Need to get your character out of a bind? Here are some tips on writing escape scenes that are realistic and raise the stakes.Mentions: The Curse of Broken Shadows | Writing Fight ScenesConfession: foreshadowing the escapeEmail your writing

202 - Kindle Vella

Jul 19th, 2021 12m 26s

Curious what Kindle Vella is? I'm talking about Amazon's new serialized storytelling platform.Mentions: The Curse of Broken Shadows Confession: celebrating winsEmail your writing confessions to [email protected] for a chance to be

201 - Social Media

Jul 12th, 2021 15m 4s

We're back and talking a little about social media and how to use it as an author.Mentions: The Curse of Broken Shadows (Vella, read the first three chapters free) | Star Collapsed | DiscordConfession: bad at social mediaEmail your writing c

025 - Lessons Learned: One Year as a Full-Time Author

May 24th, 2021 21m 43s

I'm celebrating one year of being a full time author and two years of publishing books! I talk about some of the lessons I've learned about self-publishing.I'm taking a month off to recollect myself and catch up on words. Season 2 will be back

024 - Motivation

May 17th, 2021 14m 23s

How do we stay motivated as authors? How can we motivate ourselves?Mentions: Epic Fantasy project (Vella, read the first two chapters free) | Star CollapsedConfession: writing scenes for motivationEmail your writing confessions to author.lau

023 - Writing Authentic Dialogue in Fiction

May 10th, 2021 16m 7s

Let's talk about authentic dialogue in storytelling - making character voices stand out and helping your readers connect to the story.Mentions: Epic Fantasy project (Vella, read the first two chapters free) | The Balance of the Coilleach | Sta

022 - Staying Relevant in Self Publishing

May 3rd, 2021 13m 28s

Self publishing requires a lot of hard work. We need to keep our focus on our own work as well as the happenings in the publishing world. I talk through some strategies for things to improve your business.Mentions: Epic Fantasy project (Vella,

021 - Adjectives in Fiction Writing

Apr 26th, 2021 16m 46s

Thank you to Kat for this podcast topic!How can we best use adjectives in our fiction writing? I give some tips on description and how to use adjectives without completely taking the reader out of the experience.Mentions: Epic Fantasy project

020 - Quieting Your Inner Editor

Apr 12th, 2021 20m 22s

How can we get that little voice in our head to take a hike or actually help us? I talk strategies for quieting your inner editor or getting her to work in your favor.Mentions: Star Collapsed | Free PrequelConfession: switching projects and r

019 - Creative Process

Apr 5th, 2021 20m 8s

It's really important to develop a sustainable creative practice, but what exactly does that look like? What works for you might not work for others, but there are some key themes that can help you build a creative process that helps you stay f

018 - How to End a Book Series

Mar 29th, 2021 20m 23s

Delivering an ending, whether it's book 1 in the series or the end of a series arc, can be a challenge. I talk about wrapping up your promises and giving readers satisfaction while still setting up the next book.Mentions: Star Collapsed || Pre

017 - Swearing in Fiction

Mar 22nd, 2021 15m 17s

To curse, or not to curse? I'm talking about my favorite curse word and the choices to use it in my writing.Mentions: ARC team || The Expanse to DonomaConfession: using the f-bomb in my latest workEmail your writing confessions to author.la

016 - Writing Fight Scenes

Mar 15th, 2021 18m 30s

In today's episode of "I promise I'm a writer, not a serial killer"... writing fight scenes! How do you make a compelling fight scene without describing it blow by blow? I drop some tips for ya!Mentions: BlogConfession: acting out scenes, st

015 - Psychology of a Book Hangover

Mar 8th, 2021 20m 59s

Do you have a foggy mind? Is your heart racing? Mood darkening?Have you lost touch with reality?You might be suffering from a book hangover. Let's take a look at what happens when we finish reading (or writing) a book.Mentions: PreOrder | Bl

014 - What to do after you finish writing a book

Feb 22nd, 2021 19m 59s

You've done it! You've finished writing a book... now what? Let's talk about the process after writing 'The End'Mentions: PreOrder | Scribophile | BlogNo episode next week (sorry folks)Confession: not celebrating often enough, writing hangov

013 - When You Have No Writing Ideas

Feb 15th, 2021 24m 48s

This week I'm talking about what to do when you've run out of writing ideas. Plus strategies to help you refocus on writing (or not writing, if that's what you need) and creativity.Confession: perfectionismEmail your writing confessions to au

012 - Organizing Your Writing Ideas

Feb 8th, 2021 19m 3s

Let's talk about organizing your writing ideas when you have too many and you don't know where to start. Plus, there's some helpful outlining strategies in here.Confession: prioritizing on a deadlineEmail your writing confessions to author.la

011 - Writing Compelling Characters

Feb 1st, 2021 14m 50s

Let's talk free books and hitting word counts. Plus, I dive into three things that can help you write more compelling characters so readers won't want to walk away from your novel.Soul Forgotten is FREE Feb 1-3, 2021. Be sure to grab a copy!C

010 - Point of View

Jan 25th, 2021 21m 2s

This week I talk about my race to catch up on word counts, plans for the next week (shh, a super secret project coming Feb 1), and my favorite scene from the upcoming book The Curse of Asalie.I'm also talking about point of view and perspectiv

009 - Vision Boards

Jan 18th, 2021 19m 22s

This week I talk about playing catch up. I'm also pretty pumped that book 7 in the Warrior Series is done and will be out on Jan 26. I also talk about vision boards and how authors can use them to help outline their novels or have future inspir

008 - Flow of Creativity

Jan 11th, 2021 18m 31s

I'm back talking about creativity tips... just in case you're like me and broke a streak. It's okay! You can get that momentum back.Writer confession: interrupted flowEmail your writing confession to [email protected] | Pat

007 - Worldbuilding

Jan 4th, 2021 23m 39s

Let's talk about some tips for worldbuilding and how you can use your fantasy or sci-fi world to impact your story. I'm embarrassed that I can't remember Terry Pratchett's Discworld, but please forgive my scatterbrain... I just came off my firs

006 - Plotting a Series

Dec 21st, 2020 22m 8s

In this episode, I talk about hitting the half a million word count, dictating my fantasy novel so I can recover my work, and some of the hilarious mispronunciations of my fantasy names. Today's writing topic centers around plotting a series an

005 - Yearly Reflections

Dec 14th, 2020 23m 29s

This week I'm talking about slow progress, taking on too many projects and tasks, and, of course, reflecting on 2020. I'll walk you through how I do my yearly reflections, manage my successes and failures, and plan for the next year. Hear about

004 - Emotional Scenes

Dec 7th, 2020 15m 39s

Crazy week with Thanksgiving. I'm about 14K away from my 1/2 Million Word Goal. I have some good plans for December to take a little bit of a break... editing, writing a little slower, and focusing on getting back into the Warrior Series. Life