The TufFish Show

Part of being an author is getting feedback on your books. Sometimes it’s during the process as you’re refining your drafts before you hit publish, and sometimes, you’ll receive feedback afterwards through reviews. Let this solo episode offer a way to reframe how to view and handle feedback when you’re on the receiving end as well as offer guidance for when you’re the person providing the feedback.

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 Stephanie Cotta 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’ve been writing or have been in your head about when to take it to the next step and share with others, or if you need to rework your book from a different angle, or if you should be further along than you are, then let this conversation with Stephanie Cotta offer some encouragement. Stephanie shared how working with an accountability partner helped her to move to the next step, then how querying her epic fantasy manuscript caused her to try a different approach to get published. She also shared how she trusted her instincts and went at the pace she needed, which is something I think is so important, especially when it seems like you should be further along.

Stephanie Cotta writes epic fantasy and is the award-winning author of the young adult fantasy novel The Conjurer’s Curse. After discovering the world of Star Wars and the land of Narnia at a young age, her love of Sci-fi/Fantasy has been undying ever since. She loves crafting stories of hope amid impossible odds and creating realistic characters who inspire readers to discover their inner strength and overcome their struggles. Stephanie lives in beautiful Southern Oregon with her husband, their two kids, a corgi named Walter, and a tabby-cat named Percy. When she’s not writing, she’s practicing archery, avidly reading, playing an immersive RPG, or hiking with her family.

Visit http://www.sdaniellacotta.com

Book purchase link https://a.co/d/ejrshEl

Welcome Meg Nocero 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 powerful and deep conversation with Meg is worth its weight in gold! Meg and I talked about using this time of year to set the intention for what you want to create and why, so as you move forward, you’re making empowered choices. We also went into detail what she looks for in guests on her podcasts and speakers for her live events, so if adding speaking engagements or podcasts are on your strategic plan, then let Meg’s insights support your efforts.

Margaret (Meg) Nocero (she/her) was a federal immigration prosecutor and legal intern coordinator/mentor for over 20 years. Now, as an expert in happiness studies, she is a TEDx speaker, an empowerment coach, and the award-winning author of The Magical Guide to Bliss: Daily Keys to Unlock Your Dreams, Spirit & Inner Bliss, Sparkle & Shine: 108 M.A.N.T.R.A.s to Brighten Your Day and Lighten Your Way, and Butterfly Awakens: A Memoir of Transformation Through Grief. She founded Butterflies & Bliss L.L.C. and the award-winning S.H.I.N.E. Networking Inc., a nonprofit that provides educational scholarships to young innovative leaders in her community. She holds a B.A. in Spanish/Italian from Boston College, an M.A. in International Affairs from the University of Miami, a J.D. from St. Thomas University School of Law, and a Certificate in Happiness Studies with the Happiness Studies Academy. She is also a Certified Federal Law Enforcement Instructor, a Love Button Global Movement Ambassador, and a Happiness Studies Mentor. She has appeared on CNN Español, BookCon live, and online media, such as ThriveGlobal, MSNBC, CBS, Boston Herald, AILA National Well-Being Panel, and Chicago Tribune. She is the Chair of AILA South Florida's Wellness Committee and hosts two YouTube/podcasts called Manifesting with Meg: Conversations with Extraordinary People and Amazing Authors. She is currently working on a novel, The Sunrise of My Italian Bliss.

Visit http://www.megnocero.com

Book purchase links:

The Magical Guide to Bliss

Sparkle & Shine

Butterfly Awakens

Welcome Leslie Rasmussen 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.

Have you ever felt like once you pick a publishing path, you have to stick with that choice for each book you write? If you have or if you’ve wondered what are some considerations for choosing a path, then let this conversation with Leslie Rasmussen help. This fabulous conversation covers her journey of publishing from a hybrid press to a small traditional press. In addition to publishing paths, Leslie shared her experience with launching her first book as well as writing her second book during the pandemic, then celebrating her second book with an in-person book signing event.

Leslie Rasmussen is the award-winning author of After Happily Ever After and The Stories We Cannot Tell. In the past, she’s written tv sitcoms for Burt Reynolds, Roseanne Barr, Norm McDonald, and many others. Leslie has also written over twenty essays for Huffington Post and has spoken on panels discussing empowering women in midlife. She is a member of The Writers Guild of America as well as Women in Film and the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. Leslie lives in Southern California and is married with two sons.

Visit https://www.lesliearasmussen.com

Book purchase links:

The Stories We Cannot Tell

After Happily Ever After

Welcome Kristin Kisska 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 Kristin Kisska talked about “engineering a reader’s experience,” I knew that this was the perfect way to describe our conversation. Kristin and I have a fabulous in-depth conversation about leveraging multiple point of views, dual timelines, epilogues and prologues all to create her book’s structure for a powerful reader experience. To do this, Kristin walks through how handled creating the dual timeline while considering all characters as well as how she decided that an epilogue and prologue were crucial to her book.

Kristin Kisska is a native of Virginia, where she currently resides with her family and their moody tabby, Boom. She holds a BS in commerce from the University of Virginia and an MBA from Northwestern University. She is the author of a dozen short stories published in anthologies. The Hint of Light is her debut novel. Kristin loves hearing from friends and readers at http://www.KristinKisska.com .

Visit http://KristinKisska.com

Book purchase link

Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Hint-Light-Novel-Kristin-Kisska/dp/1662512511/

Audible - https://www.audible.com/pd/The-Hint-of-Light-Audiobook/B0BZ16SRCB?

Welcome Tamsen Horton 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 an author, you tend to think about the legal side of your business by securing a copyright for your book, and that’s great! And there’s so much more to truly protect yourself, your works and business. My friend and business mentor Tamsen Horton is also an attorney as well as an expert in thinking through and building solid infrastructure. She’s known for saying “every business decision has a legal impact,” so let this fabulous conversation with Tamsen help you to not only identify where you need legal protection in your author business, but also why it’s needed and how to remedy it.

Tamsen Horton is a licensed attorney, published author, and dedicated advocate for out-of-the-box entrepreneurs. With her extensive expertise and unique perspective, she helps entrepreneurs protect what matters most to them—time, money, and relationships.

As the author of Easy As PB&J: Share What You Know, Make Money Doing It and Open for Business: Entrepreneur Stories, Tamsen shares practical insights, success stories, and entrepreneurial ideas. Her books have inspired and guided countless individuals on their entrepreneurial journeys.

Tamsen's impact extends beyond the pages of her books. She founded PBK (Preneur Business Klub), an entrepreneurial community specifically designed for online business owners. PBK provides valuable resources, coaching, and a supportive network, empowering out-of-the-box entrepreneurs to thrive in their businesses.

Recognizing the need for simplified business and legal tools, Tamsen created BIZLEBOX™—a reliable and user-friendly toolbox for entrepreneurs. BIZLEBOX™ equips entrepreneurs with templates, guides, and resources to protect their most important assets, enabling them to focus on what they do best.

Tamsen's expertise and passion have led to frequent appearances on popular podcasts, including Naptime Empires, You Inc., Now or Never, The Gen Why Lawyer, The Starters Club, and The Marketing Moxie Show. These platforms have allowed her to share her insights, connect with a broader audience, and make a positive impact in the entrepreneurial space.

With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by out-of-the-box entrepreneurs, Tamsen's work has garnered testimonials such as "PBK provided coaching and education beyond our expectations" or "BIZLEBOX™ saved me from myself and my good ideas," she knows that she is truly making a difference.

Visit - https://www.tamsenhorton.com/bizle

Book purchase links:

Easy As PB&J: Share What You Know, Make Money Doing It and Open for Business: Entrepreneur Stories

Welcome Janyre Tromp 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.

You know when you just click with someone because it feels like you’ve met a kindred spirit? Well, that’s how I felt with Janyre Tromp, and this fun and in depth conversation is about tackling structure, editing, and puzzling your book together. No matter if you’re a panster, plotter, or puzzler, let the wisdom Janyre shares help you to strengthen your book, so it’s a solid version for your editor, which makes it the best it can be for your readers.

Janyre Tromp is a veteran book editor by day and writer of historical novels with a healthy dose of intrigue at night. She’s the best-selling author of Shadows in the Mind’s Eye and co-author of both O Little Town and It’s a Wonderful Christmas. And that all happens from her unfinished basement when she’s not hanging out with her family, two troublesome cats, and slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog.

Visit - http://www.JanyreTromp.com

Book purchase links:

Shadows in the Mind's Eye:

O Little Town

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.

This solo episode gets into decisions that are necessary to move to your next level. It doesn’t matter how big or small the step is. It’s about taking that next step because each one pushes you out of your comfort zone and toward your next new level, which will require you to dig deep. It’s about not comparing your next level to someone else’s because it only matters what is big to you to accomplish. So whether you’re writing your first book, publishing your latest book in a different genre, doing your first interview, hosting your first book signing or even if you’ve done many of these before, but not at the scale or level where this new opportunity will take you, it still requires action. And some of those steps, may seem invisible to everyone around you, except to you, yet you still need to take them.

So if you’re questioning if you’re the right person for your book, or if you’ve said “yes” to opportunities and are in your head about them, or just need a pep talk, let this episode be encouragement to keep going.

Jennifer Milius is an entrepreneur, developmental editor, coach and accomplished multi-genre author who leverages her 20-year corporate career, undergraduate Communications degree, and M.B.A. to help creatives bring out their inner greatness so that they get comfortable using their voice, sharing their message, and being visible.

Having spoken to over 5,000 elementary school students about courage and confidence as well as being host of The TufFish Show, Jen believes when you share your gifts and message, you bring joy to others and show what’s possible for them. Tapping into your full potential means that joy, purpose, and possibility are coming together through you.

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

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

Welcome Shana Dow 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 writers, positive self-talk is so important. When you’re creating a story, you know the possibility of the impression your words can have on your readers, so you choose them well. Do you do the same with your self-talk? This fabulous deep conversation with Shana Dow goes into being mindful of what you tell yourself and giving yourself permission to make adjustments. Whether it’s to change a book cover to align it better with your genre, questions to ask to make important edits or how to give yourself grace as you write, run your author business and live your life.

Shana Dow is the best-selling author of the young adult adventure fantasy series, The Keepers of the Balance. In addition to writing novels, she enjoys reading, cooking, watching anime, and her newest endeavor, gardening. She lives in Oklahoma with her husband and four sons.

Visit https://shanadow.com

Book purchase links:

The Keeper

The Meadow

The Portal

Welcome Delise Torres 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 get that first draft done, it is such a big accomplishment and yet, there’s more writing that’s needed to refine and polish that draft into the final manuscript. Delise Torres and I talked about she found her story through the revisions and developed the structure for her book. She shared how she leveraged her professional background into a subplot and what was required to create a well-connected story that honored her vision.

Originally from Puerto Rico, Delise Torres has a PhD in Food Science and former work experience as a quality assurance manager in the food industry. She currently lives in Germany with her daughter and German husband. One Tough Cookie is her first novel.

Visit https://delisetorres.com/

Book purchase link https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/723029/one-tough-cookie-by-delise-torres/