Have you ever questioned whether you have anything worth saying? What if it didn't matter what you said, but how you said it?

Jen Mann is a mother of two and author of the hilarious New York Times best-selling book People I Want to Punch in the Throat: Competitive Crafters, Drop Off Despots, and Other Suburban Scourges as well as her most recent book Midlife Bites: Anyone Else Falling Apart, Or Is It Just Me? published in January 2022.

Jen has a long history of sharing her thoughts about momming and being a woman in a way that is uniquely her own and in this episode she describes how she discovered her voice and the impact that sharing her voice has had on her own life and the lives of countless others. You can connect with Jen via her website, https://www.jenmannwrites.com and her blog, https://www.peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.com.

Connect with Jackie and the These Mums Write community:

Learn more about my April 7 workshop on overcoming writer burnout and procrastination: https://thesemums.myfunnelstreams.com/sales-page---creative-reboot-for-busy-mums-workshop-april

Join the These Mums Write Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesemumswrite/

Do you doubt whether you have what it takes to be a writer? 

Vanessa Marie Caron, mother of four from Ottawa, Canada, has had a lifelong passion for writing. However, she struggled with not feeling worthy of the "writer" title until a traumatic life event, the loss of her infant during pregnancy and her own near death, showed her how powerful her words truly are, and her obligation to share them.

*Trigger warning* This episode discussed infant loss. 

Read more about Vanessa's story of loss in her blog post: https://vanessamariecaron.wordpress.com/2021/11/08/miracles-trauma/

Connect with Vanessa on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vanessamariecaron_author/ 

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Join the These Mums Write Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesemumswrite/

Get my freebie guide on creating more time to write: https://www.subscribepage.com/tipsforfindingtimetowrite

Tell me what you think of the show by filling out my feedback form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKEFgDn9YJcyuuCn6JXOI5uc_K1ReKUP70NHYLMFTlvaRpWw/viewform

Have you ever been curious about your family's history? Curious enough to write a book? Kathleen Aldworth Foster started writing her debut novel in historical fiction after learning that an Irish woman known as the world's first female Freemason shared her name. Despite Kathleen's 25 years experience in broadcast journalism, a career which saw her covering war zones and earthquakes across the globe, Kathleen says the journey she undertook to write the story of the Irish woman was one of the hardest things she has ever done. And she wouldn't change a thing.  

Learn more about Kathleen's book, Doneraile Court by visiting the book website, www.donerailecourt.com. 

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Join the These Mums Write Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesemumswrite/

Get my freebie guide on creating more time to write: https://www.subscribepage.com/tipsforfindingtimetowrite

Tell me what you think of the show by filling out my feedback form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKEFgDn9YJcyuuCn6JXOI5uc_K1ReKUP70NHYLMFTlvaRpWw/viewform

What does risk-taking mean in your writing life? And when's the last time you pushed past your own boundaries? 

Elizabeth Schechter is a romance author described as one of the world's top erotica and alternative sexuality writers. She's also a mum. In this episode Elizabeth shares how she has overcome the stigma associated with sex-positive writing, despite the occasional awkward incident with school principals. And how she is applying that same "what's the worst that could happen?" attitude to take new and rewarding risks in sharing her work on platforms such as Patreon and Kickstarter.

Links 

Check out Elizabeth's Linktree: linktr.ee/SchechterElizabeth.

Visit Elizabeth's Kickstarter for the Swords of Charlemagne audiobooks until March 20: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swordsofcharlemagne/fund-the-swords-of-charlemagne-audiobooks

 Visit Elizabeth on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/EASchechter

Connect with the These Mums Write community:

Join the These Mums Write Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesemumswrite/

Get my freebie guide on creating more time to write: https://www.subscribepage.com/tipsforfindingtimetowrite

Tell me what you think of the show by filling out my feedback form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfKEFgDn9YJcyuuCn6JXOI5uc_K1ReKUP70NHYLMFTlvaRpWw/viewform

Are you fitting writing in around things like nap time and soccer practice? Do you wake up at 5:00 a.m. to get in a few words before the chaos erupts? Time is a precious commodity so we mommas gotta make the most of it.

In this episode, book coach Katie Wall shares the most common pitfalls she sees in her clients' work, such as incomplete character arcs. She also breaks down in easy-to-digest-steps how to avoid them so that you don't wind up doing a time-consuming rewrite. 

Resources mentioned:

Craft Better Books website: https://www.craftbetterbooks.com/

Katie's blog post on revising manuscripts: https://www.craftbetterbooks.com/blog/how-to-revise-a-manuscript 

Craft Better Books on Instagram: @craftbetterbooks

Craft Better Books on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/craftbetterbooks 

Craft Better Books writing community: https://www.craftbetterbooks.com/aspiring-authors-alcove-offer 

Read the show transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Sy9WLGs2GK5kGEmukFm7Af3cD7SEk2Ks/view?usp=sharing

Connect with the These Mums Write community:

Join the These Mums Write Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thesemumswrite/ 

Get my freebie guide on creating more time to write: https://www.subscribepage.com/tipsforfindingtimetowrite

Tell me what you think of the show by filling out my feedback form: https://forms.gle/zpqigcX1RBd7kEvv7

Does marketing scare you? Overwhelm you? 

Patricia Bates is a mom and romance author with over two dozen independently and traditionally published titles to her name. Patricia recently decided to publish exclusively as an indie and the reason, she says, is to have full marketing control. 

In this episode, Patricia shares what marketing means to her, the tools she uses most, and the keys to her marketing mindset: believing in the value of her work and writing books that appeal to a broad range of readers. She also offers simple to follow tips that you can put into place right away. 

Connect with Patricia on her website at patriciabates.com or on Facebook at patriciabatesauthor. You can also listen to her podcast by searching Adventures in Self-publishing wherever you get your podcasts.

Resources mentioned: 

Connect with the These Mums Write community:

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a romance author? And I mean, not the kind that ends the scene when the kissing starts? Kat Not Her Real Name Long started writing romance novels just a few years ago after having a dream that she just couldn't shake. That writing turned into a romance novel, that turned into a series, that turned into an author platform. Life as a mum with a day job and, now, a secret identity as a "proud smut writer" is a lot, but she wouldn't give up any of it. Hear what she has learned as a new and rising indie author in the romance genre and her tips and tricks for balancing it all in this episode.

Connect with the These Mums Write community:

Connect with Kat Long on Facebook, Instagram and Amazon by visiting her linktree. 

Resources mentioned by Kat: Romancing the Beat

As a single mom starting over in a new country, it wasn't until Irish author Joan Flood was nearing retirement that she finally took the plunge and really invested in her writing career by taking a creative writing program at a local university (the SFU Writer's Studio). Since then, she has gone on to publish two books and is now a teacher herself in that program program. For any mums that ever wake up in a panic in the middle of the night worried that it's too late and that your writing life is passing you by, Joan's relaxed, gem-filled talk is just the reassurance you need.

Download the show transcript.

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Learn more about Joan and how to purchase her books by visiting her website, Joanbflood.com

Are you having a midlife crisis? I started this podcast to work through mine and rather than keeping all those embarrassing details to myself, I'm starting a new series of bonus episodes called Midlife Crisis Confessions. Can starting a podcast help a 40 year old woman who's greatest professional accomplishment is correctly spelling things find purpose and meaning? Maybe. Or maybe I should just go back to plucking those chin hairs. Let's find out.

Want more of my job interview fail stories?

Stevie Marie McCoy is a mother and young adult paranormal fiction author. In this episode, she shares how she approaches writing and launching her books as a self-published author. The keys: take risks even if it means feeling awkward and always be building relationships.

Download the show transcript.

Connect with the These Mums Write community:

 Show Stevie some love by visiting her website or following her on Twitter @AuthorMarie.