Writer On The Road

Melinda Hammond

Do you have a story to tell? Here at Writer on the Road, it’s the journey that matters. Regardless of where you are on your writing journey, Writer on the Road will inspire you to take your dreams and make them happen. So sit back and enjoy the show as I bring you guests who know what it’s like to go it alone and who are willing to reach out to the rest of us by sharing their stories; authors, publishers, entrepreneurs—people at all stages of the writing journey, just like you and me. It’s time, dear listeners, to answer the question for yourself: do you have a story to tell?

  1. 03/09/2020

    The Aussie Indie Podcast Launch Episode

    Introducing a new direction for Writer on the Road Productions, including our Publishing and Podcast activities. Although we've always been about bringing to our listeners the latest and best Indie publishing advice - as exemplified by our Business of Writing Podcast Series, Author Success Stories Series and magazine, plus our courses and workshops - we're now doubling down on the talent in our own part of the world. Australasia has a plethora of talent in the Indie publishing space and it's our aim to form community where we encourage each other, share our knowledges and work towards supporting ourselves financially through our writing. And, one day, we even hope to have our own conference. But, first steps are small steps. You can join us in our new adventure by signing up to our newsletter here: http://writerontheroad.com/writer-on-the-road/

    17 min

  2. 08/17/2019

    #161 Mel & Sam in Orlando: Audio Matters & What You Need to Know For Your Writing

    Podcasts are the new blogs. And, as an author, the best way to reach your audience to promote your novels and stories is through audio. If you’re not guesting on podcasts, it’s time to start. Audio is king, is the key message we bring away from our Podcast Movement Conference in Orlando, Florida, as we wind up our America trip and get ready to head back to Oz. And audio is only going to get bigger. Think Google podcasts, Google searches, and anything else Google you want to throw in this sentence. And Smart Speakers. One in five Americans already use one. And a fun fact to finish, for the first time in history, nearly 40 percent of podcasters are women. Yay to us. You can support us on Patreon here.   Read Full Transcript [00:00:48] Hello and welcome to the final episode of our very special mini series about our trip through the United States of America. We're finishing off the mini series with an episode about Podcast Movement, the podcasting Conference where we are currently visiting in Orlando Florida. You can support our efforts over at Patreon.com/writerontheroad. [00:00:48][0.0] [00:00:51] Sam: It's been really interesting everyone. We've got lots of statistics that I can write up for you when we get home. But one of the things that has really struck us is how very popular podcasting is and how that's going to increase definitely. [00:01:09][17.9] [00:01:09] Mel: That's been the key message here and we've been talking about how even though we've got a sizeable chunk of listening people listening to podcasts there are still it's still an untapped space. There are only eight hundred thousand active podcasts globally so it's still a space even though it's really popular with listeners. It's not so popular created yet so lots of room to get in on the action. [00:01:28][18.3] [00:01:28] Sam: Writer on the Road is still in the top 10 percent of podcasts which is exciting times in terms of our downloads. But there was a real divide between I think professional broadcasters and individual podcasters which was interesting. And then again another divide between non-fiction podcasters and the very exciting growth area of audio fiction which we'll talk about later in the show. It's one of my key interests, definitely. [00:01:56][27.5] [00:02:10] Mel: I'm going to start with a session we had our own James Cridland from downtown Brisbane. I listened to a talk with James today on Google Podcasts and how that is really going to take off. [00:02:23][12.9] [00:02:27] Mel: We went to a session the other day that shows that even though Apple Podcasts have a slow percentage growth rate they had so many to begin with that their raw growth numbers are still more than anyone else combined. But as we saw with James today Google podcasts is trying to creep into that space. [00:02:41][14.4] [00:02:42] Sam: The exciting thing is that, as James explained it to us, is that Google is a service or Google podcast is a service that gets podcasts on to smart speakers, Google assistant in Australia. Google Smart Speakers have a sixty eight percent mark to market share in America one in five Americans have a smart speaker . [00:03:06][24.0] [00:03:11] Mel: What's really exciting for us is Google Search. Google searches are going to bring our podcasts up so much more easily. Google is actively doing all the work for us. So the examples I gave I was talking to Sam about how this is really good for audio is it. I've Natasha Lister so anyone who is looking for an anything about Natasha Lester our podcast is going to...

    15 min

  3. 08/08/2019

    #160 10 Minutes with Sam & Mel: Tall Ships, Hamilton & a Research Sabbatical

    It’s time to write. And research. Join us as we enter the research and writing phase of our NYC journey. Let’s call it a writing retreat where we meet people who give generously of their time and knowledge with no expectation of return. If you love history and the gilded age, then this one’s for you. Think tall ships, maritime history, old mansions and sticky buns. Meet Pamela Grimm, author of Destiny’s Gold and Destiny’s Freedom. Pamela is an amazing historian and a person I had the privilege to meet whilst in NYC. Enjoy ten minutes with Pamela this episode with a full interview to come when we return to Oz. Making friends is all part of life’s journey and how lucky are we to stumble across experts in all facets of maritime history; from bookshop owners to local historians to people who just want to help us on our journey, including our amazing Airbnb hosts in Rondout, in Down-town Kingston, New York. Listen out for our interview with Joe and MaryAnn  next episode. In the meantime, enjoy ten minutes with us as we reflect on our month in NYC and what it means to travel with purpose. You can support us through Patreon here. You can find out more about the amazing Pamela Grimm and her novels here. You can listen to our interviews on Travel Writers Radio here. As always, thank you for your support and interest. Mel, Sam & Liss

    24 min

  4. 08/01/2019

    10 Minutes with Mel & Sam in NYC: Living Like Locals and Dastardly Budget Discussions

    International travel, book buying, theatre attendance and writerly adventures all need budgetary considerations if one wants to survive for an extended period in the greatest city in the world. Having comfortable shoes is also a good idea. In this episode we chat about the importance of keeping an eye on the budget on a daily basis, discussing plans ahead of time and knowing when it’s time to slow down and enjoy the free stuff. We also chat with our Airbnb Superhost, Michelle, who gives us some tips on how to choose the perfect holiday accommodation to meet your needs, and be legal. You can find out more about our journey and the behind the scenes writing of our book, Living Like Locals in NYC, here.

    22 min

  5. 07/25/2019

    #158 10 Minutes with Sam & Mel in NYC: A Night at the Theatre

    The writing life can be tough sometimes and this week was no exception as we busied ourselves attending two theatre pieces; Antigone in Ferguson and Mojada. You don’t need to know your Greek myths but it helps if you want to fully appreciate the political statement each piece makes. The intention of original Greek theatre is to allow an audience to purge their emotions, and in both cases, Sam & I blamed the emotion of the theatre experience as we cried. After such intense emotional connection it’s always good to have somewhere to go to debrief. In our case, we think we’ve found the perfect oasis in the Library Hotel on Madison Avenue – there are four hotels in the NYC Library Hotel collection, but for book lovers, it’s got to be Madison Avenue. Listen to my conversation with Rob Rawlins, General Manager of the Library Hotel, at the end of this episode to find out why.   You can link to our Patreon account here for tidbits and essays about our adventures, and maybe even receive your free digital copy of Mel & Sam in NYC, available 1st October, 2019 You can find out more about The Library Hotel Collection here.

    23 min

  6. 07/20/2019

    #157 10 Minutes With Mel & Sam in NYC: Writin’ Along On Our Pushbikes, Honey…

    Writing the road less travelled is turning out to be the path of our NYC ’10 Minutes With Mel & Sam’ journey. Exploring the greatest city in the world on foot, by bike, train and ferry is opening up adventures we never deemed possible all that time ago when we were planning our adventure. But, as luck halos our heads, we’re following in the tradition of great writers we can only dream of emulating, as we cross literary paths with the greats: Walt Whitman, Jack Kerouak, F. Scott Fitzgerald and who knows who else. Fun facts: NYC is not as flat as you think Biking around Central Park is easy, sometimes The Hudson river is where the trendsetters hang out Squirrels in Central Park are sad on Mondays You don’t need a helmet to ride a pushbike in NYC We talk about none of these things in this episode, but we meant to…

    17 min

  7. 07/16/2019

    #156 10 Minutes with Mel & Sam in NYC: Bookshops Aren’t Meant to be Like That

    Join us in NYC to celebrate the creative freedom of being able to work from anywhere, starting with the greatest city in the world. We explore the opportunities in the world of theatre, books and writing, combined with travel, good food and the occasional drop of Long Island wine. In this episode we set the scene for what’s to come, discuss what makes a good bookshop, and chat with the writers of the off-Broadway musical, Assistants, about how to succeed at the hardest of creative endeavours, producing theatre.

    26 min

  8. 06/05/2019

    #155 Never Give Up On Your Publishing Dreams, with Cassie Hamer

    If at first you don’t succeed at this thing called writing…keep writing, and learning, and writing some more. Cassie Hamer, author of  After the Party, has put in the hard yards, earning her Masters in Creative Writing, and then unlearning most of what she’d been studying for years as she searched to find voice. And lucky for us, she found it with her debut novel. Cassie opens up about the fears, doubts and joys of success as a published author. We even get a sneak preview of the joys of lunching with her editor. In this episode, we cover a range of topics which can be summed – sort of – as follows: Publishers want to publish your book literary versus popular fiction the value of Higher degree Creative Writing courses what it’s like to meet your editor for lunch a writing place of your own finding and trusting your writing voice rejection is part of the writing life celebrate your wins what is your next book? writing is a personal journey   You can find out more about Cassie and her writing here. You can find out more about Author Success Stories Magazine and TIPS For Writers here. Read Full Transcript Mel Today have with me the beautiful Cassie Hamer. Hi Casey. Cassie Hi Mel. I love your podcast. You have such great warmth and enthusiasm and it really is lovely to be speaking with you. Mel I'm really excited everyone to introduce a new writer and the book, 'After The Party. Now I had no idea what to expect but when I read it, it was thirty two young children at a birthday party. Cassie I have three young children myself and they're 6, 8 and 10 and I have hosted quite a few parties here at my home on their behalf. I always find that kids parties are constantly teetering on the edge of total disaster because you have so many children they're so hyped up there are games of competition. There's far too much sugar causing total chaos. So I thought what what it a scenario into which to put an inciting incident. So as you say the party is a complete disaster the laser WAKES UP LIKE NOTHING'S READY TO GO. SHE'S ABOUT TO HAVE 33 children land on her doorstep which they do. And it continues to be disastrous. And she makes it through though she struggles through until the end and reads It's a relief that there will be kids and picked up and taken home. Well, all except one little girl who she discovers hiding in a dog kennel. And at first Lisa thinks well the mom's just running late. No problem. This is true and she gets a note and the note is from Ellie's mother and the note explains that in fact she's not coming back to pick up the child at all and that she's asking Lisa to take care of this child and then laces put into these massive conundrum what do I do. And the story takes off from there. Mel It's really interesting because when I set out to to research for this interview Cassie I wasn't quite sure where this novel was going to fit. And one of the reviews that I read is this reviewer thought it was going to be a romance and I thought oh we must have another book here but it's not it's far. I think it's far deeper than that. It's got a lot of elements in it. We can all relate to it. We all cringe away from from some of the things that happen in it. But basically this book has a lot more depth and resonance than then just a quick story doesn't it? Cassie I think I think it did. Well thank you very much for saying

    47 min
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About

Do you have a story to tell? Here at Writer on the Road, it’s the journey that matters. Regardless of where you are on your writing journey, Writer on the Road will inspire you to take your dreams and make them happen. So sit back and enjoy the show as I bring you guests who know what it’s like to go it alone and who are willing to reach out to the rest of us by sharing their stories; authors, publishers, entrepreneurs—people at all stages of the writing journey, just like you and me. It’s time, dear listeners, to answer the question for yourself: do you have a story to tell?

Information

  • Creator
    Melinda Hammond
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2020
  • Episodes
    162
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 Melinda Hammond
  • Show Website
    Writer On The Road