Writing and Editing

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Dave Milbrandt is the author of Fool's Luck and the Jim Mitchell series of novels (Chasing Deception, Undue Pressure, and Running). Dave was born in southern California and spent five years in journalism and public relations before becoming a teacher. In addition to working at several area colleges, he has taught high school English and social studies classes since 2005. Dave also has written a parenting book titled High School Declassified: An Insider's Guide to Helping Your Student Succeed.

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Molly O'Connor describes herself as truly a country gal. She lives in a large, century-old, farmhouse, teeming with four active grandchildren, their parents, three cats, a rabbit, and one dog, not to mention a busy bird feeder outside her office window. Her novels have underlying themes of lesser-known and lesser-understood emotional anxieties and the hidden abuse of women. But her writing is not meant to be a lecture. She says that she tries to take the reader on a journey as the characters grow as individuals, deal with mysteries, and travel to different locations in Canada and beyond.

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Kirsten Weiss writes mysteries for people who want to escape but with real, complex, and flawed but likable characters. If there’s magic in the story, she insists that it must work consistently within the world’s rules and be based in history or the reality of current magical practices. She’s best known for her cozy mystery and witch mystery novels, though she’s written some steampunk mystery as well. (Media kit here.)

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Nancy O’Brien was raised in small-town southern Ontario and ventured to Ottawa in her early twenties with dreams of making a difference in Canada’s capital. Throughout her career she has written about everything from local news to fishing to online dating. She also worked in municipal politics for over five years and volunteered in multiple elections. She is a proud millennial mother of three beautiful girls, who loves animals, working with the community and following her intuition.

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Tanya Gough is the founder of StoryBilder, a creative writing platform for new and aspiring writers. It’s built to foster creativity no matter what or how you write. Tanya also writes middle-grade fantasy fiction and science-infused fantasy short stories for adults.

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Robin Landa holds the title of Distinguished Professor in the Michael Graves College of Kean University in Union, New Jersey. She’s also “creativity guru” who champions her students, advocates for industry inclusion and equity, and provides scholarships for meritorious students or students in need. Robin’s expertise is in creative advertising, branding, graphic design, and social media. Her 26th book, called The New Art of Ideas: Unlock Your Creative Potential, will be published this fall. I thoroughly enjoyed talking to her. She is intelligent and engaging, but also modest and very down to earth. Not to mention her comprehensive knowledge of her field and her ability to write about it clearly.

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Sheri Saginor is an audiobook narrator and producer based in Boston. She has over 20 years experience as a speaker, writer, and performer. Sheri specializes in nonfiction, including business, self-development, and memoir. She also loves narrating fiction, especially mysteries. For listeners to this episode of Editing Writing, Sheri is offering a complimentary, 30-minute consultation call. Just mention the podcast when you contact her.

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Carol Saller describes herself succinctly as “helping writers and editors on behalf of the reader.” She has written six books for young children, including her latest, Eddie’s War. She’s best known in the editing world for her work for The Chicago Manual of Style, but after a long career in editing of one kind or another, she is now writing full-time, focusing on middle-grade contemporary and historical. I interviewed her about her great book, now in its second edition, called The Subversive Copy Editor, which in true writer style has not only a subtitle (“Advice from Chicago”) but an alternative subtitle (“or, How to Negotiate Good Relationships with Your Writers, Your Colleagues, and Yourself”). She was a true joy to talk to. Quick-witted and funny. Comprehensively knowledgeable about editing. And as down to earth and smart as you would want a person to be. Please listen.

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Lauren Hunter is a writer and consultant, with a career spanning more than two decades in public relations, content marketing, freelance writing, and publishing. Her latest book is Write Your Journey: A Step-by-Step Guide to Write Your Life Story Fast. She also maintains a twice-monthly newsletter, and if you sign up you’ll receive as a gift a PDF of the introduction and first chapter. Lauren walked me through the seven sections of her book during our conversation. Please listen.

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My guest today is Rachael Hanel. She’s a writer and also an associate professor of Mass Communication at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Raechel also teaches narrative nonfiction and memoir at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. She has a master’s degree in history and a Ph.D. in creative writing. She has an interesting book coming out, which we discuss in our conversation. It’s called Not the Camilla We Knew: One Woman's Life from Small-town America to the Symbionese Liberation Army, and is due for release this fall. She was a really great guest: knew what she was talking about, enthusiastic, but also able to speak clearly to complicated or nuanced issues. We compared Minnesota and Canadian accents before we started recording, and then got right into it. Please listen.