Activated Authors
176 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsActivated Authors is an online author community centered around principles of healthy productivity, community, and shared knowledge. Founded by international bestselling author, award-winning podcaster, and author coach, Daniel Willcocks, the group aims to help authors and creatives of all levels achieve their creative goals and thrive as part of a healthy, positive community.
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Episodes
BONUS: The "Writes and Wrongs" of Author Brand, feat John L. Monk (A Great Writers Learn miniseries, ep 5 of 6)
December 30, 2020 00:01 - 21 minutes - 19.6 MBIn this episode of the Great Writers Learn miniseries, "Writes & Wrongs,” bestselling authors John L. Monk and Daniel Willcocks talk about the intricacies of author brand, sharing the pros and cons, and how to develop an effective brand, should you wish to. Discussing personal stories from their collected decade of publishing experience, you’ll get the breakdown of their top tips to ensure you’re building a solid author brand that’ll have you selling books for years to come. Listen to the...
BONUS: The "Writes and Wrongs" of Genre Hopping, feat John L. Monk (A Great Writers Learn miniseries, ep 4 of 6)
December 29, 2020 00:01 - 19 minutes - 18.5 MBIn this episode of the Great Writers Learn miniseries, "Writes & Wrongs,” bestselling authors John L. Monk and Daniel Willcocks talk genre hopping, analyzing the pros and cons of switching genres and the effect it has to an author’s career. Discussing personal stories from their collected decade of publishing experience, you’ll get the breakdown of their top tips to ensure you’re building a solid path towards publishing success, no matter the genre. Listen to the Great Writers Share podca...
BONUS: The "Writes and Wrongs" of Marketing, feat John L. Monk (A Great Writers Learn miniseries, ep 3 of 6)
December 28, 2020 00:00 - 22 minutes - 22.2 MBIn this episode of the Great Writers Learn miniseries, "Writes & Wrongs,” bestselling authors John L. Monk and Daniel Willcocks talk marketing for authors, exploring the platforms that have worked for them, the tactics that continue to work today, paid advertising, and the no-no’s of author behavior when it comes to book marketing. Discussing personal stories from their collected decade of publishing experience, you’ll get the breakdown of their top tips to ensure you’re building solid con...
BONUS: The "Writes and Wrongs" of Genre Expectations, feat John L. Monk (A Great Writers Learn miniseries, ep 2 of 6)
December 27, 2020 00:01 - 21 minutes - 21.3 MBIn this episode of the Great Writers Learn miniseries, "Writes & Wrongs,” bestselling authors John L. Monk and Daniel Willcocks talk genre expectations for authors, covering the basis of post-apocalyptic, fantasy, romance, cosy mystery, and litrpg to name a few. Discussing personal stories from their collected decade of publishing experience, you’ll get the breakdown of their top tips to ensure you’re hitting tropes and making sure readers love your books. Listen to the Great Writers Shar...
BONUS: The "Writes and Wrongs" of Book Covers, feat John L. Monk (A Great Writers Learn miniseries, ep 1 of 6)
December 26, 2020 00:01 - 23 minutes - 22.6 MBIn this episode of the Great Writers Learn miniseries, "Writes & Wrongs,” bestselling authors John L. Monk and Daniel Willcocks talk book covers, dishing out their top 18+ tips on how to source a book cover that sells, and where to find a cover designer. Discussing personal stories from their collected decade of publishing experience, you’ll get the breakdown of their top tips and things to avoid. Listen to the Great Writers Share podcast: https://pod.link/1473869415 Become a Patron ove...
#067: Christmas conversations; mindset, rest, lessons, goals, and beards with Luke Kondor and Daniel Willcocks
December 25, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 57.4 MBIn this week’s episode, Dan invites collaborator, author, and friend, Luke Kondor onto the show to talk all things creativity, learning, 2020, and plans for 2021. In this episode we go deep into: The origin of Dan and Luke Trying to remain productive in 2021 Learning games development Luke’s journey into publishing through small presses The fleeting buzz of external validation Making it in the publishing business and surrounding yourself in the art Keeping on top of your mental healt...
#066: Victoria LK Williams – Getting cozy with mystery, finding balance between the light and the dark side, and tips for Florida gardening.
December 18, 2020 00:01 - 37 minutes - 36.3 MBVictoria LK Williams writes Cozy Mysteries with a Tropical Twist. Her Citrus Beach Mystery series, Sister Station series, Storm Voices series and Mrs. Avery’s Adventures series are set in small south Florida towns, with fun characters and often a dog or cat (or two). Victoria can often be found writing from her south Florida home. Her two cats, Miss Marple, and Fletch, often join her at the desk each has their assigned spot whether to supervise her writing or watch the birds. She shares a l...
#065: Samantha Frost – Winning NaNoWriMo, writing groups, and the importance of creativity.
December 11, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 67.2 MBSamantha Frost is an actor and first-time novelist who recently took on the challenge of NaNoWriMo (to write 50,000 words in 30 days) and won in spectacular fashion, storming through her first draft in only 14 days and then completing her 2nd draft all before November 30th! As an actor, she appeared in the feature film, SEAT 25, which won 'Best Pro Feature (Fiction)' and the 'RAW Jury Prize (Fiction)' at the RAW Science TV and Film Festival. Sam also wrote, directed, produced and starred in...
#064: Alesha Escobar – Learning from collaboration, writing diverse characters, & learning through fiction.
December 04, 2020 00:01 - 42 minutes - 39.9 MBAlesha Escobar writes fantasy to support her chocolate habit. She enjoys reading everything from Tolkien and the Dresden Files, to the Hellblazer comics and classic literature. She’s the author of the international bestselling Gray Tower Trilogy, an action-packed supernatural thriller set in an alternate World War II. The trilogy hit the bestsellers lists at Amazon (Top 60 in the entire Kindle store), as well as iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble online, and Amazon UK. Alesha is also the co-autho...
#063: Josh Malerman – Definition of an artist, the power of “the end,” and what it means to be a Prolific.
November 27, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 59.7 MBJosh Malerman is a New York Times bestselling author and also one of two singer/songwriters for the rock band The High Strung, whose song “The Luck You Got” can be heard as the theme song to the Showtime show “Shameless.” His critically acclaimed novel, Bird Box has been adapted into a Netflix feature film starring Sandra Bullock, John Malkovich, and Sarah Paulson and was also nominated for the Stoker Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the James Herbert Award. The sequel novel, Malorie,...
#062: Lucinda E Clark – Living a life worth writing, lessons learned from writing, and falling into what’s right.
November 20, 2020 00:01 - 56 minutes - 52.9 MBLucinda E Clark is an award-winning self-published writer of memoir and psychological thriller, a global traveler, scriptwriting lecturer, and owner of a South African video production company. She is the recipient of a number of awards, including a finalist for book excellence awards, the 2017 New Apple award for excellence in independent publishing, a two-time winner of the readers’ favorite book award, and a finalist in the Independent Author Network’s book of the year awards. Lucinda h...
#061: Andy Conduit-Turner – Writing comics, navigating publishing contracts, and choosing the best medium for your story.
November 13, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 63.1 MBAndy Conduit-Turner is a writer, editor, occasional quiz host and serial podcaster from the UK (mostly). Writing across a number of genres and mediums, He is a fan of horror, comedy, picking on the small details and has a spreadsheet for everything! Andy is one of the founders of Horde Comics and, in addition to his work there, several of Andy’s short stories have featured on The Other Stories podcast. He recently directed The Halloween Horrors of Old Mill Lane, a week-long audio production...
#060: Jessie Shedden – Escaping the cult, healing with writing, and empowering others through personal experience.
November 06, 2020 00:01 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBJessie Shedden is a British-Australian chicken-loving, cult-escaping badass woman, who has become a sought-after speaker, consultant and inspirational author of Those Boots Were Made For Walking. Jessie is an entrepreneur, coach, author, chicken mom, internationally published model and motivational speaker. After 23 years of bullying for her appearance, and with her self-esteem deeply eroded, she decided to create a life where she could be herself, experience freedom and independence, and de...
#059: Great Writers Scare – Exploring horror with Michael David Wilson, Bob Pastorella, Daniel Willcocks, and John Crinan.
October 30, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 90.1 MBOn today’s show, we forego the usual Great Writers Share format, as we turn off the lights, ignite some candles, place our Jack-o-Lanterns in the windows and invite the monsters in for a special Halloween episode of, what our guests have lovingly dubbed, the Great Writers Scare podcast. The premise is simple. Four horror writers. Ninety minutes of unfiltered time to discuss all things horror writing. But who are these other three writers, you might be wondering. Joining Dan today we have ...
#058: V.S. Holmes – Advocating for queer and disabled representation, winning awards, and collaborative relationships.
October 22, 2020 23:01 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBV. S. Holmes is an international bestselling author. They created the REFORGED series and the NEL BENTLY BOOKS. Smoke and Rain, the first book in their fantasy quartet, won New Apple Literary's Excellence in Independent Publishing Award in 2015 and a Literary Titan Gold in 2020. In addition, they have published short fiction in several anthologies. When not writing, they work as a contract archaeologist throughout the northeastern U.S. They live in a Tiny House with their spouse, a fellow a...
#057: Julia Scott – Formatting books the right way, tackling the second novel, and diving into audio.
October 15, 2020 23:01 - 42 minutes - 40.2 MBJulia Scott is a British author, whose goal is to take you out of ‘regular life’ and teleport you to new worlds and alternate futures through her writing. The Mirror Souls is her debut novel, and like many sci-fi and fantasy books, it started off as a dream. In her ‘other’ life, Julia lives in Essex, England with her husband and two children. She spends her time mum-ing, writing, prettifying books (via Evenstar Books), graphic designing, singing, and digging or planting stuff up in the gard...
#056: Ben Errington – Starting with just a cover, gaining confidence as a writer, and positivity on social media.
October 08, 2020 23:01 - 1 hour - 68.7 MBBen Errington is a writer from Bristol, UK. With debut novel ‘Ten Tales of the Human Condition’ and novella ‘Dye Pack’ under his belt, Ben’s fast-paced, chaotic, cinematic style has earned him many plaudits. He co-created the post-apocalyptic Luchador comic book El Marvo with Luke Kondor and is the co-host of horror movie discussion podcast Horror Hangout. He’s also a member of the storytelling collective Hawk & Cleaver and one of the minds behind the highly successful fiction podcast ‘The ...
#055: Faye Trask – Debut novel writing, finding mentors, and falling in love with learning.
October 01, 2020 23:01 - 54 minutes - 50.8 MBFaye Trask has had a love for writing and telling stories since she was a little girl. She was immediately drawn into the world of fantasy and science fiction. Throughout her schooling her passion grew. she put her writing on hold to serve in the US military. When not working at her day job or on her debut novel she can be found in the woods of Maine camping, hiking or trail riding with her fiancé and their dog. In this episode we go deep into: Where Faye’s love of writing started from W...
#054: Jennie Nash – Becoming a book coach, the truth behind the author journey, and the power of integrity.
September 24, 2020 23:01 - 1 hour - 73.4 MBJennie Nash is the founder and chief creative officer of Author Accelerator, a company on a mission to help writers write books worth reading. Since the company’s inception, writers serious about reaching readers have trusted Jennie to coach their projects from inspiration to publication. Her clients have landed top New York agents, national book awards, and deals with houses such as Scribner, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette. Jennie is the author of 9 books in 3 genres. She taught for 13 year...
#053: Ritu Bhathal – “Marriage Unarranged,” setting priorities, and poetry versus prose.
September 18, 2020 09:43 - 1 hour - 58.7 MBRitu Bhathal is a blogger and author of fiction and poetry. She was born in Birmingham in the mid-1970s to migrant parents, hailing from Kenya but with Indian origin. Ritu’s colourful background has been a constant source of inspiration to her. From childhood, the joy of reading spurred her on to become creative in her writing, from fiction to poetry, winning small competitions at school and locally along the way. As well as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and teacher, Ritu also writes on...
#052: V Castro – Boosting marginalized voices, word counts during lockdown, and writing in the horror genre.
September 10, 2020 23:01 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBV Castro is a Mexican American writer originally from Texas who now resides in the UK. She is the author of Maria the Wanted, Hairspray and Switchblades, along with the other upcoming horror titles: Goddess of Filth, Queen of the Cicadas and Mestiza Blood (all coming soon). Recently, during lockdown, V co-founded Fright Girl Summer: an online book festival to promote women in horror with an emphasis on women from marginalized communities. In this episode we go deep into: How lockdown and ...
Bonus Minisode, feat J. Thorn: "9 Things Career Authors Don't Do"
September 07, 2020 23:01 - 15 minutes - 14.9 MBThanks for tuning in to this episode of the Great Writers Share podcast. In this bonus mini episode of the show, Dan talks to J. Thorn about his latest non-fiction experiment, how it works, what he's hoping to achieve, and how it can help authors with their careers. If you have suggestions for more content like this that you'd like to see from the show, then get in touch! Links: See the series: http://getbook.at/9thingsseries Special thanks to: Intro vocals: Persephone Rose Show theme:...
#051: Autumn Birt – Travelling the world while writing, talking to your characters, and running a business with your partner.
September 03, 2020 23:01 - 45 minutes - 42.5 MBAutumn Birt is an award-winning and best selling author of almost 20 books. Her second epic fantasy series, Games of Fire, has received tremendous critical reviews and book 2, Gates of Fire & Earth, is also a Fantasia Reviews 2017 Book of Year nominee and winner of Best Worldbuilding. She writes epic and dark fantasy, with a bit of post-apocalyptic mayhem thrown in. Oh, and somehow a few non-fiction books have snuck into life as well, including stories of Yurt living (in Maine, in the winte...
#050: What single piece of advice would you give to writers to carry them from 2020 into 2021? Feat. Special guests.
August 27, 2020 23:01 - 54 minutes - 50.1 MBIn this week’s episode, Dan celebrates 50 episodes of the Great Writers Share podcast by inviting back some old favorite guests of the show to share their one piece of advice they would give to writers to carry them from 2020 into 2021. Featured writers and time stamps: 00:09:19 – Michael Anderle 00:11:40 – Craig Falconer 00:16:25 – Clare Littlemore 00:21:45 – Sacha Black 00:23:48 – John L Monk 00:26:42 – Jonathan Janz 00:32:04 – Jenna Moreci 00:34:36 – Rachael Herron 00:38:03 – J....
#049: Meg LaTorre – From literary agency to self-publishing, building a platform on YouTube, and finding your niche.
August 20, 2020 23:01 - 53 minutes - 50.3 MBMeg LaTorre is a bestselling science fiction and fantasy author, YouTube darling and founder of iWriterly, creator of the free query critique platform, Query Hack, co-host of the Publishable show, and blogger. Formerly, she worked at a literary agency, and she has a background in magazine publishing, medical/technical writing, and journalism. Needless to say, words are her thing. In her free time, Meg enjoys spending time with her husband and son, running, going to Renaissance faires and ...
#048: James Blatch – The many iterations of the first novel, journalism to fiction, and serving authors with podcasts and courses.
August 13, 2020 23:01 - 1 hour - 62 MBJames Blatch is a former BBC Defence Reporter and a former BBFC Film Examiner. He reported for the BBC on the UK military from, among other places, HMS Invincible, Kuwait, the Arctic Circle as well as covering the UK air offensive during the Kosovo Conflict in 1999. However, you probably know James Blatch as one of the voices of the incredibly rich and popular Self Publishing Formula podcast which he co-hosts with thriller author Mark Dawson. James is also a director of the Self Publishing ...
Getting started with gay romance fiction, collaboration, and keeping the creative passion burning.
August 06, 2020 23:01 - 51 minutes - 119 MBJeff Adams and Will Knauss are both writers of gay romance fiction, as well as the hosts of both the Big Gay Fiction Podcast (a podcast aimed at sharing their love for gay romance fiction) and the Big Gay Author Podcast (in which they document their journey to full-time writerdom, interviewing successful indies along the way). Jeff and Will are a powerhouse couple in both business and life, residing in Northern California after more than twenty years of marriage. In this episode we go deep...
#047: Jeff Adams & Will Knauss – Getting started with gay romance fiction, collaboration, and keeping the creative passion burning.
August 06, 2020 23:01 - 51 minutes - 49.5 MBJeff Adams and Will Knauss are both writers of gay romance fiction, as well as the hosts of both the Big Gay Fiction Podcast (a podcast aimed at sharing their love for gay romance fiction) and the Big Gay Author Podcast (in which they document their journey to full-time writerdom, interviewing successful indies along the way). Jeff and Will are a powerhouse couple in both business and life, residing in Northern California after more than twenty years of marriage. In this episode we go deep...
#046: Iain Rob Wright – Finding success in horror in 2020, effective mailing lists & bringing your spouse into your creative business.
July 30, 2020 23:01 - 1 hour - 57.9 MBOne of Horror’s most respected authors, Iain Rob Wright is the writer of more than twenty books, many of them bestsellers. A previous Kindle All-Star and a mainstay in the horror charts, he is a prolific producer of unique and original stories. From his apocalyptic saga The Gates to his claustrophobic revenge thriller ASBO, Iain writes across a broad spectrum of sub genres, creating both beloved series and standalone titles. With work available in several languages and in audio, Iain Rob Wr...
#045: Kristina Rienzi – Pitching through Twitter, the power of perpetual learning & choosing honesty.
July 23, 2020 23:01 - 59 minutes - 54.6 MBKristina Rienzi is a Jersey Shore local, new adult author, certified professional coach, and the former president of Sisters in Crime-Central Jersey. An INFJ who dreams beyond big, Kristina encourages others (and herself) to embrace the unknown through her stories about fierce women risking their lives to become who they were always meant to be. When she’s not writing or drinking wine, Kristina is spoiling her three fur-beasts, dissecting true crime stories, singing (and dancing) to Yacht ...
#044: Robert J. Sawyer – How to win awards, The Oppenheimer Alternative, & the evolving publishing approach.
July 16, 2020 23:01 - 57 minutes - 54.2 MBRobert J. Sawyer is one of only eight writers ever to win all three of the world’s top awards for best science-fiction novel of the year: the Hugo, the Nebula, and the formerly titled John W. Campbell Memorial Award. He has also won the Robert A. Heinlein Award, the Edward E. Smith Memorial Award, and the Hal Clement Memorial Award; the top SF awards in China, Japan, France, and Spain; and a record-setting sixteen Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Awards (“Auroras”). Rob’s novel FlashFor...
#043: Gemma Amor – Funding horror through Kickstarter, keeping things simple, and the joy of creation.
July 09, 2020 23:01 - 54 minutes - 51.1 MBGemma Amor is a Bram Stoker Award-nominated horror fiction author, podcaster illustrator, and voice actor based in the UK. Her books include Cruel Works of Nature, the award-nominated Dear Laura, White Pines, and Till the Score is Paid. She's also the co-creator, writer and voice actor for horror-comedy podcast Calling Darkness, starring Kate Siegel. Gemma's stories feature on the NoSleep podcast, Shadows at the Door, Creepy and the Grey Rooms podcast. You can find her in a number of horror...
#042: Garrett Robinson – Serializing fantasy, making it through the hard times, and changing the world with fiction.
July 02, 2020 23:01 - 1 hour - 67.3 MBGarrett Robinson is the author of #1 bestselling Amazon fantasy series, “The Nightblade Epic”, a heroic fantasy saga with tens of thousands of avid readers. The epic is set in the land of Underrealm, alongside a second bestselling series, “The Academy Journals.” His imprint, Legacy Books, has published over 2 dozen fantasy titles, showcasing fresh writing talent in the genre. Garrett is also a filmmaker, and successful YouTube talent, with brand new vlogs hitting his channel every Friday. ...
#041: Daniel Willcocks – “Collaboration for Authors."
June 25, 2020 23:01 - 34 minutes - 32.8 MBDaniel Willcocks is an international bestselling author and podcaster of dark fiction. He is one fifth of digital story studio, Hawk & Cleaver, co-producer of iTunes-busting fiction podcast, 'The Other Stories,’ as well as the host of the 'Great Writers Share' podcast, in which he breaks down the strategies, tricks, and productivity habits of some of the best writers in the game today. Residing in the UK, Dan's work explores the catastrophic and the strange. His stories span the genres of h...
#040: Julie Hiner – Growth through challenge, the welcoming arms of writers, and embracing your genre.
June 18, 2020 23:01 - 43 minutes - 40.2 MBJulie Hiner is a writer of dark crime, horror, and non-fiction. Julie has been fascinated with the complexity of the dark mind of the serial killer and obsessed with trying to understand how murder can occur. Finding inspiration at a talk given by a local homicide detective, Julie surged down her new path to writing a dark, serial killer novel. Julie's favorite parts of her new found writing process are the detailed research, creating an in-depth character and digging deep into his, her ...
#039: Jenna Moreci – YouTube for writers, diversifying income streams, and cultivating superfans.
June 11, 2020 23:01 - 49 minutes - 47.6 MBJenna Moreci is a half-human, half-weaponized robot hellbent on overthrowing mankind. She’s also a best selling author specializing in so-cute-you-could-barf romance interspersed between extreme violence and bloodshed. A Silicon Valley native, Jenna hosts a YouTube channel with over 210,000 subscribers (at the time of recording) where she uses her passion for storytelling and background in business to help other creators navigate their writing and publishing journey. When she’s not writing...
#038: Drew Starling – The power of short stories, real-time feedback, and emotionally insulating yourself.
June 04, 2020 23:01 - 49 minutes - 46.6 MBDrew Starling is an Amazon bestselling author of horror and dark fiction, a husband and dog dad who loves strong female leads, martial arts, and long walks in the woods with canine companions. He would like to think his plots are better than his prose, but strives to make his words sound both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. He listens to Beethoven, Megadeth, and Enya when he writes. His only rule of writing: the dog never dies. In this episode we go deep into: Why the dog neve...
#037: Lindsay Weisner – Finding ‘happy,’ the Neurotic Nourishment podcast, and talking is healing.
May 28, 2020 23:01 - 1 hour - 56.8 MBDr. Lindsay Weisner is the host of the Neurotic Nourishment Podcast – a show where she talks with smart, sweary women about s**t that matters – and her first book ‘Ten Steps To Finding Happy’ released on March 20th, 2020. Dr Weisner graduated from Georgetown University in 1999 and was awarded a fellowship in child development at the NIH. She received her doctorate from C.W. Post, LIU and pursued post-doctorate training at the American Institute of Psychoanalysis In this episode we go deep ...
#036: Clare Littlemore – Writing dystopian fiction, the power of closing a series, and using trial and error to find your outlining process.
May 21, 2020 23:01 - 53 minutesClare Littlemore is a young adult dystopian and sci-fi author who thrives on fictionally destroying the world with a cup of tea by her side. The tea will often be cold, because her characters have a way of grabbing hold of her and not letting go until the final page of their story is finished. They regularly have the same effect on her readers. In this episode we go deep into: The difference between a dystopian author and a sociopath Clare’s journey into writing and how she finished her f...
#035: Mag Dimond – Award-winning memoirs, documenting your life to leave a legacy, and mindfulness for writers.
May 14, 2020 23:01 - 52 minutes - 48.8 MBMag Dimond is the award-winning author of BOWING TO ELEPHANTS, Tales of a Travel Junkie (which hit #1 in 5 countries on the day it launched and just won Best Indie Biographies & Memoirs from Kirkus). Her book has been compared to EAT PRAY LOVE in professional reviews and has received accolades from many thought leaders in the mindfulness space, including Jack Kornfield. Having written her first book in her 70s, Mag has also been honored in American Literary Review, Travelers Tales Solas Awa...
#034: Nick Cole – Innovating rapid release, guarding your brand, and giving readers what they want.
May 07, 2020 23:01 - 56 minutes - 52.3 MBNick Cole is a former soldier and working actor living in Southern California. When he is not auditioning for commercials, going out for sitcoms or being shot, kicked, stabbed or beaten by the students of various film schools for their projects, he can be found writing books. Nick’s Book The Old Man and the Wasteland was an Amazon Bestseller and #1 in Science Fiction. In 2016 Nick’s book CTRL ALT Revolt won the Dragon Award for Best Apocalyptic novel. The Galaxy’s Edge series is his new...
#033: Michael David Wilson – ’The Girl in the Video,’ creating your own opportunities, and confronting your fears.
April 30, 2020 23:01 - 1 hour - 64.1 MBMichael David Wilson is the founder of the popular UK horror website, podcast, and small press, This Is Horror. He's a professional writer, editor, and podcaster, and has worked for such companies as 2000 AD, Terrorizer, and Broken River Books. His brand-new novella, The Girl in the Video will be published via Perpetual Motion Machine Publishing on 28 April 2020, with a second novella, House of Bad Memories, to be published by Grindhouse Press in 2021. Michael's work has appeared in numerou...
#032: Joanna Penn – Staying ahead of the game, the realities of indie authorship, and prioritizing your health for the long-game.
April 23, 2020 23:01 - 56 minutes - 54 MBJoanna Penn is an Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author, as well as a writer of non-fiction for authors. She's written over 30 books and sold over 500,000 books in 84 countries and 5 languages. She's an independent author and also runs a small press, Curl Up Press, with her husband and business partner. Joanna is also an international professional speaker and award-winning creative entrepreneur. In 2018, she was awarded Publishing Commentator of the Year...
#031: Tosca Lee – Learning enough to be dangerous, evolutions as a writer, and finding the joy in your work.
April 16, 2020 23:01 - 54 minutes - 51.1 MBTosca Lee is the multi-award winning, New York Times, IndieBound, and Amazon bestselling author of eleven novels including The Line Between, The Progeny, Firstborn, The Legend of Sheba, Iscariot, and the Books of Mortals trilogy with New York Times bestseller Ted Dekker. Her work has been translated into seventeen languages and optioned for TV and film. She is best known for her meticulous research, masterful prose, unexpected points of view, and high-octane thrillers. A notorious night-ow...
#030: T.W.M. Ashford – The difference between good prose and great storytelling, lessons learned from SPF, and soft relaunching your author career.
April 09, 2020 23:01 - 48 minutes - 45.7 MBTom (T.W.M.) Ashford is a British novelist. He lives in London with his American wife, not far from where he was born. He’s written hundreds of scripts and copy for some of the biggest companies in the world, and previously published articles on games and films. He has been known to play a bass guitar on more than one occasion, and sometimes well. of course, his main passion is writing fiction. His books include the Blackwater trilogy, the Checking Out series and numerous standalone advent...
#029: Jonathan Yanez – Conquering the impossible, becoming a healthy writer, and finding freedom in sci-fi.
April 02, 2020 23:01 - 58 minutes - 54.6 MBJonathan Yanez is an author of sci-fi and fantasy fiction. He's the creative mind behind the “Forsaken Mercenary” series and the “Gateway to the Galaxy” series. He is also the author of the non-fiction, “Get it Done: Hard-Hitting Motivation For Authors”, which I’d HIGHLY recommend. This is not where Jonathan’s skills end. He is also a former personal trainer, a part-time model, and an all round inspiring guy. In this episode we go deep into: How Jonathan started his journey into non-ficti...
#028: Jeffrey A. Carver – Over a decade of publishing changes, becoming your own publisher, and the power of teaching in your own fiction.
March 27, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 160 MBJeffrey A. Carver is an American science fiction author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from Brown University. He now lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts and his novel Eternity's End was a finalist for the 2001 Nebula Awards. In this episode we go deep into: The story behind Jeffrey’s 11-year publishing gap Bridging the series gap between 2008 and 2019 Changes in publishing over the last decade Leaning how to publish and market new books in 2019/2020 Bringing older p...
#027: Jonathan Janz – Knowing your value, cultivating positivity, and being authentic to yourself.
March 20, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 71.3 MBJonathan Janz is the author of more than a dozen novels and numerous short stories. His work has been championed by authors such as Joe R. Lansdale, Jack Ketchum, and Brian Keene; he has also been lauded by Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. His ghost story The Siren and the Specter was selected as a Goodreads Choice nominee for Best Horror. Additionally, his novel Children of the Dark was chosen by Booklist as a Top Ten Horror Book of the Year. Jonathan’s main...
#026: H.B. Lyne & Angeline Trevena – Navigating collaborations, running author events, and reviving a podcast.
March 13, 2020 00:01 - 52 minutes - 49.8 MBHB Lynne and Angeline Trevena are the power duo behind the Unstoppable Authors podcast and the masterminds behind the UK’s Indie Fire Writers Conference. They each write across the science fiction and fantasy genres, and I’d be doing a disservice if I didn’t give each of them a highlight from their respective bios. Angeline Trevena is a British science fiction, fantasy, and horror author. Creator of The Paper Duchess series, she is best known for her feminist brand of dystopia. She's been ...
#025: Brandon Ellis – The secret to marketing box sets, embracing mentorship and tutelage, and using vision boards to drive success.
March 06, 2020 00:01 - 1 hour - 59.2 MBBrandon Ellis is the bestselling author of the Mars Colony Chronicles, Ascendent Chronicles, and many more sci-fi works. Brandon grew up on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. After being declared an All State Baseball and All League Basketball player, he obtained his state and federal Therapeutic Massage License to become a successful Sports Massage Therapist & Instructor. During his life adventures so far, he has become a father of three and a successful author, and has recently taking the...