This Creative Life
Episodes
Still Writing Ep 2 Clip
23 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Still Writing has its very own feed! For the full episode, please add it to your favorite podcast app, and let me know if you can't find it on yours. ...
Still Writing: Pilot
09 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Still Writing has its very own feed! Please add it to your favorite podcast app, and let me know if you can't find it on yours. Apple Podcasts Spoti...
Still Writing Teaser
01 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In which Still Writing and its mystery cohost are revealed! Stay tuned for Still Writing ep 1 Find Still Writing at its own home ___ Thanks to Dave ...
S3 E16: Author Alyssa Sheinmel
20 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Alyssa Sheinmel's psychological thriller and adult debut, Such Sheltered Lives, it out now. In this episode, I spoke with Alyssa about what it's been ...
S3 E15: Annual Wrap-Up & Writers Circle Updates
22 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Writers Circle Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Subscribe to the newsletter Learn more about me, my books, and my other projects at: www...
S3 E14: Seasonal Shifts + Joni Sensel and Wildly Inspired
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In which we don't write a novel in a month, and look to the seasons to inspire our writing focus. Special thanks to Joni Sensel. Get Wildly Inspired! ...
S3 E13: Jasminne Paulino's Notes to the Universe
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Many thanks to my guest Jasminne Paulino for sharing the story of how her debut novel, The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez, came to be, how the pa...
S3 E12: The Autumn of My dis-Content
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sorry about the unplanned hiatus! In this episode I talk about my break from online as my default environment, what that has to do with Our Times, and...
S3 E11: Hannah V. Sawyerr & Truth Is
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
From childhood journals to Pitch Wars to the Morris Award Honor to the National Book Award Longlist, Hannah V. Sawyerr has been on a journey! I so enj...
S3 E10: Reality-Based Goals
05 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Expanding on the first episode of this season, we ask what does "reality-based" mean when it comes to goals? The Writers Circle Thanks to Dave Connis ...
S3 E9: Filmmaker Thomas Torrey
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Finally, another interview episode! This conversation with Thomas Torrey is exactly what I've been craving, and maybe you have, too. We talk about art...
S3 E8: Introducing the Writers Circle!
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Writers Circle is a community for support, connection, and education for writers at all levels, across genres and categories. Check it out: The Wr...
S3 E7: Dealing with Middles
15 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast home page Take a peek at the Writers Circle The Inbox Variations Quarterly Newsletter Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more ab...
S3 E6: What Counts as Writing
01 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When your word count is down but you've got lots of dishes to do. Writers Circle waitlist Angel Down by Daniel Kraus E Lockhart on TCL back in 2015 In...
S3 E5: Five Craft Tips I Give the Most
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week I go over five of the most common pieces of feedback I give on student and client manuscripts. Got a writing question for a future episod...
S3 E4: When to Invite Feedback
18 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Podcast home page Help for writers and Writers Circle waitlist Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music! Learn more about me, my books, and my other ...
S3 E3: "This Is Stupid" with Author Andrew DeYoung
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the first interview episode of TCL 3.0, we bring back an old friend with a new book. Andrew DeYoung's new domestic thriller, Stay Away From Him, is...
S3 E2: Why You're Not Writing
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I go over five common reasons we're not writing even though we want to, and offer some ways to change our thinking. Share it with a f...
S3 E1: The Reality-Based Writing Life
27 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Subscribe to this podcast wherever you like to listen, including Apple, Overcast, Spotify, Podbean, and more. Help for Writers and Community Waitlist ...
87. Ashley C. Ford and the Ultimate Pivot - TCL Finale (?)
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I know you've been waiting a long time on a wish and a promise for this final episode in the Pivots, Comebacks, and Reinventions series. I appreciate ...
TCL Mini: The Writing Life Audit
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is the audio version of the most recent newsletter PLUS some thoughts about what's next for the pod. Get the newsletter version of this post Get ...
86. Melissa Walker Takes Action
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In late 2016, Melissa Walker was working on her 10th novel when she went to a holiday party and heard then Senator Daniel Squadron talk about the impo...
TCL Mini: No Sure Things
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The audio version of this week's newsletter on living with the uncertainty of writing. Get the newsletter version of this post Get the book! www.saraz...
85. The Publishing Year in Review with Agent Michael Bourret
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From the supply chain issues that started the year, to the conversation about AI that's ending it, I talk through the year in publishing with Michael ...
84. Bennett Madison's Permission to Let Go
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What do you do when you've established a writing career and then it's not giving you what you came for? What does it look like to be a person who writ...
TCL Mini: Year In Review
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
New full episode next week! Until then, here's the audio version of this week's newsletter, with a question for YOU about your dream writing podcast. ...
TCL Mini: Creative Rest
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The audio version of this week's newsletter on resting before making the next creative decision. Find the text version here!
83. Tara Altebrando Is Solving the Puzzle
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the third episode in the Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions series, my longtime friend and one-time (?) collaborator Tara Altebrando talks to me a...
82. Malinda Lo Never Went Away
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the second episode in the Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions series, Malinda Lo and I talk about her huge year with Last Night at the Telegraph Cl...
81. Faith Gardner Takes Control (Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions)
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When author Faith Gardner grew frustrated with the slowly grinding gears of traditional publishing and wanted to spread her wings a bit, she took matt...
Comebacks, Pivots, and Reinventions - Coming Fall 2022
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What's coming this fall from This Creative Life! Show links: the newsletter the audiobook www.sarazarr.com
TCL Mini: Writing When It Doesn't Feel Like It Matters
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When it feels like the world is burning down, is writing something you want to save from the fire? Get the newsletter version of this post Get the boo...
TCL Mini: Becoming a Good Self-Editor
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Get the newsletter version of this post Get the book Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music. www.sarazarr.com
TCL Mini: Accepting Your Limitations
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Get the newsletter version of this post. Get the book. Thanks to Dave Connis for the theme music.
Ep 81: Author Michelle Huneven
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm so happy to be back with one my favorite contemporary novelists, Michelle Huneven. I love the compassion, humor, and reality in how she renders l...
Ep 80: The This Creative Life Book on Literaticast 55
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It's launch day for the This Creative Life ebook, with the paperback close behind! I was recently on Jenn Laughran's Literaticast digging into the con...
The Launch Box 7: Launched!
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A lot has happened since the last episode! Namely: A Song Called Home and The Temps are both out in the world and no longer under our control, if they...
The Launch Box 6: An Abridged History of Self-Publishing
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Andrew and I wait through the last few weeks before our books come out, we digress ever so slightly into an incomplete history of self-publishing, ...
Ep 79: Laurel Snyder
12 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Laurel Snyder is the author of numerous books for young readers, including Orphan Island, My Jasper June, and the Charlie & Mouse books. In this epi...
The Launch Box 5: Publicity, Book Blues, and Ringo
27 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Launch Box is back! Andrew and I talk about letting go, publicity (including his experience with a freelance publicist), and have a breakthrough a...
Ep 78: Preeti Chhibber
20 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I'm so excited to kick off 2022 with my conversation with Preeti Chhibber, a multitalented lady with just the energy we need to help take us into a ne...
The Launch Box 4: Gifts, Ifs, and Shifts
19 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Launch Box, Andrew and I discuss the mysteries of professional gift-giving, how to balance big-picture career thinking with get...
The Launch Box 3. Subrights, Ingram Spark, & Depressed Cats
20 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sara helps cast her audiobook, Andrew gets a movie option, Sara learns more about Ingram Spark for self-publishing, and we both write letters to books...
The Launch Box 2. Blurbs, Blobs & Shame!
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Why does everything about having a book published embarrass us? What is man's proper relationship to the 'Zon? And what happened with that Realms of R...
Ep 77: Dave Holmes
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Writer, podcaster, radio host, and VJ emeritus Dave Holmes joins me to talk about his long and winding road to writing his wonderful 2016 memoir, Part...
TCL: The Launch Box 1. Early & Late
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Introducing a This Creative Life special season: The Launch Box, in which Andrew DeYoung and I take you through the six-month period leading up to pub...
Ep 76: Season Premiere with Mike Jung
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author Mike Jung joins me for the first of a new batch of fall episodes. We talk about the events of his early life that put him on the path to being ...
TCL Archives: Daniel Bowman, Jr.
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In March 2020, I spoke with Daniel Bowman, Jr., about writing, teaching, and being #ActuallyAutistic. This week, his new book On the Spectrum: Autism,...
TCL Archives: Brandy Colbert
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In March, 2020, I spoke with author Brandy Colbert about her work and writing process. Her nonfiction book, Black Birds in the Sky: The Story and Lega...
Ep 75: Season Finale with Sarah Enni
18 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Sarah Enni is the host and producer of First Draft and an author in her own right. This was a great conversation to wrap the TCL-Pandemic season, as ...
Ep 74: Author Tracey Baptiste
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tracey Baptiste is the author of numerous books for young readers, including the beloved Jumbies series and the New York Times Bestselling Minecraft: ...
Ep 73: Critic Walter Chaw & the Point of Discourse
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
During 2020, in search of things to do from home, I started attending some of the virtual movie talks that writer and critic Walter Chaw gives with gu...
Ep 72: Writing & Brains with Lindsay Eagar
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Lindsay Eagar is an author and writing coach with a recent ADHD diagnosis. She's been very open about it online and generous with my personal question...
Ep 71: Author & Songwriter Dave Connis
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Connis is not only the legendary composer of the theme music for this very podcast, but also an author in his own right, with two YA novels out a...
Ep 70: Author Amy Gentry
06 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Amy Gentry is the author of three psychological thrillers for adults, one 33 1/3 on Tori Amos, and a bunch of shorter stuff. Her latest book is Bad Ha...
Ep 69: Author Maurene Goo
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the first episode of 2021, author Maurene Goo and I jumped on the phone just hours after the inauguration, having kept our scheduled conversation ...
The Annotated Courageous Creativity, 1: Silent Messages
10 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Annotated Courageous Creativity, 1 Intro & Silent Messages Note to listeners: This is the first episode of the first paid subscriber season, The A...
Ep 68: The Publishing Year in Review with Michael Bourret
31 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This Creative Life is moving! The pod's new home is at Substack, where you can find out more about what I've got planned for the new paid subscriber o...
Ep 67: Unedited with Christian McKay Heidicker
23 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Note to listeners: Given a recent diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome and the physical toll of podcast editing, Sara (while optimistic) isn't sure abo...
Ep 66: Daniel Nayeri: Author, Editor, Publisher, Joy Rebel
23 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Nayeri's autobiographical novel, Everything Sad Is Untrue, tells the tale of young Daniel, who has landed in Oklahoma after his mother is forc...
Ep 65: Bestselling Author Courtney Summers
04 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Two writers. An obsession with cult narratives. A love of chickpeas. Sara and Courtney Summers (Sadie, All the Rage, the forthcoming The Project) tal...
Ep 64: Author Rita Williams-Garcia
07 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The wisdom that comes with over thirty years in this business and at this craft is priceless--Rita is generous with it here, from aspects of craft (l...
Ep 63: Author! Actor! Showman! Lance Rubin
10 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lance Rubin is the multi-talented author of three novels, co-writer of the Off-Broadway show Broadway Bounty Hunter, and performer of all sorts. In th...
Ep 62: Writer & Graphic Memoirist Maggie Thrash
23 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Maggie Thrash is the author and artist of two "graphic memoirs" (memoirs in graphic novel form): 2015's Honor Girl and the recent followup, Lost Soul,...
Ep 61: Author Liara Tamani
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Liara Tamani recently wrote at Time.com: "Growing up, I was a good girl. I never got in trouble. I did what I was told. ... I'd become a master at t...
Ep 60: Author Debbi Michiko Florence
31 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Debbi Michiko Florence made a long term commitment to the writing life almost 20 years ago--when she didn't know just how long it would turn out to be...
Ep 59: Writer/Director Scott Teems
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Teems is a writer-director working in TV and film, making his own independent features while also taking gigs scriptwriting for studios. We get...
Ep 58: Author Jasmine Guillory
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You may think Jasmine Guillory came out of nowhere and saw overnight success with her 2018 hit contemporary romance novel, The Wedding Date, not to me...
Ep 57: Inside (and Outside) Baseball with Amy Spalding
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Guys, Amy and I got IN. TO. IT. From publicity to the alleged good ol' days of YA publishing to answering tough questions from listeners like: conque...
Ep 56: Jeff Garvin Midisode & The Lightness of Hands
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Episode backstory: I saw Jeff Garvin's second book is out this week, and I called him up to talk about it! I thought this might be a mini-sode but we...
Ep 55: Katie Cotugno and Sara Have New Books!
07 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this loose and chatty episode, Katie Cotugno and I pour a drink and talk about our April 7 book releases into a world in which everything is cance...
Ep 54: Writer & Teacher Daniel Bowman, Jr.
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sara talks with Dan Bowman, Jr., about writing, teaching, and about being #ActuallyAutistic. Watch for Notes from the Spectrum next year and stick aro...
Author and Teacher Brandy Colbert - Ep 53
22 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Sara talks to author Brandy Colbert (The Only Black Girls in Town) about writing, career envy, mortality, and the Real Housewives. For the full show n...
Author Coe Booth – This Creative Life ep 41
20 May 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Coe Booth was one of the first YA writers I met when I started mingling with authors as a soon-to-be-published newbie. (I believe our first conversati...
TCL Archives: Malinda Lo (Ep 38, 2015)
26 Mar 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Next week, Malinda Lo returns to the podcast to talk about the effect the success of Last Night at the Telegraph Club on her writing and career. Here'...
Bestselling Author E. Lockhart – This Creative Life ep 36
13 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
E. Lockhart is the author of nine–nine!–novels for young adults, a host of other books under the name Emily Jenkins, and short and collaborative p...