On today’s episode we get to chat with Erin Quinn-Kong, a longtime magazine editor who started writing fiction after having her second child, while she was a freelance writer. She started writing Hate Follow in December 2020 after unsuccessfully querying a women’s fiction novel. She knew this idea was different as it had such a solid, newsworthy hook: an influencer who gets sued by her teen daughter for invasion of privacy (something Erin swears is going to happen one day—probably soon!)

Currently managing editor of Texas Highways, Erin has also been an editor at Austin Monthly, Us Weekly, and Allure. As a magazine editor, Erin has watched social media and influencers change the publishing industry and our society as a whole, almost without anyone realizing it. Along with examining social media and whose story parents are allowed to tell online, the mother-daughter struggle in Hate Follow is something that all parents will relate to. New York Times bestselling author Amanda Eyre Ward calls Hate Follow "a rich and witty story with two complicated women at its heart.” She adds, “Quinn-Kong's story of an influencer mom sued by her resentful daughter is of the moment, but its exploration of female power and privilege is timeless. It’s a beautiful debut."

Erin is a member of WFWA and the Writer’s League of Texas. When she’s not working or writing, you can find Erin exploring Texas and beyond with her husband and two kiddos. They love to eat good food, roller skate, swim, and burn all the kids’ energy off at every playground they can find. Erin is also part of a writing group called The Still Writing Squad, four mom writers who came together after years of not having publishing success and quickly found agents and published novels—three of which debuted in 2024. You can get a peek into their group on their Substack, The (Writing) Group Chat.

You can learn more about Erin on her website www.erinquinnkong.com and follow her on Instagram @erinquinnkongwrites -which will be the best place find out about her next novel.

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of Hate Follow at Bookshop.org

Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.”

Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.

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In this heartwarming episode of Author Express, join host Shawna Rodrigues as she sits down with Becky Ellis, a celebrated Northwest author from Portland. Discover Becky's journey growing up across various cities in California and how her complex family dynamics shaped her memoir, "Little Avalanches." Gain insights into the intriguing conversation she had with her father, a decorated WWII combat sergeant, that transformed her life's narrative. Learn about the specific challenges and emotional landscapes she navigated while writing her story. Don't miss Becky's unique strategy for structuring this dual-memoir and her tips on balancing the craft of writing with the rawness of personal experience. Perfect for fans of nonfiction and anyone fascinated by military family stories or memoir writing techniques.

Becky Ellis is a Timberwolf Pup. Her father was a WWII veteran and carried the weight of his combat experience internally, never sharing his stories, yet allowing them to influence his life deeply. Growing up, Becky could easily have broken ties with her father, but instead she gave him grace and listened when he was ready to talk. Becky's memoir, Little Avalanches, is detailed in 3 parts with her childhood, her father's daily account of WWII and how they came together through conversation decades later.

Becky is helping people start the conversations that need to be had with family members, especially those who have been in combat while also raising awareness of the great need our veterans have when they come home in dealing with the trauma they experience.

You can learn more about Becky by visiting her website, https://beckyellis.net, or following her on Instagram, @beckyellisauthor.

Get your copy of Little Avalanches here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKPP93Z8/

Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies.

She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27.

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Tiffany Yates Martin started in the publishing industry in her twenties as a copy editor for many of the Big Six (back then), when the business still used red pencils and to fact-check she had to spend a day at the New York Public Library in the stacks. For the last fifteen-plus years as a developmental editor she’s worked directly with authors as well as through major publishing houses, on titles by New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning authors as well as manuscripts for indie-published and newer writers.

In her thirty years in the industry, Tiffany has seen thousands of writers' weather publishing’s constant ups and downs. Some seem to always land on their feet and some flame out; some hold on to the joy and satisfaction in creating that first sparked them to become an author, while others lose heart, confidence, or hope.

The difference between success and struggle has little to do with the publishing industry itself, despite its many challenges and how many variables are outside the creator’s control—but rather with the author. Those who sustain and succeed are the authors who know why they write, what they want from their career, and how to take the reins in creating a fulfilling, joyful writing career they can happily maintain for a lifetime.

Writers are so often given the advice to persist and be resilient if they want to create a successful career—but what does that actually mean, and how do you do it? Tiffany talks about practical, actionable ways to handle the most common issues, obstacles, and pitfalls of being an author: from practical issues like writer’s block, feedback and rejection, and advocating yourself as an author; to managing the demons that so often beset creatives (impostor syndrome, comparison, procrastination) and staying motivated and confident; and how to integrate writing into a healthy, rewarding, well-rounded life.

Find her (along with her online course, weekly blog on craft and career, and lots of free resources) at: https://foxprinteditorial.com named as a Writer’s Digest Best Websites for Writers for the last two years in a row.

Buy her book Intuitive Editing: A Creative and Practical Guide for Writers, here: https://foxprinteditorial.com/intuitive-editing/

Kristi Leonard is a modern Renaissance woman deeply rooted in the book world. When she's not immersed in crafting novels, she's orchestrating writing retreats through her business, Writers in the Wild, or lending her voice to non-fiction audiobooks. She leads the Women’s Fiction Writers Association as the president of the board, and interviews her writer pals as one of the hosts of the Author Express Podcast. She will start querying her first book in 2024.

Beyond the realm of words, Kristi embraces the Florida sunshine by hiking with her writer-hiker group and leisurely walks on the beach. She and her husband juggle a couple side businesses and take turns sharing the couch with their goofy Golden-doodle, Maddie. Kristi enjoys travel adventures with her twin sister and living vicariously through her grown children. You can learn more about her and connect at: https://linktr.ee/kristileonard.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

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