WRITER 2.0: Writing, publishing, and the space between

On episode 129 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke once again with Emma Scott. We discussed: * how she’s improved since writing her first book; * her writing process and how it has changed over time; * finding your story vs. creating your story; * using honest self-critique while avoiding demoralizing self-criticism; * whether she can really call herself a marathon runner. About our guest: Emma Scott is a writer, marathon runner, and caffeine addict, who lives and writes in the California Bay Area. She has two smart, feisty little girls, a super-supportive husband, and is a demonstrated fan of the Oxford comma. She is also an unabashed Star Wars geek and comic book enthusiast who fell into romance novels when a writing contest prompt turned a 1000-word romantic story into a full-blown novel. She also writes epic fantasy that suffers an epic word count. She hopes you enjoy her work, encourages readers to leave feedback, and thinks it’s amusing to write about herself in the third person. And if she has a driving force that fuels her work, it’s that love always wins.

On a special flashback episode of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast, I pay tribute to Roger Hobbs: a brilliant writer, a good friend, and a former podcast guest. Roger passed away in November at the age of 28. I also announce a giveaway of Roger’s books.  Long-time listeners may have already heard this interview in July of 2015.  Find out more about Roger here and get all his books here.  About our guest: Roger Hobbs discovered his passion for writing when he was very young. He completed his first novel (a dreadful science fiction book) at just 13 years old. His first play was produced when he was 19. He had his first publication in The New York Times at 20. He signed his first movie deal at 21, graduated Reed College at 22, and signed a book deal with Alfred A. Knopf at 23. By 24 he was an international bestseller, and by 25 he had been nominated for nearly every major award in crime fiction. He wrote Ghostman, his debut novel, during his senior year of college and sent off the manuscript on the day he graduated. Ghostman has since been published in more than twenty-nine countries around the world and climbed numerous bestseller lists. In 2013 Roger became the youngest person ever to win a CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger. In 2014 he won the Strand Critics award and was nominated for the prestigious Edgar, Barry, and Anthony awards. In 2015, he became the youngest person ever to win the Maltese Falcon award. Booklist called Ghostman “a triumph on every level.” The sequel, Vanishing Games, is available now in hardcover, trade paperback, e-book, audio book, and large print. At Reed, Roger majored in English. He studied film noir, literary theory and ancient languages. He wrote his thesis on the early mystery stories of Edgar Allan Poe, in an attempt to create a theoretical model for examining suspense. He loves to travel, gamble, and make snarky comments about bad movies. All of his friends refer to him by his last name, “Hobbs.”

On episode 127 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast, I spoke with action-adventure thriller author, and trombone major, Nick Thacker. We discussed: * the deadline he gave himself that helped him finish his first book; * why he gives away so many books for free; * how to decide when to quit the day job; * the boost a Bookbub promo can bring. About our guest: Nick Thacker is an action-adventure thriller novelist, who writes the types of books he likes to read. That means you won’t find anything boring, slow, or sappy in his stories. People have described his work as “airplane books,” but he just sees that as a compliment. Nick was born in Connecticut, grew up in Texas, and lives in Colorado with his wife, two children, three dogs, and tortoise. He loves snow, drinking whiskey by the fireplace while it’s snowing, and writing books by candlelight while a thick layer of snow piles up outside.

On episode 126 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast, I spoke with journalist turned novelist Martha Carr. Martha has released five books in her Wallis Jones series over the last ten weeks, and has one more set for release soon. We discussed: * her early experiences with traditional publishing; * why she went indie; * why she decided to publish so quickly; * how she used reader feedback to change her covers; * what she’s learned that she’ll do differently with her next series. About our guest: Martha Carr is the author of nine books, including the Wallis Jones series, a six part thriller series that starts with The List Conspiracy. The entire series is available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited. Martha has written a weekly, nationally-syndicated column on world affairs and life that has run on such political hotspots as The Moderate Voice.com and Politicus.com. Her work has run regularly in such venerable publications as The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune and Newsweek.

On episode 125 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with Michael (M.D.) Cooper, creator of The Intrepid Saga. We talked about: how he completed 80,000 words in the month of January; his transition into full-time writing; the differences between sci-fi and fantasy; building a sci-fi world; his recent inclusion in the Dark Humanity boxed set; our shared distaste for the TV show Lost. About our guest: Michael Cooper likes to think of himself as a jack of all trades (and hopes to become master of a few). When not writing books, he can be found creating software, working in his shop on his latest carpentry project, or (more likely) reading a book. He shares his home with a precocious young girl, his wonderful wife (who also writes), two cats, a never-ending list of things he would like to build, and ideas…

On episode 124 of the podcast I offer a brief update. * I have a new book out, and two new books available for pre-order, all of which can be found here. * My first all-day writing workshop. I’ll be leading it in Poulsbo, Washington on March 18, 2017, and details can be found here.

On episode 123 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with translator, kids book creator, and ebook formatter Hynek Palatin. We discussed: * how he got started as a translator; * why it’s important to understand book sizes before you start drawing your children’s book; * the differences between formatting an ebook and a paperback; * the basics of ebook terminology: Mobi, Epub, etc. About our guest: Hynek Palatin is an English to Czech translator specializing in IT. He’s also an ebook formatter and children’s book creator. You can get in touch with him by email at: hynek.palatin@gmail.com

On episode 122 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with Michael Anderle, who set out to make $50,000 per year by writing 20 books, and ended up doing a lot better than that. We talked about: * why he considers himself a “publisher” more than a “writer”; * his original goal, to make $50,000 a year by writing 20 books; * how he wound up making $50,000 PER MONTH instead; * how he uses Google Docs to crowd-source his editing; * what % of his revenue comes from Kindle Unlimited and what % comes from sales; * the worst mudslinging he got hit with after his initial success. About Our Guest: Michael Anderle (ok, weird talking about myself in the 3rd person) (1967-Hopefully a long time from NOW) was born in Houston, Tx. A very curious child, he got into trouble – a lot. What to do with an inquisitive mind when he was grounded? Read! Ok, done with all of that 3rd person stuff. In the first 20 years, I mostly read Science Fiction and Fantasy. In the last 10 years I have enjoyed Urban Fantasy and Military Fiction. With this background, I’ve been blessed with creating The Kurtherian Gambit series, a well-selling, and fan loved, collection of stories. The fans have propelled these stories beyond my wildest imagination and they should get all of the credit for sharing with friends, family and occasionally the random person on the street. They are fantastic!

On episode 121 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with Robert Pruneda. We discussed: * his suspense-horror novel, DEVIL’S NIGHTMARE  (which is free on Amazon until January 11, 2017); * advice for authors trying to finish their first book; * whether social media works to sell books; * his experience working with hybrid publisher, Booktrope; * Bookbub promotions and why they’re great for indie authors. About our guest: Robert “Sharky” Pruneda is a native Texan, video game “enthusiast” [addict], and fan of all things horror. He left a career in the newspaper industry in 2011 to pursue the life of a nocturnal author, brainstorming new and creative ways to creep out his readers. He doesn’t only write horror though. He also pens the occasional family-oriented tale just to keep from going completely nuts with all those creatures of the night whispering in his ears. When he’s not pulling ideas out of his twisted brain, you’ll likely find him on social media or fighting alongside his fellow gaming buddies where they all get shot up into Swiss cheese (or turned into little bite-sized chunks because of “Sharky’s” obsession with explosives). Medic!

On episode 120 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke once again with author and marketing expert Rachel Thompson of BadRedhead Media. We discussed: * what she did when her publisher went out of business; * building an email list to market your books; * why my daughter made fun of my cabbage soup on Snapchat; * book marketing trends she sees coming in 2017; * her new book: BadRedhead Media 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge About our guest: Rachel Thompson is the author of Broken Places (one of IndieReader’s “Best of 2015” top books and 2015 Honorable Mention Winner in the San Francisco Book Festival and Los Angeles Book Festival), and the multi award-winning and bestselling Broken Pieces, as well as two additional humor books, A Walk In The Snark and Mancode: Exposed. Rachel is represented by Lisa Hagan Literary Agency. Her books will be published by boutique literary publisher ShadowTeamsNYC as of May, 2016. Broken Places continues her exploration started in Broken Pieces, through honest, raw yet lyrical poetry, essays, and prose, one women’s journey from trauma to healing. She owns BadRedhead Media, creating effective social media and book marketing campaigns for authors. Her articles appear regularly in The Huffington Post, IndieReader.com, FeminineCollective.com, and BookPromotion.com. Not just an advocate for sexual abuse survivors, Rachel is the creator and founder of the blog-sharing hashtag phenomenon #MondayBlogs and the live Twitter chat, #SexAbuseChat, co-hosted with certified therapist/survivor, Bobbi Parish (Tuesdays, 6pm pst), and #BookMarketingChat (every Wednesday 6pm pst). She hates walks in the rain, running out of coffee, and coconut. She lives in California with her family.

On episode 119 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast, I was interviewed by Wendy Kendall and Julie Cooper of the Kendall and Cooper Talk Mysteries Podcast. They asked me about: my start and stop relationship with writing; the new podcast I want to start (but probably won’t have time to); election coverage in 2016; fake news, biased news, and limited news; whether a journalism background helps or hurts my novel-writing; one of the books that inspired The Anonymous Source.

On episode 118 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with historical novelist Libbie Hawker. In a fun, wide-ranging interview, we discussed: * her experience with her first agent and why she went indie; * how to avoid getting bogged down in research; * her experience publishing with Amazon imprint, Lake Union; * her methods for outlining a novel, as discussed in her writing book, Take Off Your Pants; * why now is the best time every to be a writer. About our guest: Libbie Hawker was born in Rexburg, Idaho, and divided her childhood between eastern Idaho’s rural environs and the greater Seattle area. While working toward a career as a novelist, Libbie held an array of jobs, including zookeeper, yarn dyer, and show-dog handler. She loves to write about character and place and is inspired by the striking natural beauty of the Rocky Mountain region and the fascinating history of the Puget Sound. She would choose high mountains, sage deserts, and heavy rain clouds over a sunny, sandy beach any day of the week. When not writing, Libbie enjoys hiking, painting landscapes and portraits with pastel and watercolor, and exploring the western United States. She now lives in Seattle with her husband.

On episode 117 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with Rebecca Patrick Howard, author of bestselling paranormal novels and nonfiction. We discussed: * whether publishing a new book is really the best way to market an old book; * why her sales “tanked” this year, and how they’ve recovered; * why she burned out and how she recovered; * balancing writing and promotion as a self-published author; * whether Bookbub is still the gold standard of book promos. About our guest: Rebecca Patrick-Howard’s real biography isn’t nearly as interesting as the one she’s made up in her head so she’ll leave you with that one: At the age of 3, her family sold her to a band of traveling gypsies. Forced to become a bareback rider in the circus, she spent her younger years traveling the country, living out of suitcases and selling macrame keychains on the side. At the age of 16 she became a professional yodeler but, after winning the international yodeling competition in Switzerland at 19, decided to retire at the height of her career. Now, she and her husband (an organic rutabaga farmer from Wales) live in an isolated cabin in eastern Kentucky where they play with a local mariachi band every Friday night, are involved with a murder mystery dinner theater club, and enjoy making origami owls.  

On episode 116 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I spoke with prolific romance author Emma Scott. We talked about: * the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One; * romance story structure and how it compares with other genres; * the hardest scene she ever had to write; * her advice for writers just starting out; * the pros and cons of Kindle Unlimited. About our guest: Emma Scott is a writer, marathon runner, and caffeine addict, who lives and writes in the California Bay Area. She has two smart, feisty little girls, a super-supportive husband, and is a demonstrated fan of the Oxford comma. She is also an unabashed Star Wars geek and comic book enthusiast who fell into romance novels when a writing contest prompt turned a 1000-word romantic story into a full-blown novel. She also writes epic fantasy that suffers an epic word count. She hopes you enjoy her work, encourages readers to leave feedback, and thinks it’s amusing to write about herself in the third person. And if she has a driving force that fuels her work, it’s that love always wins.

What’s been going on with the podcast, and what’s going to go on with it? This episode should fill you in on a slightly new direction for the show.