The Resilient Writers Radio Show

Rhonda Douglas Resilient Writers
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Welcome to the Resilient Writers Radio Show! This is the podcast for writers who want to create and sustain a writing life they love. It's for writers who love books, and everything that goes into the making of them. For writers who wanna learn and grow in their craft, and improve their writing skills. Writers who want to finish their books, and get them out into the world so their ideal readers can enjoy them, writers who wanna spend more time in that flow state, writers who want to connect with other writers to celebrate and be in community in this crazy roller coaster ride we call “the writing life.” 

  1. How to Bring History to Life, with Sharon Curcio

    6D AGO

    How to Bring History to Life, with Sharon Curcio

    Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to bring a whole historical world to life on the page—without losing your reader in the weeds—this episode is for you. In today’s conversation on The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by author Sharon Curcio, and we’re talking about her indie-published historical novel, Asayi: An Autistic Teen’s Journey to Topola Shogun in Medieval Japan.  Sharon shares how this book (volume one of a trilogy) has already earned four medallions of excellence and a historical fiction finalist award from the Next Generation Indie Book Awards—and why readers have been responding so strongly to it. Sharon takes us back to the unexpected origin of this story: her early years in the advertising world in New York, and a deep fascination with sumi-e art—the traditional Japanese black-ink painting practice that demands intense precision and presence.  That discipline, Sharon explains, was part of what catalyzed her long-term “journey into Japan,” eventually including a visit in 2024. From there, we dig into one of the most compelling creative choices in Sharon’s novel: writing an autistic teenage heroine. Sharon describes a moment of realization—she could paint Japanese symbols beautifully, but she wasn’t literate in Japanese and didn’t know what the characters meant.  As she approached retirement, she began to ask: what kind of child might live inside that gap between skill and spoken understanding? Her answer became Asaii—an autistic teen whose strengths, perception, and determination shape the entire story. We also talk about history. Sharon explains what a shogun actually is (and why it’s more than “a warlord with a gang”), touching on the bakufu, legal structures, and the fierce importance of land in Japan, where only a small percentage is arable.  Then she shares the real historical anchor point that sparked her plot research: the assassination of Yoshinori Ashikaga in 1441, an event Sharon uses as a fixed historical milestone while weaving fictional characters into the true historical timeline. One of the craft highlights of our conversation is Sharon’s approach to a mute protagonist. In the novel, Asaii understands language but cannot speak it—and Sharon describes the challenges (and opportunities) of building a character who communicates through expression, action, and rapid sketching. It’s a fascinating look at how story can move powerfully without relying on dialogue. We also chat indie publishing realities: the cover design process (including the surprising agony of getting sizing right for upload), Sharon’s decision to publish independently to avoid years-long waits, and the marketing maze—what worked, what didn’t (including Amazon Ads), and how podcasts and legitimate book clubs helped her reach real readers.

    25 min
  2. Writing with a Justice Perspective, with Julie Snider

    FEB 19

    Writing with a Justice Perspective, with Julie Snider

    Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. If you’ve ever wondered what happens when a brand-new novelist takes a big, brave swing—tackling history, identity, community, and book bans all in one story—this episode is for you. Today on The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by Julie Snider, a retired public school teacher near Sacramento who now writes both fiction and nonfiction with a big-hearted focus on social justice and connection.  Julie’s debut novel, Chapel Bay Secrets (released January 2026), is set in a small town where the secrets don’t belong to just one person—they ripple through an entire community. Julie shares how the seed of this novel was planted years ago, when she visited the site of the Tule Lake Internment Camp in Northern California. She describes walking through cold, dirty barracks and feeling shocked that Japanese American incarceration during World War II wasn’t something she’d been taught growing up.  That moment stayed with her—“like an arrow through my heart,” as she puts it—and eventually became part of the emotional backbone of her story. As Julie researched further, she also learned more about intergenerational trauma, and how the impact of incarceration can be carried through families for decades. From there, Julie built a “layer cake” of characters and issues—centered on her protagonist Brenda Cato, a Japanese American lesbian librarian whose mother was incarcerated. Brenda is grappling with grief on the anniversary of her mother’s death, and she’s also searching for a father she never knew—because her mother died without telling her who he was. And then there’s the catalyst that brings everything into sharp focus: Brenda is suddenly facing a book ban at her library. Julie talks about how the intensity of book bans in the early 2020s fueled her anger as a former educator—and how she did her homework by connecting with librarians and staying informed through the research shared by others in her network.  Even with heavy material, Julie intentionally brought in humor, warmth, and everyday life—quirky characters, a best friend with a sharp sense of humor, and yes, a romance that blossoms when Brenda meets someone on a run.  Julie also shares her process behind the scenes: color-coded timelines, lots of revision, and the moment her developmental editor told her, “I can’t believe you made it to the end.” We talk self-publishing, cover design choices (no faces—so readers can imagine!), and Julie’s belief that books are written and shared in community. If you love thoughtful, genre-blending stories with heart, history, and hope, you’ll love this conversation. Learn more about Julie and her work at https://juliesniderauthor.com/ and subscribe to her Substack, Impermanent Joy.

    22 min
  3. Changing Genre in Revision, with Kendra Pecci

    FEB 12

    Changing Genre in Revision, with Kendra Pecci

    Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. If you’ve ever wondered what might happen if the “perfect” PTA mom had a secret life… this episode is for you. In today’s conversation on The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by women’s suspense author Kendra Pecci, and we’re talking about her debut novel, Focus on Deception—a deliciously fun, high-stakes story set in a world of soccer games, fundraisers, and wine moms… with a twist. Kendra introduces us to Stella Meyers, a photographer who blends right into her ritzy Connecticut suburb by day—capturing weddings, parties, and PTA events—while secretly robbing people blind at night.  Stella lives for the thrill, but when an exhilarating new connection starts to make a steady paycheck (and a more “normal” life) look appealing, everything changes. A ruthless blackmailer uncovers Stella’s identity and threatens her daughter, and suddenly all bets are off. Kendra describes the vibe perfectly: Ocean’s 8 meets Big Little Lies with Gilmore Girls energy—and honestly? Yes. Please. We also dig into the long road it took Kendra to bring this book to life. The seed of the story came years ago, when Kendra was living in Anchorage, Alaska and spotted the president of the PTA—seemingly flawless, “the whole package.” Kendra wondered, What if this is all a ruse? And just like that, Stella was born. But here’s where it gets really interesting: Kendra originally wrote Stella’s story as women’s fiction. She queried it back in 2011 and kept hearing the same feedback: “You’ve got a thriller on your hands—you need to raise the stakes.” Kendra resisted that for a long time (a decade, in fact), because she wanted to tell a story about a mom taking risks without having to “wreck” the character.  Eventually, she made the difficult (and powerful) craft decision to shift the book into women’s suspense—while still honoring the relationships, inner life, and emotional texture that make Stella feel so real. Kendra also shares what it was like to self-publish Focus on Deception in 2025—describing it as riding a roller coaster while building the roller coaster (and learning how to build it at the same time).  We talk about the importance of deadlines, editing support, and figuring out what kind of writer you are—pantser, plotter, or (as she learned from Lewis Jorstad) a “puzzler” who uses intuitive outlining to create direction without crushing creativity. And underneath all of it is a message writers need: finishing a book is often 90% mental. There really is a path for everybody—you just have to find the one that fits your brain, your life, and your season.

    35 min
  4. Writing from Lived Experience, with Julie M. Green

    FEB 5

    Writing from Lived Experience, with Julie M. Green

    Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. If you’ve ever had a moment where something about your life suddenly made sense—and at the same time opened up a whole new set of questions—this conversation is for you. In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by writer and memoirist Julie Green, author of Motherness: A Memoir of Generational Autism, Parenthood and Radical Acceptance. Julie shares the long, layered journey that led her to this book, beginning with her son’s autism diagnosis and eventually leading to her own, years later, in midlife. Julie talks about what it’s like to be diagnosed later in life—and how that diagnosis sends you back through your memories: childhood, adolescence, early adulthood. It can be clarifying, emotional, and surprisingly tender, as long-held beliefs about who you are (and why certain things felt so hard) begin to shift. We also talk craft, because Motherness didn’t come together by accident. Julie shares how she found what she calls the “container” for the story: a structure that allowed her to weave together parenting scenes, personal history, and research on autism without losing the heart of the memoir.  Each chapter explores a different aspect of the autistic experience—sensory differences, giftedness, eating and food, gender, special interests—layering her son’s experiences alongside her own, and showing both overlap and difference across generations. A central theme of this conversation is radical acceptance. Julie reflects on how autism is often portrayed in extremes—either as tragedy or superpower—and why neither of those stories feels true to lived experience. Autism, she says, simply is. Some days are genuinely hard, especially in a world that isn’t built for neurodivergent people.  And there can also be humor, joy, and deep connection. Julie was intentional about holding the full truth of that on the page. We also dig into how she integrates research in a way that supports the reader without overwhelming the story—moving from scene to context and back again—so the book stays grounded in lived experience.  Julie shares what her publishing journey looked like with ECW Press, including the courage it took to revise and resubmit after an initial “almost,” and what she’s working on now. This is a thoughtful conversation about writing from lived experience, trusting stories that take time, and learning—again and again—to meet ourselves with more compassion.

    31 min
  5. Writing a Collaborative Project, with Robert Boyle and Joe Chimenti

    JAN 29

    Writing a Collaborative Project, with Robert Boyle and Joe Chimenti

    Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. This week on The Resilient Writers Radio Show, Rhonda is joined by Robert Boyle and Joe Cimenti, longtime friends who co-authored Thai Hut Tuesdays—a collection of short, heartfelt stories that’s meant to be both comforting and genuinely funny.  They describe the book as “Chicken Soup for the Soul meets Nate Bargatze”: emotional, relatable, and light enough to make you laugh at the things that once felt overwhelming. The idea for the book began years ago—around 2006—after Bob and Joe spent decades doing leadership and sales training together. Over and over, they heard the same feedback: people might not remember the bullet points… but they always remembered the stories. That insight became the seed for the book.  What started as a leadership-focused project (and even took on a spiritual angle at one point) eventually evolved into what it needed to be all along: real stories from real life—parenting, marriage, work, mistakes, growth, and the everyday moments that shape us. The title comes from a weekly ritual: meeting at a restaurant on Tuesdays, with a mix of people across ages, swapping life experiences and wisdom in community. That spirit of connection runs through the whole conversation. Bob (a psychologist in private practice) and Joe (a corporate executive) share how life’s responsibilities didn’t make writing easy—especially with four children each—but they kept returning to the project year after year, recommitting whenever life allowed. Rhonda also asks about the practical side of co-writing: how did they actually do it? Bob and Joe share that they split the stories (each wrote half), and they also made space for intentional writing retreats—sometimes literally setting up shop in the common area of a Courtyard Marriott, laptops out, writing, talking through drafts, and cheering each other on.  Their collaboration worked because their styles are different—but compatible—and because they built the book around a consistent element: the lesson learned at the end of each story. A big turning point was getting support from book coach Meg Calvin, who helped the project finally materialize. Bob and Joe talk candidly about how powerful it was to have someone in their corner who could guide them, simplify the publishing process, and help them believe, “Yes—you can do this.” By the end of the episode, what lingers is the heart of Thai Hut Tuesdays: these are bite-sized, 3–5 minute stories you can pick up when you’re spinning, stressed, or doubting yourself—and come away remembering that so much of what we go through is shared human territory.

    26 min
  6. Creative Writing in the Age of AI

    JAN 22

    Creative Writing in the Age of AI

    Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. What happens to creative writing—and to us as writers—when artificial intelligence becomes part of the conversation? In this solo episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I share why I'm introducing video to the podcast in 2026, and then dive into a thoughtful, deeply human conversation about AI and creative writing.  This is not a how-to episode on using AI to write your book. Instead, it’s an invitation to slow down, think critically, and decide—intentionally—how (or if) AI belongs in your creative process. I begin by acknowledging that many writers are curious about AI, and that some are already using it to help finish their books. I also share a resource, from my friend Ana Del Valle of The Novelists Studio, for those who feel strongly that AI is right for them, pointing to tools designed with ethical and copyright considerations in mind.  But I want to be very clear: when it comes to my own creative work, I choose not to use AI—and I explain why in this episode. At the heart of my perspective is this belief: in an age of rapidly advancing technology, human creativity matters more than ever. We come to books to feel less alone, to understand what it means to be human, and to experience the world through another person’s voice.  👉 No large language model can replicate lived experience, imagination, or the emotional truth that comes from a real human mind wrestling with language. I also share research suggesting that reliance on AI tools like ChatGPT may erode critical thinking skills over time. Writing is a “use it or lose it” practice. Brainstorming, problem-solving, and shaping language are muscles—and if we stop using them, they weaken. That’s why I still reach for my favorite brainstorming technology: a notebook and a pen. Beyond creativity and cognition, I also want to raise ethical and environmental concerns. From hallucinated information and unreliable outputs to troubling experiments showing unethical behavior by AI systems under pressure, I just want writers to think carefully about what we’re participating in.  I'm also very much concerned about the environmental toll of large-scale AI infrastructure—energy use, water consumption, and resource extraction—especially in a world already facing climate crisis. Finally, I circle back to what matters most: your voice. Your way of seeing the world. Your metaphors, rhythms, and instincts. Whether you write fiction, nonfiction, or poetry, your work is needed—not despite the rise of AI, but because of it. If you’ve ever wondered, “If AI can write books, what’s the point of me writing mine?” this episode is your answer. The point is you. And the world needs your very human stories now more than ever.

    21 min
  7. What Does the Book Want to Be? With Barbara Sibbald

    12/04/2025

    What Does the Book Want to Be? With Barbara Sibbald

    Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. If you’ve ever wondered whether that wild, complicated story in your family could become a novel, this episode is for you. I’m joined by award-winning author Barbara Sibbald, whose latest book, Almost English, began as a family legend, became a genealogy project, then tried to be creative nonfiction—before finally settling into the form it needed all along: a historical novel. Barbara’s great-grandparents lived in Quetta, on the Northwest Frontier of British India (now Pakistan) between 1885 and 1912. Growing up, she’d heard half-true tales about an Indian princess and a pet elephant, but it wasn’t until her mother spent nearly two decades compiling a detailed family genealogy—and shared boxes of letters and photographs—that the real story came into focus. In this conversation, Barbara walks us through how she turned that wealth of material into fiction, while still honouring the lives at the heart of it. We talk about: How her mother’s meticulous genealogy and bundles of family letters sparked the idea for Almost EnglishWhy the story first appeared to be creative nonfiction—and what made Barbara realize it actually had to be a novelThe moment she understood she needed access to her characters’ inner lives, thoughts, and conversations, and why that pushed her toward fictionThe central question that finally unlocked the book:  How could her great-grandfather, Stephen Turner, a quarter Indian man, ever be accepted into the racist power structure of the Raj?How Barbara used that central question as a compass for cutting thousands of words and tightening the narrativeThe research she did into the Raj, the Durand Line, household life, women’s work, and even period undergarments (!), to bring the world to lifeHer use of real letters versus invented ones, and how both helped her build an emotionally resonant narrativeWe also talk about the book’s unusual structure. In addition to the main historical storyline, Barbara includes short nonfiction pieces she calls “interstices”, where she reflects on her own search for belonging as the child of an itinerant military family—and how that parallels her great-grandparents’ experience. That blending of historical fiction, biography, and autobiography made the book hard to categorize—and hard to sell. Barbara shares candidly about the seven drafts, nearly three years of querying, and 48 approaches to publishers before the book was finally acquired by Bayeux Arts in Canada, and then by Vishwakarma Publications in India. If you’ve ever struggled to decide whether your story should be memoir, creative nonfiction, or a novel, you’ll find so much reassurance and practical insight in Barbara’s journey with Almost English.

    31 min
  8. How to Write During the Holidays

    11/27/2025

    How to Write During the Holidays

    Send us a text! We'd love to hear your thoughts on the show. Welcome to another episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show! My podcast editor is in sick leave this week, so thanks for your understanding with this unedited episode. 🥰 The stretch from Thanksgiving through New Year's can feel like a creative black hole for writers. Between holiday preparations, family gatherings, and end-of-year obligations, that precious writing time often disappears completely. In this episode, I offer a powerful mindset shift to help you protect your writing practice during the busiest season of the year. The reality many writers face is stark: you enter the holidays hoping to finish a chapter, complete a draft, or prepare your manuscript for querying in the new year. Instead, six weeks vanish, and by early January you wake up exhausted, guilty about not writing, and disconnected from your project. When you've been away from your manuscript that long, the characters feel distant, the plot grows hazy, and climbing back into a consistent writing rhythm becomes another mountain to scale. The goal isn't to write a novel in December—it's to stay connected to your creative identity and maintain momentum.  Whether you choose to take a guilt-free break or carve out intentional writing time, the choice should be yours, made consciously rather than surrendered by default to holiday overwhelm.

    20 min
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About

Welcome to the Resilient Writers Radio Show! This is the podcast for writers who want to create and sustain a writing life they love. It's for writers who love books, and everything that goes into the making of them. For writers who wanna learn and grow in their craft, and improve their writing skills. Writers who want to finish their books, and get them out into the world so their ideal readers can enjoy them, writers who wanna spend more time in that flow state, writers who want to connect with other writers to celebrate and be in community in this crazy roller coaster ride we call “the writing life.” 

Information

  • Creator
    Rhonda Douglas Resilient Writers
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    118
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Resilient Writers Radio Show
  • Show Website
    The Resilient Writers Radio Show

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