SPA Girls Podcast

We’re delighted to welcome USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Sierra Simone, to the SPA today! Our topic is “Writing To Your Own Beat” and Sierra generously shares how she’s leaned into writing forbidden, atmospheric romance that has built a rabid fandom.

Resources mentioned:
Becca Syme Better-Faster Academy with Becca Syme
Kennedy Ryan Home – Kennedy Ryan
Jennifer Lynn Barnes – Writing For Your ID
https://youtu.be/qymZuGlmJ3c?si=u0_ROjM5wt4gs63k

Sierra Simone is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling former librarian (who spent too much time reading romance novels at the information desk). Her notable works include Priest, American Queen, and Misadventures of a Curvy Girl, and her books have been featured in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Entertainment Weekly, and Buzzfeed. Sierra lives with her husband and family in Kansas City.

Visit her website for author resources and links.

Website: https://www.thesierrasimone.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!

This episode with Alaskan author, Tamsin Ley, is one of our most popular and well worth a replay! We talk about Tamsin’s writing journey, marketing strategies, paranormal romance quirks and her fantastic advice for all self-publishers.

You can find Tamsin here: https://www.tamsinley.com/

Tamsin Ley builds worlds full of sexy heroes who don’t know they need a mate – that is, until they meet the woman they can’t resist. The romance is sizzling hot, a surprise twist waits around every corner, and the stories will never leave you hanging (although you may still crave more!) Wine-lover, beer-brewer, foodie, serious gardener, and secret zombie prepper, Tamsin lives in Alaska with her husband of twenty something years. In the long days of summer you can find her in the great outdoors, but when the long winter nights set in, she’ll be at the keyboard creating imaginary worlds.

💗 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!

Molly and Stephanie are two writing besties who launched an incredibly successful pen name, Hailey Shore, writing romantic comedy. Romantic Comedy | Hailey Shore Author This episode we dig into how they intentionally set out to create this pen, their advertising and launch strategy, things they’ve learned along the way, and a few snafus too. These two amazing authors are incredibly down to earth and honest and provide some of the best advice on mindset and business you’ll hear that’s absolutely relevant to authors at all stages of their careers.

Molly Fader/Molly O’Keefe/ M. O’Keefe

Award-winning author Molly O’Keefe published her first Harlequin at age 25, and hasn’t looked back since. She’s now the two-time Rita award winning and USA Today bestselling author of more than 50 contemporary romance novels, as well as women’s fiction under the name Molly Fader and darker romance under the name M. O’Keefe.

She lives in Toronto Ontario with her husband, two kids and rescue dog.

Stephanie Doyle / S. Doyle

Stephanie Doyle started writing at age 16, had her first book published by Harlequin at the age of 26, and has continued writing and publishing ever since.

She has published 30+ books under two pen names, and is currently writing Contemporary New Adult under the pen name S. Doyle.

She lives in South Jersey with her cat Lex, and her two kittens who have taken over everything.

LINKS:
Hailey Shore https://www.haileyshore.com/
Molly Fader http://mollyfader.com/
Molly O’Keefe / M O’Keefe https://www.molly-okeefe.com/
Stephanie Doyle / S Doyle https://www.amazon.com/stores/S-Doyle/author/B01FHRPW76?

💗 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!

USA Today Bestseller, Janie Crouch, shares amazing tips and advice on how she built her readership, launched her romantic suspense, and how she approaches the Business of Authoring and separates it from the creative side of writing. This is a classic replay of a fantastic episode we recorded originally in April 2021.

Janie’s writing journey began in the academic world. With a B.A. in English Communication from Montreat College and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in Communication Studies from Regent University, she initially channeled her creative energy into scholarly work. Her doctoral dissertation explored how people form relationships with sci-fi and fantasy characters—revealing her lifelong passion for genre fiction. While her academic advisors often encouraged her to “dial down the drama,” that same dramatic flair now fuels her bestselling romantic suspense novels. (www.janiecrouch.com)

Janie’s discusses her release strategy, approach to advertising – what has worked for her and what HASN’T, as well being very upfront about her income and how much she’s spending on advertising to grow her sales.

Janie also discusses how she’s found the pros and cons of publishing widely versus Amazon-exclusively. Connecting with her readers has been a key component to her success via her facebook reader group and newsletter.

About Janie

USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestselling author Janie Crouch writes what she loves to read: passionate romantic suspense featuring protective heroes.  Her books have won multiple awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s coveted Vivian® Award, the National Readers Choice Award, and the Booksellers’ Best Award for romantic suspense.

After a lifetime on the East Coast, and a six-year stint in Germany due to her husband’s job as support for the U.S. Military, Janie has settled into her dream home in Front Range of the Colorado Rockies.

When she’s not listening to the voices in her head—and even when she is—she enjoys engaging in all sorts of crazy adventures (Ultramarathons across Kenya; Ironman Triathlons, treks to Mt. Everest Base Camp…), traveling, and being a mom of four. 

Her favorite quote: “Life is a daring adventure or nothing.” ~ Helen Keller

www.JanieCrouch.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!

Who doesn’t want to hand off their least-favorite tasks to a trusted assistant? So how do you go about finding the right person? And what’s the cost?

Kevin Tumlinson is an award-winning and bestselling author, known as “the Voice of Publishing” for his work as a podcaster and speaker, helping thousands of authors to start, build, and grow their author careers. Kevin is the Chief Brand Officer for Author Anchor—a service aimed at connecting writers to highly trained and qualified virtual assistants, so they can hand off the tough tasks of their author business and “just write.”

We ask Kevin all our burning questions – how to find the right assistant, what the costs are, at what point do authors need one, what happens if it doesn’t work out and lots more!

Links:
AuthorAnchor.com Get $50 your first month
Kevin’s Wordslinger Podcast

https://www.kevintumlinson.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!

We’re celebrating 500 episodes of the SPA Girls – from our baby podcaster days back in 2015 to today, we share some BEHIND THE MICS stories. How we met, why we started and why we’ve last this long (almost ten years so far, publishing an episode weekly). Plus our vision for the future and selfpublishing 🙂

Thank you so much to all those who’ve listened, downloaded, watched, reviewed, cheered on, guested and emailed. We truly appreciate every single one of you!

💗 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!

This episode features an interview with the incredible Ana Huang, multi-million copy bestselling author of new adult and contemporary romance! Ana is a super-smart, hardworking author with a tonne of great advice that she generously shared with SPA Girls Podcast listeners in this information-packed episode. 

We range in topics from marketing, to TikTok, to branding, to translations, and everything in between. A must-listen for authors at all stages of their writing career.

NB Since recording this podcast in 2023, Ana has achieved many more #1 bestsellers (see her website for details) and publishing milestones including that Netflix has picking up the rights to adapt Ana Huang‘s romance novel “Twisted Love” and its sequels into a TV series in a seven-figure option deal.

About Ana
Ana Huang is the #1 New York Times, #1 USA Today, and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of fourteen contemporary romances, which have collectively sold over 21 million copies worldwide. Her subgenres range from sports to billionaire and suspense, but all of her books feature her signature blend of steam and swoon.

Her work has been translated into thirty-four languages, and she has been featured on Good Morning America, the Drew Barrymore Show, the Today Show, the Washington Post, and more.

A BookTok phenomenon, her breakout Twisted series has over two billion views on the platform. It is currently in development for television at Netflix.

Ana is also a crossword puzzle enthusiast and an avid traveler. She’s visited nearly forty countries, several of which have served as inspiration for her books.

Where to find Ana Huang:

www.anahuang.com

Instagram

TikTok

💗 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

What happens when your books don’t sell? When is it time to end a series? Or Pivot to a new penname? Wendy, Cheryl and Shar are here to give their advice and (strong!) opinions on when it’s the right time to pivot and the steps writers should take to make that decision.

We’ve collectively written and published almost 200 books over the past 15 years, so we’ve experienced and witnessed a LOT of author angst, success and industry changes. We hope that this discussion is beneficial to authors at all stages of their journey! We believe in YOU!

💗 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!

What happens when your books don’t sell? When is it time to end a series? Or Pivot to a new penname? Wendy, Cheryl and Shar are here to give their advice and (strong!) opinions on when it’s the right time to pivot and the steps writers should take to make that decision.

We’ve collectively written and published almost 200 books over the past 15 years, so we’ve experienced and witnessed a LOT of author angst, success and industry changes. We hope that this discussion is beneficial to authors at all stages of their journey! We believe in YOU!

💗 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!

One of our most popular writing craft episodes deserves a replay: Writing the Black Moment with USA Today Bestseller, Rachel Bailey.

NB re audio quality, we apologise that this isn’t to our current standard (despite new editing), but we’re sure you’ll find the content worth listening to nevertheless!

A fantastic tutorial on how you can take your writing to the next level!

In romance fiction, the black moment (also called the dark night of the soul) is the emotional low point—when it seems like all hope is lost, the relationship is broken beyond repair, and the characters may not find their way back to each other.

Some technique tips include:

The black moment hits hardest when it attacks the characters’ deepest fears or vulnerabilities. Ask:

Let your character feel it in their body—give them tears, anger, numbness, or gut-punch dread. Make readers feel it.

This moment is the emotional climax. Don’t hold back on drama, raw dialogue, misunderstandings, or irreversible decisions (or ones that feel that way).

Make sure the reader understands what’s truly at risk—not just the relationship, but something deeper (identity, trust, belief in love).

ABOUT RACHEL

Rachel Bailey is a lover of books, dogs, and popcorn. Luckily, she has two dogs, a popcorn maker, and bookshelves overflowing with books, so she’s covered on all fronts. Despite spending her life trying to scam more time to read, she’s managed to graduate with degrees in psychology and social work, as well as a PhD in English, and now has her dream job – making up stories for a living. Her books have hit bestseller lists, have won and been nominated for awards, are published in over twenty-six countries and have been translated into sixteen languages.

Rachel’s first three novels were released in 2010, and all three became USA Today bestsellers. She has since had books released with three different publishers and dipped her toes in the self-publishing waters, though she recently took a break from publishing to complete her PhD. A past president of the Romance Writers of Australia, Rachel regularly teaches writing workshops at local, national, and international conferences and writing festivals.

Find her at: www.rachelbailey.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!