Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi met in an online critique group. They were both writing children's books and were looking for support and feedback from other writers. They soon discovered they had a knack for building lists of ways writers could show emotion, display the positive attributes and character flaws. The put these lists on a website and from there the first book - The Emotion Thesaurus - was born. Angela and Becca have more than 1.2 million copies of their 10 thesauruses. They are a leading self-published resource for writers around the world. Visit Writers Helping Writers. Visit One Stop For Writers. Learn more about Critique Circle. Visit Dana Goldstein's website.

Erin Whaling had worked on a business plan many years ago as part of a photography course. Her intention was one day to start a business that was community-focused and allowed her some creative freedom. She parked the business plan and the dream when she took a corporate position. In the middle of the pandemic, Erin was laid off. As she was cleaning folders on her computer, she found the business plan and decided to tweak it for a bookstore. Her dream never died, it just re-routed, and now Erin owns a lovely bookstore in Diamond Valley, AB.

When Laurie Carmichael retired from nursing, she already knew she was going to focus on writing. She took courses then wrote her first book. Every step of her journey - from drafting to publication - has been an opportunity to learn something new. In this episode, Laurie shares her story, her discoveries and her fears. Visit Laurie's website Shop the Writers Helping Writers Bookstore Learn more about Rowan House Get EDucated Subscribe to my newsletter

I recorded this in the fly because I couldn't wait ti get back to my office to tell you that the podcast will resume in October! I took a much needed break to focus on the release of my second middle grade novel and to wrap up revisions for my upcoming women's fiction. Thank you for sticking around! I've got great plans for the rest of the year. xo Dana

If you've been paying attention, you've seen copies of When Grumpy Met Sunshine online, in bookstores, and even grocery stores. But Charlotte Stein is not an overnight success: she's been writing and publishing for 15 years. Visit Charlotte's website.

When a group of creatives come together with purpose, magic does indeed happen. The Many Mothers, Seven Skies Anthology was first birthed as a play with a series of vignettes, musical performance and actors. The production evoked so much emotion in viewers and the creators, so the decision was made to reproduce the performances and stories in writing.

When Megan Freeman first started to write Alone, it was a typical middle grade novel. Despite some good feedback, the book never found its wings. She left it...ahem...alone for a while, and it wasn't until she took a workshop about novels-in-verse that the shape of what Alone could be took form. And then it took off.

When Vanessa Chan left her job at Facebook to get her MFA, she had no idea how to write a novel. From a throwaway homework assignment, the first stirrings of the novel she would write emerged. The Storm We Made went to auction, with 11 houses vying for the debut novel. It's not the typical journey, but it makes for a great conversation.

I had no idea how complicated translation a novel cou;d be. A ward-winning translator Susan Ouriou set me straight. It takes a level of dedication, experience and knowledge to esentially re-write a book from a langugage you;ve learned inot your mother tongue. Susan Ouriou does it so well, she has earned the Governor General's Award and was appointed a Chevalier in France's Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. Find Susan and her work at any of the following websites: https://www.attlc-ltac.org/en/translator/susan-ouriou-en/ https://wordswithoutborders.org/contributors/view/susan-ouriou/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Ouriou https://www.fitzhenry.ca/susan-ouriou https://www.reddeerpress.com/susan-ouriou

I already know The Taste of Hunger will fall into my top 10 books for 2024. I cheered for despicable characters, I wanted the best for all of them, like they were real people in my life. It's a magnificent read. BIO: Barbara Joan Scott has been in love with words her whole life, whether as a reader, writer, instructor of English Literature and Creative Writing, freelance editor, or musician with a special affinity for lyrics. ​Her first book, The Quick, won the Writers' Guild of Alberta Howard O'Hagan for Best Collection of Short Fiction, and the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Award for Best Book. The Taste of Hunger is her first novel. She lives and writes in Calgary, Alberta. Watch Wakefield Brewster in action. Visit Barbara's website. Buy the book.