SPA Girls Podcast

This is a classic replay of a very popular episode with USA Today Bestseller, Honey Phillips. Honey joined us in the SPA to talk about Science Fiction Romance – what it is, what are readers looking for, how she got started writing in it, and everything in between. Sci-Fi Romance is a distant cousin to Monster Romance (see episode 368 with Lillian Lark), and there are some similarities between the two genres, but Honey gives us a fascinating breakdown of the main expectations of SciFi Romance readers, and what she does to be so successful in the genre… and it’s not always what you’d expect!

About Honey Phillips

USA Today bestselling author Honey Phillips writes steamy science fiction romance about hot alien warriors and the Earth women they can’t resist. From abductions to invasions, the ride might be rough, but the end always satisfies.

Honey wrote and illustrated her first book at the tender age of five. Her writing has improved since then. Her drawing skills, unfortunately, have not. She loves writing, reading, traveling, cooking, and drinking champagne – not necessarily in that order.

Find her at www.honeyphillips.com!

💖 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much. We love our listeners and our patrons!

Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your questions. Come on in and join us; we’d love to see you there!

www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

Visit www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

Planning, Priorities & Publishing
We’re thrilled to welcome back Becca Syme to the SPA to talk about Planning, reducing your Decision Fatigue, the difference between anxiety and intuition, and how to decide what publishing strategies work best for YOU.

As a community, indie publishers are so fortunate to have Becca’s Clifton Strengths work and writer psychology understanding to help us navigate the chaos of publishing and prevent/overcome burnout.

Becca’s upcoming Kickstarter (November 2025) Dear Writer You Still Need To Quit can be found here: https://betterfasteracademy.com/links

If you’re listening to this after her kickstarter campaign has ended you can buy the book on all platforms.

Find Becca’s podcast https://betterfasteracademy.com/podcast/ on all podcast apps and YouTube.

About Becca Syme
Becca Syme holds a master’s degree in transformational leadership and has been a success coach (primarily utilizing the Gallup Strengthsfinder®) for over fifteen years. She’s coached over 5,000 individual authors and creatives through her Write Better-Faster and Strengths for Writers classes & coaching cohorts: six- and seven-figure authors, major award winners, midlisters, and new authors alike.

Becca is a firm believer that an individualized approach is the most effective, so she’s brought on other certified coaches who are also writers, to help coach even more writers to maximize their strengths.
Becca’s website: https://betterfasteracademy.com

Resources mentioned:
Quitcast EP7.32 “Why Can’t I Do It All Just This Once” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWuVBOH4pmM

Values Sort Googlesheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-3UMGc9JqaZRJEdJ8mxZ5vyGxhZB3IYHpD_qRrmmxMQ/edit?gid=913371111#gid=913371111

Becca’s interview with the https://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep146-interview-with-becca-syme-on-writing-better-faster/ in 2018 on how to write better, faster.

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Writing compelling short romance targeting the timed short reads categories (2 hours or less) is a real skill and this is a classic replay of one of the Queens of instalove / short romance: Mia Brody. No matter what length book you’re writing, there is something in this episode for you, not least of all Mia’s inspiring persistence working with health challenges and her incredible business savvy. She is one of those authors who is incredibly kind and generous in her advice to others, and we’re delighted to replay this episode.

Mia Brody is a romance author who loves big, bearded guys that are gruff on the outside and oh-so gooey on the inside. She writes swoon-worthy small town romances set in the fictional town of Courage County.

She often writes characters that are disabled, chronically ill, or neurodivergent. Her own struggles with muscular dystrophy and anxiety inspire many of her stories. She’s passionate about showing readers that happily ever after is possible for everyone.

Get exclusive bonus scenes, early access to her latest books, and more when you sign up: https://miabrody.com/news/

Resources mentioned: Bookfunnel, Grit by Angela Duckworth, https://www.facebook.com/groups/writinginstalove

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Wondering how to juggle a demanding full-time job with having an author career too? We’re joined today by the fabulous Chloe Archer, who is doing exactly that!

Chloe Archer writes popular queer sci-fi and paranormal rom-coms. And alongside her author career, Chloe also works full-time as a Film Studies Professor, which makes her perfect for this episode!

And if that’s not enough, Chloe is organising Pride in Prose which is an amazing Virtual Retreat in February 2026 for LGBTQ+ Romance Authors and Professionals.

Links mentioned: Pride In Prose Online Retreat https://www.chloearcher.com/pride-in-prose
Tea, Tentacles & Talk https://www.youtube.com/@chloearcheauthor/videos
Cover Designer, Natasha Snow https://natashasnow.com/

About Chloe

Chloe Archer writes queer sci-fi and paranormal rom-coms with laugh out loud humor, zany shenanigans, silly acronyms, and plenty of spice!

She currently calls Minnesota home, but has lived abroad in places like Montreal, Edinburgh, and Tokyo. She’s hoping to relocate to Scotland permanently in the next few years if the stars align.

Chloe is a fur mama to two adorable Yorkies, Jasper and Teddy, and she loves them in a crazy dog mama kind of way. When she isn’t busy writing, she enjoys visiting friends and family, traveling, reading, binge watching movies and TV shows, and practicing her karaoke skills. She does a mean cover of Pat Benatar and Cher, or so she’s been told.

Chloe’s website: www.chloearcher.com

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Within five years, USA Today Bestselling romance author, Vanessa Vale, forged two pen names from scratch to seven figures, using the strategies and techniques she discusses in this episode and in her Thrifty Tips for Authors class. The beginnings of this program came when she was banned from Facebook ads, forcing her to develop strong branding and marketing steps that are enduring and withstand the changes and whims of the publishing industry without relying on paid click ads.

This classic replay episode is a must listen for writers of all genres!

Learn more about Vanessa’s course Thrifty Tips For Authors here: https://thriftytipsforauthors.com/courses

About Vanessa Vale

Vanessa Vale is the USA Today bestselling author of sexy romance novels, including her popular Bridgewater historical series and hot contemporary romances. With over one million books sold, Vanessa writes about unapologetic bad boys who don’t just fall in love, they fall hard. Her books are available worldwide in multiple languages in e-book, print and audio.

Her Thrifty Tips for Authors group has over 2500 members (https://www.facebook.com/groups/thriftytipsforauthors )

Vanessa’s Author website: https://vanessavaleauthor.com/

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your questions. Come on in and join us, we’d love to see you there!

www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch the recording on our YouTube Channel @spagirlspodcast

On 2.10.2015 we published our very first SPA Girls Podcast episode and OH THE NERVES! But we persisted and here we are, ten years later, ten years wiser, 520 episodes later and a million magic moments of inspiration, advice, publishing wisdom and fellow author interviews and shenanigans recorded.

So what are our “acorns of wisdom” we’ve learned from these ten years that have stood the test of time and the constantly-changing publishing landscape?

We discuss the importance of:

Thank you so much for tuning in. We wouldn’t be here without you, and appreciate every listener, subscriber, guest and special shout out to our patreon supporters who have helped us keep producing our weekly show! (pictured below SPA Girls, 2015)

Author Business and Marketing Strategist, Olivia Zugay, is here with some wonderful tips on gaining discoverability, improving reader retention and focussing on long-game thinking without overly relying on chaotic social media!

About Olivia
Olivia Zugay is a business and marketing strategist for self-published fiction authors. As the founder of Story Flow Solutions, she helps authors market and sell their books with clarity, confidence, and sustainable strategy — so they can grow their readership, increase their sales, and build thriving full-time author careers.

With a background in project management and virtual assistant work for bestselling indie authors, Olivia has spent years behind the scenes crafting high-converting launches, reviving stagnant platforms, and helping her clients hit their highest-revenue years. 

Through her 1:1 services and membership program, the Story Flow Collective, Olivia empowers fiction authors to treat their work like the business it truly is — with smart marketing & sales strategies that build thriving full-time author careers.

When she’s not deep in sales data or mapping out an email funnel, you’ll find her reading romance, analyzing book trends, or sneaking a Twilight reference into her content. She’s a marketing + sales strategist for self-published fiction authors with the heart of a bookish best friend — and she’s here to help authors turn their passion into a sustainable author career.

Links:

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Feel like a hamster on a wheel trying to get ALL THE THINGS accomplished but never quite managing to do the important stuff? This is your episode! A classic replay from 2023 that’s well worth a relisten!

Self-publishing since 2010, Amazon top 100 best-selling Amazon author with 1million books sold, Sarra writes magical contemporary fantasy novels with both teen and college aged characters (and lots of twists you’ll never see coming).

Sarra talks to us about her solution to planning without all the heartache and leading us to be more joyful. “When we sit down to plan we see the perfect scenario. Then Life gets in the way.”

About Sarra Cannon:

Sarra Cannon writes magical contemporary fantasy novels with both teen and college aged characters (and lots of twists you’ll never see coming). Her novels often stem from her own experiences growing up in the small town of Hawkinsville, Georgia, where she learned that being popular always comes at a price and relationships are rarely as simple as they seem.

With over a million books sold, Sarra loves writing witchy books and connecting with fans.

You can connect with her on her author website here at SarraCannon.com

Click to visit Sarra’s Heartbreathings YouTube channel for authors, and Heartbreathings website with her courses for writers here

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

Mark Leslie (Lefebvre) is an author, professional speaker and bookseller with more than thirty years of experience in the publishing and bookselling business. In this episode, he brings a wealth of experience and reassurance to those of us somewhat battered by the realities of author life!

This is more than a “mindset” episode, it’s a reality check, encouragement and call to follow your passion, that we’re sure will fire you up, just as much as it did us while recording!

Mark’s website:
https://markleslie.ca/

Mark’s podcast Stark Reflections

https://starkreflections.ca

Mark & Liz doing the parody of “Stuck in the Middle with You”

Draft2Digital where Mark is Director of Business Development https://draft2digital.com/

Our podcast recording with Johnny B Truant

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your burning questions.

All the info is at http://www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Visit http://www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com for our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info

😊Watch our weekly show on YouTube @‌spagirlspodcast

Make sure to subscribe wherever you listen, so you don’t miss an episode!

A classic replay of our interview with the awesome Michele Scott, originally published in August 2022.
It was our great pleasure to interview Michele Scott, a NYT, Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestselling author of over forty novels and the CEO/owner of equestrian sports medicine company Professional’s Choice, Inc. 

Michele has written in various genres including thrillers, mysteries, young adult mysteries, fantasy, and women’s fiction. Her thriller Daddy’s Home from her Holly Jennings’ Thriller series written under her pen name of AK Alexander has sold over one million copies and was the #1 bestselling book in the UK Amazon. Her thriller Mommy, May I? was number 2 on the Amazon list.

Her Wine Lover’s Mysteries are currently optioned, and a movie version is projected to begin filming this year. 

Like most of our guests, Michele’s success didn’t happen overnight and there were huge ups and downs. We think you’ll agree that it wasn’t perseverance alone that took Michele down the path to finding the right agent and having books optioned. Firstly, it was all about loving what she did, but she also did her research, made contacts and made sure she was on brand. She also consistently produced products good enough for someone to take notice when she got it in front of the right eyes.

Michele also talks about having a good marketing plan, so she knows where to use her budget and that she wears a professional hat when making important decisions. She also believes it’s important to block off time to learn, refresh your well with reading or writing in a different genre, and take time out, but writing time is sacred.

Michele’s website: michelescott.com
Facebook: @akalexanderauthor

Instagram: @michelescottauthor

Resources mentioned:

How To Write a Damn Good Mystery by James N. Frey https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003E4CY8U/

💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons!

⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private Self-Publishing Mastermind group for authors, where we discuss all things self-publishing, marketing and writing PLUS answer all your questions. Come on in and join us, we’d love to see you there! 

www.patreon.com/spagirlspodcast

✍️ Don’t forget, all our FREE self-publishing resources, podcast episodes and info are at: at www.SelfPublishingAuthorsPodcast.com