Rough Drafts Welcome by Salt and Sage Books

In this episode of Salt and Sage Books, Erin discusses her return to podcasting after a period of burnout. She reflects on the challenges of balancing her business and personal writing journey, and shares insights from a conversation with a client about writing social justice themes. Erin emphasizes the importance of understanding privilege, the mission of Salt and Sage Books, and the role of sens...

You head to your bookshelf and pull off a childhood favorite... only to be shocked by some of the content you'd completely forgotten about! So... what now? Kid lit is a complex subject, and it becomes even more complex give the passage of time and the way morals have moved since you were a kid. Erin & Sachiko approach this from a parenting lens as well as an educational one, and we're...

Check out the previous episode for indie publishing part 1. Sachiko has questions about indie publishing, and Erin has (some of) the answers! Last episode, we went over how to write to market, what exactly it means to write to market, and how to find an audience and category that are hungry for your writing. In this episode, we move from writing the piece through publishing, including all the ins...

Sachiko's got some questions about her upcoming project--and Erin has way too much hyperfocus-fueled knowledge about how to make data-based decisions about your indie novel. We talk about writing to market, and why that's a smart choice for indies; how to understand your chosen market, including tropes, reader expectations, and genre overlap; and how research the existing market to find th...

The world is falling apart. Whether that’s your personal world, your community’s world, or the literal world around you, how do you cope? As a creative especially, what do you do? How do you keep writing, quilting, drawing, creating? The answer might be that you don’t. The answer might be that you do. The answer might be that you switch mediums, switch stories, switch modes. It might be that you w...

CW: This episode contains conversations about sexual situations and is not intended for anyone under the age of 18. Our incredible editor, therapist, and featured sensitivity reader Amy joins us to talk about all things spicy! You’ve probably all noticed the increase in “respectability” when it comes to spicy books, both erotica and smut alike — it’s a brave new world out there, and we are here fo...

You know that you don’t know how to write a certain scene… say a kissing scene. And you want to learn how to do it—but how, exactly, do you figure out how to write like your favorite authors? Join Erin & Sachiko today as they dive deep into how, exactly, you’re supposed to figure out how to be a good writer. Classes help, degrees help, but the best help of all is right on your book shelf. Erin...

The great war of indie publishing versus traditional publishing has begun! No, not really. Erin actually thinks that they're both pretty cool. But if you have wondered which of those publication pathways is a better fit for you, Erin has some thoughts. Depending on genre expectations, your goal audience, your ideal reader, and even your own personal interest in marketing, you might find that o...

Join us today as we meet the incredible David. David, is an editor at salt and Sage books, a sensitivity reader, and a big believer in looking into the shadows of what makes us human. David loves horror, and talks a little bit more about what makes the genre so interesting to him. David has a background in psychotherapy, and uses many of those approaches in his reads. He is an incredible editor wh...

Erin and Sachiko dive headfirst into one of the most common issues we see in our writers: circling the same story for years. You know the authors; you've heard the stories. You might even be one of them! There's something about this story, something about this plot. You might have "world builder's disease" or feel like you just can't quite get this story right. Whether yo...

Join us today in meeting the incredible editor Rebecca! Rebecca, with her Master's of Fine Arts, talks with us today about who she is, what she loves, and how she edits. We discuss her passion for disability advocacy, the medical model of disability vs. the social model, and the way that books change the world. She is a sensitivity reader, autistic parent to autistic children, developmental ed...

Join editor and therapist Amy in her conversation with Erin as the two discuss all things trauma. What exactly is trauma? What "counts" as trauma? How can you, as a creative, understand trauma better? We discuss PTSD, cPTSD, traumas both big and small, and the nervous system. As with all of our conversations with Amy, we're here learning things right alongside you. CW: generalized di...

You're a writer, your friend is a writer... why not read for each other? Save some money on an editor, you can have your writing friends read it! Not so fast! Reading and editing for your friends can be an incredible experience if it's set up correctly. Join Erin in today's episode to discuss the pros and cons of editing your friend's work. It's absolutely possible to have it b...

Erin has a lot to say about systems of power and the way that they interact with our fiction.  We discuss punching up, punching down, and how systems of power inform what funny actually feels like. Erin explains why, to her, privilege and power go hand-in-hand. She discusses patriarchy, sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia, and a host of other charged systems that thrive on controlling the people “...

To wrap up our romance novel February, Erin shares her thoughts on age gap romances. This trope has a lot of potential to be fun, flirty, and very enjoyable! But of course, as with all tropes, it has a dark side, too. At Salt and Sage Books, we believe that as authors and readers know more, they do better; this episode operates on that assumption. Erin discusses child marriage, appropriate and ina...

Welcome back to part two of Erin’s conversation with our sensitivity reader Amy! As a therapist and a sensitivity reader, Amy has unique insight into the way that relationships are presented in fiction (and more broadly as well) and why those misrepresentations—and lack of representation and diversity—impacts everyday people in a deep way. The discussion opens with a conversation about how white s...

What exactly makes a healthy relationship, and why does it matter that fiction has them? Erin sits down for a conversation with Amy, a sensitivity reader and therapist, to discuss the ins and outs of relationship writing. Have you ever noticed that the couples in fiction have the same problems over and over again? The woman magically changes the man, the man rescues the woman, the couple magically...

Join Erin in a solo episode today for a discussion about dark romance, mafia romance, and problematic/villainous heroes. Erin is a latecomer to the romance genre and has some thoughts about the way that patriarchal conditioning has infiltrated the romance genre. We start with a conversation about what makes a dark romance, what Erin's research revealed, and her theories about why dark romance,...

Join us today to as Erin interviews the absolutely incredible Lydia! Lydia is a highly intelligent, highly decorated, highly accomplished editor, author, and game developer. She's an incredible TTRPG developer, GM, and author -- and her editing skills match. Her know-how as a sensitivity reader and author has taken her to some really cool places, and we are so excited to introduce you to her t...

Welcome back to the conversation between our incredible editor, Amy Bowen, and our host, Erin. This is part two of a continued conversation about the intersection of creativity, mental wellness, prescriptions, medication, privilege, and power structures. If you missed part one, check out the episode just before this one. In part two, the conversation turns to specific actions that all creatives ca...

We're lucky enough to be joined again by Amy for part one of this conversation about mental health and creativity. As a skilled therapist and editor, and a gifted artist in her own right, Amy's perspective on creativity is an intriguing one. Tune in as we discuss the way creativity has become associated with mental illness, the harmful impacts of being anti-medication, and the deep interse...

So you want to find a critique group. You know they’re important for your growth as a writer. Maybe you’re hungry for some writing friends! Maybe you really need a reliable set of eyes on your work. Maybe you need some external pressure for getting your own writing done. Whatever your reason, it’s time to find a critique group, and we’re here to help! Sachiko and Erin have a wide variety of experi...

Join Erin for this solo episode where she talks about the dos--and don'ts--of setting writing goals for the new year. Whether you're a newbie writer and want to write every day or you're an established author, the pressure to set new writing goals can be really intense! Erin's got a lot of ideas about how to make those writing goals feel more attainable and how to be kinder to your...

Erin & Sachiko discuss the benefits and drawbacks of monetizing your hobbies, including writing, quilting, art, etc., and the importance of having space in your life for additional emotionally fulfilling things. Because we all have things we love, but hey, we also live in capitalism, and we also need groceries. Do you want to be a full-time writer? A well-loved author? A famous quilter? This i...

🎙️ Welcome back to another heartfelt episode of Rough Drafts Welcome! 📝 Erin sits down with one of Salt and Sage Books' editors, Amy, who a licensed clinical therapist. They dive into the realm of mental health representation in fiction. They focus on the profound impact that authentic representation can have on real-life attitudes towards mental health and therapy. Amy shares insights on the...