Episode 85: 2022 Novelists Inc. Conference Recap, with Patricia McLinn

The conference presented by Novelists, Inc. (NINC) is a unique experience that brings together multi-published authors who publish traditionally, independently, or both.

Speakers are selected from the top echelons of the industry, and the conventions and networking opportunities rise far above what authors experience anywhere else.

Host Patricia McLinn talks about her experience at the 2022 Novelists, Inc. conference in St. Petersburg, Fla., and gives an update on the latest self-publishing conversations and industry trends.

Thank you so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed the podcast enough to want to support us for future episodes. You can do that with as little as $1 a month by pledging at Patreon. It’s vital to Authors Love Readers to have your support. Thank you!

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Thanks to DialogMusik for the instrumentals that accompany this podcast.

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Episode 84: Trying New Genres, with Michelle Monkou

Michelle Monkou is a multi-platform author, spanning 20 years in the business and with over 25 titles. She began her career writing romance for Black Entertainment Television (BET) Arabesque and then with Harlequin Kimani.

Michelle is currently writing short fiction, from sweet to steamy, under her pen name Thea Monk, and shortly will launch her other pen name, Aria Bancroft, for epic fantasy and urban fantasy stories.

She heads That Joyful Spark, LLC, an author coaching service, along with co-hosting a weekly platform for Prickly Pens Podcast with her daughter, Gabby Samuels and writer-BFF Julia Canchola. The podcast is available on most streaming services.

Host Patricia McLinn talks with Michelle, discussing her career, experience with traditional publishing and independent publishing, and exploring new genres.

In Michelle’s words: “I see all of those (preview books) as my own workshop into getting better. It’s the best I did at that time and you put it out there… I’m not the same writer I was in 2002.” [17:14]

To connect with Michelle Monkou:

Aria Bancroft Instagram

Thea Monk Instagram

Thea Monk Website & Newsletter

Thank you so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed the podcast enough to want to support us for future episodes. You can do that with as little as $1 a month by pledging at Patreon. It’s vital to Authors Love Readers to have your support. Thank you!

Another way to contribute is through Buy Me a Coffee, a one-time “tip” with no ongoing obligation. Thank you!

Please also consider rating/reviewing the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thanks to DialogMusik for the instrumentals that accompany this podcast.

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Episode 83: Historical Inspiration, with Jenny Wheeler

Former newspaper journalist, magazine editor, and company director, author Jenny Wheeler writes historical suspense and mystery. Jenny is currently working on her fifth book of the “Of Gold & Blood” series (Book 1, “Poisoned Legacy,” released 2018) set in Gilded Age California.

Born in New Zealand, Jenny Wheeler grew up in a farming community and fell in love with books and radio dramas. After teaching and being a physics data collector, she joined the New Zealand Herald as a general new reporter. She also wrote for the New Zealand Woman’s Weekly and the Auckland Star.

Jenny also hosts her weekly ‘Joys of Reading’ podcast where she is joined by authors of mystery, suspense, thriller, and romance, answering questions that readers always wanted to ask.

Host Patricia McLinn talks with Jenny about research, exploring history, and crafting stories using her a journalism background.

In Jenny’s words: “I love stories that are semi-based on fact. I guess that’s the journalist (in me) once again; and I really enjoy being able to inject real fact, historical fact, into my stories.” [39:50]

You can connect with Jenny:

Website

Facebook

Twitter

BookBub

Thank you so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed the podcast enough to want to support us for future episodes. You can do that with as little as $1 a month by pledging at Patreon. It’s vital to Authors Love Readers to have your support. Thank you!

Another way to contribute is through Buy Me a Coffee, a one-time “tip” with no ongoing obligation. Thank you!

Please also consider rating/reviewing the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thanks to DialogMusik for the instrumentals that accompany this podcast.

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Episode 82: Writing Suspenseful Mysteries, with Matty Dalrymple

Matty Dalrymple, member of Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers, writes suspense, thriller, and mystery. Matty is the author of the Lizzy Ballard Thrillers (Book 1 published in 2017), “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” “Snake and Ladders,” and “The Iron Ring.”

She also writes the Ann Kinnear Suspense Novels (Book 1 published in 2013), “The Sense of Death, “The Sense of Reckoning,” “The Flacon and the Owl,” “A Furnace for Your Foe,” and “A Serpent’s Tooth;” as well as the Ann Kinnear Suspense Shorts, including “Close Your Eyes” and “Write in Water.”

Matty lives with her husband, Wade Walton, and their dogs in Chester County, Pa. She enjoys sailing and visiting Mount Desert Island, Maine, and Sedona, Ariz., providing the settings for her work.

Host Patricia Mclinn talks with Matty about the writing process, finding inspiration, and building a new story from just a scene.

In Matty’s words: “I think you have to not fight against what your natural tendency is. You have to find ways of managing this (writing) as sufficiently as possible.” [1:09:12]

You can find Matty at:

Her website

Facebook

Twitter

Thank you so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed the podcast enough to want to support us for future episodes. You can do that with as little as $1 a month by pledging at Patreon. It’s vital to Authors Love Readers to have your support.

Another way to contribute is through Buy Me a Coffee, a one-time “tip” with no ongoing obligation. Thank you!

Please also consider rating/reviewing the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thanks to DialogMusik for the instrumentals that accompany this podcast.

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Episode 81: The Small Town Meet-Cute, with Jean Oram

Jean Oram is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of feel-good, tingle-inducing, heartwarming romances. They’ll make you want to stay up all night laughing, crying and falling in love with her realistic characters. She loves to sweep readers away while making opposites attract in tear-jerking, laugh-out-loud romances set in small towns.

Her most popular series include The Cowboys of Sweetheart Creek, Texas (Book 5, “The Cowboy’s Surprise Return,” released in 2021), Veils and Vows, and Blueberry Springs. Her latest release, “The Cupcake Cottage,” is a sweet friends-to-lovers romance that starts a new series, Hockey Sweethearts

Jean, who grew up in an old schoolhouse in a small Canadian town (population 100), still lives in Canada with her husband, kids, cat, dog, and the pesky deer (and moose) that wander into her yard to eat her rose bushes and apple trees.

Host Patricia McLinn talks with Jean about the charm of small towns, crafting your characters and connecting with readers

In Jean’s words: “I never quite know how a book is going to be perceived by a reader because what is in my head doesn’t always make it to the page, and the way I feel about a book isn’t always how a reader with a different life experience will feel about this story as well.” [50:24]

You can find Jean at:

Her website

Facebook

Instagram

TikTok

and

Twitter

Thank you so much for listening. We hope you enjoyed the podcast enough to want to support us for future episodes. You can do that with as little as $1 a month by pledging at Patreon. It’s vital to Authors Love Readers to have your support.

Another way to contribute is through Buy Me a Coffee, a one-time “tip” with no ongoing obligation. Thank you!

Please also consider rating/reviewing the podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thanks to DialogMusik for the instrumentals that accompany this podcast.

authors love readers patreon