Kobo Writing Life Podcast

In this episode, we are joined by Tom Bromley, author, ghost writer, and writing teacher who is currently the Head of Learning at Reedsy, where he teaches the How to Write a Novel course, a writing course for authors at all stages of their career looking for insights and guidance on writing their first (or second, or third…) novel. We spoke to Tom about his path to becoming a published author, how his musical talents have helped him write prose, learn more about his ghostwriting career, and get into the How to Write a Novel course he teaches at Reedsy. Tom had some great insights into novel-writing and shared some great stories about students past and present. For those looking to join the course, look no further: the next class begins on April 28th 2025! Listeners of the KWL podcast can use the code WRITINGLIFE to get 10% off the course fee (valid until April 28th 2025). Learn more on Tom’s website, and be sure to check out Reedsy and Reedsy's How to Write a Novel course!

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. For National Poetry Month here in North America, we're re-releasing this episode from April 2020 with poet, spoken word artist, and creative writing facilitator Jasmin Kaur. Writer, illustrator, and poet Jasmin Kaur joins us on the podcast this week. Jasmin’s work has been celebrated globally, and has been shared by celebrities and activists such as Jennifer Lopez, Tessa Thompson, and Reese Witherspoon. She talks to us about her journey as a writer and what it’s like to know her work has had such a wide reach, how she ensures she maintains her original intentions when sharing her work, and why she feels it’s so important for her to share and protect her authentic voice. Learn more on Jasmin's website and be sure to follow Jasmin’s Instagram!

In this episode, we are joined by Wendy, Cheryl, and Trudi from the Self-Publishing Authors Podcast! Having been in the self-publishing industry since 2013, these authors know all about the indie author journey and then some. Between Wendy, Cheryl, Trudi, and Shar, they have published over 140 books and sold millions of copies of their titles. It was great to hear from the SPA Girls and get into how the self-publishing industry has evolved over time together. We spoke about the SPA Girls’ own self-publishing journeys, learned more about their podcast, heard about the “early days” of self-publishing, got into how their work and the indie publishing industry has changed over the last decade, were given some great marketing advice, and much more! This episode is full of great insights for both beginner and veteran authors alike from a wonderful group of experts. Don’t miss out on listening in. Find out more at The Self-Publishing Authors Podcast website.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. For the fifth episode of this series, we're happy to share this interview featuring the 2019 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize winner in the Romance category, Julie Evelyn Joyce, for her book Steeped in Love. Julie Evelyn Joyce talks to us about the inspiration for prize-winning novel Steeped in Love. Julie shares how writing Gilmore Girls fan fiction taught her about craft and how a chance meeting at RWA led her to entering and winning Kobo’s Emerging Writer Prize! Learn more on Julie's website and be sure to check out Julie's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we spoke to Robert L. Slater, author and creator of the Deserted Lands series and extended Deserted Lands Universe, a sci-fi and dystopian coming-of-age series of books that follow Lizzie, the sixteen-year-old survivor of a devastating pandemic, as she navigates this dangerous new world. Robert is also the author of several short stories and novellas in the Deserted Lands universe and has plans to continue the series in a multitude of ways! We spoke to Robert about his start as a writer, his inspirations, the eerie similarities to real-world events he wrote into his novels years prior, his experiences attending conferences and conventions and connecting with other indie authors, using marketing swag to your advantage as an author, and much more. Learn more on Robert’s website and the Deserted Lands website, and be sure to follow Robert on Facebook and X/Twitter.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. For the fifth episode of this series, we're happy to share this interview featuring Canadian thriller author Samantha M. Bailey from 2022. Watch Out for Her is a contender for Canada Reads 2025. Don't miss the debates, which take place March 17th-20th, 2025. In this episode, we are joined by Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 nationally bestselling author of Woman on the Edge. Today, Samantha discusses her second book, the recently released domestic suspense novel/psychological thriller, Watch Out for Her. We discussed Samantha's experiences finding a traditional publishing platform, following up a successful debut during a global pandemic, how curiosity can drive the creative process of writing a thriller, the importance of editing, of community, of her readers, and much more! Find out more on Samantha M. Bailey's website and follow Samantha on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

In this episode, we are joined by Clare Leslie Hall, author of Broken Country, Clare’s debut novel in the US and Canada. Broken Country is described as “A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller” and is a novel “of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love.” Broken Country is available now from Simon & Schuster Canada. Clare is also the author of romantic suspense novels Him and Mine under the name Clare Empson. We spoke to Clare about her journey to becoming a published author, writing romantic suspense novels, Broken Country’s cross-genre appeal, writing under a pen name, staying dedicated to her stories, having film rights for her novel purchased, and much more! Follow Clare on Instagram and see more of Clare’s books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. For the fourth episode of this series, we're happy to share this episode featuring Robert Harris from November 2016. Originally hosted at Kobo's former headquarters in Toronto (don't worry, we're still in Toronto; we've just moved!), this interview features author Robert Harris in conversation with journalist Johanna Schneller, as well as Pieter Swinkels, former Chief Content Officer at Kobo. This interview offers some insights into Robert's research process and writing routine, and we also get to hear all about his inspiration for Conclave, amongst much more! Find out more on Robert's website, follow Johanna Schneller on X/Twitter, and check out Robert's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we are joined by Sierra Simone, author of dozens of romance novels, such as the beloved Thornchapel, New Camelot, and Lyonesse series. In her own words, Sierra “loves writing the dirtiest things that she can think of, King Arthur, sparkling water, ancient mystery cults, coffee, leggings, and fog.” Sierra’s enthusiasm for erotic romance novels, marketing books, character development, and her fellow authors takes the spotlight during this interview, and we love to hear it. We speak with Sierra about her writing career, hear some great advice on writing intimate scenes, discuss the importance of social media, Tiktok, and BookTok, co-writing with fellow romance author Julie Murphy, and much more! Whether you are a fan of Sierra’s books or an erotic romance novelist yourself, you won’t want to miss this episode. Learn more on Sierra’s website, follow her on Instagram, and join Sierra’s Facebook reader group for even more!

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. For the third episode of this series, we're excited to highlight this episode featuring Renee Harleston from March 2022. Our guest this week is Renee Harleston, founder of Writing Diversely, which offers sensitivity reading services that provide authors, writers, and content creators the tools and support they need to tell diverse and inclusive stories. Learn more by visiting the Writing Diversely site, and follow Writing Diversely on X/Twitter and Instagram.