This week’s guest is Jaclyn Westlake (Dear Dotty, Avon Books/Harper Collins, June 2024). Jaclyn signed up for Stanford’s 2-year Novel Writing Course and emerged with the first draft of her debut, a humorous women’s fiction centered on a young woman finding her true path following the example of an unconventional aunt. After querying over a hundred agents, Jaclyn received offers from several, and later had her book go to auction and sell in a two-book deal. We discuss how she made decisions on which agent and which editor to pick, hiring an outside publicist to market outside the book world based on her novel’s themes, and how her unconventional choice of housing led to a CNBC segment that featured her book.

Jaclyn Westlake writes about funny, flawed women doing their best to find their way in the world. A recruiter turned career advice columnist, her work has appeared in Forbes, Business Insider, and Inc. Westlake is the author of two novels: LUCKY BREAK and DEAR DOTTY, both published by Avon Books/HarperCollins. DEAR DOTTY was a finalist for the debut STAR Award from the Women's Fiction Writers Association, where Jaclyn is an active member. An alumna of Stanford Continuing Studies Novel Writing program, her stories blend humor and heart, exploring the wonderfully messy realities of modern life. She's currently at work on her third novel and lives in California with her husband and their dog.

To learn more about Jaclyn, click here.

Our guest this week is Amy Dressler (How to Align the Stars, Egret Lake Books, June 2024). Amy’s biggest challenge in writing her debut was finding the self-confidence to believe she was qualified to tackle a beloved Shakespeare story and update it for our current time. She was helped in that effort by a supportive critique group and a brand-new publisher who took a chance on her after a fluke meeting in a bathroom at a conference. And if you’ve ever wondered what to write in a newsletter when you haven’t your novel yet, she’s got some great tips.

Amy writes witty, engaging contemporary fiction featuring heroines who wrestle with their emotional baggage while maintaining a sense of humor. As a literature major, theater nerd, and believer in the cathartic power of humor, Amy has always gravitated toward Shakespeare’s comedies. In the Shakespeare Project, she transposes those stories into contemporary settings that highlight the heroines’ emotional arcs. She's an active member of the Author's Guild, Women's Fiction Writers Association, and the Pacific Northwest Author's Association, where her books have twice been recognized as contest finalists. She holds a certificate in Popular Fiction from the University of Washington, as well as a BA in English from Whitman College and a Master's in Library and Information Science, also from the University of Washington. She spends her days shepherding government documents but has also worked as an academic librarian and freelance pop culture writer.

Amy’s hobbies include barely running (she’s completed ten half marathons, slowly), cooking and baking, hiking, tending her neighborhood Little Free Library, relaxed traveling, and attending live theater. When she’s not writing, Amy can often be found cozied up reading, eating fancy cheese, shopping for fancy cheese, or cooking with fancy cheese. She lives in the Seattle suburbs with her husband, two senior rescue cats, and next door to her sister. Her love language is jokes.

To learn more about Amy, click here.

This week’s guest is Darlene Corbett (Visible, WordCrafts Press May 2024). A psychotherapist for over 30 years, Darlene used a therapy group as a stepping-off point to her debut, featuring five people with disparate challenges and a counselor with problems of her own. We discuss the misconceptions people have about therapy, how she used contest entries to get valuable early feedback, and how a chance pitch opening at a conference led to a contract. Darlene also shares her four pieces of advice to novice writers, including working to improve and refine your craft.

Darlene Corbett has been serving others as a licensed psychotherapist for over thirty years. Her wealth of experience in human behavior prompted Darlene to write her ideas on paper, which set the stage for her book, Stop Depriving The World of You, published by Sound Wisdom in 2018. Darlene wrote her first novel, Visible, a women’s fiction about second chances, published by WordCrafts Press in the spring of 2024, and in August, she became the winner in the 2024 Storytrade Book Awards “Christian Fiction - Contemporary” category.

Besides being an avid reader, Darlene loves animals, especially dogs, which you'll see in her novel. Also, she treasures learning another language, yoga, fitness, traveling, and connecting with her inner circle. She belongs to many organizations, including the ACFW, FHL-CW, and WFWA. She lives in Central Massachusetts with her beloved Shih Tzu, Stevie.

To learn more about Darlene, click here.