I've Always got Time to Talk

Pull Up a Chair

Pull up a chair. Let's talk about Spark to Story, my free writing workshop at Rantoul Public Library. It's the first stop in my Spark to Published framework (from your very first idea all the way to selling your book). I share how the workshop works, what happened at the last one, and where I hope this goes next.

Join me Saturday, October 17 at 10am at Rantoul Public Library. Free, casual, and no writing experience needed.

In this episode:

- How I went from not writing at 48 to three and a half books published

- Planner, pantser, or somewhere in between

- Why you should find your story's destination first

- The two writers at my first workshop (and why everyone left better off)

- My resource shelf

- The big dream: a workshop for every step, idea to sold

Chapters:

00:00 Welcome

00:13 Pull Up a Chair: Spark to Story

01:39 How the Workshop Works

05:05 Story Pieces and Your Plan

06:10 The Last Workshop

07:13 My Resource Shelf

08:00 The Big Dream

09:10 Why I Do This (Join Me Oct 17)

"The plan should fit how you work and how your brain works."

"Support and friendship and community is how we improve and we grow."

Mentioned in this episode:

- Spark to Story, Sat Oct 17, 10am, Rantoul Public Library: [Facebook event link]

- On Writing by Stephen King

- Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

- Brandon Sanderson's Creative Writing Lectures: youtu.be/RPyj376qJiw

- Scribes Guild (on my Discord): discord.gg/tQZrHm8YWC

About Maya:

Maya Gouliard is a fantasy author, artist, and community organizer in Rantoul, Illinois. She writes the Chroma series and runs the Wise Woman's Fantasy Book Club. Her whole message is simple. It's not too late to create, to grow, or to find who you are.

Find Maya:

YouTube: youtube.com/@mayagouliard

Website: mayagouliard.com

Substack: substack.com/@mayagouliard

TikTok: @mayagouliard

Discord (Scribes Guild + WWFBC): discord.gg/tQZrHm8YWC

Waterweaver on Amazon: https://a.co/d/2tl8Unz

Want to be a guest on The Makings of an Artist? Apply here: https://mayagouliard.substack.com/p/become-a-guest-makings-of-an-artist

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Nikki told her sixth grade teacher she was going to be an author. She was eleven. She was writing about talking unicorns in space. Twenty books later (plus six short stories), she's still at it.

We talk about the traditional deal that turned her book into a romance it was never meant to be, why she went indie, and how she writes an entire series before editing book one. We also talk about her love of jumping spiders, her 18-year-old cat, and the joy that keeps her writing even when it doesn't pay the bills yet.

Chapters:

0:00 Writing Advice for Authors: It's a Journey

0:36 Introduction and guest bio

4:05 Nikki McCormack's Epic Fantasy Books

5:44 Becoming a Fantasy Writer

8:41 Writing Career and First Publishing Deal

12:25 Writing Routine and Author Business

15:04 Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing

21:18 Steampunk, Epic Fantasy, and the Vanris Series

23:58 Epic Fantasy Worldbuilding

25:41 Writing Process, Editing, and Beta Readers

31:21 Video Game Writing and Series Releases

34:13 Writing Tools: Papyrus, Word, and ProWritingAid

36:26 Kindle Unlimited, Wide Publishing, and Direct Sales

38:21 Upcoming Fantasy Book Projects

42:02 Making a Living as an Author

45:54 Best Craft Books and Writing Advice

49:56 Writing Advice: Don't Rush Publishing

51:01 Authentic Author Marketing and Social Media

54:11 Vanris Epic Fantasy Series and Found Family

"If I could digest the joy I get from it, I would be fat and happy." (Nikki McCormack)

Mentioned in this episode:

- Child of Vanris (The Warden's Son, Book 1; placed 4th in the 2025 Book Blogger Novel of the Year Awards)

- The Warden's Son series: Child of Vanris, Blood of Vanris, Heart of Vanris, Throne of Vanris

- Daughter of Vanris trilogy: Wave Dancer, Wave-Touched, Wavelord

- Warden's Rise (short story)

- Clockwork Enterprises: The Girl and the Clockwork Cat, The Girl and the Clockwork Conspiracy, The Girl and the Clockwork Crossfire

- Birth of the Firebringer by Meredith Ann Pierce

- On Writing by Stephen King

- Save the Cat by Blake Snyder

- Papyrus Author (writing software)

- ProWriting Aid

- Alyssa Matesic: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjakQDcauhEDx_ovnK36kMQ

- Abbie Emmons: https://www.youtube.com/@AbbieEmmons

Find Nikki:

Website: https://www.elysiumpalace.com/

Shop direct: https://shop.elysiumpalace.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/nikkimccormackwriter

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/authornikki.bsky.social

About Maya:

I'm Maya Gouliard, a fantasy author, artist, and community organizer who believes it's never too late to create. I write the Chroma series and host the Wise Woman's Fantasy Book Club (fantasy with older women at the center).

Waterweaver: https://a.co/d/2tl8Unz

YouTube: youtube.com/@mayagouliard

Wise Woman's Fantasy Book Club Discord: discord.gg/tQZrHm8YWC

Want to be a guest? Tell me about your creative life here: https://mayagouliard.substack.com/p/become-a-guest-makings-of-an-artist

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I showed up. Hoodie, ponytail, no makeup (and a very tired brain).

In a world where an app can fake your eye contact, I'd rather just be real. So here's my creative week, messy parts included.

This week:

- Podcast update (interviews booked through November!)

- Organizing the bar inventory at Papa Del's (so satisfying to finish something)

- Wise Woman's Fantasy Book Club: The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst

- Writing, and learning to "just do it" instead of "do it well"

- A tour of my craft room (and the unfinished projects in it)

- A little journaling haul (Pochacco!)

Next Monday on I've Always Got Time to Talk: fantasy author Nikki McCormack on going from traditional to indie publishing.

Chapters:

00:00 I showed up (even when it's hard)

00:33 The creepy AI eye-contact button

00:58 Showing up real and messy

01:48 Podcast update

04:04 Launching the interview series

05:58 Organizing at Papa Del's

06:52 Wise Woman's Fantasy Book Club: The Bone Maker

08:06 Writing, and just doing it instead of doing it well

09:38 Craft room tour and unfinished projects

11:08 Journaling finds and stickers

11:24 Next week: Nikki McCormack

Links:

Join the Wise Woman's Fantasy Book Club: discord.gg/tQZrHm8YWC

Waterweaver (Chroma, book one): https://a.co/d/2tl8Unz

Book sleeves and handmade goods: [WEBSITE LINK]

Subscribe: youtube.com/@mayagouliard

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Shoshie Bauer | The Makings of an Artist

Shoshie Bauer spent twenty years as a working artist (whimsical watercolors, then award-winning miniatures). Now she's stepping away from art as a job and heading to grad school for conservation. We talk about knowing your worth, branding yourself, surviving the internet, and why you have to call yourself an artist first. Plus a real, messy talk about AI.

"You have to identify as an artist for other people to accept you as one." (Shoshie)

IN THIS EPISODE

- Once you've been paid, you're a professional. Period.

- Brand yourself, not your art

- The pottery class story

- An honest talk about AI and small businesses

- Handling haters with "thank you for your comment"

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome and meet Shoshie

01:06 Always an artist (ADHD, notebooks, writer parents)

02:39 Art school and the 90s gatekeepers

04:24 Indie or traditional? You can do both

06:17 Know your value (never discount)

08:33 Once you're paid, you're a professional

09:25 Brand yourself, not your art

12:55 Burnout and the big pivot

14:39 From mini painting to conservation

18:43 Showing up as your real self

20:31 Fail in public (the pottery class story)

23:01 Let's talk about AI

28:30 A photo of a bird vs. an AI prompt

31:30 Shoshie's art journey, take two

37:03 Community building and super fans

38:43 Creating the Shoshie persona

41:11 Handling haters

44:05 Who Moved My Cheese?

45:05 How real is too real online?

46:59 Never apologize for taking a break

49:17 Nuggets of wisdom (15 minutes a day)

53:43 Plant something native

55:29 Where to find Shoshie

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

- The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

- Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson

- I'd Rather Be in the Studio! by Alyson B. Stanfield: https://artbizsuccess.com

- Geoffrey Hinton on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart

- Last episode, Jennifer Rabbitt: https://youtu.be/G97f8ETMkT4

FIND SHOSHIE

https://www.shoshiesminis.com

https://bio.site/ShoshiesMinis

ABOUT MAYA

I'm Maya Gouliard, a fantasy author and artist in central Illinois. I believe it's never too late to create, to grow, or to find who you are.

FIND ME

YouTube: youtube.com/@mayagouliard

Website: mayagouliard.com

Substack: mayagouliard.substack.com

Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Pinterest: @mayagouliard

Facebook: facebook.com/mayagouliard.fantasyauthor

Wise Woman's Fantasy Book Club on Discord: discord.gg/tQZrHm8YWC

Be a guest: https://mayagouliard.substack.com/p/become-a-guest-makings-of-an-artist

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Ironing fabric for zipper pouches while I catch you up on my creative week.

My podcast has had a lot of lives. First it was Maya Tried It, then Ladies at the Round Table, then just me talking about myself (which never quite felt right). Now it finally has a through line: conversations with creatives about when they gave themselves permission to show up and call themselves an artist. Three interviews in, I'm learning as much about myself as about my guests.

In this episode:

• Why this podcast finally has a direction
• Building the interview pipeline, from application to recording
• Being stuck in the middle of Echo Weaver (book three) and starting a new craft book to come at it fresh
• Jon's reminder to pace myself (he's not wrong)
• Canceling live TV, Ted Lasso reviews, and why women-led shows keep getting cut
• Survivor check-ins with my son
• The Bone Maker, our new book club read, and why it might be the older-heroine fantasy I've been looking for
• Why the car is my quiet place

Mentioned:

• Make Your Story Matter by Abbie Emmons
• The Bone Maker by Sarah Beth Durst
• Ted Lasso, The Residence, Survivor

Come hang out:

• Be a guest on The Makings of an Artist: https://mayagouliard.substack.com/p/become-a-guest-makings-of-an-artist
• Join the Wise Woman's Fantasy Book Club on Discord: https://discord.gg/tQZrHm8YWC
• Start the Chroma series with Waterweaver: https://a.co/d/2tl8Unz
• Watch on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mayagouliard
• Website: https://mayagouliard.com

New interviews every Monday. Solo check-ins every Thursday.

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The Makings of an Artist: Jennifer Rabbitt on Encaustic Art, Self-Doubt, and Finding Your Creative Identity
Maya Gouliard launches The Makings of an Artist with her longtime friend Jennifer Rabbitt, an encaustic artist. Jennifer shares how she came to call herself an artist, why she stepped away from painting, the challenge of selling fine art, and what it takes to keep creating despite doubt and disappointment.
In this episode:

• Jennifer's artistic family, her degrees in textiles and fine art, and switching her college focus to photography
• How encaustic art uses beeswax, damar resin, pigments, heat, and sometimes a torch to create layered work
• Rejecting the dark, depressing art style of the early 1990s for bright, colorful work instead
• The long process of claiming the identity of "artist," even after years of formal training
• Her first gallery show, a Valentine-themed exhibition, and the artist friendship it led to even without a sale
• The blurry line between fine art and craft
• Pricing artwork by materials, size, time, and experience, including a $5,000 large piece
• Why family and emotional value can matter more than price
• Self-doubt, minimalism, and "a lot of paintings fail, let them"
• Her goal of finishing one studio piece by year's end and reaching $50,000 in annual sales

Chapters:
00:00 Welcome to The Makings of an Artist
01:31 Jenn's artistic family and creative education
05:40 Learning to call yourself an artist
08:37 What is encaustic art?
10:59 Jenn's first gallery show, and why it still counted
13:20 The real struggle: selling and marketing your art
19:57 Fine art vs. craft, pricing, and legacy pieces
26:51 Minimalism, self-doubt, and letting art fail
37:12 Imagining a full-time art life, and creative overwhelm
42:27 Selling, color, and Jenn's $50K goal
49:42 How do you know you're an artist?
52:17 Where to find Jenn's work, and what's next

Notable Quotes:
"If you're doing work some creative way and you like what you're making, I think you're an artist."
"A lot of paintings fail. Let them."

Mentioned in this episode:
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Savvy Painter Podcast with Antrese Wood
"Wax on Wednesdays" encaustic fusing demos, Shari Replogle (YouTube)
"Encaustic Painting Tips: Fusing for a Smooth Surface," R&F Paints (YouTube)
Art Pricing Calculators:
https://www.artspainter.com/art-pricing-calculator/
https://everycalculators.com/art-price-calculator.html

Find Jennifer: Instagram @jennifer_rabbitt_art

About Maya:
Maya Gouliard is a fantasy author, artist, and community organizer based in Rantoul, Illinois. Writing under Calmillusion Press, she grew into art and writing later in life, asking herself the same question this show explores: am I really an artist, and who gets to decide that?

Find Maya:
Website: mayagouliard.com
Instagram: @mayagouliard
TikTok: @mayagouliard
Substack: mayagouliard.substack.com
Discord: discord.gg/tQZrHm8YWC

Want to be a guest?
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtAAhviHsDI6Zlk-Y4R5OxgEdOwE5R_dBN-YYJAt79bH_GyA/viewform

Maya is building a creative life in public, one book, handmade project, interview, and imperfectly assembled setup at a time. If you've ever wanted to make something meaningful, start later in life, or turn your creativity into more than a passing hobby, this episode is your invitation to begin.

In this one, Maya shares what's coming next for the show: the color-coded worlds she's building around her vlogs, indie author business, crocheting and sewing projects, fantasy book club, and writing life, plus a first look at a new interview series she's developing to uncover the real stories behind creative work. What people show online. What gets left out. Where their creativity began. And the moment they finally gave themselves permission to take their talent seriously.

You'll hear how Maya plans to explore:

• The difference between an online bio and the complicated creative life behind it
• Why starting a creative career at 48 or 50 can be just as powerful as knowing your path young
• The everyday routines, chaotic workflows, and feast-or-famine cycles of working creatives
• The small goals and big dreams that keep creative businesses moving
• Her Wise Women's Fantasy Book Club and its focus on older women as leads, not disposable side characters
• How sewing, crocheting, book sleeves, and other handmade projects fit into her evolving creative identity

This is more than a behind-the-scenes look. It's a candid reflection on building something slowly, accepting the messy parts, and recognizing that creativity does not have an expiration date. Maya is still figuring out the lighting, equipment, and format, but the larger decision is already made: she's giving herself permission to create consistently and let the work stay discoverable.

Perfect for writers, artists, makers, book lovers, aspiring creators, and anyone who's ready to stop waiting for the perfect moment. Welcome to Maya's chaotic-good creative world.

A year ago I had an inspired idea sitting in my car after a long shift. What if I just made a vendor market here, in Rantoul, on a Tuesday night. I called it Rand Tuesdays in my head and couldn’t let it go.

One year later there’s a website, a discord, village support, and we’re about to start setting up every Tuesday night at the Sports Complex for the whole summer.

Today I’m talking about the whole thing. The original spark, why in-person sales matter so much to me, what I finally learned about streamlining (spoiler: grab bags saved my chaos brain), and the advice I’d give anyone sitting on an idea right now.

Press play. I’m glad you’re here.

A birthday week ramble about the real job question, what flexibility is actually worth, and why I almost canceled Monday’s interview. Also: the market got rained out and I want to plant lavender. Showing up anyway.

Today I’m talking about ADHD and social media, why I keep building systems and then not following through, the whole many-platforms problem, and why I’m just starting to record anyway and figuring it out as I go.

If you want to follow along: find me at mayagouliard.com or subscribe