The TufFish Show

Welcome 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.

To me, being a writer and business owner have been integral to my personal development and spiritual growth as a person. Each time we go back and rework a section or chapter or go through updates from our editor, we are reflecting and dreaming. Each time we work with a cover designer, map out our marketing plans, pitching book signing, podcast interviews or speaking opportunities, we are reflecting and dreaming.

Reflecting on where we’ve been and what we’ve learned, and dreaming of where we want to go, how we want to show up and serve our readers and audience.

So let this short and sweet solo episode encourage you as reflect and dream about your books, your message, and your author business. You are closer to your goals and dreams than where you were a year ago, which also means new levels will continue to open up so that you can get your book and message to your readers.

Jennifer Milius is an entrepreneur, coach, developmental editor, author, and host of The TufFish Show who helps creatives bring out their inner greatness so that they get comfortable using their voice, sharing their message, and being visible.

Whether it’s speaking to elementary school students about courage and confidence; helping authors and creatives move to their next level through coaching, developmental editing, refining keynote speeches, instructions through course or workshops; or even having them on The TufFish Show, Jen believes when you share your gifts and message, you bring joy to others and show what’s possible for them.

Visit - www.jennifermilius.com/stylist

Get free resources at http://www.jennifermilius.com/start

Welcome Meredith Schorr 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.

Believable characters are so important to any story, which is why backstories are so important for the author to know and discern how, when, and how much of it to incorporate into their books. In this fun conversation with Meredith Schorr, we talked about using backstory in your book as well as what happens when your main characters don’t have the chemistry you thought they would, and how to fix it. We also chatted about importance of giving kind feedback as well as how to receive feedback. Meredith shared some tips from having worked with aspiring authors as an author mentor, including how this role has strengthened her own writing.

A born and bred New Yorker and lifelong daydreamer, Meredith Schorr fueled her passion for writing everything from restaurant reviews, original birthday cards, and even work-related emails into a career penning romantic comedies. When she’s not writing books filled with grand gestures and hard-earned happily-ever-afters or working as a trademark paralegal, she’s most often reading, running, or watching TV…for research, of course. Her trade paperback debut, AS SEEN ON TV, released in 2022 from Grand Central Publishing/Forever and was chosen by USA Today and Book Riot as one of the top romances of June. Her pitch-perfect, according to BookPage, latest romantic comedy, SOMEONE JUST LIKE YOU came out July 2023.

Visit - https://meredithschorr.com/

Book purchase links:

Someone Just Like You

As Seen on TV

Welcome PA (Penni) DePaul 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 think about character development, one technique is using tension and conflict, and this is something our guest Penni DePaul, who writes as P. A. DePaul, loves. Penni and I talked in depth about creating conflict, a powerful villain, and how to keep it all balanced and straight so that you have a cohesive story. Penni shared her path to find her agent and get traditionally published as well as some tips to think about if that’s your goal too.

P. A. DePaul is a Publishers Weekly Bestselling and award-winning author. Her books are full of action, suspense, and romance. As a hybrid author, she has books traditionally and independently published. Her traditional publishers include Berkley, a Penguin Random House imprint, and Harlequin Books.

Visit https://padepaul.com

Books by P.A. DePaul

Welcome Sarahlyn Bruck 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.

Your first manuscript may not be the first book you publish. In fact, it may be tucked away in a drawer as other pieces happened and made their way to bookshelves; however, this conversation with Sarahlyn Bruck shows how important that first book you write is. We talked about all the lessons she learned from her first piece that’s still in a drawer, and how she applied those lessons and experiences to get other stories published. Sarahlyn also shared how she navigated getting her rights reversed for one of her stories.

Sarahlyn Bruck writes contemporary, book club fiction and is the award-winning author of three novels: Light of the Fire (coming January 2024), Daytime Drama (2021), and Designer You (2018). When she’s not writing, Sarahlyn moonlights as a full-time writing and literature professor at a local community college. From Northern California, she now lives in Philadelphia with her family. For the latest book news, events, and announcements, check out her website and subscribe to her newsletter. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at @‌sarahlynbruck.

Visit - http://sarahlynbruck.com

Book purchase links:

LIGHT OF THE FIRE (2024)

DAYTIME DRAMA (2021)

DESIGNER YOU (2018)

Welcome 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.

One of the main messages in my business is about owning your space and letting your light shine. I wholeheartedly believe that there's only one YOU, and your gifts, message and story need to be shared. And I get how nerve wracking that can be.

Sometimes we can get in our way because we believe the first draft or second draft should be perfect and the final version for the book we so want to bring into the world.

However, the more you can let go for your first draft or reframe how you think about subsequent drafts, the more your confidence will increase and it will show in both you and your writing. So if you need a little reminder about how to embrace the power of the draft, let this short and sweet solo episode be that encouragement for you.

You are a gifted storyteller - your words can transport your reader to new worlds, new adventures, new ways of thinking, and even new mindset shifts for themselves and what they believe is possible. Your words are powerful for them, but also for you.

Visit - http://www.jennifermilius.com/stylist

Get free resources at http://www.jennifermilius.com/start

Welcome Elizabeth Ducie 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.

As authors and creatives, we focus alot of our efforts to our craft. We invest time, effort and money into developing more of skills we need to produce the best book or creative product we can. Yet, how much effort is spent on the business side of things? So many times when I’ve attended an in-person event, writers tell me how much the business side scares them, and that’s not what I think at all. It can be fun, when you’re open to it. So to help with that shift to embrace the business side of your creative business, let my conversation with Elizabeth Ducie be one of those resources for you. Elizabeth shared how to get started to shift into the mindset of the authorpreneur and run your business effectively. She outlines key questions that will help you get started or reconfirm, if you’ve been in business for a while, that you’re on the right track.

Elizabeth Ducie spent thirty plus years in the international pharmaceutical manufacturing industry before giving it all up to tell lies for a living. In the past 12 years, she has published 7 novels, 5 collections of short stories and the Author Business Foundations series on business skills for authors. She is a hybrid author, having written traditionally-published text books for many years, but is now a passionate advocate of self-publishing, which she strongly believes is a legitimate route within today's publishing environment.

Visit - https://elizabethducieauthor.co.uk/

Book purchase links:

Calamity at Coombesford Church: https://geni.us/CoombesfordBook3

Villainy at the Village Store: https://geni.us/CoombesfordBook2

Murder at Mountjoy Manor: https://geni.us/CoombesfordBook1

Author Business Foundations: https://geni.us/AuthorBusFoun

Welcome Angela R. Hughes 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 deep conversation with Angela Hughes showed how important it is ignore the critics and trust your original design, your desire to write and publish your book. We talked in depth about what it takes to develop well-rounded characters that embark upon a transformation that effects your readers. If you’re characters feel flat or your struggling with how to handle emotionally charged scenes, let Angela’s wisdom help you break through those challenges to write vibrant characters. And if you’re writing non-fiction, Angela’s insights can help you ensure you deliver on the promise of your book.

Historical epic fantasy author Angela R. Hughes believes in the power of storytelling. Her ambition to write stories that grip and inspire readers led her to study Celtic mythology and live for a time in Ireland, where she fell in love with the history and landscapes of “the Emerald Isle,” Wales, Scotland, and England. When she isn’t traveling or researching Arthurian legend, Angela is chatting with fellow fantasy nerds over coffee or spending time with her family at home in Waco, Texas.

Visit - http://www.angelarhughes.com

Book purchase links:

https://amzn.to/45tYrQj
https://amzn.to/3QUTvj1

Welcome Lilian Sue 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.

Most of the authors I work with cringe when they hear they need to market their book. The idea of getting more visible feels daunting. Some time it’s because they think it will be a huge financial investment, they don’t think they have the skills, or they don’t know where to start. If any of this is resonating, then this conversation with Lilian Sue is for you. Lilian identified the two keys that authors already possess and do well to start building their public relations strategy. She also shared why mindset is important in PR and how to build a strong mindset that will lead to a successful PR strategy.

As a PR coach and publicist, Lilian Sue is in the storytelling and relationship building business.

She empowers authors to learn how to gain the confidence to make public relations work for them to achieve their goals by giving them personalized guidance and support to gain the confidence to push past limiting beliefs and mindset blocks to develop and launch successful PR campaigns.

Why? Because she believes that every author has a compelling brand story that deserves to be heard and celebrated by audiences all over the world. Audiences learn to trust them and support their projects because they resonate with their stories.

Visit - http://www.inretrospectwritingservices.com

Welcome Alexa Bigwarfe 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.

I also want to mention that one of the links mentioned in this episode is an “affiliate link.” This means if you use that link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my customers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

For this conversation, I asked Alexa to put her summit host hat on as we talked in depth about how to make the most of conference speaking. Alexa shared how the Women in Publishing Summit came to be and how its purpose drives what she looks for from her conference speakers. Alexa and I covered tips on pitching, scaling your presentation, content delivery, and leveraging calls to action. If workshop presentations or conference speaking opportunities are part of your strategy, you’ll want to check this episode with Alexa out.

Alexa Bigwarfe is a publishing consultant, book marketing expert, and author. She enjoys building community and connecting authors and professionals in the publishing industry through her company, The Women in Publishing Summit. She writes her own fiction books under the pen name Lexi Haddock.

Visit https://womeninpublishingsummit.com

Book purchase link - 4 Days in Paris

Welcome Jennifer Lang 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 Jennifer Lang shows how becoming fluent in French helped her to become a strong writer in her line of work, but also as an author. So many writers start out by taking one step - perhaps it’s submitting an article or blogging - before they set out to write a book, especially memoir, and Jennifer’s path and insights are a reminder to keep following that little nudge and taking it a step at a time as you write and share your voice. It’s about the journey, not the destination, so if you’re feeling like you’re behind, let this conversation with Jennifer reassure you that you’re making progress.

Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jennifer Lang lives in Tel Aviv, where she runs http://israelwriterstudio.com. Her prize-winning essays appear in Baltimore Review, Under the Sun, Midway Journal, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts and is an Assistant Editor at Brevity Journal, longtime yoga practitioner and instructor. She has two unconventional books forthcoming, Places We Left Behind: a memoir-in-miniature (9/5/23) and Landed: A yogi's memoir in pieces & poses (10/15/24), both with Vine Leaves Press.

Visit - https://israelwriterstudio.com/

Book purchase link - https://www.amazon.com/Places-Left-Behind-memoir-miniature/dp/3988320188/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1693916697&sr=1-1