My guest this week is Jayna Sheats (Hannah’s Ascent, Bedazzled Ink Publishing, June 2023). Growing up a poor boy in rural Colorado, Jayna went on to receive a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford, founded 3 companies, and holds several patents, but her biggest achievement was embracing her core identity as a trans woman 20 years ago and writing a literary novel that explores the trauma and triumphs which lay at the heart of that experience. After 200,000 revisions, 5 book coaches, and 203 submissions, the manuscript found its home at Bedazzled. We discuss her journey as well as whether it helps or hinders your novel to have its subject matter at the epicenter of the cultural and political zeitgeist.

Jayna Sheats grew up on a Colorado ranch without electricity, neighbors, or schools, but obtained a ham radio license when she was seven. After language and psychology studies in Colorado and Germany and a PhD in chemistry from Stanford University, she became a researcher and entrepreneur, publishing 60 scientific articles and book chapters, and started three companies. As creator of Hewlett-Packard's e-Inclusion program she worked with Dr. Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh on telecenters for the poor. Today she lives with her children in northern California, hikes frequently in the redwoods, and writes novels involving social justice and triumph over trauma.

To learn more about Jayna, click here.

My guest this week is Micki Berthelot Morency (The Island Sisters, BHC Press, June 2023). Her book is a perfect adjunct for Women’s Fiction Week as her inspiration for putting pen to paper was to give voice to the often-unheard from victims of physical and mental abuse—women she encountered growing up in Haiti as well as women she worked with in her career as a care manager in the U.S. We explore the challenge of writing in a “third” language (after Creole and French), how her book found a home at a small publisher, and the success she’s had going outside the typical “book promotion channels” like bookstores and libraries into college campuses, often sponsored by sexual assault and other support organizations, including one university that including it in their class curriculum.

Micki Berthelot Morency is a Haitian-American, who has lived in the US for decades. Her debut novel, THE ISLAND SISTERS was launched in 2023. She’s a graduate of Northeastern University and The Institute for Writers. Micki is a fierce advocate for women and children. Her stories have appeared in Writer’s Digest Magazine, The Tampa Bay Times, The Weekly Challenger, Print magazines and E-zines. Micki is a mother of daughters. She lives in Florida with her husband.

To learn more about Micki and her writing, click here.

My guest this week is Marcy Lane (A Mercy of Widows, indie published, August 2023). Hear how two life events – serving on a jury and losing a partner – formed the basis of Marcy’s debut novel. We discuss the MAID initiative in Canada (Medical Assistant in Dying), her very personal reason for determining early on to self-publish, and how her second book is springing not from what she knows but what she wants to know more about. We close with an interesting result from a DNA test.

Marcy Lane writes character-driven fiction rooted in the quiet resilience of ordinary people navigating extraordinary challenges. Her debut novel, A Mercy of Widows (2023), explores grief, assisted dying, friendship and second chances—drawing on her lived experience of losing two life partners to cancer. After a long career leading a local charity, she turned to fiction in early 2021, diving headfirst into workshops, retreats and critique groups with a beginner’s mindset and a deep curiosity for craft.

Born to parents with itchy feet, Marcy grew up as an army brat, living across Canada, the UK, and Germany—experiences that lend authenticity to her settings. Today, she lives in a small cottage in southwestern Ontario with her two opinionated dogs, Bug and Lucy. She draws inspiration from art supplies, Lake Erie’s moods, and the layered history of her adopted community. She’s currently working on a cozy mystery set in Erie Bluff, a fictional lakeside town steeped in small-town warmth and buried secrets.

To learn more about Marcy, click here.