Writing can be a lonely business and there's a lot to learn when you want to become a published author. Having connections to people who understand what it's like and building communities can be really useful. So today we are talking about networking and how to do it (according to us!) :)

In this episode, we cover:

• What is networking (according to us)

• Why networking can be important

• How to network

• and more

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to review our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

A few episodes ago, we touched upon book launch roadmaps. It was then we realized that we had never discussed a roadmap on the show before, so here we are. Just what is a book launch roadmap and what does it entail? This week, we discuss how to use a roadmap to streamline your self-publishing journey.

In this episode, we cover:

• What a book launch roadmap is
• Why it's important
• How to create and use one

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

This week, we’re getting to know author Jill Haymaker. Jill is a contemporary western romance author with several short stories published. She writes the Montana Pines series, which currently has eight books available now.

In this episode, we cover:

• Jill's writing inspiration
• Marketing tactics
• Her self-publishing journey
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT JILL HAYMAKER

ill has always had a passion for writing. She resides on the front range of Colorado and enjoys getting up into the mountains and riding horses. If you love western small town romance, you will love the strong heroines and handsome cowboys in her books.

She has three contemporary romance series set high in the Colorado Rockies—the Peakview Series, the Aspen Ridge Series, and the Peaktop Dude Ranch Series. Currently she is writing a Montana Pines Series. She also has several short stories published by Chicken Soup for the Soul.

She practiced family law for over 20 years before closing her law office to become a full-time author. She has three grown children, and six granddaughters and one grandson.

When not writing, Jill enjoys the Colorado mountains, horseback riding, gardening, long walks with her Toy Australian Shepherd, Merlin, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads | TikTok

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

A crucial part of prepping your book for publication to ensuring it prints correctly and looks great without any errors. To check that, you need to order an author proof. This week, we discuss how to give your author proof a thorough look over to make sure it's 110% ready for publication.

In this episode, we cover:

• What an author proof is
• Draft2Digital vs IngramSpark vs Amazon KDP
• Checking in interior and exterior
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

EDIT: Apologies for the technical issues. During the recording our connection became unstable and both myself and Rachel ended up out of Zoom for brief periods  

Yes, we are back with another editing episode. For those new to writing, the editing process can be quite overwhelming, so we discuss some things that can help you get started and what to consider when editing your first manuscript.

In this episode, we cover:

• Know the types of edits

• Make a list of things to consider

• Take a break

• Use a style sheet

• First pass read

• Get outside help

• and more

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to review our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Unfortunately, we need to promote our books when we write them. In a digital world, social media is the way to go. But how can you take enticing book photos for your social channels? That's what we discuss this week.

In this episode, we cover:

• Equipment and lighting to use
• Props you can use
• Editing your photos

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We are discussing characters and how to develop them a little deeper.

In this episode, we cover:

• Go beyond the basic archetype
• Beginning, middle and end
• Use conflict
• Don't forget side characters

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

This week, we’re getting to know Sam Weiss. Sam is a sci-fi horror author who’s been published for over ten years, drawing inspiration from 80s horror films and 90s sci-fi films. Her latest release, In the House of Root and Rot, is available now.

In this episode, we cover:

• Sam's writing inspiration
• Weird book research
• Her self-publishing journey
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT SAM WEISS

While Sam is terrible at writing “About Me”s about her, she’s been told she’s great at writing about what fictional people do. The more miserable she can make them, the better.

Her love of horror films from the 80s, sci-fi shows from the 90s, and alternative music from the 00s have inspired her to write what she’s calling “Weird Sci-fi Horror” although she’s kind of making that up as she goes along.

Website | Instagram | Goodreads | TikTok

Buy The Stages of Decay

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We are back with another editing episode. Today, we are discussing when to hire a professional editor.

In this episode, we cover:

• What you need to have done

• Who needs to see it first

• Getting over perfectionism

• and more

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Universal links are an excellent way to tell people where you are and what you do with one click of a button. But not as many people seem to use them often, so we decide to discuss it this week.

In this episode, we cover:

• What universal links are
• What to include in your universal link
• How you can make universal links

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• What is it?
• Where to get them
• How many are needed
• Do they expire
• Costs
• Barcodes

Resources

Nielsen ISBN Store

Bowker ISBN

ISBN International

Kindlepreneur (for free barcodes)

Draft2Digital

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Please help us welcome our first guest of 2026, Jenna Moreci! Jenna is a dark fantasy romance author who also runs a successful YouTube channel. The first installment of her dark fantasy romance series, The Savior’s Champion, was voted one of the best books of all time by Book Depository. The latest installment, book three titled The Savior’s Army, is available for pre-order.

In this episode, we cover:

• Jenna's writing process
• Her YouTube channel
• Her writing journey
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT JENNA MORECI

Jenna Moreci is an award-winning romantasy and writing craft author and YouTube sensation. Her first installment in the Savior’s Series, The Savior’s Champion, was voted one of the Best Books of All Time by Book Depository. Following the release of her first writing craft book, Shut Up and Write the Book, she’s been asked to speak for many literary communities and affiliations about the writing process and romantasy genre, including Robinson College at Cambridge University, the University of Groningen, and the London Screenwriters’ Festival.

Website | YouTube | Instagram | BookBub | Facebook

Preorder The Savior's Army

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Do you struggle with knowing when to "finish" your writing? Are you stuck in a loop of never-ending edits? Don't worry, you're not alone - we've been there too.

In this episode, we cover:

• Getting outside help
• Acknowledging procrastination
• Setting deadlines
• and more

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to review our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Reviews are precious to an author, but how can you get them? Most casual readers don't leave reviews so you'll have to seek them out. One way to do that is to reach out to book bloggers. This week, we discuss how to pitch your book to them.

In this episode, we cover:

• What to do before pitching your book
• Sending your pitching
• After you send the pitch

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Just how many edit passes do you give your manuscript before sending it off to a professional editor? This is what we are discussing in today's episode!

In this episode, we cover:

• Ari’s editing process

• Rachel’s editing process

• Our thoughts

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

This week, we discuss some of our favorite writing craft books that help us get through our writing. We touch upon mystery, fantasy, and writing in general, plus the career side of it.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why writing craft books are useful
• Rachel's recs
• Ari's recs

Books mentioned:

• Howdunit Book of Poisons: A Guide for Writers by Serita Stevens & Anne Bannon
• Howdunit Forensics by D.P. Lyle
• Police Procedure & Investigation: A Guide for Writers by Lee Lofland
• The Crime Writer's Reference Guide: 1001 Tips for Writing the Perfect Murder by Martin Roth
• How to Write a Successful Series by Helen B. Scheuerer
• How to Launch a Successful Series by Helen B. Scheuerer
• Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer
• Writer's Complete Fantasy Reference: An Indispensible Compendium of Myth and Magic by Writers Digest
• Writing and Editing Checklists by K.M. Allan (plus the Authoring Checklists companion)

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

You've finished your story, edited it to within an inch of its life, and now it's time to let a professional take a look! So just what do you need to consider when choosing an editor? 

In this episode, we cover:

• Qualifications
• Contracts
• AI clause
• Cost
• and lots more

Bonus

• We created a bonus for our Ko-fi Members on where you can find an editor. 

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to review our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

An author newsletter, or email list, is important to have for writers to connect with their readers and have a unique platform to promote their books. However, there's many pros and cons to having a list, and is it even still relevant in 2026?

In this episode, we cover:

• What an author newsletter is and its purpose
• Factors and stats to think about before starting an email list
• Conversion rates

References:

• What is a Good Open Rate?
• What is a Click Rate?

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Do you ever come away from a doom-scrolling session and feel energised? Probably not. Our tech devices demand a lot of our time and often leave us feeling drained, down in the dumps and struggling to focus.

If that's you, then maybe a digital detox is in order. Check out today's episode as we discuss just that!

In this episode, we cover:

• What is a digital detox?

• Why do a digital detox?

• Benefits of a digital detox

• How to do a digital detox?

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Happy New Year! With a new year comes new goals, of course. This week, we discuss accomplishments and goals for our writing in 2026.

In this episode, we cover:

• Our writing accomplishments in 2025
• Rachel's 2026 writing goals
• Ari's 2026 writing goals

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Since this is the last episode of 2025, we thought we'd do another Rapid Fire Question episode (yes, we know it's seldom "rapid" but just go with it) :)

These questions are not just any questions; we are re-answering ones from way back... in 2020!

In this episode, we cover:

• Are you a planner, pantser or plantser?
• What is your typical writing routine?
• Do you prefer hardbacks, paperbacks, ebooks or audiobooks?
• What is the best / worst thing about writing?
• How do you keep up with your writing goals?
• How do you choose which story to write?
• What do you do if you hit a roadblock in your novel?

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Happy 300 episodes! This means you've been listening to us talk every week for 300 weeks straight. Crazy, huh? This week, we thought it'd be fun (and horrifying) to listen back to some old episodes and see how far we've come as podcasters and writers. Thanks for listening for so long!

In this episode, we listen to:

• Clips from episode 2
• Clips from episode 6
• Clips from episode 12

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Since we are almost at the end of the year AND close to our 300th episode, we thought we do a silly-ish episode taking a look at some of the haters and crappy people you might meet when you become a writer. 

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We all know the author bio, but have you heard of an author brand story? This week, we discuss what it is and why it could be beneficial to write one for your author career.

In this episode, we cover:

• Brand story vs. bio
• How to write one
• How many should you write

Related Episode:

• How Do You Write A Good Author Bio?

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

This week, Ari is sadly absent due to timezones. So, I'm interviewing author KM Allan on my own. Join me as we talk about her routine, books, and more.

In this episode, we cover:

• KM's writing process
• Her new checklist book
• Writing routine (writing and authoring)
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT KM Allan

K.M. Allan is the author of The Blackbirch Series and a blogger powered by chocolate and green tea. She's also an identical twin, but not the evil one.

Website | Instagram | Amazon 

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

We’re open to Author Interviews and Industry Interviews. This means, if you’re an author or work in the writing field (cover designer, audiobook narrator, editor, etc.) we want to hear from you!

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

It's time for another writing challenge! This time, we decided to use Write or Die to get some work done and test if it can help (or hinder) your progress.

In this episode, we cover:

• What Write or Die is
• Our experiences with the program
• Whether we'd recommend it

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We are back with an episode on editing as we discuss and share some of the words you can cut to help tighten up your manuscript. Do you have any of these littered through your work? Or maybe ones we haven't mentioned!

In this episode, we cover:

• Weak words
• Adverbs
• Overused words
• Redundancies

Resources Mentioned:

Wordcounter.net

Wordhipp.com

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We've discussed budgeting for a book launch, now it's time to budget your whole author career! Well, at least get to know some of the expenses you may have.

In this episode, we cover:

• Figuring out your author goals
• List of potential expenses
• Legal stuff
• List of potential income

Related Episodes:

• How Should You Budget For Your Novel?
• How Can You Create A Professional Author Website? (with Pauline Wiles)
• Do You Need Author Insurance?

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

This week, we interview film-maker and author Melanie Ansley. She discusses her books, processes, and inspirations.

In this episode, we cover:

• Melanie's start with writing
• Her writing process and routine
• What inspired her Book of Theo series
• Publishing path 
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT Melanie Ansley

Hi! I'm an award-winning author and filmmaker of Chinese descent. I love stories involving magic, underdogs, and the power of art in our lives. I've written for Oscar-winning producers, been held at gunpoint during a film festival, and penned a series that won a student Emmy.

When I'm not doing those things, I'm juggling writing, filmmaking, and raising two children (all of which involve a certain level of magic and a lot of luck).

Website | Instagram | Facebook 

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

This was meant to go out on Monday 27th October. However, I (Ari) messed that up by not having it ready and then forgetting completely. So, despite what the audio says about it being Monday (it isn't) and the book launching today (it didn't... it launched on Monday), I hope you still enjoy this!

Rachel has graciously forgiven me for being scatterbrained. ;) 

This is a little Mini Merry Moment, to give a shout-out to Rachel's upcoming book: Happily Ever Afterlife (book 2 in the Grim Reaper Files)!

Please make sure to give Rachel lots of love on this new endeavour.

​Add the book to your Goodreads, keep an eye out for it on Amazon or wherever you buy your books and don't forget to leave a review once you've read it!

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Do you track your WIP's progress? If so, how? This week, we discuss various ways you can track your progress to meet your novel's goals.

In this episode, we cover:

• Word counts
• Page counts
• Tacking time

Recommendation: TrackBear

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Are you creating a rich world for your new fantasy story? Ready to populate it with different types of characters? In today's episode, we discuss writing fantasy characters and what you might want to think about when creating them.

In this episode, we cover:

• What is a fantasy character?
• Types of fantasy characters
• Things to consider
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to review our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Writing can be a lonely journey, which is why it's best to have a friend to do it with. And why not keep each other accountable with your work?

In this episode, we cover:

• What an accountability buddy is
• How to choose a partner
• Having regular check-ins
• Having goals

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Have you ever considered writing a serial? Today we are discussing the option of serial writing, where readers are forced to have delayed gratification as they way to learn "what happens next".

In this episode, we cover:

• What is a serial?
• What are some of the benefits?
• What are some of the possible issues?
• Platforms you can upload serials on
• Our thoughts

Platforms

• Wattpad
• Ream
• Inkitt
• Substack
• Raddish - (this has now closed)
• Royal Road
• Dreame
• Moonquill
• Webnovel

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to review our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Another guest joins us on the show this week! We're talking to fantasy author C.H. Carter about how she started as an author and her work.

In this episode, we cover:

• Her inspiration
• Her writing process
• Her publishing journey
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT C.H. CARTER

C.H. Carter is a fantasy author with a lifelong love of the genre in all its forms. In middle school, she wrote a fan letter to Tamora Pierce and received the most encouraging reply! That experience cemented her desire to become an author. (She also still holds out the hope they can meet in person one day!)

When not writing, you can find her working on a number of rotating projects (Crochet, anyone?) and obsessing over her two rescue dogs.

TO KISS THE SEA is C.H. Carter's debut novel.

Website | Instagram | Threads | TikTok | Goodreads

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We are at it again with another challenge. Today, we discuss our progress and results from writing Morning Pages.

In this episode, we cover:

• What are Morning Pages?

• Why are Morning Pages encouraged?

• Rachel’s experience

• Ari’s experience

• Final thoughts

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

You can't please everyone, but your readers should be able to relate to some of your fictional babies. But how do you do that? Well, that's what we're discussing this week.

In this episode, we cover:

• What "relatable characters" mean
• How to develop your characters in a relatable way
• Keeping track of your characters

Related Episode - How Do You Create Character Profiles?

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

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Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Do you handwrite any of your novel? Maybe the outline? How about the notes? Do you do any handwriting, outside perhaps the odd birthday card? Well, in today's episode, we discuss why it might be a good idea to write by hand more often.

In this episode, we cover:

• What the science says
• Our thoughts on the growth of technology (yes, we went on tangents)
• Suggestions for things to handwrite
• Accessibility acknowledgement
• and more

Source

• Frontiers
• National Library of Medicine
• Springer Nature
• BBC

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

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If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

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Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

This week, we're back with another author interview! Liz Shipton, a speculative fiction author, joins us to discuss her work.

In this episode, we cover:

• Liz's creative process
• Themes she covers in her books
• How she sells her books direct
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT LIZ SHIPTON

Liz Shipton is a writer a fully off-grid liveaboard sailor. She's currently sailing around the world with her partner and her dog, turning her real-life adventures into speculative fiction. She's also known for her viral comedy videos on Booktok and Bookstagram.

Website | Instagram | TikTok | Facebook | YouTube | Threads

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Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Today, we are looking at keeping consistent within our manuscripts, which is why we are all about Style Sheets

In this episode, we cover:

• What is a style sheet?
• Why is it used?
• What can you add to your style sheet?
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We all need to procrastinate on our writing once in a while, so why not create fun aesthetics for your WIP? This week, we discuss cool things for you to make that your readers will most likely enjoy, too!

In this episode, we cover:

• Types of aesthetics you can make
• How you can make them
• How (and where) you can use them

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

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If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Sometimes, even the most prolific writers feel themselves struggling with inspiration and ideas. So what can we do when our creative well runneth dry?

In this episode, we cover:

• What is the creative well
• What depletes the creative well
• Some methods for refilling the well
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take a moment to review our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are currently accepting submissions

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

This week, we interview author LB Carter on her and her work. She talks about her many works, themes in her books, and more.

In this episode, we cover:

• LB's start with writing
• Her writing process and routine
• Advice on promoting your work
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT LB Carter

L.B. Carter is a multi-award-winning, internationally bestselling author, dancer, scientist with a PhD in volcanoes, and cat-mom who loves hot chocolate, fairy lights, foxes, and morally gray characters. She writes a mix of haunting paranormal urban fantasy, gripping suspense, chilling mystery, and dark humor with a dash of light romance. Expect unique magical realism with lore twists told by quirky anti-heroes.

Website | Amazon | Goodreads | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok | Check out Body Snatcher

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Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We're back with another mini writing challenge. We've all heard the advice about the importance of writing daily. So, we decided we would take 30 days and writing every day.

In this episode, we cover:

• How we had thought it would go
• Discussing weeks 1-5
• What we learnt from this challenge

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Recently, we discussed creating an author media kit. To go along with that, we thought it'd be a good idea to discuss book press releases. This week, we're talking about how to create one for your latest release.

In this episode, we cover:

• What a book press release is
• Why you should have one
• What to include in your press release
• Where (and how) to share it

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We are back to talking about Productivity as we look at ways to find more time to write. We could all use more time, right? So, today we are discussing the benefits of a Time Budget.

In this episode, we cover:

• What a time budget is
• How long to track your time
• Tracking your energy
• The importance of rest time and wiggle room
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Every book needs a blurb or how else are readers going to know what it's about? The blurb helps a reader decide to open the book to its first page and possibly buy it. This week, we're talking about book blurbs and how to write one.

In this episode, we cover:

• Blurb vs. synopsis
• What to include in your blurb
• What to possibly avoid in the blurb
• Ari reads an example blurb

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Today, we welcome back author Andrew McDowell on the podcast. He shares his thoughts, insights and experiences in this author interview. 

Andrew appeared on our Podcast way back at the beginning for episode 023 back in 2020.

In this episode, we cover:

• His writing processes and writing style

• His inspiration

• Marketing tactics

• and more!

Click here to listen to his earlier episode

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT

Andrew McDowell is the author of the fantasy novel Mystical Greenwood and Beneath the Deep Wave, which was a finalist in the 2019 American Fiction Awards, won the 2021 Maryland Writers’ Association Novel Contest, and was an honorable mention in the 2021 Top Shelf Magazine contest.

He studied at St. Mary’s College of Maryland and the University of Maryland, College Park. Andrew has had poetry, short stories, and essays featured in anthologies and literary journals. He was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. He is a member of the Maryland Writers’ Association. 

Website | Facebook | Bluesky | YouTube

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

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If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy, Kris & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Habits are never easy to maintain. Building a writing habit is just as tough. This week, we go over some ideas on how to keep the writing consistency going.

In this episode, we cover:

• Knowing the difference between progress and procrastination
• Having a plan
• Find a writing buddy or group
• Being flexible
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We have decided to do a few silly mini challenges, and we are starting with this one.

One piece of (odd) advice that circulates the writing community every few years is the "miracle" of Comic Sans and how it can help you be motivated and get out of writer's block.

So we decided to give it a try, and these are the results

In this episode, we cover:

• Why are we doing this challenge?
• Why Comic Sans?
• Rachel's detailed insights
• Ari's roughshod insights
• Final thoughts

As always, thank you for listening. Please share your thoughts in the comments below, like the video, and subscribe to the channel if you're not already!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; we have plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

If you have a book published and want to get your name out there more, then having an author media kit is a great place to start. This week, we discuss what an author media kit, and how to put one together.

In this episode, we cover:

• Media kit vs. press kit vs. press release
• Why having an author media kit is important
• What to include in your media kit
• How to present your media kit

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Today, we are joined by author, writing coach and manuscript editor, John DeDakis on the podcast. He shares his thoughts, insights and experiences in this author interview.

In this episode, we cover:

• His writing processes and writing style

• Common mistakes authors make

• Social media

• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT JOHN

Award-winning novelist, writing coach, and manuscript editor John DeDakis (dee-DAY-kiss) is a former editor on CNN's "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer." DeDakis is the author of six mystery-suspense-thriller novels.

His most recent novel, Enemies Domestic, begins on pregnant protagonist Lark Chadwick’s first day as White House press secretary. The first question she’s asked on live television comes from a reporter with an agenda: “Are you, or are you not, planning to abort your unborn child?” DeDakis, a former White House correspondent, regularly leads writing workshops at literary centers and writers’ conferences.

He is also the host of the video podcast “One-to-One” on YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Originally from La Crosse, Wisconsin, DeDakis now lives in Baltimore, Maryland with Cindy, his wife of 46 years.

Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | Goodreads

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If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going, and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy, Kris & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Yes, we're back talking about author websites again! This time, we're discussing plugins you can add to improve your author website and make it more unique and easier for you to maintain.

In this episode, we cover:

• What plugins are and where you can get them
• Cost of plugins
• 6 useful plugins you can use

List of Plugins Mentioned

• Classic Editor
• Duplicate Page
• Internal Link Juicer
• Page Links To
• WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click
• Yoast SEO

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We did it, we finally took the plunge and recorded an episode about AI. Is it ranty? Yes. Do we tangent all over the place? Also yes. Is it painfully long? Yes. We do still open some of you, give it a listen.

Also, if you are a published author and have not checked already, please visit the Atlantic Link below and check to see if your novels were pirated and then used to train AI.

In this episode, we cover:

• Generative and Assistive AI
• The dark side of AI (outside of the writing industry)
• Bad indicators
• AI Scraping
• Was your book stolen?
• Why skill development is important
• Our overall thoughts on AI

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

Sources and links:

- The Atlantic (CHECK TO SEE IF YOUR BOOK WAS STOLEN)

- Authors Guild - What Authors Need to Know

- Futurism - Google AI scraping sites

- Bloomberg - Google training AI even after sites opt out

- National Library of Medicine

- Alzheimers Research UK - Dementia cases triple

- BBC News: Call for Ban on AI apps creating n*ked images of children

- Care.Org: 8 in 10 Brits ban back on AI N*dify

- CNN: Meta scrambles to delete its own AI accounts after backlash intensifies

DISCLAIMER EXAMPLE

© [AuthorName]. All Rights to the works and publications on this blog are owned and copyrighted by [AuthorName] or their respective owners in the case of guest posters. The Owner of this site reserves all permissions for access and use of all documents on this site. NO AI TRAINING: Without in any way limiting the author’s [and publisher’s] exclusive rights under copyright, any use of this publication to “train” generative artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to generate text is expressly prohibited. The author reserves all rights to license uses of this work for generative AI training and the development of machine learning language models.

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Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

AllAuthor is a platform that's well known by some, but others have never heard of it. Rachel checked it out and discussed her findings with Ari to see if it's really worth it for authors be on. This week, we dissect the free account version of AllAuthor.

In this episode, we cover:

• What AllAuthor is and what you can do there
• Paid vs. free plan
• Featuring your book
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

Episodes referred to:

• 252 - What Book Platforms Can Authors Be On?
• 94 - What Are Some Tips For Launching A Debut Book? (with Cassie Sanchez)

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Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

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CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Today, we are joined by Writer Jeremy Russell again. Last time Jeremy was on the podcast, he shared his insights regarding how writers with ADHD can stay motivated. Now he's back for our newly introduced interview style.

In this episode, we cover:

• His writing processes and writing style

• Writing by hand

• Favourite character

• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT JEREMY

Jeremy Russell writes Middle-Grade fiction for people who like an anxiously cozy and dangerously fun paranormal adventure.  

He is not an award-nominated author, nor has he been on the New York Times best-selling author list…yet.  He is a husband, a father, a shipbuilder, an artist, a collector of nostalgic toys from his childhood and full-time beard grower.

Instagram

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If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

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Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy, Kris & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Writing one book takes multiple drafts throughout the process. Some of those drafts are easier than others, so this week’s we’re talking about the draft that usually hardest for us.

In this episode, we cover:

• Rachel’s hardest draft to write

• Ari’s hardest draft to write

• Our easiest drafts

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Need to raise funds to get your book off the ground? Have you considered using Kickstarter? Well, in today's episode, we are going to be discussing a few things you might want to think about before making that decision.

What we cover:

• What is Kickstarter
• Why Kickstarter
• Audience Size
• Expenses
• Extras
• Money-to-work ratio
• Track your campaign

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

There are many difficult parts to writing and sometimes that includes coming up with a title for your book. It sounds simple, but it’s not always. This week, we’re sharing ideas to come up with great titles for your books.

In this episode, we cover:

• The purpose of a book title

• Thinking about genre

• Thinking about the book’s main theme

• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Today, we are joined by Author Amanda Blake for our newly introduced interview style.

In this episode, we cover:

• Their processes and writing style

• What their favourite things to write are

• Publishing journey

• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT AMANDA

A mass of tentacles and rose vines masquerading as a person, Amanda M. Blake is the author of such horror titles as QUESTION NOT MY SALT, DEEP DOWN, and OUT OF CURIOSITY AND HUNGER, dark poetry collection DEAD ENDS, and the Thorns fairy tale mash-up series.

Website | Facebook | Threads

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

In this episode, we discuss:

• How podcasting is a part-time job
• The importance of consistency and knowing our equipment
• Working well with your co-hosts
• Networking
• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi: Jeremy, Kris, & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Join us on the podcast today, as we discuss things we wish we were better at as writers. And stick around for the random tangents we seem to find ourselves drifting into. :)

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We all know what research is, but how often do you go out into the world and get the experience your characters get? Hands-on research is great, which is why we’re discussing it this week.

In this episode, we cover:

• What hands-on research is

• Taking classes

• Interviewing people

• Train/study the profession yourself

• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

A well-made book cover is (in our opinion) the single most important marketing tool for your book. So what do you need to think about when getting a cover created? That's what we are breaking down in today's episode.

Things we cover:

- What to include in a brief (for the designer)

- Research

- Target audience

- Titles & author-name

- Pre-made covers

RESOURCE - 99Designs

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy, Kris & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Welcome to the first official guest episode of 2025! This week, Ari and Rachel invite Dr. MH Pelletier to a show to discuss her work on her book, The Resilience Plan.

In this episode, we cover:

• What inspired MH to write this book

• What her writing process was like

• Researching for books

• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

About Dr. MH Pelletier

Throughout her career in business management and psychology, Dr. Pelletier has spearheaded a dialogue on the crucial issues of leadership resilience and workplace health. Drawing on her extensive background in corporate, insurance, governance and public sectors, she brings national and international perspectives and expertise on mental health and resilience as a key pillar of overall health.

She is a bilingual practicing psychologist with over 20 years of experience in clinical psychology and advisory workplace psychology and holds a Ph.D. and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. Marie-Helene is a Member of the Global Clinical Practice Network of the World Health Organization, and past Director on the boards of the Canadian Psychological Association and the International Association of Applied Psychology. She has presented, authored and co-authored a number of industry and academic publications and has won numerous academic and industry awards. In 2024, Dr. Pelletier will release her new book, The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Health.

Website | LinkedIn 

Buy The Resilience Plan

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | !ndigo

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

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If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy, Kris & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

If you are planning to be an indie author, you may very well want to send out ARCs (Advance Reader Copies) but what are some of the risks with these?

In this episode, we cover:

• Piracy
• Non-completion
• Methods to combat these

Link regarding Stephanie Meyer's leaked manuscript

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

To Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy, Kris & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

As an author, about how many tasks do you do for one book? How much do you do in a week? In a day? This week, we’re talking about how authors aren’t just “writers.” We’re much more than that.

In this episode, we cover:

• The act of writing

• Learning and improving

• Marketing

• Business

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy, Kris & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Today we are talking about Author's Insurance... which some of you may not even realise is actually a thing (yup, it is!) and all that goes along with it.

In this episode we cover:

- Why you might need it

- What insurance can protect against

- Risks to fiction and non-fiction writers

- Commerical licenses

- A quick note about traditional publishing

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy, Kris & Jackie

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

The Merry Writer Podcast is trying a new format for guest episodes! Since we haven’t talked about ourselves in a while, we decided to be our own guinea pigs. This week, Rachel interviews Ari about her author career and books!

In this episode, we cover:

• How Ari got into writing

• What her writing process is like

• Her writing goals

• and more!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT ARI MEGHLEN

Ari is a fantasy author, blogger, podcaster, and small business owner. Born in England, she escaped the dull, wet landscape of her home by creating wild and wonderful worlds deep in her imagination which she still enjoys exploring to this day.

When she’s not writing stories, recording podcasts or grappling with business paperwork, she creates jewellry and artwork, walks in nature, buys more books for her TBR pile and “re-arranges” her office… again.

Website | Instagram | LinkTree

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

In this episode, we cover:

• Finding Friends
• Making Friends
• Do's and Don'ts
• Etiquette
• What the most important parts are

As always, thank you for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, like the video, and subscribe to the channel if you're not already!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Authors are meant to be present in many places on the internet, but did you know there are some platforms you don’t necessarily have to be on but can still add your book? This week, we’re discussing some of those places.

In this episode, we cover:

• Goodreads

• BookBub

• Book Sirens

• AllAuthor

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We are changing things up with how we run guest episodes and to see if the new format is going to work, we decided we would use ourselves as guinea pigs.

So in this episode, I am interviewing Rachel about her work, her book, her processes and more.

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT RACHEL POLI

Rachel Poli is a cozy mystery and paranormal author, writing short stories, novels, and the occasional flash fiction piece.

Her work explores the obscurities of life through themes of love, loss, and mental health. These stories unleash genuine emotion that will leave you with deep thoughts.

In her spare time, she's usually organizing something or playing video games with a coffee in hand. She lives in New England with her zoo.

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

It’s been a while since we’ve done a Would You Rather episode! So, for this week’s episode, and for another milestone, we’re doing a podcast edition of Would You Rather. Enjoy!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

It's the start of a new year and we decided to do something silly and fun. So we are discussing what colours we associate with our writing.

In this episode, we cover:

• Ari's colour association with her writing process
• Rachel's colour association with her writing process
• Slight disagreement
• Ari's colour association with her specific projects
• Hearty discussion about the colour yellow
• Rachel's colour association with her specific projects
• Rude behaviour from Rachel during the outro :p

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting it at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

To Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

It's the last episode of 2024! This week, we're talking about all the new and exciting updates that are coming to the podcast in 2025. Thanks for your support of the year and we wish you a Happy New Year and a Happy Holiday!

In this episode, we cover:

• Changes from 2024
• New guest format in 2025
• The podcast turns 5-years-old in 2025!

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Have you ever struggled to finish your manuscript? Do you have several writing projects languishing unfinished? Check out today's podcast episode where we share our experiences and advice on getting to the finish line.

In this episode, we cover:

• Schedules
• Sacrifice
• Small time
• Deep in the minutiae
• Curb the Editor

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Writing a novel isn't easy; we all know that. But which part of your novel do you typically get stuck with? This week, we discuss our opinions about the beginning, middle, and ends of stories.

In this episode, we cover:

• The purpose of enticing beginnings
• The purpose of the journey of middles
• The purpose of satisfying endings

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

To all you published authors, do you read reviews left for your books? Today, we share our own thoughts on this topic.

In this episode, we cover: - Reviews are everywhere - Everyone has an opinion - Why authors should not read reviews - Why authors should read reviews - Needing tough skin

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you feel you’d be a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We've all heard of the cozy mystery genre, but did you know there's at least two more? One has been circling the reading community and the other... we haven't heard of before.

In this episode, we cover:

• What the cozy genre is
• Cozy Mystery
• A trending cozy genre
• A cozy genre that may not be as well known

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

When writing a book, it can be fun to keep track of the journey along the way. In today's episode, we discuss ways to track it, what you might want to log and some benefits.

What we covered in this episode:

• Recording the dates
• Different milestones
• Sharing the hurdles
• Accountability
• Useful data

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

It's no secret Ari and Rachel love using Scrivener for their creative writing projects. This week, they decide to dive into the software, gush about why they love it, and the cool features Scrivener offers.

In this episode, we cover:

• What Scrivener is
• How Rachel uses it
• How Ari sets hers up
• Cool features it has
• Using it for non-writing

You can check out Scrivener here.

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Today we are discussing some of the advice we've seen floating around that is written almost as gospel, but that we don't think is always the best advice.

In this episode, we cover:

• Daily writing

• Word count

• Trends

• Reading genres

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content.

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

As readers, one of the best ways to support authors is to leave a review of their book once we've read it. This week, we want to know: what does a book have to do to earn five stars from you?

In this episode, we cover:

• Rachel's criteria for five stars
• Ari's 5-star threshold
• Comfort books

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Do you worry your story is not exciting enough? Depending on what you write and how you want to write it, not every book needs to be exciting but it needs to hold the reader's attention but you may still need to build up the excitement in some way.

What we cover in this episode:

• Check your pacing (are there too many slow parts?)
• Use the slow parts intentionally to build tension and excitement
• Use the genre strength
• Use the plot formulas
• Kill your darlings
• Foreshadowing
• Be passionate

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

In episode 217, we talked about what you should consider when agreeing to be a beta reader. We thought it'd be a good idea to talk about it from the other side, if you, the writer, is searching for beta readers.

In this episode, we cover:

• Who your beta readers should be
• Ensure your ready for betas
• Being transparent with your betas
• Helping your betas be prepared for the process

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy.

In this episode, we cover:

• Credibility
• Remember your audience
• Exposure
• Backlinks
• Networking
• Guidelines
• Deadlines
• Etiquettes
• Due diligence

As always, thank you for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, like the video, and subscribe to the channel if you're not already!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of https://incompetech.com/ | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

I get it! It's a Monday and suddenly something pops up from The Merry Writer Podcast.

This is a little Mini Merry Moment, to give a shout-out to Rachel's upcoming book: Apparitions Anonymous!

Please make sure to give Rachel lots of love on this new endeavour.

​Add the book to your Goodreads, keep an eye out for it on Amazon or wherever you buy your books and don't forget to leave a review once you've read it!

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Have you ever wondered what it's like to set up an in-person book tour event? Have you thought about trying it but didn't know where to start? Well, you're in luck because L.E. Harper joins us this week to talk about running a successful book tour.

In this episode, we cover:

• How L.E. began doing book tours
• The overall process to set one up
• Supplies to bring to an event
• Tips for running your first tour

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT L.E. Harper

L.E. Harper is a lifelong fantasy aficionado. From a young age, books about magic and dragons were her escape from reality. She suffers from depression, but her love for fantastical storytelling has given her something to live for.

TikTok | Instagram | Bookshop | Amazon | Goodreads

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

We are talking about marketing today and discussing the possibilities of using Influencers for book marketing, including things you might want to consider.

In this episode, we cover:

• Who is their audience?
• What is their engagement?
• What is the ROI (return on investment)?
• What is their content like?

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

Special Thanks

To Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy & Kris

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Things don't always go as planned and that includes your writing career. Your wants and desires might have changed over the years as you and your writing grew and improved. This week, we discuss what to do when you come to the realization that your writing goals have changed and what to do about it.

In this episode, we cover:

• Your writing purpose
• Narrow vs broad goals
• Creating realistic and practical steps
• A reminder to not be afraid of change

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

BIG THANKS to our supporter Jeremy R

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Special Thanks

Our Merry Writers via Ko-fi, Jeremy.

Today we are talking about quitting (nope, we are not quitting writing!) But we wanted to give some thoughts on why some writers may choose to quit writing.

In this episode, we cover:

• Writing difficulty
• Writing as a career
• The results...
• Learning
• Prioritisation
• Lack of fun
• Procrastination
• Rejection
• Life changes
• Money

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Have you ever thought about quitting writing or did you quit something else and come to writing? Also, don't forget to give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

BIG THANKS to our supporter Jeremy R

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Have you ever thought about going to school for creative writing? This week, Jason Harris joins us to discuss what getting a creative writing degree may look like.

In this episode, we cover:

• Benefits of having a creative writing degree
• Typical lesson plans for a creative writing class
• How creative assignments may be graded
• Exercises you can do at home

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

ABOUT JASON HARRIS

Jason Marc Harris teaches creative writing, folklore, and literature, and is the Creative Writing Coordinator at Texas A&M University in College Station, TX. He graduated with a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Washington, and an MFA in fiction from Bowling Green State University, where he served as Fiction Editor of Mid-American Review. Creative work in journals such as Apex and Abyss, Marvels and Tales, Midwestern Gothic, Psychopomp Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, and Writing Texas. His novella of weird horror Master of Rods and Strings republished in 2024 by Crystal Lake Publishing.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Goodreads (Book) | Crystal Lake Publishing

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page.

If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please check for the status of the Google Form on that page to see if we are accepting at that time.

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

BIG THANKS to our supporter Jeremy R

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Today is all about regrets! We do love to pick some cheery topics. We each share our main writing regrets and would love to hear yours. Or if you don't have any regrets (lucky you) tell us that too!

In this episode, we cover:

• Ari's regret
• Changing mindset
• Rachel's regret
• Different options

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page. If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please fill in the Google Form linked on that page.

NOTICE: Our guest slots for 2024 are FILLED. Our Google Form is closed for the time being. Thank you all for your interest!

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there is plenty of free content, too if you just want to pop over there!) We appreciate your support.

BIG THANKS to our supporter Jeremy R

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Have you cracked the code to streamline your writing process? How about your author business? Or simply writing that first draft?

This week, we discuss the Gantt Chart as a project management tool for you to use to help keep your novel writing on track.

In this episode, we cover:

• What the Gantt Chart is and why you should try it
• How to use the Gantt Chart for writing
• How to make your own Gantt Chart

As always, thanks for listening. Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below, give the podcast a follow, and share our content!

WANT TO BE A GUEST ON THE SHOW?

If you would like to be considered, please take the time to read our FAQs Page. If you still feel like you’re a good fit for the show after reading the FAQs, please fill in the Google Form linked on that page.

Our guest slots for 2024 are FILLED. Our Google Form is closed for the time being. Thank you all for your interest!

SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Ko-fi

You can join The Merry Writer community over on our Ko-fi page! It helps keep the show going and you get extra goodies through one-time or monthly tips. (Don’t worry; there’s plenty of free content, too!) We appreciate your support.

BIG THANKS to our supporter Jeremy R

Share

If you enjoy the show, don’t forget to share our episodes on social media, follow the podcast, and engage in the comments.

CREDITS

Hosts

Ari Meghlen & Rachel Poli

Music

Intro & Outro – “Inspired” composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of http://www.incompetech.com | Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

Special Thanks