The Writing Sparrow (Sarina)

This week I welcome romance author Lyra Thorsson onto my show! We discuss the differences between romance novels, erotic romance novels, and pure smut ;)

Her action step for those of you wanting to write one or all of the above holds true for any genre: read books like the ones you want to write, familiarise yourself with how other authors approach your subject, and then get writing yourself! It's fine to copy those other authors first until your find what works for you.

To find out more about Lyra, check out her Instagram, her Facebook, and her website. You can also support her directly on Patreon. Don't let the links to Dani Hoots confuse you - Lyra Thorsson is her pen name.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Alice Ivyna joins me this week to talk about how to make your next book launch a success! She has a lot of information for you guys, so I recommend you get a notebook.

As promised in the episode, here is a summary of the steps she takes when she publishes a new book:

1.  Include a pre-order link to the sequel (if your book is part of a series) at the end of your book. If your book is a standalone, you can link to one of your other books. Don't have the next book ready just yet? You can put a temporary cover on Amazon and set the release date far enough into the future that you don't create a problem for yourself. Simply update the listing when you have a date and have announced the cover.
2. Do a cover, blurb, and/or title reveal 1-2 months before the book is out. This creates hype!
3. Send your book to your Advanced Reader Copy team to ensure early reviews (and more hype!)
4. Up to one week before publication, do a social media countdown with graphics, quotes, discounts on your other books - whatever you can think of to make it fun and engaging!

These steps may not be sufficient for you and your readers (remember that everyone is different), but they're a good place to start from which you can create your own strategy.

To find out more about Alice, check out her Instagram, her Facebook, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For this week's episode, R.S. Williams kindly agreed to come back to discuss Patreon for Authors! If you want to know what this platform does and how authors can use it to connect with their readers, this is the episode for you!

You can learn more about Rhianne and her books on her website, her Instagram, or support her directly via Patreon.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome to my quarterly writing updates, goals, and podcast news! If this isn't why you're here, don't worry - it'll only happen four times a year. Hopefully, my process, goals, and achieved deadlines (as well as surprise challenges) will be interesting for you whether you're here as a writer or as one of my readers!
 
Listen to find out what I'm working on, what progress I've made on my WIPs, and what's coming up next in my writing and on this podcast.
 
And if you'd like to share your goals with me, too, go right ahead! Some of you have shared your goals in this episode, and it's wonderful to see you get involved <3 Let's hold one another accountable *high five*

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome to one of my favourite chats of all time! In this week's episode, I talked to C E Hoffman about how to approach sensitive subjects in our writing. We discussed things like gender, spirituality, and the Shadow in Jungian psychology, so you're in for a fantastic episode.

The short answer is that it all comes down to respect.
The long answer is in this episode.

(and the even longer answer is on Patreon, where you can find the extended versions of all episodes! This one is 1 hour 40 minutes long.)

To find out more about C, check out their Twitter, their website, and their YouTube channel. C will also be launching their own podcast soon! Get an early glimpse of Scribbles & Spills.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a quarter, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This quarter, I talked to Kirsten McNeill, a writer, editor, and fellow podcaster! Her book recommendation is On Writing by Stephen King.

To find out more about Kirsten, check out her Instagram, her Twitter, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Sparrows, we're finally discussing one of my favourite subjects this week! Bekah Berge stopped by to talk about *drumroll* worldbuilding! We specifically discuss things like maps in fantasy novels (how much do you need to include?), magic systems, the flora and fauna of your world, worldbuilding in epic fantasy and in urban fantasy genres, series bibles, and all that fun stuff.

Prepare a notebook and a pen and get ready to take notes, because we had a blast talking about this!

To find out more about Bekah, check out her Instagram and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome to our second episode on book marketing! This time, Chloe Hodge joins me to discuss this most daunting of author tasks.

And if you missed it, Lyndsey Hall talked us through her strategy a few weeks ago in Episode 61!

To find out more about Chloe, check out her Instagram, her website, her TikTok, and her Facebook.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week, I talked to Marisa Mohi about Author Website 101 - what kind of content you should have, how early on your writing path you should create one, your questions from social media, and if you even need a website in the first place.

To find out more about Marisa, check out her website, her Instagram, her Twitter, her TikTok, her Facebook, and her YouTube channel.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Today I'm talking to Aluko Deborah JB about every writer's greatest foe (besides burnout, self-doubt, etc): the rabbit hole of procrastination. Want to know how to beat procrastination and foster consistency instead? You've come to the right place.

Note: we sadly had technical issues when we were recording, so we apologise if this chat sounds a little rushed. We had a lot to cover and were aware of our time limit.

To find out more about Aluko, check out her website, her Instagram, her Twitter, and her own podcast RealityCore.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome to my quarterly writing updates, goals, and podcast news! If this isn't why you're here, don't worry - it'll only happen four times a year. Hopefully, my process, goals, and achieved deadlines (as well as surprise challenges) will be interesting for you whether you're here as a writer or as one of my readers!
 
Listen to find out what I'm working on, what progress I've made on my WIPs, and what's coming up next in my writing and on this podcast.
 
And if you'd like to share your goals with me, too, go right ahead! Some of you have shared your goals in this episode, and it's wonderful to see you get involved <3 Let's hold one another accountable *high five*

________________________________________________________________________________

Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a quarter, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This quarter, I talked to Nicole Casale, a writer of all genres from Italy!

To find out more about Nicole, check out her Instagram, her TikTok, and her Facebook author page.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Today I have the great pleasure of welcoming Adriene Arce to my show! Adriene is my narrator for the Blood Wisp trilogy, and it was really great to talk about the process with her. It's a slightly longer episode, but we think it's worth every second. (but if you want an even longer chat, the Patreon Extended Edition is 2 1/2 hours long :O We couldn't shut up! Clearly, we both love this topic.)

To find out more about Adriene, check out her Instagram or her ACX profile.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Kirsten McNeill joins me again for this week's episode to talk about how we can overcome fear on our writing journey, be that the fear of writing a book, of being read, of our books being disliked, etc.

This is a super-sized episode, and we hope you'll enjoy our pep talk!

Please note: The Writing Sparrow will take a break after this episode. It will return, I just don't want to promise a date. This is a good time to subscribe to the show (completely free, if the word puts you off!) or follow the podcast at any of the links below. That way, you won't miss us when we're back.

To find out more about Kirsten, check out her Instagram, her Twitter, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

The Writing Sparrow will take a break now. It will return, I just don't want to promise a date. This is a good time to subscribe to the show (completely free, if the word puts you off!) or follow the podcast at any of the links below. That way, you won't miss us when we're back.

Thank you for listening, writers and Sparrows! Speak soon.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome back, Sparrows! This week, Jo Holloway joins me for a chat about how we can find new readers on Facebook! Get a notebook ready, friends - Jo has loads of great tips to share.

You probably know that your readers are on social media somewhere, but how do you find them, and how do you engage with them in a way that'll make them want to buy your book? Find out in this episode how Jo aces this on Facebook.

As mentioned in the episode, these are the bookish groups she recommends:

YA Fantasy Addicts
YA Sci-Fi & Fantasy Addicts
Indie Fantasy Addicts
Fantasy ARC Readers

Your action step this week is to check out the above groups, find others in your genre, and join a few as a reader if this approach appeals to you.

To find out more about Jo, check out Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and her website.

Next week: How to Resurrect a Dead Book with Cara North.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I welcome James Fahy back on my show! James had all of his books published the traditional way. While this podcast mostly talks to self-published authors, it's not the right path for everyone, so today James talks us through how he found his agent, and what happened next.

If you want to take the traditional route, this is the episode for you!

To find out more about James, check out his website or follow him on Instagram or on Twitter.

Next week: How to Write Historical Fantasy with Katie Hayoz.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome back, folks, for an exciting chat about how to resurrect a dead book (and what that even means, anyway). Cara North joins me for this one!

Got a published book that isn't doing too well, or something from your backlist that's not getting any attention anymore? This is the episode for you.

(We may have shared the video on Patreon super early last year around Halloween, because the timing fit and the topic was too perfect not to.)

To find out more about Cara, check out her Twitter and her website.

Next week: How to find an Agent and Get Publish with James Fahy.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome to the Writing Routines chat of the season! Astrid and I talked about the big questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more!

At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing a writing routine that works for you.

To find out more about Astrid, check out her YouTube, her Facebook, and her website.

Next week: A (Fun) Rant about Editing with Kirsten McNeill.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome back, folks, for a chat on what I thought would be historical fiction but instead morphed into a fun discussion about historical fantasy! Katie Hayoz is back for this one with lots of great insights.

If, like me, historical fiction isn't really your thing but fantasy is, or if you want to know how to infuse your historical settings with more fantasy elements, then we've got you covered!

To find out more about Katie, check out her website, find her or Twitter, or follow her on Instagram.

Next week: Writing Routines | Astrid VJ.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

LET SEASON 2 BEGIN

*throws confetti*

Welcome back, Sparrows, for Season 2 of The Writing Sparrow! In this first episode (or Episode 76, if you're counting the total), Sarah McKnight joins me for the light topic of social media warnings.

To find out more about Sarah, check out her Twitter and her website.

Next week: How to Find New Readers on Facebook with Jo Holloway.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

* HEADS UP: we now have a new home on Facebook! I'm deleting the page because I hate how pages work/don't work and have created a group instead. This is our new home: https://www.facebook.com/groups/thewritingsparrowpodcast *

Kirsten McNeill is back! This time, she joins me for a (fun) rant about the editing process. We're both editors, so this episode is part venting and part tips for working with your editor.

To find out more about Kirsten, check out her Instagram, her Facebook group, and her website.

Next week: How to Write and Publish a Graphic Novel with FortunusGames / Imelda Wei Ding Lo.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Today we're talking about graphic novels and how to create them. Imelda Wei Ding Lo aka FortunusGames joins me for this one with great insight into this path.

To find out more about Imelda, check out her Twitter or her own podcast.

Next week:  Newsletter 101 with Tammi Labrecque.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Coming in Season 2:

• How to Write and Publish a Graphic Novel
• A Rant About Editing
• How to Find an Agent and Get Published
• How to Write Historical Fantasy
• Social Media Warnings
• How to Resurrect a Dead Book
• How to Find New Readers on Facebook

... and more!

Season 2 starts on January 2nd 2023 with a new episode every Monday... or on December 30th - with a new video the Fridays before! - for all Patreon supporters.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I had the great pleasure to talk to Tammi Labrecque, Newsletter Ninja and author of, erm, Newsletter Ninja. We had such a great time talking about newsletters that we got cut off, but we've had a chat and Tammi will be back for Season 3 to finish what we started today.

To find out more about Tammi, visit her website or her Author Think Tank on Facebook.

Next week: How to Write a Great Reader Magnet with Savanah James

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This is it, folks! The final episode of Season 2! To wrap up, Savanah James is here to talk about reader magnets and how to write the perfect one for your mailing list subscribers.

To find out more about Savanah, visit her website or her Facebook page.

The Writing Sparrow will return for Season 3. Date TBC. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss out when we're back!

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome back, Sparrows, friends, and bookworms, for Season 3!! *and the crowd goes wild*

We (read: I) have many exciting episodes lined up this season, which will take this podcast to just over 100 episodes (and we'll celebrate that with an epic three-episode series on writing magic systems!!) :O

To kick all that excitement off, I invited Sarah McKnight back, this time to chat about using NetGalley and BookSirens to get reviews. Grab a notebook, your favourite tea, and your beverage of choice and settle in, because there's a lot to discuss this season *high five*

To catch up with Sarah, check out her Twitter, her Instagram, her TikTok, and her Facebook page.

NEXT WEEK: How to write Humour with Kyle A. Massa

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome back, folks! This week, we have a HILARIOUS episode (no, really!) with Kyle A. Massa about how to write humour! Get ready to laugh, because we had a lot of fun with this chat.

To catch up with Kyle, check out his Twitter and his website.

NEXT WEEK: How to do a live writing collaboration in GoogleDocs with Beverley Lee and Nicole Eigener

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Saddle up, Sparrows, 'cause you're in for a treat this week! I had the great pleasure to chat with Beverley Lee and Nicole Eigener about their newest book baby and passion project extraordinaire: A Conclave of Crimson. Hear all about how they co-wrote this book, live, in GoogleDocs, how they broke the platform, and the ups and downs of such an undertaking (and, of course, of what dark surprises lay in wait for all those who dare turn the pages).

To catch up with Beverley, check out her Twitter, her Instagram, and her website.
To catch up with Nicole, check out her Twitter, her Instagram, and her website.

NEXT WEEK: How to set up a shared world with SK Gregory

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Make sure you have a pen and some paper ready, folks, because there's a lot of info in this one! Sam is no stranger to running anthologies or shared worlds and had a lot of knowledge to share.

To catch up with Sam check out her Facebook and her website.

NEXT WEEK: How to Narrate Audiobooks with Ashlee Nicole Davis

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Season 3 will begin on July 3rd, with new episodes every Monday (and new video episodes every Friday before on Patreon).

Coming this season:

• How to Set Up a Shared World with SK Gregory
• How to Write Humour with Kyle A. Massa
• How to Do a Live Writing Collaboration with Beverley Lee and Nicole Eigener
• An epic 3-parter on Magic Systems with Andrew Wall
• NetGalley and BookSirens for Authors with Sarah McKnight
• How to Write with ADHD with Shane Douglas Keene

... and many more!

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Prepare for a fun and informative chat, folks, because today, I'm talking to Ashlee Nicole Davis - narrator extraordinaire who's working on my Chaos of Esta Anderson series!
She has a lot of great tips on how to get started, what kind of teaching you may need/want and where to find it, and some other great do's and don't's besides! We had an absolute blast recording this chat.

And if you found it helpful and want more, also check out E74, where narrator Adriene Arce talked about her approach.

To catch up with Ashley check out her Facebook, her Instagram, and her TikTok.

NEXT WEEK: How to Focus on Writing with ADHD with Shane Douglas Keene

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Today I'm talking to writer and poet Shane Douglas Keene about how you can focus on writing when your ADHD is making it more difficult.

Shane's tips from personal experience are:

• Routine is important. Sitting down to write at the same time every day creates a habit, which may be easier for you to stick to longterm.
• If you can, have a separate computer just for writing. If you can't, there are programs you can use to block distractions, such as Scrivener's full screen mode.
• If you realise that you've lost the passion for your project, walk away for a while. You can either work on something else you do feel passionate about or take a break from writing altogether if you need it.
• Be brave and be transparent with your readers. If your ADHD is slowing your progress, it's okay to be honest about it - plenty of readers and other writers will see themselves in your struggles and sympathise. Alternatively, if you've fallen into a research rabbit hole, consider sharing some of your findings with your readers.

To catch up with Shane, check out his Twitter.

NEXT WEEK: Writing Routines: Dana Fraedrich

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome to the Writing Routines chat of the season! Dana and I talked about the big questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more!

At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing a writing routine that works for you.

To find out more about Dana, check out her website , find her or Twitter , or follow her on Instagram.

NEXT WEEK: How to Gamify Your Writing with JC Brown

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To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Where are my fellow gamers at? This episode is for you (and for everyone who wants to have even more fun with writing, of course!). In this chat, JC and I talk about how you can turn your writing into a game and/or use games to get more writing done.

The sites and apps we mention in this episode are:

4thewords 

750 Words 

Habitica 

Finch 

Forest

To catch up with JC check out her Facebook, her Instagram, her TikTok, and her website.

And, to go questing with us on 4thewords, her username is LadyBrown and mine is SarinaLanger. To add someone, go to Account -> My Friends -> Add a friend.

NEXT WEEK: Plotting Your Novel with Emma Briedis

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I'm so excited to talk to Emma Briedis about plotting! I myself am somewhere between plotter and pantser, but plotting is my first love, and it's my first approach with every WIP (the pantsing doesn't start until everything's outlined and I start writing - a recent revelation we'll discuss in more depth next week).

Emma and I discuss our approaches in this episode and answer your questions from social media.

To catch up with Emma check out her Twitter, her Facebook, and her Instagram.

NEXT WEEK: Pantsing Your Novel with Sullyn Shaw

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To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week's episode had me a little nervous as Sullyn and I discussed pantsing - not my natural habitat (or so I thought).

In this episode, Sullyn and I discuss our approaches - same as last week when I chatted all things plotting with Emma Briedis but with more confusion on my part.

To catch up with Sullyn check out her website, her Facebook, her Instagram, and her TikTok.

NEXT WEEK: How to Organise Your Writing Time with Bradley Gosselin

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

In today's episode, Brad and I discuss the ancient problem of never having time to write... and how you can carve out more time for yourself to get the words written.

We discuss when and how to make time, all the parts of writing that aren't writing (such as world-building or proofing audiobooks), the importance of routine, and we answer your questions from social media.

To catch up with Brad check out his website, his Facebook, and his Instagram.

NEXT WEEK: How to Write an Interactive Novel with Leia Talon

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For today's episode, Darke Conteur joined me for a very overdue chat about self-publishing! We discuss why we've both chosen this path and share some things we think you should know if it tempts you, too.

To catch up with Darke, visit her website, or find her on Twitter or on YouTube.

NEXT WEEK: Creating Magic Systems (Part 1) with Andrew Wall

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For this week's chat, I've discussed how to organise multiple pen names with Anita Primrose - something she has loads of experience with! If you're considering several pen names but are intimidated by keeping everything organised, or if you'd just like some tips, then this episode is for you!

To catch up with Anita, check out her Instagram, TikTok, and her Facebook.

NEXT WEEK: Self-Publishing with Darke Conteur

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Settle in, folks, for one of my favourite chats of all time! I didn't really know what to expect when I invited Leia onto my show, only that I wasn't sure what an interactive novel is and that I hadn't covered it before. I did not expect to chat about writing a text-based game! We hope you'll enjoy this episode as much as we did.

To catch up with Leia check out her Twitter,  her BlueSky, her Instagram, her TikTok, her Threads, and her website. And to check out her interactive novel, find it on Choice of Games.

NEXT WEEK: How to Organise Multiple Pen Names with Anita Primrose

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To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome back, folks, to our 100th episode! *hands out cake and caffeine*
For this special milestone, I figured it was about time we talked about one of my favourite things: how to write a great, believable magic system! And because this is such a fun topic AND it's for E100 (and because Andrew and I love talking about it), we've decided to make this a 3-parter.

To catch up with Andrew, find him on his website, on Facebook, and on Instagram.

NEXT WEEK: Creating Magic Systems (Part 2) with Andrew Wall

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To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Welcome back for Part 2 of our introduction to writing magic systems! Today, Andrew and I dive deeper into his questionnaire to help you flesh out your own magic systems.

To catch up with Andrew, find him on his website, on Facebook, and on Instagram.

NEXT WEEK: Creating Magic Systems (Part 3) with Andrew Wall

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To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

It's time for the final episode in our 3-parter on creating magic systems, and for our final episode of Season 3! Today, Andrew and I answer your questions from social media and generally ramble about this topic we both love so much.

To catch up with Andrew, find him on his website, on Facebook, and on Instagram.

Thank you, folks, for tuning in! The Writing Sparrow will now take a break but may return one day for Season 4. Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss us when we're back!

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Thank you so much to everyone who's tuned in and everyone who continues to find the show and listen to us. If The Writing Sparrow has helped you write in any way, know that I made it for you. I had the best time.

Thank you again - truly - and good night. Keep writing, Sparrows 💛 

Please note that I'll likely move all episodes to thewritingsparrowpodcast.wordpress.com/ in the future. Keep an eye on that, and feel free to reach out to me with any writing questions at any time. This podcast has ended, but my doors are always open (if you'll pardon the cliche).

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Meet Sarina, indie author of dark epic fantasy, mama to one beautiful cat, and your host for this writing podcast!

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

In April 2020, I burned out bad. It took me over two months before I was back to myself again, and I want to help you avoid the same pain. In today's episode, I talk you through some of the symptoms, how burning out for two months affected me, and what you can do to stay far away from it.

Common symptoms of burnout include:

• You're exhausted physically and mentally
• Writing is harder than usual, even impossible
• You're emotional irritable,and stressed
• You feel like you can't possibly take any time off
• Your to-do doesn't seem to get any smaller even though you're working.

Your action steps for today are:

1. Make a list of your burnout symptoms (or copy the ones from this episode if you've never burned out before)
2.  Make a list of the things that help you relax
3.  Share your symptoms with someone you trust so they can help you take a break when you need it.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

We've all doubted whether our novel ideas are enough, but I'm here to tell you that yes, it is, because all it needs to do is exist!

This week's action step:

Just... start writing. I know it's hard, but you can't polish something you don't have. Get the first draft written and worry about infusing the magic later.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week, I had a chat with urban fantasy author Grace - G.R.Thomas - about her recently wrapped-up debut series, the importance of making connections, and what it's like to get negative reviews. Grace started working on her books in 2014 and has learned a great deal along the way. She shares some of her gained knowledge in this week's episode.

You can find out more about Grace on her website, find her on Instagram, or follow her on TikTok.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I had a chat with Becky Wright, indie author and founder of PlatformHouse Publishing, which she runs with her husband and where they create book trailers, covers, formatted interiors, and promo images for authors. I have worked with them on several projects (including the cover for this podcast!) and happily vouch for their quality and affordable prices.

You can find out more or book PlatformHouse Publishing for your project on their website.

To find out more about Becky, check out her Instagram, her Twitter, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week, I talk about the basics of working with critique partners and beta readers - how to find them, when to get them involved, and why they're so valuable.

You can adjust the following points to whatever works best for you and your process. This is what works best for me and what I recommend based on my experience:

Critique partners:

• can come into the process at any time
• can help you with anything from making smaller decisions like character name changes over helping you choose a book cover to reading your whole book and giving you feedback on it.
• Critique partners aren't paid, but it is generally expected that you help them like they are helping you. It's a critique partnership, after all!
• I have a dedicated group of 7 critique partners, and we have an Instagram group chat where they are available whenever I need help with something book-related. Please note: you can have as many or as few as you want and talk to them however and wherever suits you best.

Beta readers:

• your last line of defence before the final proofread or publication
• your book should be as close to finished as possible so you can collect valuable first reader feedback
• I get beta readers as I need them, and I tend to recruit 5-10 readers from social media and my mailing list. There is no science to this number - you can go with whatever feels right for you.

Both groups are additions to a professional editor, not a substitution.

There are websites where you can find or be matched with beta readers, but I haven't used any of them so I can't recommend them.

Your family and friends are fine to ask, but if you do, it's a good idea to recruit another critique partner or beta reader to ensure unbiased feedback.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

In today's episode, I explain my favourite season of the year: NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month).

NaNoWriMo exists in two versions:

• the big event in November, in which the goal is to write 50,000 words in 30 days.
• the two smaller camps in April and July, for which you can set your own goal and edit or outline a novel instead of writing a novel.

All three are annual events, and they are free to join for writers of all backgrounds and experience levels.

This week's action step: 

1. Join the NaNoWriMo fun (https://nanowrimo.org)
2. Declare your project
3. Join a cabin (mine might have room! ask me on social media or leave a comment)
4. Stock up on cafeeine and snacks.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week we're diving deeper into NaNoWriMo preparations without over-preparing.

Please note: this is how I prefer to prepare for November. You can prepare more or less if you like :)

There are 4 equally important basics I get ready before NaNoWriMo:

• my main characters - names, ages, looks, wants and needs, fears, strengths and weaknesses, speech habits,...
• my world - relevant country names, what those countries are known for, culture, how growing up there influenced your characters,...
• my plot - beginning, why your character goes on this journey, how everything changes in the middle, and the ending/aka what every word is leading up to.
• my rewards - I like to set myself milestones throughout NaNoWriMo and treat myself if I reach them. My tiers are 15k, 30k, and finishing at 50k, but you can set those to whatever you like or not do this step at all. I recommend it as a month-long motivator.

If you're writing every day, your word count is 1,666 words a day. If you take the weekends off like I do*, your word count goal is 2,380 words a day.

Most importantly, remember that all progress is good progress. If you don't reach 50k words next month, it doesn't matter - just have fun and enjoy the process!

Your action step this week is to take a few notes about your characters, world, and plot so you know the basics. Set your milestone rewards if you fancy. Take a deep breath. We've got this! <3

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To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Do ignore me at the beginning when I say it's the 19th of September. It's definitely October :)

This week I had the pleasure of talking to horror author Beverley Lee about writing short stories and getting them published in anthologies. Beverley has published four books so far and has been featured in several anthologies this year alone, and she shares her top tips in this episode.

Want to write short stories for anthologies?

• Do your research - if you have a fantasy story, don't submit it to a pure horror listing
• Write to the brief - if it's asking for graveyards, make your short story about graveyards
• Set a goal - find one or two anthologies you want to submit to, and get writing or you'll fall down the submission rabbit hole.
• Not used to writing short stories? Here are some prompts for you:

1. Write a short story that includes a scarecrow in a graveyard. (thanks, Beverley!)
2. Write about an object that has personal meaning to you.
3. Scientists announced they've discovered the secret to immortality. Write a petition letter to save the event of death. 
4. Write down as many cliches and aphorisms as you can think of. Go back and star the ones you actually say. (not the kind of prompt we were expecting, but I promised to include it, so here you go!)

Keep your story under 6,000 words. Have fun!

Writing prompts 2-4 are from the book 642 Things to Write About by the San Francisco Writers Grotto.  Disclaimer: this is an affiliate link)

Find places looking for submissions on:

The Horror Tree
Cemetery Gates Media
Kandisha Press

We also mentioned Forest App,  a productivity timer I use to stay focussed.

To find out more about Beverley, check out her Instagram, her Twitter, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Today, I'm talking to author R.S. Williams about productivity. Rhianne is always working on something, and she's doing it while working full-time, exercising, and being married... and today, she shares how she balances everything.

These are your summarised action steps from Rhianne: 

1. Track your days to figure out how much time you spent doing what. Rhianne uses the app Toggl ( https://toggl.com/ )for this.
2. Block out time to write. For example, if you have half an hour before you make dinner, reserve that time for writing.
3. No time to write? Write just one word, and it'll be one word you didn't have yesterday... and maybe one word will turn into a sentence or a paragraph.

You can learn more about Rhianne and her books on her website or support her directly via Patreon.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I had the privilege of talking to Kristina Naydonova, who published her debut novel earlier this year aged 12! She's now 13 and showing us all how it's done.

Here are Kristina's self-care tips  for preventing stress and burnout:

• get enough sleep
• drink enough water
• eat healthy meals
• meditate (this is the app Kristina recommends (https://appadvice.com/app/meditation-nest/1460053458) and this is the app I mention: ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=yoga.meditation.yogamusic.meditationmusic )
• practice mindfulness
• keep a journal for your successes and assess failures to make tomorrow better
• try art therapy
• Your body and mind will make it clear when you need a break. Don't ignore them.

You can find out some more about Kristina on her Amazon US author page or go follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week, steampunk author Dana Fraedrich joined me on Zoom to talk about attending book fairs as an author. Last year alone, Dana has attended around 20 book fairs and events, which makes her a bit of an expert.

Guest-starring Bruin, Dana's dog.

Here are some tips from Dana:

• Research the other attending authors for the event you're interested in to make sure it fits your niche.
• If possible, attend the event the year before to see how it's set up and whether it's right for you and your books.
• You won't get along with everyone in your event, but do be nice and friendly :)
• How many books you bring with you to sell depends on your budget, but no matter how many you take, bring twice as many of the first book in a series.
• If you decide took a half table, make sure the other author is someone you can communicate well with so you can help each other out on the day.
• It's a learning process, so be patient with yourself.
• If you're giving away free stuff like bookmarks, make sure you include all your info on there, like social media links.
• Read her Live Show Guide
• Read her tips on saving during live shows and traveling
• Read her post on Vendoring at BookCon

Your action step this week is to research book fairs near you. The one Dana mentions is the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville. In Britain, you can look into the London Book Fair. The event I attended was the British Book Bash, which is in a different city every time. Once you find one you're interested in, see what the other vendors are selling. Attend as a guest first to get a feel for the event.

To find out more about Dana, check out her website , find her or Twitter , or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For today's episode, Becky Wright is back! Last time we talked about formatting, we got a little carried away. This time, we focussed on 5 quick and easy formatting tips you can apply to your book right now.

These are Becky's tips:

1. STYLE - Different genres favour different styles, so have a look at some other books from your genre and see what they've done. For example, fantasy novels often have embellishments and illustrations, whereas horror novels have plainer, stricter styles.
2. FRONT AND BACK MATTER - This includes your dedication, your copyright page, acknowledgements, About the Author, a Contents page, links to your social media accounts and your website, and your catalogue/the list of other books you've published. Note that there are some differences between paperbacks and ebooks. Again, have a look at other books in your genre to see what they've done.
3. FONT AND CHAPTER HEADINGS - Keep your font to something simple like Times New Roman or Garamont. Becky's pro tip: don't use Arial - it's harder to read and looks unprofessional. You can vary your chapter headings, but make sure they complement your genre and don't use more than three throughout the book.
4. WIDOWS AND ORPHANS - This is a simple click of a button that ensures your paragraphs stay together and you don't have any gaps at end bottom of your pages. How exactly to do this depends on the program you use to write, but an easy Google search will show you how to do this.
5. PAGE NUMBERS - Getting your page numbers right is a must! Using section breaks and page breaks makes this much easier. Again, how exactly you do it depends on your writing program.

We didn't set an action step today because the whole episode is one big action step. If you're new to formatting or intimidated by it after failed previous attempts, give Becky's 5 Quick and Easy Tips a go!

Prefer to have the pros take formatting off your hands? You can find out more about or book Becky's business PlatformHouse Publishing for your project on their website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I had the pleasure of talking to Jessica Reis, who has written an anthology with three of her friends. For our chat, we talked about how they did it, how it came together, and how anyone might do the same.

Here are some lessons learned from Jessica:

• It helps to have every participating writer in one group. Jessica and her friends created a Facebook group where they could help one another, give one another feedback, and ask questions.
• It's a group effort, so pick the name together, choose the cover together, etc.
• Treat one another with respect, especially when you beta read for one another. Should tensions arise, talk about them and be understanding.
• Ask people to collaborate who you believe in and who believe in you, and ask people who write in the same genre as you.

To find out more about Jessica, check out her website or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

I had the great pleasure of talking to Elisha Belden about how to turn your business into a success! This is a longer episode, but let me assure you that it's worth every second.

Elisha talks about Genesis goals, how to divide one big goal into smaller goals you can achieve easily, and why the right mindset is the single most important thing to have if you want to create a successful author career (or any business), and what to consider before you quit your day job to become a full-time author. We discuss common mistakes people make in the early days of their businesses which can lead to failure, and how to prepare yourself for full-time self-employment.

In short, this is a masterclass and a crash course all in one!

To find out more about Elisha, check out her Instagram page, her Facebook group B.O.S.S. Enterprises, and visit her website for Twistid Ink.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

December is  a great time to reflect, and because 2020 has been harder than most years, it's ever more important to take a moment and reflect on how you did. Remember to be kind to yourself as you do so; you don't need to have outperformed previous successes or reached your goals to have done well.

In this week's episode, I reflect on all the things that didn't go to plan this year, all the things I did that I hadn't planned but that worked out, and all the things I'm grateful for. It's easy to think that everyone else on social media has everything figured out, which is why I chose to focus on the things I didn't achieve this year. Remember that setbacks are normal and only turn into failures when you give up <3

Action step: time to reflect! How did 2020 go for you? Before you say 'terribly', take a step back, maybe make a list, and I'm sure you've done something this year you can be proud of, even if it's 'only' getting up most days. Even if you meant to write five books and only wrote one--that's still one book you've written, so own your achievement!

Please note: The Writing Sparrow will be taking a break until January 4th. Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and blissful Yule <3

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For this week's episode, Briana Morgan joined me to talk about social media! Heads up: we focussed on Instagram and Twitter, but TikTok and Facebook also got a few mentions.

We're tackling questions like:

How much time should we spend on social media, and how often should we post?

How can we please the Instagram algorithm?

What counts as engagement on Instagram, and how can we boost our engagement?

How can you use social media to get beta readers?

And many more!

Your action step this week comes from Briana: make sure your username and profile picture are consistent and of yourself across all your social media platforms.

If you want to see for yourself how well Briana is doing with social media, you can find her on Instagram, on Twitter, on TikTok, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to Villimey Sigurbjörnsdóttir, a horror author from Iceland.

Her book recommendation is Writing in the Dark by Tim Wagner.

To find out more about Villimey, check out her website, find her or Twitter, or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to R.S. Williams, a fantasy adventure author from England.

Her book recommendations are The Fantasy Fiction Formula by Deborah Chester, Let’s Get Digital by David Gaughran,  and Business for Authors by Joanna Penn. Don't forget to check out the all-new library on my website for all book recommendations from these routine chats!

You can learn more about Rhianne and her books on her website or support her directly via Patreon . You can also find her on Twitter and on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

As requested in my reader group on Facebook, I will be sharing quarterly writing updates and goals. If that's not why you're here, don't worry - it'll only happen four times a year. Hopefully, my process, goals, and achieved deadlines (as well as surprise challenges) will be interesting for you whether you're here as a writer or as one of my readers!

Listen to find out what I'm working on, what progress I've made on my WIPs, and what I'm planning next.

And if you'd like to share your goals with me, too, go right ahead! Let's hold one another accountable *high five*

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For this week's episode, I talked to romance author Noelle Riches about plotting your whole series before you start writing it... and writing the whole series before you start publishing.

Please note: as with anything in writing, you should do what works for you. You don't need to plot your whole trilogy or write the whole series before you start publishing (or plot at all, if that's not your thing). In this episode, Noelle and I discuss the benefits and challenges as we've found them for ourselves. It's one process out of many options.

To find out more about Noelle, check out her website, find her or Twitter, or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I talked to Olivia Wildenstein and Katie Hayoz, both authors in their own right who have now written their newest novel, Of Wicked Blood, together. In this week's episode we chatted about what's involved and how to co-write a novel successfully.

To find out more about Olivia, check out her website, find her or Twitter, or follow her on Instagram. To find out more about Katie, check out her website, find her or Twitter, or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I had the great pleasure of talking to Julia Blake, an author who has written every one of her books in a different genre (besides series, of course!). We had a chat about how she approaches the different genres, how she handles the marketing, whether she's ever considered a pen name, and much more.

To find out more about Julia, check out her website or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be talking to my editor, my cover designer, and my cartographer about what they do and why they're important to authors. Today, I give you a little overview so you know what to expect and to give you a first idea of why you need these pros on your team.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week, I welcome Briana Morgan back to my podcast. Last time, we talked about social media for writers, but today, we talk about how to find an editor for your book, why you should, and what to know before you hire someone to edit your novel.

To find out more about Briana, check out what services she offers on her  website , find her or Twitter , or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.
 
This month, I talked to Julia Blake, a multi-genre author from England.

To find out more about Julia, check out her website or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I had the great pleasure of talking to my cartographer Glynn Seal from MonkeyBlood Design. He has done every map for my novels so far, and in this episode, he talks about how to find the right cartographer for your bookish map, what to know before you hire someone, and more!

You can find out more about Glynn and get in touch via his Twitter and his website.

________________________________________________________________________________

Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to Katie Masters, a multi-genre author from California.

Her book recommendation is On Writing by Stephen King. Don't forget to check out the all-new library on my website for all book recommendations from these routine chats!

You can learn more about Katie and her books on Twitter and on Instagram or support her directly via Patreon .

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week, I had the great pleasure of talking to my cover designers, Andrew and Rebecca Brown from Design for Writers, about all things--you guessed it!--cover design! If you're a writer who's unsure about how to find the right designer or if there's anything you should know before you hire, this is the chat for you. It's also a great listen if you're just curious about what exactly cover designers do and how they work their magic.


You can find out more about Andrew and Rebecca and get in touch via their Twitter and their website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For today's episode, I become the guest on my own podcast as Marco Arzate, a new writer who hasn't published yet, asks me his questions on writing and publishing. We discuss things like character development, whether you can still query agents once you've self-published and vice versa (spoiler: you can!), how to find your tribe of like-minded writers, and many more!

To support Marco on his writing path, you can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

As requested in my reader group on Facebook, I will be sharing quarterly writing updates and goals. If that's not why you're here, don't worry - it'll only happen four times a year. Hopefully, my process, goals, and achieved deadlines (as well as surprise challenges) will be interesting for you whether you're here as a writer or as one of my readers!
 
Listen to find out what I'm working on, what progress I've made on my WIPs, and what I'm planning next.
 
And if you'd like to share your goals with me, too, go right ahead! Let's hold one another accountable *high five*

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For this week's episode, I talked to Rachel Grosvenor, an author and writing coach. We had a chat about what a writing coach does, who the service is right for, and what to look for when you consider hiring one.

To find out more about Rachel, check out her website , find her or Twitter , or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week, Rachel Grosvenor is back to talk about the differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing and the pros and cons of each. If you're unsure which path is right for you (or if you're just curious to learn more!), this episode is for you!

It's a little longer, but it's worth every second *high five*

To find out more about Rachel, check out her website , find her or Twitter , or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

In this week's episode, I explain how I created my audiobook of Rise of the Sparrows with FindawayVoices. Next week, we'll hear from Dana Fraedrich, who has created audiobooks with FindawayVoices, ACX, and by herself.

Here are the resources I used for my research as mentioned in the episode:

Audio for Authors by Joanna Penn (book)

ACX vs. Findaway ~ My Audiobook Creation Experience (blog post by Dana Fraedrich)

Hiring an Audiobook Narrator Through Findaway Voices (blog post by Dana Fraedrich)

How to Make an Audiobook | Part 1: Set up (YouTube video by Jenna Moreci)

How to Make an Audiobook | Part 2: Production (YouTube video by Jenna Moreci)

Audiobooks For Authors With Will Dages From Findaway Voices (blog post or podcast (your choice!) by Joanna Penn)

You might also like to check out my Audiobook Diaries, where I blogged about my experience as it happened.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week, I had a chat with Dana Fraedrich about her experience of creating audiobooks with FindawayVoices, ACX, and by herself! 

If you'd like to read more on the topic, I recommend Dana's blog posts:

ACX vs. Findaway ~ My Audiobook Creation Experience 

Hiring an Audiobook Narrator Through Findaway Voices 

You might also be interested in my Audiobook Diaries, where I blogged about my experience as it happened, and last week's episode, where I talked about my experience of working with FindawayVoices.

To find out more about Dana, check out her website , find her or Twitter , or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to James Fahy, a multi-genre author from the UK.

His book recommendations are On Writing by Stephen King and From Pitch to Publication by Carol Blake. Don't forget to check out the all-new library on my website for all book recommendations from these routine chats!

To find out more about James, check out his website or follow him on Instagram or on Twitter.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

In this week's episode, I talk to fantasy author Sharon Turner, who has written  the 10-book series Kingdom of Durundal. We discuss her process, how she approached writing such a long series, and her tips for writers wanting to attempt the same.


To find out more about Sharon, check out her website or follow her on Instagram.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

In this week's episode, I talk about my experience of writing all three books of my Blood Wisp trilogy before I started editing the first book. I talk about what the benefits and downsides are for me to help you decide whether this might be a good approach for you.
 

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

In today's episode, I talk about how authors can use BookFunnel to reach more readers faster without spending a fortune!

Your action step for today is to check out BookFunnel's website and do a little research. Do they offer what you're looking for?

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to Briana Morgan, a horror author from Georgia.

Her book recommendations are On Writing by Stephen King and Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. Don't forget to check out the all-new library on my website for all book recommendations from these routine chats!

To find out more about Briana, check out her  website , find her or Twitter , follow her on Instagram, or support her on Patreon.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For this week's episode, I had a chat with G.R. Thomas about how authors can use TikTok to reach new readers and sell more books.

You can find out more about Grace on her website, find her on Instagram, or follow her on TikTok.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

For this week's episode I had a chat with author T.L. Clark about pen names! We discussed what authors need to know when considering using a pen name, the legal side,  how to choose the right name for you, and more.

To find out more about T.L. Clark, you can find her on Instagram, her author page on Facebook, Twitter, and her website.

________________________________________________________________________________

Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to Beverley Lee, a horror author from England.

Her book recommendations are On Writing by Stephen King and Writing in the Dark by Tim Waggoner. Don't forget to check out the all-new library on my website for all book recommendations from these routine chats!

To find out more about Beverley, check out her Instagram, her Twitter, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

(Note: please ignore the message at the beginning mentioning transcripts; unfortunately, these are no longer available)

Dana Fraedrich is back this week to talk us through how to create our own bookish merchandise, how to price it and where to sell it, and how to figure out what merch is right for your book. Oh, and we're holding this podcast's first ever giveaway ;)

The giveaway is now closed.

To find out more about Dana, check out her website , find her or Twitter , or follow her on Instagram.

________________________________________________________________________________

Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

As requested in my reader group on Facebook, I will be sharing quarterly writing updates and goals. If that's not why you're here, don't worry - it'll only happen four times a year. Hopefully, my process, goals, and achieved deadlines (as well as surprise challenges) will be interesting for you whether you're here as a writer or as one of my readers!
 
Listen to find out what I'm working on, what progress I've made on my WIPs, and what I'm planning next.
 
And if you'd like to share your goals with me, too, go right ahead! Let's hold one another accountable *high five*

________________________________________________________________________________

Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Ready your pens and notebooks, Sparrows, because there's a lot of info in this one! Especially in the first 20 minutes or so - you won't have time to drink your tea, you'll be scribbling so furiously!

Your action step for this week is to research schools in your area/schools you could easily get to and find out if they're open to arranging a visit.

You can find out more about C.M. Healy on his website, his Instagram, his Facebook, and his YouTube channel.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week, author T.L. Clarke is back to talk about how to meditate and how to use it to your advantage as a writer.

We cover a lot of ground in this one: how to sit when you meditate, common misconceptions,  can you still meditate when you have aphantasia (an inability to imagine things), etc.

As an added bonus at the end, T does a lovely guided meditation to help you relax. This is a great introduction if you've never meditated before! To help you come out of it gently, I've left a bit of space between the end of her meditation and the end-of-episode music, and I'm not including the usual talk-over this time - this way, you can come out of the meditation gently <3 This also doubles as this week's action step!

Please note: if you don't want to do the meditation, we're letting you know when the episode is effectively over for you, but: the first sign-off is a false start because I missed a question, so don't go anywhere just yet the first time I say you're done! We're about to discuss how to sit when you're meditating when you reach this point. I promise we've made it clear when to go (plus you'll know when the meditation starts!).

To find out more about T.L. Clark, you can find her on Instagram, her author page on Facebook, Twitter, and her website. The app she mentions is the Insight Timer App.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Today I'm talking to B.T. Frost, an urban fantasy mystery author who has achieved the unthinkable: he wrote 90k words in 23 days. In today's episode, he talks us through how he did it and shares his tips for anyone wanting to try the same.

To find out more about B.T. Frost, you can find him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and his website.

________________________________________________________________________________

Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to Ash Oldfield, a fantasy author from Australia.

Her book recommendations are On Writing by Stephen King and Once Upon a Time, which is a writer's handbook and card game all in one. Don't forget to check out the all-new library on my website for all book recommendations from these routine chats!

To find out more about Ash, check out her Instagram, her Twitter, her TikTok, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

You're in for a treat, Sparrows! This is one of my favourite episodes - I *may* even have tried my hand at writing poetry afterwards. Prepare to be inspired.

Whether you're completely new to writing poetry or consider it your go-to writing style, I think you'll enjoy this chat with Canadian poet Holly Ducarte! She will sweep you away - I guarantee it.

To find out more about Holly, you can find her on Instagram and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Writing lecturer and author Eden Sharp stopped by my podcast this week to talk about her approach to writing a non-linear series--that is, a series that can be read in any order. Get a pen and some paper ready for this one!

To find out more about Eden, you can find her on Twitter and Instagram. She also has a writing blog on Facebook.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I've had the great pleasure of talking to my good friend Tobi about how to write fan fiction! I'm a complete newbie to this, but Tobi has been writing fan fiction for a rather long time as you'll hear and had a lot of great advice to share.

Want to try writing fan fiction but don't know where to start? Tobi's action step for you is to figure out which universe and characters you already like and take it from there. Remember that you don't have to stick to the rules of that universe too rigidly--you can go any way you want! (even to the pizza parlor 👍)

You can read Tobi's fan fiction on:

His blog
Archive of Our Own
FanFiction.Net
WattPad

Follow Tobi on Twitter and on Instagram.

________________________________________________________________________________

Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

As requested in my reader group on Facebook, I will be sharing quarterly writing updates and goals. If that's not why you're here, don't worry - it'll only happen four times a year. Hopefully, my process, goals, and achieved deadlines (as well as surprise challenges) will be interesting for you whether you're here as a writer or as one of my readers!
 
Listen to find out what I'm working on, what progress I've made on my WIPs, and what I'm planning next.
 
And if you'd like to share your goals with me, too, go right ahead! Let's hold one another accountable *high five*

________________________________________________________________________________

Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

Once a month, I talk to another writer about their writing routine. We answer questions such as Are you a plotter, pantser, or somewhere in between? ,  Do you write every day? ,  Where does your inspiration come from?,  What’s your beverage of choice?, and many more! At the end of each episode, the writers recommend their favourite book on writing and share their advice for establishing the right writing routine for you.

This month, I talked to Becky Wright, a gothic horror writer and formatter from England.

To find out more about Becky, check out her Instagram, her Twitter, and her website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.

This week I talk to Jon Tilton about how we can nurture our creativity - a subject he discusses regularly with his guests on the Cause of Craft podcast. I can't think of better timing for this chat than the first of November - happy NaNoWriMo, everyone! We hope our discussion will help you nurture your own creativity this month, whether you participate in NaNo or not.

To find out more about Jon, check out his Instagram and his website.

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Come join The Writing Sparrow in its very own Facebook group!

To find out more about Sarina and her books, visit her website, find her on Facebook, or connect with her (and the podcast!) on Discord.