Moms Who Create

Happy New Year!

Link to free printable to track your reading:
https://www.momswhocreate.com/p/readingchallenge/


I had a reading goal of 24 books for 2022. You guys, I only read 13 books this year. I started off so strong, then faded. Of course I could ramble off a million excuses for not reading as much as I wanted, from having tiny people to take care of to using my nighttime alone time to work on the podcast and other various things. But I really let it fizzle out. The TBR pile on my nightstand is about to fall over. And honestly, I've heard the same thing from so many moms with little kids as well. So I thought this year, I’d love to have a little accountability for reading from people who are in the same situation as I am. So that’s why, drum roll please, I am introducing the 2023 Moms Who Create Reading Challenge. It sounds fancy, but it's just a challenge to us all to read 24 books this year. So like 2 a month average. I do much better at things with accountability partners. Reading is too important to put on the back burner. Okay tell me if anyone else feels this way sometimes when you read. You feel like you should be doing the 85 other things on your list instead of jumping into a fantasy world. We've got the prioritizing all wrong. So let's encourage each other to complete a goal of finishing our TBR piles and getting our nightstands back, or honestly, filling up our nightstands with a pile of new books to read too. Haha. 

I've made a free, downloadable printout for you all. It has 24 blank lines with checkboxes. You can do it however works best for you, but when you start a book, write the title down and then simply check it off when you're done. To make it even more of a community, post online to your social media each time you finish the book and add the hashtag #mwcreadingchallenge 
 It's available at the link above or on my Instagram and Facebook. You can post your checklist update each time you finish. By doing this, we can see what other moms are reading and get encouraged by their list to continue making time for ourselves to get lost in a story. I'm really excited to start this journey with you all! Let's challenge ourselves and treat ourselves to some new books this year. And nothing gets my creative juices flowing like a good story. I'd LOVE if you would screenshot this episode or checklist and post it online so I can see who's in! 

So please PLEASE join me this year in reading 24 books. Again, go to https://www.momswhocreate.com/p/readingchallenge/ to save and print your accountability checklist. It's available..now. :) 

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You don’t get enough credit for being the glue to, well, everything.

Merry Christmas.







Sound Effect from Pixabay

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Support the Show & Connect with Kelli:

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Lynn Rhys lived in Illinois for most of her life until she moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2004. Lynn finished her Masters Degree and decided that she wanted to try for a new adventure, so she decided to take a stab at writing romance books.
When she isn’t writing, you can find her spending quality time with the family. If the kids are occupied (or finally asleep for the night), she loves to read a good book and get lost in it. She also enjoys the daily struggle of trying to get her kids to try to eat different foods other than chicken nuggets and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Lynn Rhys is an emerging author in the dark romance genre. You can find all her books on Amazon and connect with her at the links below.

https://www.amazon.com/author/lynnrhys

https://lynnrhysbooks.wixsite.com/lynnrhys

https://twitter.com/lynn_rhys

https://www.instagram.com/lynnrhysauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/lynnrhys

http://www.tiktok.com/@authorlynnrhys

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Support the Show & Connect with Kelli:

• Follow Moms Who Create on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast
• Visit the podcast website: Moms Who Create
• Love the show? Buy Me a Coffee to support me!! I do this at home and run on lots of coffee. :

Mary Adkins is a writing coach, podcast host and
founder of The Book Incubator, a 12-month program to
write, revise, and pitch your novel or memoir. She is
author of the novels When You Read This (Indie Next
Pick, “Best Book of 2019” by Good Housekeeping and
Real Simple), Privilege (Today.com Best Summer Read,
New York Post Best Book of the Week), and Palm Beach
(“like a sandy beach, equal parts beautiful and
uncomfortable” according to the Associated Press).
Her books have been published in 13 countries, and her
essays and reporting have appeared in the New York
Times, The Atlantic, Slate, and more.
A graduate of Yale Law School and Duke University, she
helps aspiring authors finish their books with joy and
clarity.

Mary's Website (lots of info here!)
https://maryadkinswriter.com/

Mary's Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/adkinsmary/

Craft Talk Book Club Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/craft-talk-book-club/id1646514597

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Support the show

Support the Show & Connect with Kelli:

• Follow Moms Who Create on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast
• Visit the podcast website: Moms Who Create
• Love the show? Buy Me a Coffee to support me!! I do this at home and run on lots of coffee. :

1. You tried. This isn’t like participation trophy word vomit. I mean like, even if it was for a week, you started writing a book. That’s honestly more than a lot of people can say. Deciding to conquer NaNo took planning. Even if you’re a panster, you’re a mom. So you did some sort of planning, right? Taking that first step, albeit not having your sought after goal, is huge.
2. You have a base to go off of now. Again, even if you wrote 25k words or even 15k words, you have a start and now you can develop it even more. Just because November is over, do not stop working on your novel. I beg you not to say “well I didn’t finish my book so I better never look at it ever again.” Most authors take much longer than 30 days to write a book. Guys listen, J.K. Rowling worked on her first novel for six years. Okay let me say this again. J.K. Rowling worked on her first novel for six years. I digress. 
3.  You learned some things about yourself as a writer. What you like to write, how you best write, like the environment and time of day, what works and doesn’t work for you. If you didn’t win, let’s evaluate that. Get out a notepad and write down what it was that stopped you. Was it writer’s block, a busy holiday season, your kids flushing your laptop down the toilet? Or just you saying “man I can’t do this. What am I even trying to do, I’m not an author.” and never looking back at your word document. Did you run out of time? Or I know, was it tiktok? Without judgment of yourself, be honest and write down what stopped you. How can you work on that for future endeavors? 
4. You have a community now to lean on. From the writing community on instagram to the community on the NaNoWriMo website forums, you have made an alliance with others and now you can grow, flourishing over the next however many years in your writing journey. This is huge. You’re not alone. 
5. I’m right here with you. Don’t think just because I’m your number one fan that I’m over here pumping out bestselling novels every November. This was my first time really trying and I didn’t win. But instead of kicking myself in the emotions, I’m excited for what I started and I know that it’s only up from here. So will you also believe in yourself alongside me? We totally have this. Failing isn’t failing if you learned something along the way. Failing is failing, to me, when you stop pursuing what you’re going after. 

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Support the Show & Connect with Kelli:

• Follow Moms Who Create on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast
• Visit the podcast website: Moms Who Create
• Love the show? Buy Me a Coffee to support me!! I do this at home and run on lots of coffee. :

Hi everyone, and welcome to this SPECIAL ONE YEAR anniversary episode of the Moms Who Create Podcast. So much has happened in the past year. The podcast has reached 6 continents, 34 countries, and has had thousands of downloads. This blows my mind. When I started, I thought, okay, if I even reach, help and encourage one mom somewhere in the world, that will be 100% worth it. So to think of how many moms I’ve potentially and hopefully encouraged gives me goosebumps. I love you all. Thank you for listening and sharing. Thank you for being a part of my life.

I wanted this episode to be special, and what could be more special than to revisit the past year. I’ve stitched together some clips from each interview so you have an overdose of encouragement in this single episode. Just editing this, I was literally crying. I told my husband this is the best thing in the entire world and I can’t believe I get the opportunity to talk to you guys. All of you listening, even if I haven’t spoken to you yet, you have a story to share. And I’m proud of every single one of you. 

Please enjoy, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for listening and supporting the podcast.

Grab a Coffee & Say Hello

Support the show

Support the Show & Connect with Kelli:

• Follow Moms Who Create on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast
• Visit the podcast website: Moms Who Create
• Love the show? Buy Me a Coffee to support me!! I do this at home and run on lots of coffee. :

Renee Bolla is a mom, wife, brand consultant and most recently a self-published children’s picture book author. She has always been a curious human with a passion for learning new things and making each day count.

Renee didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a writer. She dreamt of working in the fashion industry. And she did just that. She quickly climbed the corporate ladder working for some of the largest retailers in the country. Renee led merchandising and brand teams for 20 years before trading in her fashion career to follow her new dream of becoming an author.

Before resigning from the corporate world, writing was a hobby that filled her creative soul. And while it started as a hobby, it has evolved in to much more. She is a self-taught writer who is inspired by motherhood. It is the beginning of her writing journey and she is looking forward to sharing her stories with the world.

Renee is a member of the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) and Julie Hedlund’s 12x12 Picture Book Challenge. Her debut book, Finding Bunny, was self-published in February of this year while her second book, Imagine That, just launched in September.

https://www.reneebollaauthor.com/

https://mobile.twitter.com/RBollaAuthor

https://www.instagram.com/reneebollaauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/reneebollaauthor

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTdTU8Ex8/

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Support the show

Support the Show & Connect with Kelli:

• Follow Moms Who Create on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast
• Visit the podcast website: Moms Who Create
• Love the show? Buy Me a Coffee to support me!! I do this at home and run on lots of coffee. :

Genalea Barker is an author, freelance editor, and full-time mom with an Associate’s Degree in English Literature. Her award-winning short fiction has appeared in Gemini Magazine, Bookends Review, Grande Dame Literary, Writers in the Attic: Rupture, and others. She is the author of two young adult novels: Life After, debuting February 2023 with Immortal Works, and Lovehurts, releasing in July 2024 with Vine Leaves Press. She resides in Southern Idaho with her husband, four children, and two dogs, where she enjoys small town living, playing music with her family, and occasionally getting caught behind farm equipment on the highway.

Enjoy today’s episode.

https://genalea.wordpress.com

https://twitter.com/genalea_barker

https://instagram.com/genalea_barker

https://facebook.com/genaleabarker

Grab a Coffee & Say Hello

Support the show

Support the Show & Connect with Kelli:

• Follow Moms Who Create on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast
• Visit the podcast website: Moms Who Create
• Love the show? Buy Me a Coffee to support me!! I do this at home and run on lots of coffee. :

Tenille has been in the AEC industry for over 20 years.  She began her career in project, in architecture firms and local offices serving as a designer and project manager.  The last 6 years of her career, she pivoted to business development and client relations strategist roles interfacing with clients.  Tenille is currently one of the Client Success Manager at Microdesk where she truly believes that architecture and design lifts the human spirit and is a champion of goals that lead to knowledge diversification and consensus-building for Microdesk’s clients.  Tenille has a degree in Architecture from Arizona State University and is currently on the Board of Directors for AIA National Associates Committee.  Tenille is the podcast host of Death by Architecture, a short story telling podcast centered around true crime in the AEC industry and the author of the upcoming children's book, "Maybe I'll be an Architect" releasing this fall. 

Podcast Website - https://deathbyarchitecturepod.com/
Podcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/deathbyarchitecturepod/

Author Website - https://www.tenillebwrites.com/
Book Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tenillebwrites/

Grab a Coffee & Say Hello

Support the show

Support the Show & Connect with Kelli:

• Follow Moms Who Create on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast
• Visit the podcast website: Moms Who Create
• Love the show? Buy Me a Coffee to support me!! I do this at home and run on lots of coffee. :

You can be a mom AND a writer. Julie is here to encourage and teach you.

Julie Artz spent her young life sneaking into wardrobes searching for Narnia. When people thought that was creepy, she went in search of other ways to go on mystical adventures. Now she finds those long-sought doors to magical story worlds in her work as an author, editor, and book coach. An active member of the writing community, she volunteers for SCBWI and Pitch Wars and is a member of EFA and AWP. Julie lives in an enchanted forest outside of Redmond, Washington, with her husband, two strong-willed teenagers, and a trio of naughty furry familiars.

To download the free Tent Pole Scenes outline that she's so graciously sharing with the Moms Who Create listeners, click the link below.
 pages.julieartz.com/momswhocreate

https://julieartz.com

https://twitter.com/julieartz

https://www.instagram.com/julieartz/

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJulieArtz

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC56rNIxloFxfFAFeBqLQhyw

Grab a Coffee & Say Hello

Support the show

Support the Show & Connect with Kelli:

• Follow Moms Who Create on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momswhocreatepodcast
• Visit the podcast website: Moms Who Create
• Love the show? Buy Me a Coffee to support me!! I do this at home and run on lots of coffee. :