AM I WRITE?

This episode is for the like-minded writers who find themselves predicting the plots of movies and books a little too accurately but haven’t yet caught that “lucky break” with their own writing.

The truth is: there is no lucky break! Guest Heather Carter lays out the pros and cons she has experienced both with indie publishing and traditional publishing. She also shares a recent experience with a book deal that didn’t go as planned, proving that things aren’t going to be all roses after you’ve signed. Learn to pivot with her brilliant ideas for maintaining persistence on this episode of Am I Write?


Resources

Website

Instagram

Facebook

Books by Heather

 

About Heather Carter

Heather Carter is an independent fiction author who writes primarily adult fantasy and fantasy romance. An avid writer since childhood, she has released two fantasy novels and has been featured in multiple anthologies, with more releases coming down the pipeline.

Heather calls the St. Louis area home, and lives with her husband, two children and one extremely spoiled cat (What writer doesn’t?). When she’s not writing, she loves to read fantasy novels, make music, and drinks way too much coffee.

Host Sheridan Sharp is delighted to bring on an exciting guest to discuss a new and important topic. Multi-published poet and professor Mark Bennion joins her to discuss everything poetry. Listen in and gain a better understanding of the many facets and emotional resonance of poetry—there’s something for everyone! Learn what makes a poem great and get advice for how and where you can publish your poetry from a long-time expert. As a bonus, hear a LIVE reading of a personal poem of Mark’s on this episode of Am I Write?


Resources

 Poems by Mark

Beneath the Falls collection 

“What I’ve Thought and What Is”

“Eight Days”

 “Prayers for the Prodigal Within”

 “To the Prank Call”

Poetry Suggestions from Mark:

D.S. Martin’s Angelicus collection

Elizabeth Bishop

Linda Pastan

Naomi Shihab Nye

About Mark
 Mark D. Bennion grew up in Wisconsin, Utah, and Idaho. In his undergraduate days he studied at both Ricks College and Brigham Young University, majoring in English and minoring in Korean. Upon graduating from BYU, he lived in Jerusalem for a year and studied language and literature at Hebrew University. After his time in the Holy Land, he attended the MFA program at the University of Montana and finished there in 2000. 

Since then, he has taught composition, creative writing, and literature courses at BYU-Idaho. He is the author of three poetry collections: Psalm & Selah: a poetic journey through the Book of Mormon (2009), Forsythia (2013), and Beneath the Falls: poems (2020). Mark and his wife, Kristine, are raising their family in the Upper Snake River Valley.

Lilian Horn is a published author who writes fantasy and fiction books. She has a bachelor's degree in biomedical laboratory science, and her writing is heavily inspired by her Scandinavian roots, the inspiration for her inclusion of folktales from her side of the world. 

 Tune in to Am I Write? today to talk about Lilian’s passion for incorporating mental health in her narratives, how she answers the writer’s call while constantly battling chronic fatigue, and how resilience and adaptability have been the top factors of success in her life—and should be in yours, too!

Resources

 Instagram

Twitter

Website

Sheperd booklist:

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

 King of Scars by Leah Bardugo

About Lilian

Hailing from the cold north of Norway, Lilian spends her summers glaring at the midnight sun and the winters freezing her backside off. When not doing either of those activities, she writes, manages her health, and entertains a very spoiled cat.

With a bachelor's degree as a biomedical laboratory scientist and obscure game developing classes under her belt as well as her skill as hobby artist on the side, she makes the most of her days when she’s not battling chronic illness. She’s had ME since she was 11 years old, meaning she is exhausted all the time and has to manage her time and energy accordingly. She writes stories that take her far away from reality across distant lands.

 R. A. Salvatore is the reason her books often explore themes such as mental health and trauma and overcoming them while saving the world, and Salvatore remains to this day her biggest inspiration for writing, specifically his The Legend of Drizzt series (she even named her cat Drizzt) and The Cleric Quintet.

Thriller author Maggie Giles takes a seat with host Sheridan Sharp to talk about her experience with the query/publishing process, including an almost-signed book deal that SHE turned down. Get a greater understanding of the power in your gut instinct and the importance of getting your book deal questions answered when the time comes. 

Learn about what it’s like writing with Aphantasia (the inability to form mental images of objects that are not present), the learning benefits from the query process, and being true to what you love.


Resources

Lady Jane Dissapears by Joanna Davidson Politano
The Widowmaker by Hannah Morrissey
Beyond the Pear Blossoms by Shawna Rodrigues
Website
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Facebook
Goodreads
Sheridan’s Goodreads

 About Maggie Giles

Maggie Giles is a Canadian author who is usually daydreaming about fictional characters. Always looking for a new creative outlet, Maggie dove into writing a novel headfirst. She has been a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association since 2014 where she works as their Social Media Director. She also has an irrational obsession with Shawn Spencer. The Things We Lost is her first novel. Her sophomore novel, Twisted, will be out September 19, 2023.

JC Peterson brings her knack for contemporary wit and real experience to Am I Write? Podcast to talk about “garbage disaster” characters that deserve a chance to grow from mistakes.

Use dialogue purposefully and hear why each character needs to go into the conversation intentionally. Use conversations to move the plot forward and make them interact with their surroundings—get in those scene details without stopping.

Last, JC shares her real and honest experience with querying, drafting, and persevering. Understand that it’s always long, and there’s always obstacles in the path, so celebrate your little wins as a creator! 

Resources

Website: https://www.jcpetersonwrites.com/

Instagram: @jcpwrites

Twitter: @jenc_p


About JC Peterson

JC Peterson is an author of contemporary rom-coms. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in journalism, worked for years as an award-winning journalist in Oklahoma, and now lives in Denver, CO, with her husband and children.
Being Mary Bennet is her debut novel and released March 2022. A companion novel, Lola At Last, will release with HarperTeen winter of 2023.
 
When not dreaming up funny contemporary stories or herding children, she loves to eat and shop local, explore the Colorado mountains, and plan new adventures.

Debuting thriller author Marie Still joins host Sheridan Sharp to talk shop about how she keeps a balance writing and publishing four different books at a time. Talk about building realistic characters and keeping your pacing without frustrating the reader with too little details, the importance of understanding the craft, and embracing that once it’s in the reader’s hands, it’s their story. Marie also explains why it matters to depict mental health in literature and the things that make people snap out of character on this episode of Am I Write? Podcast.

Resources

Website: mariestill.com

Books by Marie Still

We’re All Lying

My Darlings

Social handle: @mariestillwrites

TikTok

Instagram

Facebook

The Blue Bar by Damyanti Biswas

Killing Me by Michelle Gaygnon

Twitter: @Mariestill

Goodreads

About Marie

Marie Still grew up obsessed with words and the dark and complex characters authors bring to life with them. Now she creates her own while living in Tampa with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a very grumpy hedgehog.

Her debut thriller, We're All Lying, is releasing March 2023 from Rising Action Publishing (audiobook from Dreamscape).

Marie’s debut suspenseful women's fiction (under Kristen Seeley), Beverley Bonnefinche is Dead also releases in 2023 during September from Rising Action (audio from Blackstone Audio).

Her third project is a psych thriller titled My Darlings, releasing 2024 from Rising Action and Blackstone.

Author of upcoming thriller The Blue Bar, Damyanti Biswas talks on writing better with buzz around her, knowing when you’re ready for publication, and the two major traits she looks for in mentees who are “already ready to be professionals.” Hear how she both values and gives her professional feedback in a way that is helpful, the journey between her first and second book, and why your achievement of success is relative. 

Tune in alongside host Sheridan Sharp as Damyanti helps you discern which path of success you’re taking and be better prepared against your disappointments (especially during the query process) on this episode of Am I Write? Podcast. 

Resources

Website: damyantiwrites.com

Damyanti’s upcoming thriller, The Blue Bar is available for pre-order or find it on Goodreads!

Damyanti’s first book, You Beneath Your Skin

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

One Step Too Far by Lisa Gardner

The Earthspinner by Anuradha Roy

About Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti's work has been published in Smokelong Quarterly, Ambit, Pembroke Review, Griffith review among many others in the US, UK, and Australia. She has been listed for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards, and also serves as one of the editors of The Forge literary magazine.

Her Indian debut literary crime novel You Beneath Your Skin is an Amazon bestseller, and optioned for the screens by Endemol Shine. Her next novel, The Blue Bar, is slated for publication on Jan 1,2023 in the USA via Thomas & Mercer. Apart from being a novelist, Damyanti is an avid reader of true crime, a blogger, and an animal lover. Her ambition has always been to live in a home with more books than any other item, and she continues to work toward that. For more information, visit www.damyantiwrites.com.

Join host Sheridan Sharp in this episode of Am I Write? Podcast to discuss four major ways you can support the authors you love and the debuting writers you’re anticipating. Pulled from a number of sources found in the show notes (including guests on the show), Sheridan breaks down the major–and sometimes unsuspected–game-changers for marketing authors. 

Resources

Damyanti Biswas on Supporting Authors Without Breaking the Bank

Book Riot, 99 Ways to Spread the Word

Best Hashtags for Debuting Authors

Sheridan’s Goodreads

A personal favorite author of host Sheridan Sharp, today’s guest on AM I WRITE? Podcast has over 30 published books and is well-versed in historical romance. Josi’s abundance mindset is evident in each of the questions she answers; hear her conviction about the power in the way you think about what you write, including how your emotions affect what you create. Learn that those dark times don’t go away after you publish a book and instead, find your own secret sauce and stop comparing yourself to the writer next door on this episode with Josi Kilpack.

About Josi Kilpack

Josi is the award-winning author of several novels across a spectrum of genres and a contributor to several anthologies. In addition to her writing she enjoys reading, travel, cooking, and naps—not necessarily in that order—and works as a real estate agent in Utah and Southern Idaho. She is the mother of four and lives in Northern Utah.

Connect with Josi

Facebook: Author Josi S. Kilpack

Instagram: Authorjosiskilpack

The Jackrabbit Factor by Leslie Householder, Trevan Householder, et al.

Life is in the Transitions by Bruce Feiler

 Books by Josi:

The Connecting Door Novella

Shadow Mountain: The Valet’s Secret

A full list of Josi’s works

*Special Episode*

In this special episode, host Sheridan Sharp takes a little time to talk to you about ways to take the edge off of the ever-daunting query process. Take these tips from writers on the show and Sheridan's experience to turn your query process into just that: a working process!

Resources
Damyanti Biswas (stay tuned for her upcoming episode and book!)