The Writing Sparrow

Welcome to one of my favourite chats of all time! In this week's episode, I talked to C E Hoffman about how to approach sensitive subjects in our writing. We discussed things like gender, spirituality, and the Shadow in Jungian psychology, so you're in for a fantastic episode.

The short answer is that it all comes down to respect.
The long answer is in this episode.

(and the even longer answer is on Patreon, where you can find the extended versions of all episodes! This one is 1 hour 40 minutes long.)

To find out more about C, check out their Twitter, their website, and their YouTube channel. C will also be launching their own podcast soon! Get an early glimpse of Scribbles & Spills.

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*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a quarter, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This quarter, I talked to Kirsten McNeill, a writer, editor, and fellow podcaster! Her book recommendation is On Writing by Stephen King.

To find out more about Kirsten, check out her Instagram, her Twitter, and her website.

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*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome to my quarterly writing updates, goals, and podcast news! If this isn't why you're here, don't worry - it'll only happen four times a year. Hopefully, my process, goals, and achieved deadlines (as well as surprise challenges) will be interesting for you whether you're here as a writer or as one of my readers!
 
Listen to find out what I'm working on, what progress I've made on my WIPs, and what's coming up next in my writing and on this podcast.
 
And if you'd like to share your goals with me, too, go right ahead! Some of you have shared your goals in this episode, and it's wonderful to see you get involved <3 Let's hold one another accountable *high five*

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*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For this week's episode, R.S. Williams kindly agreed to come back to discuss Patreon for Authors! If you want to know what this platform does and how authors can use it to connect with their readers, this is the episode for you!

You can learn more about Rhianne and her books on her website, her Instagram, or support her directly via Patreon.

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*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Alice Ivyna joins me this week to talk about how to make your next book launch a success! She has a lot of information for you guys, so I recommend you get a notebook.

As promised in the episode, here is a summary of the steps she takes when she publishes a new book:

1.  Include a pre-order link to the sequel (if your book is part of a series) at the end of your book. If your book is a standalone, you can link to one of your other books. Don't have the next book ready just yet? You can put a temporary cover on Amazon and set the release date far enough into the future that you don't create a problem for yourself. Simply update the listing when you have a date and have announced the cover.
2. Do a cover, blurb, and/or title reveal 1-2 months before the book is out. This creates hype!
3. Send your book to your Advanced Reader Copy team to ensure early reviews (and more hype!)
4. Up to one week before publication, do a social media countdown with graphics, quotes, discounts on your other books - whatever you can think of to make it fun and engaging!

These steps may not be sufficient for you and your readers (remember that everyone is different), but they're a good place to start from which you can create your own strategy.

To find out more about Alice, check out her Instagram, her Facebook, and her website.

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*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I welcome romance author Lyra Thorsson onto my show! We discuss the differences between romance novels, erotic romance novels, and pure smut ;)

Her action step for those of you wanting to write one or all of the above holds true for any genre: read books like the ones you want to write, familiarise yourself with how other authors approach your subject, and then get writing yourself! It's fine to copy those other authors first until your find what works for you.

To find out more about Lyra, check out her Instagram, her Facebook, and her website. You can also support her directly on Patreon. Don't let the links to Dani Hoots confuse you - Lyra Thorsson is her pen name.

________________________________________________________________________________

*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

In today's episode, marketer Lyndsey Hall chats about what's possibly the most daunting part of being an author: book marketing. She shares her tried-and-tested marketing techniques, tips, and lots of advice on how to market your book in free as well as paid ways.

Why not treat yourself to the Enchanted Waters anthology she's a part of? It's for charity!

To find out more about Lyndsey, check out her Instagram, her Facebook, and her website.

________________________________________________________________________________

*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Content warning: Please be advised that this episode mentions the author of a certain popular wizarding series as well as the books several times. Please also be advised that the word paedophile comes up once but is not discussed in detail beyond the mention. I would like to make it clear that this mention has absolutely nothing to do with my guest's baby.

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Once a quarter, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to Tris, a writer and young mother who's juggling both like a pro.

Her advice to new mums is to not put any pressure on yourselves! You're learning to be a mum - cut yourself some slack and take time for yourself when you can.

Her book recommendation is On Writing by Stephen King. Don't forget to check out the library on my website for all book recommendations from these routine chats! Alternatively, check out my guests' fiction recommendations.

To find out more about Tris, check out her website.

________________________________________________________________________________

*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

(Sooo, I'm here saving and scheduling this episode for Monday, and I notice I only have 58 previous episodes scheduled. This is because I had a moment many months ago and made a spot for '59: 27/12: Christmas Break' in my planner -.- Ignore me when I say this is E60. It's of course E59 *ahem*)

Welcome to my quarterly writing updates, goals, and podcast news! If this isn't why you're here, don't worry - it'll only happen four times a year. Hopefully, my process, goals, and achieved deadlines (as well as surprise challenges) will be interesting for you whether you're here as a writer or as one of my readers!
 
Listen to find out what I'm working on, what progress I've made on my WIPs, and what's coming up next in my writing and on this podcast.
 
And if you'd like to share your goals with me, too, go right ahead! Let's hold one another accountable *high five*

________________________________________________________________________________

*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Today I have the great pleasure of talking to Faith Rivens about reading with intention. It's no secret that writers can learn a lot by reading--in fact, many writers swear by it and will tell you that you need to be a reader if you want to be a writer. In today's episode, Faith and I discuss how reading can improve your writing skills!

To find out more about Faith, check out her Twitter, her Instagram, and her website.

________________________________________________________________________________

*** WE'RE MOVING *** Find us on https://ko-fi.com/writingsparrowpodcast going forward - the old links will stop working soon.

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.