All Episodes
Author Diary Entries — 202 episodes
201: Tarot to understand a book (creative analysis of Love By Design)
200: Book club discussion prompts for a romance novella (Love By Design)
199: Sneak peek reading of insta-attraction romance novella, Love By Design
198: How I wrote this novella in 8 weeks (plus the editing process and number of hours to do it!)
197: About "Love By Design" (forced proximity small town why choose romance)
196: Planning the chapter-by-chapter outline for my upcoming romcom novella (Love By Design) with a Tarot spread
195: Generative AI has a major consent and plagiarism problem in creative spaces
194: Analysis of character regression in contemporary romance novel (Scarlett in Book 8 of the Polyamorous Passions series)
193: LIVE Tarot reading — what this “why choose” novel (Kiss Me) wants you to know
192: Chick lit book club discussion prompts (Kiss Me — Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series)
191: Book launch day for Kiss Me (plus a reading from this chick lit novel!)
190: 3 things that came up during the experience of writing & editing Kiss Me (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions contemporary romance series)
189: ANNOUNCING Kiss Me — why choose chick lit novel (Book 8 in the Polyamorous Passions series)
188: Subversion & politics of creativity (polyamorous romcom novels, burlesque dancing, personal joy)
187: You are hurting YOURSELF when you use AI to "write" your books
186: The art of creative weirdness (and an ode to Z Nation, burlesque dancing, and My Lady Jane)
185: "Reader mindset" method for rewrites (book writing update!)
184: Creative cross training as a tool to navigate creative blocks
183: Can you write about polyamory if you aren’t actively polyamorous?
182: Let people ENJOY things! (In defence of Twilight Instagrammers)
181: Queerness in my romance novels
180: Labels and gatekeeping in romance novels
179: Author update (one year later)
178: On being a beginner vs intermediate at your practice (and why being a beginner can be a lot easier!)
177: Ideation, content creation, and writing process for my Solopreneur Diary Entries weekly newsletter
176: What does it mean to be a creative and an indie author?
175: Creative process as a solo artist (trusting OTHERS)
174: Self trust thought exercise when you experience self doubt as a creative
173: 5 observations while reviewing my current work-in-progress
172: Improving one's relationship with the creative process
171: Applying my 2024 Word of the Year to creative writing
170: 3 steps to make time for creative pursuits when "life is life-ing"
169: How a new dance class is affecting my book writing plans
168: Writing alternative relationships, Q&A Part 3
167: Writing alternative relationships, Q&A Part 2
166: Writing alternative relationships, Q&A Part 1
165: Writing childfree women
164: Book launch recap for Small Town Stilettos (part 2 — marketing expenses, book sales and dollars earned, and mindset struggles)
163: Book launch recap for Small Town Stilettos (part 1 — marketing strategies, mistakes made, and what I'd do differently next time)
162: How my polyamorous romcoms all fit together
161: Frivolity, worthiness, and internalized misogyny (from Taylor Swift to romcoms)
160: The responsibility, risk, privilege, and choices involved in writing polyamorous romantic comedies
159: Book club discussion prompts for Small Town Stilettos
158: On writing "selfish" women
157: Book release day for Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience (what readers are saying about this romance novel!)
156: A(nother!) reading from Small Town Stilettos
155: Some of the inspiration for Small Town Stilettos: a modern marriage of convenience
154: 7 ways to help with an indie author’s book launch
153: Book launch marketing plans and goals for Small Town Stilettos (7 strategies I'm using)
152: A reading from Small Town Stilettos (sneak peek excerpt)
151: Small Town Stilettos cover reveal day!
150: Backstory about the delays (and an update!) to my book cover design... plus how I used it as an excuse to procrastinate
149: Writing 1 chapter/day for a week — results from attempt #2 (daily breakdown)
148: How I mapped out parallel plot lines for my current romcom WIP
147: Results from my first attempt at the 4,000 words/day writing experiment
146: The importance of being earnest as a writer
145: Writing experiment of 4,000 words/day for a full week
144: "How do you write your books?"
143: Dealing with imposter syndrome and procrastination as an author
142: “I want to read your books, but I feel like it’s weird because I don’t want to know about your sex life…”
141: How did you get "brave enough" to talk publicly about being a romance author?
140: Welcome back! Author update and the future of this podcast
139: Doing the uncomfortable thing… (this is not the episode I had planned!)
138: How to finish writing your book (NaNoWriMo tips—midway point!)
137: Is it time to quit your novel?
136: NaNoWriMo tips round-up for starting your novel
135: How stories change the world (Our Choice: Romance for Roe anthology)
134: Excerpt from "Gaming the System" polyamorous romcom
133: 5 tips for writing a book with a busy schedule
132: Book writing & life update
131: Leaning into your unique writing style and voice
130: Excerpt from "A Choice Between Two"
129: Show, don't tell—writing tip and example
128: How to balance planning with taking action on your book project
127: Why each new book is both harder AND easier to write than the previous book
126: Meditation to get to know your characters better
125: The writing struggle is real
124: Sex and romance novels
123: 3 pillars of consistency
122: How to rewrite your novel
121: That didn't go as planned...
120: Q&A about writing a lengthy book series
119: Tortured artist vs joyful creativity
118: Why imposter syndrome isn’t real—plus 7 steps for shifting out of it
117: Polyamorous romcom excerpt (meet cute)
116: It's okay if you aren't writing—pep talk
115: Co-writing a Xena substack (5 tips for your next co-writing project)
114: 7 examples for getting story ideas from everyday life
113: Productivity tips for multi-passionate creatives
112: Interview with polyamorous author Kitty Chambliss
111: A reading from "Out of Control"
110: How to create a world around your story
109: 5 steps for coping with burnout
108: Indie author interview (Read It With Whiskey)
107: Top 5 episodes from the 2nd year of Indie Author Weekly
106: Dealing with imposter syndrome
105: When should you press pause on a book project?
104: On working with beta readers
103: The other "messy middle"... and 5 tips for how to deal with it
102: Which book in a romance series should I read first? (Polyamorous Passions example)
101: What to think about when writing a non-fiction book
100: 100 tips for indie authors, aspiring authors, and curious bookworms
099: Recap of this author's book sales in 2020
098: 5 tips for how to write confidently in a stigmatized genre
097: Unexpected motivation & lessons learned from a short story contest
096: Handling the business side of being an author
095: "Who am I to write a book?"
094: 7 areas of growth as an author
093: Writing meditation
092: Book plans & writing projects for 2021
091: When book plans change during a pandemic
090: How to find your voice & style as a storyteller & writer
089: Call for beta readers! (Small Town Stilettos)
088: Process for choosing cover image & design
087: Why you should write short stories
086: 6 ways to deal with FOMO when everyone else is writing a book (and you aren't)
085: The importance of "thinking" time as part of the book writing process
084: Getting over the fear of success
083: Step-by-step guide for how to fit "writing a book" into your schedule
082: The truth about creativity that every writer needs to hear
081: 3 tips for how to FINISH writing your book
080: 5 reasons why you're struggling with writing (and how to fix it)
079: Tips & writing prompts for the opening scene of your novel
078: Book launch recap, part 2: paid ads & book sales results
077: Book launch recap, part 1: organic marketing
076: The trouble with writing romcoms (plus 3 tips for writing humour)
075: #1 thing you can do to make writing easier
074: Celebrating release day for a new book (Her Bad Idea)
073: Writing and editing process for Her Bad Idea
072: Excerpt from Her Bad Idea (Polyamorous Passions, Book 7)
071: Book Review A Day Challenge
070: Book launch plan breakdown for Her Bad Idea
069: 3 mistakes I made with the print versions of my books
068: 5 things every author thinks when friends read our books
067: 9 ideas for how to practice writing
066: Favourite polyamory books & relationship books
065: 10 tips for how to beat writer’s block
064: Fun and simple exercise to enhance creativity
063: 3 tips for writing your first draft (and working on rewrites)
062: Author commentary of Polyamorous Passions (Part 2: Books 4 - 6)
061: Author commentary of Polyamorous Passions (Part 1: Books 1 - 3)
060: How to find time for marketing your books (5 tips)
059: Favourite books to improve your writing & editing skills
058: How to structure your non-fiction book (4 tips)
057: 5 things that happen when you become an indie author
056: Why go wide instead of deep as an indie author
055: Creativity as a grounding practice during challenging times
054: 7 tips for task-switching between writing fiction and doing other things in life & business
053: Top 5 episodes from the first year of podcasting on Indie Author Weekly
052: Step-by-step guide for planning & writing "Her Bad Idea" (Polyamorous Passions, Book 7)
051: FAQ about the background to my Polyamorous Passions series
050: What made me start writing the Polyamorous Passions series (my polyamory background)
049: What I do to get in the right mood to write various scenes
048: 3 tips for writing books at the END of a series
047: How 4 different authors outline their books
046: A handy trick for boosting your word count
045: 3 tips if you are struggling to get any writing done...
044: How to use mind mapping to write a book
043: What do you want to get from writing a book?
042: The value of vulnerability (plus 9 examples for authors)
041: 5 steps to plan your book projects for the next year
040: Applying your 2020 "word of the year" to your author life
039: “I have a book in my head… I just need to write it”
038: How to apply your learning style to writing books
037: How to write a back-of-book blurb in 5 easy steps
036: What to do after writing a first draft of your manuscript (step-by-step guide)
035: Excerpt from "Out of Control" (Book 6 in Polyamorous Passions)
034: How to practice self-discipline as a writer (10 tips)
033: Why write novellas instead of full-length novels? 7 reasons...
032: Writing prompts for NaNoWriMo (20 ideas)
031: 5 tips for how to get through the messy middle
030: How to write setting for your books, plus 4 important questions to ask yourself
029: How to support your author friends (5 ideas)
028: NaNoWriMo prep tips (10 ways to prepare in advance for writing your next book)
027: Top 10 tips for how to build a story for your book
026: 5 questions to ask yourself when your writing plans change
025: How to get back into book writing after taking a break (step-by-step guide)
024: Excerpt from "Being Good" (Polyamorous Passions, Book 5)
023: How to create a playlist for your book
022: Navigating real or perceived pressures as an author
021: Which book should you write first? (step-by-step process to figuring it out)
020: 3 ways to keep accountable with writer friends
019: 6 tips for how to improve your writing skills
018: How real life and writing affect one another as an author
017: An exercise to improve character development
016: How to keep track of everything when you’re writing a book series
015: 10 tips for editing your own work
014: How to understand your strengths & weaknesses as an author (plus how to navigate them)
013: How to deal with writer's block (5 techniques)
012: Why book reviews matter... and how to write them
011: Oral storytelling & a reading from "She Wants More"
010: How to find ideas & inspiration for writing books
009: Book release day for She Wants More (Book 4 in the Polyamorous Passions series)
008: How many hours go into writing & publishing a book?
007: Whether to use a pen name & dealing with the "awkwardness" of writing romance
006: How do you advertise books when you self-publish?
005: Writing a book in 10 days with Camp NaNoWriMo
004: How to stay disciplined to write & publish books
003: How to get started with outlining & writing a new book
002: How to improve confidence & manage perfectionism as an author
001: Why self-publish books?
000: Introduction to the Indie Author Weekly podcast