What do you think of when I say scrappy rough draft? Perhaps a paper you had to write in high school or, for some of our braver souls, a book you started writing?

Today we chatted with a USA Today bestseller who published her first book on the eve of turning 50. As part of her repertoire, she has a book for authors on Mindset entitled Scrappy First Draft. In today’s conversation, we applied this way of thinking to even more things, including our careers and the way we look at improving our lives. We even touch on skill-stacking, which is a fun concept that I think some of you will appreciate. If you are a writer, especially an aspiring romance novelist, hold out to the end for a special code for discounts on a great program Donna has available to you.

Donna Barker has spent most of her 30-year career as a self-employed communications expert, supporting progressive, not-for-profit organizations in Canada. As a small business mentor on contract with Canada’s largest credit union, Donna coached dozens of aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them write business plans and cash flow projections to attain small business loans. As her alter ego, Danika Bloom, she’s a USA Today bestselling romance author of spicy romantic comedies. Today, she blends her communications and business backgrounds with her passion for working with romance authors. Author Ever After is Danika’s online community that helps other romance authors turn their writing hobby into an income-generating business, creating happily ever afters.

Episode timeline:

[00:03:04] - Why do romance authors use Pen Names?

[00:07:25] - Starting the journey- The first novel

[00:07:51] - Writing from the scar and not the wound

[00:19:07] - 21 Day Challenge for Romance Writers Called Spark Your Romance

[00:20:12] - Scrappy First Drafts and how it applies to Life

[00:25:00] - Stacking our Skills to find our Superpowers

[00:27:10] - Self Care Spotlight

[00:31:42] - Grit Wit - What you can take away from the show

[00:34:07] - How to find Donna/Danika & discount for Spark Your Romance just for listeners

Connect with Donna Barker:

Website: https://www.donnabarker.com/

Her books: 

• Scrappy rough draft: Use science to strategically motivate yourself and finish writing your book -https://amzn.to/3CHpavQ 

Connect with Author Danika Bloom:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authordanikabloom 

Her books: 

• Mother Teresa’s Advice for Jilted lover -

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