Author Diary Entries

Curious about the symbolism of a burlesque act? What might go into the meaning-making of a burlesque act? In this episode, I do a breakdown to share 10 examples of the symbolism in my recent burlesque solo, The Personification of Anxiety. 

We talk about why it’s a chair dance, the meaning behind the outfit I chose, why I never remove the secret second layer of gloves (spoiler alert!), the thought process behind the two different types of glove peels, how I incorporated very specific choreography, hand movements, and facial expressions to illustrate the duality between *having anxiety* and *being anxious* (especially because I played two characters in this act: a human being who is dealing with anxiety, and “the personification” of that anxiety), and more! 

You’ll also find out about my own relationship to anxiety, and how this act tells that story. 

Remember to leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Clips from my “The Personification of Anxiety” burlesque act: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdefvWZhdjD/ 
• Episode 188 of this Author Diary Entries podcast — Subversion & politics of creativity in polyamorous romcom novels, burlesque dancing, and personal joy: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/episodes/17563805-188-subversion-politics-of-creativity-polyamorous-romcom-novels-burlesque-dancing-personal-joy  
• Sagan’s burlesque persona (Babe Maverick) on Instagram: Instagram.com/babemaverick 
• “Why choose” romance novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Tune in to ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 
• Leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/fan_mail 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

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Did you know you can use Tarot to understand books? It’s time for another “book insights” Tarot reading, in which we do a creative analysis of a book using Tarot cards! The question: “What does Love By Design [my most recent romance novella] want to teach you, or tell you, as the reader of this story?” This was a 5-card spread: 

1. Overall message that this book (Love By Design) wants readers to know: Ace of Swords. 
2. Hidden teachings from this book that you might have overlooked: Ace of Wands. 
3. What the setting of this book can tell you about your own strengths: Knight of Cups. 
4. The most important characteristic or trait of the main character, Ripley, to pay attention to: XIX The Sun. 
5. How you can embody the lessons of this book into your own life: XV The Devil. 

Tune in to the full episode of this Author Diary Entries podcast to get a full interpretation of each card as it pertains to Love By Design.

Remember to leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Love By Design (Book 2 in the Small Town Stilettos contemporary romance duology): https://books2read.com/u/bOVMXA 
• More “why choose” romance novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Episode 193 of this Author Diary Entries podcast: LIVE Tarot reading — what this “why choose” novel (Kiss Me) wants you to know: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/episodes/19211180-193-live-tarot-reading-what-this-why-choose-novel-kiss-me-wants-you-to-know 
• Tune in to ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 
• Leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/fan_mail 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

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Use these book club discussion prompts for a romance novella (Love By Design — Book 2 in the Small Town Stilettos duology) as a starter kit for analyzing text of all kinds! Alter the questions as you see fit for this specific novella, or adapt them for other novels you’re reading. Try zooming in AND zooming out: Dive into the pages and focus on one tiny detail of a book so you can explore what it means to you or what captures your attention about it, and then take more of a bird’s eye view and consider the overall themes of a story from a distance. 

Shift your perspective by thinking about the text from your position as a reader, and also the position of various characters, as well as the position of what the author’s intentions might have been. The more that you explore all of these things, the richer the text will become, and the more you’ll learn about extracting meaning from text, and the more you’ll learn about how your brain works. There are so many benefits to asking questions like these, and all you need to do is read fun books in order to begin! 

Tune in to the episode now for 11 romance story book club questions to get you thinking… 

Remember to leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Love By Design (Book 2 in the Small Town Stilettos contemporary romance duology): https://books2read.com/u/bOVMXA 
• More “why choose” romance novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Tune in to ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 
• Leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/fan_mail 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

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Happy BOOK RELEASE DAY to Love By Design: an insta-attraction, forced proximity, friends to lovers, in love with a married man, small town romance with an unexpected premise: The main character needs to live alone with her boss’s husband (without her boss around), and she develops a HUGE crush on that man — and he seems to be interested in her, too — AND her boss seems to be encouraging them to spend more time together. (So this is kind of a twist on the workplace romance trope, too!) 

…Basically, the main character has NO IDEA she’s in a “why choose” polyamorous romance story. 

As the newest addition to the Polyamorous Passions Universe, Love By Design is part of the Small Town Stilettos duology. It is Book 2 in the duology, however it can 100% be read as a standalone book. Love By Design is a “PG-13” book (it has very low steam/spice — but that doesn’t mean it won’t make you swoon!). 

Grab this book at your favourite e-bookstore, request it at your local library, or read it for free if you’re a Kobo Plus member. 

Thank you for celebrating book release day with me by buying this novella for yourself or a friend, reviewing it on Goodreads, and/or helping me spread the word by sharing about the book! I appreciate you. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Love By Design (Book 2 in the Small Town Stilettos contemporary romance duology): https://books2read.com/u/bOVMXA 
• More “why choose” romance novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Tune in to ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 
• Leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/fan_mail 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

In this episode, your podcast host and why choose romance indie author Sagan Morrow shares behind the scenes all about the writing and editing experience for her upcoming romcom novella, Love By Design! Get an inside look at the overall journey for how the book writing and editing process went, the specific methods she used with examples for what she worked on during various rounds of writing, rewriting and revising, and editing, and the specific number of hours it took for her to complete this novella over the course of just 8 weeks. 

(As a reminder, this book, Love By Design, is the sequel to Small Town Stilettos. It’s a very cute forced proximity, “why choose,” insta-attraction, friends to lovers, small town romcom.) 

Remember to leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• PRE-ORDER Love By Design: https://books2read.com/u/bOVMXA 
• More “why choose” romance novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Author Diary Entries, episode 196 — Planning the chapter-by-chapter outline for my upcoming romcom novella (Love By Design) with a Tarot spread: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/episodes/19453605-196-planning-the-chapter-by-chapter-outline-for-my-upcoming-romcom-novella-love-by-design-with-a-tarot-spread 
• Author Diary Entries, episode 197 — About "Love By Design" (forced proximity small town why choose romance): https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/episodes/19499797-197-about-love-by-design-forced-proximity-small-town-why-choose-romance 
• Tune in to ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 
• Leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/fan_mail 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Do you enjoy why choose romance novels with the forced proximity trope, a small town setting, and romantic comedy vibes? You’re in luck! “Love By Design” is the next romance novel you need to read. It’s a cute and flirty contemporary romance that will make you kick your feet giggling… Tune in to the episode to learn more about the book, hear the back-of-book blurb, and get 3 teasers about the book from your romance author Sagan Morrow. 

Remember to leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Get a FREE copy of Love By Design in exchange for a sincere book review: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfSpL11lG5EEbTpH4UB3j71I1FSvRWvSBG9Gsk0s4NOUt65Q/viewform 
• More “why choose” chick lit novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Tune in to Episode 196 of the Author Diary Entries podcast — Planning the chapter-by-chapter outline for my upcoming romcom novella (Love By Design) with a Tarot spread: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/episodes/19453605-196-planning-the-chapter-by-chapter-outline-for-my-upcoming-romcom-novella-love-by-design-with-a-tarot-spread 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Tune in to ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 
• Leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/fan_mail 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

In this episode, your host and chick lit indie author Sagan Morrow shares a play-by-play of how she planned the entire chapter-by-chapter outline for her upcoming romcom novella (Love By Design) using a Tarot spread! 

Tune in to find out which Tarot cards were pulled to represent each of the 11 chapters for this novella, the meaning behind each of those cards, and how Sagan has translated each Tarot card’s interpretation to the story on the page. 

Remember to leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience (the prequel to Love By Design): https://books2read.com/u/bxP5gl 
• More “why choose” chick lit novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Tune into ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

This episode explores two extremely problematic aspects of generative AI in creative spaces: a) lack of consent, and b) plagiarism. We discuss this through the lens of the performing arts (such as the burlesque community), as well as book events (such as markets). 

This isn’t a call-out, it’s a calling-in, and please know that all of this is said with love! ALSO: I am addressing this episode to people who are using generative AI in the creative spaces. I’m gonna go out on a limb here and assume that most of our listeners here on the Author Diary Entries podcast are NOT using generative AI — in which case, think of this episode as a resource for discussing with others about WHY you don’t use it, and why they should care. Please do share this episode, because this is a very important topic! 

If, on the other hand, you DO use generative AI in the creative spaces… this episode is an appeal to you. And again, this is a calling-in. I do not believe in shaming people, and this is NOT about shaming anyone. If you feel defensive at any point throughout this episode, that’s probably going to be a good indicator that there’s something deeper to explore. Get curious about any defensiveness you might experience. This is an invitation to go within, to think about your values, to get clarity on what matters to you. 

Remember to leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Sagan’s burlesque persona (Babe Maverick) on Instagram: Instagram.com/babemaverick 
• Episode 187: You are hurting YOURSELF when you use AI to “write” your books: https://www.buzzsprout.com/400015/episodes/17423776-187-you-are-hurting-yourself-when-you-use-ai-to-write-your-books 
• “Why choose” chick lit novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Tune into ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Is it realistic for a character to regress in a novel? Why might a character regress, and is it relatable for them to do that? In this episode of the Author Diary Entries podcast, your host and chick lit indie author Sagan Morrow analyzes character regression in contemporary romance novel Kiss Me — Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series. We do an analysis of the main character, Scarlett, and her character development (or regression!) throughout the series… especially since she is initially viewed through the eyes of OTHER characters (Emma, in Books 1 - 3, and Helen, in Books 4 - 6). 

If you’ve ever wondered what’s going on when your favourite character seems to be regressing, this is a must-listen episode for exploring subtext. 

Remember to leave a voicemail for the author after tuning in to this episode, to share your thoughts, insights, questions, and comments! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Kiss Me (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions contemporary romance series): https://books2read.com/polypassions8 
• More “why choose” chick lit novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Book life coaching sessions for personal fulfillment with Sagan: https://saganmorrow.com/coaching/ 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Tune into ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show

Happy World Tarot Day! In celebration, we are doing our FIRST-EVER live Tarot reading on the Author Diary Entries podcast… This Tarot spread explores the question, “What does Kiss Me (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series) want to teach you, or tell you, as the reader of this story?” 

The 5-card spread: 

• Card 1: Overarching message or theme from this book (III Pentacles) 
• Card 2: Hidden teachings from this book that you might have overlooked (Knight of Pentacles) 
• Card 3: The underlying vibe of this story (XI Justice) 
• Card 4: Key attributes of the main characters to pay attention to (IV Swords) 
• Card 5: General lesson, advice, or overall insights to take away from this novel (III Wands) 

A video was originally recorded along with the audio. The deck used in this Tarot spread is the Rider-Waite-Smith, in case you want to look it up and see what the cards look like visually! 

Tune in to this episode of the podcast to get a full breakdown of the meanings behind each of these cards, and what the cards want us to know about this chick lit novel!  

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

• Kiss Me (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions contemporary romance series): https://books2read.com/polypassions8 
• More “why choose” chick lit novels — the Polyamorous Passions series and Small Town Stilettos: SaganMorrow.com/books 
• Connect with Sagan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saganlives 
• Connect with Sagan on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@saganlives 
• Tune into ALL episodes of the Author Diary Entries podcast at https://saganmorrow.com/podcast 

Send fan mail! Click HERE to leave Sagan a voicemail & share your thoughts about this episode.

Support the show