True Fiction Project
Host: Reenita Hora
Episode: S6 Ep 13 - Children's Book Authors Mashup
Release Date: September 9, 2025

Episode Overview

This special “in-between seasons” episode of True Fiction Project spotlights three accomplished children’s book authors: Renee Green Murphy, Erica Silverman, and Vicki McGrath. Host Reenita Hora curates their stories and readings, highlighting the unique inspirations, emotional journeys, and creative processes that shape children’s literature. Each author’s segment features a blend of interview and story reading, offering listeners an intimate look at how real-life experiences give rise to heartfelt fiction for young readers.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Renee Green Murphy: Grief, Healing, and Intuition

[03:03 - 09:13]

Renee’s Journey

• Renee shares the origin of her book, Your Heart’s Voice, recounting how she began drafting the story years ago but shelved it until the tragic loss of her younger brother in 2022 prompted her to revisit and complete the manuscript.
• Writing became a therapeutic outlet during her grief, especially in calming locations like the beach, where she finished the story on her phone.
• As a tribute, she dedicated the book and a central character to her brother, emphasizing the themes of healing and spiritual connection.

Notable Quote:

“Grief is tremendously debilitating, and I found that writing was therapeutic for me, especially in those initial stages of grief, in those shocking moments and the moments of anger and depression.”
— Renee Green Murphy, [03:44]

Excerpt Reading: The Power of Intuition

• Reading a passage, Renee introduces Jade, an 11-year-old girl learning to trust her “heart’s voice,” or intuition, to guide everyday decisions—honesty with her father, empathy for her uncle, and responsibility at home.
• The story’s gentle narrative demonstrates how listening to one's inner voice leads to positive outcomes, teaching children to embrace self-awareness and honesty.

Memorable Moment:

When Jade confesses to her dad about using his pen, she fears punishment but is met with understanding:

“It’s okay, sweetheart. You were honest, and that means more to me than anything else.”
— (Jade’s Dad, as read by Renee Green Murphy) [06:49]

2. Erica Silverman: Creativity, Self-Esteem, and Leaving Your Mark

[09:53 - 13:01]

Erica’s Creative Drive

• Erica attributes her inspiration to her own children, especially after her daughter, at age four, expressed worries about physical appearance and showed little enthusiasm for reading.
• Seeing this, Erica set out to write stories that would spark her daughter’s interest and address self-esteem, inner beauty, and positive impact.

Notable Quote:

“My daughter one time said...‘Mommy, if I’m not pretty, people—’ Oh, my goodness. That’s a horrible...why is a four-year-old telling me this?”
— Erica Silverman, [09:54]

Story Summary: Leave Your Mark on the World

• Erica summarizes her book, where a selfish washable marker longs to become “permanent” by making a significant difference.
• The marker at first acts solely out of self-interest, but gradually discovers that by helping others—mending relationships, spreading kindness—he creates a lasting, meaningful impact in the world.
• The narrative cleverly turns an inanimate object’s wish for permanence into a metaphor for leaving one’s unique, caring legacy.

Memorable Quote:

“Your actions and how you leap to treat others make an important impact on the world. The more you help others and make the world a better place, the more of a lasting positive effect you’ll have on others. You will only have a permanent mark in the world that will never be forgotten or erased as long as you do things to help other people.”
— Erica Silverman, [11:09]

3. Vicki McGrath: Motherhood, Memories, and Bringing Childhood Settings to Fiction

[13:49 - 18:41]

Pandemic Inspiration

• Vicki explains how the COVID-19 lockdown in Ontario became the unexpected incubator for her graphic novel series, The Dragon and the Mysterious Tales from the Clinic.
• Feeling isolated, she channeled her stress and imagination into writing, inspired deeply by her daughter’s lifelong dream to become a veterinarian.
• The book’s setting and characters are rooted directly in her personal childhood experiences, lending authenticity and nostalgia to the story’s world.

Notable Quote:

“I think what happened was I just really needed a creative project to give me some kind of stress relief really about feeling so isolated and anxious.”
— Vicki McGrath, [14:33]

Excerpt Reading: Friendship and Family at the Clinic

• The excerpt follows Sam and Julia, two friends whose mothers are veterinarians, as they make their way from school to help at the family clinic—an environment based on Vicki’s own hometown memories.
• Their conversation reflects the joys of childhood friendship, pride in their mothers’ work, and the novel’s warm, community-focused tone.

Memorable Quote:

“It’s a good thing we decided to be besties at birth.”
— Julia (character), as read by Vicki McGrath, [17:52]

Notable Quotes & Moments By Timestamp

• On Writing Through Grief:
  “I remembered that I had my heart’s voice told me to peel my book back from my closet and go back to writing. And I did. I found myself at the beach every day, as that is one of the places that I find most calming for my mind.”
  — Renee Green Murphy, [04:12]

• On Making an Impact:
  “Helping people, helping people. Remember that this person helped me with this or that. Let the world know you were actually here.”
  — Erica Silverman, [12:52]

• On The Power of Setting:
  “The characters are based in my hometown, my childhood hometown. That’s how I envision...You know, they go to school, they walk to the veterinary clinic on Main Street...this is Tales from The Clinic Book 1 The Dragon and the Mysterious Mysterious Artifact.”
  — Vicki McGrath, [15:50]

Episode Structure & Timestamps

• [01:33] Introduction & personal connection (Reenita Hora)
• [03:03 – 09:13] Interview and story excerpt: Renee Green Murphy – “Your Heart’s Voice”
• [09:53 – 13:01] Interview and story summary: Erica Silverman – “Leave Your Mark on the World”
• [13:49 – 18:41] Interview and story excerpt: Vicki McGrath – “The Dragon and the Mysterious Tales from the Clinic”

Episode Tone

Warm, empathetic, and celebratory, the episode highlights the power of children’s stories to foster healing, imagination, and connection. Each author’s segment weaves real emotion with playful creativity, embodying the podcast’s theme that fiction’s roots lie in lived experience.

For Listeners

If you’re interested in children’s literature, creative inspiration, or the intersection between real life and storytelling, this episode offers heartfelt author journeys, relatable family stories, and memorable fictional adventures that will resonate with audiences of all ages.