Finding Voice in Writing Cookbooks, Magazines, High-Low Accessibility Books, and more, with Writer PJ Gray

I'm excited  to welcome PJ Gray, a versatile writer whose multi-faceted writing career spans a number of forms and genres — from television and magazine writing to cookbook publishing and adult literacy fiction — PJ has done it all. We dive into his journey, starting from his college days working on a communications major at Columbia College in Chicago, where he first developed an interest in television writing and producing. 

Not wanting to leave Chicago to pursue a bigger career in TV, he transitioned to magazine writing, which led to the publication of his first short story that boosted his confidence to pursue a writing career full-time. PJ talks about his experience in the cookbook publishing world and shares the unique strategies he used to pitch his book ideas successfully. 

He also discusses how a friend of his introduced him to 'high-low' comprehension fiction for struggling readers, and opened his eyes to the emotional impact and transformative potential of this genre. Through this genre, he learned the specialized craft of writing engaging, age-appropriate content for readers with low comprehension levels, and how impactful these books can be for adult readers looking to conquer literacy challenges. 

As PJ shares his journey and expertise, listeners will find valuable tips on how to uncover and claim their creative voices, making this episode a rich source of inspiration and practical advice for writers at all stages of their careers.  

Key Topics:

• How PJ got involved in the writing industry
• Getting involved in cookbook writing and the unique lessons he learned about this genre
• What is “high-low writing,” and who reads this content?
• What PJ learned about story structure and catering your writing to a specific audience of readers
• How to get noticed by publishers
• The doors that high-low reading opens for students outside of the classroom
• What ‘voice’ means to PJ and how he applies it to his writing
• The importance of theme in the cookbook publishing world
• The Luna Garza series for high-low readers and what motivated PJ to write it
• What separates the storytelling community from other communities of writers
• Do we have to write only from personal experience?

Connect with PJ online:

Website: https://www.pjgray.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pj.gray.7

Luna Garza Series: https://www.sdlback.com/luna-garza-accidental-detective

PJ’s Cookbooks: https://www.amazon.com/stores/P.-J.-Gray/author/B001K8SR4W?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

Find more from Jill:

Email: jill@thewritersrefuge.com

Website: https://www.thewritersrefuge.com/

Writing Coaching Programs: https://www.thewritersrefuge.com/coaching

Sign up for my free 3x weekly writing session: write to jill@thewritersrefuge.com for ZOOM info

Special thanks to LVDY for allowing us to use their song, Saltwater, in the intro and outro of the podcast!