The Writing Apothecary Podcast

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Welcome to a new segment of The Writing Apothecary and to what I'm calling - Making Book 3 of The Nexus Series. In this season we're going to be looking at what goes into making a book - we're going to write the second draft together of Book 3 of the Nexus Series, go through the editing process, the trials and tribulations of marketing, launching and setting a book out into the world. 

These will be the audio version of the podcast that will be streaming on YouTube in video form. 

Are you going to follow the journey? Fortnightly updates as usual! 

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

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Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont

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Welcome back to another episdoe of The Writing Process section and to our guest Ash Oldfield. A literal angel in the flesh, I loved chatting ot her about her process and how she hand writes all her first drafts!! (How crazy is that?) Take a listen and get your bum glue ready because it's such a fun listen.

Bio: Ash Oldfield is a fantasy fiction and children’s writer from Melbourne, Australia. She is the author of The Rachaya Series, The Davies Witches Saga, The Ethereal Bridge Novellas, and has several short works of fiction in various publications.

When she is not working on her latest piece of fiction, Ash enjoys drinking good coffee, taking her dog for walks on the beach and hanging out with her two cats.

Follow her over on her website and her socials

Website: https://www.asholdfield.com/

Instagram:  Ash Oldfield Author

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecary
Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont

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Welcome back to The Writing Apothecary Podcast and to another Writing Process episode. Today we have the amazing MG Hunt, who is a ray of sunshine and honestly I feel like I could talk to her for hours. Not only is she an writer but she is also an artist and this one is a bit a of a long episode as we chat about everything to do with her process and much more. She also has her own podcast and had me on last year, which was so fun!! 

MG Hunt's Bio:

MG Hunt is a fantasy author, based in Melbourne/Naarm, Australia. 

Her debut novel Still Waters Run Deep is a tale of elemental magic and mystery, drawing readers into a richly imagined universe filled with vivid characters and captivating adventures.

In her personal life, MG Hunt is a graphic designer and illustrator. She enjoys creating art and visual representations of her written work. She also is the host of the Indie Author Life Show, with audio and video episodes available on Substack, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Youtube.

Website: mghunt.com

Social media links: 

• Instagram
• TikTok
• Threads
• Facebook
• Goodreads

Art account (ismonia) links

• Instagram

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecary
Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont

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We've come to the end of all of the topics that were on my list to be broken down for. I tried to see if I could extend it and I couldn't find more to talk about without complicating it - but that's ok! There is so much to come. 

This is an update on what The Writing Apothecary Podcast will look like and what will be happening. Are you ready for Book 3? We're going to explore what it looks like to write, publish, market and launch the third book in The Nexus Series. Plus so much more. 

This is the year of getting the podcast really thriving - so bear with me as we work through this together. 

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecary
Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont

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Welcome back to another Writing Process podcast and today it's with the gorgeous Demi Clorissa - another one of the author girlies I met at Supanova and is such a sweetheart. I loved this chat with her and it was recorded just as she finished the draft of her novel, which i think was so exciting!! Tell me what you think about our chat and what you took away from it.

Demi's Bio:

Demi Clorissa is a romantic fantasy author. With her first series debuting in 2023 with the DAUGHTER OF THE WOOD trilogy. She crafts heart wrenching adult romantic fantasy, with body diverse main characters, with love, magic, intimacy, heat, and heartbreak.

When she is not writing, you’ll find her reading anything she can get her hands on (mostly fantasy), watching trashy TV shows, and spending her afternoons at the cinema. She loves food (but she is a self confessed  awful cook!) She has a dachshund, Della, who is often curled around her feet, and recently, Frank (her little orange boy) has passed away. He will be missed forever. 

She is a proud Indigenous woman, with connections to the Wiradjuri mob in Central NSW, but calls Meeanjin (Brisbane) home,

Demi's Links:

Website: https://demiclorissa.com

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/demiclorissawrites/

Tik tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@demiclorissawrites

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecary
Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont

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Welcome back to the podcast and to our interview with my amazing editor Brittany Bitossi from BLD editing. 

She is the most amazing woman and I am so lucky that she is now also a dear friend! In our epsiode I ask her some of the harder questions like who her dream client is, what the stages of editing are and what her favourite stage of it.  We talk about Book 3 a little and what to look for when you are vetting an editor.

This is an episode you don't want to miss. 

Britt's Bio:

Brittany's goal as an editor is to work with you to fine-tune your words without infringing on your voice. From pesky plot holes to precise punctuation, she works with you to enhance and improve your book. Whether it's a manuscript critique, developmental edit, copy and line edit, proofread or a combined package at a discounted rate, she's here to ensure the story is ready for publication.

Britt's Links

https://www.bldediting.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bldediting/ 

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecary
Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont

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Welcome back to our latest interview of The Writing Apothecary and back to another Writing Process interview. Today's episode is with Lex Logan - another amazing person who I met at Supanova in 2023 and have remained friends with. She is such a joy to be around and I loved our chat - hers being one of the only who is a planner, shocking right?

Tell me what you think about her episode.

Author Bio:

Lex Logan is a queer and neuro-spicy author living in Queensland, Australia with her husband and two children.

While she's currently working on a sweet and spicy monster romance series of interconnected standalones; she also has a lot of work in progresses in her back pocket. In the future you may see a dark romantic fantasy series and a dark mafia romance series.

When she's not imagining up more stories than she can physically write, she is working in her online indie romance bookstore - Tales & Tomes, or rotting in bed with a book.

Socials: @legloganauthor and @talesandtomes_bookstore

Website: https://www.lexloganauthor.com/, https://www.talesandtomes.com.au/

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecary
Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont

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Welcome back, today we're diving into copy, line and proof reading edits. These are the backbone of the story to ensure that it is as polished as you can get it and happen both in tandum and separate with a manuscript. 

These are probably the hardest part of the editing for me - it's intense and I'm so lucky to have worked with some wonderful editors who made it easier to digest, and dare I say, fun?

Do you think that these are important? And if not why? 

Also I find that making sure that you're proof reading is done by someone with some fresh eyes. Whether you are paying them or not. It's important. 

Are you ready for our interview in the next fortnight? I can't wait to talk to Britt. 

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecary
Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont

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Today's writing process is one of my favourite's with E.P. Bali. I met her at Supanova and we bonded of BDB and fantasy. This was such a great chat, what do you think of it? Have you read her books? What did you think of them?

About E.P Bali:

Ektaa E.P. Bali was born in Fiji and spent most of her life in Melbourne Australia.

She is a dreamer of the fantastical and faraway places and loves to write complex, morally grey characters and stories wrought with spice, darkness, humour and romance.

Her favourite tropes to write are: enemies to lovers, fated mates, villain gets the girl and bada$$ boss main characters.”

Website: www.ektaabali.com/www.epbali.com

Social media links: @ektaabali.com on everything (instagram, tiktok)

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecary
Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to the next episode of editing. We're looking at Developmental edits. 

In this episode we cover what exactly is developments edits and what they entail.

We are covering what an editor will be looking for and they are:

• Characterisation
• Plot
• World building
• Point of View (POV)

As the main issues. But they look at the story on a whole as well. 

This part of the story isn't as pivotal as you think but it will make your life a little easier if you can get it right the first time. 

Want exclusive behind the scenes and early access to The Writing Apothecary episodes? Join up to the mailing list over here.

If you're looking for a cheerleader for your writing, then head on over to https://dreamingfullyawake.com/work-with-me/ and let's have a chat about how we can work together to get your writing on track. 

Follow the podcast on Instagram @thewritingapothecary
Follow Mandi on all socials: @mandikont