Podcast - Maggie Smith

Hear Us Roar

If you’re an aspiring author and want insights into what’s involved in launching a book into the world, this is the podcast for you. Maggie Smith, author and blogger, interviews debut novelists from the Women’s Fiction Writers Association discussing not only the inspiration behind their book, but also their insights into the writing process, the best advice they ever got, and the joys and sometimes pitfalls they encountered on their path to publication.

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In honor of Women’s Fiction Day 2023, pull up a chair and listen to this special edition of Hear Us Roar celebrating Women’s Fiction Day 2023. Our guests on the episode are Orly Konig, Kerry Lonsdale, and Laura Drake, three of the founding members of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association. We discuss how and why the group got started “way back when”, the struggles of the early days, and how the organization has evolved over the last ten years. Finally we end with picking the brains of these seasoned professionals about the genre itself and why the term “women’s fiction” may also need to evolve.

Kerry Lonsdale is the Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and #1 Kindle bestselling author of the Everything series, No More trilogy, and multiple standalone domestic drama novels. Her books have sold more than two million copies and have been translated into twenty-seven languages. She lives in Northern California with her husband, two adult children (when they’re home from college), and three cats.

Laura Drake is a New York and self-published author of fourteen Romance and Women’s Fiction stories. Her debut, The Sweet Spot, the 2014 Romance Writers of America® RITA® award. A city girl turned Texan, she’s currently working on her accent. She’s a wife, grandmother, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.

Orly Konig is the founding president of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association and author of The Distance Home which was a finalist in both the general and debut categories in WFWA’s Star Award; and Carousel Beach, which was named to Southern Living’s list of Beach Reads Perfect for Summer Vacation. She lives in Maryland where she can be found juggling multiple works in progress — both writing and crocheting.