Get Writing Podcast

Liz Mugavero
  • 5.0 (25)
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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. MAY 14

    Episode 147: Genre Hopping: On Range, Risk, and the Query Trenches with Matt Witten

    I've been friends with Matt Witten long enough to know that when he writes a book, I read it — even if the genre is one I'd normally sidestep entirely. 51% is dystopian fiction, which is not my comfort zone. But Matt's range as a writer is genuinely something, and this conversation reminded me exactly why. We talk about his new book, the world he built inside it, what it took to get there, and a few very honest things about the publishing industry that I think every writer needs to hear.  In this episode:  What 51% is actually about — and why Matt moved the timeline from "30 years from now" to "20 years from now" after January 2025 The income share agreement system at the heart of the book's world, and the real-life conversation that planted the seed for it How he approaches character: from the reluctant Bosch-esque hero to the every-woman who's broke, pregnant, and trying to do the right thing anyway — and an AI that may or may not have feelings The challenge of world building without losing readers in the first 25 pages (a problem he solved in a very specific, smart way) Writing across cozy, thriller, TV, and now dystopia — and why he doesn't use a pen name even when it might be the commercially safer move His recent agent search, what he was actually looking for this time around, and the truly unhinged rejection email he received two months after he'd already signed with someone else What's coming next: The Men's Group, a murder mystery about friendship, sobriety, and the epidemic of loneliness — which his agent calls "cozy adjacent" Links:  51% by Matt Witten Matt's website: mattwittenwriter.com Matt on Instagram: @mattwitten22 Connect with me  If this episode inspired you, 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.

    48 min

  2. APR 30

    Episode 146: Writers who don’t stop, and the “smile file” with suspense novelist Laura Frost

    There's something I've always believed: the writers who make it aren't necessarily the most talented ones. They're the ones who refuse to stop. Today's guest is a living example of that.  Laura Frost is a wildlife biologist turned debut novelist whose psychological suspense, Seeking Sasha, came out in February 2026 — after hundreds of rejections, a few offers she turned down, and years of quietly building her craft one short story at a time. We had the best conversation about all of it.  In this episode, we talk about:  How a life-threatening incident involving Laura's husband as a police officer led her to write her first (very long, still unpublished) novel — and why that experience changed everything The difference between writing as therapy and writing because you love the craft Her unusual background as a wildlife biologist and how the observational skills of the field translate directly into fiction writing Why she writes short stories between novel drafts — and what that practice teaches her about concision and craft The "smile file" and how it carried her through hundreds of rejections Turning down publishing offers and how she knew when she'd found the right fit Building a writing community from scratch on social media — even when you really don't want to What the promotion side of debut publishing actually looks like What's coming next: a follow-up to Seeking Sasha and a companion novel called The Jackal Connect with Laura:  Website & short stories: laurafrostwrites.com Seeking Sasha is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, Bookshop.org, and Between the Lines Publishing Newsletter sign-up at laurafrostwrites.com   Loved this episode? Subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a writer friend who needs to hear it. And if you're ready to stop writing alone, come join us in the Creativity Lab at GetWritingWithLiz.com.

    48 min

  3. APR 23

    Episode 145: Alyson Richman on The Missing Pages, Writing Ghosts, and Research That Gets Sewn Onto Your Skin

    Some books have a premise you can pitch in a sentence. The Missing Pages is not that book — and that's exactly why it works.  The true story behind it: Harry Elkins Widener, 27 years old, Harvard grad, obsessive Gilded Age book collector, perished on the Titanic in 1912. The legend, told on Harvard campus tours to this day, is that he went back to his cabin as the ship was going down — not for anything sentimental, not for his wallet — but for a book. A tiny 16th-century copy of Francis Bacon's essays he'd just purchased at a London bookshop, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. He'd told the bookseller he was going to carry it in his breast pocket in case he was ever shipwrecked, so he'd have something to read.  His body was never recovered. Neither was the book.  His mother, Eleanor Elkins Widener, went on to build the Widener Library at Harvard — one of the most significant research libraries in the world — to house Harry's 3,000-volume book collection. Inside it: a reconstruction of his study, his original desk and chairs, his oil portrait above the carved marble mantle, a Gutenberg Bible his grandfather had won at auction that Harry never got to see. And fresh flowers, placed on his desk every week by the librarian, as stipulated in Eleanor's will — so the room always feels like he might walk in.  Alyson Richman learned about all of this because her daughter came home from a summer program and said: I think you're going to love this story, Mom.  She wrote the novel from Harry's perspective — as a ghost living inside the library — paired with a 1990s storyline following Violet, a Harvard student who works as a page in the rare books collection and starts to believe Harry is trying to communicate with her. It's a book about books, about mothers and sons, about the relationships that never end, even when one person is gone.   What we actually talk about in this episode:  The moment Alyson knew this was her next book — and it wasn't the Titanic part. It was the image of a mother and a 27-year-old son on the deck of a ship, both of them trying to protect the other from the truth of what was happening. Why she doesn't write a single sentence until the research is sewn onto her skin — and what that actually looks like across eight months of archival work in London, Philadelphia, and Cambridge. The ghost question: how do you write a character who is literally dead without it going full Casper? (Hint: omniscient narrators have never had this much freedom.) What a medium taught her about how souls communicate — temperature shifts, fragrances with no source, a book falling open to a specific page — and how she wove that into the novel's most emotional scenes. The birds. We talk about the birds. Why people almost always say yes when you reach out for research help — and why that's been true for Alyson across Japan, Finland, France, Italy, and the Czech Republic. What she'd say to the writer who wants to write something historically ambitious but can't get on a plane: technology has changed everything, and a well-worded email to an academic can open more doors than you'd expect. Her current project: Edith Wharton in Paris during WWI, running hostels for displaced Belgian refugee children and fighting like hell to sustain humanitarian work while the world collapsed around her. (Yes, there's a dual timeline. Yes, the Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts is involved.)  About Alyson: Alyson Richman has been writing historical fiction for 25 years. She's the author of ten solo novels — including The Lost Wife, which is currently in development as a film — and two collaborations. Her work has been translated into more than 20 languages. The Missing Pages is her most recent novel.  Find Alyson: https://www.alysonrichman.com/ | Instagram & Facebook: @alysonrichman / alysonrichmanauthor   If this episode inspired you, 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.

    38 min

  4. APR 16

    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

  5. 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

  6. 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

  7. 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

  8. 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
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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
    147
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Get Writing Podcast

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