Two Hearts and One Braincell: Cassidy Carson & JT Hume Amateur Hour

In a return engagement, the Nevada Author Network welcomes back Suzanne Morgan Williams, a prolific writer and teacher. She discusses the importance of community in writing, the themes of war and recovery in her new book 'Seeing Daylight', and the challenges and joys of character development. Suzanne shares insights on the role of setting in storytelling and her upcoming writing classes ai...

We here at the “Amateur Hour” invite writers to join us to chat about the craft of writing. This week, KJ Waters shares her journey as a writer, detailing her experiences from the initial inspiration sparked by natural disasters to the challenges of marketing her books. She discusses the evolution of her writing process, the importance of planning in a series, and the influence of her favorite aut...

For this episode of the "CC & JT Amateur Hour," we discuss the tools of the writing trade. During our professional experience as authors, we've seen a few things, as the saying goes. CC and I took typing classes back in the day, and we've seen and used all flavors of PC word processors up to and including the most recent version of Microsoft Word. We had the recent privilege...

We’ve been blessed to interview authors around the world, and it was a double pleasure for us to interview a Windy City writer. Chicago’s very own Arnie Bernstein shares his journey as a writer, delving into the emotional weight of writing historical narratives, particularly focusing on the “ Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing ” and “ Swastika Nation: Fritz Kuhn and the Rise and Fal...

We welcome author Kendall Brown back to the Amateur Hour to discuss the challenges and joys of writing, particularly in the context of dog training. They explore the creative drain and decision fatigue that writers often face, the signs of burnout, and the importance of finding an escape from the pressures of writing. Kendall shares her own innovative tools for inspiration, including the use of AI...

It's time to drop another writer's podcast on you and drop some names, too: Alane, Chaz , Jennifer, Cheryl, Jacci , and Teri . (Those links are our fellow authors. Please click and give them your love.) Welcome back to the podcast that "helps writers write," and 2026 is shaping up to be another fun and busy year. Much of our time is chatting about fans, the ones we see at book si...

James Raquepau shares insights into his writing journey, focusing on his semi-historical fantasy series, the Destiny Cycle. He discusses the challenges and joys of revisiting and expanding his work, the unique appeal of blending history with fantasy, and the intricate process of audiobook production and marketing. His books are inspired by Celtic history and legends, and he pays special attention...

Before we dive into the meat of today's show, CC and I will be doing a live podcast on YouTube on Wednesday, December 31 at 6:00pm Pacific time (Los Angeles time) just for the heck of it. It'll be our first live podcast, so a thousand things might go wrong (and probably will). We're hoping that you'll join us and ask questions. https://youtu.be/0U56RlxGnZg Today's podcast was t...

Returning to our podcast for a second engagement, Gavin Black discusses his latest book, “Journey Through the Forgotten,” which intertwines personal family stories with themes of Alzheimer's and Irish mythology. The conversation explores the emotional journey of dealing with memory loss, the writing process, and the influences that shape a writer's work. Gavin shares personal anecdotes, th...

Our mission here at the "CC & JT Amateur Hour" is to "help writers write," and part of our madness is to publicly examine our creative motivations. In this episode, we dive into why we write and don't write about graphic sex. This is not then general, ten-thousand-foot view that we've done in previous episodes. We talk about our motivations, challenges, and prejudic...

Happy holidays to all who engage in joy and frivolity at this time of year which, considering the number of celebrations there are, means everyone. We're back from West Sacramento after Thanksgiving with the relations, something we're always happy to do. Added bonus: the trip gave us the topic of this week's podcast: getting outside of our comfort zones. Writers are very much creatures...

“The CC & JT Amateur Hour” welcomes children book authors and IT wizards Lingarasu Kittusamy and Darani Kettimuthu to the podcast. They are using innovative technologies, their own artistic expertise, and feedback from their family to bring new books to the public. Our conversation with Lingarasu and Darani explores the journey of creating children's books, emphasizing the importance of st...

On the Nevada Author Network, Nikolai Wisekal discusses the critical decision authors face between writing for creativity and pursuing publishing. He notes publishing is basically a professional promise between a business and a reader, bringing with it their expectations and demands. Creativity, on the other hand, is literary art for the author, allowing the writer to have total freedom over cover...

Before we dive into the meat of the podcast, we completely forgot to mention that Zoey and Finding Salvation Part One placed as finalists in their respective categories in the 2025 Independent Author Network Book of the Year Awards . To say this recognition is an honor is an understatement. We send our sincerest thanks to our creation team of our fabulous Beta readers, Teri Case and Red Adept Edit...

In this episode of  our award-winning podcast where we "help writers write," we talk at length about the power of writing a series. Frankly, I never intended to write a series and, in fact, was adamant against them because I felt them to be constricting. I like the "freewheeling" feeling of creating new universes, but then there's a price for creating interesting characters...

In this episode of  our award-winning podcast , we are yet again recovering from an outdoor writing event. We set up a booth at the Nevada Day Parade, and we met with diverse personalities and passionate writers, and we managed to sell books. We talk about things we’ve learned from outdoor writing events, including be prepared for all kinds of weather. Our mantra is: "We sold more books here...

Sheryl Green is the author of " You Had Me At No ," and in this engaging conversation with CC and JT from the "CC & JT Amateur Hour," she discusses her journey as a writer and the importance of setting boundaries to prevent burnout. She shares insights on prioritizing responsibilities, the psychology behind saying no, and navigating toxic work cultures. She makes the signif...

For the Nevada Author Network, CC and JT interview the dynamic writing duo, Sharon and Stephen Provost, who share their journey as authors in Northern Nevada. A great team, Stephen has been stringing words together as a journalist for decades, and Sharon started writing due to Stephen's encouragement. Not only are they successful independent writers, Sharon and Stephen frequently collaborate o...

In this episode of our award-winning podcast , we’re recovering from two great outdoor book signings with the Sierra Arts Foundation (SAF) in Reno, Nevada, and the Brewery Arts Center (BAC) in Carson City. Both events were fun in their own ways, and we learned a lot about surviving an outdoor event. We dive into these experiences and share our learned lessons. Special thanks to Tia Flores of the B...

In this episode of the Nevada Author Network, Cassidy Carson interviews local author Salem T. Lynn, who discusses his journey as a writer, his upcoming book "Endlings and Beginnings," and the importance of community support in the literary world. He outlines the challenges of creating a 15-book science fiction series that fully utilizes his skills as a literary crafter and graphic design...

"The CC and JT Amateur Hour" welcomes Laurie Kaye, author of "Confessions of a Rock and Roll Name Dropper." Laurie shares her unique experiences in the rock music industry, including her last interview with John Lennon just hours before his tragic death. The conversation delves into her personal journey, the impact of her upbringing on her career, memorable interviews with rock...

Cassidy Carson interviews Terri Farley for the Nevada Author Network. A renowned and respected author known for her Phantom Stallion series, Terry shares her journey as a writer, her love for animals, and the experiences that inspire her stories. The discussion delves into her writing process, the importance of research, and the emotional connections she forms with her readers. Terri also talks ab...

Cassidy and I have been blessed and honored to host dozens of local, national, and international authors on our podcasts: "The CC & JT Amateur Hour" and "The Nevada Author Network." On October 11, many of our guests will be gathering for the Sierra Arts Book Fest in Sparks, Nevada. In honor of that event, we reminisce about many of the writers we've been privileged to m...

Cassidy Carson and JT Hume welcome Karen Terrey, the Poet Laureate of Nevada County, California, to discuss her role in promoting poetry and the literary arts within the community. Together, they explore the challenges of geography in community engagement, the craft of poetry, and the importance of introducing poetry to young minds. Karen shares her insights on addressing current events through po...

In this episode of our award-winning podcast , Debbie Russell shares her journey from being a prosecutor to a writer, discussing her book "Crossing 51: Not Quite a Memoir," which intertwines her family's mental health history with her own experiences. The discussion delves into themes of family dynamics, inpatient rehab treatments in the 1950s, and the courage it takes to confront di...