What Were You Thinking?

In November of 2021, Travis Baldree set out to try NANOWRIMO again. He was not new to National Novel Writing Month, but in 2021, he was focussed on finishing this time. He did, and he self-published his first novel, Legends and Lattes in February of 2022. By November, that little project was on the New York Times bestseller list. From self-published, to agented, then traditionally published, Travis' journey is really the stuff of fantasy.

Visit Travis' website.

Chelsea Wakelyn's debut novel, What Remains of Elsie Jane is not your typical story about loss. When Elsie Jane's husband Sam dies unexpectedly, Elsie does not pretend to be okay. She doesn't acquiesce to the needs of others. She completely falls apart, turning to Craigslist to find a way back to the life she once knew.

There is no way I could possibly land on one book to discuss with Eric Walters, since he's penned more than 130 of them. In this episode, we talk about building a career as an author, some of the keys to success and the process required to keep going.

Learn more about Creation of Hope.

Jennifer Savran Kelly's debut novel, Endpapers, explores the journey of a genderqueer book binder who is trying to navigate through her relationships while following the trail of a secret love note she finds tucked into the endpapers of a book. While classified as literary fiction, this book engaged me so thoroughly, I didn't even realize it was literary. A must read for 2023.

Watch Jennifer in her acting roles:

https://littlewhaleproductions.com/zombie-revolution

https://littlewhaleproductions.com/yahwehs-sea-glass

https://www.imdb.com/video/vi708025625/?ref_=vp_rv_1

Check out the Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts retreat space: https://www.saltonstall.org/retreat/retreat-space/

Follow Jennifer:

Instagram

Twitter

Website

Are you ready to have your mind blown? Genalea Barker has three novels in the queue for publishing over the next two years. She managed to find publishers WITHOUT AN AGENT, WHILE RAISING FOUR KIDS!

A unicorn? For sure.

An extremely talented writer? Unarguably.

Follow Genalea on Twitter.

Subscribe to my newsletter on Substack.

Last year, I was interviewed by Joelle Tamraz for her YouTube channel, Elevating Voices in Memoir and Fiction. It was a candid conversation about my own journey as a hybrid author (both independently published and traditionally published). Listen in as I share my experiences, the planning (or lack thereof), the ups and downs and why I chose the self-publishing route for my memoirs.

Visit my Substack page.

Jennie Ogilvie always knew there was something different about her. She has a deep connection with spirit and has catapulted to the top as Alberta's favourite medium. Her debut book, Inside my Head, is a combination of memoir and Chicken Soup for the Soul. Within its pages, readers are taken on a journey to recover from grief, move through death with ease and grace, and carve out a better life for the time they still have.

Visit Jennie's website.

Watch the pilot episode of her series.

I asked past guests to share the best book they read over the past year. I have a few of my own that I added to the list, so get busy with your Goodreads list.

Links to the podcast episodes for each guest:

Clare Pooley

Marci Warhaft

Christina Kilbourne

Danna Staaf

Mary Boone

Bev Katz Rosenbaum

Connect with me on Goodreads.

Kirsten Miller has written for Middle Grade and Young Adult, but her latest novel, The Change, pushed her out of her comfort zone and into the adult market, specifically, the older, menopausal one.

James Fell is the author of his own rules. He does everything writers are told not to, and it works beautifully every single time. Does he have the Midas touch? Maybe. Can he turn a dying career into syndicated fitness column? For sure. Can he make history interesting? Fuck yes.

Follow James (and buy a MF'ing book) on Substack.

Read about his recent ADHD diagnosis.

Read his most popular post on Facebook.

Learn more about your host, Dana Goldstein.