Hello Writers!

I'm Valerie Ihsan, and this is Episode 208 of the podcast and it's April 8, 2026 as I record this.

Main Topic: Infusing Self into Your Work When You Come Back to the Page (with Jessie Kwak)

(Part of the series on "Starting Over Again, or Coming Back to Yourself and Your Writing")

Become a patron of the arts and of me at Patreon.com/valerieihsan. And you can support my friend and colleague and Resident Ghostwriter and Friend of the Podcast author Erick Mertz at Patreon.com/strangeairstories for short stories in the paranormal mystery genre. He's a really great writer.

Announcements/Author Updates:

doctors appointments, vet appts, try again for Starlink in another month
What are you reading?

Just finished: Smoke Screen (J.L. Kwak)
Soul Sourced Entrepreneur (Christine Kane)
March Sisters : On Life, Death, and Little Women by Kate Bolick, Jenny Zhang, Carmen Maria Machado, and Jane Smiley

The Haunting of Payne's Hollow (Erick)

Back-burner Books: (Still on the stack but haven't finished reading them yet...)

Wild Dark Shore (Charlotte McConaghy)
We Need Your Art: Stop Messing Around and Make Something (Amie McNee) (resource tip)***
Creative Act (Rick Rubin)
Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman;

(Main Topic): Notes:

And don't forget:

Go to valerieihsan.com to schedule a free consultation to see if Aligned Author is right for you.

Infusing Self into a Resurrected "Trunk" Book with guest Jessie Kwak (Ep208)