In this week's episode, we spoke with New York Times, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author, Christina Lauren – which is the pen name of two authors, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings! We are here to highlight their latest release – The True Love Experiment, available now – and to learn more about their amazing writing career.

Christina and Lauren tell us about how they got started writing together, how they collaborate for reach book, how their collaborative style developed, the importance of fandom, and more. We also got a great list of recommended romance reads, and received some great advice for those writers looking to collaborate with others!

You can learn more on Christina Lauren's website, and be sure to follow Christina Lauren on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

In this episode, we are joined by award-winning true crime writer Kerrie Droban to discuss her latest release, Aurora, and to hear more about her amazing writing career! Kerrie's experience as a criminal and family attorney has heavily influenced her career in writing true crime narratives, and she is an expert in criminal pathology and motorcycle gangs who has written many books on both subjects.

We heard about Kerrie's journey from poetry to law to true crime writing, how reading (and even writing) true crime can aid in your fiction writing, how she ended up entering law school, how her creative interests aided her law career (and how her law career aided her writing), advice for aspiring true crime writers, and more.

To learn more, visit Kerrie's website and be sure to follow her on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Content note: Our discussion touches on real crimes and some of the disturbing content involved in said crimes. Please listen with awareness of this subject matter.

In this episode, we talk to author Maren Cooper, writer of literary and contemporary women's fiction. We spoke to Maren about how she went from working in healthcare to having a writing career, her sources of inspiration, her story as a "second chapter" author, and her latest (and second) novel, Finding Grace, a coming-of-age story about a family struggling to come together again. Maren was very detailed and frank in her discussion of becoming an author, the importance of a writing community, and more; she had a lot of great advice to offer our listeners!

Her next novel will be out this November, so be sure to check out her website to stay updated on her releases.

You can also find Maren on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

In this episode, we sat down with Grace Callaway, USA Today and international best-selling author of historical romances (that are often on the steamier side, with lots of mystery and adventure)! Grace's latest, Glory and the Master of Shadows, is the fourth in her series, Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels, which is, in Grace's own words, "a Victorian-era Charlie's Angels"!

We were so excited to speak to Grace about Glory and the Master of Shadows (and its gorgeous cover), her other books, her journey to writing, advice on research for historical romances, and more!

Be sure to visit Grace's website to learn more about her and her books. You can also find her on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

In this episode, we are joined by Citra Tenore, an author who wrote her first book at 11 and published it at 12! We chat about how and why she wrote her second, the start of a sci-fi epic, at 19. We heard about how Citra got into writing, her initial dislike of reading and love of film, how she wrote her first book, why she found that sci-fi was her genre of choice for her second book, and where she finds her inspiration. She also offered some great advice for young writers, as well as advice for any parents of young writers out there looking to nurture that interest. We had a great conversation with Citra overall and look forward to seeing what she writes next!

You can find out more about Citra on her website, and be sure to grab a copy of The Dead Planets' Requiem vol. 1, the first in her sprawling sci-fi series.

In this episode, we spoke to Amy Stuart, author of A Death at the Party, out today – get your copy now! A Death at the Party is a thriller that takes place over the course of one day as one woman's plans for a party go terribly wrong, and has been aptly described as "Mrs. Dalloway with a suspense engine of Lisa Jewell!" We were very excited with this title, and are sure you will be, too.

Amy discusses her new release, her path to writing, her experience being a teacher, getting an MFA, and working as a writing instructor, details the interesting framework of her murder mystery-thriller novel, gets into the cast of characters, and regales us with some amazing writing advice!

Learn more about Amy via her website, and be sure to follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

In this episode, we spoke to Maria Riegger, attorney, self-help writer, and author of fiction and non-fiction titles such as the best-selling Legal Issues Authors Must Consider, a book that provides information on starting your self-publishing business, legal liability considerations, advice on how to protect your copyrights, how to safely use copyrighted material, and more. We learned a lot from Maria and found this discussion of the legal aspects of being an indie author very interesting and informative!

Content note: Nothing discussed in this episode of the podcast should be use as legal advice. This episode is meant to be informative, educational, and entertaining – if you have questions related to copyright law and other legal issues surrounding your books, independent publishing, and publishing in general, please contact a legal representative in your area for more information.

Learn more about Maria on her website, and be sure to follow her on Facebook and Twitter!

In this episode, we spoke to Jackie Lau, author of The Unmatchmakers, The Stand-Up Groomsman, and many more titles, and we're celebrating the release of her second novel with Kobo Originals, Not Your Valentine!

We spoke to Jackie about her new release, her writing process, her favourite romance tropes, her experience working with Kobo Originals, using Toronto as a setting, what it's like to be a hybrid author and the differences between traditional and indie publishing, and so much more! Our discussion was informative and interesting, and as Rachel can attest, you don't want to miss out on Jackie's gourmet donut recommendations. Take notes, Torontonians!

Visit Jackie's website here, or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

In this episode, we chatted with Alexandra Shapiro, criminal defense lawyer and debut author as of 2021. We asked Alexandra about working with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, how her career as a lawyer helped her creative writing, why so many lawyers are also amazing authors, legal thriller and sci-fi crossovers, and much more. We had a great conversation with Alexandra – if you are interested in writing a legal thriller, learning more about how to write legal dramas effectively and accurately, or in need of some great writing advice and encouragement in general, don't miss this episode.

Alexanda's legal thriller, Presumed Guilty, is available now! For more information on Alexandra's debut novel, visit her website or follow Alexandra on Instagram and Twitter.

Happy New Year, writers! In this episode, the Kobo Writing Life team gets together to discuss our indie publishing predictions, forecasts, hopes and dreams for 2023! Hear from Tara (director of KWL), Laura (author engagement manager), Rachel (promotions specialist), and Terrence (content coordinator for KWL) as they discuss everything from AI-narrated audiobooks and the Kobo Plus expansion to the influence of TikTok and trends in cover design!

Whether you agree with our predications or think we are wildly off-base, we hope you enjoy listening to what we thought of the trends we saw in 2022 and what we expect (and hope) to see in 2023.

And be sure follow Kobo Writing Life on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram for indie publishing tips, advice, and inspiration.