Hear us Roar
Maggie Smith
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Top 10 Hear us Roar Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Hear us Roar episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Hear us Roar for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Hear us Roar episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
Special Episode: Womens Fiction Day June 2022
Hear us Roar
06/05/22 • 43 min
Our host Maggie Smith leads a roundtable discussion with the three finalists for the WFWA Star Award for Women's Fiction/Debut category as they discuss what it means to write "women's fiction", the trajectory of their writing careers, finding camaraderie with their peers, the value of book awards, and what they've learned from readers since their book's publication.
Panelists are: Julie Carrick Dalton (Waiting For the Night Song, Forge, January 2021) Joani Elliott (The Audacity of Sarah Grayson, Post Hill Press, May 2021) and Kelley McNeil (A Day Like This, Lake Union, November 2021)
10/21/21 • 29 min
Hear how an unexpected encounter in a grocery store line became the impetus for Christina Consolino's novel and how she did a major rewrite late in the process to give both her POV characters more agency. We also delve into her decision to publish with a small press, how her best marketing tool has been word of mouth advertising from groups like WFWA, and about our mutual love for the November phenomenon called NaNoWriMo.
Christina is a scientist turned writer and editor whose work has appeared in multiple online and print outlets. Her debut novel, Rewrite the Stars, was named one of ten finalists for the Ohio Writers' Association Great Novel Contest 2020, and she is the co-author of Historic Photos of University of Michigan. She serves as senior editor at the online journal Literary Mama and contributing editor for Shelf Unbound, freelance edits both fiction and nonfiction, and teaches writing classes at Word's Worth Writing Connections. Christina loves to connect with writers of all stages and lives in Kettering, Ohio, with her family and rotating cast of pets.
To learn more about Christina, click here.
10/28/21 • 29 min
Jill's dual time-line debut is loosely based on her grandmother’s story of life during the depression and finding her way into a creative career, much the way Jill has since leaving her high-tech career. And if there ever was a testimonial for what the Women’s Fiction Writer’s Association can offer a novice writer, Jill’s story qualifies – she’s a member of a critique group, she’s participating in the agent pitch event, she’s taken numerous seminars, and now she’s appeared on the podcast. Truly a writer who’s open to taking advantage of every opportunity to hone her craft.
Jill’s short stories have been published in 805Lit, Oyster River Pages, The Potato Soup Journal, and elsewhere. After working for nearly thirty years as a high tech marketing and product manager, Jill now pursues her passion for creative writing full time. She lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with her husband and daughter.
To learn more about Jill, click here.
177: Karen Winn - Author of Our Little World
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02/23/23 • 28 min
Listen to this week’s podcast with our guest Karen Winn (Our Little World, Dutton, May 2022). Karen’s an example of how helpful writing conferences can be as she met her dream agent at a Muse and the Marketplace event in Boston and then worked with her on an extensive revision before going out on sub. Hear what it’s like to publish through an imprint of the Big Five, including cover design, titling (hint: they may change it), and book promotion and how part of Karen’s journey has been homing in on what works best for her in terms of both writing process and generating ideas.
Karen Winn's debut novel, Our Little World, was published in May 2022 with Dutton/ Penguin Random House. Having been a nurse for decades, she is now pursuing writing as a second career. Karen's short stories and essays have appeared in Hippocampus, Lithub, Writers Digest, and elsewhere. Originally from New Jersey, where she obtained a low-residency MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson University, she now lives in Boston with her husband and children.
To learn more about Karen, click here.
06/29/23 • 28 min
Tune in to our podcast episode with Staci Greason (All The Girls in Town, Touchpoint Press, July 2022). In her early twenties, Staci was a regular cast member on Days of Our Lives, a popular daytime soap, but she had things she wanted to say in her own words rather than other people’s so she switched to writing. But that acting background still comes in handy when she’s writing dialogue scenes and means she’s good at knowing how people sound and move through the world. Music is also an important part of her life —knowing what her characters listen to is an essential part of her process. Her message to writers: books can have a long and varied life – hers is billed as Bad Sisters meets 9 to 5 and is currently being shopped as a book to feature deal.
Staci Greason’s literary achievements include award-winning television pilots and screenplays. Her well-reviewed novel, All the Girls in Town, was published by Touch Point Press (July 26, 2022). Her short stories and essays have been published in Brevity, Slate, Lunch Ticket, AFLW, the Same, and the Huff Post. In her past life, she played the late Isabella Toscano Black on Days of Our Lives. Staci lives in Southern California.
To learn more about Staci, click here.
05/02/24 • 27 min
This week we talk to Lisa Williams Kline (Between the Sky and the Sea, DragonBlade Publishing, February 2023). Previously an author of books for younger readers, Lisa decided to switch to adult fiction and she’s a proud pantser, even though she admits it takes more time to write without an outline. Her book was inspired by a real-life incident when a luxury liner (dubbed the “Titanic of the South”) sunk off the Carolina coast in 1838 and how she was hampered in her quest to do original research due to the pandemic, We discuss POV (she switched from third to first and then back to third), and how FB takeovers have proved her best technique for gaining exposure.
Lisa Williams Kline is the author of two novels for adults, Between the Sky and the Sea (Dragonblade), and Ladies’ Day (CamCat Books), as well as an essay collection entitled The Ruby Mirror (The Bridge) and a short story collection entitled Take Me (Main Street Rag). Her stories and essays have appeared in Literary Mama, Skirt, Sasee, Carolina Woman, moonShine review, The Press 53 Awards Anthology, Sand Hills Literary Magazine, and Idol Talk, among others. She is also the author of ten novels and a novella for young readers. She attended Duke University and received her MAC from UNC-Chapel Hill in Radio, Television and Motion Pictures, and her MFA from Queens University. She lives in Davidson with her veterinarian husband, a cat who can open doors, and a sweet chihuahua who has played Bruiser Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical. She and her husband treasure frequent visits with their grown daughters and their husbands.
To learn more about Lisa, click here.
217: Karen Heenan - Author of Coming Apart
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12/21/23 • 30 min
This week’s guest author is Karen Heenan (Coming Apart, indie published, October 2022). Our discussion ranges from what happens when the characters in your 1930’s stand-alone historical novel have more to say (your book turns into a trilogy), what to do when as agent asks you to rewrite your novel in another author’s voice (you part ways) to the unexpected and fascinating tidbits you learn when diving into research (ever heard of ‘bootleg coal-mining?’). We end with a discussion of indie vs. trad publishing where Karen maintains agents are no longer the gatekeepers; readers are. And all they care about is whether your book is any good.
As an only child, Karen Heenan learned young that boredom was the ultimate enemy. Since discovering books, she is never without one in her hand and several more in her head. Karen lives in Lansdowne, PA, just outside Philadelphia, where she grows much of her own food and makes her own clothes. She is accompanied on her quest for self-sufficiency by a very patient husband and an ever-changing number of cats. One constant: she is always writing her next book.
To learn more about Karen, click here.
02/15/24 • 32 min
This week’s guest is Brynn Barineau (Jaguars and Other Game, Orange Blossom Publishing, November 2022). After writing two YA novels that didn’t find a publisher, Brynn tried her hand at adult fiction and, writing from her then-home in South America, penned a gender-flipped three musketeers story based in 1809 Brazil when the Portuguese royal court fled Napoleon’s army and relocated to Rio. It’s filled with sword fights, diamond smuggling, court intrigue, and best of all, female friendships as three women work to exonerate their friend who’s been accused of murder. So even though Brynn grew up equating writers with rock stars, she’s become one and is already on sub for book two.
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Brynn Barineau has a master’s in international communication from American University and background in international education. After college, she moved to her husband’s native Rio de Janeiro with too many sweaters and not enough Portuguese. Brynn began writing as a way to process life in a new country. Her fiction is rooted in the power and possibilities of relationships across cultures. She’s now back in Atlanta rediscovering her hometown with her Brazilian-American family.
Jaguars and Other Game is her debut novel. Kirkus Review called it an “addictive tale with drama, history and delightful protagonists,” and national best-selling author Lynn Cullen raved “this atmospheric debut had me turning the pages to cheer on the clever trio.” Jaguars and Other Game was a finalist in the National Indie Excellence Awards in multicultural fiction.
To learn more about Brynn, click here.
04/20/23 • 24 min
Our guest this week is Jody Herpin (Relative Consequences, Indie Published, March 2022). Jody always starts any new writing project by getting to know her characters, which includes not only a lengthy questionnaire, but a “face to face” interview, and a visual portfolio, including facial features, how they dress, and how they move. Listen to hear the journey of her debut, her best advice to newer writers, and why querying too soon can backfire.
Jody Herpin is an award-winning author who writes with a Southern accent. A wife, mom, and Grams, she is an animal lover, painter, avid reader, and big fan of the Braves and Georgia Tech. Born in Savannah, Georgia, she currently lives in Metro Atlanta with her husband, Mike, and her dog, Bella.
In her writing, Jody uses pieces of her own life experience to create colorful characters, placing them in settings she has either visited or called home. Her novel, RELATIVE CONSEQUENCES, is set in Atlanta and Bonita Springs, Florida.
Jody's next project, the first novel in a series, takes place in the fictitious town of Sequoyah, which lies in a valley between the mountains of North Georgia. The story revolves around the Campbell family, whose youngest daughter has been missing for four years, and whose oldest daughter, a GBI Special Agent goes home to investigate a gruesome discovery at an ancient Cherokee Indian burial site.
To learn more about Jody, click here.
04/14/22 • 30 min
Our latest podcast is with Lyn Liao Butler (The Tiger Mom’s Tale, Berkeley, July 2021). Hear how Lyn taught herself to write by tearing apart (literally and figuratively) novels she enjoyed, analyzing their story structure, their characterizations, and their narrative arcs and how she is a stalwart plotter, often going months without writing a word while she’s planning her next book in her head. We discuss what it’s like to have your pub date pushed off not once but four times, what she’s learned by writing in two different genres (women’s fiction and suspense) and how she turned her blooper reels into a social media hit on Instagram as @lynliaobutler.
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Lyn Liao Butler was born in Taiwan and moved to the States when she was seven. Before becoming an author, she was a professional ballet and modern dancer, and is still a personal trainer, fitness instructor, and yoga instructor. She is an avid animal lover and fosters dogs as well as volunteers with rescues.
When she is not torturing clients or talking to imaginary characters, Lyn enjoys spending time with her FDNY husband, their son (the happiest little boy in the world), their three stubborn dachshunds (Lokie, Mochi, Cash, and Pinot in heaven), sewing for her Etsy shop, and trying crazy yoga poses on a stand-up paddleboard. So far, she has not fallen into the water yet.
To learn more about Lyn, click here.
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FAQ
How many episodes does Hear us Roar have?
Hear us Roar currently has 259 episodes available.
What topics does Hear us Roar cover?
The podcast is about Marketing, Podcasts, Books, Arts and Business.
What is the most popular episode on Hear us Roar?
The episode title '106: Shail Rajan- Author of The Summer Breeze' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Hear us Roar?
The average episode length on Hear us Roar is 30 minutes.
How often are episodes of Hear us Roar released?
Episodes of Hear us Roar are typically released every 7 days.
When was the first episode of Hear us Roar?
The first episode of Hear us Roar was released on May 26, 2018.
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