
44 episodes

Author Express Authentic Connections
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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This is your place to hear the voice behind the pages of your favorite books. Here you’ll get a feel for the person who spent hours, weeks, months, and even years to fill the pages and build a world where you can not only use yourself but possibly find yourself as well. Our gift is a glance at the human side of writing; perhaps a morsel from the author’s childhood, insight on the character to which they are most attached, or a little on the passion that fueled the topics in the book. It’s your chance to get to know some of your favorite writers in a new light. We’ll give you a quick glimpse into their latest work and pique your interest in your next read, but we’ll also let you get to know a little about the authors themselves. As you’ll see in our episodes, we end up in some great conversations, whether they are about the historical significance of a topic, a laugh around chasing cows in the mud, or a few moments musing on travel and the best parts about visiting France.
It is our goal to connect you with authors from varying genres and styles of writing and to keep in concert with our title by keeping them “Express” so you can easily work them into your weekly routine.
Hosted by Shawna Rodrigues, Podcast Mentor, Owner of Authentic Connections Podcast Network, Host of The Grit Show www.thegritshow.com, and Internationally Best-Selling Author.
Co-hosted by Kathleen Basi, musical composer and songwriter, feature writer, essayist, nonfiction author, and of course, storyteller.
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Meg Calvin Writes Like Her Parents Are Dead (will give credit for this quote to Jason Aaron who originally said it)
Meg Calvin is an Amazon Bestselling Author and writing and marketing coach who helps writers do the deep spiritual work to create their Amazon bestselling books (paperback, Kindle, and Audible). After 15+ years as a minister, Meg began serving nonfiction and memoir writers who are fellow (as she refers to them) Spiritually-Attuned Go-Getters back in 2020. Regardless of their book's topic, a Spiritually-Attuned Go-Getters is a writer who doesn't only have a high frequency of service to others, but also believes that ambition is holy and that birthing a book is *truly* a divine process.
Through her intuitive gifts, time-tested writing and marketing techniques, and, at times, unconventional practices, she guides writers in forever unblocking those deep subconscious blocks around their identity, their time, their unique writing style, monetizing and marketing their book, and their book's target audience--just to name a few. As these become unblocked, the writer becomes unstoppable on his/her/their path in birthing an Amazon Bestselling Book that transforms readers' lives. Connect with Meg on social media (Meg Calvin) or at MegCalvin.com.
She is excited to be learning the science of fiction writing as she births her third book. The Bluebonnet Child: Finding Grace in Poor Soil with Wipf & Stock, is her first book. It seeks to equip us to offer hope to kids whose homes seem hopeless and equips churches, schools, and other non-profits to be the supplemental family to kids of troubled homes, i.e., bluebonnet children. Her second book and Amazon Bestseller, I Am My Own Sanctuary, with Quoir Publishing, reads like Seth Myers and the Benedictine nun, Joan Chittister conceived a book-baby.
This “Full-steam comedic rant”, as Dr. David Dault of the NPR Show, Things Not Seen called it, was written for other “recovering-people-pleasers” and encourages them to take back the power over their lives from others by tapping into the power of the Divine within. It’s available on Kindle, Audible, and paperback. There is a supplemental I Am My Own Sanctuary Journal that guides readers into deeper reflection with ten questions per chapter and fancy-lined pages.
Meg has been featured on NPR and has served as a workshop presenter at state-wide and national conferences.
Enjoy a FREE TRAINING called, 3 WAYS TO MAKE MARKETING YOUR BOOK MORE FUN AND LESS FRUSTRATING over at MegCalvin.com and she'd love to continue the conversation with you over on the socials:
Instagram: @heymegcalvin
Facebook: @megcalvin
TikTok: @megcalvin
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Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of I Am My Own Sanctuary at https://bookshop.org/a/ -
Assassins, Dragons, and Royal Intrigue with Author E.A. Winters
On today's episode, we sit down with YA fantasy author E.A. Winters, a mom, Licensed Professional Counselor, military spouse, and—dragon rider?? Well, dragon writer, anyway!
E.A. Winters has loved reading since childhood and wanted to be an author around the same time she wanted to be a dolphin trainer. Neither panned out at first, but then in 2017 she started writing her debut novel, The Forgotten Stone, a Lord of the Rings meets Narnia vibe quest adventure standalone.
The Forgotten Stone took a year to write and another year to edit, but Winters was bitten by the writing bug and soon dove into book one of a dragons and assassins series, The Blood and Flame Saga. Book 1 took her four months to write, and she's now working on a branch-off series called The Melderblood Chronicles that can be enjoyed on its own or enriched by reading the original series first.
Inspired by fast-paced, high-stakes stories that sweep you away the minute you open the page, E.A. Winters' books might be what you're looking for if you love stories of blackmail, kidnapping, royal intrigue, dragons, and assassins—especially if you love romance intertwined, but would rather skip explicit language and sexual material.
Learn more on her website at https://www.eawinters.com and follow her on Instagram at @e.a.winters and TikTok at @eawinters.
Ready for some dragon and assassin adventures?
Dive into Dragon's Kiss today at books2read.com/u/bQNq8P
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Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Dragon's Kiss at https://bookshop.org/a/ -
What Historical Fiction Characters Teach You About Contemporary Living with Author Elaine Stock
lways the curious and independent (“I can do it myself”) child, Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction author Elaine Stock was stumped when she asked family members questions about her heritage and discovered no one wanted to talk about the past. She also was bemused when especially her beloved grandmother would reply “Why? Are you going to write a book about it?” Years later, after penning a few inspirational titles, Elaine, determined to write what she loved to read—historical fiction—researched her paternal heritage from Brzeziny, Poland. Learning that the likely reason behind why her family did not share about the ‘Old Country’ was because of sheer tragedy due to the horrific loss of lives in Brzeziny during the Holocaust, which would include family members that didn’t immigrate to the US, she passionately wanted to create a story of two women friends (one who is deaf and inspired by her great aunt) who dared to overcome the horrific times of a world war and the occupation of Poland by encouraging each other to continue forward despite the tough times by believing that better days are ahead for themselves, that they are the ones who have the power to make these days brighter. This first and huge leap in a new fiction direction has launched Elaine as an author of Historical Fiction, blended with Women’s Fiction. She has not one regret! Her love letter to Brzeziny became the award-winning, and Amazon Best Seller novel, We Shall Not Shatter. It also just earned the rank of 2023 Category Finalist in the Erich Hoffer Award.
Like her female characters, Elaine is learning how to shove aside several fears and worries and embrace the power of hope in living on this fast-spinning planet. A member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and The Historical Novel Society, she was born in Brooklyn, New York, and lives in upstate, New York with her husband and enjoys long walks down country roads, visiting New England towns, and of course, a good book.
You can learn more about Elaine and her novels on her website https://elainestock.com/index.html and follow her on Facebook where she hangs out with a growing readership community: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorElaineStock
Get your copies of the Resilient Women of WWII Trilogy books here https://amzn.to/416o2wk or support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of We Shall Not Shatter at https://bookshop.org/a/ -
Feminism, Imagination, and Beyond: A Conversation with Anna Quinn
In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with Anna Quinn, an author, and founder of the Writers’ Workshoppe in Port Townsend, Washington. Her debut novel, THE NIGHT CHILD, published in 2018, was a Washington State Book Award finalist, listed as #1 Best Real Psychological Fiction on Goodreads, and has been praised for its powerful portrayal of trauma and its impact on identity and relationships, as well as its lyrical writing and gripping storyline.
Anna's latest book, ANGELINE, nominated for the National Book Award, is a powerful exploration of feminism, grief, and the imagination. Drawing on her own life experiences, as well as insights from leading feminist thinkers and writers, Anna gives voice to the silenced and the visionaries through her characters and shows how love and collaboration can free us from limiting social constructs and create a more equitable world.
Anna Quinn's twenty-five-year experience as a public school teacher has had an invaluable influence on her writing. Throughout her career as a teacher, she witnessed firsthand the struggles and challenges her students faced. Many of her students came from difficult backgrounds and had experienced abuse, bullying, poverty, or other forms of hardship. As a result of her time as a teacher, Quinn became deeply invested in exploring the themes of identity formation, equality, imagination, and resilience in her writing.
In this podcast, Anna will also share insights into her writing process and the techniques she uses to create compelling stories. For her, writing is all about tapping into the power of the imagination and approaching her work with a sense of openness and curiosity. She rarely knows where a story is going to take her, and that's part of the magic she loves. She believes that nurturing and protecting one’s voice is an essential part of writing stories that resonate deeply with readers.
To learn more about Anna and her work, you can visit her website at https://annamquinn.com. Her latest book, ANGELINE, is available for purchase at https://bookshop.org/p/ and https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B5PDRTML -
Writing as Personal Transformation with Author Rachel Stone
Today we catch up with Rachel Stone, author of The Blue Iris who writes stories of hope and redemption, often set against vibrant Canadian backdrops.
A former labour relations specialist, Rachel left the corporate world behind when a health issue from years earlier came back to haunt her. Desperate for distraction, she enrolled in creative writing courses in the hopes of finally giving her writing dream a dedicated shot.
When a short writing assignment formed the seedling of The Blue Iris, Rachel found herself transfixed by the process of developing the novel's vibrant cast of characters, who offered a timely escape from her real-world health worries.
The Blue Iris quickly took up residence in her heart, fulfilling Rachel in a way she'd never experienced as she re-examined her whole approach to life and made writing it a priority. Subsequent medical tests proved shocking: not only had pursuing her passion filled her soul with sparkles -- it also appeared to be healing her body. Rachel vowed to see the book through no matter how many rewrites, edits and queries it took (spoiler: it took a LOT!), then go on writing like her health depended on it.
Rachel holds degrees in psychology and industrial relations, and once worked seven summers at a flower market. She’s an active member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and proud co-founder of a local volunteer initiative supporting new and newly-immigrated families in need. Born and raised in Toronto, Rachel lives near the city with her family and on weekends you’ll find her along the south shore of Georgian Bay, belting nineties pop rock from her paddleboard.
You can learn more about Rachel at her website: www.rachelstoneauthor.com. The Blue Iris is available to preorder now. -
Genealogy Research Prompts A Next Chapter
Janis Robinson Daly grew up in Massachusetts and remained there, graduating with a B.A. in Psychology from Wheaton College, at the time, an all-women’s college. At Wheaton, she developed an appreciation of the supportive relationships established between women and a heightened awareness of female-centric issues. Both directed her writing of THE UNLOCKED PATH.
With a love of history and plot and themes sketched, Janis enrolled in a creative writing course to hone hery skills. Combining years of extensive research, feedback from writers’ conferences, beta readers, and editors, and with a contract in hand from indie press Black Rose Writing, she published THE UNLOCKED PATH ten weeks after her 60th birthday. My next chapter had begun.
THE UNLOCKED PATH presents a “New Woman” of the 20th century: educated, career-minded, independent Eliza Pearson Edwards. In 1897 Philadelphia, after witnessing her aunt's suicide, Eliza rejects her mother’s wishes for a society debut, and at a time when five percent of doctors are female, she enters a woman’s medical college. With the support of a circle of women and driven by a determination to conquer curriculum demands, battle sexism, and overcome doubts, Eliza charts her new life path. Combining science and sympathy, she triumphs to heal others and herself.
Organic Chemistry may slay her, if the strain of endless study, odoriferous labs, and gruesome surgeries don’t claim her first. As a young intern, she summons a forthright confidence asserting her abilities to those mistrustful of a woman doctor. Through her work with poverty-stricken patients, she defines her version of suffrage work to champion women’s rights for and beyond the right to vote. Love is found, love is lost. During a visit to the fairy-tale-like city of Newport, a new relationship may fulfill her desires. By 1912 Eliza moves to Boston, using her medical skills to assist at settlement houses in the South and West Ends. When global events devolve into chaos with the 1918 influenza pandemic and a world war, Eliza renews her vow to help and heal.
Janis, her husband, and rescue pup now split their time between Cape Cod, NH, FL, and hotels along Route 95. She has spoken at over twenty-five libraries and joined many local book clubs for an author presentation. You can learn more about Janis, her novel, local appearances, and how to book her for an event at www.janisrdaly.com. THE UNLOCKED PATH has recently been showcased as a Top Ten book by the Women's Fiction Writers' Association which celebrates women’s fiction titles that showcase Twentieth Century Historical Fiction (1900 – 1989) and shines a light on the societal barriers women scrambled over on their journey to live and love as fully as possible.
THE UNLOCKED PATH is available through Amazon in paperback, Kindle and Audible and can be ordered through any local indie bookstore or Bookshop.org.