SPA Girls Podcast

Serenity Woods is a New Zealand self-publishing superstar with more than 70 books published (both traditionally and indie). She's a USA Today bestselling author of sexy contemporary romances, most of which are set in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand, where she lives. Serenity joins the SPA Girls again this week to discuss her publishing strategy and the road to six figures - hint, it's a...

Confused about the editing process? Today we talk with talented editor Anne Victory, founder of Victory Editing. Anne has always been a stickler for grammar, and at every job she was "volunteered" (or volun-told) to either write or proofread everything from menus to game manuals to advertising copy. That business writing and editing experience came in handy when she started to work in fiction. She...

What does 'writing to trend' mean? Isn't it just the same as 'writing to market'?  In the SPA, we say NO, they're not the same...and here's why: basically, Shar told us so.  :)  In this episode we explore the two terms, look at the differences between them, what they both mean for you as an author, and how you can use writing to market and writing to trend to help your writing career.  If you've e...

Ah, readers... They're elusive. Magical. Confusing.  But we all want them.  This episode, we break down the topic of reader expectations, discussing what they are, what it means for you the author, and how to make sure you are fulfilling your readers' expectations.   Why do readers love certain books? What makes them pick one book over another? And more importantly, how do you make sure your book...

This week we have the pleasure of talking with Chris Fox , author of 20+ SFF novels and very popular non-fiction books for writers including his latest, Ads For Authors Who Hate Math. Chris once worked in Silicon Valley developing iPhone apps but he's now come over to the dark side and very successfully writes books about dragons tearing apart starships, and gods blowing up planets. He published h...

Are your sales getting you down?  Do you wish your series was selling better?  This episode we talk through some of the possible reasons that your book or series might not be selling.  From cover, editing and blurb writing, to content, tropes, meeting reader expectations, and much, much more.  We attempt to help you troubleshoot what might be wrong, and what you can do to amp it up, make it work,...

Ever been in a bookstore and opened a book and read the first couple of pages?  Ever put the book back, deciding that it wasn't that interesting?  Yep, we have too.  And that's exactly what we talk to Australian romantic comedy author Amy Andrews about this week. She takes us through the concept of first pages, and how to make sure readers not only pick up your book, but find they can't put it dow...

Do you feel like your writing career is filled with mistakes? Failures? Problems?  Good! That means you're putting yourself out there, trying new things, and moving in a positive direction in your writing career. If you're not doing any of the above...start right now!  Why, you ask, in horror?  Because having a pile of failures next to your name means that you're getting out there and doing things...

If you've been thinking about trying out Bookbub ads, then this is the episode for you!  Melissa Storm was at the RWNZ conference in Christchurch with us, and we stole her away and made her tell us all about Bookbub ads just for you, our lovely listeners...  From what Bookbub ads actually are, to what you'll need to set one up, and all the tips and tricks in between, Melissa gives us all the infor...

We've all had experience with saggy middles... (And no, we're not talking about our stomachs...) Have you ever gotten to the middle of your manuscript and wondered what on earth you're doing? Do you end up cleaning the whole house instead of getting back to your daily word count? Does it feel like you're typing through concrete, and you couldn't concentrate on getting more words down for the life...

It's a big week for the SPA Girls. We've made it to 200 episodes of the podcast! Woohoo!  This week is a celebration episode, where we look back over 200 episodes of the SPA Girls Podcast, and talk about the common traits of all the successful self publishers that we've spoken to.  From the humbleness of Bella Andre and the flexible nature of Serena Woods, to the smart work ethic of Skye Warren an...

Want to hear how a world-wide bestselling author got to where he is today?  Join us as we talk to UK crime novelist Adam Croft about his writing career, including how he generates his ideas, how he writes, and how he creates those amazing hooks that he's so well known for. (No, really, would you murder your wife to save your daughter? And what would happen if you were married to a serial killer?) ...

Has your sparkle gone soggy?  Are you wondering why you're not happier?  Have you lost your creativity?  Then this is the episode for you! We talk to fellow Kiwi author, Julie Schooler, about how to find your sparkle, and wake up happier!  Many of us have lost the ability to dream big. We're dealing with problems at every turn. It's actually harder to be happy than it is to be sad. So in this epis...

Are you struggling to write?  Wondering why you can't just sit down and do it, when it's your passion?  This week we talk to Kelly McClymer about "Hacking Your Muse", or how to convince yourself to sit down and write when you don't seem to be able to do it...  We all give ourselves excuses for why we can't write, and Kelly breaks down the kind of thoughts we have around writing, and how to change...

Terrified of public speaking?  Don't know what to say on Facebook Live?  This is the episode for you!  Public speaking for authors is about more than just talking in front of fans at your local bookstore. These days we're also expected to do online speaking such as Facebook Live events, podcast interviews, and YouTube discussions.  Our guest today has ALL THE TIPS for any kind of public speaking y...

This week's guest, fantasy author Laura Van Arendonk-Baugh, talks about our expectations as authors, and how, like with anything else, it's impossible to steer a parked "writing" car.  And she should know. She's a behavioural scientist who works with animals and she loves to break down and assess the how and why of our behaviour.  She talks about why we expect so much of ourselves, and gives some...

Ever wondered how the SPA Girls spend their days?  Imagining champagne and caviar at fancy hotels?  This is the episode where you find out for sure...  We talk through how we spend our days; from when we get up, how many hours we work, how many words we write, and how much marketing we do. We talk about our distractions, how we structure our days and the challenges of working from home.  Before yo...

There's so much advice out there in Self-Publishing-Land. We're told you have to do this, and you have to do that, and you have to do the next thing to be a success in self publishing.  There's so much conflicting advice that it can actually do your head in...  This week, we go through some of the things that you can do to keep your self publishing career on track. How to keep it simple and not ge...

This is the second episode in the interview series with bestselling author and Facebook guru, Skye Warren.  Skye has had a fascinating author journey, and in this second episode she talks to us about the changes she had to make with regards to her mindset before she could become successful as an author. If you've ever said that you can't do something that you know you need to do for your career, t...

Ever thought that if only you had more time in your day, you'd be successful? Rich? How you'd get all your writing done?  Well, this is the podcast for you!  When romance author Skye Warren went from being able to work all hours of the day to only being able to manage two hours every day, she had to figure out how to keep money from her writing coming in. And fast. She had a mortgage and other bil...

Are your wrists giving you problems? Thinking you need to get out and walk more?  But still have to write all those books??  Then this episode is for you... We talk to dictation expert Scott Baker about all aspects of dictation, from the right software to get, the products and technical knowledge you need to get started, and how to train that dragon to within an inch of its life!!  Scott talks to...

If you're a writer who hates to outline, you'll love this week's podcast! We talk to Patricia McLinn, a mystery and romance author who is also a pantser who writes out of sequence. She's here to tell you that it doesn't matter how you write it, as long as it comes together in the end!  Patricia worked at the Washington Post for more than 20 years, is also a past president of NINC, and has publishe...

Morgana Best is the best-selling author of over 40 Cozy Mysteries, and she joins us in the SPA to tell us everything she knows about writing Cozies.  From word counts to reader expectations, and even her writing process - which involves using Dragon Dictate, and is totally fascinating - Morgana gives us insider information on how to put together a bestselling Cozy Mystery!  If you love Cozy Myster...

Want to figure out how to create the perfect crime for your cozy mystery character to solve?  Or find out how your investigator protagonist would investigate a murder?  Perhaps you just want to find out what investigators look for at a crime scene so you can figure out what to plant at your fictitious scene?  Well, your questions will all be answered during this in-depth chat with Federal Law Enfo...

Have you ever wondered whether your character would survive holding highly enriched uranium metal in their hand? What about if they'd handled that green goo from the barrel marked with a radiation symbol?  That's the kind of knowledge that you'll get from listening to this episode of the SPA Girls Podcast. We talk to Natasha Bajema, an expert in national security issues, especially weapons of mass...