Kobo Writing Life Podcast

In this episode, we spoke to award-winning author Bethany Maines, whose romance-fuelled action-adventure novels include Eye Contact and Bulletproof Mascara , among many others. Bethany is a multi-genre author who has written in many genres and sub-genres, including action-adventure, mystery and suspense, science fiction and paranormal romance. She's also a hybrid author who has experience working...

In this episode, we are joined by Kiki Chatfield, CEO and founder of The Next Step PR . Kiki spoke with us about her PR company, why she founded it, her best marketing tips for authors, the conference she runs, Authors in the Bluegrass , and so much more! Kiki is always open to hearing from readers and authors alike and is enthusiastic about helping others as much as she can. She had so much great...

In this episode, we are joined by best-selling Canadian author Emily Austin, whose debut novel Everyone In This Room Will Some Day Be Dead was nominated for the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour, to discuss her latest release, Interesting Facts About Space ! This title is available today and was one of our top reads of last year – we were so grateful to received ARCs of this must-read new release....

In this episode, we are joined by best-selling author of the book series that became a TikTok sensation,  Playing for Keeps ! Playing for Keeps is a steamy, romantic hockey romance trilogy that have taken Booktok (the bookish side of TikTok) by storm. We were so excited to talk to Becka and hear all about her writing journey, the realities of both self-publishing and traditional publishing, and, o...

In this episode, we are joined by Lisa Shaughnessy, founder of The Writing Retreat Sampler and creator of The Writing Retreat Directory . The Writing Retreat Sampler is a series of virtual events that help writers find writing retreats that best suit their writing and publishing goals, and The Writing Retreat Directory is a free directory that features more info on writing retreats across the glob...

In this episode, we sat down as a team to talk about everything do with Kobo Writing Life that took place over the last year! KWL Director Tara, Author Engagement Manager Laura, Promotions Specialist Rachel, Kobo Originals Lead and Content Coordinator Vanessa and Content Coordinator Terrence all shared highlights from their work in 2023, including insights into Kobo Plus, the Kobo Plus expansions...

In this episode, we are joined by New York Times and international bestselling author Elena Armas, author of The Spanish Love Deception and The American Roommate Experiment ! Elena is a life-long romance fan who got started writing and publishing three years ago. We chat with her about her latest rom-com romp, The Long Game , which is a small-town, contemporary sports romance between a soccer exec...

In this episode, we are joined by Bethany Lopez , a USA Today best-selling, multi-genre author who has written over thirty books! Bethany is a prolific author with multiple ongoing contemporary romance series to her name, as well as several paranormal romance series under the pen name DJ Bryce ! Her latest release on Kobo is a box set of her popular series, The Jilted Wives Club , available now. B...

In this episode, we are joined by New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Jenn Sterling, writing as J. Sterling, whose latest series, Fun for the Holidays , features holiday romances for every season. Check out her latest instalment, The Thanksgiving Hookup ! Jenn is also the author of dozens of books across several series, and is the author of sports romances, celebrity romances, new adu...

In this episode, we spoke to Brett Riley, author of fiction, screenplays, and creative non-fiction. Based in Las Vegas, he also teaches creative writing at the College of Southern Nevada. We had a great chat about his works, writing in the horror genre, his love of comic books, and his sci-fi and fantasy YA series with elements of the otherworldly and monstrous, Freaks . We also learned so much fr...

In today's episode, we are joined by Elizabeth Barone, author of over a dozen novels, with one of her latest releases published by Kobo Originals! Stagwood Falls: Love in Ink is a contemporary romance taking place in the fictional town of Stagwood Falls and the tattoo parlour – and the women who work there – at the heart of it. A Touch of Gold and the Love in Ink series are described as "Virgin Ri...

In this episode, we are joined by fantasy author, LGBTQ+ sensitivity reader, and international speaker and presenter October K. Santerelli! October's latest book, City of Day , was published this past February and is the first in a planned trilogy. We were so excited to have October on the podcast after first hearing him present on neurodivergency and the creative process at Superstars Writing Sem...

In this episode, we are joined by author and book coach Mary Adkins, founder of The Book Incubator , a program for authors looking to write their best possible book. Mary spent six years writing and re-writing her first book before landing a book deal with HarperCollins, and as such, perfected her writing program! Now, she works to share this helpful information with other authors looking to reach...

In this episode, we spoke with John Gaspard, author of The Popcorn Principles: A Novelist's Guide to Learning from the Movies , an indispensable guide to implementing tips and tricks learned from film directors and film in general into your fiction writing. John is also the author of several mystery novels across two series, as well as multiple standalone novels and non-fiction titles. He also hos...

In this episode, we spoke with Halima Khatun, PR consultant, former broadcast journalist, and author of the new non-fiction title Priceless Publicity , a book full of useful information for independent writers looking to improve their publicity and media coverage output! Halima is also the author of several highly praised rom-coms, including her award-winning debut novel, The Secret Diary of an Ar...

In today's episode, we are joined by renowned indie publishing business expert, educator and author, Mark Dawson – who also happens to be a fellow podcast producer and host! Mark Dawson is the author of over twenty books across multiple series, has sold millions of copies of his titles, and is also the founder of the Self Publishing Formula and host of the Self Publishing Show podcast . Mark hardl...

In this episode, we spoke to the writing team of Jasinda and Jack Wilder (who we had the chance to meet at NINC 2022), wife and husband and parents to six kids, who write their own books as well work collaboratively. Between the two of them, they have written dozens of books, many of them best-sellers, across a multitude of genres and sub-genres. Be sure to check out their latest releases,  Dirty...

In this episode, we are joined by Jessica Ward, also known as J. R. Ward . J. R. Ward is the author of the acclaimed series, The Black Dagger Brotherhood . Over 15 million copies of her novels are in print around the world and she has been published in over 25 countries globally! Her latest release as Jessica Ward is The St. Ambrose School for Girls , a coming-of-age novel described as Heathers me...

In this episode, we spoke with Catherine McKenzie, USA Today best-selling author of "riveting domestic suspense," I'll Never Tell ,  "one of 2022's best and most-anticipated thrillers," Please Join Us , and more! After publishing more than a dozen titles since 2010, Catherine's latest, Have You Seen Her , is out today! We asked Catherine about her journey to becoming a writer, her previous career...

In this episode, we heard from Arizona Tape , author of dozens of books across multiple series, and collaborative writer on many more! We learned about Arizona's journey to becoming a full-time writer, heard more about her solo and her collaborative writing processes, asked after her favourite manga and anime series, and got some great advice for emerging writers. We also chatted about LGBTQ+ repr...

In this episode, we spoke to bestselling author Ruth Ware about her upcoming release, Zero Days , available on June 20th, 2023. Ruth's novels have been translated into over 40 languages as well as optioned for film and TV, and she has garnered numerous bestsellers internationally. Zero Days is a tech-based, fast-paced thriller wherein the protagonist finds that there is nowhere to hide, and enemie...

In this week's episode, we spoke with New York Times , USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author, Christina Lauren – which is the pen name of two authors, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings! We are here to highlight their latest release – The True Love Experiment , available now – and to learn more about their amazing writing career. Christina and Lauren tell us about how they got start...

In this episode, we are joined by award-winning true crime writer Kerrie Droban to discuss her latest release, Aurora , and to hear more about her amazing writing career! Kerrie's experience as a criminal and family attorney has heavily influenced her career in writing true crime narratives, and she is an expert in criminal pathology and motorcycle gangs who has written many books on both subjects...

In this episode, we talk to author Maren Cooper , writer of literary and contemporary women's fiction. We spoke to Maren about how she went from working in healthcare to having a writing career, her sources of inspiration, her story as a "second chapter" author, and her latest (and second) novel, Finding Grace , a coming-of-age story about a family struggling to come together again. Maren was very...

In this episode, we sat down with Grace Callaway, USA Today and international best-selling author of historical romances (that are often on the steamier side, with lots of mystery and adventure)! Grace's latest, Glory and the Master of Shadows , is the fourth in her series, Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels , which is, in Grace's own words, "a Victorian-era Charlie's Angels"! We were so excited t...