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This week, I chatted with Cynthia Newberry Marten about so many things: releasing books close together, writing characters at different ages and stages, and her 50-state book tour. Wow! Have a listen. About Cynthia Cynthia Newberry Martin’s (she/her/hers) first novel, Tidal Flats, won the Gold Medal in Literary Fiction at the 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards… Read More »Episode 159: 50-State Book Tour with Cynthia Newberry Martin

This week, Joy and I had a great chat with Marjorie Hudson about writing southern fiction as a transplant to the south, finding a writing community, and so much more! Have a listen for a great chat and an excerpt of her work. About Marjorie: “I grew up in the North,” Marjorie says, “but I… Read More »Southern Fiction with Marjorie Hudson

We’re back for Spring 2023! And for the first episode of the season, I chat with Cheryl King about her historical fiction, the way she finds inspiration by participating in writing contests, and so much more. Have a listen! About Cheryl: After 12 years in the newspaper business, I got the teaching bug and became… Read More »Episode 157: Writing contests with Cheryl King

This week, Joy and I chatted with my author buddy Michelle Nott about her new book, Teddy Let’s Go, writing quiet books, persistence, pivoting, and so much more! It was a great chat full of lessons for children’s and adult writers alike. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Also, this is… Read More »Episode 156: Quiet Books with Michelle Nott

This week we talked about writing your passion with Julie Carrick Dalton. Julie writes powerful stories that deal with climate issues. We talked about the value of writing your passion, creating characters readers connect with, and so much more! About Julie: Julie Carrick Dalton is the Boston-based author of The Last Beekeeper and Waiting for… Read More »Episode 155: Writing your passion with Julie Carrick DAlton

Hello and happy Thanksgiving! We’re back from break. We had a great chat with author Allen Klein. He shares about the therapeutic benefits of humor and many lessons learned from his long career in publishing. Have a listen… and a laugh! About Allen: Allen’s Site Allen’s TED talk Ever hear of a “Jollytologist®”? Well meet… Read More »Episode 154: Lessons learned from 30+ Books and therapeutic humor with Allen Klein

This week, Joy and I chat with Valerie Nieman about her books and the vivid setting she creates. Ever wondered how to deepen your own settings? Have a listen for Valerie’s tips and exercises to craft unforgettable settings. Reminder: We’ll be out next week for the holiday. Be back at you in two weeks! About… Read More »Episode 153: Writing vivid settings with Valerie Nieman

This week, Joy and I chatted with historical fiction author and book coach Susanne Dunlap. We had a great chat about research inspiration, mining one’s own family or local history for story ideas, and much more! About Susanne: Susanne Dunlap is the author of twelve works of historical fiction for adults and teens, as well… Read More »Episode 152: Historical Fiction and Inspiration with Susanne Dunlap

This week on the podcast we chatted with PJ McIlvaine about one of my favorite topics (because it’s something I am always trying to tweak and figure out myself) work/life balance for writers. Have a listen and learn from her wealth of experience. We also chatted about PBPitch, the Twitter pitch event for picture book… Read More »Episode 151: work/life balance with PJ McIlvaine

This week, we chatted with Liz Alterman about resilience, writing groups, and her path to publication. Have a listen to her great advice and inspiring story of persistence! About Liz: Liz Alterman lives in New Jersey with her husband and three sons. She spends most days repeatedly microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up… Read More »Episode 150: Resilience in writing with LIz Alterman

This week on the show, I chatted with author, podcaster, and veteran of public radio Kitty Felde. We had a wonderful chat about her middle grade mysteries and her podcasts as well as podcasting for authors. Being a guest is a great way to dip your toes into podcasting if you’re curious about it or… Read More »Episode 149: Podcasting (and being a guest) for authors with Kitty Felde

This week, I’ve got Joy back on the show with me as we talk about her course, Create a Discussion Guide for Your Book. We’ve all seen lists of discussion questions in the back of books, but have you ever considered creating such a guide for your own book? Joy talks about why discussion guides… Read More »Episode 148: Creating a discussion guide for your Book with Joy E. Held

I’m back for the autumn season! You can look forward to weekly episodes of Authoring Onward until shortly before Christmas. And I’ve got some awesome announcements! First, former guest Joy E. Held is joining the podcast. She’s doing some work behind the scenes, but you’ll also hear her voice a bit more in future…including an… Read More »Episode 147: Q4 planning for writers

This week on Authoring Onward, I chat with Paul Attaway about finding that creative voice within, whether it’s finding the initial inspiration to write or breaking writer’s block as you go forward. Have a listen! About Paul: Paul was born and raised in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Paul and his wife, Lyn, met in college… Read More »Episode 146: Finding your creative voice with Paul Attaway

I’m so pleased to be editing, writing, and podcasting from an actual writing desk this week. It’s not in its final position, but behold! Sooo much better than the wobbly folding table where I’ve done most of my work for the past three years. What a glamorous author life, right? Today’s episode is about 7… Read More »Episode 145: 7 things that didn’t work for my author business

I’m back! After a bit over a month of kid activities, the whole family getting covid, then catching up after recovering from covid, I’m so glad to be podcasting again. And as we emerge from the busyness that is the end of spring, it’s a great time to think about how summer will change our… Read More »Episode 144: Summer Rescheduling for Writers

Today is a little different on the show. I got a bee in my bonnet about something and decided to do this episode as a response and to take the time to also script the show so that it could stand alone as a blog post below for greater accessibility. Authoring Onward is a show… Read More »Episode 143: Creativity in survival mode: A response to Care and Feeding

I hope you are all having a lovely spring (or fall in the other hemisphere). For today’s spring break episode, I’m talking about how understanding your why for writing helps you make choices in your author career. Understanding your why is just one of the things I cover in my brand new course: Stellar Self… Read More »Episode 142: Your Why

I talk a lot about ideals on this show, how to organize your time, how to manage your writing and author business, but life isn’t like that. So on today’s episode, I get real. This is the mess of my author and editor life. And in the case of housework, it is literal mess! Grab… Read More »Episode 141: The messy real life of an author and editor

Today’s episode is a joint one with Let’s Start Writing, so if you also subscribe to LSW, no need to listen to both–they are the same! Today’s tips episode is about what to do when you’re writing along on one project and a shiny new story idea comes up, tempting you to cheat on your… Read More »Episode 140: When inspiration distracts