Author(ish) Podcast

In this episode, Dana interviews Amy about her new role as an associate literary agent at The Purcell Agency.

Polishing Your Submission Packet For Querying

Ten Steps Authors Should Consider Before Querying

Author(ish) Podcast Episode 08 – Opening Pages: Risky Versus Less Risky

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing Comp Service

Amy’s Manuscript Wish List

Amy talks a little about her experience with book bans during her career as a public school librarian. She also puts out a call for submissions for Uncensored Ink: A Banned Book-Inspired Anthology. More information about the anthology is below.

Anthologist: Amy Nielsen 

Coordinator: Ian Tan

Submission Window – October 1, 2023-February 29, 2024

Description: An anthology centered around the topics of intellectual freedom, censorship, and book bans, through the imagined lens of librarians and structured according to the Dewey Decimal System

Introduction: Here at Wild Ink, we are appalled and saddened by the censorship we see now and the censorship we have seen throughout history. To combat this intellectual outrage, we are issuing a call for submissions to speak truth to power: to tell book banners how dangerous their efforts are, and to encourage those who fear their stories being silenced.

According to the American Library Association, 2022 has seen more censorship attempts than any year since the organization began collecting data twenty years ago. Additionally, 90% of censorship attempts today target lengthy lists of titles, some well over a hundred books. Prior to 2021, most censorship attempts targeted one title. And with our country in an all-out culture war, it should come as no surprise, books featuring BIPOC and LGBTQ characters and themes are at much greater risk of being censored.

Highly educated instructors, media specialists, and public librarians are no longer entrusted to make selections that their readers can see themselves in, as well as books that challenge the status quo and give readers a different perspective. The very thing they were educated in. The very thing politicians were not. And in some extreme cases, politicians are accusing these same individuals of committing crimes simply by providing a title they disapprove of to a reader. 

Book banning is the floor for authoritarians and their supporters. They’ve yet to define the ceiling. What other forms of creative expression will be next on their hit list—music, theater, paintings, sculpture? When we lose our intellectual freedom, we lose our democracy.

All people deserve to see themselves reflected in books. Also, we develop empathy and compassion as humans when we read about someone else’s life experience. Something this world could always use a little more of. 

From The Librarians 

Intellectual freedom is the ability to contemplate and study what one chooses. As librarians, we value intellectual freedom and the profound impact of literature in shaping hearts and minds, even in the face of oppression.

But throughout history, we’ve witnessed those who’ve fought to censor ideas, stifle voices, and silence narratives. As librarians, it is our duty to preserve the voices of the past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future. We believe every book, every thought, and every perspective deserves a place on the shelves of knowledge. And we need your help. We are creating a thematic anthology about the danger of censorship and the power of diversity in the written word.

We’ve organized our submission requests by the familial Dewey Decimal System. So, pick a number (or two) and craft a poem, short story, or personal essay to help us with our cause—to put banned books back on shelves. We hope the thoughts about each section help you find your place in the fight to sustain and regain intellectual and creative freedom.

-The Librarians

000 – Generalities 

How does humanity’s enduring need to organize, classify, and make sense of the world’s collective knowledge impact modern society? How does our understanding of the historical evolution of information from ancient libraries to modern data centers help create an encompassing worldview?

100 – Philosophy and Psychology

What are the philosophical underpinnings of censorship? How is intellectual freedom incompatible with book bans? How can literature help shape human thought and behavior?

200 – Religion 

How do censored religious texts and myths showcase the balance between faith, tradition, cultural identity, and freedom of expression?

300 – Social Sciences

What is the impact of censorship on social issues, politics, and culture? How have banned books shed light on social injustices and inspired social change?

400 – Language

How does the suppression of certain vocabularies and languages challenge linguistic boundaries and the celebration of language’s richness?

500 – Science 

What are the struggles of scientific thinkers whose works have been censored for challenging conventional beliefs, and addressing controversial scientific topics? What is the importance of preserving scientific inquiry?

600 – Technology 

What are the ethical dilemmas around the impact of technological advancements? What are the consequences of suppressing ideas that push innovative boundaries?

700 – The Arts 

How can we embrace creativity in the face of censorship? How can we celebrate artistic expression and confront the attempts to stifle unconventional or provocative works of art?

800 – Literature

How can we protect the written word itself against the battle of censorship? From classic to contemporary mediums, how can we showcase the power of storytelling and its potential to challenge norms and influence generations?

900 – History and Geography 

How have banned books shaped historical narratives and challenged dominant perspectives? What is the importance of preserving diverse historical accounts?

Submission Guidelines 

To honor Banned Book Month, submissions will open on October 1, 2023. Publication will be on or before Banned Book Month in 2024. 

Thank you!

We look forward to reading your submissions!

Michael Dolan is the founder and editorial director of Winding Road Stories, an independent traditional book publisher that is home to 25 authors in a variety of fiction and non-fiction genres. In addition to being the author of several books, he has served as executive editor for many publishing companies, including Conde Nast. Michael was also the founder, owner and editor-in-chief of Athletes Quarterly, an exclusive print magazine for professional athletes throughout North America.  Michael’s number one priority is to help writers find success through their passion for storytelling.

Writing and editing your manuscript, finding a publisher and making it a reality may feel like a winding road that never ends. Welcome to your destination.

–Michael Dolan, Winding Road Stories

Content Note: Although not graphic, this episode contains discussions of child abuse and sexual assault. Listener discretion is advised.

One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.

Sally is a mentor and a writing coach with her program Write A Book in
30 Days – No Experience Required. She is a member of SCBWI
(Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and IBSA
(Independent Book Sellers Association). She is passionate about
writing and teaching other people how to create with their words. She
also enjoys speaking to groups about writing, growing up a Jehovah’s
Witness, or having ADHD.

Sally lives in Orlando, Florida, where she enjoys the local beaches,
kayaking in the springs, visiting the local bookstores, and writing. She
can often be found writing on her laptop at the local coffee shop or
caring for her numerous plant babies. She currently has no pets, but
she loves caring for other people’s pets, which allows her to visit new
places. She loves to listen to true-crime podcasts and watch crime
docu-series. Her children are all grown and live in Orlando and
Denver.

The Truth is a Lie is Sally’s fourth book. She won an honorable
mention in the 2021 Writer’s Digest Short Story Contest. She has been
on several podcasts, including The Shit No One Tells You About
Writing, Sabrina Victoria’s HER Talk Show – Her Nation, and Veian
Vozmediano’s Life Outside of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Instagram @SallyJLotz

LinkedIn @SallyJLotz

Available in
Paperback or
Kindle versions

www.sallylotz.com

In this episode, Amy and Dana discuss all things opening pages! We focus on risky versus less risky ways to open your novel including examples.

When S.K. Andrews wasn’t swimming in the Pacific Ocean in her hometown of Laguna Beach, California, she busied herself by writing fantasy stories and acting on stage. Having grown up watching Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone and Night Gallery shows on TV, S.K. quickly fell in love with paranormal tales with a message of wisdom and love. After attaining a B.A. degree in Theatre from University of California, Irvine, an idea sparked for interviewing actors to help student actors. Her non-fiction book The Pursuit of Acting; Working Actors Share Their Experience and Advice was published by Praeger Publishers. In The Kelly Society book series, S.K.’s heroine, paranormal cleanser Vivien Kelly and her team are in a race to rid the modern world of deadly Celtic creatures. Bay of Darkness and A Kelly Society Christmas are the first two books in the series. Bay of Darkness won the Finalist prize in 2019 from N.N. Light’s Book Heaven and also placed Finalist with Readers Favorite in 2020. The beautiful Hudson Valley in upstate New York is where S.K. calls home. To sign up for her monthly newsletter and learn more, check out: https://www.skandrews.com

Visit S.K.’s YouTube Channel – Creativity and the Paranormal

“Bay of Darkness is a fantastic story with many different paranormal creatures that will blow the reader out of the water.” 

In this episode, Amy and Dana interview cozy mystery and sweet romance author, Jennifer Vido.

Jennifer Vido is the author of the Gull Island sweet romance series. An avid booklover, she interviews bestselling authors for her weekly Jen’s Jewels column on FreshFiction.com. A longtime Arthritis Foundation advocate, she teaches seniors an arthritis-friendly water exercise class in the morning before heading to the office to serve as the executive director of a legal non-profit in her community. The proud mom of two sons, she currently lives in Maryland with her husband, two rescue dogs, and a finicky calico cat.

Consistency – Jen writes daily. Even if it’s one sentence.

Website: www.jennifervido.com

Twitter: @jenvido

Facebook: Jennifer Vido, Author

Jennifer’s page on Wild Rose Press

Buy Serendipity by the Sea

In this episode, Amy and Dana break down what they’ve learned after collectively querying nearly a hundred agents over four years. And while they both ultimately chose to publish via small presses, many authors want an agent. So here is our best advice on deciding if you want an agent and how to get one.

Here is a list of many of the resources we talked about in today’s episode. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!

Here is a resource our Queery Helpline host, Patrick recommended for searching for agents. Reedsy

In this episode, Amy and Dana interview author S.E. Reed.

S.E. has spent the last 20 years of her life moving around all five-regions of the United States which gives her a unique American perspective. Many of her pieces have a strong Southern theme, but she also dabbles in the strange, bizarre and fantastical.  

Her work has been featured by Wild Ink Publishing, Parhelion Lit, The Writer’s Workout, Tempered Rune’s Press and Survival Guide for the 21st Century. She has won several YA writing contests and actively participates as a delegate for YA Hub on Twitter. 

S.E. resides in Florida with her family– nestled between the swamps of the Everglades and the salt of the Atlantic Ocean. This summer she’ll be sitting in a lawn chair, working on her next novel and listening to EDM… (Ask her about her days as a DJ). Or she’ll be in the pool begging her kids not to get her hair wet. 

In this interview we discuss:

Below is the book trailer I made for S.E.’s book, My Heart is Hurting. Enjoy!

S.E.’s website

S.E.’s Wild Ink Author Page

Curiosity Never Killed the Writer

The Writer’s Workout

In today’s episode, Dana and Amy interview Kevin O’Neill.

Kevin is an award-winning film director, screenwriter, and producer who has been writing and directing short films for the last sixteen years. His films have been nominated for 89 awards and have won 59. Many of his film scripts are inspired by real stories from his past.

Kevin has also written six feature film scripts that range from comedy to drama to coming-of-age, and he is currently pitching two of his television series in LA, “Grace’s Diner” and “Gone Dark,” which he co-wrote.

Prior to his current work, Kevin was an actor in LA. He’s been sharing his passion and knowledge of the craft by teaching acting in schools for the last thirty years. He also has been a Course Director at Full Sail University in Orlando for sixteen years, where he teaches and mentors Directing students in the bachelor’s program.

If that wasn’t enough of a bio, he is also the author of a new amazing autobiography, Saving the Little Guy.

In this interview we discuss:

BONUS: If any listener purchases Kevin’s book and sends him an email to prove it with Author(ish) in the subject line, he’ll send you three of his favorite short films: Resemblance, Undertaking, and Man in the Woods.

You can email him at [email protected]

Head on over to Twitter, and let’s continue the conversation about the similarities and differences in screenplay writing versus writing a novel.