If you’ve ever worried your story sounds “too foreign,” this conversation is for you.

I sit down with Brussels-based writer and coach Dr. Anne Randerson (pen name Mickey Brent) to discuss writing stories that cross borders and languages without losing the reader. We discuss setting, voice, intentional use of foreign words, and navigating a publishing world that often favors the familiar.

Anne shares the long road behind her Brussels-centered novels and a sequel set in Santorini, thirteen years and thirteen rewrites before her first yes. We talk revision, resilience, reader expectations, translation, and how to protect tone and humor when your work moves across languages.

We also provide practical advice for non-native English writers, address imposter syndrome, and share book marketing that actually works—live events, libraries, bookstores, and community conversations—without relying on gimmicks or constant posting.

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