Creative, Inspired, ALIVE

My guest today is romantasy author Scarlett St. Clair, who has sold millions of copies of her books worldwide and is a #1 New York Times and international bestseller. We first met in France at le Festival du Livre de Paris (aka Paris Book Festival), where I got to witness firsthand the magnitude of her international fame.

Today we talk about:

* How she rose from a flop to become a global superstar in self-publishing, then later switched over to a traditional publisher

* Why “No” just means “Yes, but in a different way”

* Her unorthodox way of writing books

* Nurturing a genuine community of readers and fans, and much more!

Also, Applications are now OPEN for our $1,000 Scholarship for Aspiring Writers. Get more info at creativeinspiredhappy.com

Want more of Scarlett?

Find her on Instagram @authorscarlettstclair or her website scarlettstclair.com

My guest today is Jeannine Ouellette, author of the award-winning memoir The Part That Burns and founder of the incredibly popular Writing in the Dark, an online writing community that offers online creative writing intensives as well as literary salons.

Today we talk about:

* separating art from commerce

* how paying attention to everyday life helps make creativity more easily accessible

* building a career through different income streams and types of writing

* and more.

We also touch on transparency in making money as a writer. After you watch/listen to the episode, here are two posts with even more detail:

* Making money as a writer

* Book Deal 101: How do authors get paid (traditional publishing)

I hope you enjoy the show!

$1,000 and $2,500 Scholarships for Aspiring Writers

CREATIVE.INSPIRED.HAPPY is pleased to sponsor scholarships for writers to further their writing education. More information here!

GIVEAWAY: 1-year paid subscription to Writing in the Dark

Jeannine and I are partnering to give away a 1-year paid subscription to Writing in the Dark!

To enter, just be a subscriber to CREATIVE.INSPIRED.HAPPY:

I will choose a random winner from my subscriber list on Sunday, July 7, 2024 and will update this post once the winner has confirmed via email.

Want more of Jeannine?

You can find her at Writing in the Dark, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and X.

Want more writing advice and career insight? Join thousands for free at CreativeInspiredHappy.com to go behind the scenes with bestselling authors, and get access to our Book Club for Writers, creativity challenges, and more.

I can't wait to see you there!

My guest today is Beth Spencer, a picture book author-illustrator, photographer, and founder of the staggeringly popular Introvert Drawing Club, an online community of 7,000 members she leads in ultra-relaxed drawing sessions.

Today we talk about how Beth succeeded in building a bestselling Substack platform even though she didn’t know what she was doing when she started, how to find fulfillment in your work, and tips for getting started in a creative pursuit, even if you’ve been told your whole life that creativity wasn’t for you.

Full video version available free at CreativeInspiredHappy.com, along with a Book Club for Writers & Curious Readers, behind-the-scenes insights into a bestselling authors' life, mini-creativity challenges, and more.

You can find Beth and her low-pressure, cameras-off club at introvertdrawingclub.com : ) It’s a lot of fun—especially if you like drawing animals.

The book she mentioned on the podcast: Attention Span by Gloria Mark

My guest today is Ali Hazelwood, whose latest novel, Not in Love, just hit bookshelves everywhere. She is a #1 New York Times bestseller multiple times over, and she’s also a former neuroscience professor.

Today we talk about how Ali was discovered by her agent, and why she doesn’t like the label “incredibly successful,” and her advice for anyone pursuing a creative career.

Full video version available free at CreativeInspiredHappy.com, along with a Book Club for Writers & Curious Readers, behind-the-scenes insights into a bestselling authors' life, mini-creativity challenges, and more.

You can learn more about Ali and all her other books on her website and Instagram.

My guest today is Pierce Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Red Rising series, the latest of which—Light Bringer—recently came out in paperback.

Today we talk about how Pierce overcomes self-doubt, how success has changed his career, and whether writing makes him happy. (And we poke some good-natured fun at what authors are like.) We also debate creativity vs inspiration.

Full video version available free at CreativeInspiredHappy.com, along with a Book Club for Writers & Curious Readers, behind-the-scenes insights into a bestselling authors' life, mini-creativity challenges, and more.

You can find out more about Pierce on his website, Instagram, or X.

Coming Soon: The CREATIVE.INSPIRED.HAPPY podcast. Interviews with incredibly successful writers about how they rose from obscurity to build fulfilling careers. Learn something new each episode to make you more creative, inspired, and happy. Hosted by New York Times bestselling author and #1 Netflix film/literary collaborator Evelyn Skye. Full video podcast available free at CreativeInspiredHappy.com