From High School Rebel to Bestselling Author: Sandy Malone’s Unfiltered Creative Journey
Sandy Malone, H.E.R. Amplified, Escape to Jekyll Island, Thicker Than Blood, Wedding Island TLC, Wall Street Journal Journalist, Police Tribune Editor, Writing Fiction Tips, How to Finish a Novel, Indie Author Interview, Overcoming Writing Doubt, Vieques Island Weddings, Defying the Doubters Early On Sandy Malone’s desire to tell stories started at a young age in […]
Climbing the Spiral Staircase: Elizabeth Wilson on the Drastic, Life-Altering Path of Writing Memoir
Climbing the Spiral Staircase: Elizabeth Wilson on the Drastic, Life-Altering Path of Writing Memoir The Vulnerability of Memoir Writing a book is often compared to birthing a child. For Elizabeth Wilson, author of Lonely Girl: An Unexpected Love Story, this analogy is all too accurate. “Yes, pregnancy is hard and it’s a grueling process… but […]
Charting Your Own Path: Rejection, Resilience, and Small Press Success with Lindsey Goldstein
Charting Your Own Path: Rejection, Resilience, and Small Press Success with Lindsey Goldstein The Power of Validation For many, the dream of becoming a writer is a quiet hum that accompanies them from childhood. For Lindsey Goldstein, however, the journey was different. Though she had always enjoyed writing and storytelling, she admits she did not […]
The Artist’s Rollercoaster: Jennifer Lieberman on Creative Control and Designing Your Own Stage
The Artist’s Rollercoaster: Jennifer Lieberman on Creative Control and Designing Your Own Stage The Pivot to Creative Autonomy The artistic journey rarely follows a predictable, straight line. For actress, producer, and author Jennifer Lieberman, her path was defined by a realization that she didn’t have to wait for someone else to cast her or greenlight […]
Beyond the Page: How Karolina Wudniak Turns Manuscripts into Visual Masterpieces
Beyond the Page: How Karolina Wudniak Turns Manuscripts into Visual Masterpieces The Pieces of the Puzzle For Karolina Wudniak, book design was not a career she initially sought out in college. Instead, it was the final piece of a global puzzle that began in Poland. In her “previous life,” Karolina was a journalist and a […]
The Full Circle Journey: Edwina Perkins on Representation and the Calling of a Writer
The Full Circle Journey: Edwina Perkins on Representation and the Calling of a Writer An Industry Education For many aspiring authors, the goal is to get a book out as quickly as possible. For Edwina Perkins, the journey followed a more divinely guided, albeit slower, path. When she first began writing, she faced repeated rejection […]
Mining for Gold: Deborah Wilde on the Transition from Screenwriting to Urban Fantasy Success
Mining for Gold: Deborah Wilde on the Transition from Screenwriting to Urban Fantasy Success The Indirect Path to Authorship For many, the path to a writing career is a straight line. For Deborah Wilde, it was a “roundabout path” that began with a self-described “useless degree” in film theory. As a child, Deborah held the […]
Beyond the Launch: Reclaiming Identity with Shamayne Olivia Kotfas
Beyond the Launch: Reclaiming Identity with Shamayne Olivia Kotfas The Reality of the “Birthing Process” For many authors, the release of a book is viewed as a finish line. However, Shamayne Olivia Kotfas describes the final stages of publishing as a “hard birthing process”. After months of delays that felt like they “took forever,” her […]
The Editor as Teammate: Navigating Your Manuscript’s Journey with Melissa Rudder
The Editor as Teammate: Navigating Your Manuscript’s Journey with Melissa Rudder From the Classroom to the Red Pen For Melissa Rudder, stories have always been the primary way humans make sense of the world. After spending 18 years as a high school English teacher—a role she describes as her original “dream job”—she transitioned into professional […]
From Bookstagram to Bestseller: The Visual Art of Book Design with Ashton Smith
From Bookstagram to Bestseller: The Visual Art of Book Design with Ashton Smith The Spark of Design For Ashton Smith, the path to becoming a book cover designer was paved with a lifelong love of stories. Long before she was a professional, she was an avid reader participating in “OG Bookstagram,” posting book reviews for […]