Get Writing Podcast

Liz Mugavero
  • 5.0 (25)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Here's what no one tells you about writing: the hardest part isn't the words. It's believing you're allowed to write them. Get Writing with Liz Mugavero exists because writers shouldn't have to figure this out alone. Liz Mugavero — also known as Cate Conte, author of the beloved Cat Cafe Mystery series — has written 20 novels and coaches writers who are ready to stop waiting and start writing. Every episode goes somewhere real. Craft and publishing. Mindset and blocks. The inner work that nobody warns you about when you start. Guest conversations and solo sessions all centered on one thing: finishing the book you've been carrying — and finding out that the community of writers doing exactly that is bigger than you ever imagined. A little woo? Yes. Tarot cards occasionally? Also yes. Apologies? None. You are not behind. You are not too late. You are exactly where you're supposed to be. Let's get writing. Find out more at cateconte.com Find out more at www.cateconte.com.

  1. 4D AGO

    Episode 144: The Words that Raise Us with Naeem Turner-Bandele

    Last week, I sat down with Nathaniel A. Turner and walked away thinking about something I didn’t expect:  Not just his ideas—but the way he showed up as a father.  The consistency.  The intentionality.  The way he used words—again and again—to shape how his son saw himself.  It stayed with me.  So this week, I’m talking to his son, Naeem Turner-Bandele.  This isn’t a conversation about theory or frameworks.  It’s about what it actually feels like to grow up with that kind of support… that kind of belief… that kind of steady voice in your life—and how that shapes identity, confidence, and the choices you make.  We talk about the letters his father wrote to him over the course of his life, what they meant in real time (not just in hindsight), and how those words helped him navigate everything from living abroad to building his own career and creative work.  And along the way, we get into something that I think a lot of us will feel:  What happens when you didn’t grow up with that kind of voice—and how we begin to create it for ourselves.    In this episode, we talk about:  Growing up with a parent who was both deeply intentional and consistently encouraging What it felt like to receive letters from his father throughout his life—and how they shaped his identity The difference between pressure and belief (and why those letters never felt like something he had to “live up to”) The role of words in building confidence, purpose, and direction How early encouragement influences creativity, writing, and career choices Why children’s books can be a powerful form of encouragement and possibility What it means to carry those lessons forward—and become that voice for others   A conversation that pairs with this one:  If you haven’t yet, go back and listen to last week’s episode with Nathaniel A. Turner.  These two conversations speak to each other in a way that’s rare—and honestly, pretty powerful.    Connect with Naeem:  Naeem Turner-Bandele is an entrepreneur, author, and educator focused on helping young people see what’s possible for their lives. He is the co-creator of The Amazing World of STEM series and works at the intersection of energy, education, and storytelling.  If this episode got you thinking differently about your own creative path, share it with a writer friend who's ready to stop guessing and start living on purpose. Subscribe to Get Writing wherever you listen, and if you have a minute to leave a review, it helps more writers find us.  Ready to go deeper into your own creative life? Come find us at the Creativity Lab at GetWritingWithLiz.com.

    37 min

  2. APR 9

    Episode 144: If You Don't Design Your Life, Someone Else Already Has — with Nathaniel A. Turner

    I've been starting my mornings with a new ritual. Before I open my laptop or even check my phone, I sit down with my journal and write the story of my day — not what happened, but what I want to happen. I write as if it already did: the focused writing session, the ease in my meetings, the walk that clears my head. It's a way of living forward — scripting my own day before the world does it for me. I learned this from my guest today, Nate Turner, who has built an entire life philosophy around that same idea — designing forward by thinking backward. And this conversation reminded me that words aren't just output. They're architecture. In this episode, we talk about: Journaling Forward — the daily practice of writing your life as you want it to be, not as it is The Life Template, Nate's backward-design framework for living with intention How Nate used letters to his son to become only the second father in history, since Lord Chesterfield in 1737, to publish letters written to a child over the span of a lifetime Why claiming your identity as a writer — before the book is finished — is an act of courage, not delusion The North Star vs. the Death Star: how to keep your vision from being derailed by old wounds and childhood stories What it means to be a "word chaser" and why saying what you want out loud is one of the most powerful things you can do The difference between passion and the thing you'd do even if you never won Free Resource from Nate: Download The Life Template Starter Kit at nathanielaturner.com — a free guide to help you start designing your life on purpose, with a plan. About Nathaniel A. Turner: Nathaniel A. Turner is a globally recognized TED Speaker, public intellectual, and author who helps audiences design better lives, stronger families, and more humane futures — intentionally, not accidentally. Known as the Humanity Propulsion Engineer, he is the creator of The Life Template and a Childrearing and Socio-Educational Tools collection and was the first father since Lord Chesterfield in 1737 to write and publish letters to his son successively during his lifetime. He has appeared in numerous media outlets including Black Enterprise, iHeartRadio, The Good Men Project, The Washington Post, and U.S. News & World Report. His books include Raising Supaman, Stop the Bus, It's A Jungle Out There, Journey Forward, and The Amazing World of STEM. Find Nate: Website: nathanielaturner.com League of Extraordinary Parents: lxtrap.com Every writer knows this truth: the story only changes when the protagonist does. Nate reminded us that the same goes for real life — you can't rewrite your story without taking the pen back into your own hand. If this episode got you thinking differently about your own creative path, share it with a writer friend who's ready to stop guessing and start living on purpose. Subscribe to Get Writing wherever you listen, and if you have a minute to leave a review, it helps more writers find us. Ready to go deeper into your own creative life? Come find us at the Creativity Lab at GetWritingWithLiz.com.

    50 min

  3. APR 2

    Episode 143: Writing From the Inside Out — Process, Mindset, and the Long Game with Rhonda Douglas

    Mindset is probably the most important thing a writer can have dialed in. Even more than knowing the craft. Because practicing is what's going to help you learn the craft — but mindset is what's going to keep you practicing in the first place.  I've been in a business mentorship group for a few years now, and that's where I met today's guest, Rhonda Douglas. We found each other in that group — both writers, both building businesses around helping other writers — and I've loved her ever since.  Rhonda is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, and founder of First Book Finish, a program that takes writers from draft all the way through to publication. She goes straight to the root of why writers get stuck. Not the craft stuff. The brain stuff. And in this conversation, that's exactly where we go.  In this episode, we talk about:  Why mindset matters more than craft — and how to actually shift it Writing rituals that train your brain to show up consistently Imposter syndrome at every stage of the writing career (yes, even after 20 books) Consistency over perfection — and why "write every day" advice can backfire Beginner's mind, and why it's essential every time you start something new What's really going on when a writer has been "working on a book for ten years" The joy — and learning curve — of writing in a new genre for the first time  Find Rhonda Douglas  Find Rhonda at resilientwriters.com and on Instagram at @ResilientWriters. Her podcast, the Resilient Writers Radio Show, is available wherever you get your podcasts. You can also find free resources — including a DIY retreat guide and a Writers Weekly Planner — at resilientwriters.com/resources.    Listen + Subscribe  You can listen to this episode of Get Writing with Liz Mugavero wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to:  Hit follow/subscribe Leave a quick rating or review Share this episode with a writer friend who needs to hear it And if you're looking for your own supportive community of writers, come join us inside the Creativity Lab at GetWritingWithLiz.com. We're there every week — writing together, talking craft books, and supporting each other. I think it will make a huge difference in your writing career to be writing alongside a community.

    42 min

  4. FEB 5

    Episode 142: Back to the Work — Writing, Resistance, and the “What’s Next” After Launch

    I’m so happy to be back! I’ve been on a short break from the podcast—finishing a book, trying to stay focused, and, honestly, wrestling with what it means to keep making art when the world feels heavy. I’ve caught myself wondering whether talking about creativity and writing and books is indulgent… or beside the point. What I keep coming back to is this: creating isn’t frivolous. It’s resistance. Paying attention, telling stories, making meaning—this is how we stay human. So I’m back after a short sabbatical, and I couldn’t have picked a better conversation to return with. In this episode, I’m joined by author and communications professional John David, whose debut novel The Bystander launched just weeks before we recorded. We talk honestly about the part of the writing life that doesn’t get romanticized: what happens after launch, how it feels to market your own work, the long silence of querying, and how to keep going when there’s no magic formula. This is a conversation about persistence, patience, and staying in the work—even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain. In this episode, we talk about: • Coming back to creativity as resistance and meaning-making • The question every author has after launch: What’s next? • Why marketing often feels like selling one book at a time • The strange truth: it’s easier to market everyone else’s work than your own • How a career in communications shaped John’s fiction writing • Why journalists make compelling investigators—and compelling characters • Mystery vs. thriller, and why genre lines are increasingly blurred • Why not every mystery needs to start with a murder • The reality of querying agents and hearing nothing back • Turning down the wrong offer—and why fit matters more than validation • Finding the right publishing home through an independent press • Writing into a three-book deal and learning to live with deadlines About the book The Bystander is a mystery with thriller elements inspired by a real-world event. When a journalist captures a viral act of violence on camera, everything that follows isn’t quite what it seems—and the deeper he digs, the more complicated the truth becomes. Find John David John writes on Substack at https://byjohndavid.substack.com/, where he shares reflections on writing, publishing, and the behind-the-scenes reality of building a fiction career. If you enjoy long-form, thoughtful essays about the writing life, his Substack pairs naturally with the conversations we have here—and with the kinds of reflections I share on my own Substack as well. The Bystander is available wherever books are sold and can be ordered through your local bookstore. If you’re in the middle of the writing life—querying, launching, wondering if your work is “good enough,” or asking yourself why you keep going—this episode is for you. Thanks for being here. And if you needed the reminder: making art still matters. Keep writing. Listen + Subscribe You can listen to this episode of Get Writing with Liz Mugavero wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to: • Hit follow/subscribe • Leave a quick rating or review • Share the episode with a writer friend who needs a reminder not to give up And if you’re craving a little more support, come hang out with me inside The Creativity Lab— it’s where we write together, keep each other accountable, and make space for the kind of progress that actually feels good.

    1h 1m

  5. 12/19/2025

    Episode 141: Dark Academia, Toxic Obsession & Sorority Secrets with author Heather Colley

    If you love stories that feel like they’ve been ripped from the headlines—and then turned just a little darker and stranger—you’re going to be obsessed with my guest this week. Her book is set in the Greek-life world at the University of Michigan and follows two undergrads, Stella and Penny. Stella is the sorority girl who seems to have it all; Penny is the introvert who becomes obsessed with the idealized version of Stella she sees. Their lives collide through sororities, frat boys, prescription drugs and psychiatric “care” that’s more comedy and chaos than actual help. Things spiral in a way that’s messy, unsettling and very human. If you love dark academia, complicated female characters, and endings that don’t necessarily offer a neat bow, this one’s for you. We talk about: The origin of The Gilded Butterfly EffectHow Heather took the mystique of sorority houses and Greek life and turned it into a literary campus novel. Imagined selves & performative perfectionHow Penny’s obsession with Stella is fueled by an imagined, “perfect” version of her—and how that connects to social media, curated lives and what we choose to show the world. Psychiatric care, pills, and dark humorWhy Heather made the psychiatrists in the book hilariously incompetent, and how Stella and Penny manipulate them for drugs, attention and validation. Short stories vs. novelsWhy she finds short stories easier than novels, how this book started as a single short story set in a church basement, and why she always knows the ending early. How her PhD shapes her writingHow studying 19th-century poetry and form at Oxford made her think differently about structure, language, and even commas—and how that attention to detail shows up in her prose. The long road to publicationGetting an agent in 2020 (yes, right as the pandemic hit), losing that agent, continuing to submit, and eventually finding the right home with small press Three Rooms Press. Bleak endings & “unfixable” peopleWhy she’s drawn to dark, unresolved endings and troubled characters who don’t necessarily get redemption, and how that connects to the Victorian novels she studies. Process, pressure, and permissionHer very unstructured, note-app-based writing process, why deadlines help her, and the reminder that your writing process doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be valid. What’s nextThe short story collection she has coming out (full of unhinged women and strange endings, with one story from Stella’s POV), plus her plans for finishing her PhD and staying in academia. About Heather ColleyHeather Colley is a writer and academic originally from New York and now based in the UK. Her debut novel, The Gilded Butterfly Effect, is a dark, literary campus novel set in the Greek-life world at the University of Michigan. Her short fiction has won awards including the Oxford Review of Books short fiction prize, the Hopwood Award, the BNU-Oxford short fiction prize (runner-up), and the Desperate Literature Prize shortlist. Heather is a PhD student in English Literature at Oxford University. She holds a master’s degree in literature from St Andrews University and a bachelor’s degree in the same subject from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Connect with Heather & Find the BookBook: The Gilded Butterfly Effect – available in print, ebook, and audiobook wherever you usually buy books Website: heathercolleyauthor.com Instagram & TikTok: @heathercolleyauthor (lots of literary and bookish posts… plus cat content )🐈 Listen + SubscribeYou can listen to this episode of Get Writing with Liz Mugavero wherever you get your podcasts. Remember to: Hit follow/subscribe Leave a quick rating or review Share the episode with a writer friend who needs a reminder not to give up And if you’re craving a little more support, come hang out with me inside The Creativity Lab—it’s where we write together, keep each other accountable, and make space for the kind of progress that actually feels good.

    35 min

  6. 12/11/2025

    Episode 140: How to Land a Traditional Book Deal in 2025: Inside the World of a Book Broker with Randy Peyser

    Dreaming of a traditional book deal but feeling totally lost about how to actually get there? Well, good news. In this episode, I’m sitting down with book broker Randy Peyser, who has spent nearly three decades helping authors land deals with traditional publishers. Randy shares what’s working right now in publishing, what agents and editors are really looking for and how to position both your book and your platform so you’re taken seriously. Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, this conversation gives you a clear-eyed, encouraging look at the business side of books—without crushing your own personal magic. In this episode, you’ll learn: • What a book broker is and how Randy acts as a connector between authors, agents, and publishers • Why she won’t pitch anything that isn’t polished, “stellar,” and clearly sellable • The current word count realities publishers are quietly using (including why many don’t want books over ~80K words) • Why nonfiction lives or dies on outcome-driven titles and a clear promise to the reader • What makes fiction stand out in an oversaturated market—and why your opening pages matter so much • How platform and engagement are evaluated behind the scenes (including tools like SocialBlade and what agents check while you’re pitching) • Smart ways to build visibility before your book is even out—like podcasts, newsletters, and focused social content • How conferences, pitch sessions, and tight, two-minute pitches can accelerate your chances of getting noticed • Randy’s hilarious and inspiring story of how her book Crappy to Happy ended up in Eat Pray Love • Her current project, Bald Courage, and why legal permissions matter when you’re writing about real people • The mindset shift from “my book is an option” to “my book is a priority”—and why that changes everything About Randy Peyser Randy Peyser is a book broker and the founder of Author One Stop. After working as an editor-in-chief in the Mind–Body–Spirit magazine world, she transitioned into helping authors land traditional book deals. Over nearly 30 years, she’s developed deep relationships with literary agents and publishers, and now pitches both nonfiction and fiction projects—often securing multiple offers and even six-figure deals for her clients. Randy also oversees a team of highly vetted editors and ghostwriters and is currently working on her own book, Bald Courage: Gentle Wisdom on the Chemo Journey. Resources • Randy’s website: Author One Stop – https://www.authoronestop.com • Social media metrics tool: https://www.socialblade.com (check your own engagement the way publishers do) • Look for in-person pitch opportunities like the Writer’s Digest Conference and other agent “speed dating” or pitch sessions in your genre Listen + Subscribe You can listen to this episode of Get Writing with Liz Mugavero wherever you get your podcasts. If this conversation gave you hope, a nudge, or a new way to look at your own “drawer novel,” it would mean the world if you: • Hit follow/subscribe • Leave a quick rating or review • Share the episode with a writer friend who needs a reminder not to give up And if you’re craving a little more support, come hang out with me inside The Creativity Lab— it’s where we write together, keep each other accountable, and make space for the kind of progress that actually feels good.

    52 min

  7. 11/20/2025

    Episode 139: The Book That Wouldn’t Die: Thriller Author Cindy Fazzi on Persistence, Rewrites & Fate

    You know that saying about how most overnight successes are really just people who refuse to quit for like a decade? Every time I hear it, I think about my own story. I wrote a bunch of books before I got my first book published by a publisher. I had a couple that I really wanted to get published. I have one that I'm still rewriting to this day because it did not get published. And I wrote these books back in my 20s and early 30s. I was positive especially with one of these, that it was going to be the book. And it might still be, because I'm still rewriting it. But no — it almost got published once at a small press and then it did not. They ended up passing. And then the opportunity fell into my lap to start my first cozy mystery series. And that was a decade after I started trying. A decade after I started going to conferences and pitching and editing and rewriting and pitching again and getting a lot of rejections. So it really is true that “overnight” successes are years in the making. And today's guest is someone else who knows that journey inside and out — the persistence, the rewrites, the revisions, and that long stretch between who you are as a writer and when you finally get recognized by the industry and picked up by a publisher (if that’s the path you’re choosing). This story is awesome. I love my guest today, Cindy Fazzi. She's the author of the Domingo the Bounty Hunter series which she started writing in 1995. It was rejected everywhere, rewritten multiple times (do you see a theme here?), dropped by publishers, resurrected again, and ultimately sold twice to the same editor at two different houses. I mean, you can't make this stuff up. Cindy's story is one of the most hopeful and necessary conversations that I've had lately about resilience, representation and just really sticking with the book that you believe in. We cover: ✨ The “Unsellable” Book That Wouldn’t Let Go How Cindy first wrote the earliest version of Danger No Problem in 1995, had it rejected everywhere, and kept coming back to it over decades. ✨ Immigration, Identity & Why Representation Matters Why Cindy, a Filipino-American immigrant and former Associated Press reporter, felt compelled to center Filipino-American characters and humanize immigration beyond the headlines. ✨ The POV Shift That Changed Everything How changing the narrator from a non-criminal undocumented immigrant to a Filipino- American bounty hunter organically turned the story into a thriller and made the book click. ✨ Selling the Same Two Books — Twice The wild publishing ride: • Selling the series to one publisher • Watching that house shutter six months after release • Then selling the same books again to the same editor at a different publisher, who relaunched them and released both books simultaneously. ✨ Agents, Rejections & the Myth of “Once You Have an Agent, You’re Set” Cindy’s journey through three agents, what actually happens when agents can’t sell your work, and how she learned to stop tailoring her writing to someone else’s idea of “marketable.” ✨ Community as a Career Shortcut (and Lifeline) How joining Crime Writers of Color and Sisters in Crime later in her journey changed everything — and why she wishes she’d done it years earlier. ✨ A Brand-New Series with a Brilliant Heroine Cindy’s next project: a new series starring a female FBI intelligence analyst — a procedural featuring a heroine who doesn’t carry a gun but fights crime with her intellect and her instincts. About Cindy Cindy Fazzi is the author of the Domingo the Bounty Hunter series, including: • Danger No Problem • Sunday or the Highway The series follows Domingo, a Filipino-American bounty hunter who specializes in tracking criminal undocumented immigrants — and finds himself drawn into increasingly complex, high- risk cases involving non-criminal undocumented people as well. Through Domingo’s world, Cindy tackles the human side of immigration, justice, and belonging. A former Associated Press reporter, Cindy brings her journalist’s eye for detail ad clarity to her thrillers, blending pace, human stakes, and nuanced social issues. Where to Find Cindy • Website: CindyFazzi.com • Social: Instagram, Facebook, BlueSky, YouTube → @cindyfazzi Perfect For This episode is especially for you if: • You’ve been working on a manuscript for years and feel like it might never find a home • You’ve been rejected so many times you’re wondering if it’s a sign to quit • You care about representation and want to see more immigrant and Filipino-American characters in genre fiction • You love hearing real talk about the business side of publishing — agents, editors, imprints closing, books getting resurrected • You need a reminder that persistence + the right match can change everything Listen + Subscribe You can listen to this episode of Get Writing with Liz Mugavero wherever you get your podcasts. If this conversation gave you hope, a nudge, or a new way to look at your own “drawer novel,” it would mean the world if you: • Hit follow/subscribe • Leave a quick rating or review • Share the episode with a writer friend who needs a reminder not to give up And if you’re craving a little more support, come hang out with me inside The Creativity Lab— it’s where we write together, keep each other accountable, and make space for the kind of progress that actually feels good.

    43 min

  8. 11/13/2025

    Episode 138: A Hundred Words at a Time: with author Katerina Stoykova

    Sometimes one lifetime isn’t enough to hold all the versions of who we become—especially for writers, or anyone who’s ever started over. I’ve been thinking about what happens when you cross an invisible border—geography, language, career—and suddenly the words you’ve always trusted go quiet. Our guest today knows that silence intimately. She grew up in communist Bulgaria, moved to Kentucky, stopped writing for eleven years…and then, driving to work one morning, a poem jolted through her like electricity. That current carried her back to herself. Today I’m talking with poet, publisher, and community builder Katerina Stoykova about identity, reinvention, and the long road back to the page. We get into losing—and re-finding— your voice in a new language, why throwing away a year of work can be an act of devotion, what it takes to shape a pile of poems into a book, and how small daily goals add up to a creative life. We also dig into her press, Accents Publishing, her craft book The Poet’s Guide to Publishing, and the metaphor at the heart of her latest poetry collection, Between a Birdcage and a Birdhouse—that liminal space between nesting and flight. If you’ve ever felt “in between,” this one’s going to land. In this episode: • Growing up in communist Bulgaria, immigrating to the U.S., and holding two identities at once • The 11-year silence—and the poem that arrived like a jolt in a Kroger parking lot • Writing in a second language and giving yourself permission to “waste” pages • The craft and logistics of poetry books: conceiving, arranging, editing, publishing, marketing • Founding Accents Publishing (from hand-bound chapbooks in the dining room to global distribution) • Community as a lifeline: Kentucky Book Festival and the Kentucky State Poetry Society • Journaling → harvesting → (yes) burning: a ritual for clarity and privacy • The birdcage/birdhouse metaphor for the immigrant experience—home as a moving target • Monthly creative goals, tiny daily commitments, and tricking your brain past resistance • Why not being yourself is the costliest path of all About Katerina A Bulgarian by birth, Katerina Stoykova is a bilingual poet living in Kentucky and is the author of Between a Bird Cage and a Bird House (University Press of Kentucky, 2024) and The Poet's Guide to Publishing: How to Conceive, Arrange, Edit, Publish and Market a Book of Poetry (McFarland, 2024). Katerina is the founder and senior editor of Accents Publishing, as well as the creator of the Accents podcast on WUKY. Katerina served as the 2023-2024 Director of the Kentucky Book Festival, as well as the Director for the Center for the Book in Kentucky and is the 2025-2026 President of the Kentucky State Poetry Society. Connect Accents Publishing: https://www.accents-publishing.com/books.html Accents podcast: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/1191882226/accents Latest poetry book (University Press of Kentucky, 2024) https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813198682/between-a-bird-cage-and-a-bird-house/ Nonfiction book, the Poet's Guide to Publishing (McFarland, 2024) https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/the-poets-guide-to-publishing/ You can also follow the Get Writing podcast on all platforms and join my newsletter at lizmugavero.substack.com for creative rituals, seasonal challenges, and behind-the-scenes stories. And if you’re craving a little more support, come hang out with me inside The Creativity Lab— it’s where we write together, keep each other accountable, and make space for the kind of progress that actually feels good.

    52 min
See All (144)

5
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Here's what no one tells you about writing: the hardest part isn't the words. It's believing you're allowed to write them. Get Writing with Liz Mugavero exists because writers shouldn't have to figure this out alone. Liz Mugavero — also known as Cate Conte, author of the beloved Cat Cafe Mystery series — has written 20 novels and coaches writers who are ready to stop waiting and start writing. Every episode goes somewhere real. Craft and publishing. Mindset and blocks. The inner work that nobody warns you about when you start. Guest conversations and solo sessions all centered on one thing: finishing the book you've been carrying — and finding out that the community of writers doing exactly that is bigger than you ever imagined. A little woo? Yes. Tarot cards occasionally? Also yes. Apologies? None. You are not behind. You are not too late. You are exactly where you're supposed to be. Let's get writing. Find out more at cateconte.com Find out more at www.cateconte.com.

Information

  • Creator
    Liz Mugavero
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    144
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Get Writing Podcast

You Might Also Like