The Fall Season of This Creative Life

It's comin'!

And we’re back!

Almost!

Between July 15, 2020 and September 19, 2021, I spent a total of just over four weeks in my own home. For the rest of the time, I was holed up with my husband and our cat in his little (and I mean little) faculty apartment in the school where he’s teaching right now in CA.

Somehow, I still managed to produce a dozen new episodes in the classic “long conversation” format, and the Annotated Courageous Creativity season-within-a-season from a dusty corner of the bedroom. When I compare it to what some of my peers have been able to put out in similarly disrupted situations, I can’t help but think I fell a little short. Then again, this has always been a labor of love for me that I don’t technically “have time” for. I do it because I love talking to other writers and sharing those conversations with anyone who needs to hear them the way I did (and do) through so many seasons of my life as a writer.

That hasn’t changed! But I’m back home now (with the cat) and excited about bringing new episodes to you starting…very soon!

This season, there will be two (at least) types of episodes: one, the episodes I think of as “classic format”—me in a wide-ranging conversation with another writer, and two, a mini-series I’m calling (probably) The Launch Diaries.

My nonfiction editor, Andrew DeYoung, has an adult novel coming out right around the same time as my middle-grade novel. We’re both launching

books in new categories for us—mine with a large “big five” publisher, and his with a smaller, independent press. We’ll talk a number of times in the run-up to publication about everything that happens once a book is done on the creative and editorial front—it’s always a ride! Also in the mix will be my self-publishing project based on this podcast and all the talks I’ve given over the years, This Creative Life: A Handbook for Writers. We’ll get to compare notes on big publishers, small publishers, self-publishing, and the children’s vs adult fiction marketplace. I’m excited!

There’s a lot to look forward to, so make sure you’re still subscribed to the podcast so that the new episodes show up in your feed. As you may recall, after experimenting with a subscription model, I decided it’s not a good fit for me. That means every episode will be available to all, still ad-free. Learn more about ways to support the podcast here, and of course, five-star ratings at iTunes always helps, as does sharing and talking about it with your friends.

Find it wherever you like to listen to podcasts, or use these handy links and stay tuned!