Pencils&Lipstick podcast

From sneaking Nora Roberts novels between farm chores on her family’s Vermont dairy farm to wrangling four kids and numerous animals today, Jaime’s life has been filled with real-world romance. A former Wyoming cowgirl and cattle genetics writer, she now creates steamy, authentic love stories while sharing life with her US Marine husband. When not writing, you’ll find her adding an impossible numb...

Naomi Kuttner is a... - cozy mystery & fantasy writer living in New Zealand - likes coffee, dark chocolate, & reading in the sun - lives 2 hours from Hobbiton - still not quite sure about the Oxford comma. When not busy raising her twin son and daughter or writing, Naomi spends her free time (ha!) surfing, wingfoiling, and retrieving her shoes from Max the dog. Her Shadow Kingdom series is a blend...

Grace MacPherson is a Christian fantasy author who writes about sacrifice, redemption, and the triumph of good over evil. She is a baptized child of God, daughter to Ryan and Marie MacPherson, and older sister to six siblings. She lives in beautiful Casper, Wyoming, with her family. Find out more about Grace and get her books here: https://authorgracemacpherson.com/ Sign up for my writers' newslet...

JM is an author who loves thunderstorms, bookstores, and happy endings. She's never met a reading nook she didn’t like, and she prefers soul talk to small talk. When she's not writing, reading, or crafting, she spend quality time with her family. JM spends her days writing stories, consuming massive quantities of dark chocolate, and looking for portals to other worlds in the mountains of Pennsylva...

Follow Becky Grogan on Instagram and send her marketing questions! https://www.instagram.com/beckythebookcoach/ Sign up for my writers' newsletter to learn more about the craft of writing, know when my workshops are and be the first to get exclusive information on my writing retreats. https://katcaldwell.com/writers-newsletter Want more information on my books, author swaps, short stories and what...

ANN MARIE STEWART is the Christy Award ®  winning author of STARS IN THE GRASS. As a teacher, singer, actress, and filmmaker, Ann has a unique perspective and is prepared to tell and sell a story. The Remnants, which tells the story of her grandparents escaping Stalin's Russia, comes out October 10, 2026 but you can pre-order it today by clicking here: https://a.co/d/09prmfmm . Read a sa...

Darlene’s favorite activities are writing, speaking and helping people. Luckily, this published authors life combines all these loves. Ms. Corbett is a writer, published author, and therapist. Her writing is inspirational yet down-to-earth. It’s burnished by decades of experience working with individuals, studying, caring. Find her latest book, MESMERIZE, here: https://www.amazon.com/Mesmerize-Dar...

J.D. Barker (Jonathan Dylan Barker) is a  New York Times  and international bestselling American author whose work has been broadly described as suspense thrillers, often incorporating elements of horror, crime, mystery, science fiction, and the supernatural. You can find more about him here: https://jdbarker.com/ Order his latest book: https://jdbarker.com/books/something-i-keep-up...

Liberty Speidel Hardt is a Kansas City-based author who writes urban fantasy mysteries featuring characters so persistent they literally won't shut up until their stories hit the page. With 13 published titles and a voice that's equal parts solid, funny, and quirky, she combines supernatural elements with gritty crime-solving in stories that refuse to look away from darkness but always point towar...

Your characters should be hurting those they love. That is what makes a great character. Join Becky Grogan's The Writer's Pulse to get personalized marketing help for your book! https://www.beckythebookcoach.com/marketing-groupcoaching Want to find out about the WorldShift summit and start your author newsletter? Click on my affiliate link: https://worldshift2026.manyworldswriting.com/?ac=qsMLoX5N...

Jane Daly started her career with the memoir of losing her adult son called Because of Grace. The book launched her writing and gave hope to many other mothers experiencing grief. After writing another memoir, The Caregiving Season, Jane launched into Christian romance. Quite the career change! Jane’s novels have won the Cascade Award from the (formerly Oregon Christian Writers) Cascade Christian...

In this episode I'm chatting with Stacia Lowe about how she built an author career by combining her passions for storytelling, knitting, and financial literacy while raising four sons. She discusses writing middle grade novels inspired by her family, growing a loyal readership through her newsletter, and why embracing the "slow and steady" approach has helped her build a sustainable writing busine...

Neil and Kat discuss Neil's journey from traditionally published author to successful indie novelist, exploring why he writes across mystery and romance without using multiple pen names and how publishing has evolved over the past two decades. They also dive into the ethical use of AI for editing, marketing, cover design, and book translations, sharing practical ways authors can use new technology...

Get ready for Summer! I have a bunch of interviews lined up for you! To start things off, we have Shimrit Hanes. She spent most of her life as a professional musician but has taken to writing now. Check out more about her (and get her books) at https://shimrithanes.com/ Sign up for Becky's newsletter at https://www.beckythebookcoach.com/ Sign up for the Book Finisher's Summit here : http://bit.ly/...

Be sure to check out Becky's website at https://www.beckythebookcoach.com/ . Get on her newsletter and check out her free resources. Today we are talking about the things that you can do this summer to practice or start your marketing. Please tag Becky (@ beckythebookcoach ) and me ( @author_katcaldwell) if you are trying social media this summer! We would love to support you! Here are some things...

Matty Dalrymple (DAL-rim-ple) is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers and the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels and Suspense Shorts. She is a member of International Thriller Writers and Sisters in Crime. ​Matty also podcasts, writes, speaks, and consults on the writing craft and the publishing voyage as  The Indy Author , and she is a Partner Member of the Alliance of...

Peter Lyle DeHaan is an entrepreneur and businessman who has started, managed, and owned multiple businesses over his career. Common themes at every turn have included customer service, sales and marketing, and leadership and management. He shares his lifetime of business experience and personal insights through his books, articles, and blogs to encourage, inspire, and occasionally entertain. Find...

Laura Cheever writes fantasy novels with strong Christian themes and an emphasis on romance within seasoned marriages. She is the author of Chosen of the Tapestry, Lost King of the Pattern, Mending and Madness, and A Hoard of Tales. She lives in rural Wyoming with her husband, Andrew, and their four children, the legendary makers of mischief and shenanigans. Find out more...

This week on Craft&Connect we continue our chat about Ideal Readers, this time focusing on where to find them If you missed the worksheet from last marketing episode, you can find that here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kBQ9FpRY0EztvNELzTCqFb0q7N3AuMIf/copy The worksheet for this week is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pDpNfIl08-IZUyKXakWhBq6zCM6jWq9f/copy Check out Bookfunnel.com...

You can find Henry on his Virtual Pulp website ( https://www.virtualpulppress.com ) and on Amazon.com . His comic Threat Quotient is live on Kickstarter right now. Check it out here. And he writes on Substack as Machine Trooper ( https://substack.com/@machinetrooper ) and on Twitter as MachineTrooper. Find Next, Love on www.amazon.com/Next-Love-Kat-Caldwell-ebook/dp/B0D95Y6G56/ or add it to your T...

Every quarter we need to reevaluate what we can and CANNOT accomplish as writers. This episode is that episode. Get my latest book! https://www.amazon.com/Next-Love-Kat-Caldwell-ebook/dp/B0D95Y6G56 Grab the free chapter one from HIS pov (book starts with her pov) here: http://www.katcaldwell.com/jameson-pov Check out Sara Cannon: https://www.youtube.com/@HeartBreathings Get 2k to 10k: https://www....

In this episode I'm talking about how unpredictable this whole indie author journey is, how you can put in a ton of effort and still not get the results you expected, and how so much of it is out of your control. I keep coming back to the idea that you often just don’t know  why something works or doesn’t. So instead of spiraling or reacting out of frustration, let's focus on the stuff we can...

Figuring out your ideal reader is key to running your book business. It's key to marketing! Today Becky and I discuss Ideal Readers, how to figure out who they are and why it is necessary to take some time to really define them. If you're looking for the worksheet to help you, you can grab it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kBQ9FpRY0EztvNELzTCqFb0q7N3AuMIf/copy Be sure to make some strid...

Let's talk about Reader Magnets. Because they're on my mind as I try to come up with some for my next novel, Next, Love. Everyone always says to slap together a short story or offer "deleted" scenes... but can't we get a little more creative than that? And what kind of short story should we come up with? I have some ideas today just for you. And if you want the pdf, you can sign up for my newslett...

This week I'm talking with Molly Arbuthnott about writing picture books, working with illustrators and creative ways to get our books in front of the reader (including traveling...!) You can find more about Molly here: https://www.mollyarbuthnott.co.uk/about/ and you can find her books here (audios as well) https://oscartheferrycat.co.uk/product-category/books/ Y0u can listen to one of her books h...