Unstoppable Authors

Episode 195: The End

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hi folks. This is our last episode (for now) as we each move on to other things. We talk about the history of the show, our highlights and struggles a...

Episode 194: Author Pet Peeves

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline, Holly & Julia get it all off their chests! They talk about the things in writing and publishing that really get under their s...

Episode 193: AI for Authors

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline, Holly, Julia and Shane dig deep into the hot topic of AI and how authors can use this emerging technology effectively and ethical...

Episode 192: Why Creatives Need a New Approach to Productivity with Lisa Zawrotny

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline talks to productivity coach Lisa Zawrotny, who works with multi-passionate creatives to develop a different approach to productivi...

Episode 191: Author Branding with A.E. Kincaid

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly chats with humourous fantasy author, A.E. Kincaid. They discuss getting started in self-publishing and moving on to sign with a publi...

Episode 190: Motivation to Start and Finish Your Novel with Cassie Newell

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Julia interviews Sassy Writing Coach, Cassie Newell and talk about her book 'Writer Fuel' on how to stay motivated to start and fin...

Episode 189: Writing Romantic Subplots

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss how to write romantic subplots, whatever your primary genre. They cover the dos and don'ts and shar...

Episode 188: Turning Your Passion into a Business with Shelly Zev

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline talks to editor, librarian, and all-round literature enthusiast, Shelly Zev. They chat about how to keep your excitement alive whe...

Episode 187: How To Map Your World with Angeline Trevena

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Julia interviews our worldbuilding warrior, Angeline Trevena about bookish maps and the release of her latest worldbuilding guide 'How ...

Episode 186: London Book Fair and the Rise of AI

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly reflects on her trip to London Book Fair. She covers: The location Her book research The pros and cons of the convention itself ...

Episode 185: Science-Fiction Subgenres and Crossovers

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline and Julia take a look at a list of science-fiction subgenres. They discuss the definition of each, and explore the tropes, setting...

Episode 184: Audiobooks with Narrator and Voice Actor Jillian Yetter

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Julia chats to audiobook narrator Jillian Yetter. They cover: The importance of audiobooks Steps to take to get your audiobook produced ...

Episode 183: Tackling Emotions with Angela Ackerman

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly chats with Angela Ackerman, author of the Emotion Thesaurus and its many sequels. They cover: The foundations of realistic emotions...

Episode 182: How to Write Folk Horror

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline looks at the growing popularity of the folk horror genre, and discusses all the elements required to write a great folk horror sto...

Episode 181: Killing Characters

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline & Holly celebrate 4 years of podcasting together with a special episode all about death. They discuss why you might want to ki...

Episode 180: Writing Historical Fiction and Loving It with TL Clark

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline is joined by romance author TL Clark to discuss her latest release; How to Write a Historical Novel and Love It. They...

Episode 179: Women in Self Publishing

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Julia chats with five indie author women friends, celebrating International Women's Day and Mother's Day (in the UK). They discuss: Why t...

Episode 178: Launching a Pen Name with Sacha Black

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly chats with Sacha Black about her pen name, Ruby Roe. They discuss: Reasons for launching a pen name What was special about Sacha's...

Episode 177: Topic Roundup - Organise Your Writing

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss the series of interviews on organisational tools for writers. They look back on conversations with Troy...

Episode 176: Elevating Your Story Structure in Fictionary with Kristina Stanley

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Julia chats with the creator of Fictionary, Kristina Stanley. They discuss: Elevating your story structure with Fictionary's Storyteller...

Episode 175: Keeping Track of an Epic World with Evelyn Puerto

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline chats with award-winning author Evelyn Puerto about how she keeps track of her vast world and cast of characters for her epic fant...

Episode 174: Organise Your Books in Plottr with Troy Lambert

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly chats with Troy Lambert from Plottr. They discuss: Who would benefit from Plottr Some of the cool features of the software What d...

Episode 173: Topic Roundup - Debut Authors

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline, Holly, and Julia discuss the contents of the previous three episodes speaking to debut authors and share their highlights and tak...

Episode 172: The Journey Towards Your Debut with Andre Garzia

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline chats with non-fiction author Andre Garzia about his journey towards the publication of his fiction debut. They discu...

Episode 171: Fantasy Debut Novels with Danielle Lauren

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Julia chats with high fantasy author Danielle Lauren about writing and publishing her debut novel 'Spiritchild' in 2022. They ...

Episode 170: Historical Debut Novel with Stephanie Shields

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly chats with author Stephanie Shields about writing and publishing her debut novel in 2020. They discuss doing historical ...

Episode 169: Author Goals 2023

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Happy New Year! Holly, Julia, Angeline and Shane ring in the new year with a look back at their goals for 2022 and then plans for 2023. The discussion...

Episode 168: Writing Highs and Lows of 2022

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly, Julia and Shane discuss all the best and worst bits of 2022. They cover: The most important lessons learned Highlights Challeng...

Episode 167: Holiday Tropes

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly, Julia and Shane discuss why readers love tropes and why they're important for writers to utilise. The discussion covers: Popular f...

Episode 166: Winter Worldbuilding

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly, Julia & Shane discuss creating wonderful winters in your writing. They cover: Genre and tone Mining your memorie...

Episode 165: Topic Roundup - Amazon

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly and Julia are joined by guest host, Shane Millar. They discuss the contents of the previous three episodes and share their highlights...

Episode 164: Amazon 101

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly & Julia provide a helpful breakdown of how to publish your books on Amazon. They cover: What you'll need in order ...

Episode 163: Killing It On Kindle Vella with Krissi Dallas

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly chats with YA romance author Krissi Dallas about Kindle Vella. They cover: What the platform is and how to leverage its features T...

Episode 162: Amazon Keywords with Dave Chesson

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly talks with returning guest, Dave Chesson. Dave is the founder of Kindlepreneur, a resource for indie authors to level up their publis...

Episode 161: Topic Roundup - Marketing

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss the previous three guests and all the marketing advice they provided. They go into: Mistakes ma...

Episode 160: Organising, Marketing, and Pitching to Literary Events with Alex Davis

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's epsiode, Angeline talks to Alex Davis, a freelance literature professional who has organised everything from online workshops to large-...

Episode 159: Marketing on Social Media with Jenn Hanson-dePaula

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this week's episode, Julia talks to Jenn Hanson-dePaula of Mixtus Media about marketing on social media. They discuss: Where to start when you're...

Episode 158: Publish and Market Books Wide with Sarah Painter

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly talks with bestselling author Sarah Painter about the publishing strategy known as "wide" publishing. They discuss: Making smart co...

Episode 157: Topic Roundup - Plotting

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly, and Julia give a roundup of our recent topic: plotting.  We discuss what we learned about plotting from ...

Episode 156: Brilliant Beginnings and Story Structure with Shane Millar

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Angeline is joined by Shane Millar, a Fictionary Certified Story Coach, urban fantasy author, and writer of the Write Better Fiction series of writing...

Episode 155: Atticus and the Future of Book Management Software with Dave Chesson

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Julia speaks to Dave Chesson, the owner and creator of Kindlepreneur, all about his new software, Atticus. "If Scrivener, Goog...

Episode 154: Writing A Series with Helen Scheuerer

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly speaks to YA fantasy author, Helen Scheuerer about her new non-fiction book, How to Write A Successful Series. The discu...

Episode 153: Seasonal Writing Life and Why You Need to Know Your Big Why

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Angeline, Holly & Julia are back from the summer break with a brand new episode. In this episode, they talk about what's coming up for the podcast...

Episode 152: Exploring Character and Setting Through Language

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline and Holly discuss the ways in which you can deepen your characterization and make more believable settings by using the awesome po...

Episode 151: Writing for Children with Matt Beighton

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Angeline is joined by children's author Matt Beighton to chat all about writing and marketing children's books. Hear about the unique projects Matt ha...

Episode 150: Celebrating Unstoppable Authors!

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this special, milestone episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia reflect on 150 episodes of the podcast. Questions were submitted by the show's patrons...

Episode 149: Writing Fictionalised Memoir with Jeff Elkins

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly sits down with Dialogue Doctor, Jeff Elkins to discuss the ups and downs of translating real-life experiences into a fictionalised me...

Episode 148: Discovering and Utilising Your Strengths With Holly Lyne

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Julia interviews our very own Holly Lyne to get the lowdown on these 'strengths' she keeps talking about. We discuss what 'str...

Episode 147: Multiple Streams of Income for Authors

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss how you can create multiple streams of income in your author business. We cover: Regular...

Episode 146: Planning and Running an Author Event

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, Angeline shares her experience of organising and hosting local events. She offers up ideas of different types of events, and vario...

Episode 145: Raising Creative Children

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss the importance of creativity and how to nurture it in children. The conversation covers: Why creativi...

Episode 144: Future Planning Your Writing Career

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly talks about her absolute favourite thing: making plans! The discussion covers: Figuring out your Big Why Saying no ...

Episode 143: Writing Seasons & Weather to Immerse Your Readers

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss including the seasons and weather in your books. The discussion covers: Why weather is i...

Episode 142: Figuring Out Your Front and Back Matter

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In todays episode, Julia talks about what added extras need to be in your book, before and after your actual story. She discusses how eBooks and print...

Episode 141: Creating A Fantasy Map For Your Book

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Julia & Holly talk about the ins and outs of creating fantasy maps. They cover: Technical how-to tips Things ...

Episode 140: Reflections on London Book Fair

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In todays episode, Angeline reflects on her trip to London Book Fair 2022. As a first time visitor, she talks about her first impressions, what she fo...

Episode 139: Why and How To Start an Author Podcast

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss the ins and outs of creating a podcast. They cover: Why you might want to start a podcas...

Episode 138: Five Common Formatting Mistakes in Self Published Books

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Julia talks about the top five formatting mistakes she most commonly sees in self published books, and how to avoid them to make sure you h...

Episode 137: Can You Be A Successful Author Without Social Media?

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline, Holly & Julia dig into the topic of whether or not authors need to be on social media. The conversation covers: What counts...

Episode 136: Reader Magnets with Tammi Labrecque

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly chats with Newsletter Ninja author, Tammi Labrecque about all things newsletter and reader magnet. Tammi shares tips fro...

BONUS: Announcing Writers for Ukraine

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Unstoppable Authors is supporting the Writers for Ukraine appeal. Learn about the one million word challenge and how you can get involved in this shor...

Episode 135: Zone Writing

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline, Holly & Julia talk about zone writing, aka binge writing. They cover the benefits and pitfalls, discuss who would be suited t...

Episode 134: Writing GameLit with Seth Overton

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Angeline chats with keen gamer and debut author Seth Overton about GameLit. He discusses his surprise route into publishing and how skills l...

Episode 133: Writing Multiple Works in Progress

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss the hows and whys of juggling more than one writing project at once. They cover the benefi...

Episode 132: Digital and Social Media Marketing for Authors with Andy Slinger

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Julia talks to children's author and digital marketer Andy Slinger about how to make the most of social media to market your b...

Episode 131: The Hows and Whys of Writing Short Fiction

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia talk about their experiences of writing short fiction and share tips and tricks for doing it well....

Episode 130: Writer Burnout with Becca Syme

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly chats with Strengths Coach Becca Syme about the wave of burnout running through the author community, how we can recover...

Episode 129: An Indie Author's Guide to Book Covers

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss the dos and don'ts of choosing covers for your books. They talk about how to find a cover ...

Episode 128: Public Speaking for Writers

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline tackles the scary prospect of public speaking. Drawing from her own experiences of performing, she covers tips and tr...

Episode 127: Writing Science Fiction to Convey Social Commentary

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss sci-fi and its subgenres, particularly dystopian and post-apocalyptic, as vehicles for sha...

Episode 126: Writing Goals for 2022

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly & Julia discuss what goals they set in 2021, what they learned about their process and what they'll be doing differently in 2022....

Episode 125: Writing Highs and Lows of 2021

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline, Holly & Julia give a rundown of the year and discuss the best bits, the biggest challenges, lessons learned and dish out book...

Episode 124: We Need to Talk About Writer Burnout

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly opens up about her experience of burnout in 2021. From the slide into the pit, to the slow climb out of it, Holly shares...

Episode 123: Writing to Market

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss writing to market. They talk about what that might look like in practice, the value of tru...

Episode 122: From Pocket Money to Multi-Five-Figure Author

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a very honest episode, Angeline chronicles her author career from its shoestring origin to earning multi-five-figures a year. She talks openly abou...

Episode 121: The Writing Process from Idea to Publication

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In today's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss their different approaches to nurturing that initial idea and seeing it through to final publi...

Episode 120: The Do's and Don'ts of Social Media for Writers

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Julia discusses some of the do's and don'ts of navigating social media as a writer. Are you making the most of social media or...

Episode 119: Staying Motivated, Boosting Creativity and Maintaining Momentum in Your Writing

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly & Angeline share tips and strategies for sticking with this writing gig for the long term. They cover ways to stay m...

Episode 118: How to Scare Your Readers with Julie Hiner

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly got chatting with dark crime and horror author, Julie Hiner about things that go bump in the night. They talked about se...

Episode 117: Halloween - Horror Books, Films, and Urban Legends

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Angeline and Holly nerd out about all things horror in this Halloween special. Books, films and tropes are discussed, with homage paid to the things t...

Episode 116: Mistakes Made and Lessons Learnt

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline breaks down the mistakes she made with her last book, and looks at the lessons she's hopefully learnt from the experi...

Episode 115: Non-Fiction Books for Writers

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Angeline, Holly & Julia go through their top book recommendations for writers, their current reads and what's on their TBR piles. Check out...

Episode 114: Banishing the Book Blurb Blues With Jessie Cunniffe

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode, Julia talks to Jessie Cunniffe, the brains behind Book Blurb Magic, an online course dedicated to taking the pain out of blu...

Episode 113: Working With An Editor

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia discuss their experiences of working with editors, the different type of edit you might want to co...

Episode 112: Software and Resources for Self Publishing

20 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Julia gives a technical overview of the software and resources available to writers for all parts of the self publishing process. From plot...

Episode 111: Maintaining Focus and Managing Shiny New Ideas

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly and Angeline discuss how distracted they get by shiny new ideas, what to do with those ideas until you're ready to work ...

Episode 110: Creating Future Worlds

06 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Angeline gives her top tips for creating futuristic worlds, whether near or distant future. With advice on brainstorming timelines, designi...

Episode 109: Accountability for Authors

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week Angeline, Holly & Julia are talking about accountability. They check in with the goals they set for August and find out how they all got...

Episode 108: Writing in a Series with Sara Rosett

23 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This week, Holly interviews mystery author, Sara Rosett. They talk about: Who inspires Sara Plotting mystery books How she came to write and podc...

Episode 107: All About Anthologies with Lyndsey Hall

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode, Julia talks to young adult fantasy author Lyndsey Hall about publishing anthologies and collaborating with other authors. Ly...

Episode 106: Imposter Syndrome and How To Overcome It

09 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode, Julia talks about imposter syndrome, what it is and how to overcome it. Get tips on what to do when your inner critic threat...

Episode 105: Wellbeing For Writers

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Angeline, Holly & Julia run through the must-dos of self-care for writers, particularly in summer. They cover physical, me...

Episode 104: Switching from Traditional to Self Publishing with Children’s Author Dan Metcalf

26 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week’s episode, Angeline talks to children’s author Dan Metcalf about his switch from traditional to self publishing. With invaluable insi...

Episode 103: Mid-Year Writing Check-In

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly and Angeline have a very special announcement and are joined by Julia Scott to review 2021 so far. The trio reflects on ...

Episode 102: Coping with Publishing Industry Changes

12 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly and Angeline discuss the coming changes in the publishing industry with the arrival of Kindle Vella and Apple's changes ...

Episode 101: How to Maintain Your Passion for Writing While Running A Business

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this week's episode, Holly digs into the mindset required to maintain a sense of joy and passion for writing when the business tasks threaten to ov...

Episode 100: Sustaining a Writing Career with the Right Mindset

28 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to this special landmark episode of Unstoppable Authors! Holly & Angeline are joined by a whole host of guests to dissect what it takes to...

Episode 99: Online Content Ideas for Between Book Launches

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today Holly & Angeline are talking about what to share in your newsletter and on social media besides "Buy my book!" It can sometimes be tricky to...

Episode 98: Finding Stories from your World Map

14 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Angeline talks about how to find story ideas from your world map. She discusses why you might want to use your map as inspiration, an...

Episode 97: Long Term Planning for Your Author Career

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Angeline & Holly talk about avoiding burnout, keeping an eye on changes in the industry, viewing your books as lifelong assets an...