Worthy Writers Podcast Kirsten McNeill

Genevieve Clovis is a self-proclaimed story gremlin. She is a speculative fiction author, editor, writing coach, and owner of second-hand bookstore, Cliffside Village Books. Genevieve’s debut novel, Tea and the Transcendent, is an urban fantasy that blends ghosts and demons with cozy, tea-guzzling vibes.

In her editing life, Genevieve specializes in developmental editing for indie authors and publishers. She takes great joy in ensuring her clients’ novels are as monstrous and diabolical as intended. True to her story-gremlin nature, Genevieve runs a variety of online writer’s groups and can often be found lurking in her bookstore, doling out books that are definitely not cursed.

On today’s episode, Genevieve shares how she balances her roles and her passions in the book industry.

We talk about her process of working with writers and how to choose the best editor for your book. Then, we dive into tips on what to think about for world-building and how much time you need to spend explaining it in your story.

Find that entry point of familiarity for the reader before you share the intricacies of your fantasy world.

Overall, stay out of your own way and don’t fear the exploration of writing. Do what’s best for you.

Connect with Genevieve on her website cloviseditorial.com, and on Instagram and Facebook @cloviseditorial

Find her books on Amazon, or at her bookstore!

Journal Prompts:

What makes your fantasy world unique from the standard world?

What are you looking for in an editor?

When it comes to world-building, what are your favourite aspects and why?

Never forget that you are worthy!

Kirsten McNeill: Confidence & Writing Lifestyle Coach | Book Editor | Artisan

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Starting off as a sweet romance writer, Daria branched out in 2020 with books in cozy mystery and Christian fiction. She even has nonfiction titles in the works, reflecting her Christian faith and work in ministry. She currently lives in New York with her husband.

On today’s episode we discuss time management and writing drafts. Daria shares her experiences writing romance and cozy mystery, and how she gets into the mindset for both. Over the years, she’s learned how to have a confident perspective on writing, even when challenges come.

Daria has several strategies for managing time and creating a process that works best for you. Some of those strategies include writing prompts, changing your scenery, and remembering why you love writing in the first place.

Writing for herself first is very important to her. Even though she is passionate about writing, she doesn’t let it consume her entire life. She knows how to limit her writing time and keep herself accountable in reaching her goals.

She reminds us that there is no such thing as a perfect draft. Find the joy in writing, figure out the routine that works best for you, and create an experience that you are passionate about.

Connect with Daria on her Website, in her Facebook group, and learn from her in the No Time Writer Course!

Journal Prompts:

What are your biggest time management struggles in your writing journey?

What strategies will you use to help manage your time?

Create a schedule that works best for you and your energy.

Never forget that you are worthy!

Kirsten McNeill: Confidence & Writing Lifestyle Coach | Book Editor | Artisan

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C.H. Carter is a fantasy author with a lifelong love of the genre in all its forms. In middle school, she wrote a fan letter to Tamora Pierce and received the most encouraging reply! That experience cemented her desire to become an author. (She also still holds out the hope they can meet in person one day!)

When not writing, you can find her working on a number of rotating projects (Crochet, anyone?) and obsessing over her two rescue dogs.

On this episode, we discuss C.H. Carter’s publishing journey, and her passion for fairytale retellings. She shares her experiences querying to publishers and agents, then learning about self-publishing.

She has many indie author friends, who helped her make the decision to self-publish To Kiss the Sea. There are misconceptions about self-publishing and it being a “lesser” path. But to us, it’s just one of many options to achieve your goals.

There are many reasons a publisher or agent may reject a book, and it’s a very subjective process. One day, C.H. hopes to be a hybrid author working both traditionally and in self-publishing. This gives her

We end off this episode with her sharing experiences writing and publishing To Kiss the Sea and valuable advice about how to choose between traditional publishing and self-publishing.

C.H. Carter invites you to come play mermaids with her! Connect on Instagram, Threads, and Tiktok @chcarterwrites, and on her Website.

Journal Prompts:

What is your ideal publishing path?

What are all the ways you can market your book?

Pick 2-3 of our favourite ways to market. Start working to implement one.

Never forget that you are worthy!

Kirsten McNeill: Confidence & Writing Lifestyle Coach | Book Editor | Artisan

Create Your Worthy Writers Lifestyle 5-Day Challenge

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Jen Anderson is a freelance writer and recovering perfectionist. She has improved her mental and physical health by letting go of perfectionism. She started Accomplist to help other people do the same, and to stop beating themselves up over unattainable standards.

On today’s episode, we discuss goal setting, perfectionism, and embracing the imperfect to give others permission to do the same.

Jen has had many fabulous experiences writing novellas, screenplays, and blog posts. She created a productivity app called Accomplist to help you organize your tasks and do your best as you’re working on your novel.

It can be difficult to achieve your goals when you feel like you’re constantly falling behind, but in your writing journey most deadlines are self-imposed. You don’t have to write every day to make your word count matter. Find the schedule that works best for you. That may evolve over time and you may change your mind on what you enjoy writing, and that’s okay! Enjoy the journey!

We also discuss how to keep your momentum going so you don’t lose your motivation to write. Jen shares how she organizes herself, as well as tips for creating your routine. Breaks and not putting too much pressure on the novel writing experience are important to her.

Finally, she shares writing exercises to help get you into the writing mode. Not everything has to be published and not everything will be a gem, but you have to start somewhere.

Align with your purpose and understand your current writing goals so you can have fun with your writing life. We hope you enjoy this episode!

Download Jen’s app Accomplist and connect with her on Facebook and Instagram @teamaccomplist

Journal Prompts:

What current goals do you want to achieve in your writing journey?

What makes writing fun for you?

How can you balance writing with other areas of your life in a way that feels the best for you?

Never forget that you are worthy!

Kirsten McNeill: Confidence & Writing Lifestyle Coach | Book Editor | Artisan

Create Your Worthy Writers Lifestyle 5-Day Challenge

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Madeline Nixon has been a dog walker, a nanny, a baker, a shoe saleswoman, a chocolatier, and an editor, but the title she’s most fond of is author. She has published Feathers, a nonfiction short story collection about her paranormal experiences, and several educational children’s books.

Her debut romance novel Emergency Lullabies was released Fall 2023. When she’s not writing, you can find her hunting ghosts, planning elaborate theme parties, and baking new recipes. She lives in a suburb outside of Toronto.

Writing multiple genres is a passion of Madeline’s.

If she wasn’t a writer, she doesn’t know what she would do instead, as writing is when she feels her best. Though her children’s, paranormal, and romance stories are published, she keeps the thrillers and mysteries to herself.

Madeline shares her process for switching between genres and knowing how to choose what project to focus on when it comes to marketing. When you have multiple projects published and un-published, it’s good to have a plan on when to work on what and how to talk about them!

We also discuss the burnout she feels after she’s been “go go go!” for so long, then suddenly she’s done and wondering what she should do next.

The biggest piece of advice she offers our writing community is to keep going. You’ll learn what you need to as you go along. No matter how famous of an author you become, you will always experience ups and downs. That’s just part of the human experience!

We hope you enjoy this episode. Discover her books on Amazon and in most major bookstores. Connect with her on Instagram, Facebook, X, and TikTok by searching her username MarkedWithAnM!

Journal Prompts:

What are your favourite genres to write? Which genres do you want to publish?

How do you take care of yourself while feeling burned out?

What is the best publishing path for your unique journey?

What advice would you give your past self about your writing life?

Never forget that you are worthy!

Kirsten McNeill: Confidence & Writing Lifestyle Coach | Book Editor | Artisan

Create Your Worthy Writers Lifestyle 5-Day Challenge

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Meet Sarah – some know her as a money coach, others as an award-winning author, or InvestHER. She sees herself as a girl who dreamed of a life filled with books, slow country living, and spiritual freedom... then went ahead and made it happen.

She always admired her dad as a successful business owner. He owned a fire/water damage cleanup business, and she used to carry those heavy machines and keep hoses out of his way as he worked.

He taught her to respect herself, be unafraid of hard work, and never accept the glass ceiling that holds so many women back.

In this episode, we discuss creating a budget and knowing where to invest your money on your writing journey. Do you consider yourself a bookpreneur or more of a hobbyist? How do you track where you’re making sales and where your attention and money needs to shift?

Sarah shares answers to these questions, along with stories about how her brother helped her publish her first book, learning the best ways to spend her money, and giving every dollar a job.

She then talks about:


different ideas for building a book funnel whether you are a fiction or non-fiction writer


building passive income that goes beyond selling novels


the difference between a hustler and an investHER

Collaboration is also a key part of being a bookpreneur, whether it be with other industry professionals or your reader community.

We hope you enjoy this episode! Connect with Sarah through her Main Website and Fierce Feminine Finance. Download the Book Funnel Bundle too!

Journal Prompts:

Do you consider yourself a bookpreneur? What are your goals for your book business?

What strategies in passive income and collaboration will work best for you?

What is most important for you to invest your money in when creating and marketing your book?

Never forget that you are worthy!

Kirsten McNeill: Confidence & Writing Lifestyle Coach | Book Editor | Artisan

Create Your Worthy Writers Lifestyle 5-Day Challenge

Explore Worthy Writers Editing

Podcast Guest Application

Music Credit