So God Told You To Write a Book - Now What?

If you've been looking for some inspiration and practical tips about branding your work, Episode 9 with Steve Brock is just the ticket! His new book - Brand Something Beautiful: A Branding Workbook for Writers, Artists and Other Creatives - is bursting with ideas to guide you through building your own brand. Our conversation ventures from Steve's personal 'why's' behind his latest book to the many and varie...

Heidi Gray McGill is my guest on Episode 8 of Season 2. Her newest Christmas novella - A Place to Belong - comes out on November 18th. It is the latest book in her Discerning God's Best series. Our conversation runs the gamut from how she first felt called to begin a writing career in 2020, to the why's behind publishing under her own imprint, to her ongoing process of learning the craft of writing novels, to the challeng...

In Episode 7 we have the privilege of hearing from Val Barschaw who has walked with her husband - a heart transplant recipient - through 35 years of medical care. It was this very personal journey that gave Val the information, the experience and the passion to equip others who are facing hospitalizations for themselves or their loved ones.  Surviving the Hospital: Six Secrets Every Patient Should Know is an essential guide for any...

Ann Harrison is my guest for Episode 6 of Season 2. She is the author of a new devotional entitled Praying Through the Seasons: Seven Aspects of Prayer and Communion with God. Ann is not only an author but a poet and freelance editor - she is also totally blind. She is tenacious about overcoming obstacles whether that be from technology, external forces or her own inner struggles. Throughout this conversation, you will find that An...

Episode 5 takes us into the Historical Fiction genre with a saga about Tudor England in the 1500's - specifically into the life of Blessed Thomas Abel, the personal priest to Katherine of Aragon who was the first wife of Henry VIII. Theresa Abell Haynes' new book, The Queen's Priest, is also a personal tale for the author because Thomas Abell is one of her ancestors. Our conversation ranges from the layers of researc...

Ever read a Cyberpunk Anthology before? Maybe not but in Episode 4 of Season 2 we get to meet one of the 9 authors who collaborated on just such a work of fiction. Tina Gollings is a teacher and writer who has dabbled in a number of genres over the course of her writing career starting in 2nd grade with a submission to a school writing contest to starting a dystopian novel in college to writing a children's picture book which ...

In Episode 3, we get to know Susie Crosby. Her latest book which came out in July of 2025 is a children's book entitled Where Is Sheep 100? - A Skip Counting Story About the Good Shepherd's Love. Susie takes us behind the scenes with her agent, illustrator and publishing house as she moves this book from idea to finished product. We also get to hear about LIghthearted - 100 Day Devotional which came out in 2024. It is a d...

Episode 2 of Season 2 is an interview with Sonja Anderson, the author of a children's picture book entitled "A Christmas Wish for Little Dala Horse: A Saint Lucia Celebration".  This book is traditionally published through Tyndale Kids. So we walk through that process from getting an agent to signing a contract to engaging with an illustrator and much more. Sonja is a public school librarian as well as an author of m...

In Episode 1 of Season 2 I interview Georgia Morris the author of a memoir entitled Unfailing Love: Freedom From Abuse, Shame, And Control Of A Schizophrenic Spouse. Since this season is all about exploring the many different avenues authors take to get their books published, Georgia and I spend some time chatting about her experience going through a hybrid publishing company - both the good and the challenging aspects. We talk abo...

In this the final episode of Season 1, Wendy Jo talks all things marketing....at least the things that she knows. From social media to Goodread giveaways to websites to podcast interviews - and whatever else she can think of within her realm of experience. She also gives a long range perspective on the power of simply getting your book out into the world and letting it take on a life of its own. Marketing is the ongoing work that f...

It's time to get that manuscript in shape for publishing. What does that entail? Formatting, formatting, formatting. In this episode, Wendy Jo discusses some of the elements of getting your manuscript print ready. Everything from margins, sizing,  pagination, fonts, etc. Lots of decisions and details but much satisfaction when the finished product comes out in the form of a proof copy. There are many options from various softw...

Time to talk about the all important book cover. Yes, I know, God views us through the lens of what is going on in our hearts. But people.... well, we tend to judge things (at least initially) by the outward appearance. In this episode, we discuss the elements that will make up your cover as well as different places you can go to find cover designers. There is quite a spectrum of options both financially and technically. Something ...

Is a rose by any other name just as sweet? Hmmm.... in Episode 12 we talk about the importance of naming your book. A short overview of our biblical naming inheritance shows we have the DNA of a very creative 'namer'. We can do this. Finding the title that settles and lands for you as well as engages your target audience is paramount. There's a big reveal in the middle of the episode of the title for my latest book. ...

In Episode 11, we continue our chat about audiobooks with some more specific information about the recording and editing process. Included is information about the software I use, the editing plug-in I recommend as well as discussion about ACX.com and the parameters they require for you to upload your audio files. Then I've included a little sneak preview of my upcoming audiobook recording of my second novel - The Agreements -...

Episode 10 is all about audiobooks - the fastest growing segment of the book industry. We'll look at some of the statistics regarding the amazing growth in audiobooks over the past decade. And then we chat about some of the details of what it takes to get a book up onto an audio platform. Do you go with Audible exclusivity? Or do you go for a wider audience through Findaway Voices that includes library accessibility? We look a...

In this episode, I back track a little to some of the things we discussed in the previous episode. First, I set out a biblical foundation for the spiritual practices I alluded to of interacting with the great cloud of witnesses. Then we go into some practical elements of putting together a copyright page for your manuscript. And finally, I spend some time chatting about the setting for my book in the north woods of Minnesota. You&a...

Before you publish your manuscript there are some additional little pieces besides the storyline that you will need to think about . In Episode 8, we chat about the extras like a dedication page, acknowledgements,  an author bio, about the book page and any other additional bits and bobs you'd like to add to personalize your book.  Since I spent the week writing  my 'about the book' page, I go into some detail about ...

Well, the manuscript is in the hands of the editor. So, what am I doing in the meantime? Episode 7 explores the concept of waiting. Do we just twiddle our thumbs or do we wait with eager anticipation of promises about to be fulfilled? I talk about some of the promises I speak over my books - the expectations I have about the impact they will have. I also go into some of the things I do when I'm not writing that make me feel fu...

Episode 6 explores the concept of connectivity - the need to stay in relationship with other people as we venture to write our books. Wendy Jo celebrates the completion of her first draft! But quickly underscores that the next phase of the journey - the editing phase - requires that we connect with someone else with skill sets that are other than our own. We chat about keeping in relationship with our spiritual tribe as well. That ...