Sign My Book: A Peek Inside the Writer's Mind

In this episode of Sign My Book , I’m talking with book marketing and social media expert Jenn DePaula, who’s been helping authors, musicians, and creatives build their platforms for over 25 years. Jenn started in the music industry just as everything was shifting to digital, and she’s carried those lessons into the publishing world helping authors move beyond “I’ll just run some Facebook ads” int...

This week on Sign My Book , I sit down with the hilarious and talented mother–daughter writing duo Kelly and Megan Anelons, an award-winning screenwriting team and Nicholl Fellowship finalists. Megan is a former creative executive turned Booktokker and co-writer, and her mom Kelly co-writer. Together they share how they’ve built a thriving creative partnership that’s as honest as it is funny. We d...

This week on Sign My Book , I sit down with Jessica Lancaster—journalist, editor, writer, and founder of Musings & Company, a boutique studio for freelance editing and book cover design. Jessica shares her path from corporate sales to a newsroom, then into indie publishing—where she now helps authors polish their manuscripts without changing their voice and create genre-accurate covers that se...

This week on Sign My Book , I chat with Val Penny—an American-born, Scotland-based crime fiction author behind the DI Hunter Wilson police procedurals (Edinburgh) and the Jane Renwick Thrillers (set across Scotland). Val shares how illness unexpectedly rerouted her life toward writing, the serendipitous (and very funny) road to her first book deal, and why rejection letters aren’t personal—they’re...

This week on Sign My Book , I sit down with USA Today bestselling author Michele Pariza Wacek (MPW) to talk about her twisty, clean mysteries—spanning psychological thrillers and cozy mysteries—all set in her fictional Wisconsin world. Michele shares how her series are cleverly interconnected: The Secrets of Redemption (9-book thriller foundation) spun off The Charlie Kingsley Mysteries (’90s cozi...

This week on Sign My Book , I chat with author Jenna Maeson, who has turned her lifelong love of storytelling into a thriving self-publishing career. From writing picture-stories as a child to releasing four novels in less than a year, Jenna’s journey is packed with lessons about creative discipline, burnout, and the balance between writing for the market and writing for yourself. In our conversat...

This week on Sign My Book , I sit down with romantic comedy author Kimberly Webb, whose lifelong passion for storytelling has taken her from writing fantasy retellings in high school to launching her latest adventure-filled rom-com, Jillian’s Island . Kimberly shares how she wrote 15 novels in just six years, why she stepped away from writing to focus on family, and how she reignited her creative...

In this episode, host Lisa McFadden chats with author Annette Miller as she shares her journey from aspiring writer to published author, and discusses her passion for the fantasy, supernatural, and science fiction genres. She dives into her Angel Haven series, highlighting its mythical beings, unconventional heroes, and the importance of happy endings in romance. Annette explains her writing proce...

Want to learn how to overcome creative blocks and tap into your intuition as a writer? Tune in as Sara Zavacki-Moore, a certified hypnotherapist and author, reveals how hypnosis and mindfulness can help you open up your creativity and learn trust your instincts. In this episode, Lisa interviews Sara Zavacki-Moore, a hypnotherapist and author. They discuss Sara's journey into writing and how sh...

Lori Pollard Johnson discusses her writing journey, including starting with children's books, transitioning to writing articles, and eventually publishing cozy mysteries. In this week’s episode, Lori Pollard Johnson shares her writing journey, starting with children's books and then transitioning to writing articles for various publications. She talks about her inspiration for her first bo...

In this week’s episode, we meet with historical fiction and mystery author, Mary Kendall.  Mary lived in old (and haunted) houses growing up which sparked a life-long interest in history and story-telling. She earned degrees in history related fields and worked as an historian for many years. Her fiction writing is heavily influenced by the past which she believes is never really dead and buried....

Felicity Green is a self-published author of the Scottish Witches Mysteries, a paranormal cozy mystery series set in Scotland. Each book in the series focuses on a different witch in the coven, each with a unique magical ability. The fifth book is set to be released May 23rd (today!).  Felicity started writing seriously after completing her master's in creative writing and has since written ar...

In this week’s episode, I got to interview one of the most inspirational people I know, Jessie Rosen about her new book, The Heirloom. In our conversation, Jessie takes us inside the inspiration behind her book, her writing process, how she tracked not only the plot and story but the main character’s emotional response at each chapter to balance introspection with plot development, receiving notes...

On today’s episode, author and comedian, Ali Hassan, discusses his experience writing his memoir, ‘Is There Bacon in Heaven?’ and the challenges of transitioning from stand-up comedy to book writing. He shares how his background in comedy influenced his writing process and the importance of connecting creatively with your editor and how they helped to shape his book. He emphasizes the value of lea...

This week, I chat with cozy-fantasy-fiction author, Sierra Cross. She discusses her book series, writing process, and experiences with traditional publishing versus self-publishing. She shares her love for cozy genres and the inspiration behind her Blue Moon Bay Witches series.  Sierra also talks about the benefits of using pen names and the creative freedom it provides. She highlights the collabo...

In this week’s episode, I meet with actor-turned-screenwriter-turned-novelist, Bob Saenz. Bob discusses the importance of having a bucket list, how it can inspire and enrich a writer's work, and how imposter syndrome keeps him humble. Bob shares his journey from acting to screenwriting and the challenges he faced along the way. He talks about the process of writing his novel, Jessica's Vam...

In this week’s episode, I talk with Hollywood screenwriting veteran, Gordon Greisman about his debut novel, The Devil’s Daughter. Gordon fills us in on his book and writing noir set in 1950’s New York City, living in Los Angeles, joining the WGA picket lines in the summer of 2023 and how the life of a working screenwriter has changed. Gordon shares his writing process which may simply be about “do...

Today’s guest, Loren E. Chadima is an alumnus of the prestigious AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women . Loren’s films have won several Best Film categories and qualified for the 79th Annual Academy Awards. Loren has also been named one of the “Best Acting Coaches in the United States” by The Federation of American Musicians, Singers, and Performing Artists. Her Intentional Acting technique has helpe...

In this week’s episode, I hope you’re ready for an insightful journey into the world of writing as I sit down with the incredible Waka T. Brown. This multi-talented soul takes us through her writing journey, shedding light on her transition from screenwriting to crafting compelling books for middle-grade readers as well as a children’s picture book. She shares with us her experiences with Pitch Wa...

In this episode, Lisa interviews poet and voice coach Lauren Best. Lauren shares her journey as a writer, from starting as a songwriter to becoming a poet laureate. She discusses the transformation of her identity as a writer and the impact of her tenure as poet laureate on her creative process.  Lauren also explores the intersection of spoken word and poetry, and the different ways she performs h...

In this week’s episode, I spoke with Melissa Bond, author of the memoir, Blood Orange Night. Melissa Bond is a narrative journalist and poet. During her years of dependence on benzodiazepines, Melissa blogged and became a regular contributor for Mad in America . ABC World News Tonight interviewed her for a piece in January 2014. She is a respected writer on the perils of overprescribing benzodiaze...

I was asked recently why it’s difficult for novelists to switch to screenwriting - what is something to know or the primary difference? Join me today for a quick, short discussion on the primary difference between the two vastly different writing styles and what’s required to be successful in transitioning from one to the other. I share the errors reported to me by a screenwriting competition judg...

This week I met with Amey Zeigler for a laughter-filled episode discussing her writing process and how she discovered her niche, inspirational women's fiction using semi-magical crockery. Amey has written 14+ books. Her latest arrival is The Christmas Mug. Amey gives insightful and encouraging advice to those writers out there who are struggling with where to start or what to write. I hope you...

This week, I interview filmmaker and screenwriter, Rebecca Glazer. Rebecca shares about her multifaceted career, the power of networking, creating a community of writers, Rebecca's writing journey, collaborative writing and writing partners, writing as therapy and personal growth, and reflecting on personal and creative growth. She also highlights the collaborative and iterative nature of the...

This week, I had the opportunity to have a lively, upbeat conversation with Angela Belford. Angela discusses her path to writing two books she self-published and the memoir that remains forever unpublished at her decision. We chat about that decision and how she found writing nonfiction to help others was more satisfying than writing a book about herself shifting her own mindset. Angela will inspi...