com and connect with her on Instragram at https://www.instagram.com/maggiesmithwrites/ To purchase her debut, Truth and Other Lies, follow this link: (https://www.amazon.com/Truth-Other-Lies-Maggie-Smith-ebook/dp/B09BDHHZP2)orSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your...

Today our guest is Sara Staggs, former civil rights attorney-turned-author. She writes upmarket fiction and YA, and her debut novel, Uncontrollable, launches on May 25th from Black Rose Writing. Sara practiced civil rights litigation for several years before she had to stop because of her epilepsy. After two brain surgeries in six years, she wrote a novel based on her experiences with epilepsy, which mixes fiction with autobiographical fiction ("auto-fiction"). Uncontrollable is a 5-star Reader's Favorite, and has received amazing advance reviews from Independent Book Review, Midwest Book Review, Pacific Book Review, Indie Reader, and featured in Publisher's Weekly as Booklife Editor's Favorite.&nbsp;&nbsp;Sara started her writing journey after her second brain surgery, using writing as therapy. She kept a journal while she was in the hospital, and started writing&nbsp;to deal with the trauma and PTSD that she experienced during her pre-surgical work-ups. After finishing the medical scenes, she wondered if she could create a novel inspired by her life, and the result was Uncontrollable.&nbsp;Sara keeps a blog about writing and publishing, living with epilepsy, and parenting a transgender child. Her next book is a YA LGBTQ+ book that she hopes to query this fall.Sara has a three-city book tour starting on May 25th, and here is the list of events currently lined up. If you are in Portland,&nbsp;Dallas, or Cleveland, come see her speak and leave with a signed copy of a book that has been described by best-selling author Alisa Kennedy Jones as "UN-PUT-DOWNABLE!"&nbsp;&nbsp;ClevelandMay 25th: WEWS live interview at 10am&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Presentation at Empower Epilepsy with Cleveland Clinic neurologist, Dr. Imad Najm. Event from 5pm-8pm. Free to all. Register here.&nbsp;&nbsp;DallasJune 9th: Book event at Interabang Books at 6pm, moderated by professional speaker, Karen Cortell Reisman. Come early for food and mingling! RSVP here.PortlandJune 6th: Book reading, Q&amp;A, and signing at Annie Bloom's Books at 7pm. Come early for food! Children welcome. RSVP here.&nbsp;June 14th: Author's Night at the University Club at 6pm. Wine tasting and snacks start at 5:30. Open to all. RSVP here.&nbsp;You can learn more about Sara on her website www.sarastaggswrites.com.Sign up for her newsletter to keep up-to-date on events, her next release, and for new blog posts! You can follow her on Instagram www.instagram.com/sarastaggswrites and on Twitter&nbsp;@SaraStaggs.&nbsp;Support your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of Uncontrollable at https://bookshop.org/a/90599/9781685132019 or see all the options to order on Sara's website www.sarastaggswrites.com.A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others...

On today’s episode, we chat with Geeta Schrayter, a women’s fiction author who gathers most of her inspiration from her everyday life in New England.As soon as Geeta discovered the magic of books, the desire to write rooted itself within her. As a child, she crafted pretend newspapers and penned short stories (when she wasn't devouring library books borrowed by the armload). She won her first writing competition in fifth grade, and it was then she decided to be a writer when she grew up – and never faltered in that decision.She received her undergraduate degree in communication with a journalism concentration, and over the years she’s been a travel blogger, magazine intern, freelance writer, reporter, and assistant newspaper editor, but her greatest love is fiction writing.When she’s not trying to make her characters behave, she loves to work her way through an endless TBR, travel, bake, run, and adventure with her husband and children. Some of her favorite things include the Christmas season, Paris, pink, polar bears, starry skies, sunrise, macarons, and avocados.A lifelong Connecticut resident, Geeta’s TBW (to be written) list contains ideas inspired by life in New England. Along with editing her next novel, training for her 6th marathon, and getting ready to try her hand at NaNoWriMo, Geeta’s preparing to launch The Cardigan Club, which offers members exclusive short stories, gifts, recommendations, events and more– all centered around New England.A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Today we’re chatting with Sharon Wray, a USA Today Bestselling romance and women’s fiction author who spent most of her life trying not to write. She started her career as a chemical and patent librarian for major pharmaceutical companies and then moved into archival work for the Newspaper Association of America. She also studied dress design in the couture houses of Paris and worked as a Red Cross Caseworker in South Korea. Finally, after years of traveling, working, having kids, and ignoring the characters speaking in her head, she decided to become a novelist. Because it took her forever to decide what she wanted to do when she grew up, she is now passionate about the idea that it’s never too late to change your life. Although Sharon began her writing career as a romance author, and loves writing contemporary romance and romantic suspense, she is moving into the Women’s Fiction.A Hollow in the Reed, which takes place during the last days of WWII, is about Claire, a grieving widow, who struggles to reconnect with her young daughter. But when the threat of war reaches their remote Maine lighthouse island, Claire makes a desperate attempt to save her daughter and learns the true meaning of sacrifice.The historical background to this story is based on a little-known true event—the night a German U-boat blew up the USS Eagle 56 off the coast of Maine. A tragedy that happened two weeks before the war ended in Europe. Only 13 of the 62 crewman survived.While this historical event is a minor part of the story, the idea of believing what one hopes to be true versus the real truth ties into the story’s premise: Learning to love again defeats living in the past because you’re afraid of losing the people you love.Her next women's fiction project, Last Dance at Aigrette Hall, brings us back to the contemporary world with a gothic ghost story about a woman who is desperate to find the truth about a so-called paranormal event that tore apart her childhood and changed her life forever.Sharon also blogs almost every day and is the author of the popular blog series The Hungry {Romance} Writer, The Write Prepper, and The Romance Herbalist.You can learn more about Sharon, her books, her blog series, and sign up for her newsletter on her website at www.sharonwray.com. You can also keep up with her new releases and other news on Instagram -@sharonwrayauthorAnd if you love interacting with your favorite authors, she is one of the founding members of The Isn’t it Romantic Book Club on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/750250638747822 where they interview the some of the biggest romance, mystery, thriller, and women’s fiction authors.A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on <a...

Gloria Mattioni is an award-winning feature writer and the award-winning author of 'California Sister'. She writes fiction and narrative non-fiction. In fact, she previously published 'Reckless - The Outrageous Lives of Nine Kick-Ass Women' and 'Dakota Warrior - The Story of James R. Weddell.' Earlier on, she published in Italy a novel, 'Con Altri Occhi', and three non-fiction books, 'Guerriero Dakota', 'Wild Women,' and 'La Tribù dei Mangiatori di Sogni'. As soon as her debut women's fiction, 'California Sister', was completed, she started writing her second novel, a mystery along the lines of the books written by Claire Waters, the main character and narrator of California Sister. Growing up, Mattioni dreamed of being a pirate, an astronaut, and an explorer but she was a storyteller since she learned to speak in complete sentences and became a professional writer at eighteen. She's been, among other things, an investigative reporter, human rights activist, animal rescuer, editor and magazine writer. She has a penchant for social justice and tries to infuse her writing with it, unafraid of taking controversial stands on hot topics like the injustice of the justice system or the right to die with dignity. Either as a journalist or author, she chooses to tell stories that can inspire her readers to trust their hearts, follow their passion, and be compassionate with all living beings.She was born in Milan, Italy, but moved to Los Angeles in 1992. She still lives in California with her husband and rescue dog, conjures six impossible things every morning before breakfast, and travels much. She loves hiking in the mountains, swimming and surfing in the ocean, but also getting lost on city streets or jump in her car or motorhome for impromptu road trips.You can learn more about her on her website www.gloriamattioni.com or follow her on Instagram at @gloriamattioni to keep up with her new releases.Order your copy of California Sister either through your favorite independent bookstore or at any online vendor by clicking on the links listed on the homepage of her websiteorSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of California Sister at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -<a href="https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

On today’s episode we get to chat with Melissa Gowdy Baldwin, a Dystopian Fiction author with a penchant for pairing music and astrology signs with all her characters. A veteran teacher, mother, cat and dog lover, Melissa has taken her educational experience in American Studies and English and Creative Writing and channeled it into her first novel. A book that engages in dialogue about social issues and expectations of both men and women, The Marriage Wars: Book One is part of a larger project which includes a trilogy, two prequels, and a novella if the audience asks. Not long after having her first child, Melissa started writing longer length novels as a way to process her world and the new identities she was embodying. When marriage equality became a focus in the country in 2008 and again in 2012, Melissa created a world highlighting the hyper-focus obsession the country has with ideas of marriage. With her background in gender studies and research on marriage, race, and sexuality, the dystopian world and its rules came natural to her. After putting the book on the back burner because of a second child and a successful teaching career, Melissa went back to school for another Masters and finished writing the book during the pandemic. As the world unfolded around her, she was able to channel observations in her post-pandemic, post Roe v. Wade, and post equal marriage law setting. By including relatable morally gray characters in a not too distant future, Melissa creates a dystopian story that speaks to universal truths about choice, voice, and power. Eager to finish book two of the trilogy as well as write her first romantic comedy, Melissa hopes her readers see themselves in the characters and the situations asking for those characters to make a choice even with the consequences. You can learn more about her on her website www.melissagowdybaldwin.com/ and follow her on Instagram www.instagram.com/melissagowdybaldwin/ -which will be the best place to be kept up to date on her book releaseorSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of The Marriage Wars: Book One at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at <a href="https://linktr.ee/37by27" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

With a background in romance, Gina Andrew has published a series of Halloween romantic comedy novellas, two romantic suspense novels, and the novelette Girl Meets Grammarian, which was included in World Weaver Press’s collection Covalent Bonds and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has also had short romances published in Woman’s World magazine and is a freelance writer for the reader sites BookBub and Scribd.In 2018, Gina pivoted to writing more women’s fiction, and that fall became represented by Laura Crockett at Triada US. Last year, she had the idea of getting together with a group of women’s fiction authors to write a short story collection, and A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood was born. https://books2read.com/amillionways The collection includes short women’s fiction stories from 13 authors centered around the theme of motherhood and spanning the past century. The title is drawn from a quote by Jill Churchill, which reads, “There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one.” Gina is excited to share this collection and particularly discuss her story, “Everything Left Unsaid,” which draws from both her love of cooking and her experience as the mom to two boys with nonverbal autism and intellectual disability.You can learn more about Gina on her website, www.ggandrew.com, or find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/writerggandreworSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

E.D. Hackett is a Speech-language pathologist by day and a writer by night. She has been writing since the first grade and still has her first book, "How I Lost My Tooth." She writes self-published novels that investigate layers of self-expectations, family dynamics, following dreams, and learning how to love and accept yourself while opening your heart to accept love from others. E.D. Hackett has four women’s fiction novel out on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited. Her fifth novel (and first sweet romance) was published on Amazon and Kindle Unlimited in February 2023. Her women’s fiction novels have romantic elements and her sweet romance novels have women’s fiction elements. All her stories end happily because life is hard enough… reading for pleasure shouldn’t be. She hopes that her readers enjoy her novels just as much as she enjoyed writing them. Reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and BookBub are always welcome. Her two kids keep her busy, when they aren't hanging out on video games or with their friends. Her husband has encouraged her to follow her dreams, no matter their size. She lives in New England but in her heart, she feels that she belongs in Ireland. She loves books over movies, ice cream over cake, and dreams about being a full-time author.You can find her on Instagram and Facebook or on her website at www.edhackettwrites.com All her links are found at https://linktr.ee/edhackettYou can also get a copy of her most popular&nbsp;book, Farm Cove Bliss&nbsp;from&nbsp;Bookshop.org and support local bookstores and this podcast in the process.A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Today on Author Express we have Author, Christie Leigh Babirad, a Women’s Fiction author and Poetess who will say without hesitation that the connection she has created with her readers has come through writing directly from the heart and a place of fearless vulnerability. Christie Leigh celebrated the fourth anniversary of her debut Women’s Fiction story, As the Winds Change, this past February, and speaks on how grateful she is to have had this story has her first of now a total of four fiction books, including the follow-up to As the Winds Change, “Where You Are”. All of her writing weaves threads of the life subjects that mean the most to her and what she hopes in some cases will create change in us all caring more about each other, inspiring us to reach out to each other in greater perspectives and understanding. Her stories and poetry write to the topics of relationship dynamics, spirituality- believing that our loved ones who have passed on are still with us through signs and gentle whispers until we meet again, discovering what are life callings are and not letting anything hold us back, feeling different and dealing with loneliness, empathy, caring about each other more, media and society- that connects with isolated emotions, and Love- every kind- romantic, familial, friendship. She is currently working on her fourth poetry collection, and possibly her next novel. She explains how her novel is in that very early stage where you don’t want to say too much until the story is fully grounded. When she’s not writing, she is running her miles, a routine she’s grateful to have developed in her younger years. In addition to being an author, she works as a freelance editor and collaborator. She also has a lot of passion for all different kinds of music and has found that this medium has really inspired her writing. You can stay up to date with all of Christie Leigh’s releases and content through Instagram @ Christie Leigh Babirad (@christieleighbabiradauthor) • Instagram photos and videos and her Facebook Author Page @ Author, Christie Leigh Babirad | FacebookTo view her books, please visit https://amzn.to/3xfIz4CAmazon.com/author/christieleighbabiradA little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Today we're chatting with Robert Harrison, who writes horror and supernatural thrillers under the pen name R.W. Harrison. He's a marketing professional currently living in Florida, but preparing for a move to the Cleveland, Ohio area, where he's from originally. He published his first book, The Onyx Seed, in 2014 and it was inspired by a series of poltergeist experiences he had around 1990. Shortly after his son was born, strange things started happening in the house, such as rocking chairs rocking by themselves, electronic devices turning on and off by themselves, light switches flipping up and down, hearing voices, etc. He had been recounting these occurrences for years and decided to write a book based on the 18-month-long experience. Robert also conducted extensive research on Filipino folklore and introduced some elements from it to elevate the story above the run-of-the-mill ghost story.A sense of place is important to his writing, whether it's upstate New York for the setting of the Onyx Trilogy (The Onyx Seed, Onyx Rising, Onyx Nightmare), or the Ocala National Forest in Florida for Raven's Temple, or the New England coastline for The Ghost of Witch's Point, Robert uses his deep connections to the areas in such a way that they almost become characters in the stories. He felt this the most in the Onyx Trilogy, set in and around Letchworth State Park, about fifty miles east of Buffalo. Both his mother and father were born and raised not far from the 17-mile-long gorge that is the centerpiece of the park, featuring three major waterfalls on the Genesee River, and a railroad trestle over the Upper Falls. Letchworth is a magical place, with 500-foot cliffs and stunning overlooks, and Robert tried to -- surprisingly -- incorporate as much beauty as he could into a series of horror novels.You can learn more about Robert and his books at his website, www.rwharrisonbooks.com, and can download his free novella, The Ghost of Witch's Point, exclusively on his site. All his books are available on Amazon. You can also follow him on Instagram at www.instagram.com/robertharrison_author.A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to...

Today we get to chat with Kerry Chaput, award-winning historical fiction author with a passion for adventure stories. She attempted her first story at age twelve but didn’t find the courage to pursue writing until she turned forty. With a twenty-year career in physical therapy and raised by a US History teacher, it’s no surprise she gravitated toward historical action-adventure as a genre.After joining the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, her commitment to learning the craft of writing took on obsessive proportions, and she’s never looked back. Her debut historical Daughter of the King won a gold medal in the Independent Publisher Awards and is a finalist for the 2022 Chaucer Award for early historical fiction. It continues to top the charts in French Historical Fiction more than a year after its release. The follow-up Daughter of the Shadows, releases March 30, and the final installment of the trilogy is slated for release in March 2024. Her first young adult historical Chasing Eleanor is also in preorder, with a release date of June 15. She balance a full time job in healthcare with a family and a continued drive for her passion for storytelling. She has no plans to slow down any time soon. You can connect with her at her website kerrywrites.com and check out her successful TikTok page @kerrywrites with weekly highlights of fascinating women from history. A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today's episode, we're chatting with Kayla Degala-Paraiso, an experimental, cross-genre, short-form writer. She has a B.A. in Creative Writing from Pitzer College. The title-story of her undergraduate capstone collection, “Morena,” was awarded the 2018 Bea Matas Hollfelder Award. Her debut publication, “This Is How You Haunt Me,” was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in Creative Nonfiction. Her writing often explores emotional and political entanglements; challenges craft conventions; and sucker-punches you in the gut. Kayla’s family migrated from the Philippines. Movement is in Kayla’s bones: she has lived in NYC, Connecticut, Southern California, Italy, Nepal, Boston, Northern California, and Los Angeles. Movement has taught her that there are endless ways of existing — both within oneself and as a part of society. She has learned that those who cannot exist in peace suffer because of dissonance between how they exist within themselves, and how society requires them to exist. Kayla dedicates her life to replacing that dissonance with harmony through socio-political change and writing. Thus, she organizes communities around labor, immigration, and transnational human rights; and teaches both literature and creative writing. While her literature classes are offered exclusively to UCLA students through UCLA’s Department of Comparative Literature, her virtual creative writing classes are hosted through GrubStreet and are open to the public. Kayla also consults writers of all genres and forms on their writerly projects.Kayla is currently a student in UCLA Luskin’s dual Master of Public Policy and Master of Social Welfare program. When she’s not studying or teaching, Kayla works on two writerly projects: a speculative story about the missing goddess of the underworld, and a collection of pieces about surviving the westside of Los Angeles. Kayla publishes under “K.” Follow her at kdegalaparaiso.com. Kayla metioned A Bestiary by Lily Hoang https://bookshop.org/a/90599/9780996316743A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram...

Today we meet author Leslie Kain, who was cursed with a subtle droll wit that even her husband often doesn't "get" as a joke. Leslie has always been writing something, even as a kindergartener. Stories, riddles, plays, poems, inventions, secret plans. Culminating in running away across country at the age of fifteen, never looking back, which launched other adventures she won't divulge. Then with degrees from Wellesley College and Boston University, she had careers in psychology, government intelligence and nonprofits for mental health, during which her writing was limited to nonfiction. Eventually though, some complicated characters found their way out of her head into short stories published in journals and anthologies. More characters began pestering her with THEIR stories, expanding into novels about messed-up people and families whose greatest barriers to happiness lie within them. Very few of her stories end in Happily Ever After.While Leslie's first novel sits on a shelf awaiting revision, her second novel, 'Secrets In The Mirror' was published by Atmosphere Press last September. Each of the four main characters in that story had to undertake arduous emotional journeys to personal transformation. Although not all of those characters' journeys were successful, Leslie didn't think the ending warranted a sequel. But her main character had other ideas, and now she's writing a sequel. Will there be a Happy Ever After? Meantime, Leslie has an overstuffed folder of many story ideas awaiting her. But living in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, an international mecca for history, music and all the arts, it's not always easy to find time to tackle all those new stories begging to be told. You can learn more about Leslie -- and stay up to date on her new writing -- on her website https://lesliekain-psychfiction.com/, and by following her Facebook Author page https://www.facebook.com/Psychological.Fiction as well as on Instagram @leslie.kain and Twitter @lesliekainauth1 A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

As a mother herself, Lindsey understands the hectic nature of parenting as well as the time demands placed on children. Yet, as parents we also have the responsibility to educate our children in a variety of topics such as areas of personal growth and development. Lindsey hopes to provide engaging stories that spark nurturing conversations about these very topics during story time with your children!You can learn more about Lindsey and find links to her book on her website Lindsey-larsen.com. You can also follow her on Instagram @ot_homeschool_momorSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of Lindsey's book, Meeting Exceptional Friends at https://bookshop.org/a/.A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Today we’re chatting with Nancy Yeager, a bestselling author of historical and contemporary romance who is adding women’s fiction to her repertoire. Her first women’s fiction novel, WHEN WE WERE FRIENDS, released on October 25, 2022. Nancy spent her early years longing to be an English countryside vet thanks to James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small series, and dreaming of being an adventurist-archaeologist thanks to George Lucas’s Indiana Jones character. After studying veterinary pre-med and earning an anthropology degree, she realized her true passion is story in all its forms.When she’s not reading, writing, or binge-watching stories, Nancy is often pursuing fitness goals like completing 90-day fitness challenges and aspiring to achieve the perfect crow pose. She also spends her time drinking too much coffee, not enough red wine, and just the right amount of bourbon. She lives in Maryland with her fabulous family, which includes some very spoiled rescue cats.You can learn more about Nancy’s work and sign up to receive stories and sample chapters of her work at her website, https://nancyyeagerbooks.com. You can also follow her at https://www.bookbub.com/profile/nancy-yeager to keep up with all of her book news.A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Connection is something we seek from the time we are children.Building friendships and finding connection is something that can seem harder as we get older, rather than easier. Yet, connection, community, and collaboration are things we all need. Trish and Diane found commonality in their roles as leaders in the fire service. With less than 1% of women occupying the roles they are in, it was valuable to find someone else with this shared experience The two have built a solid connection over time, and in this episode reflect some on how they have cultivated and found value in this relationship. They also touch on the journey of a leader and the importance of the community you create that can help to hold you up when times are challenging. They touch on some leaders they look up to, share some challenging experiences they have been through, and share the ways they have grown. Trish says it best, she is a ‘perfectly imperfect’ leader, and the most important ingredient is to always be authentic and embrace the uniqueness that you bring to the table and to the position.Trish Connolly lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, son, and highly anxious dog- Duncan. She loves all outdoor activities, including mountain hikes, snowboarding, and mountain biking. She is a yogi, book club advocate, and inspiring meditator.Trish works at Bend Fire &amp; Rescue and has been with her department for 22 years. She was the first female firefighter hired at her department and now holds the rank of Deputy Chief.The best way to connect with Trish is on Linked In:https://linkedin.com/in/trish-connolly-a7337353How to connect with Diane:www.thefireinsideher.com&nbsp;[email protected]&nbsp;Instagram @TheRealFireInHer&nbsp;Linked In -&nbsp; www.linkedin.com/in/dianeschroeder5/Are you excited to get your copy of the Self Care Audio download that Diane mentioned?You can get that HERE - TheFireInsideHer.com/audio

Today's episode features Z or Zachary Jeffries, two pen names from one author writing Science Fiction and Fantasy for readers nine years old and up. Always a late bloomer, Jeffries didn't get into novel-writing until his late-thirties, and by then he'd amassed experience storytelling through short stories, poetry, and theatre. Thanks to the support and community he found in local writer's groups as well as NaNoWriMo, Jeffries realized his long-held dream of completing a novel, releasing Chase: The Boy Who Hid (Book One of the Hide &amp; Seek Chronicles) in 2020.After releasing four books in his upper Middle Grade series, the Hide &amp; Seek Chronicles (Miss: the Girl in Disguise, Gamble: One Champion Wins, Gamble: Two Lives Away) and traditionally Middle Grade book, Pro Wrestling Saves Earth, Jeffries began finding success in local in-person events. Since he'd begun self-publishing amid COVID, by the time the opportunity to sell and sign books arose, he had a five book backlist with one on the way. Jeffries quickly fell in love with meeting readers, hand-selling books, and connecting with kids with a similar affinity for words. Fresh off his Valentine's Day release of his first Young Adult Paranormal Romance, Angel of Fate (available at https://bookshop.org/a/), Jeffries prides himself in his title as local author. Through local events and media, he's established himself within his community as a storyteller, library volunteer, and resource for budding authors. He's taken his experience and infectious optimism to TikTok, where he hopes to spread the word on how a lesser-known indie author can become a local author well-known in their hometown.You can get a taste for Jeffries' writing at www.zjeffries.com and catch his videos over at https://www.tiktok.com/@zjeffries?lang=en. With books that take place in small towns across America as well as his focus on building readerships nearby then branching out, he hopes to be every indie author's local author!A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone

Julee Balko has been a Creative Director, brand builder, and content creator for years – while mothering and lassoing her three crazy daughters in her spare time. But she’s always wanted to be a “real” writer – the kind who has a book with her name on it.The Things We Keep is her first novel and a dream come true. Julee started writing The Things We Keep after her mother passed away because she was thrust into a world of grief that no one talks about. Julee has always been drawn to writing about interesting characters and complex relationships. She wanted to create characters that go way beyond your “let’s go shopping” kind of mothers. This book was especially written for women and men who are a part of the sandwich generation – those who are trying to take care of their aging parents while balancing parenting, a job, and multiple glasses of wine. She just finished her second novel, “The Me List,” which brings to life an unlikely friendship between neighbors. Sometimes the realtor next door helps you find a home. Sometimes she helps you find yourself. Learn more about The Things We Keep: https://www.juleebalko.com/Follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/juleebalko/ or Twitter https://twitter.com/misplacedcomma2A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Our special guest today is award-winning and best-selling author, Amey Zeigler. She is best known for her heartwarming and laugh-out-loud romances, reminiscent of the chick-lit genre of the early 2000’s mixed with a healthy dose of women’s fiction. Her most successful book, The Casserole Dish, is a tribute to a neighborhood that taught her how to offer the olive branch of forgiveness, using her own experiences with depression and loss to guide the characters through their journey. It also explores the theme that everyone has a reason for acting the way they do and to not judge people too harshly. Although The Casserole Dish has won a few awards, what touches Amey the most is the many readers have contacted her and shared how the book has impacted their life. What keeps Amey writing books is how words heal her readers. She once had a friend who’d been through a tough time and was struggling. She read one of Amey’s books and called her, laughing so hard, she couldn’t even speak. The humor in the book helped her through a tough time. This became Amey’s main motivation for writing, to heal the wounded soul, to make them laugh or cry as a moment of catharsis. In her twenties, she lived in Switzerland and France for sixteen months as a volunteer missionary, learning to speak French. She struggled to adapt to the culture and to speak the language. Humor is pain plus time. She wrote the laugh-out-loud and award-winning romantic comedy, The Swiss Mishap, as a love-letter to Switzerland and all the experiences she had while there--all reimagined in the voice of a chocohaulic young woman getting the wrong internship. You can sign up for her newsletter on www.ameyzeigler.com or follow her in Instagram http://www.instagram.com/ameyzeigler You can find The Casserole Dish Amazon or B&amp;N at https://tinyurl.com/md8b8sneA little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

After some years pursuing an academic career, Carolyn Korsmeyer now spends most of her time at the keyboard writing fiction. In addition to wanting to see what happens as her plots unfold (for she is an incurable pantser), Carolyn sees fictional narrative as an opportunity to reflect on memory, impression, and the different angles that characters (and the sorts of people they represent) have on the same subject. This inspired the focus of today’s talk: “Shifting Voices and Multiple Points of View.” Many of the scenes in her new novel, Little Follies: A Mystery at the Millennium, present differing perspectives on events that are imperfectly understood. Two of the main characters are Americans who have moved to Krakow for several months. They are not familiar with the place, only one of them speaks Polish, and to add to that source of disorientation, they stumble across the path of a man who is dabbling in magic. Adam, a historian, is conducting research at the archives of a large museum. His companion, Joan, has come along for the ride, harboring vague plans to re-boot her journalism career. As the story progresses, it is her perspective that comes to guide the reader, for it is Joan who emerges as the person whose actions and points of view prevail. She is an example of a female character who begins fictional life in a role that is adjunct to her male companion, but whose voice becomes more and more prominent as her inventiveness and sense of adventure propel the plot and its resolution.Carolyn is familiar with Krakow—one of her favorite cities—from five extended visits there. She discovered on each trip how radically and quickly the city was changing. In Little Follies, she tries to capture the feeling of the place at the end of the last century. This novel took a very long time to complete, as each time she came back to Krakow she wanted to revisit the scenes where the story takes place. Little Follies is an example of a book where patience and a lot of revision finally paid off.You can learn more about Carolyn at her website: www.carolynkorsmeyer.com, where there are links to her books, blogs, and podcasts. Please find your copy of Little Follies at your favorite bookseller, at Black Rose Writing: https://www.blackrosewriting.com/mystery/littlefollies orSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of Little Follies at https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.&nbsp; Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today's episode, we will chat with Jenn Bouchard, speaking with us from the Boston suburbs. Jenn has been teaching high school social studies for 23 years and is the parent of two teenagers. After completing a major volunteer position as the president of her college's alumni association in 2014, she had the out-of-the-blue idea to write a novel. Not having written anything fictitious since middle school, she had no idea what she was doing. Three years later, she had completed a draft of FIRST COURSE. After many edits and a few bumps and detours, it was ultimately published in 2021 by TouchPoint Press. From 2020-2022, five of her short stories were also published by literary magazines. Her second book PALMS ON THE CAPE only took six months to draft, as Jenn found a system of writing that works for her. It will be published this summer. She is getting ready to self-edit her third novel CONSIDERING US before passing it along to her trusted chief beta reader, one of her closest friends from growing up as a military brat. She plans to begin work on a fourth novel this spring.Jenn is a member of the Women's Fiction Writers Association and Grub Street, a writing center in Boston. She is also a part of the Every Damn Day Writers and Bookish Road Trip Facebook groups, as well as the Author Collective, a small group of women writers who are dedicated to supporting each other in their writing careers. She has found being a part of the community of authors to be one of the biggest surprises of her life, as she never really thought about the friends she would make along the way. She is very grateful for them.You can learn more about her on her website, jennbouchard.com and follow her on Instagram at @jennbouchardbos - which is the best place to learn about the upcoming publication of PALMS ON THE CAPE.Get your copy of FIRST COURSE at your favorite bookseller or through links at https://linktr.ee/jennbouchardA little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and...

On today’s episode we get to chat with Shawna Rodrigues, a Women’s Fiction author with a laugh you will not easily forget. You may also recognize her as one of our hosts! After twenty+ years as a leader in the public and non-profit sector, Shawna transitioned to work as a consultant, all so she could finally finish the novel she always dreamed of writing. It was a joyous and arduous journey, but less than a year after leaving her career, she penned the final words of her debut novel,&nbsp;Beyond the Pear Blossoms. The jubilation was quickly eclipsed, as days later her hometown succumbed to unimaginable tragedy. The Almeda Wildfire hit the Rogue Valley in September 2020 and in less than 24 hours, they had lost over 2600 homes, including the home of her niece, fiancé, and her future mother-in-law. After seeing the way the community mobilized to address this tragedy, she dedicated her novel to the resilience of the residents in this community and half of the author’s proceeds are being donated to the Rogue Valley Habitat for Humanity as they continue to build affordable homes alongside individuals displaced by the fire.By interweaving life lessons with endearing characters and transformative experiences, Shawna creates Women’s Fiction that helps us see how universal our experiences are and what a gift of escape reading can be. Boldly chasing her writing dream also unlocked other creative adventures and Shawna credits it for making her podcast,&nbsp;The Grit Show&nbsp;possible. This path also led to her creating the Authentic Connections Network, a podcasting network with a primary goal of amplifying women’s voices in podcasting and increasing the abysmal 27% of podcasts hosted by women by 10% in 5 years; 37 by 27. This audacious goal and focus make it harder to find time for writing, but she will release the short story, "Every Mother's Peanut Butter" as part of a Women's Fiction anthology&nbsp;A Million Ways: Stories of Motherhood&nbsp;in the Spring of 2023 - the pre-order is now available at https://bookshop.org/a/. She also continues to make slow and steady progress on her narrative non-fiction&nbsp;Daughter of the Accused. This is a story that will take time to bring out into the world.You can learn more about her on her website&nbsp;www.ShawnaRodrigues.com&nbsp;and follow her on Instagram&nbsp;www.instagram.com/shawnabospdx&nbsp;-which will be the best place to be kept up to date on her next release!orSupport your local bookstore &amp; this podcast by getting your copy of Beyond the Pear Blossoms at&nbsp;https://bookshop.org/a/A little about today's host-Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.” Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at <a href="https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/"...

Lainey Cameron is an author of women's fiction and a recovering tech industry executive. Her award-winning novel, The Exit Strategy, an Amazon #1 bestseller, was inspired by a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom. It's been called a "rallying call for women to believe in themselves and join together" and tells the story of a Silicon Valley investor who first meets her husband's mistress across the negotiating table.She’s the founder and host of the popular Best of Women’s Fiction podcast, a proud member of Women’s Fiction Writers Association, believes community makes the author's life worthwhile, and is on a mission to obliterate the term aspiring writer.A digital nomad—meaning she picks locations around the world to live (and write) for months at a time—Lainey is an avid instagrammer, and loves to share her book and travel insights.Originally from Scotland, she has a soft spot for kilts and good malt whisky.Connect with Lainey and join her mailing list on her website https://www.laineycameron.com/ and follow her on Instagram @lainey_cameronBest of Women's Fiction Podcast: https://www.bestofwomensfiction.com/A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today's episode we will talk with DAWN HOGAN about what is known as "The Baby Scoop Era." She was inspired to write her debut novel UNBROKEN BONDS when she was asked by a dear friend to search for the birth mother who gave her up for adoption, Dawn's research uncovered the rarely talked about homes for unwed mothers who shamefully coerced millions of young women to relinquish their babies to sealed adoptions. She was fascinated and appalled by the degrading tactics perpetrated by the institutions that profited unscrupulously under the guise of benevolence. During this time in history, the basic rights of the unfortunate girls were not presented, and they were told to go on with their lives as if nothing had happened. Unable to shelve the nagging emotions which effected these women and their rehomed children, Dawn constructed a fictional account of the disturbingly true circumstances which make up one of this country’s disgraceful and hidden secrets. Check out DWHogan.com for more information. You can follow her on Facebook D.W. Hogan author, on Instagram @dawnhoganauthor, Twitter @DawnDWHogan1 and https://www.goodreads.com/dawnhoganA little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

Maggie Giles is a positive, outgoing person who enjoys creating new connections and experiencing new opportunities. She is a Canadian author whose debut novel - The Things We Lost - published in April 2022. The Things We Lost began as a story about what if. It started when Maggie had her own what if questions about the turns her life had taken. What started as a therapeutic project, turned into a relatable story that has a woman wondering if the grass is truly greener.Maggie is an active member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association where she has volunteered as their Social Media Director since June 2014. If she’s not writing, Maggie is usually bogged down with some other creative project. She has a love for knitting and sewing as well as cooking up a storm. She also has an irrational obsession with Shawn Spencer.With two more novels scheduled for publication, Maggie's next books follow a detective as he uncovers the gritter side of Toronto and Ottawa, and investigates a mysterious prescription drug. You can learn more about her on her website, www.maggiegiles.com and sign up for her newsletter. If you want to keep up to date with her writing projects, check her out on instagram at www.instagram.com/maggiegiles_ A little about today's host-Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs &amp; Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies. She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27. Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast