Author Diary Entries

In this episode, your host and chick lit indie author Sagan Morrow shares a play-by-play of how she planned the entire chapter-by-chapter outline for her upcoming romcom novella ( Love By Design ) using a Tarot spread!  Tune in to find out which Tarot cards were pulled to represent each of the 11 chapters for this novella, the meaning behind each of those cards, and how Sagan has translated each T...

This episode explores two extremely problematic aspects of generative AI in creative spaces: a) lack of consent, and b) plagiarism. We discuss this through the lens of the performing arts (such as the burlesque community), as well as book events (such as markets).  This isn’t a call-out, it’s a calling-in, and please know that all of this is said with love! ALSO: I am addressing this episode to pe...

Is it realistic for a character to regress in a novel? Why might a character regress, and is it relatable for them to do that? In this episode of the Author Diary Entries podcast, your host and chick lit indie author Sagan Morrow analyzes character regression in contemporary romance novel Kiss Me — Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series. We do an analysis of the main character, Scarlett, and he...

Happy World Tarot Day! In celebration, we are doing our FIRST-EVER live Tarot reading on the Author Diary Entries podcast… This Tarot spread explores the question, “What does Kiss Me (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series) want to teach you, or tell you, as the reader of this story?”  The 5-card spread:  Card 1: Overarching message or theme from this book (III Pentacles)  Card 2: Hidden teachi...

Gather together your romance reader friends and book club besties… In this episode of the Author Diary Entries podcast, you’ll get chick lit book club discussion prompts for Kiss Me (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series)! Use these discussion prompts to stimulate conversation, enjoy a deeper reading into contemporary romance novels, explore character motivations, analyze themes and parallel s...

In celebration of book launch day for Kiss Me (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions “why choose” chick lit series), author Sagan Morrow shares 5 of her favourite things about this novel… plus reads a scene from the story!  Kiss Me is a heartwarming short novel featuring found family, an extra dose of angst, the why choose trope, a couple steamier scenes, and a people-pleasing burlesque performer who...

Following up on Episode 189… In this episode, “why choose” chick lit author Sagan Morrow shares more about her experience with writing and editing her upcoming release, Kiss Me (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series) — plus why it’s taken SO LONG to finish this particular book!  Kiss Me is a heartwarming short novel featuring found family, morally grey decisions, the why choose trope, a couple...

In this episode, “why choose” chick lit author Sagan Morrow announces her upcoming release Kiss Me (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series) — and shares with you the back-of-book blurb, plus what to expect when you read this novel!  Kiss Me is a heartwarming short novel featuring found family, morally grey decisions, the why choose trope, a couple steamier scenes, and a people-pleasing burlesqu...

“As the world changes, what place do my polyamorous romantic comedy novels have in our society? If the world now understands and somewhat accepts open relationships, is there even a need for my novels? These novels are for pre-pandemic times, BEFORE a lot of things changed — so what happens now? Are they ‘subversive enough,’ and is there a place for them?” These are some of the questions your host...

Using generative AI to quote-unquote “write” a book is harmful not only to the artists those people are plagiarizing from, but it’s also harmful to the plagiarizer and to CREATIVITY, itself.  Let’s talk about that! In this episode, your Author Diary Entries podcast host — romcom novelist and Personal Fulfillment Coach Sagan Morrow — takes the conversation about *AI as art theft* a step further by...

What is the art of creative weirdness? What are some great examples of creative weirdness, and how can YOU tap into your own creative weirdness when you are creating art (of any kind)? What is the ONE situation in which creative weirdness is NOT effective? Does art NEED to be “weird” in order to be powerful and incredible? What social commentary and feminist lenses can we view mainstream blockbust...

In this episode, your host and indie author Sagan Morrow shares her experience with reviewing her current work-in-progress (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series) using a "reader mindset" prior to doing rewrites!  She shares her process and results for reviewing her current WIP as a reader:  Find out a breakdown of the process she’s using, the game-changing book writing method that’s...

What is creative cross training, and how can it help you navigate (and overcome) creative blocks? In this episode, Sagan shares examples of creative cross training and the importance of creative cross training (and how it’s prevented her from having any major creative blocks as a business owner, indie author, and multi-passionate creative)... ...Plus why focusing on one thing can get boring and le...

In this episode, we explore the difference between polyamorous IDENTITY vs the PRACTICE of that identity , and answer these questions: Can you write about polyamory if you aren’t ACTIVELY polyamorous? Do you ever think being polyamorous is a phase, and that you and your spouse might go back to being monogamous? Resources mentioned in this episode:  Small Town Stilettos and the Polyamorous Passions...

Find out why Sagan got outraged at a random person’s Instagram comment when they were dismissive of a 30-something Twilight Instagrammer reading Young Adult novels, the POWER of the YA genre, why you should read what makes you happy, her opinions about referring to romance novels as “fluffy,” and more! Resources mentioned in this episode:  Small Town Stilettos and the Polyamorous Passions series:...

“Do you write queer characters?” → Well… Yes and no! In this episode, I explain why this question is a tricky one, what makes a novel “queer enough” (an even more loaded question!), the nuance behind all of this, and the importance of using the words and labels that feel right for you. Resources mentioned in this episode:  Small Town Stilettos and the Polyamorous Passions series: SaganMorrow.com/b...

Is it rude to refer to a romance novel “smut”? Not to me ;) You can call my books whatever you want! …BUT, there’s a lot of nuance to this (and context matters) — so in this episode, we’re exploring important questions we need to ask around the labels we use, our intentions behind our word choices, and the problems with gatekeeping in the romance novel community.  Examples we discuss in this episo...

In this episode, your host (and indie author) Sagan Morrow shares an author update about what she's been working on since our previous episode over a year ago, plus why we've rebranded the podcast from "Indie Author Weekly" to "Author Diary Entries!" Resources mentioned in this episode:  Small Town Stilettos and the Polyamorous Passions series: SaganMorrow.com/books  ...

In this episode, we explore the dynamic of being a beginner vs being intermediate at your practice... and why being a beginner can, in some ways, be a lot easier! Tune in now to find out about the pressure I put on myself in my 2nd solo burlesque dance performance, what I took from that experience compared to my 1st solo burlesque act, how this connects back to my work as a fiction author, and the...

In our previous episode, Episode 176, we talked about what it means to be a creative and an indie author — and how it can be so much more comprehensive than book writing! That's why, in today’s episode, I want to build on that and share with you the idea creation and writing process around my weekly Saturday email newsletter: the Solopreneur Diary Entries. Tune in now for the inside scoop on...

In our most recent couple of episodes here on the Indie Author Weekly podcast, we’ve been exploring the importance of trust in the creative process — including self trust and trusting others. I want to take it a step back today and ask this question: What does it even mean to be a creative, and, since this is the Indie Author Weekly podcast, what does it mean to be an indie author? Especially give...

In this episode, we explore the delicate balance of the creative process when you are a solo artist — Because it’s hard to maintain distance and objectivity when you are working on creative pursuits in a silo! Is it good enough? Is it good at all? Are you conveying what you intend to convey? Even if it IS “good enough,” what interesting improvements can be made? And if you don’t have confidence in...

In this episode, I talk about the balance between trusting yourself AND not believing that negative voice in your head which might be filled with self doubt. As long-time listeners of the podcast will already know, I’m a Personal Fulfillment Coach when I’m not writing novels! And many of my clients first come to me because they’re struggling internally: there’s an internal battle going on, where t...

Last week, I went through the entirety of my current work in progress — Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series. So today I want to share with you what happened when I read through it… It had been a few months since I last worked on it, so it was great to review it with fresh eyes! There were 5 main things that jumped out at me… TUNE IN to this episode to find out what I realized and discovered...

This episode is a follow-up to the previous episode, and shares recommendations and thoughts about how to improve your relationship with the creative process (what to do BEFORE you even sit down at the computer and start writing, plus a beautiful question to hold onto and guide you through the creative process). Resources & links mentioned in this episode:  Learn more about all of Sagan’s book...