Jo Parfitt talks to Amanda Graham, a British therapist and expat who also runs a yoga and wellness retreat in Charente, France, about the healing power of journaling. Discover how and why putting pen to paper can be so helpful when dealing with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues while picking up some tools you can start using right away.
Jo Parfitt talks to Berni Nason, a British writer, actress and expat now based in Austin, Texas, about her latest memoir, Stealing Baby Jesus. This is her second memoir, the first being Tea in Tripoli. During our chat Berni explains how she turns real life into books that are both compelling and amusing and how she then goes on to use her acting and playwriting skills to create take those stories to the stage.
In this masterclass I spoke to journalling expert and author of Black and Abroad, Carolyn Van Es-Vines, about how journalling can be adapted and used for self-reflection, insight and increased self-awareness. In this session we will also put her ideas into practise and did some journalling together. Find out more about Carolyn's amazing approach to journalling – not to mention the benefits for mental health, self awareness and wellbeing – on her website: writingforselfreflection.com...
Kristin Duncombe has already written two terrific memoirs, Trailing and Five Flights Up. Now she is writing her third. A practising psychotherapist and expatriate, she understands many of the issues her clients battle with. But the difference is that she writes about them too. Frank and funny, you will love her books. In this In Conversation Masterclass we talked about the tricks and tools she uses to write about issues that many would find painful to revisit, express and share with the world in...
Want to know how to get your book in the press? Or want to know how book marketing even works? Georgina Shaw of Shaw Marketing Services has helped many author clients, especially expat, get media coverage on a range of platforms, press and magazines. We talked about what kind of media platforms are available, and how to choose the most valuable ones. We discussed pitching to publications and how to pitch a winning idea even without an existing writing portfolio....
In this episode, Jo talks to the author of one of Summertime Publishing's most consistent seller in their Expat Bookshop: The Global Nomad's Guide to University Transition. Jo says that 'no other' book in her publishing house has sold so well for so many years, now going on 12 years, as it helps Third-Culture Kids & international students transition to university in their 'home' countries. Tina tells all about how she found a niche market for her book and continued to engage with her audienc...
In this episode of the In Conversation With.. Jo Parfitt podcast Jo talks to Signe Myers Hovem, a long-time friend and recent author of The Space Between: An Empath's Field Guide. Jo and Signe met 30 years ago in Stavanger, where Jo taught writing classes, and their children became friends. Signe has moved 22 times in life from her home of Boulder, Colorado, and talks about the power of community she found in writers groups & the power of language to create connections. She says a writer's g...
You may not have heard of the term 'distant families', but the COVID-19 pandemic has made Helen Ellis' book incredibly timely. In this episode, Jo Parfitt talks to new author Helen Ellis and her book Being a Distant Grandparent: A Book for ALL Generations . Helen is an anthropologist and turned her Master's thesis into a book to help families thrive albeit being overseas, after saying there was 'nothing out there' on the subject. She says her research armed her with statistics – such as 23% of g...
For this In Conversation Masterclass I decided to do something different and invited three memoirists for a group discussion of the craft. I was joined by Margaret Ghielmetti, author of Brave(ish): A memoir of a Recovering Perfectionist (which I reviewed here ), Doreen M. Cumberford, author of Life in the Camel Lane , and Jo Weaver, author of 100 Days in Spain: Diary of a Lockdown . Though their books varied wildly in subject and scope, their journeys to publication shared many of the same chall...
In this episode I talk to Anne Rainbow about story arcs and themes in a memoir or novel. Anne is a writer of poetry, short stories, plays, novels and blogs, and through her website SchrivenerVirgin she helps writers to use the Schrivener word processing programme as well as coaching them through editing and self publishing. Most of Anne's efforts though are directed towards blogging as ScrivenerVirgin and mentoring other writers. To this end, Anne set up RedPen Training/Editing. Her first non-fi...
Anthony Anaxagorou is a British-born Cypriot poet, fiction writer, essayist, publisher and poetry educator. His poetry has been published in POETRY , The Poetry Review , Poetry London , New Statesman , Granta , and elsewhere. His work has also appeared on BBC Newsnight, BBC Radio 4, ITV, Vice UK, Channel 4 and Sky Arts. Anthony is my favourite modern poet and also my poetry teacher. He shares his wise words across the world and is a poetry educator, teaching everyone from inner city pupils to Ox...
When a highly productive and talented writer says that there’s value in not doing anything, it’s time to pay attention. Olga Mecking is the creator of the blog The European Mama , translator of her father’s memoir, One Chance in a Thousand , editor of and contributor to the 2014 anthology Dutched Up! , has been published in the Guardian, BBC , The Atlantic and The New York Times, and has recently published Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing . After her NYT article, ‘ The Case for D...
Jacinta Noonan is an Australian certified life coach based in the Netherlands. She has decades of experience under her belt, is an ADHD specialist and runs a coaching practise called Platform B . I’ve often hired Jacinta to help me work through thorny issues – both business and personal – and am constantly amazed how much I can learn about myself and my motivations in just an hour’s session. Am I ADHD? Maybe, a bit. But then, aren’t we all? Full disclosure here, Jacinta and I have been close fri...
IN this 6th In Conversation with Jo Parfitt podcast I was lucky to host an hour-long talk with Dr Anisha Abraham about how she went from expert paediatrician – but un-confident writer – to landing CNN interviews and having her book in USA Walmart superstores. All of this during a pandemic, and while raising her own kids. Her book – Raising Global Teens – is an inspiring topic in itself as it teaches parents to raise thriving teenagers in a globalised, cross-cultural world. However, Anisha’s tips...
Want to find out how to really (I mean really) make money from your book(s)? Then please join me for this In Conversation With... Joanna Penn (of The Creative Penn) about how she puts her author business plan into practice, and has managed to sell 100s of 1000s of copies of her books. Joanna's website (www.thecreativepenn.com) is a resource for writers starting out and in need of craft advice, as well as for authors looking for business help. Joanna writes non-fiction for authors and is an award...
Sue Richardson has been helping entrepreneurial experts to publish and sell books for many years. Her author-focused brand The Right Book Company provides professional design and editorial services to create books that are beautifully printed and produced. Sue and her team go way beyond the standard self-publishing approach and offer a solution that sits between traditional publishing and self-publishing/ partner-publishing. With strategic publishing and book marketing advice, distribution and f...
Do you know your story? Understanding your own story is key to writing great memoir. Without knowing your strengths, your weaknesses, and what makes your story relatable, it will be hard to make your memoir a page turner for a new reader. In this In Conversation writing Masterclass I was so lucky to gain a therapist's perspective on life story writing. Dr Rachel Cason is a therapist over at Life Story Therapies . She works primarily with adult Third Culture Kids, helping them shape their stories...
"Do your family dinners happen in more than one language? Do you celebrate Christmas and Eid? Do you and your family feel at home in more than one country? If so, then you may be a MOLA Family and yes, this multicultural, multilingual, mobile life can get a little ‘messy.’" These are the words that describe Pakistan-born Mariam Ottomofiore's brilliant book This Messy Mobile Life. Mariam is a writer, researcher and expatriate family specialist who grew up and lived in nine countries. Her husband ...
Nick Boothman has written six books that have been read by well over 4 million people. He has been invited to speak at over 2000 events and, you know what – he never set out to be a writer. For 25 years he was a fashion photographer. However, when someone suggested he turn one of his speeches about networking into a book he did just that. He taught himself how to do it. Nick realised early on, unlike me, that everything was written to a formula and that writing a book could be easier than he eve...
Hello there! I'm Jo Parfitt, and I'd like to tell you about my new podcast called In Conversation with Jo Parfitt. My motto is 'sharing what I know to help others to grow' and I know about writing & publishing. How do I know? Well, I've written more than 30 books, and through our imprints, Summertime Publishing & Springtime Books, we've printed hundreds of books for our clients since 1998. In these podcasts, you'll find me doing what I do best: in conversation with other authors, talking...
