What Were You Thinking?

Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi met in an online critique group. They were both writing children's books and were looking for support and feedback from other writers. They soon discovered they had a knack for building lists of ways writers could show emotion, display the positive attributes and character flaws. The put these lists on a website and from there the first book - The Emotion Thesauru...

Erin Whaling had worked on a business plan many years ago as part of a photography course. Her intention was one day to start a business that was community-focused and allowed her some creative freedom. She parked the business plan and the dream when she took a corporate position. In the middle of the pandemic, Erin was laid off. As she was cleaning folders on her computer, she found the business...

When Laurie Carmichael retired from nursing, she already knew she was going to focus on writing. She took courses then wrote her first book. Every step of her journey - from drafting to publication - has been an opportunity to learn something new. In this episode, Laurie shares her story, her discoveries and her fears. Visit Laurie's website Shop the Writers Helping Writers Bookstore Learn mor...

I recorded this in the fly because I couldn't wait ti get back to my office to tell you that the podcast will resume in October! I took a much needed break to focus on the release of my second middle grade novel and to wrap up revisions for my upcoming women's fiction. Thank you for sticking around! I've got great plans for the rest of the year. xo Dana

If you've been paying attention, you've seen copies of When Grumpy Met Sunshine online, in bookstores, and even grocery stores. But Charlotte Stein is not an overnight success: she's been writing and publishing for 15 years. Visit Charlotte's website.

When a group of creatives come together with purpose, magic does indeed happen. The Many Mothers, Seven Skies Anthology was first birthed as a play with a series of vignettes, musical performance and actors. The production evoked so much emotion in viewers and the creators, so the decision was made to reproduce the performances and stories in writing.

When Megan Freeman first started to write Alone, it was a typical middle grade novel. Despite some good feedback, the book never found its wings. She left it...ahem...alone for a while, and it wasn't until she took a workshop about novels-in-verse that the shape of what Alone could be took form. And then it took off.

When Vanessa Chan left her job at Facebook to get her MFA, she had no idea how to write a novel. From a throwaway homework assignment, the first stirrings of the novel she would write emerged. The Storm We Made went to auction, with 11 houses vying for the debut novel. It's not the typical journey, but it makes for a great conversation.

I had no idea how complicated translation a novel cou;d be. A ward-winning translator Susan Ouriou set me straight. It takes a level of dedication, experience and knowledge to esentially re-write a book from a langugage you;ve learned inot your mother tongue. Susan Ouriou does it so well, she has earned the Governor General's Award and was appointed a Chevalier in France's Ordre des Arts e...

I already know The Taste of Hunger will fall into my top 10 books for 2024. I cheered for despicable characters, I wanted the best for all of them, like they were real people in my life. It's a magnificent read. BIO: Barbara Joan Scott has been in love with words her whole life, whether as a reader, writer, instructor of English Literature and Creative Writing, freelance editor, or musician wi...

Visit Robin's website . Learn more and check out the ciourses and workshops offered by the Alexandra Writers' Centre Society .

If you take a bird's eye view of Karma Brown's writing career, it does look a bit wild. First a journalist, then a magazine writer, and now a novelist whose books cross many genres. Learn more about Karma . Check out the adventures on Outward Bound Canada .

Visit Gina's website .

To learn more and order the book, visit https://www.jamielouisemadigan.com/.

It's the close of another season of What Were You Thinking. This year, I'm ending with my interview with Karen Sokoloff, who runs TINYABC - This Is Not Your Average Book Club. She had me join the book club for an hour of chat, laughter and Q&A. You can listen to Karen's episode on this podcast here .

Andrew Snook is never not busy, but this is by choice, not circumstance. As a freelance writer and editor, owner of Snookbooks Publishing , and publisher of the newly launched Canadian Independent Publishers magazine and website, he has made writing and all its modalities a fullt-time gig.

Visit Brian's website .

As I started reading Joelle's memoir, I realized I knew very little about yoga, other than the few failed attempts I made in classes. Joelle's experience is anything but typical. In her memoir, The Secret Practice: Eighteen Years on the Dark Side of Yoga, Joelle shares her story about how her search for inner expansion led her down a dark path. Learn more about Joelle and. order the book o...

Selling a collection of short stories is hard, but for a debut author to be able to it is astonishing. Kate Doyle managed to to exactly that with her debut, I Meant it Once.

I'm a bit of a science geek, so I was keenly interested in Pauline's debut book about DNA. It's a fun picture about the core of who we are, scientifically speaking.

Visit Heather's website .

Colleen Nelson is the author of 18 books, primarily young adult and middle grade (with one non-fiction in the bunch). Her books have earned many accolades and awards, the latest being The Forest of Reading's Silver Birch Award (2023, for The Undercover Book List). In this episode we chat about writing for middle grade, her process, and getting the right ending. Watch the Forest of Reading anno...

Carissa Hyde gave traditional publishing her best shot, but when she realized she was heading into depression, she hired a therapist and changed her strategy. Listen in as Carissa shares her journey to publication, full of up and downs and ending with a very positive experience. Visit Carissa's website .

I fell in love with this book when I first read read a rough draft. Melissa and I are in a critique group together, and I was fortunate to put my eyes on this wonderful fantasy/spec fic story. In this episode, Melissa and I talk about her rocky road with an agent, getting Sue B to publication and how Melissa lets her characters run wild. Learn more about Melissa on her website. Follow her on Faceb...

A short episode to update you with some news from past guests as well as some news from your host, Dana Goldstein .