Pencils&Lipstick podcast

Tips to Keep Your Mind on the Story this Season

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The name of the series I talk about in this episode is called The Last Of Us.Sign up for my writers' newsletter to learn more about the craft of writi...

Go Directly to the Ending

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sign up for my writers' newsletter to learn more about the craft of writing, know when my workshops are and be the first to get exclusive information ...

EP 208 DIY your MFA with Gabriela Pereira

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Gabriela Pereira is an author, speaker, and self-proclaimed word nerd who wants to challenge the status quo of higher education. Her mission is to emp...

Ep 207 Writing Goodies I'm Grateful For

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

LinksAtticus: https://www.atticus.ioProWritingAid: https://katcaldwell.com/blackfridayprowritingaidPublisherRocket: https://katcaldwell.com/blackfrida...

Ep 206 Breaking Down Goal, Motivation, Conflict and Need

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sign up for my writers' newsletter to learn more about the craft of writing, know when my workshops are and be the first to get exclusive information ...

Ep 205 Your Author Self

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's one week into NaNo and 8 weeks until the end of the year. How can we accomplish our writing goals while staying sane?Sign up for my writers' news...

Ep 204 The Scenes Every Novel Needs

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There are certain scenes each novel needs. Whether you're participating in NaNoWriMo or not, this episode will help you get through the muddy middle a...

Ep 203 When There's Too Much Plot

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I'm divulging what happened when I got together with another book coach to talk about my book that I want to come out next February: I was c...

Ep 202 Don't Knock a Good Trope! with Jennifer Hilt

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is Jennifer Hilt, multi-genre author and author of The Trope Thesaurus. We talk about tropes, the misconceptions surrounding them, how ...

Ep 201 Craft Books I Recommend

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sign up for my writers' newsletter to learn more about the craft of writing, know when my workshops are and be the first to get exclusive information ...

Ep 200 Create Your Character's Personality

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One way you can figure out your character is to choose an imbalance in one of the Big 5 Personality traits. Here's a quick exercise to apply it.Worksh...

Ep 199 TikTok to the Top with ZS Diamanti

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Want to know how to build buzz for your book? ZS Diamanti is here today to tell us how he did it. It's work, but it's worth it! Grab your favorite dri...

Ep 198 Beyond Book One

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Want to expand your first book into a series? Or do you want to write a series from scratch? Did you knew that there are four different ways to write ...

Ep 197 Book Covers with Katia from MiblArt

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today I'm talking with Katia from MiblArt. She explains to us how MiblArt is different from other book cover designers as well as gives us tips to cre...

EP 196 The 7 Essentials of Story

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're going over the 7 things you MUST have in each story. A bit of a refresher course before we go into fall.Sign up for my writer's newsletter...

Ep 195 4 books in 5 Days with Carissa Andrews

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Carissa Andrews is back on the podcast to talk about her newest brand course called 4 Book, 5 Days: Mastering AI-Enhanced Series Planning! 4 Book...

Ep 194 Writing and Marketing Super Hero Women with Alicia McCalla

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Alicia McCalla creates thrilling stories, audiobooks, and merchandise featuring courageous Black heroines. After losing her son, she dedicated herself...

Ep 193 The Most Prolific Romance Writer with Desiree Holt

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

I was so honored to get to talk to Desiree Holt. She was an amazing guest and had so much to say about writing. If you don't know here, check out her ...

Ep 192 Writing Books that Don't 'Fit' with Jasper Fforde

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We're pulling out some of my favorite interviews for the next few weeks. This week is my interview with Jasper Fforde. He has built a career and writi...

Ep 191 Beating Writer's Block

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Let's talk about writer's block and what we can do to combat it. At least one of these will help you!Rest, by Alex Soojung-Kim PangSign up for my writ...

Ep 190 The Book Incubator with Mary Adkins

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today I speak with Mary Adkins, best-selling novelist of Palm Beach and Privileged about her writing journey and the business she created to help othe...

Ep 189 10 Things I Learned at SPS LIVE

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 10 Things I Learned at SPS LIVE (and throughout my years as an Indie Author).Sign up for my writer's newsletter here:https://katcaldwell.com/write...

Ep 188 The Dialogue Doctor Will See You Now

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Elkins, aka The Dialogue Doctor, has finally written a book! Over the last two years, Jeff has done more than 200 editing sessions with writers. ...

Ep 187 Tips for Writing Book Blurbs

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Want more help writing better book blurbs?I hate writing them, but like most indie authors, I also don't want to pay someone else to write them for me...

Ep 186 The Writer's Enneagram with Claire Taylor

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My guest today is Claire Taylor, author and creator of FFS Media and co-host of the Sell More Books Podcast Claire wrote ether book Reclaim Your Autho...

Ep 185 Mountain Ash Press with Andi Combo and Caroline Topperman

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In publishing you have traditional publishing, indie publishing and hybrid publishing. Mountain Ash Press combines the expertise of two female writers...

Ep 184 Ghostwriting with JB Favour

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Have you ever considered becoming a ghost writer? Are you trying to write your story, but find yourself stuck and are wondering if hiring a ghost writ...

Ep 183 3 Tips To Add Conflict To Your Story

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

All stories need conflict! Let's talk about why and what you can do to actively add more to your story.Are you writing a book? Check out my friend Sta...

Ep 182 One-Stop Author Marketing at Story Origin App

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today I talk with Evan Gow, creator and developer of the amazing Story Origin App. This website is the one-stop shop for marketing for authors. If you...

Ep 181 Finding a Writing Retreat with Lisa Shaughnessy

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join me today as I talk with Lisa Shaughnessy, founder of the Writing Retreat Sampler. Lisa has taken it upon herself to not only find the writing ret...

Ep 180SubPlots and Questions Answered

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to Pencils&Lipstick! This week we are answering some questions I get as well as talking about subplot characters.Check out Lisa Cron's Wir...

Ep 179 The Dream to Write with Chris K Jones

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chris K Jones decided to give it all up for his dream to write a story. What he found was that it wasn't as easy as we all think it is. But after rese...

Ep 178 Mastering Author Newsletters

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're talking about Author Newsletters. Why? Because I still have seasoned authors ask me why I feel so strongly that they need one. I break dow...

Ep 177 Teaching Writing and Book Coaching with Jennie Nash

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to be a book coach? Do you have to be a writer to understand writing? Jennie Nash doesn't think so. After teaching writing for years...

Ep 176 Selling Nonfiction Books as an Indie Author

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week I'm talking with Marc Reklau about writing nonfiction books as an indie author.His book 30 Days: Change Your Habits, Change Your Life is a g...

Ep 175 Refining Your MC's Personality

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today we're going to look at the Big 5 personality types to help us define and refine who our characters are (and how they should react to different f...

EP 174 Traditional Publishing and Writing Retreats with David Rocklin

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

David Rocklin is a traditionally publish writer who s coming out with his third book. We talk about how he comes up with the premise and characters of...

Ep 173 Thrillers. Plotting and Writing Craft with Plot Master Troy Lambert

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Troy Lambert is a serial Thriller writer. With 30 novels under his belt and many more edited by him, Troy knows what makes a story work. Today he and ...

EP 172 Body Language and Emotional Description with Stacy Juba

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Do you struggle with writing new and fresh body language and emotional description in your stories? Today Stacy Juba is bringing us some tips to fresh...

Ep 171 Craft Book Anthologies with Emma Dhesi

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emma Dhesi is my guest this week to talk about Launch Pad: The Countdown to Writing Your Book. It's a collaborative craft book between Emma Dhesi and ...

Ep 170 Character-First Writing with Daniel David Wallace

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

My guest this week is Daniel David Wallace! I'm so excited to have him on. I've been part of his amazing summits as a participant and guest speaker. E...

Ep 169 The 5 Secrets to Facebook Ads with Carlene Kelsey

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Carlene Kelsey has been working with digital ads for years and knows the secrets about how to spend your money wisely and get returns on your ads. She...

EP 168 Creating Book Graphics with Book Brush

12 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kathleen Sweeney is the Customer Service Manager & Marketing Lead at BookBrush.com. Today she tells us about Book Brush, their dedication to indie...

Ep 167 Editing Tips with EditElle

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Edit Elle is my guest this week and we bring you all a well rounded conversation about editing, why a writer might need an editor, what makes a good e...

Ep 167 Learning Storytelling thru Theater with Jack Canfora

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Canfora is an actor and screenwriter. He has won two Edgerton Playwriting Awards, for Jericho (2010) and The Source (2018).&n...

Ep 166 Book Marketing with AuthorsXP with Amy Vansant

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Vansant started AuthorsXP.com, a website dedicated to helping authors promote their books and build their audience. Authors can find newslett...

Ep 164 NoTimeWriter with Daria White

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Daria White is a writer of sweet romance, christian ficiton and cozy mysteries. With over ten novels she knows what it takes, and doesn’t take,...

Ep 163 Use Plottr to Outline Your Book

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

You know I’ve struggled with outlining my novels, so when Plottr offered to come on Pencils&Lipstick and talk me through their softwar...

EP 162WriteItScared with Stacy Frazer

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today I talk with Stacy Frazer, a fellow Author Acclerator Book Coach, about the key things a writer needs in their manuscript, about her webinar and ...

Ep 162 Checklist to Edit Your Scenes

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

They say to delete your darlings, but how do you know what is a darling? How can you decided which scenes to keep and which scenes to delete?In this s...

Ep 161 Screenwriting, short stories and being a writer with Rachael Biggs

17 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rachael Biggs is an author, screenwriter, copywriter and journalist. She studied creative writing at UBC, UCLA, and with masters of the craft Syd Fiel...

Ep 160 Passionate Green Writing with Denise Baden

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

 I'm happy to have Denise Baden back on the show this week to talk about all the projects she had going on, namely writing fiction for the COP27 ...

Ep 159 I Sang That with Sally Stevens

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sally Stevens is a singer/lyricist/choral director who has worked in film, television, concert, commercials and sound recording in Holl...

Ep 158 5 Ways to Fight Writer's Despair

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We all get it sometimes. That feeling that there's no reason to keep writing. Today I talk about my experience with writer's despair and giv eyou 5 wa...

Ep 157 Starting with Thanks

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week we take a pause to consider gratitude. American society has always been a go-getter, hard working society and writers are no different. In I...

Ep 156 For the Love of Heritage and Writing Authentic American Indian Characters with Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

SARAH ELISABETH SAWYER is a story archaeologist. She digs up shards of past lives, hopes, and truths, and pieces them together for readers today. The ...

Ep 155 True Crime Writing with Kerrie Droban

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A graduate of The Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars and the University of Arizona, she studied playwriting with Edward Albee and poetry with P...

Envisioning the ' What if' with Tracee Lydia Garner

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The NovelSmithy with Lewis Jorstad

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ep 152 Journey to Writing the Future with Beth Barany

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Beth Barany is a science-fiction and fantasy writer as well as a writing coach and non-fiction writer. We have a fun chat today about here winding pat...

Talks with Tosca

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Be a Better Writer with a Book Coach

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rest = More Productive

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Continuing the Series with Madeleine Mozley

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Meet Marlowe with Alessandra Torre

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Final Flight with James Blatch

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Updates, News and too Many Themes

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fiction From Memory with Lisa Solod

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Funny and Fabulous Whitley Cox

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Finish Your Book in 2022

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writing What You Love with Jasper Fforde

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Perfect 'Finnish'

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

No Excuses with Esther Jacobs

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Bloodlines Reforged with RJ Hanson

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Live, Write, Thrive with CS Lakin

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It's An Author Revolution with Carissa Andrews

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How I got 460 newsletter subs

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Theater, Fiction and Community with Amy Bernstein

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Henna Artist with Alka Joshi

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fiction University with Janice Hardy

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Ghost Marriage - A Memoir

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Creative Business of Writing with Andi Cumbo-Floyd

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Drive to Write with Rhonda Douglas

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writers Helping Writers with Becca Puglisi

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thriller Author Nick Thacker

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Book Launching a New Romantic Suspense Series with Emily A Myers

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ep 147 AI Machine Marlowe with Alessandra Torre

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Marlowe is a beta reader, developmental editor, and copy editor rolled into one smart, fiction-savvy bot. Created by Matthew Jockers, Ph.D., co-a...

Fleshing Out Characters

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Finding Plot Holes

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Beware! with Victoria Strauss

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A Trio of Thoughts on Romance with Madison Michael and Ashley Kay

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thoughts and Tools

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Find Your Moxie

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Crime with a side of Scotland

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Romance, Cheese and Writing Series w/Carrie Ann Ryan

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Desiree's Delectable Romances

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Place and Travel Writing

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Be A Best-Seller 3.0

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Passionate Fiction Writing

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

From Brush to Pen

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas