Shane Simonsen on Self-Publishing Books vs. Blogging on Substack
Shane is a biochemist turned teacher turned experimental farmer who decided to add author to the list. He writes weekly non-fiction essays about his passion for transformative agriculture on Substack (at Zero Input Agriculture) and released a short non-fiction book, “Taming the Apocalypse” on the enormous potential for novel domestications. Under the pen-name Haldane B. […]
Uncovering Truths in Young Adult Fiction: Karen Cunningham on Writing and Self-Publishing ‘Missing Sarah Harris’
Karen Cunningham is a graphic designer by day, and a closet writer at all other times. An overthinker from way back, she always has a story in her head and is known to become quite panicky when she doesn’t have at least a small stack of books waiting to be read. Karen is the author and illustrator of Jenny […]
Suzi Samuel Revising a Bestseller and The Dark at the Threshold
Suzi Samuel is the author of The Unintentional Medium and the soon to be published An Unintentional Journey. This is her first foray into fiction and draws largely on her knowledge of France and her own personal experience of the spirit world. Born in England, Suzi spent a large part of her life in Wimbledon […]
A.M Jaxon on Balancing Romance and Suspense and The Love Connection Series: Saoirse’s Story
A.M. Jaxon is a romantic suspense writer who grew from tropical Queensland small town wild child to become a pharmacist in Brisbane before attaining a PhD in Business from the University of Western Australia. Her passion for women’s hockey led her to coaching internationally in Barcelona, Rotterdam and the UK, and also on Australia’s Gold […]
Living with Split: Maggie Walters on the Journey of Multiple Personality Disorder and the Power of Storytelling
Maggie Walters lives in the Northern Rivers of NSW, where she spends her days developing her writing skills and raising three teenagers. After meeting her husband, she immigrated to Australia from the US, and spent the bulk of her career in various marketing roles before returning to her long-held love of the written word. Expression […]
Dana Da Silva on Writing Erotica
Dana Da Silva is a single mum of two based in Sydney, Australia. Having completed her journalism degree in 2011, she’s spent the past decade working in PR across both the public and private sectors. These days, Dana’s a part-time media adviser, and, on her days off from the corporate world, an aspiring indie author […]
Relentless Pursuit: Junior Bernard on Overcoming Adversity and Turning Survival into Inspiration
Junior was born and raised in Haiti and moved to the United States in 2010 following the devastating earthquake that claimed the lives of over 100,000 people. He earned his degree from Alvernia University in December 2014 on a full scholarship. His commitment to making a difference has earned him the prestigious Alvernia University’s Four […]
Million-copy Bestselling Author Jacqueline Harvey on Creating a Thriving Career in Children’s Fiction and Navigating a Changing Publishing Landscape
Jacqueline Harvey worked in schools for many years but has had a passion for storytelling since she was a child. She is the author of the popular ‘Alice-Miranda, Clementine Rose, Kensy and Max and Willa and Woof’ series, which have sold almost two million copies in Australia alone. Jacqueline has also released picture books such […]
Overcoming the Shadows: John Walker Pattison on Triumph, Vulnerability and Inspiring Through Memoir
John Walker Pattison, a cancer survivor and award-winning author, calls himself a dreamer. After a tumultuous early life, he defied doctors’ expectations by surviving cancer and later pursued a successful nursing career. His memoir, Me and My Shadow – memoirs of a cancer survivor, has won multiple awards. Despite facing new health battles, John continues to […]
Lessons Learned in 2024 and How to Thrive in 2025 With Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell
It’s the first episode of a brand new year, and we’ve hit 150! To celebrate, host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women’s fiction and short non fiction for authors, shares her trials and triumphs from lessons learned in 2024, her personal journey and how to thrive in 2025. https://faculty.vt.edu/faculty-development/mentoring-and-support/faculty-writing/articles-for-faculty-writers/a-fresh-take-on-the-pomodoro-technique.html