Advertise on podcast: Margs & Manuscripts

What if your writing software actually got out of your way? This week’s Lime Light is our first ever non-book episode. We’re joined by Ria Caldwell and Chris Pridemore, the writers behind Kalliope, a brand new writing app built by writers, for writers. Chris is a software engineer who got tired of jumping between Word, Scrivener, and a pile of other apps just to draft and build his world, so he built his own tool. Ria is a former lawyer and freelance editor who saw everything it could fix for writing groups, editors, and authors worried about AI accusations. In this episode of Margs & Manuscripts, we talk about: 📚 How a writing group (and a slightly creepy Google Drive deep dive) brought Ria and Chris together 📚 Why Word, Google Docs, and Scrivener leave so many writers fighting their software instead of writing 📚 The Chirograph: a tamper-proof, timestamped record of your writing process. Think of it as the time-lapse video that proves you wrote your book 📚 Where AI belongs (work) and where it doesn’t (art) 📚 Collaboration tools made for writing groups, including comments that stay with your draft even after you’ve revised it 📚 Analytics that don’t use AI: character voice tracking, a “reader memory” heat map, catching characters who go quiet for chapters at a time, filter words, echoes, and more 📚 A codex that won’t spoil a character’s death for your critique partners before they reach that chapter 📚 Moments of delight: typewriter sounds, achievements, and confetti Try Kalliope Kalliope Draft and Kalliope Circle are free for the rest of November during the open beta. In December, Kalliope Draft becomes a one-time $50 purchase that you own forever, and the cloud features (collaboration, sharing, and the Chirograph) are $5 a month. Kalliope Draft is available now on Mac, with Windows and Linux on the way. 🔗 Download Kalliope Join Us Live on November 12 Margs, Manuscripts, and Misbehaving Women is a live virtual author panel and Q&A about complicated female main characters: why we write them, why we love them, and why they’re the future of fiction. Think girls’ night in, with books. 🎟️ Get your tickets Connect With Kalliope InstagramTikTokBlueskyFacebookLinkedInConnect With Us Follow Margs & Manuscripts on InstagramVisit margsandmanuscripts.com This episode is sponsored by Kalliope. As always, all opinions are our own. We don't know the word "filter". Support the show

“Henry just wanted to bang the next girl.” That’s A. L. Sinclair’s summary of the Boleyn downfall, and honestly, she’s not wrong. This week, we finally sit down with A. L. Sinclair, author of The Witch Queen’s Gambit, a dark historical fantasy that asks what would happen if Anne Boleyn were a witch whose rise to power changed the world. A. L. isn’t here to promote a book that’s already out. She’s on submission, waiting with the rest of us, and she gives an honest look at what that stage is really like. (Spoiler: if you thought querying was slow, wait until you hear about the other side.) She tells us how a short story she wrote to distract herself from the query trenches grew into an epic, how giving away the first three chapters brought in 700 ARC sign-ups in three weeks, and how that hype led to signing with her agent. We also dig into building your author brand before you have anything to sell, why mislabeling a book as romantasy loses you the readers who’d love it most, and what it means to channel your characters. Plus, a peek at her next project, which includes a murder mystery, a matchmaker witch, and a man in slutty glasses. In This Episode Life on submission and why editors are just as buried as agents right nowWhy George Boleyn deserves way more credit than history gives himGiving away your first three chapters through BookFunnel to build hype and protect your IPEmail funnels and the business side of being an author, even if you’re going tradFinding your reader personas, and why your book isn’t for everyoneWhy not every fantasy with romance is a romantasyChanneling characters, trusting the story, and what writer’s block might really beDaisy Darling, her dark comedy WIP about a matchmaker witch in Edinburgh whose exes keep turning up murderedBluey, bin chickens, and why our kids speak better Australian than we doJoin Us Live: Margs, Manuscripts, and Misbehaving Women Bold books, complicated women, and conversations that refuse to behave. On Thursday, November 12, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. CST, we’re hosting a live virtual panel with authors Amy W. Vogel, Katie Jung, and Audrey Goldberg, plus our own Cait Waynelovich. We’ll talk honestly about power, rage, reputation, identity, and feminine expression, with short readings, book recs, digital reader bonuses, and a giveaway of signed books, ebooks, and M&M merch. You don’t need to read anything beforehand. Tickets VIP Live Experience ($35): Live Zoom admission, the audience Q&A, one month of replay access, all digital bonuses, an exclusive “Last Call” M&M episode, and a VIP giveaway entryGeneral Replay Pass ($15): Replay within 24 hours with 7 days of access, digital bonuses, and a general giveaway entryGet your tickets: https://www.margsandmanuscripts.com/live-event-2026 Listen If You Love Leigh Bardugo’s The FamiliarKate ForsythJuliet MarillierWitchy historical fantasy with a dark and twisty edgeFollow A. L. Sinclair Read the first three chapters of The Witch Queen’s Gambit: https://www.alsinclairauthor.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.l.sinclairauthor Mentioned in This Episode Writing Away Refuge Follow Margs & Manuscripts Instagram: @margsandmanuscripts Books featured on this podcast are sometimes provided free by publishers or authors. Support the show

Orin Steele joins us to talk about By Blood, Shadow, and Fire, the first book in her dark romantasy trilogy, and the choices that got it (and her) here. We’re fresh off the book and we cannot stop thinking about that ending. Orin spent nearly a decade running her own branding agency, and it shows. We dig into how she brought a fully formed cover vision to Emrae Publishing, how a Friday night spot at her local Portland brewery led her to illustrator Santiago, and why she wanted a cover that looked like art instead of a book cover. We also get real about the other side of building an author platform: posting about bad days instead of curated wins, 80+ agent rejections, and why she queried an indie publisher directly. Orin opens up about scrapping 75,000 words of book two, stepping back from social media, and protecting the two things she won’t put down: the quality of her books and time with her daughter. Then we get into the book itself. Orin shares how a D&D character sparked the series, how her own personal journey shaped Islyn’s story of becoming what she was taught to fear, and what’s coming in book two (spoiler: it picks up minutes after book one ends). In this episode: Designing a cover that looks like art, from the illustration to the foil and overlaysWhy the most relatable content is the honest kindQuerying an indie publisher directly and becoming their first “non-friend” signingWhy traditional publishing keeps waiting for indie authors to prove themselves firstR.F. Kuang’s advice: spend less time convincing people to read your book and more time making it betterUnderworld meets Shadow and Bone, morally gray characters, and inconvenient love storiesThe Lee Pace and Heath Ledger inspiration behind her charactersWhat to expect in book twoOrin’s favorite reminder: “You can fix bad writing. You can’t fix a blank page.” Connect with Orin: Website: orinsteele.comInstagram: @actuallyorinTikTok: @actuallyorinOrder By Blood, Shadow, and Fire: Emrae PublishingConnect with Margs & Manuscripts: Instagram: @margsandmanuscriptsWebsite: margsandmanuscripts.comBooks featured on this podcast are sometimes provided free by publishers or authors. Support the show

When something hungry wakes in the pines, Aunna must protect the woman she loves before it devours them both. Beth Carlberg joins us to talk Firewatcher, her dark fantasy folk horror where magic doesn’t sparkle. It costs you. Aunna is the first woman Firewatcher in generations. She can hear the dead speak through flame, and every bit of that power leaves a mark. When the Temnylf crawl out of the woods hungry for the magic buried in human bones, she has to decide how much she’s willing to burn. We get into why fairy tales were always folk horror, how a short story grew into a full novel (with about 50,000 words left on the cutting room floor), and why Beth never tells herself no in a first draft. Then it gets delightfully woo: tarot, writing as a vessel, and the real toll of spending your workday in dark places. Fair warning, she rated Firewatcher an eleven on our dark and twisty scale. In this episode: The Dolly Parton school of author branding: you are the brandBuilding a magic system where every spell has a priceGrowing up on Robin McKinley and Tolkien, and why the original fairy tales are horrifyingWhy Beth stays out of reader review spacesOne hand, two color schemes: the story behind the hardcover and paperback coversFrom short story to novella to novel, with help from a developmental editor and The Heroine’s JourneyThe difference between what you write and what you sellTarot as the thing you already know but don’t want to hearWriting dark without becoming dark, and the Snow White retelling she shelved for goodHow a second pen name and a lovers-to-enemies romantasy let her write outside horror authenticallyLeaving readers with complex feelings in a hot-take worldClimbing out of the bog: noise-cancelling headphones, lo-fi jazz, and touching grassWhat’s next: Chokecherry, an 80s lesbian horror coming September 2027Connect with Beth: Website: https://www.bethcarlberg.netBuy Firewatcher direct: https://www.bethcarlberg.net/firewatcherFirewatcher at all retailers: https://books2read.com/links/ubl/3JaxGgNewsletter: https://www.bethcarlberg.net/newsletterInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/beth.carlbergTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bethcarlbergConnect with M&M: Website: https://margsandmanuscripts.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/margsandmanuscriptsLime Light is our author spotlight series, created to give indie authors an affordable way to get their books in front of new readers. Beth is a featured Lime Light author, and this episode is a paid feature. Want your book in the Lime Light? Reach out at https://margsandmanuscripts.com. Support the show

What if Death Becomes Her ditched the man and let the two women kiss? That’s the pitch for Vengefully Matched, Audrey Goldberg’s sapphic, witchy rom-com about a runaway bride, a prim council president, a prank war gone too far, and a fake relationship that gets very real. Audrey, a high school English teacher by day, joins Jenna and Cait to talk about the cover inspo board (Taste, Wicked, Agatha All Along, and more), why she writes with a soundtrack in her head, and why Vermont is the perfect place for secret witches. She also shares honest, encouraging advice on writing intimacy, why messy drafts beat writer’s block, and the story behind a very spicy water bottle scene that didn’t make the final cut. Plus: a pitch for a Hanukkah-Christmas-Halloween holiday novella, a glitter bomb, and the greatest mayonnaise prank of all time. Vengefully Matched is the second interconnected standalone in the Hallowcross series, following Hopelessly Teavoted. Audrey’s YA debut, Personal Space Issues, arrives March 23, 2027. In this episode Sapphic, witchy rom-coms and late-in-life bisexual representationFake dating, prank wars, and age-gap dynamicsCover design and pulling inspiration from pop cultureWriting visually with soundtracks and internal narrationBuilding an interconnected standalone seriesVermont lore and spooky small-town settingsWriting intimacy, confronting shame, and practicing on the pageCut scenes and trusting your editorFinding the right amount of spice for the storyUsing tropes to play with reader expectationsHoliday romance ideas beyond ChristmasPranks as character growthBalancing teaching and writingGet the book Vengefully MatchedOrder from Park BooksFind Audrey Website: audreygoldbergauthor.comInstagram: @audreygoldbergruoffTikTok: @audreygoldbergruoffNewsletter: Just Your Cup of TeaWriting playlist: SpotifyBooks featured on this podcast are sometimes provided free by publishers or authors. Support the show

This week on the Lime Light, debut author Lizzete S. Tupas joins Jenna and Cait to talk about her novel, Always on a Tuesday. Loren Thomas has built a life on competence. At work she is the one everyone trusts, and at home she is the one everyone depends on. Then Tuesdays start cracking it all open. First comes an unexplained mistake, then a phone call she can't forget, then quiet fractures that refuse to stay hidden. It is a psychologically rich literary novel about identity, resilience, and the hidden cost of competence. We get into: the therapy homework assignment that started it allwhy Lizzete turned her story into fiction instead of a memoirfounding her own imprint to publish voices that deserve to be heardthe beta reader intervention that changed her titlethe post-it cover she designed herselfIn This Episode (00:19) The homework assignment from her therapist, and why she chose fiction over memoir(03:25) Jenna on becoming a new mom and not having it all together for the first time(04:24) Going from writing the story to publishing it, and founding Studio LT Press to publish stories that deserve to be heard(07:30) How learning every step of publishing made her a stronger writer (except marketing)(08:39) The ultimate homework assignment, and what her therapist will say when Lizzete hands her the book(09:38) The beta reader intervention, and finding a new title over sushi with her nephew(11:42) Rewriting the first three chapters, and the DIY cover made from a post-it and a Notes app scribble(14:31) Stumbling into your best ideas and trusting your instincts as an indie author(16:26) Why she is celebrating with a private dinner instead of a big launch party(18:25) Wrapping upGet the book Always on a Tuesday is out now from Studio LT Press in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and a special Lotus Edition. Book clubs, Lizzete has a free discussion guide ready for you. Buy: https://www.amazon.com/Always-Tuesday-Lizzete-S-Tupas-ebook/dp/B0HC53SD9PGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/256109987-always-on-a-tuesdayBook Club Guide: https://www.lizzetetupas.com/_files/ugd/5b61a0_700531798ed948a18d3b9c4b271b58a4.pdfConnect with Lizzete Website: https://www.lizzetetupas.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lizzetetupasTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lizzetetupasStudio LT Press: https://www.studioltpress.comSupport the show

Ten finished manuscripts. One titanium ankle. One perfectly timed book deal. This week, Amanda Gayle joins us to talk about her debut romance, Once, Again, Always (Avon/HarperCollins), and the long, honest road that got her there. She shares what it was like to quit her job to write, query, land an agent, and go on submission twice. She also explains why a shelved manuscript isn't dead, just waiting for the market to catch up. Plus, we hear about the backyard fire pit conversation that sparked the story, the ending she never outlined, and her trip to Germany for her international launch. In this episode, we talk about: Why getting published comes down to timing as much as talentBuilding a back catalog so you're ready when your moment comesWhat submission looks like when it works, and when it doesn'tPromoting one book while editing the nextChoosing traditional publishing and knowing your strengthsKeeping the faith when it feels like your turn will never comeAbout Once, Again, Always Molly Graham wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the last six years. Then she finds out she's married to Aster Bishop, her infuriating boarding school rival. Amanda calls it a heartbreaking but hopeful second-chance romance about who we are when we're missing our own context. It's out October 6 from Avon. Join the Margs & Manuscripts Book Drop Want more indie books in your life? For $10 a month, Book Drop members get at least three indie ebooks every month, plus discount codes for physical copies. Every time an indie author's Limelight episode comes out, we pay that author $2 for every active member. The podcast and the Substack stay free. Book Drop is how we put real money behind indie authors. Join here: https://margsandmanuscritspod.substack.com/p/its-here-the-margs-and-manuscripts Links Margs & Manuscripts on Substack: https://margsandmanuscritspod.substack.com/Amanda Gayle on instagramPick up Once, Again, Always Books featured on this podcast are sometimes provided free by publishers or authors. Support the show

Spicy romance meets CSI. Allison Bettes joins Jenna and Cait to celebrate the release of Rogue Wave, book three in her Cupid Meets Crime Scene series. A sunshiny marine biologist, a grumpy sheriff next door who writes her tickets for everything, and a beach that washes up a lot more than sand dollars. We talk about writing women in STEM whose expertise actually cracks the case, the very random research behind axolotls and escape-artist octopuses, and why Allison's animals are never just pets (one is basically a matchmaker). Plus her first special editions, a bedazzling habit measured in thousands of beads, the shift from shirtless-guy covers to bright symbolic ones, and how a side character named after a street team member ended up launching a whole new series. In this episode: Rogue Wave and the Cupid Meets Crime Scene series (and why you can start with any book)Women in STEM solving the crime, inspired by Allison's day job as a scientistResearch rabbit holes: axolotls, octopuses, and a probable FBI watch listSpecial editions with sprayed edges, a town map, and science jokes at the top of every chapterThe 27-hour bedazzled event copy that is not for salePartnering with indie bookstore Shelf Love for pre-orders and book boxesThe cover glow-up with designer Kay JaspersonWhat's next: Gail's book in January and a Vivi and Dougie spin-off seriesGet Rogue Wave (out October 1) Special editions: Allison's Website (free shipping) Special editions and book boxes: Shelf Love Pre-orders placed by Saturday, October 3 get personalized. Connect with Allison: @authorallisonbettes Connect with M&M: @margsandmanuscripts Support the show

We hit almost 500 downloads in a single week, and we're marking the milestone with an episode that turned into a full-circle moment for our own indie publishing journeys. Dakoda Mazzii, author of the dark fantasy trilogy The Fate of Astoran, joins us to talk about querying, signing with a literary agent, and ultimately walking away to self-publish on her own terms. Since then she's released Chasm of Dreams and Summoner of Chaos seven months apart, sold thousands of copies, and built a devoted readership from scratch. We get into how she grew her fanbase as an indie author (hint: human-made artwork, newsletters, and a lot of giving books away), why she refuses to write to market, and why she's giving herself zero deadline for book three. Plus some honest talk about day jobs, health insurance, and the reality of chasing a creative dream without betting your whole life on it. In this episode: Why Dakoda left the trad pipeline after a year of waiting and uncertaintyReleasing two epic fantasy books in seven months (and why book three gets all the time it needs)Investing in human artists over AI art to draw readers inNewsletters, giveaways, and the self-sacrificial side of indie marketingWhy "writing to market" isn't the answerEvery author has their own journey, and your craft grows with every bookA reminder for the online author community: we're all on the same teamAbout Chasm of Dreams: A character-driven, fast-paced, Lord of the Rings-coded fantasy about a dream walker and her found family taking on the fallen angel who has conquered their world. Expect prophecy, revolution, a medium-burn romance with zero brooding animosity, and a story about honor, compassion, and humanity reclaiming its footing. Chapters: 00:00 Almost 500 downloads in one week 02:14 Meet Dakoda and Chasm of Dreams 05:16 The Fate of Astoran series 07:49 Querying, landing an agent, and walking away 13:28 Choosing indie and letting book three breathe 17:11 How she built her readership 23:07 Every author has their own journey 28:13 Leaving the query trenches and ignoring the market 31:44 Day jobs, health insurance, and real talk about risk 33:18 Be nice, we're on the same team Find Dakoda: Instagram: @dakodamazziiauthor Find us: Instagram: @margsandmanuscripts Support the show

This week on the Limelight, debut author Elizabeth Gillman joins Jenna and Cait to talk about her novel, Maybe, Maybe Not. Annie has learned to live well with her OCD, but travel has always been off the table, and she has never left her little Gulf Coast community. When her boss offers to sell her the boutique she has worked in since she was a teenager, Annie finally decides to face travel with her fearless best friend Kat by her side. Then Kat dies unexpectedly, leaving behind a list of offbeat places to scatter her ashes and a surly little brother to help get it done. It is funny, it is tender, and it is full of road trip energy. We get into why OCD is not the antagonist of this story, the deeply personal reason Elizabeth wrote it, the octopus hiding on her gorgeous cover, and her ten-year road to publication. Her OCD is an octopus. Her best friend's last wishes are a road trip. If you love Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Road to Tender Hearts, this one is for you. In this episode: (00:00) How long Elizabeth has been working on this book, and meeting Cait at the Alexandria retreat(00:48) ARC reader reception and trying (and failing) not to read reviews(02:09) The pitch, the premise, and the comp titles(04:41) Why OCD is not the antagonist(05:59) The heart of the story: writing hope for her daughter and for the parents who love kids with OCD(10:19) The cover journey, letting the designer take the wheel, and the octopus you can't unsee(14:37) Elizabeth's ten-year publishing journey, from a 134,000-word first draft to finding her first critique partner(21:25) Writing this one for her daughter, setting a querying deadline, and choosing to go indie(23:40) Building a publishing team, from dev editor to audiobook narrator(25:05) Wrapping upIf you liked these, you'll like Maybe, Maybe Not: The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie HartnettJane and Dan at the End of the World by Colleen OakleyEleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail HoneymanTurtles All the Way Down by John GreenAfter Annie by Anna QuindlenGet the book:  Maybe, Maybe Not comes out September 26 from 20 Knots Press and is available for preorder now. Keep an eye out for two more books from Elizabeth coming soon. Preorder: https://books2read.com/u/bPqqlRWebsite: https://elizabethgillman.squarespace.com/Find Elizabeth: Website: https://elizabethgillman.squarespace.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethgillmanwritesSupport the show

Katie Jung joins us to talk about her debut romance, You're the One That I Haunt, and the surprisingly hard rules of writing a love interest who can't be touched. We dig into how Trip became a ghost in the first place, the logic she had to build so the "rules" of a paranormal romance actually hold up (turns out you don't need to explain everything, sometimes a ghost is just an octopus), and why every bit of magic in a story needs to earn its place in the plot. Katie also walks us through her whirlwind path to publication, from a mentorship program to an agent to a two book deal in under a year, and gives us the details on her launch week, including a haunted wine bar and a joint event with fellow author Mackenzie Reed. In this episode: How Trip became a ghost, and why Katie almost changed her mind more than onceBuilding consistent rules for a paranormal romance without overexplaining the magic (the "static electricity, not a chill" fix)Why every magical element needs to serve the character arc, not just solve a plot problemJenna's trick of personifying a magic system as its own character to find its "why"The Smooch Pit mentorship program, her mentor Audrey Goldberg Rueff, and the agent showcase that led to her offerHer timeline from agent signing in March to book deal in June to publication in September, all inside one yearWhat's next: book two is a new contemporary romance with a magical element, same vibe, and yes, this time they can touchLaunch week plans, including her haunted-wine-bar release party and a joint event with Mackenzie ReedAbout Katie Jung Katie Jung writes romance about the messy parts of being human and what it means to build your own happy ending. You're the One That I Haunt is her debut novel, publishing September 22, 2026 from Penguin Random House. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and three kids, and she's already at work on book two. Where to find Katie: You're the One That I Haunt — launch event in Syracuse, NYJoint event with Mackenzie Reed (I Hope This Email Finds You in Hell) at The Ripped Bodice, Sept 24Instagram: @katiejungwrites Book Break: Maybe, Maybe Not by Elizabeth Gillman It's taken decades, but Annie Reeves has learned to coexist with her OCD. Travel's still out of the question, but her moss-draped historic Florida town holds everyone she loves, including her fearless best friend Kat and the boutique she's managed for years. When Kat dies unexpectedly, Annie learns Kat wanted her ashes scattered far and wide, with Kat's wayward brother Evans by her side. To honor that wish, Annie has to face everything that triggers her and decide whether to let her heart lead the way. Available 9.26.26 https://books2read.com/b/bPqqlR  Support the show

What happens when the story you need to tell won't let you write it until you're ready? This week Jenna and Cait sit down with Kathy Sherbrooke (Katherine A. Sherbrooke), author of the new novel This Much Is True, out September 17th. It's a conversation about elapsed time, trusting your subconscious, and making the case for protagonists who have some real life experience behind them. Kathy first had the premise for This Much Is True more than a decade ago, then set it down twice to write two works of historical fiction before she finally found her way through it. We get into why that ten-year wait made the book better, what it means to write a woman reckoning at 58 with something that happened 40 years earlier, and her craft choice to tell one timeline in first person and the other in close third. We also talk about GrubStreet, the Boston writing center Kathy chaired for a decade, and why community is the thing that turns one novel into four. Plus the writing-as-channeling conversation, a little Big Magic, the trouble with the "women's fiction" label, and why this is a book Kathy hopes men will read too. In this episode: The value of elapsed time and letting an idea percolate instead of chasing a word countWriting an older protagonist with real history, and why that felt so refreshingFirst person vs. close third, and how point of view shapes distanceGrubStreet, writing groups, and the case for communityHistorical fiction rooted in real women, from Lucy Stone to a 1940s Hollywood runway modelGetting past the "women's fiction" shelf and inviting everyone into the conversationAbout the book: On her 58th birthday, veterinarian Veronica Harmon has a full life and a newly engaged daughter, until a face from her past reappears as her daughter's future father-in-law and forces a decades-old reckoning. This Much Is True is a story about survivorship, shame, and the choices that are ours to make. Content note: this episode and the book touch on sexual assault. Kathy's other books: Leaving Coy's Hill, Fill the Sky, and The Hidden Life of Aster Kelly. Book launch: Thursday, September 17th at 6:00 PM at GrubStreet in Boston's Seaport. Books featured on this podcast are sometimes provided free by publishers or authors. Support the show

Episode Summary What happens when a sous vide nerd falls hard for a war college full of dragons? You get a cookbook. This week we sit down with Chelsea Cole, the mind behind A Guide to the Kitchen Quadrant, the (unofficial) Fourth Wing cookbook that is embossed, spot glossed, and frankly prettier than most things in our houses. We get into how you build a recipe out of four passing food mentions, why aesthetic is the entire point, and how she turns a book launch into a full night at Basgiath (axe throwing, a maker's market, and a marketplace throne included). Come hungry. Leave manifesting Rebecca Yarros's phone number. In This Episode How a cookbook actually gets made, from 30 recipe testers to chapter intros to dragon scale cover texturesWriting recipes when the source material only mentions food four timesPicking a whole flavor world (hello, Southern European Navarre) to make a fan cookbook feel cohesiveFan lore as an ingredient: Jesinia's margin notes, Segale's chardonnay, Broccoli the kittenTurning launches into immersive events that actually sell outThe working author-parent reality: 5am writing, meal planning a month at a time, and treating it like a business, not a hobbyWhy fan-first beats source-accurate every time (the rabbit stew is beef, sorry)About Chelsea Cole Chelsea Cole is a cookbook author, food blogger, and photographer who has been running her sous vide site A Duck's Oven for over a decade. She wrote Everyday Sous Vide and Sous Vide Meal Prep, and she teaches other writers how to make cookbooks through her course, The Cookbook Lab. A devoted Sarah J. Maas and Rebecca Yarros fan, she has turned her fandoms into a growing shelf of unofficial fan cookbooks, the newest being A Guide to the Kitchen Quadrant, a 60-recipe tribute to the Empyrean series (Fourth Wing, Iron Flame, and Onyx Storm) from Simon & Schuster. She lives outside Portland, Oregon, where she develops recipes before sunrise and raises two very small humans. Links Get A Guide to the Kitchen Quadrant: https://a.co/d/0byRi0KaChelsea on Instagram: @chel.seacoleA Duck's Oven: aducksoven.comThe makers from Chelsea's launch market (ceramics, embroidery, hand-forged daggers, and more):  @brujos_brewing @elviejonpdx @domestic_science @saltandstemware @stephiepredmore @faithhead99 @lindsaystranniganFollow Along Loved this one? Send it to the friend whose TBR is 90% romantasy. Then do us a favor and follow Margs & Manuscripts on Apple Podcasts and leave a review. It genuinely moves the needle on who finds the show. Website: margsandmanuscripts.comInstagram: @margsandmanuscriptsBooks featured on this podcast are sometimes provided free by publishers or authors. Keywords Fourth Wing cookbook, Chelsea Cole, A Guide to the Kitchen Quadrant, Rebecca Yarros, The Empyrean, Iron Flame, Onyx Storm, Basgiath, romantasy, fan cookbook, unofficial cookbook, cookbook author, cookbook writing, sous vide, book launch, self-publishing, indie author, bookish podcast, books and writing podcast, A Court of Thorns and Roses Support the show

What happens when your book dies on submission? For author Elizabeth Richardson, the answer turned into one of the best decisions she's ever made. This week we dig into her viral serialization of Trad, the novel she serialized on Substack after it didn't sell, and how she built an audience of 800+ subscribers in a single summer. We get into the highs and lows of querying and going on sub, why toxic positivity runs rampant in publishing, and how the "no rules anymore" era of indie publishing is opening doors that used to be firmly shut. Elizabeth also shares her surprisingly simple serialization strategy (hint: it started with fanfiction), why she treats every release like a debut, and the hustle behind getting yourself heard. Whether you're querying, on sub, or just Substack-curious, this one's for you. In this episode: Why Elizabeth dragged her feet on Substack, then went all inWhat it really feels like when a book dies on subCelebrating the wins without the toxic positivityThe fanfiction-inspired cadence that built her audienceWhy not every book (or genre) is right for SubstackSerialization, tension, and the "Netflix binge" model for booksTreating your release like a debut, and pitching like you mean itThe Trad pitch: a woman named Hannah pretends to be a trad wife online, goes viral, and unravels her life one bad decision at a time. Subscribe to Trad and catch up before the final chapter drops. Follow Elizabeth: https://substack.com/@elizabethrichardsonbooks  Follow Margs & Manuscripts: @margsandmanuscripts This episode is brought to you by: Andrew Loftesnes' book The Emperor's Cabin Buy on amazon or wherever books are sold: https://a.co/d/0gXUhiSu  Support the show

This week on the Limelight, debut author Emily joins Jenna and Cait to talk about her first novel, The Care and Feeding of Dead Mothers. A disgraced author named Margot Hale flees Manhattan for the Wisconsin Northwoods after fraudulent accusations blow up her career, and five years later she is a recluse trying to piece her writing life back together when her estranged, shapeshifting sister comes crawling back into the picture. It is dark, it is twisty, and the buried trauma does not stay buried. We get into Emily's very Wisconsin murder research, her writing-coach-guided path to indie publishing, and the wildly ambitious meta-project she has planned for the world of Margot Hale. Margot's career is unraveling. So is her mind. If you love Sharp Objects and anything by Alice Feeney, this one is for you. In this episode: (00:00) Meet Margot Hale and the premise behind Dead Mothers(03:00) Where the story came from, and how Emily's husband Michael talks her through plot logic(04:40) The research rabbit hole: augers, flowages, and the best time of year to drown a body in Wisconsin(10:00) How the book actually came together during pregnancy(11:00) The publishing journey and finding the right writing coach(16:15) Comp titles and read-alikes(20:50) Launch details, personalized book boxes, and supporting indie authors(23:40) Book two, and the Stephen King style twist of bringing Margot Hale to life as a real author(29:00) Wrapping upIf you liked these, you'll like Dead Mothers: You Killed Me First by John MarrsListen for the Lie by Amy TinteraOne of Us Knows by Alyssa ColeHis & Hers by Alice FeeneyWe Were Liars by E. LockhartSharp Objects by Gillian FlynnAnything by Lucy Foley or Alice FeeneyGet the book: Launch week runs August 24 through 30, with a 99-cent ebook deal. Find it on Amazon, or order a personalized signed copy with book box extras directly from Emily's website. Local to Sun Prairie? Grab it at Prairie Pages. Buy on Amazon: https://a.co/d/057SNwdYOrder direct from Emily: https://elkaltenbergwrites.com/Find Emily: Website: https://elkaltenbergwrites.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/writing_kaltenbergSupport the show