Jump start
YOUR writing
with this free eBook!
Electrify your writing with nearly 100 tips from bestselling and award-winning authors.
Jump start
Seven questions, 15 authors, and nearly 100 tips on writing and marketing, including:
Stay Focused
From young children to writers' block, distraction and timing affect ALL writers ... even bestselling authors!
Simplify Your Process
Find out the secret - and not so secret - aids prolific writers use to simplify their work.
Network With Peers
Learn to build a network of colleagues and friends to successfully share your journey.
Launch Your Book
Discover what works - and what is a waste of time and money - from top authors.
Meet Our Authors!
Diane Barnes
Diane is the author of More Than, Waiting for Ethan, and Mixed Signals. She is also a marketing and corporate communications writer in the health care industry. When she’s not writing, she’s at the gym, running or playing tennis, trying to burn off the ridiculous amounts of chocolate and ice cream she eats. She and her husband Steven live in Massachusetts and dream of moving to Turks and Caicos—at least for the winter months. Diane hopes you enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.
Josie Brown
Almost three million copies of Josie Brown’s novels are in readers’ hands. Josie is the author of the 21-novel Housewife Assassin’s Handbook series; the 8-novel Totlandia episodic series; the 3-novel Extracurricular episodic series; and the 2-novel True Hollywood Lies series; as well as The Candidate and The Baby Planner. Her novel, Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives, was optioned by producer Jerry Bruckheimer for television. Josie also moderates the “Author Provocateur” podcast.
Julie Cantrell
Julie Cantrell is a multiple award-winning New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author, editor, story coach, TEDx speaker, and ghostwriter. She served as editor-in-chief of the Southern Literary Review and has received the Mississippi Arts Commission Literary Arts Fellowship, the Rivendell Writers Colony Mary Elizabeth Nelson Fellowship, and the Pat Conroy Writer’s Residency Fellowship.
In addition to Author Talk Network, she’s a member of the Tall Poppy Writers and Her Novel Collective, two organizations that promote the power of story and elevate female voices.
Lainey Cameron
Lainey Cameron is a digital nomad and author of women’s fiction. A recovering tech industry executive, her award-winning novel, The Exit Strategy, was inspired by a decade of being the only woman in the corporate boardroom. A digital nomad—meaning she picks locations around the world to live (and write) for months at a time—Lainey is an avid Instagrammer and loves to share her travel tips and insights with readers. Originally from Scotland, Lainey has a soft spot for kilts and good malt whisky.
Barbara Conrey
Barbara Conrey is the USA Today Bestselling author of Nowhere Near Goodbye, her debut, published on August 4, 2020, by Red Adept Publishing, and My Secret To Keep, which releases on August 23, 2022.
Barbara is an active member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Women’s National Book Association, and Author Talk Network. She also moderates the online book club for the Facebook group Bookish Road Trip.
Travel is her passion, along with reading, writing, hiking, and exploring antique shops. Her greatest love is Miss Molly, her rescue beagle. There are stories to be told about beagles, and Barbara hopes to incorporate them into her writing. Barbara lives in Pennsylvania, close to family and friends.
Michelle Cox
Michelle Cox is the author of the Henrietta and Inspector Howard series as well as “Novel Notes of Local Lore,” a weekly blog dedicated to Chicago’s forgotten residents. Her books have won over 50 international awards and have been praised by Kirkus, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Elle, Redbook, Brit&Co., Popsugar, Buzzfeed, and many others.
Unbeknownst to most, Michelle hoards board games she doesn’t have time to play and is, not surprisingly, addicted to period dramas and big band music. Also, marmalade. She lives in Chicago with her husband, three children, naughty Goldendoodle and is hard at work on her latest novel.
C. D’Angelo
C. D’Angelo is the award-winning Women’s Fiction author of The Difference and The Visitor. A psychotherapist for over 20 years, her love of writing has grown from a hobby to a passion. Active in the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, she also assists other writers with pitch writing and strategy development for social media through her Pitch Party Prosperity services. When not writing relatable stories of Italian American culture, she can be found at home in Florida enjoying time with her husband, playing ukulele, drawing, crocheting, and partaking in a variety of other artistic endeavors.
Melissa Face
Melissa Face is the author of I Love You More Than Coffee, an essay collection for parents who love coffee a lot and their kids…a little more. Her essays and articles have appeared in Richmond Family Magazine, Tidewater Family Magazine, Scary Mommy, and twenty-four volumes of Chicken Soup for the Soul. She lives in Prince George and teaches world literature at the Appomattox Regional Governor’s School for the Arts and Technology.
Mandy Haynes
Mandy Haynes has spent hours on barstools and riding in vans listening to outrageous tales from some of the best songwriters and storytellers in Nashville, Tennessee. She quit a stressful career as a pediatric cardiac sonographer to chase her dream of becoming a writer. She now lives the life of a beach bum on Amelia Island with her three dogs, one turtle, and a grateful liver. She is a contributing writer for Amelia Islander Magazine and Editor-in-Chief of Reading Nation Magazine. Mandy is the author of two short story collections, Walking the Wrong Way Home and Sharp as a Serpent’s Tooth Eva and Other Stories and Oliver, a novella.
Leslie Lehr
A prize-winning writer, Leslie’s books include A Boob’s Life: How America’s Obsession Shaped Me and You – in development with producer Salma Hayek for HBO Max, What A Mother Knows – a Target Recommended Read, Wife Goes On, and 66 Laps – the winner of the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Prize. Her nonfiction books include Welcome to Club Mom and Wendy Bellissimo: Nesting, featured on Oprah. Leslie’s essays have appeared in the New York Times Modern Love column (narrated by Katie Couric on NPR), HuffPost, Yourtango, and in anthologies including Mommy Wars, The Honeymoon’s Over, and On Becoming Fearless. In addition, she wrote the original screenplays for the indie romantic thriller, Heartless, and the comedy-drama, Club Divorce. Leslie has also worked in film production. She has a BA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she won a Student Emmy and an MFA from Antioch. A breast cancer survivor, Leslie is “Chemo Chick” on Sickofpink.com.
www.leslielehr.com Life
Saralyn Richard
Saralyn Richard is the award-winning author of Murder in the One Percent and A Palette for Love and Murder; and two stand-alone mysteries, A Murder of Principal, and Bad Blood Sisters. She’s also written the children’s book, Naughty Nana, and she’s been a contributing author to the Bacopa Literary Review and the upcoming anthology of short stories from Encircle Publications. She served as chief editor of Burn Survivors’ Journey. When not reading, writing, cooking, or gardening, Saralyn teaches creative writing and literature at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. She lives in Texas with her husband, her person-in-a-dog-suit sheepdog Nana, and her Bichon Archie.
Linda Rosen
Fitness Professional turned novelist, Linda Rosen’s books are set in the “not-too-distant past” and examine how women reinvent themselves despite obstacles thrown their way. A central theme is that blood is not all that makes a family–and they always feature a piece of jewelry! Her debut novel, The Disharmony of Silence, released March 5, 2020, right before Covid19 locked us down. Her sophomore novel, Sisters of the Vine, came out one year later. Both are published by Black Rose Writing. In addition to writing novels, Linda was a contributor to Women in the Literary Landscape: A WNBA Centennial Publication for the Women’s National Book Association and has had stories published in online magazines and print anthologies. She is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and co-founder of the South Florida chapter of the Women’s National Book Association where she holds the position of VP of Programming. On the WNBA national level, Linda is Selections Coordinator of the Great Group Reads committee which chooses books for National Reading Group Month. In addition, she is a founding member of The Author Talk Network and an administrator and editor of the Facebook Group, Bookish Road Trip.
Linda lives with her husband in New Jersey, but when the leaves fall and she has to swap sandals for shoes and socks they move to their home in Florida.
Grace Sammon
Grace Sammon is the founder of Author Talk Network, an entrepreneur, educator, speaker, and author. She has started and managed two for-profit and two not-for-profit companies, and she has traveled to thirty-five states and eight foreign countries. Recognized in “Who’s Who in Education” and “Who’s Who in Literature,” Grace is utilizing skills built up over decades as she reinvents herself with her award-winning fourth book and debut novel, as well as with a return to one of her early loves, radio.
The Eves is an intergenerational story about lives lived well and lives in transition. It is a novel that challenges each of us to ask who we want to be in the world, regardless of our age. Grace brings that quest for a good story and a drive to keep contributing, to her new radio show and podcast, “The Storytellers.” Always committed to supporting authors, Grace is also the host of LAUNCH PAD the radio show and podcast – coupled with book marketing support that celebrates book debuts and the authors that create them. Grace is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers’ Association and the Women’s National Book Association. She is Director of Membership for one of the fastest-growing FaceBook groups, “Bookish Road Trip.” She is currently working on several anthologies and sketching out her next novel. Grace grew up on Long Island, NY and spent most of her life in the Washington, DC area. She currently lives on Florida’s west coast with her beloved husband and a small herd of imaginary llamas.
Mary Helen Sheriff
Mary Helen Sheriff is the author of the award-winning southern women’s fiction, Boop and Eve’s Road Trip. In her role as head of Book Marketing Coach, she provides critical support to authors navigating the waters of effectively launching, positioning, and seeing their books and their careers take off and succeed. She is the CEO and a co-founder of Bookish Road Trip and a blogger at “…the gift of story.” After 14 years in classrooms teaching elementary school, middle school, college, and professionals, Mary has taken a break from the classroom to focus on writing. She has an MFA from Hollins University, an MA from ODU, and a BA from UVA. She lives in Henrico County with her two children, two cats, and one husband.
Meredith Stoddard
Meredith R. Stoddard is an author, book coach and tour guide at Bookish Road Trip. She writes folklore-inspired fiction from her she shed in Virginia. She studied literature and folklore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before working as a corporate trainer and instructional designer. Her love of storytelling is inspired by years spent listening to stories at her grandmother’s kitchen table. She also puts her training and project management skills to work coaching authors and helping them establish processes for their author businesses.
About Author Talk Network
The Author Talk Network is the brainchild of author, educator, and radio show host Grace Sammon. A long-time entrepreneur, Grace has always believed that the power of a good idea, fueled by creative collaboration, leads to success. As a result, interest in the Network has grown quickly. Due to that growing interest, a “pop-up” launch of the Network occurred on November 1, 2021. In the US, this is the National Day of the Author, and November is National Novel Writing Month.
The “premier class” of the Network includes NY Times and USA Today bestsellers, multiple award winners, and debut novelists. The authors write across multiple genres and for a full age range of readers.
This eBook is the first of our offerings in this format. We also are available individually or on a range of topics as a panel. Below is a sampling of topics for conferences, meetings, pod and vodcasts, blogs, libraries, school groups, and more! For general coordination, further information, or assistance in building your panel, please contact Grace Sammon directly at grace@gracesammon.net
The panels:
• “Where Did You Come From?” How authors find their characters
• “Boo,” the art of ghostwriting”
• “The Art of Marketing Your Book, where to spend your time and money”
• “The Art of Social Media Management,” tips for authors
• “Authors on the Airwaves,” podcasting authors tell their stories
• “Mystery Novels,” what attracts readers and writers to solving the mystery
• “A Thing of the Past,” the importance of historical fiction
• “Book One and so on,” writing series vs. stand-alone works
• “I’m Late, I’m Late,” finding time to write
• “Sharing the Road,” the importance of a writing community
• “Come Follow Me,” connecting with readers
• “Down the Rabbit Hole,” author research techniques
• “The Long and Winding Road of Writing,” authors’ journeys to writing and publishing
• “Writer’s Critique Groups,” helpful or harmful
• “Fact vs. Fiction,” writing across genres and fiction vs. nonfiction
• “The Entrepreneurial Author,” the business of selling our wares
• “The End,” when do you know your work is ready to launch
Each of the authors brings their varied experiences of being full or part-time authors, as well as their lives as educators, lawyers, psychotherapists, Silicon Valley executives, speech pathologists, marketers, health care experts, journalists, veterans, parents, partners, and yoga instructors to the Author Talk Network experience. There’s a lot to talk about!
For more information on Author Talk Network visit our website at www.AuthorTalkNetwork.com and contact Grace Sammon here: grace@gracesammon.net
Get started today!
Our eBook will be available as a digital download as well as a flip book – enjoy reading and learning from top authors today!