Author Bijal Shah is a trained Bibliotherapist who brings the power of reading into the therapy room. It's a technique that dates back to Ancient Greece and Bijal shares some of the tools and techniques she uses in todays episode.

Certain that reading is a big part of your mental wellbeing? You will love this episode which does a deep dive into why books matter and how we can get the most out of our reading experience.

Links

Bibliotherapy: The healing power of reading by Bijal Shah

Bijal Shah's website

Not Too Busy To Write on Substack pennywincer.substack.com

Amy Arthur is an award winning writer and science journalist whose new book Pace Yourself is a practical guide to pacing - a tool developed to the manage symptoms of chronic illnesses like ME/CFS which Amy was diagnosed with as a teenager.

This is such an important (and practical) conversation, not just for those who are managing chronic illnesses but for any writer juggling writing alongside many other responsibilities, who constantly feel like they never have quite enough energy.

Links

Pace Yourself - Amy Arthur

Amy Arthur on Instagram @a_e_arthur

Not Too Busy To Write on Substack pennywincer.substack.com

Penny on Instagram @pennywincer

Jessica Bull's debut novel Miss Austen Investigates sets Jane Austen up as an amateur sleuth, when a dead woman is discovered at a ball and her beloved brother is arrested and facing the noose. I had so much fun talking to Jessica about the challenges of blending fact and fiction, her passion of Jane Austen (and the books and films that have been inspired by her) and the pleasures of researching late Georgian England.

Miss Austen Investigates is a delight and is out now

Links

Miss Austen Investigates - Jessica Bull

Jessica Bull on Instagram @jessicabullnovelist

Jessica Bull on Twitter @NovelistJessica

Not Too Bust To Write on Substack - pennywincer.substack.com

Book coaching with Penny Wincer - pennywincerwrites.com

Katherine May is the Sunday Times and New York Times best selling author of Enchantment. Today we talk about the challenges of writing a follow up to her phenomenal bestseller Wintering, the importance of writers being open about the constraints they face, especially successful authors and advocating for accessibility while promoting your work. We also do a deep dive into Substack and why Katherine loves it so much and the importance of writers getting paid for their work.

links

Enchantment - Katherine May

Wintering - Katherine May

The Electricity of Every Living Thing - Katherine May

The Clearing - Katherine's Substack

Katherine May's Accessibility and Language Guide

Not Too Busy To Write on Substack

Penny Wincer's book coaching - pennywincerwrites.com

Marisa Bate is a freelance journalist, women's rights advocate and author of Wild Hope. Part memoir, part reportage and part social history, Wild Hope tells the story of expanding and contracting women's rights in America through two bus journey's across the mid west - one by Marisa's mother in the 70s and the other, by Marisa in 2021. In this episode Marisa talks about finding hope in dark times, keeping faith in action and writing your own story when it so intertwined with the stories of others.

Links

Wild Hope - Marisa Bate

Writing About Women - Marisa Bate's substack

Not Too Busy To Write on Substack

Non-fiction writing coaching with Penny - pennywincerwrites.com

Penny on instagram @pennywincer

Laura Bates is a Sunday Times Bestselling author, an activist and speaker. Laura founded the Everyday Sexism Project in 2012 and has gone on to write multiple best selling non-fiction books about gender equality. She has spoken in the United Nations, the Houses of Parliament, is regularly called on to provide evidence for parliamentary reports and has been awarded a British Empire Medal for her work on gender equality.

Laura also writes Young Adult fiction and today we are discussing her latest novel Sisters of Sword and Shadow and why she's so passionate about writing for young people, the incredible power of storytelling and why activism needs fiction as well as non-fiction.

Links

Sisters of Sword and Shadow - Laura Bates

Fix the System, Not the Women - Laura Bates

Men Who Hate Women - Laura Bates

Everyday Sexism - Laura Bates

The Burning - Laura Bates

Glitch Charity - Promoting Online Safety for women and girls

Not Too Busy To Write on Substack

Penny on Instagram @pennywincer

Award winning writer Huma Qureshi returns to the podcast to discuss her debut novel Playing Games, a story about two sisters, their very different ways of processing grief and the question over whether it's ok for a writer to take from real life. We talk about the challenges of moving from short to long form fiction, the pluses (and minuses) of having a two book deal and the pleasures of writing about a writer.

Huma is also a brilliant creative writing teacher and we discuss her style as a teacher and some of her favourite book recommendations for writers.

Playing Games is out Nov 9th

Links

Playing Games - Huma Qureshi

Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love - Huma Qureshi

How We Met - Huma Qureshi

Huma's creative writing classes

Sign Up to Dear Huma newsletter

Huma Qureshi on Not Too Busy To Write in 2021

Recommended Books

American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld

Help Yourself - Curtis Sittenfeld

Writers and Lovers - Lily King

Dear Life - Alice Monroe

Unaccustomed Earth - Jhumpa Lahiri

What's it like to publish a book as an expert in your field? Karen Haller is a behavioural colour and design psychology expert and is the author of The Little Book of Colour. Karen and I talk about some of the highs and lows of traditional publishing, some of the particular challenges she faced, as well as the many opportunities it opened up for her when her book became a huge success and was published in 14 languages. We also dive into what colour psychology is and how the book fits into Karen's aim to help people be less afraid of using colour.

Links

The Little Book of Colour - Karen Haller

Karen Haller's website and newsletter

Download a free ebook on Colour Myths

Karen Haller on Instagram @karen_haller_colour

Penny's Cornish Writing Retreat Feb 2024 - pennywincerwrites.com/retreat

You can sign up to Penny's Substack Not Too Busy To Write

Kate Sawyer is novelist and podcaster with a background in theatre producing and acting. Her first novel The Stranding was shortlisted for the Costa first novel award in 2021 and today we are talking about her second novel This Family. We talk about how her career in theatre has fed into her work as a novelist, genre expectations and how being a solo mother by choice made her rethink how she was going to earn a living and flex her creative muscles.

Kate is the host of the wonderful podcast Novel Experience - if you are a fan of Not Too Busy To Write, then this is right up your street. Available on all your favourite podcast feeds.

links

This Family - Kate Sawyer

The Stranding - Kate Sawyer

Novel Experience podcast with Kate Sawyer

Follow Kate on Instagram - @mskatesawyer

Follow Penny on Instagram - @pennywincer

Sign up to Not Too Busy To Write on Substack

Marchelle Farrell's debut memoir Uprooting is about a year of tremendous upheaval and Marchelle's attempt to find home in a garden. In this conversation, we talk about vulnerability in the garden and on the page, identity in medicine and as a writer and how Marchelle's garden gave her a new perspective on colonialism. Uprooting is out now.

Links

Uprooting - Marchelle Farrell

Marchelle on Instagram @afroliage

Marchelle on Substack - Afroliage

Penny on Instagram @pennywincer

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