Writing Class

Two lifelong friends with fifty years of shared history, Linda and Janet sit down on the Writer's Class Podcast to talk about their debut book Tutu's Pearls — a deeply personal project about legacy, life lessons, and the stories we leave behind. In this episode, Linda and Janet open up about their writing journey, their creative process as co-authors, and what inspired them to transform five decades of friendship and wisdom into their first book. Whether you are a first-time author, a reader who loves authentic storytelling, or someone thinking about the legacy they want to leave, this conversation will stay with you long after it ends.

What happens when a multi-genre author who blends paranormal mystery, steampunk, and cozy fiction meets two of the most dynamic literary voices in the indie author world? Pure creative magic — and a conversation you won't want to miss. LeAnna Shields, Colorado-based author of the beloved Mystic Ranch Cozy Mystery series and host of The Cozy Sleuth podcast, welcomes the iconic "And I Thought Ladies" — award-winning pop culture poets, authors, and media powerhouses Wilnona Marie and Jade Dee — for a candid, inspiring deep dive into the art of genre mixing in modern writing. LeAnna is no stranger to blending genres herself: her Mystic Ranch series seamlessly fuses paranormal women's fiction, cozy mystery, and Indigenous mythology into something entirely its own. She brings that same bold, boundary-breaking energy to this conversation as she explores what it truly means to defy genre conventions with two women who have been doing it for years.

Grace Sammon is a dynamic force in the literary world — an award-winning author, radio host, entrepreneur, and educator. Recognized in Who’s Who in Education and Who’s Who in Literature, she is the recipient of the 2025 Indies United Publishing House’s Award for Inspirational Women in Literature, Media, and Journalism.

 A master of reinvention, Grace transformed her career with her fourth book and debut novel, The Eves, which garnered strong critical acclaim. In addition to her newest novel, The Reliable Narrator, she has authored seven books

Read moe about Grace Sammon:
www.GraceSammon.net

Read the book:
https://www.amazon.com/Reliable-Narrator-Grace-Sammon/dp/1662969899

Mark Leslie (Lefebvre) is an author, professional speaker and bookseller with more than thirty years of experience in writing, publishing, and bookselling. He has published more than twenty-five books under the name Mark Leslie that include thrillers and fiction (Evasion, A Canadian Werewolf in New York, One Hand Screaming), paranormal non-fiction (Haunted Hospitals, Spooky Sudbury, Tomes of Terror) and anthologies (Campus Chills, Tesseracts Sixteen, Obsessions). Under his full name he writes books to help authors navigate publishing. And they include The 7 P’s of Publishing Success and An Author’s Guide to Working with Libraries and Bookstores. His industry experience includes President of the Canadian Booksellers Association, Board Member of BookNet Canada, Director of Author Relations and Self-Publishing for Rakuten Kobo, Director of Business Development for Draft2Digital and Professional Advisor for Sheridan College’s Creative Writing and Publishing Honours Program.

Lizz Schumer is  a writer, journalist(People magazine Senior Book Editor), and educator from Buffalo, N.Y., currently based in Brooklyn, N.Y. she primarily works as a journalist, covering books, podcasts, food and drink, culture, service journalism, features, and trending news as a creative writer.

An interview with Transformational Communicator,Podcast Creator, & Host of Scribal House Podcast
She also happens to be a Compelling Writer & Author.

Linda is out there doing presentations of her books.   In addition to writing awesome teen mysteries, she also produces a local TV Show in East Hampton called “The Writer’s Dream,” a series of shows with writers in many different aspects of the profession.Linda is a native New Yorker, born in N.Y.C. and a lover of the greatest city in the world.

Julia's ultimate goal to be a bridge between cultures, Julia began her career in publishing by interning in foreign rights and then spending the next several years as an associate book scout working for publishing houses around the world. Julia majored in linguistics, along with East Asian languages and cultures while minoring in French at Indiana University and Tokyo’s Temple UniversityShe is currently selling rights to Hungary, Estonia and other Baltic territories, Southeast Europe, as well as Greece, Israel, Turkey, the Arabic world, and Southeast Asia

Florence A. Bliss is an author from Las Vegas, NV who has a keen eye for writing love stories full of drama, heartache, humor, and enough seduction to light the pages on fire. With an MFA in creative writing from UNLV, Florence loves to write across genres but has found her home in romance. She lives with her fancy Italian husband and two children. Together they love to travel, explore the ghost towns around Las Vegas, roadtrip up and down the Pacific coast, and of course drink coffee out of tiny cups (milk for the kids).  Florence is an avid people watcher and strives to understand why people do what they do, and she never tires of imagining the stories of what couples have had to overcome in order to come together.

Tom is an author, professor and traveler. He's traveled to 150 countries. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New Republic, Chicago Tribune, Die Zeit, ZYZZYVA, Exquisite Corpse, Salon.com, Black Clock, and other newspapers and literary venues, as well as in dozens of books and academic journals.
Read about Tom here: https://www.tomlutzwriter.com/about-tom/