The Children's Book Author Podcast (Elena Paige)
Explore every episode of The Children's Book Author Podcast
| Pub. Date | Title | Duration | |
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| 02 Feb 2022 | The Courage to Persevere with Kate Gordon | 00:47:01 | |
Today's episode is with author Kate Gordon, and we talk a lot about how to be a self-starter and go-getter! Kate is a true example of deciding she wants to do something, then setting off to learn how to be successful at it. She followed her passion for writing and ponies and created a wonderful side hustle, which one day she hopes will be her full time career, and I'm sure with her determination, courage and perseverance it will be. Now she’s penning fantastical adventure stories about brave friends, ponies and unicorns. Kate is inspired by the magical mountains of Central Otago in New Zealand’s South Island where she lives with her husband, three dogs, and two cats. She’s currently working on the second book in the Unicorn King series called Sasha and the Warrior Unicorn. Kate is also the founder of the online bookstore, Kiwi Kids Read Kiwi Books, which is dedicated to supporting New Zealand authors writing for children and teens, and helping showcase their fantastic books to Kiwi book buyers. | |||
| 29 Aug 2022 | Discover Your Creative Style with Tom Froese | 01:12:38 | |
I had a blast interviewing illustrator, top Skillshare teacher, and speaker, Tom Froese. Although we are talking about drawing and illustration in this interview, as an author I know you will learn many valuable skills and attitudes that will help you find your style, overcome creative pain points in the journey, and keep going until you become a professional children’s book author. More about Tom: Tom Froese is an award winning illustrator, teacher, and speaker. He loves making images that make people happy. In his work, you will experience a flurry of joyful colours, spontaneous textures, and quirky shapes. Freelancing since 2013, Tom has worked for brands and businesses all over the world. Esteemed clients include Yahoo!, Airbnb, GQ France, and Abrams Publishing. He is currently taking on highly creative projects of all kinds, including maps, murals, picture books, packaging, editorial, and advertising. Tom graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art & Design with a B.Des (honours) in 2009. As a teacher, Tom loves to inspire fellow creatives to become creatively empowered. He is a Top Teacher on Skillshare, where tens of thousands of students have learned his unique approaches to illustration. As a speaker, Tom is a passionate voice in the creative industry, aiming to inspire and equip the next generation of creatives and commercial artists. Tom has been invited to deliver workshops and lectures across the US and Canada, including ICON 10 in Detroit and Skillshare HQ in New York. In 2020,* he will be a curated TEDx speaker, where he will share his message of creative empowerment to a global audience. Tom also has a YouTube channel dedicated to inspiring and informing folks interested in the creative industry. Tom is represented in the UK/Europe by Making Pictures and in the US by Dot Array. FIND HIM HERE: Website: tomfroese.com Teaching: tomfroese.com/teaching Blog: tomfroese.medium.com IG: @mrtomfroese YouTube tomfroese.com/youtube The Style Class: https://skl.sh/3mFgU5q Drawing Toward Illustration: https://skl.sh/30viGwW
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| 07 Sep 2022 | Write Brilliantly Funny Books with Michael Wagner | 01:04:42 | |
Want to become a better Children's Book Writer? Then you don't want to miss this episode with Australian author, Michael Wagner. Before becoming a full-time author, Michael spent ten years as a radio broadcaster with the ABC, wrote and produced animation for television, wrote comedy for ABC Radio National and 3RRR, grew up in a housing commission flat, and played in a band that almost became famous. He’s the father of two and married to fellow author Jane Godwin. Connect with him here: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wagstheauthor/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/michael.wagner.10441861/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/wags138/ Website - http://michaelwagner.com.au/ | |||
| 08 Nov 2022 | Increase Your Influence with the Power of Your Voice with Vinh Giang | 01:05:33 | |
Today I had the pleasure of interviewing Vinh Giang, Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur, Magician, and Communication Teacher. We talk all about Vinh's journey through his professional and creative career, and the pivotal role improving his communication skills had through it all. He is now the most incredible teacher of communication skills distilling what he's learned over the last 20 years to help others grow their influence, authority and connection. If you're interested in doing videos or school visits to connect with your audience, you'll love the communication skills Vinh shares with you in the interview. Enjoy the show. Connect with him here: Website - https://www.vinhgiang.com/ LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinhgiang/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/askvinh/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/askvinh/videos/ YouTube - VinhGiang Find out more about the Stage Academy Communication Course: https://stageacademy.mykajabi.com/ | |||
| 15 Nov 2022 | The Wishing Shelf Book Awards with Edward Trayer | 00:41:35 | |
In today's interview I overcame many technological difficulties and blocks to get the most amazing wisdom and advice from author Edward Trayer - it was well worth the many re-takes and effort involved. We got there in the end and talked about The Wishing Shelf Book Awards, a review and award service that was founded by Edward and today enjoys great success and helps authors become "award-winning." The wonderful thing about this award is that your book is reviewed and/or judged by the age group you've written it for! As well as this we talk about how to write a book a child will truly enjoy and how to do school visits successfully and make them a big part of your marketing efforts. A brilliant interview from start to finish, enjoy today's show. ABOUT EDWARD: Edward Trayer, writing under the pen name Billy Bob Buttons and Hickory Crowl, is the author of eighteen children, YA and adult books, including the 2014 UK People´s Book Prize Winner and UK bestseller, I Think I Murdered Miss. He is also the organiser of The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. Important Links: The Wishing Shelf Book Awards Website - https://www.thewsa.co.uk/ Billy Bob Buttons - https://www.bbbuttons.co.uk/ Billy Bob Buttons on Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/billybobbuttons The Wishing Shelf Book Awards Facebook Group
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| 23 Jan 2023 | Say Goodbye to Badly Written Book Blurbs with Jessie Cunniffe | 01:02:50 | |
Welcome back to the show in 2023, and I have more incredibly informative, and inspirational interviews planned for you this year. Unfortunately I am still tackling some technical difficulties in my search for the perfect way to record interviews, but I will not give up until I get there. So in todays interview there were several glitches, but it was totally worth persevering as I learned so much from today's guest. Without further ado, I was privileged to interview Jessie Cunniffe who is a professional book blurb writer and coach. Jessie has generously offered 10% off her Book Blurb Magic course and all of her book blurb services with the code ELENAPAIGE - so get blurbed right now. Enjoy the show and learning all about book blurbs!
ABOUT JESSIE: Jessie Cunniffe* is a professional blurb writer and book blurb coach from Sydney, Australia. A passionate advocate of the indie author community, Jessie has dedicated herself to taking the pain out of blurb-writing with her custom blurb-writing and critiquing services and two signature courses: Book Blurb Magic and The Spicy Blurb Playbook. When she’s not writing or dreaming up the next BBM product, Jessie can be found in high school classrooms with a guitar in hand, and has been a regular contributor to the arts pages of one of Australia’s most highly respected newspapers for the past decade. On the occasion that she manages to snatch some reading time, she’s probably buried in P. G. Wodehouse or Agatha Christie. *Pronounced ‘k-NIFF’
REMEMBER TO USE THE CODE ELENAPAIGE to get 10% off the Book Blurb Magic Course and all of Jessie's services.* Website: www.bookblurbmagic.com Email: jessie@bookblurbmagic.com FREE blurb cheatsheet: https://adoracopyediting.thrivecart.com/anatomy-of-a-book-blurb FREE spicy secrets romance blurb mini-course: www.spicyblurbplaybook.com Instagram: @bookblurbmagic Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookblurbmagic *I've included Jessie's products on this page because I have personally bought and used the Book Blurb Magic course, and want you to also gain the benefit, so if you take action, I will earn some coffee money, ie it's an affiliate link. Remember to use code ELENAPAIGE to get 10% off.
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| 28 Feb 2023 | Conquer School Visits with Adam Wallace | 01:01:15 | |
Adam Wallace, New York Times best selling author joins me on the podcast today and tells us all about how he discovered his love of writing children's books and today combines self-publishing and traditional publishing to make a full time living. He is incredible at doing school visits and gives the best advice, so if you're considering doing any - listen to this episode! We do talk about his course on School Visits, but this is no longer available unfortunately. However you can find his free resource on the topic and more at: https://www.adam-wallace-books.com/ | |||
| 03 Apr 2023 | There Are No Barriers to Writing, Publishing & Distributing Your Books with Sandra Bennett | 01:02:18 | |
Hold on tight for another wonderful interview that will encourage you to push forward in your Author journey. Sandra has such an encouraging and practical "get it done" attitude - I changed as a person and as an author from her interview and I'm sure you'll do the same. Plus my introduction is a long one today because her interview really did trigger a transformation in me. As an Australia Reads Ambassador, Sandra enjoys author school visits, presenting writing workshops and talks wherever she can to encourage a love of reading by engaging and delighting young readers with her thrilling adventures. Increasing literacy in our children is Sandra's passion, and as such she writes books that help both parents and teachers build children's literacy through read-aloud stories, one great adventure at a time.
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| 14 May 2023 | Build Your Own Publishing House with Darcy Pattison | 01:09:21 | |
I was lucky enough to get Children's Book Author Darcy Pattison on the show this week, who has published more than 50 children's books under her own publishing house - Mims House. We talk about how to write a non-fiction picture book, exploring merchandise opportunities for your books, marketing, school visits and so much more! Enjoy the episode and enjoy my intro where I talk all about pushing yourself as an author to write more words! Start for FREE Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. | |||
| 26 May 2023 | Launch Your Book Into a Best Seller with Brett Perkins | 01:03:33 | |
A power charged interview today with Middle Grade Author Brett Perkins who launched his first book The Prison for the Magically Cursed to best-selling status on Amazon in 2022. With his next book in the series coming out very soon, he sat down to chat with me about how to write and market a middle grade book. This and so much more in today's interview. | |||
| 08 Jun 2023 | Author Branding & Trad Publishing with Mary Anastasiou | 01:10:48 | |
I interviewed the very charming Mary Anastasiou, Children's Book Author and Creative Director at Larrikin House. I got the inside scoop on how to better brand myself as an author, the importance of social media, working with traditional publishers, and aiming for the moon in your author career. Enjoy the interview. With 30 years of marketing and design experience, Mary now heads the creative team at indie publisher Larrikin House. Responsible for the creation of more than 60 Larrikin titles. Mary works exclusively with authors and illustrators to create books that (she hopes) will one day become classics. Author or the much loved 'I want to be...' series, her latest title, 'I want to be a Sports Star' was shortlisted for the Speech Pathology Book of the Year awards in 2022. And, with three new titles set for release in 2023 'Jimmy Bottoms', 'Julius Squeezer' and 'The Art of Making Friends' Mary is set to continue making her own kid lit dreams come true. A frequent guest-assessor for both KidLit VIC and CYA, Mary loves nothing more than to help others achieve their publishing dreams. | |||
| 30 Jun 2023 | Shine As A Podcast Guest with Jennifer Milius | 01:05:37 | |
It was extraordinary to interview Children's Book Author, Developmental Editor, and Podcaster Jennifer Milius. We talked about the importance of including podcasting as part of your marketing - in particular being a guest on relevant podcasts, and how this can strengthen your brand and reach. We also talked about working with a developmental editor and how it can make your story shine. Enjoy today's interview. Having spoken to over 5,000 elementary school students about courage and confidence as well as being host of The TufFish Show, Jen believes when you share your gifts and message, you bring joy to others and show what’s possible for them. Tapping into your full potential means that joy, purpose, and possibility are coming together through you. Check out her website at www.jennifermilius.com
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| 03 Aug 2023 | Get the Support of a Writing Group with Christina Dankert | 01:03:15 | |
Todays episode is all about having a writing group! I interview first time children's book author, Christina Dankert, about her journey to publication and how having a collaborative and supportive writing group made all the difference. I'm now on the hunt for a writers group too lol!! You will want one too after you listen to this episode - be forewarned. And most of all learn from Christina, and enjoy the show. | |||
| 28 Aug 2023 | Inspired Courageous Writing with Jen Storer | 01:07:38 | |
This episode of The Children's Book Author Podcast is number 25, and is such a special one. I am joined by Jen Storer, Australian Children’s Author and Chief Inspirationalist at girlandduck.com, where she mentors, nurtures and guides creative souls from all over the world. And in today's interview she shares so much of her wisdom and inspiration with us writers and creatives. It's a not to be missed episode. Enjoy the show! Elena Jen LOVES what she does, believes in working to her strengths and is always looking for new and inspired ways to help others. She lives with her beloved in a divinely pretty Central Victorian town. Read more at Girl & Duck.com | |||
| 17 Oct 2023 | Shoot For The Stars in Your Career with C.J Watson | 00:32:43 | |
NBA player C.J. Watson & author released his fourth book for kids this March 2023, called "CJ and His Magic Socks". The first book "CJ's Big Dream" received great reviews and was an Amazon best seller. CJ has two other children's books "CJ's Big Project" & "CJ's Big Moment". The new book is available now on Amazon & Kindle, links below. Philanthropy has been at the center of Watson's career since the start of his scholarship fund. The fund honors his late grandmother, Mary L. Watson, and helps support students studying education. In his hometown of Las Vegas, Watson also started the Quiet Storm Foundation in order to foster learning opportunities that include social skills development and health and fitness activities to help the youth grow and achieve their goals in his community. In addition to his non-profits, Watson has developed a children's book series named CJ's Big Dream. With this series, he hopes to inspire young kids to chase their dreams and work hard for what they want.
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| 30 Nov 2023 | Why Grit Matters More Than Talent with Adrian Beck | 01:12:48 | |
Today I interview Children's Book Author Adrian Beck and we talk in depth about school visits, yes again, and this time I must admit I felt like maybe I really could do school visits... and boy do I laugh through this entire interview. I was tempted to name this episode How to Be the Funnest Author, because Adrian is fun, fun, fun!!! And if you, like me, want to be a fun type kids author, this is the interview for you. But then we get serious and Adrian gives the most encouraging advice about tenacity, grit, and never giving up!! I want to put every sentence he said on a giant poster so the next time I get discouraged I remember to never give up! You'll love learning and laughing along with Adrian Beck today, so after you listen to the podcast go and check out all the amazing books he's written! Elena MORE ABOUT ADRIAN BECK: Adrian Beck writes, funny, action-packed stories for kids. He is the author of the Derek Dool series, the Champion Charlies series, plus Alien Zoo 1 and 2 and he is the co-author of the Little Legends series with Nicole Hayes plus the Kick it to Nick series with AFL hall-of-famer Shane Crawford. As well as being an author, Adrian is a TV producer and a lover of very bad ‘dad jokes’. Together with Sally Rippin, Adrian edited the Total Quack Up! & Total Quack Up Again! books which contain an awesome line-up of writers who each provided hilarious short stories to raise money for Dymocks Children’s Charities! Adrian draws on his showbiz roots to create engaging, interactive school presentations and is passionate about fostering a love of reading amongst the next generation. Adrian was born in Hobart, Tasmania but is not related to Princess Mary. (As far as he knows). He is passionate about raising childhood literacy levels across the country and is a fierce supporter of the endangered teacher-librarian species. As a TV producer and author, Adrian uses both skill sets to deliver entertaining schools visits with lively, humorous and interactive sessions on writing, working in television and sport. If you would like to enquire about Adrian as a speaker, please head to the Booked Out website. Or check him out at his website at AdrianBeck.com.au | |||
| 05 Dec 2023 | It's Never Too Late To Market Your Book with Karen Inglis | 01:19:43 | |
Self-publishing extraordinaire Karen Inglis joins me on today's episode to talk all about her wonderful books, her incredible author and publishing journey, and how she sold over 500,000 copies of The Secret Lake! We talk writing, publishing, marketing, foreign rights and through this interview you will understand, it's never too late to market your book! Return to the Secret Lake, Karen’s long-awaited sequel to her bestseller, was recently shortlisted in the children’s categories for both the Wishing Shelf Book Awards and the UK Selfies Awards. Karen has written and presented extensively about children’s self-publishing and children’s book marketing. She has received traditional publishing offers over the years but has preferred to retain creative control over her work. · kareninglisauthor.com — for readers · @kareninglis — twitter · facebook.com/kareninglisauthor — Facebook · @kareninglis_childrensbooks — Instagram · selfpublishingadventures.com — for writers | |||
| 06 Dec 2023 | The Magic of Making Connections with Dani Vee | 01:07:31 | |
Today I'm joined by podcaster, author, mother, writing festival enthusiast and gosh so may more titles that still don't sum up DANI VEE!! A fun talk where we cover writing, getting published, writing festivals, creativity, and of course the magic of making connections and how important they are in the writing world! Enjoy today's show. Her picture books include ‘My EXTRAordinary Mum', and her new book ‘My EPIC Dad! Takes Us Camping,’ the first book in the EPIC Dad series. Dani Vee hosts the popular literary podcast Words and Nerds. With up to 50,000 listeners every month and more than 500 episodes, the podcast has become a significant part of the Australian literary community. She has interviewed Matthew Reilly, Trent Dalton, Jackie French, Tara Moss, Andy Griffiths and many more. As well as working in Publicity at Larrikin House, she assesses manuscripts and works in acquisitions with the publisher. You’ll also find her facilitating panels or running workshops at literary festivals such as BAD Sydney Crime Writers Festival, The Sutherland Shire Writers' Festival, Somerset Storyfest, Kids and YA Festival and Mansfield Readers and Writers Festival and in 2023 at the Sydney Writers’ Festival. Dani has been on judging panels for picture book awards, the Ned Kelly Awards and Ngaio Marsh Awards. | |||
| 08 Dec 2023 | Practise Aggressive Patience with Sean E. Avery | 00:59:18 | |
Wow what encouragement I received in todays interview with Sean E. Avery. I've always wanted to secretly learn how to draw and Sean is an art teacher, and illustrator of his own authored books. He made me believe perhaps I can illustrate my own books one day, and you'll believe so too once you listen to this episode. Will it take time and consistent action? Absolutely! But it can happen when you practise aggressive patience. | |||
| 22 Apr 2024 | Writing Rhyming Picture Books with Essie Bell | 01:09:36 | |
Essie Bell is a multi-talented picture book author and publisher having written, published and marketed six picure books. In today's interview we talk about how to write a great rhyming book and why they're still relevant to the market, school visits, markets and more! It's a wonderful time to be a Children's Book Author! Instagram: instagram.com/essiebell.author Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Essie-Bell/author/B097XP57YQ? | |||
| 24 Apr 2024 | Writing Funny Graphic Novels with Rob Kutner | 00:40:58 | |
How much did I learn about writing funny from Rob Kutner in today's episode of The Chidren's Book Author Podcast? A huge amount and you can too, by tuning in to the wonderful conversation. Rob shares his journey writing his first spooky-comedy graphic novel for kids, and gives timeless advice on how you can be funnier in your writing too. Rob’s other TV writing includes “Teen Titans Go!” “Ben10” “Angry Birds: Summer Madness” and HBO’s “Dennis Miller Live.” He has also written material for the Oscars, Emmys, Writers’ Guild Awards, MTV Movie Awards, Guys’ Choice Awards, and two White House Correspondents’ Dinners. He has developed kids’ and adult animated series for Warner Brothers and SyFy. Rob is the author of the satirical end-of-times bestseller Apocalypse How: Turn the End Times into the Best of Times! and the Amazon Kindle e-bestseller/Audible audiobook The Future According to Me. He is also the creator of the graphic novel “Shrinkage” for Farrago Comics. He has published humor and feature pieces for the New Yorker, New York Times, Esquire, Huffington Post, McSweeney’s, and the Weekly Forward. Rob’s new horror-comedy kids’ anthology “Snot Goblins and Other Tasteless Tales” (First Second) is now on sale, as is “Look Out For The Little Guy,” the “in-universe” memoir of Scott “Ant-Man” Lang he ghostwrote. This makes Rob technically part of the MCU.
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| 06 May 2024 | Writing Award Winning Middle Grade with Marc Remus | 01:28:13 | |
Have you ever wanted to write middle-grade fiction? Or perhaps you already do, but want to make it so good that it wins every award it's ever entered into? Then this is the interview for you! Marc has won over 22 awards and has written and self-published eight books and many have been translated into 10 languages. You'll discover how to work with the best editors, writing in series, and which book awards are the best for exposure and feedback. So settle in and find out all about how to write an award winning middle grade book. Having a passion for languages, he travelled to seventy countries, lived a few years in Honduras and Japan, and visited over a thousand cities, of which he has painted over two hundred. His art work has been featured in over one hundred magazine/newspaper articles in Germany, USA, and Mexico (TV documentaries available above.) During his studies in California, he took his first children’s book illustration class. His teacher inspired him to start writing and not just illustrating. The result was a picture book called Painting Brian, which led to the Magora series. He began taking classes in children's literature in 2003 and worked with some incredible editors. Over a period of twenty years, he developed the magical world Magora based on places he had visited, people he had met, and things he had learned through his studies in acting, cultural Anthropology, and linguistics. In 2016 the first book of the Magora series was published on Amazon. It became a big success and ranked for five days as No.1 of all children's book on Amazon, with over 35.000 downloads. Since then, the series has won 20 awards. In 2019, Remus started a new project. He wrote the children's book "The Chocolate Clouds." Since it is an illustrated book with 150 drawings, three years passed before it was finally published in 2021. In just seven months, it won six literary awards among them the first literary award in the UK (The Wishing Shelf Book Award.) Following this success, many translators applied to create a version in their language. As a result, many foreign language editions evolved: Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, and Swedish. Some of these editions are already available on Amazon. | |||
| 14 May 2024 | Nail Your Cover Design with Holly Dunn | 01:14:49 | |
People will ALWAYS judge your book by its cover: it's the harsh reality! So make sure you get your cover design right. Today we discuss what makes a great cover and how you can make sure your cover helps to sell your book, with Cover Designer, Holly Dunn. Enjoy the episode! LINKS: | |||
| 19 Sep 2024 | How To Achieve Your Creative Goals with Lisa Glanz | 01:10:49 | |
I'm so excited to be sharing my interview with Lisa Glanz. If you're someone who loves drawing and uses procreate, you're sure to know who she is! | |||
| 09 Mar 2025 | Grassroots Independent Publishing with Kristy Nita Brown | 01:07:31 | |
Yes it's been a while since a new episode has dropped, but after much anticipation, here is the latest episode launching off the podcast in 2025! If you have ever wanted to find out how to hit your local community and sell your own books, this is the episode for you! We talk all about sourcing your own distribution, approaching local indie bookstores and of course, school visits! Enjoy today's episode with the incredibly dynamic Kristy Nita Brown! MORE ABOUT KRISTY: Kristy Nita Brown is a dynamic junior fiction author, educator, and creative entrepreneur who independently publishes books. Her debut book, Looking for Lily, was shortlisted for the 2023 West Australian Young Readers’ Book Award and placed second in the 2022 Children and Young Adult Aspiring Author Competition. Her follow-up book, Mavey and Beth’s Double Act: Where’s My Whistle?, secured fourth place in the 2023 edition of the same competition. Kristy is a seasoned TAFE lecturer and teaching artist who runs creative writing and filmmaking workshops across community libraries and schools. In 2024, Kristy is funded by the Department of Local Government, Sport, and Cultural Industries to lead the Book Builder's Challenge, an innovative, creative writing program that empowers students to write, illustrate, edit, market and publish books. Kristy is also a participant in the Path to Published mentorship program with best-selling author Sasha Wasley, the SEW Arts teaching artists training program, and the Creative Schools program developed by Form. FIND HER AT: Website: https://www.kristynitabrown.com.au/ | |||
| 24 Mar 2025 | Discover Your Unique Strengths with Becca Syme | 01:15:08 | |
Are you stuck writing a particular book? Feeling frustrated with your productivity? Sick of trying strategies that never work? Here's how to overcome all these obstacles and more: discover and work with your unique strengths! Jump into today's interview with Becca Syme, success coach (primarily utilizing the Gallup Strengthsfinder®) where we talk all about transformation and the power of an individualised approach. This is such a golden episode you will listen to over and over again! Also go do the Gallup Strengths Test https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/ and discover your top five strengths, so you can start being the best creative YOU! MORE ABOUT BECCA Becca Syme holds a master’s degree in transformational leadership and has been a success coach (primarily utilizing the Gallup Strengthsfinder®) for over fifteen years. She’s coached over 5,000 individual authors and creatives through her Write Better-Faster and Strengths for Writers classes & coaching cohorts: six- and seven-figure authors, major award winners, midlisters, and new authors alike. She is the author of the Dear Writer books and host of the Quitcast for Writers Podcast/You Tube channel, created around the content of Becca Syme’s “What to Quit, What to Keep, and What to Question” model of coaching writers. Find out more at https://betterfasteracademy.com/ SEE THE VIDEOS ABOUT YOUR STRENGTHS http://betterfasteracademy.com/next-steps-videos | |||
| 07 Apr 2025 | Bringing Your Characters to Life with Elisa Eliot | 01:18:32 | |
From Actor to Graphic Novel writer, Elisa Eliot brings her years of study and knowledge in the performing arts, and from screenwriting and producing to children's books. You'll learn about creating the most unique yet truthful characters and bringing them to life. Plus so much more! MORE ABOUT ELISA: Elisa Eliot began performing with the Houston Grand Opera at 12, starred in plays throughout school and won her state’s science fair before studying Drama, Literature and Playwriting at Yale, where she starred in 40 more productions. She won the lead in the Off-Broadway production of Bells of the Mill on a summer break before moving to Los Angeles, where she quickly racked up roles in TV and film. She wrote and produced the feature, A Genie’s Tail, which debuted on Showtime and is available on most streaming platforms. BOOK: https://www.zakvs.com FILM & TV CONTENT: https://www.triplejackproductions.com, https://www.triplejackkids.com SOCIALS INSTA: @elisaeliot @zakvszombies FB: https://www.facebook.com/elisa.eliot.yudofsky.nord, https://www.facebook.com/ZAKVSBooks/ | |||
| 06 May 2021 | Discover Your Creative Why with Erin Everleigh | 00:53:10 | |
Today's interview is with Erin Everleigh, mama, dentist, author, and founder of Wordsmithers Academy. Her goal is to inspire others to follow their passions and live their best lives. Join Erin as she shares how knowing your "why" helps you create art that matters. | |||
| 14 May 2021 | Sustaining a Regular Creative Practice with Ffion Evans | 01:14:51 | |
Today's interview is with Ffion Evans, a freelance graphics designer, artist and illustrator based in Germany. | |||
| 28 May 2021 | Inject Strategy Into Your Creative Project with Kelly Irving | 01:01:37 | |
This weeks interview is with Book Coach, Kelly Irving. | |||
| 21 Jun 2021 | How to Make Writing Easier with JJ Kahrs and Cetacean Writing App | 00:54:26 | |
Todays interview is with JJ Kahrs, the creator, owner, and janitor of the writing app Cetacean. This app lets you write online, safely backing up your work as you go, and more than that, it gives you the tools to brainstorm, outline, write and revise, all in the one place. | |||
| 05 Jul 2021 | Overcome Challenges and Find Creative Fulfilment with Colleen M. Story | 01:10:52 | |
Today's interview is with Colleen M. Story. With over 20 years as a freelance writer in the health and wellness industry, Colleen has authored thousands of articles for publications like “Healthline” and “Women's Health;” worked with high-profile clients like Gerber Baby Products and Kellogg's; and ghostwritten books on back pain, nutrition, and cancer recovery. She frequently serves as a workshop leader and motivational speaker, where she helps attendees remove mental and emotional blocks and tap into their unique creative powers. Her first course, “How to Finish the Creative Projects You Start,” is available on Teachable. Find more at these sites: Writing and Wellness | Writer CEO | Teachable | Author Website | Twitter | LinkedIn | Goodreads | |||
| 20 Jul 2021 | Fearless Writing with Kirsten and Aiyven Mbawa | 00:30:10 | |
What a treat it was to interview young writers Kirsten and Aiyven Mbawa (ages 13 and 11 respectively). They may be young but that hasn't held them back. They are both published novelists, entrepreneurs, and book reviewers. Aiyven Mbawa is a 11-year old year 7 student, one of the famed Mbawa Book Reviewers duo and co-founder of Happier Every Chapter book subscription box. An avid reader and book reviewer, Land Of The Nurogons, a fantasy adventure is her debut novel. Aiyven lives in Northampton where she was born with her parents, 2 sisters and pet cat Zaki. Will Land Of The Nurogons become a series? Who knows. Watch the space after the publication of her next book; Aiyven is in the concept stages of a diverse middle-grade story, due out later this year. In collaboration with her sister Kirsten, she also plans to publish a short story collection. In her pre-covid spare time, Aiyven attends gymnastics, learns Mandarin, plays the piano and tennis. Kirsten Mbawa is a 13-year old year 8 student, winner of 2015 Young Writers Talent for Writing Award, one of the famed Mbawa Book Reviewers duo and co-founder of Happier Every Chapter book subscription box. A voracious reader for as long as she can remember and a book reviewer, Sagas of Anya, is her debut novel which honours her love for historical fiction. Kirsten lives in Northampton where she was born with her parents, 2 sisters and pet cat Zaki. With homage to historical fiction out of the way, Kirsten plans to throw the constraints of time and place to the wind by writing a horror or dystopian middle-grade fiction for her next book which is due out later this year. In collaboration with her sister Aiyven, she also plans to publish a short story collection in the future. In her pre-covid spare time, Kirsten attends gymnastics, learns Mandarin, plays the piano and tennis.
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| 28 Jul 2021 | Psychological Fitness for Creatives with Christine Yeung | 00:56:33 | |
Today I had the great pleasure of interviewing Christine Yeung, an award-winning psychologist, CEO and Founder of Beyond Story - A startup consultancy which specialising in working with many professionals and leaders across industries across the globe to optimise their mental health and psychological fitness in order to thrive in complexity. The latest venture of Beyond Story is to help humanity to combat loneliness using technologies in order to prevent mental health conditions such as depression and social anxiety. Christine has studied and consulted across Europe, Asia and Australia, working with businesses, government departments, NGOs and the United Nations at the intersection of governance, mental health and culture. | |||
| 17 Aug 2021 | Write What Matters to Your Audience with Mirtis Conci | 00:47:24 | |
Children's Book Author Mirtis Conci joins me on the show today and we talk about how its not just about what you write but how you write it. She talks about her experience of writing for children, and needing to go into her own inner child in order to write something with love that children can relate to and feel the emotion of. She writes stories for young human beings, because they need to build strong wings. What is better than a good story that talks about courage through fear, respect through empathy, love through self confidence? Graduated in Foreign Languages and Literature, Mirtis learned one important thing: it doesn’t matter how many languages you speak, but how you communicate. That’s why she would like to write on her Identity Card: Earth´s citizen, European, born and grew up in Italy, currently living in Germany. Here you can meet her at: www.mirtisconci.com | |||
| 02 Sep 2021 | Be a Courageous Innovator with Lael Stone | 00:58:44 | |
WOW trust me you CANNOT miss this interview with Lael Stone. It will fill you with courage and tenacity and belief in yourself, motivation and creative superhuman power... I promise. All this and more in this interview. If you only listen to one interview this year, make this the one! Lael spent 15 years working in childbirth education and postnatal care, working with couples through pregnancy, birth and the first few years of parenting as a Doula, Calmbirth Practitioner and Postnatal trauma Counsellor. She is the Creator and Director of the About Birth Online Education Program, a pioneering way to learn about birth and early parenting. She is also the co-creator of Woodline Primary School, an innovative new school based on emotional wellbeing and connection. Lael is the co-host of The Aware Parenting Podcast and a sought-after public speaker who talks candidly about her experiences and her great passion; creating wellness in families through connection and communication. She is excited to be teaming up with The Resilience Project to deliver presentations around raising resilient children all over Australia in 2021. She is the mother of three big kids - who are teenagers and young adults and she is currently putting all her research into practice with them! You can find out more about her work at: https://www.facebook.com/laelstone/ https://www.instagram.com/laelstone/ https://www.woodlineprimary.com.au/ https://www.aboutbirth.com.au/ The Aware Parenting Podcast - over 240,000 downloads Tedx Talk - How to Raise emotionally Intelligent Children - over 550,000 views
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| 18 Oct 2021 | Put It All On The Line with Ben Hendry | 00:57:49 | |
This week's episode is with my first Musician on the show - Professional Drummer Ben Hendry. Ben is also a Music Director, teacher & collaborator, and has an interest in Performance Theory and Stage Craft for jazz musicians. | |||
| 29 Apr 2021 | All Things Creative Writing with Jessica Brody | 01:06:15 | |
Join Jessica Brody, writer and teacher, as she talks about how to supercharge your creative process, improve your productivity, and make your creative career a priority. Visit her online at JessicaBrody.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram @JessicaBrody | |||