Blood, Sweat and Words

Six figure, USA Today Bestselling author, storyteller and self described, "Cheeky" Wench, Suzan Tisdale, is not only famous for her well-written Scottish Historical Romance novels, but also for being a leader of the  Indie Resistance.

Show Highlights

Cockygate - Susan describes the history of the "cocky" scandal and how it still affects us today

Book Stuffing

Tiffanygate

"Surround and Suffocate" marketing strategies

"Also Bought" scams

KU (i.e., Kindle Unlimited) issues

Going Wide

FB Live episodes

Recommendations for writers.

How Suzan fell in love with Scottish Historical Romance

A "Lustful Thrusting" story that will make you giggle

How her first book accidentally skyrocketed

Using life themes in novels (e.g., alcoholism and rape)

What stories do for readers

Male readers

InD'Scribe Conference in October

Suzan Tisdale

USA Today Bestselling Author, storyteller and cheeky wench, SUZAN TISDALE lives in the Midwest with her verra handsome carpenter husband. All but one of her children have left the nest. Her pets consist of dust bunnies and a dozen poodle-sized, backyard-dwelling groundhogs - all of which run as free and unrestrained as the voices in her head. And she doesn't own a single pair of yoga pants, much to the shock and horror of her fellow authors. She prefers to write in her pajamas.

Suzan writes Scottish historical romance/fiction, with honorable and perfectly imperfect heroes and strong, feisty heroines. And bad guys she kills off in delightfully wicked ways.

She published her first novel, Laiden's Daughter, in December, 2011, as a gift for her mother. That one book started a journey which has led to twenty published titles. To date, she has sold more than 500,000 copies of her books around the world. They have been translated into four foreign languages (Italian, French, German, and Spanish.)

You will find her books in digital, paperback, and audiobook formats.

WEBSITE: www.suzantisdale.com

What is Suzan Reading Right Now?

Judith McNaught's, A Kingdom of Dreams (The WestmorelanDynasty Saga Book 2)

 

 

 

Read Between the Vines (Suzan's Wine and Book Club)

(with Tanya Anne Crosby and Kathryn Leveque)

Here's the link.

Help me keep this podcast going:

Suzan's Favorite Cocktail

Lemondrop Martini's are freaking awesome!  Link

Legal Disclaimer: The views and comments expressed on this podcast are not necessarily my own.

Next Episode: C.J. Hunt: Helping Authors

 

The Podcast's weekly newsletter, BS & Words, delivers you information about the latest episode and writing tips.

Click here to sign up.

Sources:

As always Canva.

"...writing is a calling, a passion. Don't let the industry take that away from you .... It can be tough to hear all the "no's". To get back edits where all your manuscript is red. It's tough to deal with professional jealousy ...[But] ... the folks who hang on the longest tend to be the most successful." Abigail Owen

Intro

"Welcome to episode 4, on Blood, Sweat and Words. Today I'm thrilled to be talking with Abigail Owen. A multi-award-winning paranormal romance author, she grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in Technical Writing, but discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it. No matter the genre, she loves to write feisty heroines, sexy heroes who deserve them, and a cast of lovable characters to surround them. Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero who she married and their two children.

Abigail also writes contemporary romance as Kadie Scott and manages a service for authors through her company, Authors On a Dime.

...which brings me to the topic of our episode today:

Abigail Owen, An Author Helping Authors

I love the intro you have on your Authors on a Dime website. It says: 'Need more time for writing? Authors on a Dime offers a la carte serves at prices authors can afford' Is sure pulled me in ..."

Show Highlights:

Abigail is a multi-published hybrid author helping others

her business "Authors on a Dime" offer all the services writers need to get their work published as separate items, so the writer can purchase what they need.

articles about writing can be found on her website

her business idea came from being a writer, and seeing what writers need

she loves to talk about multi-tasking

loves the freedom of her writing and business life

Abigail Owen is the founder of Authors on a Dime, a business that helps other authors.

Abigail Owen

Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it. No matter the genre, she loves to write feisty heroines, sexy heroes who deserve them, and a cast of lovable characters to surround them (and maybe get their own stories).

10+ years since finishing her first book, Abigail is now a multi-award-winning author who has published 22 novels/novellas/short stories under two pen names with more to come. She is also the owner/operator of Authors On A Dime, a company which provides a la carte services to help authors like herself. Abigail loves every part of the publishing journey and considers herself freaking lucky to be living out her dream every day.

Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero (who she totally married!) and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.

Links:

http://www.abigailowen.com

https://www.facebook.com/Abigail.Owen.Books/

https://twitter.com/AOwenBooks

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/abigail-owen

The Boss

Finn Conleth leads his team of enforcer dragon shifters with an iron fist and a cold heart. Every dragon seeks his destined mate, but the process to turn the woman he once thought was his killed her and devastated him. He will never risk his heart again. His team is his family now. When his body eventually gives out, he’ll leave, living his last days alone.

"Do you ever wonder where writers get their ideas?

Today I’m talking with J.C. McKenzie, who is a High school, math and science teacher by day and an urban fantasy and paranormal romance author by night. She’s the creator of the Amazon, best-selling dark fantasy, saga, The Carus Series, set in post apolcalyptic Vancouver. She’s the author of 9 books, soon to be 10 and is an unapologetic science geek.

Which brings me to today’s topic: Science Geek to Author.

Show Highlights

the life of an unapologetic, science geek

her fascination with the "weird stuff" in the world

how her love of science transfers into her writing; into world building and creating dynamic characters

how all life experiences translate onto the page (with a touch of espresso)

form rejections and how not to be crippled by them

Book Mentioned:    The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

J. C. McKenzie

JC. McKenzie is a book-loving, gumboot-wearing, unapologetic science geek. She's the author of the Carus Series, an urban fantasy five-book saga published by the Wild Rose Press. Born and raised on the West Coast, J. C. sets the majority of her books in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. She writes urban fantasy and paranormal romance with sassy heroines and brutish, alpha-type men.

 

J.C. McKenzie’s Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | TWRP | Amazon | Newsletter

J.C.'s Latest Release - The Good Griffin

               It’s more than hex appeal

He's a good griffin, with a bad temper...

Detective Damian Charming yearns to sweep a certain feisty lynx shifter off her feet. Every time he tries to talk to her, however, he sticks his foot in his mouth. He doesn't mean to sound condescending. Life would be easier if Lucy admitted he knows best, especially now that someone in town has threatened her. He's a good griffin (mostly) until someone messes with what is his.

She's an unlucky lynx with no time for trouble...

Lucy May hates Stillwater detective Damian Charming. Sure, he helped her with a horrible situation and has looks to rival the gods, but he also views lynx shifters as inferior supernatural beings. When someone targets the business she worked hard to create, though, Lucy turns to the one man she knows will mercilessly unearth the culprit.

It's more than just hex appeal...

When a hex sends the town in a storm of sexual shenanigans in the middle of the investigation, Lucy realizes just how bad she has it for the griffin. Now she needs to convince Damian her feelings are true and reel him in before his need for vengeance destroys the entire town.

The books in That Old Black Magic world and Heart's Desired Mate Series can be read as stand-alone stories and in any order.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amzn.com/B07GJBVXS3

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-good-griffin

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/2940155664208

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1429028596

 

Become a patron of this podcast on Patreon,

and help me keep this podcast going.

Next Week

Next week’s podcast is an interview with Abigail Owen, An Author Helping Other Authors.

J.C.'s Favorite Cocktail:

Mojito

- white rum

- fresh mint

- lime juice

- sugar

- soda water

- ice

smush the sugar, mint and lime together, add a shot (or two) of rum, add ice, top off with soda water. You can replace the lime with any smushable fruit, like raspberries or blueberries, and taste the yum.

The audiobook market is exploding and narrating stories is an exciting

and rewarding career. 

Intro

"Welcome to Episode 2 on Blood, Sweat and Words. Today, I’m interviewing Stephanie Spicer, an extraordinary voice actor. And I mean extraordinary. I know this because I’ve worked with her through ACX. She narrated my latest audiobook, Midnight Magic.

It’s a goosebump experience to hear someone else read your work, and when she’s as talented as Steph … oh my goodness … it’s absolutely mind blowing. She nailed my main character completely.

Anyway … enough about that let’s get on with the show.

Stephanie Spicer, A Voice Actor Talks About Audiobooks

Steph grew up in sunny Florida, and spent a good deal of time as a wide-eyed child in theme parks … where she learned a lot about the power of stories. Since then, Steph has dedicated herself to telling stories as a historian, writer, and performer. Steph received her Masters in History from the University of Virginia, focusing on the history of Vaudeville and Burlesque theaters in America, while also acting, singing, and working backstage on numerous theatrical productions. She has dedicated herself to bringing her skills as a storyteller and performer to all her voiceover work. Steph lives in Brooklyn. In her time off, she enjoys long walks with her dogs, baking, knitting and watching British television. "

Show Highlights

working on voice-overs for two years

set up a sound studio in her Brooklyn apartment

the physicality of reading stories - getting into characters

the freedom and independence of her creative lifestyle

she's completed a number of audio books and working on several more

everyone is talking about the explosion on the audiobook market

Contact Info:

website: www.stephmspicer.com

 

Help me keep this podcast going:

Next Week on Blood Sweat and Words:

Award winning author J.C. McKenzie: Science Geek to Writer

Stephanie's Favorite Drink

"I tend to drink bourbon neat ...I do occasionally have a Manhattan with a twist instead of a cherry and Grand Marnier instead of vermouth, and I have great memories of drinking Sazeracs in New Orleans, which is one of my favorite places."

The Audiobook

Midnight Magic is the audiobook Steph narrrated for me:

As the janitor in a haunted house, single mom Abby Jenkins has many contacts with the living and the dead in the small Pacific Northwest town of Sunset Cove, which puts her in a perfect position to solve local mysteries. Or so she thinks. Hired to find diamonds hidden in a haunted manor she gets help from a Viking ghost with existential issues. Will she survive? This book contains bad-boy ghosts, mischievous magic, and a woman who knows what she wants in a Viking hayloft.

You can purchase it from Audible, ACX or Amazon

OR

You can contact me for a free copy in exchange for an hones review ([email protected]). Please, note it only works if you have a membership with Audible.com

Want to know more about the podcast?

Check our my weekly, podcast newsletter:

 My BS & Words newsletter delivers you information about the latest episode and 2 writing tips every Tuesday.

Click here to sign up.

Graphic Sources: Canva

 

The human voice is the organ of the soul." ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The digital revolution is changing all aspects of our lives. We're in the middle of a seismic change for mankind, unlike any that has come before.  What does that mean for writers?

We write differently, publish differently and even think differently.

Introduction

"Writing is my passion, my super-power and my nemesis. If you write, you know what I mean. Like a truly wicked lover, my projects inspire and consume me. I can’t not write. It is part of who I am, an essential part.

But the market. Ahh the market today is a beast. While my writing is steadily improving, my sales are not. My stories are sinking in an ocean of new books … and that … hurts ...

You've all seen photos of Earnest Hemingway sitting on a porch with his manual typewriter, tropical sunlight streaming down upon his genius. You've seen pictures of him on his beloved fish boat, Pilar, pulling in a big marlin.

'Ah the life of an author. That's for me,' you might have said. I did at any rate. I think it was the big shish that sold it.

But alas that was yesterday..."

Show Highlights

the pace of the world is kicking up

writers more concerned with quantity than quality

social media distractions and author branding

the digital revolution is the third seismic shift in technology that changed the world

'We've created a Frankenstein we can't control."

the upside of change

looking ahead

Quotes:

"There is nothing permanent except change." (Heraclitus)

"I can't change the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." (Jimmy Dean)

Episode BSW 0001

Hi, from Vancouver Island, Canada.

It’s Tuesday September 4th, 2018 and this is episode one.

Writing is my passion, my super-power and my nemesis. If you write, you know what I mean. Like a truly wicked lover, my projects inspire and consume me. I can’t not write. It is part of who I am, an essential part.

But the market. Ahh the market today is a beast. While my writing is steadily improving, my sales are not. My stories are sinking in an ocean of new books … and that … hurts.

I’ve looked around for answers. They used to say, write another story, but now that’s not enough. Now they say do that, but also advertise. Advertise, advertise, advertise. Everyone is flocking to buy Amazon ads and courses about how to create them. The truth is creating ads is a complicated gig involving hours of strategy and money … I don’t have.

Plus, I’m reluctant to follow the crowd on this one. I’ll talk more about that another day.

Let’s get back to the central problem.

Just a few years ago, the rise of ebooks was exciting for writers like me. Our hopes and dreams grew with the opportunities to get our work out there. And now our hopes are dying.

How did we get to this point and what can we do about it?

That’s the subject of my first full episode.

Navigating the Digital Revolution

or

The Story of a Virgin at an Orgy and a Really Big Fish

You’ve all seen photos of Earnest Hemingway sitting on a porch with his manual typewriter, tropical sunlight streaming down upon his genius. You’ve seen picture of him on his beloved fish boat, Pilar, pulling in a big marlin.

“Ah, the life of an author. That’s for me,” you might have said. I did at any rate. I think it was the big fish that sold it.

But alas, that was yesterday.

The pace of the world has kicked up. Most of us write on computers and many publish every three months to feed the voracious appetite of algorithms on publishing platforms. We’re trapped in a brutal race of words.

Hi, from Vancouver Island, Canada.

My name is Jo-Ann Carson. I’m a fiction and non-fiction writer, blogger and podcaster. In this episode I’m going to take you behind the microphone, introduce myself, explain why I’ve created my podcast Blood, Sweat and Words and tell you what it can do for you.

Blood, Sweat and Words!

Let’s start with the BLOODpart.

Earnest Hemingway said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

I smile every time I hear that quote. It’s too true.

I’ve been writing stories full-time for seven years and loving every second of it. It has always been a dream of mine to write and now I get to live that dream. I have a wee bit of talent, I study craft a lot and I have a growing audience who likes my stories.

Here’s where the SWEAT part comes in.

Writers have never had as many opportunities to publish as they do now, but it’s not easy.

The writing world is spinning faster and faster all the time and it’s hard to keep up. Physically, psychologically and emotionally. I’m sure you know what I mean. The market is constantly changing, difficult to understand and … fickle.

So … can WORDS save us?

Yes, I think so. Blood, Sweat and Words is a podcast about writing today. Its purpose is to empower writers through a sharing of experience and information. Let’s talk it to the bone.

I hope you’ll become a part of our community. The power lies in our working together. Episodes run 10 to 30 minutes and are published on Tuesdays. Current. Relevant. And Above all Honest, they aim to answer your questions about what’s happening out there. The podcast is available through Apple, Stitcher, Google … and all the major outlets, as well as from this website.

Want to connect?

I’d love to hear from you. My podcast website is www.BloodSweatandWords.com.

My author website is www.Jo-AnnCarson.com, don’t forget the hyphen. All my social media links are available on both sites and in the show notes of this episode.

In addition, you can subscribe to my weekly podcast newsletter and get writing tips and updates about the episodes coming up.

Before I close …

Who am I to run a podcast for writers? First of all, I am a writer, in the trenches. I know what it’s like out there. Second, I have a B.A. in English, a Masters in Education and years of teaching experience. In short, I know how hard it is to be a writer and I know how to talk about it.

I hope you join our growing community of creatives.

Remember: No one needs to face the cold wind of change alone. Join me. Join us. We’ll figure things out together.

Want to know more about the podcast?

Sign up for my newsletter:

 

The newsletter is delivered to your inbox every Tuesday and includes two writing tips and a description of the week's episode.

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Welcome to the home of Blood, Sweat and Words, a podcast about writing today.

My name is Jo-Ann Carson. I’m a fiction and non-fiction author, blogger and podcaster.

There’s never been a better time to be an author, because the opportunities to share our work is growing exponentially. But it’s not easy. The constantly-changing nature of the publishing world is difficult to navigate. If you’re like me, you worry that your stories will drown in the rising tide of new books.

Welcome to the home of Blood, Sweat and Words, a podcast about writing today.

My name is Jo-Ann Carson. I’m a fiction and non-fiction author, blogger and podcaster.

There’s never been a better time to be an author, because the opportunities to share our work is growing exponentially. But it’s not easy. The constantly-changing nature of the publishing world is difficult to navigate. If you’re like me, you worry that your stories will drown in the rising tide of new books.