QWERTY Writing Life Podcast

Support Teams, Part 1: Ties That Bind

Welcome to Episode 18 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! We’re starting a special two-part series this week, all about Support Teams! In this show, we’re focusing on the Ties That Bind—our family and close friends, most of whom likely do not share the same creative pursuits but are a huge part of our success. We will share a little about our own teams and talk about what happens when this part of your support team doesn’t support you. If you are in a situation that is abusive, please get help right now. We love you and want you to know you’re worth so much more than how you’re being treated. Here’s the most important link and phone number we’ll ever share in our shownotes: https://www.thehotline.org 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

We want to hear how the QWERTY Challenge goes for you, too; so please drop us a line. If you’re on the side of dealing with a lack of support, we really want to hear from you so we can be cheering you on during the tough conversations we’re challenging you to have. Questions? Comments? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com.

For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to www.logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at www.measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, www.joyerancatore.com.

Reflections on the MS Book Festival

Welcome to Episode 17 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! Today’s episode is extra special because we’re taking you through our experiences at the one, the only Mississippi Book Festival. This is the annual event where we kicked our writing careers into high gear back in 2016. We’ve grown alongside this event, and we could not be more proud to be part of such an incredible program. Because so many people come together to make this festival such a success and we have so many great things to say about the day, we have quite a few links to share with you all and our episode is a little longer than our usual.

We want to hear how the QWERTY Challenge goes for you, too; so please drop us a line. Questions? Comments? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com.

We mentioned a bunch of incredible people and places and want to share as many as we can with you, so here goes!

• Mississippi Book Festival: http://msbookfestival.com/
• Lorelei Books and owner Kelle Barfield, Vicksburg, MS: http://loreleibooks.com/
• Dav Pilkey, creator of Captain Underpants and Dogman: https://pilkey.com
• Janet W. Ferguson, author of the Southern Hearts series and the Coastal Hearts series: https://www.janetfergusonauthor.com
• Coffee Prose: https://coffeeprose.com
• Big House Books: https://bighousebooksms.org
• Louisiana Books 2 Prisoners (not mentioned by name because Joy couldn’t remember it!): https://lab2p.org
• P.J. Devere, author of Pour House and Pour Choices: http://pjdevere.com
• Michael B. Hewes and Sarah Hewes, author/illustrator (and son/mother) duo of The Tempestuous Trial of Maybelline Meriweather: http://riverroadpress.com/store/p44/Maybelline.html
• Lyn Roberts from Square Books, Oxford, MS: https://www.squarebooks.com/
• Mamta Chaudhry, author of Haunting Paris: https://mamtachaudhry.com/
• Lisa Patton, author of Rush: https://www.lisapatton.com/
• Deb Spera, author of Call Your Daughter Home: https://debspera.com/
• Katy Simpson Smith, author: https://www.katysimpsonsmith.com/
• Juliet Grames, author of The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna: https://www.julietgrames.com/
• Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth: https://www.juliaphillipswrites.com/
• Maurice Carlos Ruffin, author of We Cast a Shadow: https://loweramericanson.com/
• Ann Patchett, author of Bel Canto, Commonwealth and more and co-owner of Parnassus Books, Nashville: http://www.annpatchett.com and http://www.parnassusbooks.net
• Natasha Trethewey, two-time U.S. Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner: http://www.blueflowerarts.com/natasha-trethewey
• Beth Ann Fennelly, Mississippi Poet Laureate: https://www.bethannfennelly.com
• Poetry Out Loud: https://www.poetryoutloud.org
• Holly Lange, founder and executive director of the Mississippi Book Festival: http://msbookfestival.com/about/staff-board

For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to www.logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at www.measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, www.joyerancatore.com.

Our Ideas Are Not Finite

Welcome to Episode 16 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! Have you ever worried that you’ll write the book of your heart or the five story ideas twirling around in your mind and that will be it? Your well will be dry. Nothing else will come. We’ve got good news for you today, friends! Our ideas are not finite. In fact, it’s quite the contrary; the more you create and the more you surround yourself with creativity, the more creative ideas you’ll have. We’re sharing our experiences, including our own battles with this Doubt; plus, we’re taking it a step further and giving you some tips to combat this fear. Our QWERTY Challenge will help you harness all the great ideas you already have and find some new ones as well. Questions? Comments? Want to share how your Challenge went? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com. We mentioned a great site with a monthly writing prompt: https://blogbattlers.wordpress.com. For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to www.logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at www.measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, www.joyerancatore.com.

Artists, Observe! Inspiration is Everywhere

Welcome to Episode 15 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! We’re coming at you today with an exclamatory imperative, creative friends. We’ve got a pretty good reason behind it, though. So, pop in your earbuds, steep your tea and set out your favorite snacks for “Artists, Observe! Inspiration Is Everywhere!” We’re sharing with you some of the strange places and ways inspiration has come to us, and our QWERTY Challenge will have you opening up to the inspiration around you. Questions? Comments? Want to share how your Challenge went? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com. For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to www.logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at www.measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, www.joyerancatore.com. Here are the links we referenced in today’s show in case you want to check them out:

• Link to Joy’s incredible cover designer, Rachael Ritchey: https://rachaelritchey.com/book-design-by-rachael/covers-designed/
• Link to Joy’s book page on her website (or find her across social media @joyerancatore): http://www.joyerancatore.com/my-writings/
• Link to the Forensics Team Mea spoke to last week: https://wmcarey.edu/page/forensics-team
• Link to the Mississippi Book Festival—Let us know if you’ll be there, too!: http://msbookfestival.com

What? We Chatted with an Artist!

Welcome to Episode 14 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! Today we’ve got a special treat for you guys. Our first guest on the show, Kim Howes Zabbia, will inspire and encourage you in your own creative endeavors and might just make you laugh. An accomplished artist, Kim taught art for many years at Ponchatoula High School in Ponchatoula, LA, and now teaches art to adults in her studio. Her latest book is Just Paint, It Ain’t: Demystifying the the Complex Marriage of Artists and Their Viewers. She’s sharing details with us about this book, specifically the Artistic Cycle she showcases in it. Kim brings us our QWERTY Challenge, and it’s a good one. In fact, Joy and Mea have taken on this challenge as well. Questions? Comments? Want to share how your Challenge went? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com. Be sure to check out Kim’s website and social media platforms and follow her for more inspiration. Here are all the links you’ll need: https://www.kimhoweszabbia.com, https://www.facebook.com/KimHowesZabbiaArtist/, https://www.instagram.com/KimHowesZabbiaArtist/, https://www.youtube.com/user/KimZabbia. For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to www.logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at www.measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, www.joyerancatore.com.

Finding the Creative in Your Community

Welcome to lucky Episode 13 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! [DISCLAIMER: left earbud only] We’re challenging you to Find the Creative in Your Community! Wonder where to start? We’ve got a whole show worth of suggestions for you! Our QWERTY Challenge might just push you outside your comfort zone. But, don’t worry! We’re here to help you and encourage you as you do. Are you ready? We believe in you! Questions? Comments? Want to share how your Challenge went? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com. For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to www.logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at www.measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, www.joyerancatore.com.

Benefits of Short Fiction, Part 3

Welcome to Episode 12 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! We are closing out a three-part series on the Benefits of Short Fiction. In case you missed the first two episodes, we discussed the boost short fiction can give your craft techniques and your author brand. This time, we’re getting emotional. Yes, short fiction can give you an emotional boost! Find out how! Our QWERTY Challenge will encourage you to exercise that right brain. Are you ready? We believe in you! Questions? Comments? Want to share how your Challenge went? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com. For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to www.logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at www.measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, www.joyerancatore.com.

Benefits of Short Fiction, Part 2

Welcome to Episode 11 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! We’re heading into the second part of a three-part series on the Benefits of Short Fiction. This time we’re focusing on the bonus perk of enhancing your author brand or adding to your collection of works. Our QWERTY Challenge will help you think of ways to boost your author brand or to discover your author voice through short fiction. Questions? Comments? Want to share your plans? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com. For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to www.logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at www.measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, www.joyerancatore.com.

Benefits of Short Fiction, Part 1

Welcome to Episode 10 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! We love short fiction! We enjoy writing it and encouraging others to write it as well. In fact, we enjoy that so much, we turned one episode on the benefits of writing short fiction into THREE! For the first part, we’re examining the benefits to craft training. When you write something shorter, it’s easier to try something new or strive to improve something specific. Our QWERTY Challenge will push you to make something this week, specifically a short piece with the purpose of examining a specific craft technique you’d like to explore or improve. Questions? Comments? Want to share how your Challenge went? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com. For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to www.logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at www.measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, www.joyerancatore.com.

Writing Rituals

Welcome to Episode 9 of the QWERTY Writing Life Podcast with Joy E. Rancatore and Mea Smith! Do you have any writing rituals? When you go to create something—whether it’s a story or a song or a painting—do you need a certain smell or drink or sound? We dream about our ideal writing situations and then we get real and share a little of what actual writing time looks like for us and how we make it work for us. Our QWERTY Challenge will help you get to a point where you can create wherever you are in whatever time you’re given too. As long as you’re willing to practice, that is! Questions? Comments? Want to share your list? You know what to do! Continue this week’s chat with us via email at editorial [at] logosandmythospress [dot] com. For more information about us, the show and our writing craft book series, head over to logosandmythospress.com/qwerty-writing-life. Subscribe in your favorite podcast portal. Or, if you’d rather see our grinning faces, ring the bell on our YouTube channel. Can’t get enough of Mea? Head over to her online home at measmith.com. Want to know more about Joy? Check out her site, joyerancatore.com.