The Indie Darlings hosts, S.A. Thorne and Kara Reynolds, sit down with their first non-author guest this week: voice actor and audiobook narrator Ash Aarrestad (known in the romance space under her pseudonym Dani Soleil). They talk career reinvention, what makes great voice acting, the importance of mentorship in the industry and a hot take that’s so sizzling hot, you might get burned.

What we talked about:

• Who is Ash Aarrestad/Dani Soleil?
• Transitioning Careers: From Make-up Artist to Narrator
• The Magic of a Second Career
• A Chance Meeting
• The Importance of Mentorship as a Safe Space
• Navigating Casual Sexism in Creative Industries
• Creative Choices in Storytelling and Voice Acting
• Exploring Dual Identities in Creative Workd
• The Challenges of Marketing in the Creative Space
• Mentors vs. Influencers
• Rapid Fire Question Round
• Ash’s Industry Hot Take

Some stuff that was mentioned:

• Voiceover Atlanta Conference
• Voice actor Ray Porter
• Karin Gilfree
• Zura Johnson
• Reedsy
• Silo
• Theo of Golden by Alan Levi
• The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams
• The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon

Where to find Ash:

• IG: @ash.aarrestad / @danisoleilnarrator
• www.houseofash.com

Hosts Kara Reynolds and S.A. Thorne sit down with Lauren M. Leasure, the author of the Benevolence & Blood series, including Sin of Saints, The Bones of Benevolence, The War of Wings, and Unmasked. She’s currently writing a small-town rom-com set in Maine. Today she talks about genre leaps, the fight against AI publishing and the dark period that almost closed the book on her author career.

Content note: This episode includes an open, personal conversation about hyperemesis gravidarum, pregnancy and mental health challenges. Listener discretion advised.

What we talked about:

• Who is Lauren M. Leasure?
• The Pivot to Contemporary Romance
• Researching Lobster Finishing for the New Book
• Querying vs. Indie Publishing
• The Experience That Almost Made Lauren Quit Being an Author
• Reflections on Motherhood and Writing
• The Hidden Work Behind Indie Publishing
• The Impact of AI in the Creative Space
• Rapid Fire Question Round
• Lauren’s Industry Hot Take

Books Mentioned

• The Sin of Saints (Benevolence & Blood #1)
• The Bones of Benevolence (Benevolence & Blood #2)
• The War of Wings (Benevolence & Blood #3)
• Unmasked (Benevolence & Blood spin-off)
• Untitled Cedar Bay series

Also mentioned:

• Villains and Vixens – book event
• Carly Watters – literary agent and co-host of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing podcast
• Rejoice Literary Editing Company
• Jacob Knowles
• Yes Chef by Grace Reilly
• Good Spirits by B.K. Borison
• Love Resigned by Lauren Asher
• WordHippo
• Ted Lasso
• House of the Dragon
• Toontown Unwritten
• Candy Crush

You can find Lauren:

• Instagram: @laurenmleasure
• Books are available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Target.

Enjoying the show? Subscribe to The Indie Darlings and leave us a review—it helps more listeners like you discover the pod and these incredible indie authors.

Hosts Kara Reynolds and S.A. Thorne welcome romantasy author Lorin Coffler to the show to talk about starting her publishing journey in her late thirties, the joy of getting consumed by your story, defining success as an indie author and more.

What we talked about:

• Who is Lorin Coffler?
• Rediscovering the Joy of Writing
• The Decision to Publish
• Writing in Your 30s vs. 20s
• Defining Success as an Indie Author
• The Joy of In-Person Connection
• Navigating Marketing Challenges
• The Magic of the Second Book
• Starting Late: Encouragement for New Authors
• Character Development and Personal Reflections
• Rapid Fire Question Round
• Lorin’s Industry Hot Take

Books Mentioned:

• Sun, Moon & Shadow – out now!
• Death Will Follow – releases September 25

Also Mentioned:

• Beecham's Infirmary for the Affluent Afflicted by Briar Somerset
• The Pisces by Melissa Broder
• Edgy Pages
• House of the Dragon
• Heartstopper

You can find Lorin:

• Instagram: @lorincofflerauthor
• Website: www.lorincofflerauthor.com

Enjoying the show? Subscribe to The Indie Darlings and leave us a review—it helps more listeners like you discover the pod and these incredible indie authors.

The inaugural episode of The Indie Darlings Podcast! Hosts Kara Reynolds and S.A. Thorne sit down with international bestselling author Amanda Sinatra to talk genre-hopping, 4 a.m. book ideas, and writing complicated characters.

What we talked about:

• Who is Amanda Sinatra?
• Talking Cloud Nine and Snowy Peaks Series
• Writing in Five Tabs
• Doing the Work: Craft vs. AI Slop
• Finding Community in Writing
• Exploring Flawed Characters
• Transitioning Genres: Fantasy to Rom-Com
• Writing in Color
• Utilizing Character Art as Emotional Storytelling
• Navigating Traditional Publishing and Audiobooks
• Writing Rom-Coms
• Exploring Deeper Themes in Character Relationships
• Amanda’s Industry Hot Take
• Rapid Fire Question Round

Books Mentioned:

• Cloud Nine (Snow Peaks, #1) – audiobook out now!
• Deck of Scarlets (The Scarlet Quill, #1)
• Deck of Saints (The Scarlet Quill, #2)
• Hollow (Hollow, #1)
• Fallen (Hollow, #2)
• Whispers in the Hall
• The Monster in the Dark

Also mentioned:

• Elizabeth Skarpnes, author of To The Gallows
• @inspiredtowrite
• Kara's Substack
• Shelly's Substack
• Vanderpump Villa
• House of Stassi
• Palworld
• Call of Duty
• Breaking Benjamin
• Nickelback

You can find Amanda:

@authoramandasinatra | www.amandasinatra.net

Books available on Amazon, Books-A-Million and Barnes & Noble

Enjoying the show? Subscribe to The Indie Darlings and leave us a review—it helps more listeners like you discover the pod and these incredible indie authors.

Ready to join indie authors S.A. Thorne and Kara Reynolds as they talk indie publishing? First episode drops September 1st with new episodes every Tuesday.