Shawna Rodrigues, Kathleen Basi, Kristi Leonard

Author Express

Arts EN ↓ 140 episodes

This is your place to hear the voice behind the pages of your favorite books. Here you’ll get a feel for the person who spent hours, weeks, months, and even years to fill the pages and build a world where you can not only use yourself but possibly find yourself as well. Our gift is a glance at the human side of writing; perhaps a morsel from the author’s childhood, insight on the character to which they are most attached, or a little on the passion that fueled the topics in the book. It’s your chance to get to know some of your favorite writers in a new light. We’ll give you a quick glimpse in...

Author

Shawna Rodrigues, Kathleen Basi, Kristi Leonard

Category

Arts

Podcast website

author-express.captivate.fm

Latest episode

Nov 26, 2025

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Episodes

From Musical Dreams to Literary Success: Tamatha Cain Always Weaves in Romance -62 14.02.2024

Tamatha Cain is the award winning author of Song of the Chimney Sweep , a dual timeline women's fiction novel with not one but two mysteries (and an ending that satisfies in the most delightful way), and Only Oona , the first biographical fiction about Oona O'Neill Chaplin. After careers as a vocalist and then sugar artist and baker, she finally allowed herself to believe the pages of writing she'...

Glimpses of 4 New Favorite Authors from Black Writer Therapy -61 07.02.2024

In this episode of Author Express, we get the gift of meeting four authors through their conversations on the Black Writer Therapy podcast, with Ella Shawn. Get ready to hear heartfelt moments from authors like Stacy Hawkins Adams, Piper Huguley, and N.D. Jones, sharing personal experiences and the inspiration behind their powerful storytelling. From discussing the complexities of marriage and wom...

A Cleaning Lady Coming Clean by Beth Uznis Johnson -60 31.01.2024

Beth Johnson always had dreams of writing a novel, but it wasn’t until her baby son Alex was home sick one day that Beth decided: this day job is too much. "I should write a novel so I can stay home to write and take care of Alex." It was a wildly unrealistic plan that took going back to school, keeping the day job, two decades, and hundreds of rejection letters. But hey, what writer has it easy?...

Sarahlyn Bruck Shares the Depths of Writing from Soccer to Friendship & Literary Inspiration -59 24.01.2024

Join Kathleen Basi as she sits down with award-winning author Sarahlyn Bruck in this captivating episode of Author Express. Discover the fascinating details about Sarahlyn's background growing up in Northern California, her experience as an actor doing improv, and her journey as a writer. Gain insights into her upcoming book "Light of the Fire," set in a small town in New Jersey, and learn about t...

The Shift to Writing New Adult Urban Fantasy; Celebrating Amanda Sinatra's Exciting Re-Release -58 17.01.2024

International Best Selling Author of Hollow and Shattered, Amanda’s love for writing started at the age of 13. Her favorite genres are fantasy, romance, and thriller. Amanda has a Master’s degree in Creative Writing with a concentration in Fiction. She currently resides in the suburbs of Massachusetts with her black lab named Jack. You can catch her in person at Tatnuck Bookseller in Westboro...

The Southern Roots Sheila Athens Admits Provoke Her Soulful Writing Career -57 10.01.2024

On today’s show, we chat with Sheila Athens, who writes women’s fiction set where the South meets the Sunshine state. Her stories are about women seeking to find the peace we all deserve. Readers are drawn to her work because they believe that everyday heroes can make a difference in our world. Her debut novel, The Truth About Love, was a finalist for the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious G...

Diane Barnes Writes Stories about Overcoming Obstacles in Life -56 03.01.2024

Today we welcome Diane Barnes to the podcast. Diane lives in Massachusetts and spends a large part of the summer in the White Mountains in Maine in a camp without an internet connection or a stable cell signal. It’s where she gets her best writing done because there are no distractions. Diane writes Women’s Fiction, and her books often focus on friendships between women and how female friendships...

Estranged Sisters -How a Literary Thriller offers relatable characters & bitterly high stakes -55 27.12.2023

Get ready for an exhilarating ride as we dive into a riveting discussion with the multi-genre author, Mary Carroll Moore. From her culinary adventures as a food journalist to her transition into literary thrillers, Mary's journey promises excitement and inspiration. Delve into her latest book, "A Woman's Guide to Search and Rescue," where estranged sisters, both aviators, twist and turn through gr...

Avoid Cliché. How to Make Writing Relatable - Integrating Children with Special Needs -54 20.12.2023

With a background in romance, Gina Andrew has published a series of Halloween romantic comedy novellas, two romantic suspense novels, and the novelette Girl Meets Grammarian, which was included in World Weaver Press’s collection Covalent Bonds and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. She has also had short romances published in Woman’s World magazine and is a freelance writer for the reader sites BookB...

Humor and Heartbreak: Leanne Treese weaves both. Today we focus on her Holiday Romantic Comedy! -53 13.12.2023

On today's episode, we'll chat with Leanne Treese, an author of both Women's Fiction and Romantic Comedy. After working as a matrimonial lawyer for eighteen years, Leanne turned her focus to writing. Her debut work of fiction, Their Last Chance, sought to demonstrate the pitfalls of the legal process as it pertains to divorce. Leanne wrote a second legal-themed book, Mother of the Accused, which t...

How to Manifest an Author Life with Jennifer Lauer -52 06.12.2023

On today’s episode, we get to chat with Jennifer Lauer, a sci-fi author and lover of jalapeño bagels. Jennifer writes books as well as tv/film, and enjoys being a mom to humans, cats and a dog. She lives in LA, by way of Massachusetts, where she has performed her written works at The Moth, Improv Olympic, and The Comedy Store. Her current projects are her novel, THE GIRL IN THE ZOO , a dystopia ab...

Becoming a USA Today Bestseller at Seventy with Barbara Conrey 29.11.2023

Barbara Conrey is the USA Today Bestselling author of Nowhere Near Goodbye , her debut, published on August 4, 2020, by Red Adept Publishing. Liza Fleissig represents her at the Liza Royce Agency. Her sophomore novel, My Secret to Keep , was released on August 23, 2022. Barbara is an active member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Women’s National Book Association, and Author Talk Networ...

Advice to Take Your Main Character in Book's Lead- Grant Her Bravery & Piracy - 51 22.11.2023

On today’s show, we get to revisit our previous conversation with Sarah Branson to celebrate the one year anniversary of Author Express! Sarah is a former nurse-midwife who now writes cross-genre action/adventure, speculative, and women’s fiction for both adults and teens/tweens that involves air-borne pirates three hundred years in the future. Her stories are set against the backdrop of an Earth...

After Penning 14 Romance & Women's Fiction Stories - Laura Drake Still Has More to Write -50 15.11.2023

Laura Drake is a hybrid author of Women's Fiction and Romance. Her debut, The Sweet Spot , won the 2014 Romance Writers of America® RITA® award. She’s since published 14 more books. She is a founding member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and Writers in the Storm blog. Laura is a city girl who never grew out of her tomboy ways. She gave up the corporate CFO gig to write full-time. She r...

Building a Foundation for an Author Career with Z.S. Diamanti -49 08.11.2023

Z.S. Diamanti is an author, illustrator, and creator. The Stone & Sky series is an epic fantasy adventure and the result of his great passion for fun and fantastical stories. He went to college forever and has too many pieces of paper on his wall. He is a USAF veteran of OEF and worked in ministry for over 10 years. He and his wife reside in Colorado with their four children where they enjoy h...

Finding Fiction in Fractured Families for Author Judith Turner-Yamamoto -48 01.11.2023

Judith Turner-Yamamoto grew up in rural North Carolina in a small mill town where people either worked the land or left the land to work the mills. As an art historian, she first came to writing through learning to appraise what she saw and to describe what moved her. Her work has appeared in StorySOUTH, Mississippi Review, Snake Nation Review, and American Literary Review, among others, and in ma...

Give Power to Author Voice by Confidently Drawing from Life with Lynne Golodner -47 25.10.2023

This week on Author Express we bring you an engaging conversation that touches on how an author's body of work can reach beyond genre to connect with readers in multiple ways. We are excited for you to get to know the writer we have with us today - Lynne Golodner writes emotional novels with compelling Jewish characters who are determined to fill their lives with passion, purpose, and love. Her fi...

Perseverance is really all author Amy Hagstrom knows (lol) -46 18.10.2023

On today’s episode, we get to chat with Amy Hagstrom, a Contemporary Fiction author with her debut coming out this fall. Amy began her writing career as a travel writer and editor whose work appeared in US News, OutdoorsNW Magazine, Travel Oregon, and Huffington Post, among others, and for over a decade, she was lucky to travel all over the world, often with her children in tow. A lifelong outdoor...

Author Heather B. Moore sets the truth free after interviewing a WWII prison camp survivor -45 11.10.2023

“I never thought it was important, best to forget and left alone. The past is the past and who wants to read, hear, and know about war and its atrocities? I certainly did not and neither did anyone else who went through it. Then in my golden years, I realized the world needs to know and hear from real people who survived wars, not history books. First, that war is terrible, secondly that those who...

Nancy Christie Shares her Thoughts on Living the Writing Life -44 04.10.2023

Nancy Christie has been living the writing life for more years than she can remember. Her writing background, like so many other writers, has been a hodgepodge of freelance work (newspaper, magazine, and corporate clients), short stories, and fiction and nonfiction books. And again, like so many other writers, she finds it challenging to balance income-producing work with what she really wants to...

Narcissistic Abuse Memoir from the Victim's Perspective with Author Dana S. Diaz -43 27.09.2023

Dana S. Diaz made her debut as an author in June 2023, when she released her gripping memoir, GASPING FOR AIR: THE STRANGLEHOLD OF NARCISSISTIC ABUSE . The Best-Selling book invites readers along her odyssey of healing and empowerment as she breaks free from the grasp of her 25-year-long abusive relationship. She fearlessly delves into old wounds to reveal the truth behind a lifetime of lies and s...

Meg Calvin Writes Like Her Parents Are Dead (will give credit for this quote to Jason Aaron who originally said it) -42 20.09.2023

Meg Calvin is an Amazon Bestselling Author and writing and marketing coach who helps writers do the deep spiritual work to create their Amazon bestselling books (paperback, Kindle, and Audible). After 15+ years as a minister, Meg began serving nonfiction and memoir writers who are fellow (as she refers to them) Spiritually-Attuned Go-Getters back in 2020. Regardless of their book's topic, a Spirit...

Assassins, Dragons, and Royal Intrigue with Author E.A. Winters -41 13.09.2023

On today's episode, we sit down with YA fantasy author E.A. Winters, a mom, Licensed Professional Counselor, military spouse, and—dragon rider?? Well, dragon writer, anyway! E.A. Winters has loved reading since childhood and wanted to be an author around the same time she wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Neither panned out at first, but then in 2017 she started writing her debut novel, The Forgotte...

What Historical Fiction Characters Teach You About Contemporary Living with Author Elaine Stock -40 06.09.2023

lways the curious and independent (“I can do it myself”) child, Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction author Elaine Stock was stumped when she asked family members questions about her heritage and discovered no one wanted to talk about the past. She also was bemused when especially her beloved grandmother would reply “Why? Are you going to write a book about it?” Years later, after penning a few insp...

Feminism, Imagination, and Beyond: A Conversation with Anna Quinn -39 30.08.2023

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Anna Quinn, an author, and founder of the Writers’ Workshoppe in Port Townsend, Washington. Her debut novel, THE NIGHT CHILD, published in 2018, was a Washington State Book Award finalist, listed as #1 Best Real Psychological Fiction on Goodreads, and has been praised for its powerful portrayal of trauma and its impact on identity and relation...

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