The Secret Library Podcast

I’m delighted to have Craig Mod, book producer and author, on the show today. In our conversation, he shares how he created his own press after receiving rejection after rejection. We also get to hear about his creative process which is a real treat because Craig’s books are really like no other, they are a work of art alongside amazing writing. Craig shows us how you can do publishing your own wa...

What a rare moment to have the perspective of literary agent and author on the podcast. Jennifer Herrera is on the Secret Library today and she’s sharing the current state of the publishing industry — most notably, how you can write to make sure you’re a sure thing in this risk-adverse environment. So much to learn from this episode!  Connect with Caroline on Instagram: @carodonahue This is a publ...

This might be one of the most vulnerable episodes of the Secret Library I’ve shared so far. Joanna Penn joins and shares why she’s chosen to publish on Kickstarter rather than going the traditional route. We also do a bit of a live coaching session as we talk through the shadow over all, but also my shadow about publishing. Learn how to embrace it, and get the courage to put your work out there (a...

Sometimes it feels like authors are psychic, right? The books they write are published in the exactly right historical moment which makes their work immediately timeless. This is certainly the case for Kerri Maher and her most recent book, All You Have to Do Is Call , which focuses on the true story of Chicago’s Jane Collective and the brave women who fought for reproductive rights. In our convers...

Halloween will be here before we know it, and to get into the spirit I’m excited to share this episode with Laura Sims, author of Looker and her newest book, How Can I Help You, which explores the darker side of humanity — all happening within a library which is a delight. Laura masters the art of rotating POV and dialogue in her newest work, so we dive into that and much more throughout this ep....

Welcome to the newest season of The Secret Library! We have an amazing line up in store for you these next few weeks that I can’t wait for you to hear. To start us off, Steven Rowley joins us to talk about his experience writing his latest book, The Celebrants. The biggest theme we touch upon is the bittersweet feeling that aging brings to our worldview (and the books we write and read). Steven ha...

And here we are — the final episode of season eight. I'm surprised that we're here already. We've had so many exciting conversations during the season, and here we are with my final episode, where it's just me and you talking about the gifts of writing and how they've played out. For me. I was thinking about enchantment, and wonder, and the shifts of mentality that writing has created and it was a...

Continuing the conversation about wonder, we‘re dipping back into the SLP archives for a couple of favorite episodes you might have missed, or that deserve a relisten with wonder in mind. Enjoy -- At about 40, there is a new level of clarity about the urgency of being creative. I was delighted to speak with Kusi Okamura, Editor of The Wild Word magazine and the publisher of Mike Hembury's novel Ne...

Continuing the conversation about wonder, we‘re dipping back into the SLP archives for a couple of favorite episodes you might have missed, or that deserve a relisten with wonder in mind. Enjoy -- I'm so grateful to welcome Greta Solomon back to the show. With her bright approach to life and incredible insight into the writing process, I always love to have writers who also teach and coach on the...

My guest today is Tamsin Woodward who discovered the Secret Library podcast during lockdown in 2020 and has loved it ever since. Along with the podcast, Tamsin is also an alumna of Dream to Draft. This is such a fun conversation, that as is true with every episode, I am excited to share with you. We get into the wonder and joy that can come from writing fiction, but also the opportunities that we...

My guest this week is Kali Patrick, a sleep and well being coach who wrote a #1 best-selling book as an independent publisher. I’m so excited to have Kali on because we haven’t yet explored the wonder and enchantment that can come from writing non-fiction and the experiences that are available to us when we share the knowledge and expertise from being a teacher or expert in a certain field. I thin...

My guest this week is Tara Calihman, a comedian, screenwriter, producer, essayist, teacher and facilitator. In our episode, we chat about how writing has impacted us and opened new opportunities and inspiration. I’m always impressed by Tara’s endless exploration of new things, especially stand-up comedy. We look at the ways that not being so attached to the form our story takes can open us up to t...

My guest this week is Lena McCullough, whose passion for writing started in early childhood, but she didn’t allow herself the time to write until recently as her children have grown older. Lena is an alumna of the first cohort of Dream to Draft and her enthusiasm and passion for writing is contagious. I knew that there would be wonder in her writing experience and writing process. If you’re findin...

My guest this week on the SLP is Anna Schroeder, who has been writing stories as long as she can remember and is now an author of multiple novels. On top of writing, Anna is an ICU nurse specializing in trauma and stroke which can find its way into her writing. I’m particularly excited to have Anna on because for a long time, she embraced writing for pure enjoyment before she decided to put her wo...

My guest this week is Aleksandra Merk, a proud graduate of the first cohort of Dream to Draft! I’m very excited to have her on the show because she bridges the gap between the academic and writing world. She has explored fiction in many forms herself, and being right in the middle of working on her first novel, I felt Aleksandra was the perfect guest to take us into the world of wonder within the...

Welcome to episode one of season eight of the Secret Library Podcast. I can think of no better guest than Katherine May who will start us in this journey of seeking wonder. Katherine is an internationally bestselling author and podcaster, most known for her book Wintering. Her newest book, Enchantment is the topic of our conversation today. We talk about looking for wonder through writing and choo...

I am really excited to have Sonal Champsee on the podcast today where we are taking her concept of writer therapy and accepting questions from The Secret Library cafe about the murky middle and discussing them. We hone in on three different questions that I think will be really relevant to you because struggling with these issues are part of what it means to be a writer. It’s safe to say we both e...

Show veteran Hannah Dennison is joining me this week. As the author of 17 books, I know she’s no stranger to the murky middle and finding her way through it. I love having Hannah on because we really get into what it means to get stuck in the middle, the various solutions we’ve tried, and our successes (and failures) with NaNoWriMo. This episode will help you think about your writing process as a...

There will be many stories similar to yours, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t put yours on the page! Today on the podcast, Danny Ramadan, author of The Foghorn Echoes, shares his 5-year experience writing his book. He’ll inspire you to persevere through the murky middle - even when that includes 17 drafts! In particular, his thoughts on structure and the framework he uses to continue through th...

I’ve completely fallen in love with Cooper’s Chase, the setting in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club Mystery book series, so much so that my husband and I joke that is where we want to end up when we get older. With that being said, I’m so honored to have Richard on this week’s episode of the SLP. He’s sharing so much value on writing not only a series, but writing within the comedic crime genr...

My guest this week is Emerson Whitney and I had so much fun recording this interview, it felt like one of those episodes where you get to play. His upcoming book, Heaven, is a powerhouse of a book that I can’t recommend enough, it was as much of a joy to read as it was to talk about the process of writing it. Emerson shares how the relationships in his life have influences his writing, taking risk...

The romance genre is going through a revolution — more and more books include deeper storylines that people are clamoring for (and publishers and bookshops are taking note). Today’s conversation with Jasmine Guillory is a real treat. She’s written eight fantastic romance novels, all with engaging and relatable characters. But even with a stunning finished product, there was still a murky middle to...

Thomas Kearney, the author of Thumbs Up: A Hitchhiking Irishman and 25,000 Kilometres from Patagonia to the Arctic, is joining me on the podcast today to share a bit about his journey of hiking from the most southern point to the most northern point of the globe as well as writing the story of it. I’m excited to bring this to you because the murky middle during both projects is very apparent. As a...

The murky middle during memoir writing is one that deserves it’s own episode because you’re quite literally writing about your own life, so it can feel a bit more personal. I’m excited to have Courtney Zoffness, Sunday Times Short Story Award winner and author of Spilt Milk on the Secret Library today. She shares her decades long journey of authorship and how to stay encouraged, navigating the ris...

Sometimes you start your novel without fully knowing the depth of the story that you’re telling. LaToya Watkins, author of Perish , is joining me today on The Secret Library Podcast to share her writing process. I learned so much about method writing, creating multi-dimensional characters, and the journey of getting your book (and yourself!) ready for submission. Perish was such a gripping read, p...