Author Diary Entries

Let’s talk about the importance of being earnest as a writer and getting comfortable with potentially embarrassing yourself! In this episode, we cover… The self-consciousness → self-compassion spectrum that many of us experience as writers, and the importance of embracing earnest along the way. How I reviewed my high school creative writing assignment where the professor didn’t understand that my...

All about a new writing experiment I’m testing out to make a lot better progress with my novels! We discuss… Why I’m doing this new experiment, what my schedule will look like, how I plan to make it happen, and my expected results with writing for a larger, dedicated period of time 2 reasons why I’ve been struggling with writing, and the problem that can come up with trying to find time to write n...

“How do you write your books? By hand, by typewriter?” In this episode, we’re answering THAT question! Get ready for a full recap of the logistics and practical side for how I write my books… 0:00 Intro 0:20 Answering a question from a friend: “How do you write your books? By hand, by typewriter?” — and a few other logistics when it comes to the practical side of how I write books 0:50 When it com...

A year ago, I experienced an EXTREME case of imposter syndrome in my author career… which led to a TON of procrastination! In this episode, I’m sharing all about that experience and how I navigated it.  In this episode, we discuss… How my imposter syndrome came about What I did to work through imposter syndrome (including some of the specific ways I did self-coaching for this, and the type of ques...

I was recently hanging out with a friend, and she said this: “I want to read your books, but I feel like it’s weird because I don’t want to know about your sex life…” Totally get that! Let’s talk about that today, because I think this is a very common frame of mind for friends and family of romance authors... IN THIS EPISODE, I share several important things to keep in mind if you're wonderin...

Today we are answering a listener-submitted question: How did you get "brave enough" to talk publicly about being a romance author?  This question was posted by Morgan Starling Writes on an Instagram post back in Feb 2022, in which she said, “I'm hesitant to post pictures of my face on here because of my "day job", so to speak. But at the same time, it feels like there&apo...

WELCOME BACK to the Indie Author Weekly podcast! We went on hiatus back in December 2021, and we are finally ready to RELAUNCH this podcast! Woohoo! In this episode, we discuss… More details about WHY we went on hiatus for such a long time (15 months rather than our originally-planned 2 months). Update on what Sagan’s been up to in her author life over the past year — book writing (several books),...

Today I am doing an uncomfortable thing... This is not the episode I had planned! When you're feeling the internal struggle, when your energy levels are low, when your capacity and bandwidth aren't quite there... What happens next? We're addressing exactly that in this episode of Indie Author Weekly! This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who...

Are you in the process of writing a novel this month, for National Novel Writing Month (or, as it’s more commonly known, NaNoWriMo), and are you getting caught in the struggle of it? That’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!  This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behin...

Is it time to quit your novel? Have you ever wondered how authors keep going with a tough book project… or, maybe you’re a writer, and you’re not sure if it’s time to quit a project? When you arrive at that pivotal moment where you wonder if it's time to give up your novel... What happens next?   That’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly! This is the podca...

Are you gearing up to write a novel this month, for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), and wondering how to go about doing it successfully? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!   This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writi...

Have you ever wondered about how we can use our stories to change the world, or the power of the books we read and write? That’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly! INTRODUCING... Our Choice: Romance for Roe anthology in aid of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice.  This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the i...

Do you enjoy getting teasers and sneak peeks of fun romantic comedies? Well, that’s exactly what you’re getting on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!    Gaming the System  romcom back-of-book blurb:   What comes after you get to “have it all”?   Since Emma discovered polyamory several months earlier, she knows she’s getting a unique opportunity to eat her cake and have it, too. And yet, it ha...

Have you ever wondered about how to write a book when you have a BUSY schedule? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!   This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.    TUNE IN NOW to get 5 powerful tips...

Have you ever wondered about the complications of writing a book when navigating big life changes? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!  This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.    TUNE IN NOW to f...

Do you ever wish you had a different type of writing voice or style? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly! "You'll never be a Pulitzer Prize winner—but your books keep people coming back for more." Find out why this comment about my own stories inspired this podcast episode topic... This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring autho...

Do you wish you could attend author book readings again, while the world continues to be in flux? Well, that’s exactly what you’re getting on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!  A Choice Between Two  romcom back-of-book blurb: What if you fall for someone, but you’re already in a wonderful relationship with someone else? Emma has been dating John, an alpha lawyer type, casually for the past s...

You might be familiar with the phrase “show, don’t tell” as a writer… Is it something you struggle with, or are you curious about what a fresh new take on that might look like? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!   This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behi...

Have you ever struggled to balance planning your book with taking action and actually writing your book? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!   This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.    TUNE IN N...

Have you ever wondered whether writing books gets easier or harder over time? Well, that’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!   This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.    TUNE IN NOW to find out the top 5 re...

Are you struggling to know what drives your characters? Do you wish you understood your own characters a little better? That’s exactly what we’re addressing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!   This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.   ...

Have you ever felt guilty about writing? The writing struggle is REAL. That's what we're addressing in this episode of Indie Author Weekly!    This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.    TUNE IN NOW to learn more about how to overcome g...

Have you ever wondered just how much sex “should” be in a romance novel? That's what we're addressing in this episode of Indie Author Weekly!    This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the inside scoop, tips and motivation, and behind-the-scenes journey of writing and self-publishing books.    TUNE IN NOW to learn more about sex and romance...

Have you ever wished you were more consistent with writing a book, starting a podcast, reading books, or something else altogether? Maybe you’ve struggled with being consistent, and you’ve felt like that’s just who you are, and you can’t do anything about it. Well, that’s exactly what we’re discussing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!   This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring auth...

Have you ever wondered how to rewrite your novel?    If you've started to write a novel, are you feeling stuck in the rewriting stage? Maybe you’re a little lost about how to go about improving this draft of your novel? That’s exactly what we’re discussing on today’s episode of Indie Author Weekly!    This is the podcast for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms who want the...