Back Porch Writer

About Michele:

I'd describe myself as a work in progress. Navigating through this adventure called life can be exhilarating and exhausting all at the same time. I'm a Chicago native and I think coffee and red wine are the best discoveries of all times.

I write stories because I love peeling back the layers of messy truths that come with living life -- betrayals, lies, deceit, love, generosity, kindness, loss, ridicule, sorrow. My characters are flawed and encounter challenges that either grow them or destroy them.

Isn't that just how life is sometimes?

Author of Prudence available on Amazon.com.

Samuel Hawley was born and grew up in South Korea, the son of missionary parents. After earning BA and MA degrees in history from Queen's University, he returned to East Asia to teach English for a year and ended up staying there for nearly two decades before retiring in Kingston, Ontario to become a full-time writer. He is the author of the nonfiction books Speed Duel: The Inside Story of the Land Speed Record in the Sixties, which received starred reviews in both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal; I Just Ran: Percy Williams, World’s Fastest Human, named one of the five "Best Sports Books of 2011” by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation); and the monumental The Imjin War, the most comprehensive account in English of Japan’s sixteenth-century invasion of Korea and attempted conquest of China, hailed as “magnificent” by the South China Morning Post. Bad Elephant Far Stream is his first novel.

Join Kori and Gabriela in a lively discussion about the writing life. Have questions? We've got answers! Or, at least a few suggestions!

Tony Wilkins is the author of Telemarketing Success for small and mid-sized Firms, The Single Person’s Cookbook (www.amazon.com) and Surviving the economy-Tips from small business owners from across the globe. Tony was a widely read columnist for Allbusiness.com before writing his current column for Examiner.com. He has been featured in the media on Channel 7's (ABC) The View from the Bay, Progressive Pulse Magazine, B.A.R (Bay Area Reporter) and the 10% Show. Tony is a much sought after lecturer and speaker for The Learning Annex, CIIS (California Institute of Integral Studies, and The Academy of Art College -SF. He is the host of the Internet sensation Small Business Forum Radio on Blog Talk Radio which airs Fridays at 3:30 offering tips from small business experts from around the globe. The show made its debut on July 15th 2011 and boasts an impressive 70,000+ listeners in just over 2 years on the air. In addition, the show (which has a six month waiting list for bookings) is consistently ranked in the top 10% of business shows on the network. He is a small business advocate and the owner of TCS Inc. for the last 30 years, specializing in business development, (cold calling, sales, marketing, promotion) consulting and training (www.businessdevelopmentsolutionsintl.com )working with such clientele as Farmers Insurance, SF Soup Co and USI Insurance. Mr. Wilkins was also recently nominated for a Small Business Advocate Award by The San Francisco Small Business Network and will be broadening his media interest in October 2013 by launching SBFM an online magazine dedicated to helping small business owners find resources, share stories and find leads. 

Check out the magazine: http://joom.ag/OmuX

Kori talks about author fairs, the importance of getting out of your comfort zone, business cards, and more! 

FYI: Author Nicole Walters (Charis: Journey to Pandora's Jar) sent us a message about a MG writing contest BookTrope Publishing is hosting for her upcoming book. Go to http://journeytopandorasjar.com/ for more details. 

She demonstrated great marketing by contacting people in her circle, including Back Porch Writer. Kori received the email this week, read everything, and loved the idea.

Jill K. Sayre is a writer and an educator specializing in Gifted and Talented students. She enjoys writing in the genre of magical realism for tweens and young adults. Her first book, "The Fairies of Turtle Creek", embraces the things she loves: nature, the grandmother-granddaughter relationship, and everyday magic.

Join Kori in a lively chat with illustrator Christopher Brown. He's a filmmaker, illustrator, graphic designer and cartoonist from the DC metropolitan area. He is currently in the process of writing and developing a few animated shorts and comics aimed at people of color. His last short, Bullet Head - which he co-wrote and co-produced - made the rounds at a film festival in New York. 

Check this out!

http://www.drawnandcornered.com/

Check this out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl9anHp-eis

Do you enjoy poetry? Of course you do! Now is your opportunity to chat about what you love with  poet, teacher, and coach, Molly Fisk.

Poet Molly Fisk writes weekly essays for community radio stations in California, Colorado, Illinois and Wisconsin. She’s the author of the poetry collections, The More Difficult Beauty, Listening to Winter, and Salt Water Poems, and the audio recordings of commentary, Blow-Drying a Chicken and Using Your Turn Signal Promotes World Peace. Fisk has been awarded grants by the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. She’s the owner of Poetry Boot Camp (poetrybootcamp.com) and can be reached at mollyfisk.com.

Are you curious about indie publishing? Join Kori and Ray as they discuss AEC Publishing's indie approach.

Cindy Grady and Erin Reel join Kori in the studio to discuss all things Indie publishing.

From their site:

WriteLife is an independent publisher based in Omaha, Nebraska, heart of pioneer country and a long-thriving independent music movement. We value the high standards of traditional publishing, the passionate spirit of the independent publisher and the evolution of publishing.