Author Diary Entries

Today, I want to share a reading from my upcoming enemies-to-lovers, fake relationship romantic comedy, Her Bad Idea! This is Book 7 in the Polyamorous Passions series, but it can be read as a standalone. 

Release day is Tuesday, August 25, but you can pre-order it today on Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble, or by visiting SaganMorrow.com/books. 

Before we get to the excerpt of the book, I want to share the back-of-book blurb with you. Here it is:

Focus on the dance competition. The business opportunity. The prize money, for goodness sake. Anything except…

That smarmy attitude.

Those mocking eyes.

That chiseled jawline. 

Staying focused on the task at hand might be harder than Scarlett Mitchell thought, when she’s stuck with sexy, arrogant Pete Fraser as her dance partner for the next six weeks. But she has no choice—he’s her only hope to win the big dance competition. Scarlett needs to win that prize money if she wants to save her burlesque business from bankruptcy. 

...And it’s all the more complicated when she unexpectedly finds herself in a fake relationship with Pete, as an attempt to make her unrequited crush, Westley Prince, jealous… 

Her Bad Idea is a forced proximity, slow burn enemies to lovers romantic comedy, can be read as a standalone, and is Book 7 in the Polyamorous Passions series. There's a thin line between love and hate in this dance competition romance! 

There you have it! That’s the blurb for Her Bad Idea. You can pre-order your copy right now on your favourite book platform, including Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. I’ll share the links in the show notes, or you can grab a copy of the book when you visit SaganMorrow.com/books. 

Now, let’s get into the excerpt for Her Bad Idea…  TUNE IN to this episode of Indie Author Weekly to access it now!  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Grab your copy of Her Bad Idea at SaganMorrow.com/books . 
• Grab your copy of Her Bad Idea on Amazon .
• Grab your copy of Her Bad Idea on Kobo .
• Grab your copy of Her Bad Idea on Barnes & Noble .
• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show

Welcome back to Indie Author Weekly, where I share my behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books. 

If you’re new to this podcast, I am a productivity strategist for multi-passionate creatives at SaganMorrow.com: I help people manage their time and energy effectively, through customized, actionable strategies that work for your unique life and business. When I’m not teaching about productivity to solopreneurs, I spend my time writing romance novels, and occasionally, business books. And that is what this podcast is all about: the adventures of the author life.  

Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Today, I want to share about something I’m doing for the month of August: it’s the Book Review A Day Challenge!  
The idea behind this little challenge is to spread the word about awesome authors and books I love, especially other indie authors and romance novelists.  

Let’s be clear: Book reviews are for readers. The more that we review books, the more that other readers can decide whether a particular book will be a great fit for them. Frankly, it’s a time commitment to read a book! We’re helping each other out by reviewing books honestly, so that people know right away whether they should read one book or another. Thoughtful book reviews are so important.  

Plus, reviews are also incredibly helpful for authors: the more reviews a book has, the more that bookstore algorithms will boost a book, and the more that we are in essence supporting those authors in their livelihood...  

TUNE IN to this episode of Indie Author Weekly to learn more about the Book Review A Day Challenge!  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Join the book launch team for Her Bad Idea at SaganMorrow.com/booklaunch .
• Episode 12 of Indie Author Weekly: tips and ideas for how to write book reviews .
• @Saganlives on Instagram . 
• BookBub .
• GoodReads .
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show

Today, I have some exciting news: I’ve finished writing Her Bad Idea, Book 7 in the Polyamorous Passions series! I’m so excited. This is an enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity romantic comedy chick lit novel, featuring a fake relationship, age gap romance, and dance competition. 

This book will be available on Tuesday August 25, but you can pre-order the book today when you visit SaganMorrow.com/books, or search Polyamorous Passions on your favourite e-bookstore. 

I have a BIG goal for Her Bad Idea: I want to get on the Romantic Comedy bestseller list on Amazon, during the week of this book release. 

This isn’t something I’ve planned for or attempted to do with any of my past romance novels, and quite honestly I have no idea if my particular book marketing plans are going to get me there, but that’s my goal. So I thought it might be helpful for you to learn about the breakdown of my book launch plan, which is what today’s episode is all about. In September, a few weeks after the book launch, I’ll do another podcast episode to share my results! 

There are 6 strategies I'm using as part of my book launch plan for Her Bad Idea... TUNE IN to this episode for the details and to get the full book launch plan breakdown! 

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Join the book launch team for Her Bad Idea at SaganMorrow.com/booklaunch .
• Publisher Rocket .
• BookBub .
• Written Word Media . 
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show

Welcome back to Indie Author Weekly, where I share my behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books. 

If you’re new to this podcast, I am a productivity strategist for multi-passionate creatives at SaganMorrow.com: I help people manage their time and energy effectively, through customized, actionable strategies that work for your unique life and business. When I’m not teaching about productivity to solopreneurs, I spend my time writing romance novels, and occasionally, business books. And that is what this podcast is all about: the adventures of the author life. 

Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Today, I want to share 3 mistakes I made with the print versions of my books. It’s really easy to make some silly mistakes, so I hope that by me sharing them with you now, you know not to make the same mistakes with your own books! 

Luckily, you can correct those mistakes and upload the new file of the printed version to Amazon, for example, if you use Amazon as your book printing service. If you want to grab paperback copies of my books, you can do that by searching Polyamorous Passions in the Amazon bookstore, or you can visit SaganMorrow.com/books.  

Okay. Here are 3 mistakes I’ve made with the print versions of my books… TUNE IN to this episode to get the scoop!  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Episode 15 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: tips for editing your own work .
• Episode 14 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: backstory about why I redesigned the cover of "She Wants More" (Polyamorous Passions, Book 4) .
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show

Welcome back to Indie Author Weekly, where I share my behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books. 

If you’re new to this podcast, I am a productivity strategist for multi-passionate creatives at SaganMorrow.com: I help people manage their time and energy effectively, through customized, actionable strategies that work for your unique life and business. When I’m not teaching about productivity to solopreneurs, I spend my time writing romance novels, and occasionally, business books. And that is what this podcast is all about: the adventures of the author life. 

Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Today, we’re going to have a little fun—I want to share with you the 5 things that go through every author’s head when a friend says, “I’m reading your book!” 

This is legit what I happens every time I find out that someone I know in real life is reading one of my Polyamorous Passions romance novels. By the way, if you’d like to learn more about those books and read them for yourself, you can search Polyamorous Passions on your favourite e-bookstore, or visit SaganMorrow.com/books.  

Okay! Here we go. These are the thoughts that run through my head when a friend tells me they’re reading my books (and I think this will sound very familiar to every other author out there, too)... TUNE IN to this episode to find out!  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Episode 12 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: how to write a book review .
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show

Welcome back to Indie Author Weekly, where I share my behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books. 

If you’re new to this podcast, I am a productivity strategist for multi-passionate creatives at SaganMorrow.com: I help people manage their time and energy effectively, through customized, actionable strategies that work for your unique life and business. When I’m not teaching about productivity to solopreneurs, I spend my time writing romance novels, and occasionally, business books. And that is what this podcast is all about: the adventures of the author life. 

Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Today, I want to share a few ideas for how to practice writing. 

Writing is a skill we can all, always, get better at. The best way to improve is to keep practicing! If it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert in the field, the way Malcolm Gladwell explains in his excellent book Outliers, then it stands to reason that the more writing we can do, the better we’ll get.  

With that in mind, here are a few ideas for how to practice writing to improve your skills at it… TUNE IN to this episode to get all 9 ideas!  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
• Episode 47 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: how 4 different authors outline their books .
• Episode 37 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: how to write a back-of-book blurb .
• Free business planning retreat workshop: SaganMorrow.com/retreat .
• Episode 17 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: an exercise for improving character development .
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show

This episode of Indie Author Weekly features some of my personal favourite books about polyamory and relationships. 

As you may already know, my chick lit, new adult, contemporary romance series is called Polyamorous Passions, so basically, I write all about polyamory, ethical non-monogamy, and relationships in general as a fiction author. You can get more info on those books and read them at SaganMorrow.com/books, or by searching “Polyamorous Passions” at your favourite e-bookstore. 

Now, polyamory is something a lot of my readers have many questions about, so that’s why I thought for today it would be great to recommend to you a few books that feature polyamory, so you can learn more about the topic! 

By the way, I shared several of my favourite books for improving your writing in a previous episode of this Indie Author Weekly, so if that’s something you want to learn, you can tune into Episode 59. 

Okay, I have 6 polyamory and relationships books to share with you today… TUNE IN to this episode to hear all about it! 

Resources & links mentioned in this episode: 

• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Episode 59 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: Favourite books featuring writing tips .
• The Ethical Slut by Janet W. Hardy and Dossie Easton .
• Opening Up by Tristan Taormino .
• Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari .
• Master of None (Aziz Ansari's TV show) .
• The Offline Dating Method by Camille Virginia .
• Perv by Jesse Bering .
• Sex at Dawn by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha .
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode: 

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show

Today, I want to share about writer’s block… and specifically, 10 tips for how to beat writer’s block.  

Let’s be honest: we all tend to struggle to get the words on the page at some point or another. There’s no doubt that it can be difficult to figure out how to overcome writer’s block when it crops up.  

But luckily, it’s not the end of the world! There are a variety of ways you can overcome writer’s block, regardless of the type of writing that you do.  

I’ve had multiple conversations over the years with various people—friends, other freelancers, clients—who have a misconception that because I write for a living (and because I’ve been doing this for the past decade), I personally don’t really have to ever deal with creative blocks.  

This couldn’t be further from the truth! I’ve hit walls with clients projects and with pretty much every book in my Polyamorous Passions series, at one point or another. I have those tough writer moments too, just the same as you. But it’s what we do when it happens that matters.  

I shared more about this topic in Episode 13 of this Indie Author Weekly podcast, so I recommend you tune into that episode for ways to deal with writer’s block, too.  

Writer’s block isn’t the end of the world. It’s all a matter of addressing it when it happens… and then taking action and DOING something about it. Even the most experienced and prolific writers get stuck from time to time. What sets those writers apart from the rest is that they’re willing to plough forward and get over it.  

And you can do that, too! You have it within you to overcome writer’s block when it strikes. I believe in you, and you need to start believing in yourself, too… and taking strategic, intentional action to do something about it.  

Okay let’s dive in. Here are 10 tips for how to beat writer’s block when it inevitably comes up…  

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Episode 13 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: Tips for dealing with writer's block .
• Episode 50 AND 51 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: My personal "why" for writing the Polyamorous Passions romance novel series .
• Learn how to manage your time and be more productive with Productivity Powerhouse: SaganMorrow.com/powerhouse .
• Episode 63 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: Tips for dealing with issues while writing a first draft .
• Access the word count goal tracker spreadsheet in the Bonuses section of the "secret" version of this podcast: SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast . 
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show

Welcome back to Indie Author Weekly, where I share my behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books. 

If you’re new to this podcast, I am a productivity strategist for multi-passionate creatives at SaganMorrow.com: I help people manage their time and energy effectively, through customized, actionable strategies that work for your unique life and business. When I’m not teaching about productivity to solopreneurs, I spend my time writing romance novels, and occasionally, business books. And that is what this podcast is all about: the adventures of the author life. 

Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. Today, I want to share about a handy, simple exercise you can use to expand your creative abilities. It’s going to help you tap into your inner creativity, make great use of your imagination, and make it easier for you to sit down and work on creative projects at any time. Pretty cool, right? 

This is an exercise I use all the time, and it’s something that comes fairly naturally to me. It’s how my brain works, frankly. I think in terms of stories. I live in my imagination a lot. I like playing with ideas and exploring concepts and going down the rabbit hole.  

That being said, you can use this as an exercise to actively work to enhance creativity. It’s a neat way to get more inspiration from everyday life. TUNE IN to this episode for the fun and simple exercise to improve your creative abilities, plus real-life examples of how I've used it! 

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Get the weekly newsletter featuring productivity lessons at SaganMorrow.com/newsletter .
• Episode 10 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: How to find ideas & inspiration for writing novels (including the "what if" game) .
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show

Welcome back to Indie Author Weekly, where I share my behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books. 

If you’re new to this podcast, I am a productivity strategist for multi-passionate creatives at SaganMorrow.com: I help people manage their time and energy effectively, through customized, actionable strategies that work for your unique life and business. When I’m not teaching about productivity to solopreneurs, I spend my time writing romance novels, and occasionally, business books. And that is what this podcast is all about: the adventures of the author life. 

Now let’s get into this episode of the Indie Author Weekly podcast. I’m currently working on rewrites and edits for my upcoming romantic comedy, Her Bad Idea, which is Book 7 in the Polyamorous Passions series. You can learn all about that series and read those books on your favourite e-bookstore, or visit SaganMorrow.com/books. 

While I was reviewing Her Bad Idea and starting to do the rewrites, some thoughts came to mind that I wanted to share with you. Consider this a little writing pep talk! These are a few good reminders to think about when you are writing your first draft of a book, and then starting to work on the rewrites. 

There are 3 points I want to make today… TUNE IN to this episode for 3 tips for writing your first draft (and working on rewrites). 

Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  

• Learn more about all of Sagan's books at SaganMorrow.com/books .
• Episode 59 of the Indie Author Weekly podcast: Favourite books to help you improve your writing .
• Access the cheatsheet (featuring real-life examples for how I restructured sentences between the first and second draft of Her Bad Idea) at SaganMorrow.com/secretpodcast . 
• Tune into Indie Author Weekly on your favourite podcast platform at SaganMorrow.com/podcast .
• Subscribe, rate & review this podcast on Apple Podcasts .

Let's chat about this episode:  

• @Saganlives on Twitter and Instagram .
• Hashtag: #IndieAuthorWeekly .
• Email [email protected] .
• Share your thoughts (or submit requests for future episode topics) in this survey at SaganMorrow.com/question 

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

Support the show