Podcast
AM I WRITE?
Hosted by Sheridan Sharp · EN
A podcast by writers, for writers. Host Sheridan Sharp is on a quest to connect word wizards by featuring authors and editors on the show each week. Take part in the mission to create a community around the show and gain free advice from every episode on how to elevate YOUR manuscript.
18episodes
Episodes
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49. Insider Tips for Aspiring Writers: Navigating Publishing Pressures and Perfecting Your Manuscript | Rosalyn Eves
Apr 3, 202400:27:34Tap to summarizeWhether you're an aspiring writer seeking guidance or simply curious about the realities of the writing journey, join host Sheridan Sharp on Am I Write? for a conversation with award-winning author Rosalyn Eves. In this episode, they delve into the nuanced challenges faced by writers, from the relentless pressure to publish quickly to the intricacies of polishing manuscripts.Eves shares candid reflections on what she wishes she had known earlier in her publishing career, offering invaluable insights for writers at any stage. Discover practical tips for navigating the demands of a writing career while juggling life's responsibilities and explore the concept of the objective correlative in storytelling.Whether you're looking for inspiration or practical advice, this episode promises to provide a deeper understanding of the writing process. Tune in to gain valuable insights and perspective on the journey of writing! Resources Books by RosalynRosalyn’s WebsiteRosalyn’s InstagramBig Magic by Elizabeth GilbertThe Magic Words: Writing Great Books for Children and Young Adults by Cheryl KleinThe Goose Girl by Shannon HaleWatch the Storymakers Guild Conference where Rosalyn will be teaching! (Virtual copies release after recording date)Query Shark by Janet Reid About RosalynRosalyn Eves is an author, English professor, and mother of 3. She has a PhD from Penn State, and has written the YA historical fantasy trilogy Blood Rose Rebellion, an award-winning YA historical, Beyond the Mapped Stars, and the Regency companion books An Improbable Season and an Unlikely Proposition.
Transcribe →48. Publishing, Poetry, Connecting in a Post-Truth World | Rita Feinstein
Mar 27, 202400:32:23Tap to summarizeNot everyone’s querying journey is a handful of years! Many authors have experiences like Rita’s: a 14-year span of trial, error, and a whole lot of persistence. Join host Sheridan Sharp as guest Rita Feinstein talks publishing, poetry, connecting in a post-truth world. ResourcesRita’s Debut: Meet Me in the Fourth DimensionSylvia Path Anne SextonThe Quiet Damage by Jesselyn CookWebsite: https://ritafeinstein.com/Twitter/X: @RitaFeinsteinInstagram: @longlostdragonprincessSupport your local indie bookstoreThe Poet X by Elizabeth AcevedoClap When You Land by Elizabeth AcevedoWe Are All So Good At Smiling by Amber McBrideJeannine Hall Gailey About RitaRita Feinstein is the author of the poetry collections Life on Dodge and Everything is Real, both from Brain Mill Press, and the young adult novel-in-verse Meet Me in the Fourth Dimension (Page Street 2024). Her stories and poems have appeared in Permafrost, The Normal School, and Willow Springs, among other publications, and have been nominated for Best of the Net and Best New Poets. She is also the Regional Manager of Writopia Lab DC, a nonprofit that runs creative writing workshops for children and teens. She lives with her husband, who is a lawyer, and her dog, who is not.
Transcribe →47. Giving Your Manuscript EVERY Possible Chance | María Alejandra Barrios
Mar 6, 202400:31:59Tap to summarizeFrom integrating culture to the pros of magical realism and around to how she landed her agent, the content in this episode with guest María Alejandra Barrios Vélez pulls from a well of experience and offers firsthand advice to new and aspiring writers everywhere. Also talk about María's debut book, scheduled just weeks out from this episode air date on Am I Write!ResourcesRead THE WAVES TAKE YOU HOMEWebsite: https://mariaalejandrabarriosvelez.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mariaalebvelezwrites/One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez The House of the Spirits by Isabel AllendeAbout María María Alejandra Barrios Vélez is a writer born in Barranquilla, Colombia. She has an MA in creative writing from the University of Manchester and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and scruffy dog, Gus.She was the 2020 SmokeLong Flash Fiction Fellow, and her stories have been published in Shenandoah Literary, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, El Malpensante, Fractured Lit, SmokeLong Quarterly, The Offing, and more. Her work has been supported by organizations such as Vermont Studio Center, Kweli, Caldera Arts, and the New Orleans Writers’ Residency.The Waves Take You Home is María’s debut, inspired by the resilience and strength of the women in her family and the Caribbean city she spent most of her life in.
Transcribe →46. STOP Being Afraid to Reach Out to Authors & Why Unagented or Small Press Might be for You | Patchree Jones
Feb 21, 202400:31:12Tap to summarizePatchree Jones stars on this episode of Am I Write? Podcast to talk about the impact of the middle grade book genre and why she left the corporate world for it. Also discuss the pros of being an unagented, small press author and consider how you can build a marketable author brand naturally. ResourcesWebsite: patchreejones.comTwitter/X: https://x.com/PointsTangent?s=20BlueSky: @patchreejones.bsky.socialTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@patchreejones?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pcFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/patchreejonesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/patchreejones/?hl=enDiscord: patchreejonesWriteHive for Indie AuthorsAbout PatchreePATCHREE JONES is Thai-American author and currently lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, and one lazy dog.As a girl, she grew up watching Thai dramas with her mom and dreamt of being a playwright as a teen. While life took her on a different path, her love of stories never faltered. It takes a fighter to share their vision with the world, and Patchree hopes to blaze the trail for all children to go after their dreams unapologetically.Her forthcoming middle-grade novel, SKYLIGHT, will be her debut work of fiction and is slated for publication on June 25, 2024 with Sorra Books.
Transcribe →45. #AM WRITING: How Literary Journal Publications Help Your Manuscript Get Published with Christine Ma-Kellams
Feb 7, 202400:27:57Tap to summarizeLiterary Journals: Do they really help you get your manuscript published? If you've wondered about this, guest Christine Ma-Kellams is here to share her experience as an author AND writer with multiple online publications. Also, take a look at how she builds dimensional characters by ensuring there's enough to root for--and against--on this episode of Am I Write?ResourcesTHE BANDWebsite: christinema-kellams.com@makellams (Twitter/Tiktok)@choppstixz (Instagram)About ChristineChristine Ma-Kellams a college professor, Harvard-trained cultural psychologist and writer whose fiction and essays have appeared in Prairie Schooner, the Kenyon Review, ZYZZYVA, the Rumpus, Catapult, Southern Humanities Review, Saturday Evening Post, the Rupture/the Collagist, the Wall Street Journal, Psychology Today and elsewhere. Two of her short stories were also nominated for the Pushcart Prize. Her empirical studies on culture and relationships have also been widely covered in GQ (Australia), Esquire (Middle East), Boston Globe, Vice News, Elle Magazine (UK), Yahoo News, MSN News, Fox News, New York Post, and Daily Mail. Her debut novel from Atria, The Band (April 2024), follows a cancelled Kpop boy bander who escapes by hiding in the McMansion of an unhappily married therapist with a Savior complex. In its indicting portrayal of mental health/public obsession/fandom/cancel culture, The Band considers how old tribal allegiances disrupt modern celebrity.
Transcribe →44. Writers: STOP Fretting and Focus on What You CAN Control | Barry Lyga
Jan 31, 202400:31:35Tap to summarizeThe age old question: how much of getting published is just luck and how much of it is skill? "Rebel Author" Barry Lyga joins host Sheridan Sharp to talk about his 27-novel track record (and counting). Instead of getting distraught over the timing of it all, focus on what you CAN control on this episode of Am I Write? Podcast.About BarryCalled a "YA Rebel Author" by Kirkus, Barry Lyga has published 27 novels in a 17-year-career, running the gamut from award-winning literary novels like Bang and Boy Toy to thrillers like the New York Times bestselling I Hunt Killers to astonishing super-hero adventures such as the Flash and Thanos. His work has been translated into more than a dozen languages around the globe and he has been named a Kentucky Colonel by the Governor of Kentucky for his contribution to writing. His latest work is the duology EDITED/UNEDITED, a two-book dyad that has never been attempted before in publishing, releasing both the original unedited manuscript and the cut-down version the publisher wanted. He lives outside New York City with his wife, the novelist Morgan Baden and their children.ResourcesWebsite: barrylyga.comBluesky: @barrylyga.comMastodon: @barrylyga@mstdn.partyTikTok: @barrylygaTwitter (if you must): @barrylygaEDITEDUNEDITEDGeneration Wonder: The New Age of Heroes Skyjacked by Paul GriffinReplay by Ken GrimwoodPodcast: Writing in Real Life
Transcribe →43. Luck, Destiny, or Skill? Swati Hegde's Journey with her Debut Novel
Jan 24, 202400:30:37Tap to summarizeSwati Hegde opens up about her writing experience spending years in the query trenches. She explains the role destiny played in both her upcoming publication and her current career as a writing coach. Gain hope and inspiration from her for your writing journey on this episode of Am I Write?. ResourcesWebsite: swatihegde.com (Pre-order MATCH ME IF YOU CAN now!)Instagram: @swatihegdeauthorTwitter: @swatihwritesAbout SwatiSwati Hegde is the author of MATCH ME IF YOU CAN, a desi friends-to-lovers romance releasing June 4, 2024 from Penguin Random House. She is a freelance editor, mindset coach, and self-proclaimed coffee shop enthusiast who lives in Bangalore, India, and can often be found at the nearest café with a hot mug of tea. She looks forward to a long career bringing Indian stories and voices to light.About MATCH ME IF YOU CANConfident fashionista Jia Deshpande spends her days writing cliché-ridden listicles for Mimosa, Mumbai’s top women’s magazine. When she can, Jia dishes about the messy truth of real love on her anonymous blog, attends her family’s weekly game nights, and ignores her true feelings for her childhood friend. If that wasn’t enough, Jia needs to successfully set up a coworker with her perfect match to get the green light for her new matchmaking column. Thankfully, organizing meet-cutes has never been difficult for her. Local pub owner and cocktail genius Jaiman Patil can’t help but be enamored with Jia and her meddling spirit. He’s always been an honorary part of her family, but even more so since his own moved to America. Life with the Deshpandes is chaotic and loud, but it’s also more loving than anything he experienced growing up, and he wouldn’t risk losing that for the world. It feels manageable—until his pub begins to struggle and his long-hidden feelings for Jia grow deeper. When Jia’s attempts at office matchmaking go haywire, risking new friendships and her relationship with Jaiman, she must reevaluate her own thoughts on love. For the first time, Jia Deshpande realizes that love may be a lot more complicated than she thought. Luckily, happily-ever-afters are never in short supply in Mumbai.
Transcribe →42. How to Identify Your Unique Voice and Be Relentlessly Helpful | Kathryn Lang
Jan 3, 202400:23:11Tap to summarizeJoin guest Kathryn Lang alongside host Sheridan Sharp to discuss how giving tribute to your uniqueness will give you power to write boldly and with purpose. Unlock the elements of your voice and be relentlessly helpful along the way on this episode of Am I Write? . ResourcesWebsite: https://www.kathrynlang.com/booksWrite Your Book in 8 Weeks: https://pecuproductions.com/courses/8-weeks-to-write-your-book/Facebook:TheKathrynCLang Twitter: KathrynCLang LinkedIn: Kathryn LangKathryn’s Books and eBooks About Kathryn“Have fun. Make friends. Be relentlessly helpful. It doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that.” I believe it is simple, but we invest a lot of our resources piling up on that simplicity to see how complicated we can make it. As a homeschool mom of three boys (18 years, graduated two with the third back after a three-year break), I know that life will be full of interesting moments, so there is no need to make it more complicated than it has to be. With a focus on hope and encouragement through words, I’ve kept going even when a tornado dropped on our house. Words make a difference, and I put words to work to change the world – or just to change my attitude for the day (which is changing the world one attitude at a time). The power of words drives me to find more ways to share words. I put my words to work in a full-time freelance career in 2004. I have expanded my platform using words by penning books and eBooks. I invest with words in others by speaking at events, on podcasts, and through live streaming into others because it is all about relationships.
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