TB recorded with a hellacious headache and is using that as the excuse as to why she messed up numbers in this episode, because usually she’s a whiz when it comes to math. A whiz! She’s almost done with the critique draft of Dagny, and she’s ready to set it aside for a couple of weeks to let her creative juices marinate. TB had a hell of a time getting 3 sets of all 8 books of the A Woman Lost series prepared to mail out to giveaway winners. Lastly, TB has been watching tennis and is having mixed feelings about the return of the sport.

Clare has had a great couple of writing days! The Christmas novel is clicking, and she spoke with a very jolly man. In health news, she’s lost the few pounds she gained during lockdown. Way to go, Clare! But she will caution you to put the correct amount of chili flakes into an omelet. Her dad has a special request for an upcoming book written by Clare. In London Romance news, the first readers of book 7 have given Clare enthusiastic thumbs-up. She’s just knocking everything out of the park!

The duo shifts to the main topic: How do you replenish your motivation after a book launch? TB shares that after her most recent launch, she was feeling deflated and approached Clare to discuss the topic on the pod because most authors experience the highs and lows of the writing roller coaster. While both agree that being professional writers means you have to sit down and write, it’s not always that easy. They share how they usually recharge and how the pandemic has interfered with their normal ways to deal with finding fresh words for a new project. But it’s important to give yourself permission to take a break, even if you can’t go on that holiday you had planned.

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the duo will discuss writing mentors.

Thanks so much for listening!

Clare and TB

Links:

Heart of Ice Giveaway: iheartlesfic.com/heart-of-ice-giveaway/

TB has had a draining week, launching Heart of Ice. She appreciates everyone who’s helped out. She struggles to remember the title of the cowrite with Clare, who lets TB twist in the wind. She still doesn’t have a title for the Dagny project that seems to be taking forever. Lastly, TB shares a story about art and the Nazis, and Clare, the true podcast pro, swings it back to writing. Go Clare!

Clare had a mixed week. She spent time with friends. Yay! She hurt a finger. Boo! TB is shocked to learn Clare struggles with finger positioning... Clare’s bad streak continued, involving a painful trip to the dentist. In good news, her lockdown novella is a hit! It’s number one, not that Clare could find the list. On the writing front, Clare is back on her Xmas story, which is great news for all her fans. Clare and Christmas just go together, like mulled wine and cozy sweaters.

The intrepid duo turns to the topic: how to market your first book. TB cautions listeners that neither of them will share that magic trick that makes an instant bestseller because even though that’s what people want to hear, it simply doesn’t exist. They walk through twelve tips (yes, TB struggles with the math) to help not only launch your first book but build a strong foundation for your author career, because that’s the true secret sauce. Take actionable steps every time you publish to give your career legs. They strongly believe the little things you do each and every time pay off in the long run.

Do you have marketing tips for first-time authors?

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the duo will discuss how to recover from the highs and lows of launch week to sit back down and do it all over again.

Thanks so much for listening!

Clare and TB

Links:

Clare’s Free Lockdown Story: www.clarelydon.co.uk/books/try-me-again/

Heart of Ice: lesbianromancesbytbm.com/books/heart-of-ice/

How to Build a Website: www.thecreativepenn.com/authorwebsite/

It’s been 10 days since the writing buddies have recorded, and TB has been busy. She launched Heart of Ice. Triple woot! It’s the ice-queen romance she cowrote with Miranda MacLeod. In writing news, she’s cracking on with Dagny, which still needs a title, and the deadline is approaching. Eep! Finally, she has a cover and has arranged narration for her London novella. In fun news (it still exists!), TB went wine tasting with Miranda to help her conduct “research” for Miranda’s writing project that takes place on a vineyard.

Clare had a lovely weekend away at a posh hotel, and she’s booked a writing retreat in Whitstable. In not-so-fun news, she’d been dealing with German taxes and addresses. But stuff like that doesn’t keep her down, and she published her lockdown novella for free on all platforms, so grab your copy! In podcast news, she released the latest episode for the Lesbian Book Club, featuring Melissa Lenhardt. On the writing front, she’s been rereading the Xmas novel she started at the beginning of the year, and she has an unusual technique to tap into cold weather feelings. Brrr!

They turn to the topic: book clubs. Clare had it in her head TB hates them, but it turns out TB is a fan of book clubs and even organized one back in the day. Clare breaks down the key components for in-person book clubs (don’t forget the wine!), why to join one, the “death of an author” concept (please note no authors were harmed during this recording), and how to boost your chances for getting a book club to select one of your stories. Basically, you have nothing to lose with book clubs.

Are you in a book club IRL or online? Do you have book club group recommendations?

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the duo will share 12 tips for how to market a book.

Thanks so much for listening!

Clare and TB

Links:

Clare’s Free Lockdown Story: www.clarelydon.co.uk/books/try-me-again/

Heart of Ice: lesbianromancesbytbm.com/books/heart-of-ice/

Clare’s Lesbian Book Club episode: www.clarelydon.co.uk/2020/08/the-lesbian-book-club-with-melissa-lenhardt/

The Lesbian Book Review: www.thelesbianreview.com

Les Reveur: lesreveur.com

Lesbian Books, Writers, Readers: www.facebook.com/groups/LesBWR/

Lesfic Love: lesficlove.slack.com/

Even though they started recording at 8:00 a.m. due to Clare’s travel schedule, TB is oddly chipper. Also, her morning person phase is blissfully ending because TB hates starting work before 10:00 a.m. unless she absolutely has to, like for this recording. Workwise, TB is prepping the ARC copies for the cowrite with Miranda MacLeod. It’s one step closer to publication, so naturally TB is becoming more and more nervous. Also, most of the first draft of the novel was written pre-COVID, so TB needs to reread it to refresh her memory.

Clare’s been away and is leaving yet again for another trip. It’s like she thinks it’s 2019. She visited with her dad to celebrate his birthday, but she did consider stealing a book from him. Bad Clare! On the writing front, she finished reading the second draft of London 7, and now she needs to address over 600 notes. Simples! When she returns from her weekend away, it’s full steam ahead on her Xmas story. Lastly, she DIY’d, upping her lesbian points and wowing TB, whom no one trusts with power tools.

They turn to the topic: KU freebie days, and Clare lets TB take over since Clare has never used her KU freebie days. Meaning TB, the math-challenged one, had to discuss a lot of numbers all by her lonesome. Amazingly enough, she doesn’t break down in tears. Using examples from her experiences, starting in 2015, TB walks listeners through how giving away free books (paired with BookBub ads) has changed over the past five years. She outlines the reasons for giving away free books, offers a categorization tip, and rounds out by providing her thoughts on if they’re still worthwhile doing.

Have you used your KU freebie days, or if you’re a reader, do you hunt for freebies?

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the duo will chat about book clubs, and Clare will be in the driver’s seat, a huge relief to TB who needs time to recover from all the number talk.

Thanks so much for listening!

Clare and TB

Please note due to a storm, the audio cuts out occasionally in the beginning. Apologies!

TB is trying to be positive, which isn’t easy for a grump. She’s been battling WordPress over her bio, and at the moment, the score is TB one point and WordPress one point. TB has a Miracle Girl announcement after receiving several inquiries about the series. Lastly, TB has had yet another online ordering misfire involving tits.

Clare has been on a fancy-pants pasta kick, and TB loves the way Clare says pasta. It’s been blistering hot in London, so please send cooling thoughts Clare’s way. She’s finished draft two of London 7—she thinks. Numbers are hard. That means she’ll be diving back into her Xmas story soon! Exciting times for the Christmas lover.

The intrepid duo moves on to the main topic about whether they plan to stick only to lesbian fiction or to venture into other genres. They both point out as creatives, it’s only natural to want to try something new. Lesbian fiction fans shouldn’t worry, though. Neither intends to permanently ditch lesfic.

While TB wants to bust into a different genre, she won’t be making that announcement to TBM fans because she wants to keep her pen names separate. However, she’s considering nonfiction in 2021 under the TBM banner.

Clare already has a historical romance in mind and has started the research, involving grilling her mum about London life in the fifties. She also wants to pen more short stories and contemporary fiction à la Marian Keyes, which is fantabulousness news all around. Who doesn’t love Marian? In not so good news, they both learn something about Nora Ephron that makes them sad.

Are you thinking of switching things up in your career?

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the duo will discuss using KU freebie days.

Thanks so much for listening!

Clare and TB

Links:

Nora Ephron Documentary: www.hbo.com/documentaries/everything-is-copy

LWW Coauthoring episode: lesbianswhowrite.com/lww-68-chatting-about-one-golden-summer/

LWW Pen Name Episode: lesbianswhowrite.com/lww-71-pen-names/

TB had a wonderful staycation involving eating ice cream while watching history documentaries. She’s begrudgingly getting back into work mode and is prepping the book she cowrote with Miranda MacLeod for publication. She’s also back to drafting her Christmas story.

Clare was supposed to go to her sister’s for a birthday bash, but parts of Britain are back on lockdown, so Clare spent her Sunday in Soho. She’s also exercising again and is struggling to get off the loo after doing 90 squats. In book news, she’s nearly done with the second draft of London 7.

Onto the main topic about time, TB punts to Clare to answer first because anything to do with math shuts down TB’s brain. Clare, who came at the question with professionalism, broke down every aspect of the writing business and assigned a percentage of time to each category. TB is in awe but annoyed to have to figure out percentages. Completing this exercise showed Clare there’s a lot to manage for indie writers. It’s not simply about writing, but it also includes running your own author business. TB, on the other hand, is still trying to figure out if 50 percent is half of something.

How much time do you spend on different author tasks?

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the duo will discuss whether or not they plan to stick with their genres or venture into something new.

Thanks so much for listening!

Clare and TB

All I Want Series Boxset: Books 1-3: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01EIAPQEW/

Good Sex Link: lesbianromancesbytbm.com/2020/07/17/how-do-you-say/

I Heart Lesfic Newsletter: iheartlesfic.com/new-lesfic-releases/

TB is about to start a staycation and is already in vacay mode. But first, she finished her London novella and got it to her editor 5 days before the deadline. She’s feeling light and free, but she’s pretty sure in a week or so, she’ll be back to her freak-out mode.

Clare has been doing her best to manage her tooth pain and finally got her first full night’s sleep. Woot! She’s also on her second week of a shoe-buying frenzy. Her Christmas novel has a cover. Now, she just needs to finish the book, but first she’s working on the second draft of London 7 before returning to fa-la-laing.

The duo turns to the topic: Things they’ve been wrong about in their writing careers. TB shares 3 goofs, but she’s pretty sure at some point in her career, she’s been wrong with just about everything. Clare shares 4 things she’s been wrong about. They both caution authors not to simply follow the advice of others since each career is different. Take the time to learn your genre and your own author branding. And, remember no matter what, you’ll make mistakes, but you can learn from them and pivot. Also, TB still can’t do math.

What have you been wrong about in your career?

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the intrepid duo will break down how much time they spend on different aspects of being an author: writing, editing, marketing, and more.

Thanks so much for listening!

Clare and TB

Premade Cover Website: www.thecovercollection.com/

Clare survived her dental surgery, but she hasn’t had the best week dealing with pain. In other bad news, she had a Book Funnel glitch. In good news, her zooming in to a book club was a smash hit! In random news, she’s been on a shoe buying spree. She loves shoes.

TB finished her London novella days ahead of her editing deadline. She also completed the first draft of season three of Girl Love Happens, but something isn’t right with the story, so she’s parking it for a few weeks to let it marinate. To celebrate the completion of the London novella, TB is taking a few days off, and her main goal is to do absolutely nothing.

The duo moves on to endings. TB admits she struggles with them, while Clare doesn’t have any problem closing the door on a story. They discuss the different types of endings and stress how important it is to know your genre to avoid disappointing readers who expect certain outcomes. The discussion proves TB doesn’t know her circles from loops, and Clare doesn’t know her prologues from epilogues. Even though she uses the wrong word, Clare shares how to have a perfect ending in a romance.

What type of endings do you like?

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the pair will discuss the things they’ve been completely wrong about in their writing careers.

Happy listening!

Clare and TB

Please take a moment to send positive thoughts to Clare who is undergoing dental surgery.

TB is so close to finishing the first draft of season three of Girl Love Happens. Also, after discovering a humidifier she purchased and has no memory of buying, she’s learning she doesn’t remember a whole lot from the past three months. Lastly, Clare’s Christmas song “Fairytale of New York” wrecked TB.

Clare had a day off to celebrate her wife’s birthday with a posh seafood dinner. In humungous news, Clare finished the first draft of London 7 and got a six-week reprieve on her editing date. Hip hip hooray! She’s also sent off her lockdown novella to her newsletter subscribers because she’s that nice. And, she’s the first of the duo to Zoom in to a book club. Very brave!

They move on to keywords, which are a vital part of book marketing to help increase a book’s visibility. TB walks the listener through the three factors to consider when determining which keywords to use. They include: what do readers type into the Amazon search bar, will a reader actually purchase the product associated with the keyword, and what’s the competition like for the keyword? Amazon only allows seven keywords/phrases, so it’s important not to waste any.

How do you research Amazon keywords?

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the pair will discuss how to deal with endings.

Happy listening!

Clare and TB

Links:

Incognito mode video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbOLOLCS7Qs

Kindlepreneur Calculator: kindlepreneur.com/amazon-kdp-sales-rank-calculator/

Publisher Rocket: publisherrocket.com

Kindle Spy: www.kdspy.com

TB hates summer, while Clare loves wearing less clothes.

TB got her London novella to the editor with hours to spare, but within an hour of emailing, she thought of at least three ways she wanted to change it. Also, TB is making progress on season 3 of Girl Love Happens, which takes place in the early 90s when the world wasn’t so scary and depressing.

Clare had to write every day to hit a lofty word goal, and now she only has five chapters and an epilogue left. In very happy news, she was able to celebrate her mum’s birthday with a family BBQ and crazy golf (which TB is fairly certain is miniature golf in the US). Also, Clare went for curry and got a haircut. It’s the little things during 2020 that makes them happy.

They move on to their daily routines.

TB is turning into a morning person because she hates alarm clocks and is waking naturally with the sun. Her biggest change since the last time they discussed their routines is managing her health and low energy levels since recovering from her illness. She has at least two blocks of time when she’s working on writing projects. After those blocks, it depends on what her body and mind can handle.

Clare’s routine is much different from the one she outlined in episode 18. She would suggest her old routine over her current one. Her daily exercise is dependent on the weather. Spoiler: Clare the Londoner hates rain. And, she’s learned her most productive time takes place in the afternoon. TB is super impressed by Clare’s writing sprint ability.

It’s important to realize a person has daily limits on how productive they can be (both recommend Deep Work by Cal Newport), and routines will constantly change, so be ready to adjust and pivot. Most importantly, listen to your brain and body.

What’s your daily routine, and has it changed during these weird times?

Head over to www.lesbianswhowrite.com, and leave a comment on the episode. Or you can email them at: [email protected].

Next week, the pair will break down how to research keywords.

Happy listening!

Clare and TB

Links:

LWW 18 Episode: lesbianswhowrite.com/lww18-whats-your-daily-routine/

TB’s One Golden Summer Blog Post: lesbianromancesbytbm.com/2020/07/08/the-things-i-do-for-work/

Clare’s Half Year Check-In Blog Post: www.clarelydon.co.uk/2020/07/2020-half-year-goal-check-in/

Lez Review Books AOC Directory: lezreviewbooks.com/lesfic-authors-of-color-directory/

Deep Work by Cal Newport: www.calnewport.com/books/deep-work/