Jenni Bayliss lives on the Kent coast with her husband, their children having flown the nest. After writing stories for many years while raising her children and working as a baker, she enrolled part time on a Creative and Professional Writing degree course at Canterbury Christchurch University when she was 39, to see if she could make a go of this writing malarkey. Her debut novel was published in 2019 when she was 45.

Jenni's books:
A December to Remember, The Twelve Dates of Christmas. The Winter of Second Chances. Meet Me Under the Mistletoe.
Titles for children: Malice in Underland. A Trick of Time. Ghost Games.
YA title: Merry Kissmas To You!

Jenni is on social media as:
Instagram: @jennibayliss
X: @BaylissJenni

Suzanne Snow writes contemporary and uplifting fiction with a vibrant sense of setting and community connecting the lives of her characters. A horticulturist who lives with her family in Lancashire, her books are inspired by a love of landscape, romance and rural life.

Her debut novel, The Cottage of New Beginnings, was a contender for the RNA’s Joan Hessayon Award and she is currently writing the Hartfell Village series for Canelo. Suzanne is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors

Uplifting romances set in Thorndale (Arncliffe and Kettlewell), in the Yorkshire dales x 4 books

Love in the Lakes series of romance novels at Hazelmere house x 3

Back to Yorkshire Dales and Hartfell for new romance series

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

Phillipa Ashley is a Sunday Times, Amazon and Audible best-selling author of uplifting romantic fiction. After studying English at Oxford university, she worked as a copywriter and journalist before turning her hand to writing novels. since then, her novels have sold well over a million copies and have been translated into numerous languages. Phillipa lives in an English village with her husband, has a grown-up daughter and loves nothing better than walking the Lake District hills and swimming in Cornish coves.

Phillips latest book, Escape for Christmas, is out now. Running her guesthouse nestled in the Cumbrian hills, Sophie is avoiding her feelings after her fiancé jilted her one December. But will she be able to reclaim Christmas and give love a second chance?

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

It's no mean feat to self-publish, so in today's episode I ask the question 'do you have the right mindset to do it?' Listen to the end to hear a tip for going into bookshops and asking the question about whether they will stock your book.

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

Mark Stay got a part-time Christmas job at Waterstones in the 90s and, despite being working class and quite lippy, somehow ended up working in publishing for over 25 years. He wrote in his spare time and sometimes those writings got turned into books and films, including the Witches of Woodville series from Simon & Schuster, and the 2023 Warner Bros. horror movie Unwelcome. Nautilus, the #1 Amazon Prime TV series, was based on his treatment.

Mark was also co-presenter of the award-winning Bestseller Experiment podcast, which has inspired writers all over the world to finish and publish their books. Born in London, he lives in Kent with Youtube gardener and writer Claire Burgess and a declining assortment of retired chickens.

You can find Mark here: https://markstaywrites.com/all-the-links/

The Green Room can be found here: https://markstaywrites.com/the-green-room/

And Creative Differences podcast can be found here: https://markstaywrites.com/the-creative-differences-podcast/

His books: SF&F and horror: https://markstaywrites.com/books/
Robot Overlords, Gollancz, 2015
The End of Magic, Unbound, 2019
The End of Dragons, Unusually Tall Stories, 2024
The End of Gods, Unusually Tall Stories, coming 2025
The Crow Folk, The Witches of Woodville I, Simon & Schuster, 2021
Babes in the Wood, The Witches of Woodville II, Simon & Schuster, 2021
The Ghost of Ivy Barn, The Witches of Woodville III, Simon & Schuster, 2022
The Holly King, The Witches of Woodville IV, Simon & Schuster, 2023
The Corn Bride, The Witches of Woodville V, Simon & Schuster, coming 2025

Film & TV:
Robot Overlords, 2014, Tempo/BFI: https://markstaywrites.com/robot-overlords/
Unwelcome, 2023, Warner Bros: https://markstaywrites.com/unwelcome/
Nautilus, 2024, Moonriver, Disney, Amazon Prime and AMC (based on my treatment): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15286302/

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

In this episode I take you through a project manager's way of approaching self-publishing, sharing different elements that you need to consider up to the point of publishing. Full disclosure, I am not an expert in self-publishing, but I am an expert in project management, having managed projects since the late 1980s.

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

This week we have a panel of authors talking about self-publishing.

JM Simpson, Jo, is in a 1-2-1 interview in episode 47. Her Debut novel Sea State is set in Castleby, a fictional town in Wales (based on Tenby). It's a suspense thriller set against the backdrop of a lifeboat crew. There are now 6 books in the series which has progressed into crime and thriller territory and despite a number of offers Jo chose to self-publish. Christmas in Castleby is released on November 1st. A new series set in Scotland is planned in March 2025.

Next is Jane McParkes, the author of a new Cornish cosy crime series with an eco twist. It includes 'green' characters, ideas and solutions set against the back drop of a traditional murder mystery. The Olivia Wells Mysteries combine Jane's love of Cornwall and her interest in the environment and sustainability.

A Deadly Inheritance – book 1 - published 2023
Eco -architect Olivia Wells returns from a successful life in New York to the Cornish village of Penbartha to oversee a co-working community of eco and creative entrepreneurs in a converted railway building. There's opposition, arguments and a murder as well as a dark web of secrets and lies.

Deadly Treasures - book 2 – published 17th July 2024
It's midsummer in Penbartha and the opening night for eco-architect Olivia Wells' latest project. There's fascinating links to famous plant-hunters of Cornwall. Book 3 (Title TBC) out in 2025, and Book 4, A Penbartha Christmas Mystery - to be published Oct/Nov 2025.

And finally, Kerry Birds. By day, a mother and an environmental chemist, by night wine drinker and writer of lots of stuff, mostly domestic thrillers and contemporary romance, mood dependent. The book thing was a bit of an accident, but she thinks she likes it! Particularly as she’s surrounded by good people in the world of writing.

You can find each of them on social media - @jmsimpsonauthor on TwiX and Insta; @JaneMcParkes on Insta, Twix, Facebook and Substack; @Kerry.BWriter on TwiX

Jo mentioned an article she's written for Abbie Rutherford's blog, and you can get that here: https://www.abbie-editorial.com/to-be-or-not-to-be-self-published

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

Lucy Jane Wood is a 33 year old content creator from the Wirral, living in London with her partner Adam and cat Flo. She's been making lifestyle and book content on YouTube and Instagram for ten years or so, and previously worked as a freelance writer before social media took over as her job in around 2018. You can usually find her with a giant coffee, her ridiculous cat and a good book in hand. Rewitched is her debut novel. It came out in September and is a cosy, witchy, autumnal story with a dash of romance, about rediscovering your spark when it feels as though you’ve lost it, and how real-life gets in the way of letting your magic lead the way.

You can find Lucy on YouTube as Lucy Wood or on Instagram and TwiX as @lucyjanewood

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...

Ever doubt yourself as a writer or author because things are not happening for you the way that they are for others? In October's Mindset Memo, the first of this new series of the Monthly Mindset Memo, I share some reality checks that will help you experience the world of writing and publishing in a more realistic way. I cover writing what we know, first drafts, six figure book deals, making money as a writer, and fairy dust (yes, fairy dust!), and get into the truth about the world of writing and being published.

Support the show

Join me on Substack - here - for more insights into writing and being published, as well as mindset tips and tools. You can subscribe to get access to much more from me, including workshops and coaching.

If you would like to show your love for the podcast, please consider buying me a coffee through BuyMeACoffee.com. This gives you an opportunity to make a small, one-off donation - you are not committed to regular payments. Making the podcast earns me no money, and in fact costs me a fair bit, but I do it for the love, and because I have such fun talking with wonderful authors.

Even if you can't afford to buy me a coffee, simply letting me know that you love the podcast means a lot to me. Please take a moment to leave a star rating, write a review, or share the episode with others you know who will benefit from listening in, or you can tag me in social media when you share an episode that you love with your followers.

My website is http://www.zoerichards.co.uk where you can discover how you can work with me, and you can find me on TwiX and Instagram as @zoerichardsuk

And finally my debut novel, Garden of Her Heart, is out now and you can buy your copy here.

Happy writing, and may the wo...