The Written Scene

Tricia Hedman, publicist and owner of Ollie Media, has no plans to write her own novel. But with decades of industry experience behind her, she's pretty adept at helping get the word out about yours.

In this episode of The Written Scene, Tricia discusses a typical day for her as a publicist, turning a love of reading into a publicity career, getting quicker responses from podcasters and radio than print, the increase in the amount of memoirs being written, clarifying expectations with clients from the get-go, what first time authors don't know about marketing their book, finding community in a Slack group with other publicists, once working a job similar to Julie on The Love Boat, finding breaks in the chaos for things we enjoy in order to decompress, some of the various people and situations while working in crisis management, knowing there are two sides when doing PR work, why she prefers working with authors over other professions, the impatience of new authors, and perhaps the best five minutes of advice you can receive from a publicist if you have a book to share.

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Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

The origin story of a villain? Dark. The origin story of a publicist? Kinda sweet and inspiring.

Please enjoy this teaser with Tricia Hedman, publicist and owner of Ollie Media, ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene.

Music: Addis Ababa

For author Deborah Rudell, nature and its impact on her as a person and writer is immense, whether it was living off-grid or riding out gales on a boat getting battered by 60 foot waves.

In this episode of The Written Scene, Deborah talks about how a neighbor gave her the nudge to write her book, realizing when there's a story within an idea, being exposed to holistic ideas as a child, how writing the book was an opportunity to process thoughts and emotions, playing music growing up and always having a creative streak, having a wide range of experiences in life and how it affects her writing, mapping vs. listing when preparing a story, preferring typing over writing by hand, finding the collaboration process more enjoyable than having the tangible result, what nature does for her as a writer and what it's done for her book, and surprisingly much more.

Get Deborah's book, Grit & Grace: The Transformation of a Ship & Soul, here.

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Music: Addis Ababa

For author and sailor Deborah Rudell, much of her life has mirrored lessons learned early on as a child.

Please enjoy this teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene with Deborah.

Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Grant Oliphant, author and CEO of the Conrad Prebys Foundation, has both proof and hands-on experience with how the arts and literature can positively transform a city. It all starts with storytelling.

In this episode of The Written Scene, Grant discusses reintegrating writing back into a life without taking his current work for granted, making more time for writing and being kind with yourself about it, the lonely journey of being a writer, telling stories within jobs you don't like or aren't aligned with, why nuance and subtlety are important in storytelling, the evolution of poetry and language as a whole, rethinking how the artist life could be without the starving part, defining our own level of success while never really knowing the value of our work, what the arts and nature does for self-agency and mental health, the impact of community-wide storytelling, why artists and authors are the catalyst for positive change for any city or town, and surprisingly a lot more.

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Music: Addis Ababa

We all have advice we'd give our younger selves if we could. For Grant Oliphant, author and CEO of the Conrad Prebys Foundation, it might be the wisest two pieces of advice to give.

Please enjoy this teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene with Grant. Be sure to subscribe ahead of time so you don't miss it.

Music: Addis Ababa

Growing up, author and teacher Tammy Greenwood was not only around a lot of books, she had a great school librarian and a teacher who believed in her writing skills. It's no wonder she's written over 15 books and no plans to stop.

In this episode of The Written Scene, Tammy talks about the importance of well written prose no matter the genre, discovering the usefulness of writing during family tragedy, why using both sides of the brain can be a valuable skill for a writer, having many half-written or full novels that will never see the light of day, starting with a paper notebook before switching to electronics, where she wants her novels to be 50 pages in, the difference between the novel in your brain and what happens on the page, having specific intentions for a character that remains static throughout a story, what head-hopping is in storytelling and why it's a no-no, and so much more.

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Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

With over two decades of experience in the publishing industry, author and editor Tammy Greenwood knows how important a book pitch can be. But she'll never forget the first time she had to describe her first book.

If you enjoyed this teaser of next week's full episode of The Written Scene with Tammy, please be sure to subscribe, rate, review, and share this and all episodes of the podcast.

Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

Megan Haskell, an author, publisher, and wizard-like user of both sides of her brain, chose numbers as a career over letters before realizing her mistake and correcting it with well over a dozen novels, and more on the way.

In this episode of The Written Scene, Megan talks about learning the different ways to put out books, not publishing books without being 100% behind it, how the historical figure of Lilith was an inspiration to her stories, remaining inspired when working on multiple projects, why stepping away from a story can provide new perspective upon return, thinking up new books for side characters, how part of completing a novel is due to just being ready for it, life as a forensic accountant before writing and just what the hell a forensic accountant is, finding creativity in spreadsheets and other business-world things, why life experience is important to an author while still continuing to write, getting less done at a desk than on a portable iPad, and much more.

Check out Megan's Kickstarter project for The Heir Apparent and, with your support, be part of making art happen.

Please be sure to subscribe, rate, review, and share this and all episodes of The Written Scene. You can also subscribe to our once-a-month newsletter by tapping or clicking here.

Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era

For author Megan Haskell, a productive writing session requires more than just sitting in the writer's seat.

Please enjoy this brief teaser ahead of next week's full episode of The Written Scene with Megan.

Music: Addis Ababa by Eshi Era