Way-Word Writers Podcast

Way-Word Writers hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer welcome award-winning children’s nonfiction author Nancy Churnin, known for inspiring stories about real people who changed the world. Churnin shares how a Dallas Morning News article about deaf baseball player William Hoy led to her first children’s book after a 13-year journey, launching her focus on lesser-known changemakers. She explains how she discovers subjects through curiosity and articles, approaches research differently depending on available sources, and ensures accuracy and cultural sensitivity by working closely with families, communities, and scholars. Churnin discusses finding the “heart” of each story, choosing what to include in picture book narratives, creating student projects tied to each book, lessons in perseverance and humility, and advice to write about someone you love, seek support, and stay focused on meaning over facts.

00:00 Meet Way-Word Writers

00:31 Introducing Nancy Churnin

02:15 Why Biographies

04:01 William Hoy Origin

07:18 Finding Story Subjects

11:16 Research Methods

14:38 Accuracy And Sensitivity

18:48 Choosing What Stays

21:03 Staying Focused On Theme

24:54 Empowerment Themes

26:05 Projects With Every Book

29:11 Biggest Writing Lesson

29:52 Perseverance Through Rejection

32:53 Craft Advice For Nonfiction

36:28 Rapid Fire Questions

40:15 School Visit Joy

42:42 Encouragement And Farewell

Way-Word Writers hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer introduce their mission and welcome guest Janine Ouellette, author of the lyric memoir The Part That Burns and creator of the Substack Writing in the Dark, who teaches writing through the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop and at the University of Minnesota, with a forthcoming craft book One Word at a Time. Ouellette explains that writing “saved” her life by helping her become herself and transform childhood trauma into something separate and beautiful, echoing André Aciman’s idea that writers create empowering “versions of the past.” She frames writing as a non-dogmatic spiritual practice tied to attention and becoming, describes “Writing in the Dark” as embracing uncertainty and Keats’s “negative capability,” and discusses breaking through the “wall” with tools and community. She contrasts drafting (“morning”) with revision (“afternoon”), defines “sleepy” versus “awake” language via defamiliarization and specificity, and argues for “slow language” and anti-capitalist, process-over-product practice that values playful exercises and creative risk.

00:00 Welcome to Way-Word

00:34 Meet Janine Ouellette

02:40 Writing Saved My Life

06:20 Versions of the Past

07:41 Writing as Becoming

09:51 Uncertainty and Negative Capability

13:16 Breaking Through the Wall

17:01 Waking Up Language

24:45 Story Thinking in Life

33:00 Writing as Transformation

40:22 Slow Language and Play

46:08 Closing and Connect

The Part That Burns by Jeannine Ouellette

Way-Word Writers cohosts (Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer) welcome senior literary agent Sally Ekus of the Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency’s Ekus Group to discuss the current cookbook market and how cookbooks remain viable alongside online recipes. Ekus explains how food culture has expanded opportunities for niche, concept- and technique-driven cookbooks, and why success still depends on exceptional, tested, clearly written recipes plus voice, concept, and platform. She addresses myths such as “everyone loves my family recipes” and “it will be easy,” emphasizes choosing the right medium, and suggests beginners study bookstore shelves, acknowledgments, and agents’ query preferences. Ekus outlines a portfolio approach to platform building and shares resources from her free Substack, including proposal guidelines and where-to-begin posts, plus advice on “coffee table cookbook” positioning.

00:00 Welcome to Way-Word

00:32 Why Cookbooks Now

01:08 Meet Agent Sally Ekus

03:07 Cookbook Market Snapshot

05:07 Online Recipes vs Books

06:22 Why We Buy Cookbooks

07:15 Only Three Recipes

09:28 What Makes Success

11:11 Cookbook Myths Busted

12:56 Should You Write One

14:16 Getting Started Research

15:29 Self Publishing Options

16:27 Platform and Pitch Strategy

19:11 Publishing Is A Long Game

19:28 Fiction Platforms And Publisher Risk

20:17 AI Disruption And Human Trust

21:32 Why She Built The Newsletter

23:02 Hyper Mentorship And Skill Sessions

26:12 Cookbook Structure As Story Craft

27:49 Proposal Guidelines And Where To Begin

29:38 Coffee Table Cookbook Myth

31:39 Books That Changed Her Cooking

34:12 Lightning Round And Farewell

Find Sally at JVNLA HERE and on Substack at Not So Secret Agent!

Hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer welcome nationally recognized grammar expert Patty McGee, author of “Feedback That Moves Writers Forward” and “Not Your Granny’s Grammar,” to discuss grammar as a tool for clarity, intention, and voice rather than rigid rules. McGee explains why grammar feels scary due to shame-based schooling and “grammar police” culture, and emphasizes learning key sentence structures (simple, compound, complex, compound-complex) to shape rhythm and meaning. She advises that grammar focus during drafting depends on a writer’s fluency, highlights comma splices as a common issue, downplays strict comma-before-conjunction rules, and encourages intentional rule-breaking—especially in dialogue—based on audience and purpose. The group discusses distractions like repetitive punctuation errors, AI’s conflicting guidance, knowing oneself before critique, and trusting candid readers and copy editors, then closes with a lightning round on Oxford commas, fragments, adverbs, and starting sentences with conjunctions.

00:00 Welcome to Way-Word

00:32 Meet Patty McGee

01:38 Why Grammar Feels Scary

03:58 Rules vs Voice

06:22 Four Sentence Types08:30 Drafting or Revising

09:48 Comma Splices and Commas

15:00 Grammar as Paintbrush

16:38 Authors vs Copy Editors

18:41 Grammar Distractions in Queries

21:50 Where Rules Came From

23:52 AI Grammar Anxiety

25:00 Know the Basics

26:00 Writing Voice Choices

26:57 Audience and Genre Rules

29:01 When to Let Go

31:04 Lightning Round Grammar

36:08 Professional vs Personal

36:55 Where to Find Patty

37:22 Final Thanks and Outro

​Go to Patty McGee’s website here!

In this episode of Wayward Writers, hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer welcome author Jennifer Gennari to discuss the intricacies of line editing and its importance in the writing process. Jennifer talks about her journey as a writer and editor, shares her approach to character-driven dialogue, and offers practical advice for strengthening sentences. The conversation also delves into common issues faced by writers and teaching strategies to improve one’s manuscript. Guest recommendations for craft books and personal anecdotes round out this educational and inspirational episode.

If you’d like to read Heather’s deep dive article on this episode, you can find it here:

EPISODE 104 DEEP DIVE: The Art of Line Editing, A Guide to Polishing Your Prose

00:00 Introduction to Wayward Writers

00:32 Meet Jennifer Gennari

01:33 Jennifer’s Writing Journey

02:48 Books Jennifer Recommends

04:23 The Importance of Line Editing

06:27 Line Editing Techniques

08:18 Character Development Through Line Editing

12:35 Character-Driven Analogies

17:17 Avoiding Over-Polishing in Writing

18:06 The Power of Reading Aloud

19:31 Using Beta Readers Effectively

21:20 Common Issues in Student Manuscripts

23:04 Recognizing Generic Sentences

25:11 Polishing Dialogue for Emotional Resonance

27:23 Advice for Middle Grade Authors

28:54 Recommended Craft Books

30:20 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Find Out MORE:

Jennifer Gennari’s Website and Links to Muffled and Stifled.

​​​​The Art of Description: World Into Word​ by Mark Doty

​The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat

Kekla Magoon, Author

Refuse to Be Done: How to Write and Rewrite a Novel in Three Drafts by Matt Bell

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne & Dave King

Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer introduce Way-Word Writers’ new Substack offerings to support writers across genres and career stages with actionable resources. They describe two paid tiers: the $50/year Trailblazer Tier featuring craft, marketing, and business worksheets, and the $150/year Summit Club providing deep-dive, on-demand workshops that can be paused and revisited, building an ongoing library. They highlight current workshops including a promotional planning overview focused on building a street team and launch timeline, Heather’s “From First Draft to Final Synopsis” revision and synopsis method using highlighting and outlines, and upcoming sessions such as Nicki’s time management and goal-setting class and Stephanie’s character-building workshop using the Enneagram. They encourage community interaction via comments, email requests, and continued connection through their website and social platforms.

00:00 Welcome to Way-Word

00:36 Why We Chose Substack

01:26 Trailblazer Tier Worksheets

02:20 Summit Club Deep Dives

03:25 Learn Anytime Benefits

05:40 Class Street Team Promo

07:29 Class Revision Synopsis

10:07 Monthly Workshop Schedule

11:27 Class Time Management

14:34 Class Enneagram Characters

17:55 Actionable Workshop Promise

18:42 Request Topics Connect

19:50 Final Sign Off

Feel like you don’t have enough hours in the day? Writing goals not being met like you hoped? Nicki Jacobsmeyer, author and business professional, explores different time management strategies and goal setting that work for your life and make you more intentional. Determine where you’re currently spending time, what pesky distractions get in your way, and how to tackle the ticking clock by prioritizing writing and what’s most important to you.

Summit Club Workshop includes:

* Time Audit template

* Time Examiner template

* Goals-Chunks-Segments Planning Strategies template

On this episode of Way-Word Writers, hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer talk with longtime collaborators Christina Boufis (fiction/nonfiction author and author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Writing Nonfiction) and Victoria Olson (author of biography, fiction, and nonfiction; former university writing instructor) about how their co-writing partnership works and what it was like to use Kickstarter in their publishing journey.

They outline major hurdles and what they would do differently, share outcomes, and note Kickstarter is better suited to genre, niche, and quirky projects than many memoirs or standard domestic thrillers. The episode closes with where to find them (somdarkforest.com, christinaboufis.com, Penny Dreadful Media on TikTok) and what’s next: completing the sequel by spring and planning additional collaborative books (including titles Dark Circles and Dark Science) alongside their solo projects.

00:00 Welcome to Way-Word Writers (Meet the Hosts & Mission)

00:36 Today’s Guests: Long-Term Co-Authors + Kickstarter Publishing

02:03 How Their Writing Partnership Began (Dickens Camp to First Project)

03:27 Drafting Together in One Google Doc (Discovery Writing + NaNoWriMo Sprint)

05:20 Editing, Roles, and the ‘Jazz Improv’ Collaboration Style

06:50 Pros, Cons, and Keeping a Unified Voice as Co-Authors

10:30 Staying Motivated Through Life & Rejection (Why Partnership Helps)

12:01 Why They Chose Kickstarter (After a Small-Press Offer)

15:16 Kickstarter Reality Check: Visual Assets, Video, Swag, and New Skills

18:17 Running the Campaign: Backer Swaps, Reward Tiers, Stretch Goals & Fulfillment

19:21 Backer Demands & Going Physical: Paperback, Hardcover, Collector Mindset

21:14 When It Stops Feeling Overwhelming: Mastermind Support & Campaign Vetting

22:44 Kickstarter’s Built-In Community Engine: Updates, Requests & Reader Connection

24:12 Results & Aftermath: Low Goal Strategy, 400% Funded, Early Reviewers

25:23 Social Media Spillover: Promoting Beyond Kickstarter + Why TikTok

27:09 Kickstarter First Steps: Finish the Book, Find Community, Study Other Campaigns

29:49 Design, Video & Reward Strategy: Outsourcing, Swag, Special Editions, Signed eBooks

32:16 Would They Do It Again? Time, Energy, and the Real Learning Curve

33:42 Is Kickstarter a Fit? Genre vs Memoir, Niche/Quirky Books & Physicality

36:15 What’s Next + Where to Find Them: Sequels, Solo Projects, Websites & Farewell

​Find more about Christina Boufis at christinaboufis.com!

​Find more about Victoria Olsen at victoriaolsen.com!

​Some Dark Force, a Victorian thriller, by Christina Boufis and Victoria Olsen.

In this episode of Way-Word Writers, hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer interview Chloe Ito Ward, a Japanese American children’s author with a background in education. They discuss Chloe’s new and upcoming books, the thematic elements in her writing, and the inspiration and process behind her stories. Chloe shares how her personal and professional experiences influence her work and provides insights into the challenges of writing for a young audience. The conversation also touches on the importance of diversity, cultural representation, and authenticity in children’s literature.

00:00 Welcome to Way-Word Writers

00:31 Introducing Chloe Ito Ward

00:45 Chloe’s Teaching Background and Inspiration

02:06 All the Ways We Learn

08:49 Made For More: The Story Behind the Book

11:39 Writing for Young Readers

16:40 Author’s Note and Reader Engagement

19:52 Reflecting on Parental Influence

20:07 Introducing Chopsticks Are....

20:37 Cultural Touchpoints in Chopsticks Are....

21:05 Expanding the Scope of Chopsticks Are....

23:51 Research and Writing Process

25:11 Conversations Around Chopsticks

28:04 Balancing Authenticity and Accessibility

29:33 Creative Writing Process

31:09 Themes and Identity in Writing

34:10 Avoiding Didacticism in Picture Books

36:45 Lightning Round Q&A

37:55 Conclusion and Farewell

Find out more about Chloe Ito Ward on her website here!

On Tuesday February 17, see our companion deep dive article about adding hooks and layers to your book to increase depth, universal resonance, and commercial viability:

EPISODE 105 DEEP DIVE: Layering Hooks and Themes Into Your Manuscript

​In this episode of the Way-Word Writers Podcast, hosts Heather Cashman, Stephanie Bearce, and Nicki Jacobsmeyer share updates on their current writing projects and discuss the exciting changes in their creative journeys as they step into 2026. They open up about their writing seasons, upcoming goals, and how they are planning to sustain their creative passion while balancing various aspects of their lives. The episode also introduces changes in the podcast's release schedule and the addition of new, in-depth content on their Substack to better support their writing community.

​PLEASE NOTE: Our schedule will change to a podcast every other Tuesday and a DEEP DIVE companion article on the Tuesdays in between.

​Workshops for our Substack Summit Club level will be released periodically, at least every other month.

00:00 Welcome to Way-Word Writers

00:31 Introduction to the Podcast

01:34 Hosts Share Their Current Writing Projects

02:53 Stephanie's Exciting New Ventures

04:45 Nicki's Writing Journey and Goals

12:42 Heather's Writing and Life in Costa Rica

17:48 Balancing Writing and Promotion

19:43 Changes to the Podcast Schedule

25:45 Workshops and Community Engagement

28:11 Final Thoughts and Farewell