The Secret Library Podcast

I really just love me some Ezzie Spencer. Dr. Ezzie Spencer didn't begin writing and teaching about the impact the Moon can have on our lives. Quite the opposite- she began in a law career which travelled through social justice work and academia before she began teaching about how tracking our lives through the phases of the moon can be life altering. This episode gets a little meta: not only has...

Elizabeth Hess was an art critic before she began writing about animals. I love speaking with writers whose careers have evolved as they have written; Elizabeth is a beautiful example. Beginning by writing as an art critic, she found her way to writing about animals and the cultures that surround them. She's won awards for her coverage of the municipal animal control program in NYC, and is the aut...

First-Time Novelist Paul Scheuring was already a professional screenwriter when he started his book. Not only was he a professional screenwriter, he had big successes under his belt, like being the creator of the TV show, Prison Break. It shocks me that I live in Los Angeles and have reached episode 40 without having a single screenwriter on the show (although sticklers will note that V.E. Schwab...

Tasha Harrison knows how to make a sex scene, well – sexy.   Up to this point in the show we have stayed in the "safe for work" territory. But if you're writing for adults, eventually you're going to want to dive into adult topics. Like sex scenes. If you've been intimidated by writing sex scenes in your books but feel like you've got some chemistry that warrants one, let Tasha walk you through th...

Victoria Schwab is a professional novelist.   What I mean by this is, Victoria Schwab has had exactly one career: novelist. New York Times-bestselling novelist at that. She is that special thing we all dream of: a writing unicorn, if you will. But don't let this fact think that her story is one you won't relate to. Does she write full time? Yes. Was it easy to get to that place? Hell, no. She's sp...

Alexandra Franzen's daily mantra is "Today isn't over yet." I wanted to talk to Alexandra because I was so impressed when, a couple of months ago, she celebrated her birthday by giving her latest novel  to her mailing list for free. It was so refreshing. It's such a great book and she had just given it away. Seriously baller. Today on the show we talk about how she wrote that book, what made her w...

Kim Cooper knows L.A. history like it's an old friend. I've been an Angeleno for over ten years, but Kim Cooper is a big part of why I fell in love with the place. Together with her husband, Richard Schave, Kim runs Esotouric, the best thing ever to happen to Los Angeles history. From crime sprees to mobsters to cults, these two know all the deep dark secrets about L.A.'s past. If you come visit u...

Amy Kuretsky is over the suffering artist: She's ushering in the healthy creative instead.  Amy Kuretsky is a health coach for creatives and an acupuncturist + herbalist specializing in the emotional and digestive wellness. She coaches creative entrepreneurs to be their healthiest selves without sacrificing their businesses in the process. Her support is for clients who are seeking to make a deepe...

Scott Carney knows how to write a pitch. Not only do his articles get published, he's now on his third book.  Scott has an impressive resume: he's given a Tedx talk, was a contributing editor at Wired, and has also written articles published in Mother Jones, Playboy, Men's Journal, Foreign Policy, Discover, Outside and Fast Company. He has a degree in Anthropology and loves digging deep into a sub...

Kate Newburg has you covered. Pun intended. Kate Newburg makes me laugh. She's got a wicked sense of humor (not in the Boston sense - she's from Atlanta) and knows the ins and outs of the deeper reaches of Amazon eBooks. She uses this power for good as a cover designer primarily for romance novels, and she knows how to make a reader feel seduced. We talk about matching your cover design with your...

J.H. Moncrieff is writing the next Gone Girl. When Harlequin put out a request for writing submissions to create the next Gone Girl, J.H. Moncrieff won. She's one of two authors who were selected to write the parallel plots of this new thriller, coming out in 2017. Beyond this project, she's the author of The Bear Who Wouldn't leave, a seriously spooky novella. In this episode, we chat about the m...

Kim Krans comes from the Wild Unknown.  This is how she introduced herself when I met her a couple of months ago. She was touring for the Wild Unknown tarot, the title that just minted her a New York Times Bestselling-author. (yes!) I wasn't sure what I thought I would learn in the yoga studio where the workshop was happening that Friday night, I just knew I wanted to hear what the creator of that...

Sarah Selecky is back! It's time to get into revision... I must admit, I was a little nervous to have this conversation with Sarah Selecky. As a NaNoWriMo winner five times over who then went on to leave each of those novels untouched in drawers and on hard drives, I am not a great champion of revision as an easy process. Sarah is back, having finished her own first novel draft and into the revisi...

Susannah Conway knows how books get made. Having authored two and co-authored a third, Susannah has seen the process through, from proposal to publication, three times. She shares about the creation of proposals, how the book evolves from idea to finished manuscript, and how different it is working on a written book versus one that is primarily about the images. I left this conversation so inspire...

Gary Wilson has been writing fiction for decades. He was the first person I thought of speaking to when people started asking me to talk about structure on the show. He's the author of two novels and has also taught fiction at the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins University. Gary is one of my favorite people and I was thrilled to have the excuse to chat books and writing with him. We go thr...

Lucy Bellwood writes seafaring comics. When I saw Lucy speak at XOXO this past September, I was absolutely smitten. Not only has she turned her love of tall ships into two crowdfunded comics, she is also incredibly honest about what it takes to live the life of a creative person. She spoke about finances, dreams, and how having a big year can mean recognition and happiness, but that money still pl...

This week, we have a letter from Dal, who is interested in learning about book proposals... I share how book proposals work, and recommend a guide that will help her get all the way through its creation, should she need one at all. Listen up to learn if you need a proposal and how to make that happen.  Show notes | Sponsored by Pretty by Post Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informa...

Theresa Reed is the Tarot Lady. As a tarot lover, I was delighted to learn that Theresa Reed was coming out with a tarot book- and that it was also a coloring book. So cool! And so many things we could talk about on the show. Coloring book creation, picking the images to use, what it takes to create a coloring book? We go into it all.  Speaking with Theresa was a complete treat. We talk tarot, dif...

Getting an agent can be intimidating. It doesn't have to scare you away from meeting the right person. Terra Chalberg of Chalberg & Sussman talks to us this week from inside the literary world. I am so grateful for her generosity and willingness to share her process of connecting with authors and choosing who she'd like to work with as an agent. This conversation is a must-listen for anyone consid...

Are you in a media bubble? I knew I wanted to have Meghan Dowell on the show when I met her. We talked about how our access to media and reading changes who we think we are. I was hooked. We talk about everything from print media to bookless libraries to the #syllabus movement that expands study to social media. If you're ready to get your mind blown by all the possibilities for reading out there,...

Marissa writes in this week because she's taken the plunge into the spiritual world, but it sounds a little bit like she's drowning in it. I talk about my own experiences with spiritual practice in this episode, and you can find links to my suggested books in the show notes. Sponsored by Pretty by Post Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you'd...

Heidi Fiedler has worked on over 300 Children's Books. Can I just say 300 books? 300 titles! As Heidi made clear on the show, she did not write all 300 of these books. She has emphasized that children's books are shorter than adult books. Even so, she's been a developmental or series editor and was involved with significant aspects of all 300. We have a lot to learn from this lady. Whether you are...

This week's letter comes from Kristy, a self-confessed serial dater who'd like to settle down a bit and get to know herself. Listen up to get my full thoughts, and check out the show notes for the books I recommended to Kristy. Sponsored by Pretty by Post Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or g...

Sometimes we all need a good laugh. Mary Laura Philpott was the perfect person to talk to about humor. Her book, Penguins with People Problems, began as a small personal project that made enough people laugh that it was turned into a book. She's just as funny in this interview and I had a blast talking about everything from her book to the book tv show she does and the biggest list of recommended...

Logan writes in this week looking for trivia and weird knowledge. I love this sort of thing- reading for the absolute joy of it. Listen up for some hot tips and check out the show notes for links to the books I suggested. Sponsored by Pretty By Post Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get acc...