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This week on The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I had an absolute blast chatting with sci-fi suspense author JC Spark about her thrilling debut novel, Dire Contact: No Brainer Book 1. 

JC is a recent graduate of my First Book Finish program, so it was a real delight to catch up!

If you love books that keep you up at night turning pages, this one’s for you! JC describes Dire Contact as “if Good Omens and Doctor Who had a baby.” (I mean, come on—how fun does that sound?) 

But beyond the book itself, we dive deep into her incredible journey from idea to published novel, including the challenges of outlining a complex, multi-POV sci-fi series and navigating the world of self-publishing.

Some highlights from our conversation:

📌 From Spreadsheet to Page-Turner: JC shares how she meticulously plotted her book using a detailed spreadsheet (yes, she’s a planner!) and how early on, she realized she had not one but three books in the making.

📌 Crowdfunding for Authors: Instead of taking the traditional publishing route, JC launched her book via a crowdfunding campaign on BackerKit’s Booktopia. She opens up about why she chose this path, the highs and lows of the campaign, and the joy of building a community around her book.

📌 Illustrated Special Editions: JC went the extra mile with her book by incorporating stunning character artwork inside her special editions. She shares how she worked with an illustrator and how she’s using these visuals across social media to build her book world.

📌 Publishing in Two Languages: Did you know Dire Contact was released in both English and German? JC walks us through the challenges of managing two versions of her book, from translation to marketing (and even a little spine-labeling mishap she learned the hard way!).

📌 Lessons from Self-Publishing: From finding the right printer to getting the perfect cover (after a few failed attempts), JC offers some hard-earned wisdom for anyone thinking about going indie with their book.

And exciting news—JC’s next book, Space Time: No Brainer Book 2, launches via crowdfunding on March 25th, alongside the wide release of Dire Contact on Amazon, Kobo, Apple, and more. 

If you’ve ever dreamed of taking your book from an idea to a reality, this episode is packed with insight, encouragement, and real talk about what it takes to make it happen.

👉 Grab your copy of Dire Contact here!