In today’s podcast we talk all things small town romance with the wonderful Kait Nolan. Kait is a USA Today best selling, RITA® Award-winning Mississippi author of smart, sassy, small town Southern romance. She calls everyone sugar, honey, or darlin’, and can wield a ‘Bless your heart’ like a Snuggie or a saber, depending on requirements. She believes in love, laughter, and that tacos are the world’s most perfect food. When she’s not writing, reading, or wrangling family (both the two-legged and...
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 7 min
The number one thing you need to produce as an author is WRITTEN words, but sometimes that’s the hardest thing to do. So when words are hard to come by, when you’re avoiding the blank screen or finding yourself doing housework for hours instead of sitting your butt on the office chair (or couch) with your laptop, you need a cheerleader, an advocate, and champion… a human cattle prod, if you will. And that’s where we come in. This week we’re sharing our best tips and advice on how to get yourself...
Mar 22, 2023•50 min
Do it the easy way! Award-winning USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Brighton Walsh spent a decade as a professional photographer before taking her storytelling in a different direction and reconnecting with her first love—writing. After getting a publishing deal, Brighton went on to become a hybrid author and is now mainly indie. She started on TikTok in January 2022 and used mainly page flips back then which went viral immediately. She has since developed her own brand of TIK...
Mar 13, 2023•1 hr 8 min
Ten proven productivity hacks for self-publishers, brought to you by the letter “P” 1. Planning – Make a plan and stick to it 2. Preparation – know what you’re going to do, and when you’re going to do it, and then stick to it. 3. Procrastination – look at whether it’s actually positive or negative procrastination, if it’s negative, look at what stories you’re telling yourself. 4. Prioritize – figure out what is most important, learn to say no to things/people, stay focused on what you want to ac...
Mar 08, 2023•42 min
Alpha, Beta, Tortured or Bad Boy? How do you like your heroes? This week Cheryl, Wendy and Shar discuss how to write a great hero (in their opinion) complete with controversial examples! In particular, we cover: Character Connection Creating Conflict from Character Main Characters Should Be Equals Characters Should Have Complementary Strengths Hero should Show Vulnerability Different hero types including Alpha, Beta, Bad Boy, Tortured and Playboy Don’t miss out on our take on writing a great her...
Mar 01, 2023•36 min
Wanting to speed up your plotting and writing time? Today we’re talking about a writers tool that promises to do just that. Plottr is visual book planning software for writers that helps us outline faster, organize smarter, and turbocharge our productivity. Today we’re joined by Cameron Sutter and Troy Lambert of Plottr. Cameron is an independently published author and software engineer and the inventor and lead developer of Plottr. Troy is a mystery author, editor and Education Lead at Plottr. ...
Feb 22, 2023•1 hr 14 min
Love your Writing Self this Valentine’s Day Who says Valentine’s Day has to be about couples? We think it should be about all kinds of love and this year we’re promoting a little self-love. Go on, you deserve it! Treat yourself to a craft course or something else you would enjoy – find a course and do it! Do something awesome for your body – manicure, pedicure, massage, facial. Regular exercise – walk, run, bike, swim, yoga, pilates, sport. Combat stress – read, listen to music, have a bath, med...
Feb 14, 2023•46 min
This week Trudi and Shar go rogue … and discuss courses along with our writing friend and writing tutor Tania Hutley / Talia Hunter . We discuss the courses we’ve done over the years on craft, marketing, self-publishing and mindset and what we’ve learned from them. Disclaimer – we only discuss our personal experiences, and we are not affiliates for any of them with the exception of SPF. How do you know your best learning style? What do you need to be prepared for before you start? How to do due ...
Feb 08, 2023•1 hr
So many times we’ve heard authors say that they don’t like this or that when it comes to promoting themselves. Like email marketing. Social media. Advertising Book signings Sure there are many who feel as you do, but not everyone does! So how can we work with our biases and not fight against them? 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be invited to our private S...
Jan 31, 2023•41 min
If there’s one person in the self publishing world who’s considered a bit of an expert at advertising… it’s Mark Dawson . This week Mark joins us in the SPA to talk about Facebook ads – how to set them up, what to do if they’re not working, and some of his best tips and advice to get them running well for you. He’s a genuine guy, and he still does all his own ads – which means he knows exactly what works and what doesn’t! Learn about Mark and the highly recommended Self Publishing Formula Ads Fo...
Jan 25, 2023•58 min•Season 1Ep. 380
Kathleen Sweeney is Bookbrush’s Customer Service Manager & Marketing Lead. She brings over 17 years of client service experience, business assurance, strategy and problem solving to Book Brush. Kathleen loves creating images and is happy to share her knowledge. We’re talking trailers for Tik Tok, instagram, and other social media, as well as QR codes and where to use them. And so much more! 6 Typography Tips for Graphics and Book Covers (with 35+ font pairings) – Book Brush Pricing – Book Br...
Jan 17, 2023•56 min
Tammi Labrecque is an indie author, a mailing list whiz-kid, and the author of the best-selling non-fiction books for authors – Newsletter Ninja, and Newsletter Ninja 2. Tammi lives in Central Maine with three spoiled cats, two neurotic dogs, and dozens of fictional characters that keep her awake nights. When she’s not penning awesome books on how you can become a Newsletter Ninja too, she writes under a variety of pen names across several genres, including urban fantasy, thriller, and LitRPG. O...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Happy New Year from the SPA Girls ! In this episode we talk about what goals and plans we have for 2023, Rom Com style using Billy Mernit’s book, Writing The Romantic Comedy. We work through his story beats. Set Up. Catalyst. Turning Point. Midpoint. Second Turning Point. Crisis Climax. Resolution. The SPA Girls open a vein and talk about what we want to implement and change in 2023. (there will be no fries with this, ignore Trudi) The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us o...
Jan 03, 2023•37 min
This is an awesome episode just for you! We went through all of our episodes from 2022, and picked out the best pieces of advice, the most actionable tips, and the things we definitely think you should be doing for your writing career in 2023 and gave them to you here in one easy episode. You’re welcome. 🙂
Dec 28, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 376
The Spa Girls wish you a wonderful Christmas and today we’re sharing our celebrations and things we’re grateful for. From Shar’s first taste of travel in three years and reaching 1000 subscribers on Youtube, all Wendy’s historical books hitting the top in that category and doing German translations, Cheryl achieving her goal of four books for 2022 and opening a store, Trudi finally finished a series and found a course that resonated more than she could have hoped for, there is plenty celebrate. ...
Dec 20, 2022•35 min
If your book is not selling, what can you do? USA Today Bestseller, romance writer Leanna Morgan is here to day to help us sell more books PLUS offer wise ideas on advertising. Leanna discusses how to tweak your: 1. Cover 2. Blurb 3. Editing 4. Formatting 5. Universal links. 6. Categories. to improve your sales and find your readers. Bio: Leeanna Morgan is a USA Today bestselling author of more than 35 books. She lives in New Zealand and is surrounded by green hills on one side and the ocean on ...
Dec 14, 2022•58 min
Lightbulb moments about writing and publishing that have turned you from gloomy to galloping along – have you had them? We have and today we’re sharing the nitty gritty self publishing and writing tips that positively impacted our craft and careers – plus, of course, the mentors who’ve given us great advice. Resources mentioned: Cora Seton – #EP230 The Organized Author http://selfpublishingauthorspodcast.com/spa-girls-podcast-ep230-interview-with-cora-seton-the-organised-author/ Laurelin Paige –...
Dec 07, 2022•33 min
This episode is another deep dive into an intriguing genre that’s been doing really well for indie authors in recent years. USA Today bestselling author Honey Phillips joins us in the SPA to talk about Science Fiction Romance – what it is, what are readers looking for, how she got started writing in it, and everything in between. Sci-Fi Romance is a distant cousin to Monster Romance (see episode 368 with Lillian Lark), and there are some similarities between the two genres, but Honey gives us a ...
Nov 30, 2022•52 min
Part Time to Full Time in 1 year ! Today we’re talking to Dionne Lister about how she made the leap from part-time to full-time in one year, writing in two genres. USA Today bestselling author, Dionne Lister is an Australian with a degree in creative writing and two Siamese cats. Daydreaming has always been her passion, so writing was a natural progression from staring out the window in primary school, and being an author was a dream she held since childhood. Her books have reached #1 on Amazon,...
Nov 22, 2022•43 min
USA Today Bestselling romance author, Steffanie Holmes, returns to the SPA to educate us on how to run a successful kickstarter. Inspired by the knockout success of Brandon Sanderson and many other authors, Steff ran an incredibly successful kickstarter in 2022 to fund limited-edition hardcovers of her books – in fact, it was fully funded in just FIVE HOURS! In this episode Steff walks us through all the steps needed – from deciding what to fund, to how to set reward levels, how to promote your ...
Nov 15, 2022•1 hr 9 min
Today we talk about not relying on luck to build your career. We believe you can make your own luck, but don’t wait for it to happen! Ron Weasley (or not, we’re not really sure) says believing in yourself is 100% more powerful than luck! Overnight success may happen for some, but if you dig deeper often, what appears to be a lucky break is actually from years of hard work to get to that point. Wendy, Cheryl, and Trudi dig deeper into this subject in the podcast. ❤️ The SPA Girls podcast is spons...
Nov 08, 2022•36 min
In this fun episode with Lillian Lark, we learn about monster romance – what it is, how it’s defined, who’s writing it well, and how to write one for yourself! Not only is Lillian doing well in the genre of monster romance, she’s also doing amazing things on TikTok, so we were able to quiz her on her tricks and techniques for the social media platform as well. About Lillian Lark: Born and raised in the saltiest of cities in Utah. Lillian is an avid reader, cat mom to three demons, and loves writ...
Nov 02, 2022•48 min
There are many types of editing and today we’re discussing how the SPA Girls approach a second draft. Plus, we’ve produced a checklist, which is an amalgamation of all our processes. First, we suggest you start with a break from the project altogether, and how long that is will depend on your timeline, so going forward factor this in.There are many types of editing and today we’re discussing how the SPA Girls approach a second draft. Plus, we’ve produced a checklist, which is an amalgamation of ...
Oct 25, 2022•39 min
Even the most experienced writers and self-publishers make mistakes. It’s not what you do wrong – it’s how you overcome the hiccups and potholes in the road. This episode sees the SPA Girls sharing their own Big Oops and how they recovered / learned from them. Inspiration plus for indies at all stages of their careers 🙂 💗 The SPA Girls podcast is sponsored by everyone who supports us on Patreon. Thank you so much, we love our listeners and our patrons! ⭐ Join us at the $10 tier, and you’ll be ...
Oct 17, 2022•41 min
In this episode we talk to the amazing Renee Rose about her new release Write To Riches! We love having Renee on the show; she’s an amazing guest, and we always finish feeling so much more motivated and inspired. We hope you feel the same way. 🙂 Renee is a 15-time USA Today bestselling romance author who loves a dominant, dirty-talking alpha hero. In her career she’s sold over two million copies of steamy romance with varying levels of kink. She’s also passionate about helping other authors fin...
Oct 12, 2022•51 min
Ever wondered how authors create a reader base full of raving superfans… and how you could do it too?? Well, wonder no more! This week we have bestselling paranormal and contemporary romance author Steffanie Holmes on the show to talk about how to create superfans for your books. Steff talks about the methods she’s used to create stronger connections with her readers, including having a strong author brand, newsletters, interconnected stories, and so much more! We love having Steff in the SPA, a...
Oct 04, 2022•1 hr 4 min
A long-time friend of the SPA Girls Nalini Singh is here to talk about world-building, and if anyone knows how to do this–it’s Nalini! New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series of paranormal romances, Nalini also writes New Zealand-set thrillers, the most recently released of which is Quiet in Her Bones. Her contemporary romances include the Rock Kiss and Hard Play series, the latter of which revolves around a rugby-loving family in Auckl...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 11 min
Looking for tips to make your marketing tasks more organized and less stressful? This is the episode for you! From marketing bibles to free online tools, your book marketing should become a whole lot less overwhelming. Plan your marketing early • Know your goals • Write out a simple plan • Be consistent • Take action on your plans • Complicated vs simple • Perfect is the enemy of done • Limit what you’re doing – don’t try to do it all • Brainstorm everything, then pick the most important to do f...
Sep 20, 2022•34 min
This week we talk to the amazing Mia Brody all about how she makes a fulltime living writing instalove short romances. It’s an informative episode with plenty of wow moments, that you won’t want to miss! Mia writes steamy stories about alpha men who fall in love with big, beautiful women. She loves happy endings and every couple she writes will get one. When she’s not writing, Mia is searching for the perfect slice of cheesecake and watching way too many K-dramas. You can find her at miabrody.co...
Sep 13, 2022•52 min
One size doesn’t fit all – we’ve all heard that saying, but how do you know what DOES work for you? In this episode, we discuss how to identify what best works for you in three areas: Your Writing Process Your Publishing Strategy Your Marketing Strategy …and share tips and resources that we’ve learned along the way. Resources mentioned: Book Decoding Greatness by Rod Friedman https://www.amazon.com/Decoding-Greatness-Reverse-Engineer-Success/dp/1982135794 Becca Syme episode with the SPA Girls #1...
Sep 07, 2022•44 min
