Book Shop Chats:
Welcome to Book Shop Chats, your go to podcast for indie authors and learning insight into what it takes to write a book (HINT: You can do it too!!)
Join authors as they share their personal journeys, successes, and challenges, providing you with unique insights into the writing process. The discussions explore into various aspects of storytelling, from character development to plot structuring, ensuring you have a well-rounded understanding of the craft.
Whether you're just starting out or have published multiple works, this podcast is your companion in the pursuit of storytelling excellence. Tune in, gather inspiration, and let your passion for writing flourish alongside a community that celebrates the art of the written word.
Book Shop Chats:
Magic, Mystery, And Making A Debut Novel with Sara J. LIlienfeld
We sit down with Sara J. Lillenfeld to explore the journey from fanfiction to a finished debut, blending urban fantasy with a small-town murder mystery and the courage it took to complete the book after a cancer diagnosis. We also dig into edits, naming pitfalls, sustainable marketing, and resisting the comparison trap while building a genuine reader community.
Author bio:
Sara J. Lilienfeld is an urban fantasy author and lifelong reader, often spending days getting lost in books. She started writing in her teens, and hasn't stopped since. In her work, you'll find witchcraft, stories about community, and mystery. She lives in the DC metropolitan area with her two cats, Gin and Whiskey.
Blurb:
Home doesn’t always mean safe.
Adeline Coburn thought she’d left her home in Kentucky and her coven behind–permanently. After years of working as a Guardian in Seattle, tasked with keeping the supernatural world hidden from humans, tragedy strikes, and she finds herself adrift.
With nowhere else to go, she returns home to eastern Kentucky and discovers a darkness has taken root. A sinister magical force has been unleashed in the mountains, and its hunger is difficult to satisfy.
As strange and violent deaths begin to plague the small town of Evarts, everyone is a suspect, and anyone could be the next victim.
The witchcraft in Adeline's blood may be the key to stopping the spread of death and darkness, but she’ll have to confront long-held regrets from her past if she hopes to uncover who’s responsible for the blight before the darkness destroys her home and the only stability she has left.
Links: https://linktr.ee/saralilienfeld
About Victoria:
Hey there, I’m Victoria! As a writer and developmental editor, I specialize in helping busy writers bring their publishing dreams to life without the overwhelm. Your story deserves to shine, let's make magic together.
Here’s how I can help:
📖 FREE 7 day Writing Reset: Daily support in your inbox for 7 days.
Grab it HERE
📝 Developmental Editing: Get expert feedback that elevates your manuscript, strengthens your story, and polishes your characters.
✍️ 1:1 monthly support: Revitalize your creativity, map out your novel, and unleash your authentic voice.
Your story deserves to shine, and I’m here to make it happen. Let’s turn your writing dreams into a reality!
📱 IG: @editsbyvictoria
🌐 LINKS: Victoria Jane Editorial
Welcome to Bookshop Chats, where we cozy up with books, creativity, and embrace the magical, messy process of writing a book. I'm Victoria Jane, a writer, developmental editor, and coach for sensitive busy writers, and I love to support you on your journey of bringing your story to life. So whether you're here for inspiration, behind the scenes peaks of what it what it means to actually write a book, or just some bookish conversations, you are definitely in the right place. And if you're looking for more personalized support, I also offer one-to-one writing support sessions to help bring your story to life because sometimes you need a little bit of support digging through the noise that is your brain because same. And if you've got a finished craft, I would love to chat to you about developmental editing. It is my favorite thing. I love supporting authors in bringing their story to life. You can find all of the details in the show notes. So grab a coffee, grab a tea, plug in your headphones, go on a little walk, and let's dive into today's episode. Welcome back to Bookshop Chats. In today's episode, I am chatting with Sarah J. Lillenfeld. Welcome to the podcast. Hi, thanks for having me. Hey, I'm so excited to chat with you today. Uh, very exciting news. Your book, uh, well, by the time this goes live, your book will be out. But as it stands now, your book is coming out in a couple weeks, uh, which is so, so exciting. So I would love to give you the floor and let you share all about your book, baby, that is is soon to grace.
SPEAKER_01:Grace the world out in the world. Um, so my book is called Magic and Murder in the Holler. It is an urban fantasy novel that is set in the hills of eastern Kentucky, specifically in Everts, Kentucky. Um, it follows a witch named Adeline who returns home after uh living outside the state for about 15 years. And as soon as she returns home, some strange supernatural murders start happening. And the book follows her as she tries to get to the bottom of why these deaths are happening, what's causing them, and maybe uncover some secrets along the way.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. I am very intrigued. That sounds so fun and so different. I always get so uh like excited when I hear authors and their books, and there's like wild, wildly unique ideas that have just like come out of their brain. Uh that's so so cool. So I would love to hear a little bit about uh how how this idea came to you.
SPEAKER_01:Well, it came from a couple of different places. Um, I have been writing for a long time, like at least a decade. Now, some of that was like fan fiction writing, which I still consider writing. It helped me hone my craft. Um, and I had a couple books where I wrote one full draft, but then never came back to because it didn't quite feel right. And um a couple years ago, I got diagnosed with cancer. I'm doing perfectly fine now. But that was a bit of a wake-up call that had me re-evaluating what you know I wanted to do afterwards because I don't know if this was just something I experienced, but there were, but I felt this pressure of like people they beat cancer and then they go and climb Mount Everest, or they beat cancer and then, you know, they become a world-famous concert piano. And after, as I was kind of working through that, I need to do something to make me surviving this worth it, which is ridiculous when I say it out loud. I was like, you know what? I've always wanted to write a book. I've started writing a book, but I've never, you know, seen the process through. I don't need to write the next great American novel. I don't need to climb Mount Everest or run a marathon. I want to see this book through to the end. And I went back and I was reading a fan fiction that I was in the process of writing. I'd written like five chapters posted for and realized that the fan fiction itself wasn't working. Like it was a very grounded show that it was based in. And then I was adding witches and murders and curses and you know, vampires and stuff. Um, so I realized that the fic wasn't working, but a lot of the ideas that I had had some potential. So I was like, you know, maybe this is not meant to be a fanfiction, it's meant to be original fiction, and let me just see where I can take some of these ideas and go with them. And that turned into magic and murder in the holler.
SPEAKER_00:Okay. I there's so much, so many things here. Like I definitely echo that sort of like pressure of like, oh my gosh, I need to do the thing, right? Like that sort of like that fear of like, what if I don't make it count? And and all of that sort of stuff. So like I totally like I think that's a normal thing for us to feel of like we want to make life worth living. Um, so I I yeah, I can see where that comes from and just the fact that it it helps you like get this book out into the world. And I think even just have that confidence. Um, I find that that's often the case when we have like these big events, uh, whether it's like an illness or like a loss or something, that kind of just is like, oh wait, like I I gotta do the thing. And it just kind of wakes you up, which is like good in that regard, not all of the crappy stuff that comes along with it. But for that piece, I definitely um I feel you on that. And then fan fiction, I freaking love fanfic fan fiction. I think it's such an underrated tool when it comes to writing, uh, because it just it kind of takes the pressure off of it and you get to play. And I'm a visual learner too. So to have like the actual like visuals of the characters or the setting I found really fun to like play off of and just let my imagination kind of run amok, basically, like like you did.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I definitely agree because there's like you said, the pressures off of like, I don't need to figure out what I'm gonna name these characters. I don't need to figure out where I'm gonna set this, you know, high fantasy story because I'm just playing in, you know, J.R.L. Tolkien's sandbox. I'm writing a Lord of the Rings fanfiction, for example. Um, where it's like, I can just focus on like little stories I want to tell, or oh, this idea is really cool. Like it doesn't happen in the book I am in the process of putting out and will be up by the time uh this goes up. But you know, I want to do a story about dragons one day. Don't know what we're gonna do with the dragons yet, but the dragons will be there.
SPEAKER_00:I love that. I love that. And I think too, um, at least in my experience, like that first draft, that first book that you finish and you're like, I am actually gonna publish it. Like there's something really like powerful about that. And I think it just even if, you know, I mean, obviously you want it to sell and people to love it, but I think like that, like you've done a huge thing that not many people do. Um, so I feel like celebrating that is such a huge, like it's a huge thing that's so pumped. So I think that you are you are freaking killing it. Uh, I would love to to chat a little bit about kind of the writing process. Um, I always find that interesting just to see like what what do you find to be your like favorite part of writing a novel? And following that up, like what's the part that you're like, I would rather throw my computer in the lake than have to do this.
SPEAKER_01:So my favorite part is um, I really like figuring out a story that, like, to be perfectly honest, we all know that like no story is entirely 100% original. You know, tropes exist for a reason. Yeah, there are kind of story structures that have always existed, like a romance story is is always gonna be a romance, you're gonna have certain elements in it that fit. But I like magic and murder in the holler is a it's never been fantasy, but it's also a murder mystery. So I the thing that I loved about writing that particular story was I was like, okay, I can do the like normal detective fiction of like they go to the crime zine and they're looking at evidence, but I also can be like, okay, but what if magic is involved? What if this person was not, you know, shot with a gun, but they were attacked by a magic spell, for instance. Uh, so I really like exploring the creativity and trying to figure out how can I do this in a way that, you know, isn't so out there that people think the story doesn't make any sense, but is kind of a fresh take or like, oh, I never considered that if someone's coming at you with a gun and you can throw a fireball at them, you would definitely throw a fireball at them if they means if it means they're not gonna shoot you.
SPEAKER_00:Definitely, definitely. I think that's so cool. Of like that, I really love that sort of like taking, like you said, those tropes that exist because like we love them. Um, and our our human brains really do love the predictability of things. Like, that's the reason why, like you said, most stories have a very similar structure. Like your characters are going on this hero's journey, and that's like pretty much 90% of all books, right? Like there's something comforting about that. But then I love it when authors take sort of a fresh take on the either like genre blending or like a trope that is so popular, and they're like, I'm gonna change it and do it this way instead. And it usually ends up working, which is really cool. Uh, and it it just kind of like, I don't know, just challenges your reader a little bit and be like, hey, like psych, I thought you thought this was gonna happen, but this is happening instead.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And then to answer your second question of what is the thing that makes me want to throw my computer out the window, um, it's it's kind of two things, but I wound up kind of tackling them in the process of writing um at the same time. So it might be that it was just the two of them together that made me dislike them so much. I very much am a figure out the plot, figure out the characters type person, especially those first couple drafts. Um, so then in the third and fourth draft, after you know, maybe I've had an editor see it, maybe I've had some beta readers see it, and they're like, I don't know what any of these people look like. I don't they're in a house. What does the house look like? Where it's adding in like the detail and trying to embody, or maybe embody is not the right word, but trying to be like, this is the exact house I'm picturing. How do I convey that to the reader without me just like pasting the reference image in the book? Just like here's a stock photo of this house. This is the house I am talking about. Here is a stock photo that is probably from like a men's casual wear magazine or like catalog. This is what the love interest looks like, that kind of thing. Um, so I was having to figure that out of like, what does everyone look like? What does uh everything look like? And then also coming up with character names because I knew from very early on Adeline's name was gonna be Adeline, her brother's name was gonna be Elijah, a couple of other like big characters I knew what their names were gonna be. But then as I was writing, if I just needed like the male man to have a name or the kid who works at the gas station, I would just throw in a random name. Um and then I had a beta reader say, You have these three characters, and I don't remember the exact three because I've since changed their names. But let's say their names were like Jackson, Jason, James. Like you have these names, they're very similar. I don't know who these people are. So when this thing happened to this one character, I didn't know who that was, which is something you never want to hear. But if it has to come from someone, I want it to come from either a beta reader or an editor, because then I can fix it. It's not already out in the world for everyone to be like, I thought Jason was the love interest, but Jason is actually the killer. Because I oh my gosh, so so on point.
SPEAKER_00:That is it's like in my like editing world when I'm working with authors like for developmental editing, like that's such a huge thing, especially I think as the writer, like even when I'm writing my own book, like all of the stuff I'm like, oh like crap, like I can see them, but my readers can't. And it's wild how like all of the little mechanics that you need to think about when you're writing a story that you have to make sure are in it. Like it's I I had no idea when I first started writing. Um, but like you said, um having like beta readers or editors is such a key part of the writing process because they can give you that feedback that you are just not aware of because you know all of the stuff, you know what the house looks like, you know who these characters are, you know all of that. Um, but somebody who's coming in and has no background is like, like you said, like who is this guy? Like this rando, like is he important? Like, should I care about him? Like, what's going on? Um, and having somebody to to tell you that is just such a key uh part of the puzzle. It's scary though, like you said, of like, oh crap, like I can't believe I missed something so obvious. I'm constantly doing that in my own writing. I'm like, how do I miss that? It's so obvious. Uh, but it's just part of the, yeah, it's part of the process, I feel like, as you're making sense of it and like getting to the actual like magical like gem of the story underneath all of the muck and stuff.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. And I did luck out in that a lot of the names I had to change just because they were too similar to other ones, were not like vital to the story, where it wasn't like the answer to the mystery hinges on the killer's name being Jack. Like it was nothing of that nature. And they also weren't uh, you know, major characters. So I just kind of I became very good friends with uh baby name websites where it's just like I I just need a normal sounding name because I do have the added advantage of it takes place in a slightly more magical world, but it's still Kentucky. So there are still people named like Steve and Jacob and Elijah. I don't have to do like the fantasy names where it's Samwise Gamge or Air World's on an arathorn, where it's like if I if I had to come up with names that sound fantastical, that would be a whole other uh mountain to climb.
SPEAKER_00:Oh my gosh. Yeah, like props to those authors who write like these epic fantasy novels because I'm like a ha I my brain is like blown with that. Like it's so it's like you're creating like two characters, like the all of the characters in in the book, and then the world is a character, and then all of the magical systems. It's just like it's wild.
SPEAKER_01:And sometimes it feels like you're creating like your own language. Like I had to come up with one term that was not well known for things that are important in later books than the series because I plan to write more. But I went back and forth so many times on, you know, am I accidentally using a word that means something I don't want to I don't want it to mean in like some other language, where like, yes, I think this is a really cool, epic sounding name, but in like Romanian it means poopy head or something. So true. So I I I had to come up with one name, and it took me uh I went back and forth on it at least five times.
SPEAKER_00:Oh yeah, those little details that just take so oh gosh, like that. I I feel you on that. Like that's the hardest, I feel like the hardest part. And oftentimes it's they'll be that placeholder forever. And I'm like, I need to have a name here, I need to have something here. I can't just be insert magical word or insert like normal, like name or whatever. And then yeah, it it's it's hard sometimes. Uh, and then suddenly it just comes to you, and you're like, oh my gosh, like that's it. That's amazing. I can't believe I discovered this. Yeah. Awesome. Well, now your book is done, um, which is amazing. And I think many authors are like, Great, I've I've done it. Um, and then we promptly forget and realize that uh that's kind of just the beginning of the whole journey. So I'd love to hear a little bit more about how this sort of publishing side of things has gone as you're kind of in the thick of it. Things are ramping up, marketing, all of that sort of fun, not so fun stuff is um happening. So yeah, I'd I'd love to hear a little bit about that process for you.
SPEAKER_01:So I like 99% of the marketing I've done has been social media, just having an Instagram account, having a threads account, engaging, you know, following other authors, engaging with their posts, things of that nature. Because I didn't, you know, there's that saying of like write the book you want to read. I wrote the book I wanted to read, but I didn't want to be the only person who read it. So I kind of was like, okay, I need to find some fantasy readers. And um, so a lot of my marketing has just been building up an Instagram following, which is also kind of like in a way, it's a little frustrating. I love writing, I want to spend more time writing, but I also have to figure out why did this post do better than this post? Um, or like, okay, I want to post just like a picture of my book next to my cat because my cats are cute and people like cats. And like maybe they'll be like, oh, that looks like an interesting book that's next to that really cute cat. But now I have to think of a caption for it that like threads the needle of here's my cute cat, and I wrote a book, but I'm not being too annoying about either.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, that is the dilemma, I feel like, of just yeah, social media is social media in general, of just that constant like crap, like I have to do this too. Um, it's so it can feel really daunting of just trying to like keep up and promote right the book and get it in front of the right people. And I feel like it's hard and it can feel, like you said, a little frustrating of just like it just takes you away from the thing that you want to do. And that's really like the writing of the books is really what's gonna help. Uh, and I think it can I at least I remind myself of this of like I'm here for the long game. So if this is just my first book, it's okay if it's not like you know, gaining a huge amount of traction. Obviously, I don't want people to read it, but it's like hopefully it will kind of build as I have more um coming. And I think that that's something that you see in so many, like even um like trad publishers, like trad published books of just, you know, book talk blew up one of their books, and then suddenly you're like, oh my gosh, like I've never heard of this author before. But they have like 12 other books that has that have been written. So it's uh it's definitely a lot sometimes, though. I feel you. I'm like, dude, I just don't want to do it. I just want to throw my phone away some days.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and it's also very I had to start like base. There was a period of time when I was in the revision trenches where you know the book is with beta readers, the book is with editors. I can't work on it right now because someone else is working on it, and I one don't want to be a jerk and be like, can you hurry up and give me my feedback? Because people work at different paces. Um but so during that time, the only thing I really could do was like work on my social media presence, get some more, build a little bit more of a community. And it's really easy when you're you don't, or at least for me, it was very easy when I didn't have a writing project to work on, and I was spending a lot of time on social media to get sucked into why is this person doing better than me? Um, whether it was, I I don't like TikTok that much. Um, you you you might if you need to cut this, I understand.
SPEAKER_00:Um no, don't worry. I I'm with you.
SPEAKER_01:It's because I don't really understand it, it's so hit or miss on what things do well, what things don't, that I'm just like, I put this stuff out there. I'm at the point now where I'm like, I put this, you know, TikTok out there. If it does, if a hundred people see it, great. If 500 people see it, great. If 5,000 people see it, I might have a panic attack because what do you mean 5,000 people looked at it? But when I was in the like revision trenches and uh I was waiting on collaborators, it became very easy for me to be like, I posted what is basically my version of you know what this other author posted. Why did they get 10,000 views and I got you know 27? Or um, you know, uh there's an author that I follow where her book is coming out a couple weeks before mine. And as just luck had it, we announced some things like around the same time where like she did a cover reveal and I did my cover reveal a couple days later, which like that was not intentional on either of our parts, but like they got 10 people to add the book on Goodreads before I did. And I was like, why does she get to have 10? And then I was like, wait, wait, I need to calm down. I need to calm down because her doing good does not mean I'm doing bad.
SPEAKER_00:Yes. Yes.
SPEAKER_01:Um, and I until that point, I didn't really understand when people say that like comparison is the thief of joy. And then I was like, as I was like, I need to calm down about that particular thing. You know, she might have more pre-orders, people who added it on goodreads, people who are, you know, want to get an advanced copy, whatever. But I still have, you know, my however many people over here that want to read my book. Why am I so upset at that, you know, she has three more than me, and I still have, you know, 15 people saying they want to read it, for example.
SPEAKER_00:Definitely. I think that that's such a great thing to talk about because I feel like briefly, I haven't jobin, that's not even a word. Um, yes, I can write, I swear. Uh, I haven't like explored that as much uh with many authors on this podcast of just that like comparison. And I feel like it can, like you said, it can be so easy to get sucked into that of just people they do like you you post something and then they post something and it gets like way more comments, or they are growing faster than you, but you started your Instagram like yours before them, or like all of those things. It's so wild to see how it becomes this sort of like odd competition, but then like it it really does suck the creativity out of you, and it's something that I'm constantly like reminding myself of like, no, like I just need to show up in the way that is authentic to me. And that's it. If it lands, it lands. And if it doesn't, oh well. And I think one thing that I have found really helpful, um, that maybe you or other authors will find helpful is yes, maybe your post only got 20 likes. But if you were in a room with 20 people that were like, I want to read your book, like how wild would that be? And I think sometimes we can forget that on social media because like 20 likes is nothing. Whereas people are constantly chasing that sort of viral thing. Um, but that viral thing, like you said, like suddenly having all of these eyes on you, like that can be really dysregulating and overwhelming to your system. And I think I would probably not like that. So uh I'm kind of glad that, you know, I get the views that I do, but it's something that is it's constantly of practicing. And it's usually a sign that I've been on my phone too long if I'm falling into that like comparison trap of like, wait a minute, like I'm consuming too much. I need to like go touch grass or something because this is just not healthy or helpful. Um and I think it's just yeah, it comes back to reminding yourself of that, like slow and steady. That's what I'm always telling myself. I'm like slow, steady, like all of these people that maybe we're comparing ourselves to, like, we have no idea what chapter they're on in their journey and how long they've been doing it for, or you know, what has been going on in their life, or how the algorithm randomly picked up the one video, um, like where it just like randomly it goes off, and you're like, I have no idea how that worked. And suddenly I have all of these eyes on this one, uh, real or whatever. Um, but yeah, I definitely feel that. And I mean, it it to go back to TikTok, I have no idea. I don't even really post on it, and I have never had so many creepy like messages on that app than any of the other social media platforms. So um it's definitely one that I'm not a huge fan of. And it's just it like it makes no sense in my brain. So um I just tend to hang out in an Instagram world because my my old millennial brain is like, we understand this.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I understand Instagram a lot more than I understand TikTok. And um speaking of just the weird, creepy, spammy messages you get on TikTok. Um, something that's been very funny for me is uh my sister ha my sister's career is marketing, and she has marketed a book in the past, but it was a nonfiction versus you know a fiction novel. But she's helping me do some like marketing stuff for my book of like, okay, you should reach out to you know these people who she and I know personally of like one of her best friends is currently reading my book because she thought she would really like it. And I would never have asked this person because I didn't know this person read that. But so my sister's helping me do some like marketing stuff and just you know build up a little bit of buzz. Um, and then I get these messages that are I can help you market your book and we can make you an Amazon bestseller. And I remember I got one, it wasn't through TikTok, it was through like my business email that somewhere in there, they were like, I can see a Netflix show like Wednesday based off your book. And I'm like, Don't don't do that to me. Um but my sister. But the upside to having my sister help me with marketing stuff is I read these messages and I go, okay, here's the difference between you, whoever you are, person with stock photo uh profile pick, and my sister. My sister knows where I live. And if I and if she like really needs me to do something of like, hey, you got an email from someone who's very excited about your book that asked a question of like, can you ship to Canada? You you need to respond. If I don't do that in a reasonable time frame, she knows where I live. She will come find me and be like, answer your emails. I love her. And I love the fact that she will do that.
SPEAKER_00:So helpful to have somebody that can kind of help navigate that. Um, even just somebody to have, like that you can bounce ideas off of, because I feel like that's the hardest part of creating content is just that like, you know, doing something that makes sense or like, is it funny? Or like, is this like and even somebody who's aware of like some trends? Cause I mean, I don't usually do a ton of them, but I'm like, oh, that one's hilarious. I definitely want to like jump on that one. Uh, but yeah, it's it's a process, and I think it just comes back down to like finding your groove and also being mindful. This is something that I want to put into practice more often, is taking breaks of just like knowing that there's a season for being on, like in that sort of like promo uh marketing kind of phase. And then there also needs to be a season for like living life and writing, uh, because otherwise it can be easy to get pulled in 7,000 different directions, and then I'm Like, I can't handle it and I need to lie down and then nothing gets done.
SPEAKER_01:So yeah, that and then, like, I don't know if other people have experienced it, but um, there have definitely been people I followed on social media before I started writing this book, where it seemed like they only posted when they had when they wanted you to buy something. It was, you know, nothing for nine months and then, oh, um, I'm gonna be on this show and you should tune in to watch me, you know, talking about like an actor I happen to follow. Um, or I'm doing a collaboration with this brand. I understand that there are influencers where they need to make a living, but if every post is a sponsored post, how do I know you like any of the things that you are using?
SPEAKER_00:Definitely. Um, and I think that's something like when it's that that that balance uh when it comes to like promoting the book. Um, I think there is some sort of like psychology of like people need to see something a certain number of times. I think it's like seven or seven to ten or something before they're like, oh yes. Um, I'm certain that number's probably increased now with the sheer volume of content that we are being bombarded with on a daily basis. But it yeah, it's that balance. And I think social media when it comes to like creatives, um, I I love seeing like little sneak peeks of like your you know life outside of writing or like your writing process or your desk or just your personality. And I think that is a fun way to kind of like sprinkle in things and be like, oh, PS, I also wrote a book. You probably would like it. So please read it.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's um I I definitely feel like I connect more with people who share not just today. I worked on chapter seven. Well, well, actually, let me backtrack because people who talk about their writing process, I do really enjoy their content. The people who are just like, here's a book I wrote, here's a book I wrote, here's a book I wrote, buy it, buy it, buy it. Or I'm like, I don't know anything about you. I don't know anything. Do you do you have pets? Have you gone on a vacation? Definitely. Do you like pretzels or popcorn?
SPEAKER_00:Important information, right? Like we must know what do you like? What is your coffee order? Um, I feel that uh definitely of just having that sort of like, yeah, tiny sneak peek into their life uh outside of writing. And I think that that can kind of help you gauge too of like, you know, what's their energy, what's their vibe? Is this book going to be something that is um, you know, something that I would like to read? Uh, or if not for me, maybe I know people who I could share their story with and you know, pass along their information so that you know they get reads, even if it's not the genre that I typically read. Uh yeah, it's it's a whole wild, wild world, uh, that social media beast. Uh it's definitely it can be a lot for sure. Well, I would love to hear now it's kind of we get close to the end here. I'd love to hear a little bit more about uh where people can find you and where they can buy your book. Because yes, this is also part of the process on this podcast is like telling people where they can get your book because it sounds really interesting. And I feel like perfectly as we're like getting into fall and Halloween and all things scary and spooky, I think it sounds like the perfect fit for that energy, which I'm certain you probably knew. So hence why it's coming out at the time that it is.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I had someone ask me um because hypothetically, I could have, you know, set the release for like June. Um, if I wanted to absolutely be scrambling to like get everything together, and you always find a typo after you've sent it to someone. Um but I was like, you know, it's it's it has a fall vibe, it's very spooky, it's a good Halloween read. So, you know, I'll I'll give myself the time until September, knowing that it also would give me more time to like approach things thoughtfully and not just be like, my book is out, what do I do? Um I'm sorry, it was where to find the book and where to find me.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, that is oh, I would love, yeah, details on where we can grab your where we can grab your book and how people can follow along on your journey and just yeah, see how your writing process goes. And obviously, this is book one in a series. So definitely like building that foundation. I would love uh I'd love for you to share those details.
SPEAKER_01:Right. So uh Magic and Murder in the Holler is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble and pretty much everywhere. Um bookshop.org. I don't want to list all the possible places you can buy it because I have no worries. Inevitably forget something or just sound like an infomercial. Um as for me, I am on social media, which it when I say social media is Instagram, TikTok, threads, blue sky, and tumbler. Uh as Sarah Lily Wrights, and that is S-A-R-A-L-I-L-I writes, like writing a book. Um, that is my handle on all of them. I'm not on Twitter because I don't like it.
SPEAKER_00:Um amazing. Well, everything will be linked in the show notes, so it'll be super easy for people to click through, find your social media, find your book links so that they can buy it wherever they live in the world. And I'd say that's that's pretty much it. I love I love chatting with you, love hearing about your process and your book. Um, I always learn so much from these episodes, and I love connecting with other authors. I find it so so freaking cool that these ideas and characters that you made up in your brain become real and people love to read them. Yeah, thank you for having me. Thanks so much for listening to today's episode. And if you really loved this author, I highly encourage you to go check out their links and comment and share their work because let's be real, as an indie author, all that stuff makes such a difference. And if you're feeling a little stuck on your draft and just want some gentle accountability, check out my one-to-one offers that are linked in the show notes as well. I'd love to support you with your writing or editing journey. And if that's not quite where you're at, I've also put together a really amazing free resource to help with taking your writing to the next level because there are so many amazing resources available without needing to spend a ton of money or get that MFA or all of the things that you may think that you need in order to write a book. Until next time, keep writing your way and trust yourself enough to tell your story. Because I promise, if it's coming to you, there's a reason and someone needs to hear it.
