The TufFish Show

Welcome Sivan Hong to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

During this inspiring conversation, Sivan shares how she created a children's book series that focuses on inspirational social stories to help young children learn how to work through and overcome challenges. Sivan shared her process from concept through illustration and the loving and purposeful choices she made to ensure she made her books accessible to all types of learners.

Sivan authors and illustrates the best-selling children’s book series The Super Fun Day Books, including Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween, George J. and the Miserable Monday, Emily D. and the Fearful First Day and Avery G. and the Scary End of School. Her inspiring books focus on neurodiverse children, who overcome their challenges with perseverance and bravery. Sivan also serves as a Trustee on the Boards of the Rita Allen Foundation, Multicultural Children’s Book Day and the ASPCA.

When she’s not working, Sivan enjoys being a wife to her lovely husband and a mother to their two wonderful children. They have a dog and cat and live in Connecticut.

Visit - sivanhong.com

Book purchase links:

Benny J. and the Horrible Halloween 

George J. and the Miserable Monday 

Emily D. and the Fearful First Day 

Avery G. and the Scary End of School 

Welcome Tara Alemany to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

What do you want to accomplish with your book? As an author? These are questions that Tara Alemany shared insights to during this powerful conversation. Tara offered three foundational keys to consider when writing your book as well as two exercises to help you become more intentional with your author business and reach (or get closer to) those big goals you have.

Tara Alemany is a multi-award-winning author, speaker, business consultant and publisher, as well as a recovering serial entrepreneur and host of the Publish with Purpose virtual summit.

Her boutique publishing company, Emerald Lake Books, which she co-owns with her best friend, Mark Gerber, specializes in working with positive people to create high-quality books designed to achieve the author’s goals.

In her spare time, Tara serves as a facilitator for the Independent Book Publishers Association’s member roundtables. She is also a winemaker, a military Mom to 2 young adults (one of each), and is owned by a black cat.

Visit - emeraldlakebooks.com | tararalemany.com | emeraldlakebooks.com/summit2022

Book purchase links:

The Best is Yet to Come

Publish with Purpose

Welcome A.M. McPherson to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

This conversation with A.M. McPherson is full of goodness from structuring a book and a series to weaving in themes important to you and being willing to make changes that help you to own the story you want to create. One of the big themes in our conversation is about giving yourself permission to let you and have fun, and as an example, A.M. shares why she change her first book's cover, even though she loved the original design. 

A.M. McPherson is a self-published author who needs more naps in her life. She graduated from Kent State University with her Associates of Arts degree where she studied many things, including writing.

She enjoys a good cup of tea while she writes (though some dark chocolate doesn’t hurt either). Superheroes, Scooby-Doo, and Gilmore Girls are a few of her favorite things. She also loves to hike with her family, watch way too many YouTube videos, and be creative whenever possible.

Visit www.ammcpherson.com

Book purchase link: The Guardian's Daughter

Welcome Danica Davidson to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

When you want to be known as an author, but not for any one specific genre, it can be difficult to break out of the first genre that was published, yet this conversation with Danica demonstrates it is possible by letting her creativity, curiosity and desire to reach young readers be the drivers. She also shared valuable tips for tackling difficult topics while making it age appropriate.

Danica Davidson is the author of 18 books for middle grade and young adult readers. Her books range from serious nonfiction (I Will Protect You) to action/adventure science fiction (her two Minecrafter series) to manga how to draw books (including the world's first book on manga chalk art) and comics. In 2018, she was the main speaker at an education event in Brussels for members of the European Union, where she talked about how her books can empower kids.

Visit - www.danicadavidson.com

Book purchase link: I Will Protect You

Welcome Michael Webb to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

If you're wondering how to effectively organize your fantasy world so that there's consistency in a trilogy or how to position your book effectively, then let this conversation with Michael Webb be a resource. Michael started his writing journey with a chapter that he wanted to try for himself, which lead to a trilogy and over 40,000 copies sold. He shared so many valuable nuggets that can reach not only into fantasy but other genres too. 

Michael Webb is a young-adult fantasy author who lives in Dallas, GA in the United States. He only recently took up writing and fell in love with it. The Shadow Knights Trilogy is his debut series, and it has already sold over 40,000 copies. He's looking forward to writing more soon.

Visit - www.michaelwebbnovels.com

Book purchase link - The Shadow Knights Trilogy

Welcome Jennie Nash to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

The business side of being an author can feel like a daunting undertaking, but when you're serious about being a published author, the details of remembering the publishing world is a business matter. Jennie's experience as a writer and time at Random House helped her to not just learn the business, but also coach and develop book coaches. This episode is full of goodness as you look at being in the author business, including how to know if you need a book coach and when.

Jennie Nash is the author of 11 books in 3 genres, including Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Idea and Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out. She is the founder and CEO of Author Accelerator, a company that certifies book coaches so they can support writers as they do their best work. Visit her at authoraccelerator.com

Visit Jennie at authoraccelerator.com if you’re interested in hiring a coach; at bookcoaches.com if you’re interested in becoming a coach; and at jennienash.com for all other inquiries.

Book purchase links:

Fiction Blueprint: Blueprint for a Book: Build Your Novel from the Inside Out

Nonfiction Blueprint: Blueprint for a Nonfiction Book: Plan and Pitch Your Idea

Book coaching book: Read Books All Day & Get Paid For It

Welcome Cassie Sanchez to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

What started out as a mission to find her purpose and a challenge from her son to write a book, Cassie Sanchez proves that when you trust your nudges and bring your real self to your work, joy and growth follow. Cassie shares how working backwards enabled her to develop the fantasy world, even though it felt counterintuitive at the time. She also shares some wonderful tips on building your author presence, especially before the book is published.

Growing up, Cassie Sanchez always wanted superpowers and to be a warrior princess fighting alongside unlikely heroes. Suffice it to say, she lost herself in books, from fantasy to sci-fi to a suspenseful romance. Currently, Cassie lives in the southwest with her husband, Louie, while pestering her two adult men-children. She can usually be found drinking too much coffee while working in her office with her dogs, Gunner and Bullet, warming her feet. When she isn’t writing about magic and sword fights, she enjoys golf, spending time with friends, or partaking in a satisfying nap.

Visit - https://www.cassiesanchez.com

Book purchase link: https://amzn.to/2Y9kIWr

Welcome Anastasia Zadeik to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

Feedback can be a scary thing as you shift from writing for yourself to writing for an audience, so if the idea of putting yourself out there is uncomfortable no matter if it's your first time or hundredth, let Anastasia's guidance and wisdom help you reframe and shift your perspective. Anastasia shared different techniques, including the four words she uses that helped herself to stay open to feedback, even when the self-protective side or imposter syndrome wanted to intervene. 

Anastasia Zadeik is an author, editor, and storyteller. Dedicated to helping writers bring their stories to the page, stage, and screen, she serves as Director of Operations for the San Diego Writers Festival and sits on the board of the literary non-profit So Say We All. She regularly performs in narrative non-fiction showcases, and her work has appeared in The San Diego Decameron Project, writeordietribe.com, and Shaking the Tree: Brazen. Short. Memoir. She lives in San Diego with her husband and their empty-nest rescue dog, Charlie. Her first novel, Blurred Fates, released on August 2, 2022.

Visit - www.anastasiazadeik.com

Book purchase link: Blurred Fates

Welcome Emma G. Rose to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

This incredible conversation with Emma demonstrates the healing power of writing for the author and readers. Emma creatively combines young adult fantasy and world building techniques with her desire to write about difficult topics and weave in responsible mental health messages. By leveraging the space fiction creates, she is able to use characters and plot devices to help readers have conversations beyond the books. 

Emma G. Rose is a Maine author, podcast host, and publisher. She intended to become an intrepid girl reporter like Nellie Bly. Then she spent a Christmas Eve standing on a riverbank waiting for rescue divers to pull a body from the water. That's when she stopped waiting and wandered off to explore the world instead. Somewhere out there she discovered indie publishing, which allowed her to publish a book a year since 2019. Now, she hosts the Indie Book Talk podcast, where she and co-host Shelley Shearer explore the expanding universe of indie books.

Visit www.emmagauthor.com

Book purchase links:

Nothing's Ever Lost

Near-Life Experience

Assembling Ella

Welcome Sandee Sgarlata to The TufFish Show, a place to help writers and aspiring authors get out of their own way to leave a legacy by telling the stories they want to share through writing their own books and confidently sharing them with others. The writing process can be tough and the business side can feel scary, but TufFish makes both feel smoother and achievable. Visit https://www.jennifermilius.com/tuffish to learn more.

This conversation with Sandee Sgarlata was powerful! I mean - I had goosebumps! Sandee demonstrated the importance and power being sharing your story. By opening up with others, she not only helped them, but herself too. And as you know, when you feel writer's block creeping in (or pulling up a seat and taking over), finding a way through that can be challenging. However, Sandee shared so much wisdom about how to move through as well as four key things to tell yourself, so you can keep moving forward.

Sandee Sgarlata is a two-time award winning author, certified life coach since 2004, public speaker, retired U.S. national and international figure skating coach, gold medalist in ice dancing, and has spent the past 20 years helping people create lasting changes in their lives. Due to several tragedies that deeply affected her, along with hitting rock bottom with drug abuse in 1990, she has spent the last 30 years in her own quest to find and maintain a sense of peace and happiness, especially during times of stress and chaos.

Sandee’s recent best-selling book, Happiness Solved: Climbing One Hundred Steps, is a self-improvement book, part memoir, and workbook. She is also the host of the Happiness Solved Podcast which is ranked #10 out of the top 80 happiness podcasts.

Sandee’s coaching practice offers group coaching programs, online courses, and one-on-one coaching for elite athletes and corporate leadership.

Visit - https://www.sandeesgarlata.com or https://www.happinesssolved.com

Book purchase link: Happiness Solved: Climbing One Hundred Steps