Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello authors.
[00:00:01] Speaker B: I'm Joanne Morell, children's and young adult fiction writer and author of short nonfiction for authors. Thanks for joining me for the Hybrid Author Podcast, sharing interviews from industry professionals to help you forge a career as a hybrid author both independently and traditionally publishing your books. You can get the show notes for each episode and sign up for your free Author pass over at the Hybrid Author website to discover your writing process, get tips on how to publish productively, and get comfortable promoting your books at ww.
Let's crack on with the episode.
[00:00:42] Speaker C: Hello authors. I hope you're all keeping well in whatever part of the world you reside and listen to the podcast in Today's interview is with Fiona Cosgrove on spooky stories and publishing paths and crafting middle grade thrills as a hybrid author and we chat about her inspiration to write spooky stories for young readers readers, how she strikes the right balance between fun and fright being a hybrid author navigating both traditional and self publishing avenues, advantages and challenges of being a hybrid author in today's publishing landscape, how she incorporates elements of suspense and mystery in her storytelling while ensuring themes remain age appropriate and relatable and Fiona's advice for aspiring authors in the middle grade genre interested in hybrid publishing and much more.
[00:01:36] Speaker B: So.
[00:01:37] Speaker C: In my author adventure this week I have started writing the second book in my women's fiction series, the Lawyer, the Singer and the Server and I haven't quite finished plotting the final act, but I have gone ahead and decided to start writing chapter one and it's great. Like I feel like I've been writing but I've not obviously been writing a full project I guess since the last one. Obviously there's been other bits and pieces but yeah, so it's been nice to get back into writing. I I dare say that this book will appear at the beginning of next year. I'm still getting lots of good feedback coming in from people that are reading the Writer, the Hairdresser and the Nurse the first in series. So I'll be hitting those people up for reviews soon. And just in the middle of putting together a marketing a marketing plan for the first in series which I should have probably done already but you know I am where I am and it is what it is and I'll get where I need to be at my own pace. And like we all know there is no right, there is no wrong when it comes comes to writing, publishing and promoting. Obviously there is some rules don't make a crap product really.
So my in publishing I have been waiting on a copy of the writer, the hairdresser and the nurse, a proof copy from Amazon. And anyway the proof copy has arrived and it's not 100% how I want it. So I've now got to go back and sort of tweak all that, which is the fun part of publishing. Yeah, yeah. Sizing is always my like what I fall short on. And the size is actually not too bad, like the height but the width needs to be a little bit more because the, the writing just seems a bit squashed. So as I have learned in the past, you don't put a product out until you know it's. I'm not gonna say perfect because I don't believe in perfection. I do not believe in perfect. I've got this far realizing perfection is. It just. It's not, it's not going to get you anywhere in publishing, personally I feel and you can forever perfect a project and that's really all you'll with that project. But if you do your best, know that it's damn well good enough, then that's good enough for me. So it's, it's all go there and I'm just really wanting and this is definitely a goal that will happen before the end of the year that I want to get my book up on all the other platforms. And this is why I have to print through Amazon obviously originally have printed locally. So I effectively have two products. No, well not two products. I've got.
[00:04:06] Speaker A: Yeah, two.
[00:04:06] Speaker C: Two of the same book really from different printers. The ones that I have printed local are going to be made, not Australia specific, but they're going to be, they're special really because the first print run, the Amazon ones are going to be print on demand. Obviously someone wants it worldwide, they'll print it and it'll go off. I'm not buying stock of the Amazon ones, I've got the stock of the Australian ones. That's what you will get when you buy direct from me. And yeah, I mean there are different. The quality from Amazon is pretty good but the publisher, the local printers is good quality also. And selling direct, direct with these copies, the initial print run, they are specialized signed author copies. So that is the difference really. Buying from Edirect, you can type a dedication into them obviously just for the print books, the ebooks, not so much. And I would also like to execute the audiobook by the end of the year. So the reason that is holding me up is because of the little Cavoodo puppy we have at home. If you've seen on social media. Eight months now. Molly Jo, my daughter's puppy, and this thing is a stalker of mine and follows me constantly from room to room. It has a little bell and I just think, how am I going to record audio with this thing tinkling? It's not too bad when it's the podcast because, you know, I don't mind a bit of background. I'm in my car right now, as you all know. I record in various places, but you do get a bit of background noise. And we're very relaxed over here at the hybrid Author, so. But not for audiobook. Needs to be a bit more probably professional, so I'm gonna have to figure that one out. But that will be another goal I want to hit by the end of the year. And I have released that I'm going to have another book by the end of the year. And in the back of my mind, and this is again where I've had growth and I've spoke about this in the last couple of weeks, is I would frantically be trying to get finished all the stuff that I wanted by the end of the year now. And now I can take a realistic approach and view on what's achievable, what's not, and where I should be focused. So yay me. There'll be lots of reflection in the lessons learned episode that I do at the end of each year, and I dare say that will come up again. And I'm. I'm patting myself on the back, you can't see. And I'm just pretending to because I don't want to make the noise, but I do feel really proud about where I'm at and how I understand my working process at this point. So hurrah for me. Back to the writer, the hairdresser, and the nurse. As I said, I've created a marketing plan and I'm starting to, you know, like, have. Try and have some fun with it as well. Like, I don't cringe away from marketing, but I have sort of got a bit of a stigma about I hate the word selling. I don't. And marketing, to me is probably making your books, you think, or making people aware of your books. And by that, you think of the benefits and who they can help and that's fine. But the actual words selling books sell, I don't like. And to me, it's just made aware. I changed the lingo to make myself feel a bit more calm and relaxed about putting my work out there and whatnot. But what I was realizing is, you know, there's books out there that change people's lives, take people away from their for a little bit, provide them with escapism, enjoyment, and that's what my women's fiction is. And the feedback I'm receiving from people, you know they're reading it and not only that, they're reading it right to the end and saying how much they enjoyed it. And you know, that was achievable for them. And that is because sometimes getting to the end of a book is quite difficult for some people, especially busy mums. And that's the target audience who are time poor, who have to sit down, who make who have to force themselves, some of them to sit down and actually make quality time for themselves, especially reading book. So I commend those who have done that and I'm glad that my book has been the one to provide you with that little bit of respite and fun, imagination, romance, all of it. So that's very exciting to me. And yeah, obviously happy Halloween.
Halloween's been but yeah, I'm excited to share this interview with Fiona. Very fitting obviously being the spooky month and all. Shared a post on social media. This is me starting my marketing efforts with a little video that I created and it was for not my women's fiction but for my author Fears and How to Overcome Them book. And so that's one of my non fiction books. It said this Halloween, Don't Let Fear Haunt yout Writing Author Fears and How to Overcome Them by Joanne Morel helps you face those writerly worries and banish self doubt once it rears its ugly head. Perfect for writers looking to take courage this spooky season. And yeah again you can get all my books direct from the website. But as we know postage is a pain in the bum and unfortunately it can't be avoided. So books postage from my website is, you know, locally it's about $11. So if you want to save on postage and you want some of my books, the women's fiction or the non fiction books, you can come see me at Perth upmarket UWA. That's on 17-11-10 to 4. I have a the hybrid author has a stall there and I will be selling my books. I'll be selling the book bundles also great gifts. Christmas you can have them personalized with dedications. There's going to be personalized letters from the author included in it as well as already gift wrapped for Christmas. You can also if you can't make it there you can come to the free writing events that the city of God knows are putting on and I am presenting two of them. The Discovering Roblox in Writing. Wednesday the 20th of November. That's at the Blue Room, Amherst Village Library and this is from 4 to 5 so you can come get some good conversation. Well you can hear from me and also purchase my books direct on the day the other session is Getting published Friday 29th November and that's at Lesser Hall Mills Park Library and that runs from three to four. So yeah, hope to see you there if you're around Perth people, if you're not in Perth. Unfortunately postage still stands but buying direct from me makes I receive the full royalties for all the hard work and you get a very personalized copy of my book which is signed however you like it or to whom it whenever you like it. I was supposed to be going out to a book event but unfortunately life just changes sometimes you've got to roll with it. So personal thing popped up which I'm no longer going. So that was. It was actually the Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson was in conversation with Tess woods at the Joondalup Resort and the golf club. It's going to be a big event. I think it's sold out there probably about 700 people. But yeah, Fergie, she's author of lots of books. It would be quite interesting to go and hear her speak and would have liked to meet her face to face but it's not to be. So I know a few author friends that are going so it'll be nice to hear how the event went. Also over the weekend, last weekend, not this weekend, I launched the picture book Dragon Guest Handbook by Jeanette Stamponi and Novia Heroanto and it was it's just such a special picture book. So it's out in stores now. Guys go and grab a copy. I got one for my nephew. It's a beautiful, beautiful book, really silly and fun but also with a large message of just love and breaking down those communication barriers. But yeah, it was very honored to be participating in that. Also a friend of mine is running a Kickstarter campaign parody P APed if you go and check out Kickstarter she currently has a Kickstarter called Whisker Wonders Possum Cat stickers Stick share and show off your eco friendly feline fandom. And so these are eco friendly stickers of beautiful cat designs for any cat lovers out there. They are super cute so you can go and check her campaign over at Kickstarter and back the project just it's fantastic.
[00:11:53] Speaker B: Thorn creative where Beautiful websites for authors are brought to life. No matter what stage you're at with your writing, your stories deserve a dedicated space to shine. Whether you're just starting out or have a bookshelf full of bestsellers, your website is the hub of your author business. Finding everything you and your books offer together, Thorn Creative can nurture all aspects of redesigning your old site or start afresh. From the initial design, they can provide ongoing hosting and maintenance to marketing your books online, saving you time, money and stress trying to wrangle your site yourself. An author website built by Thorn Creative can easily direct readers to your favorite retailers, your publisher, or simply set you up to sell to them direct. The options are endless. Thorn Creative have worked with many authors across all genres and know what goes into good, functional working author websites. To sell books, Head on over to thorncreative.com websitesfor authors to read author and publisher testimonials and to see what they offer and some of the sites they've created.
[00:13:21] Speaker A: Born and bred in Perth, Western Australia, Fiona was raised on a far too paranormal diet of X Files. Are you afraid of the dark backdoor fiction and a plethora of other completely age inappropriate TV shows? This has led to not only a peculiar open mind, but also a taste for the delightfully mysterious Anne Macabre. After studying marine science and working for several years within the commercial fishing industry, Fiona finally decided to test run those voices that had taken up space in her head for far too long. When Fiona is not sitting in front of the computer screen trudging through the painstaking first draft, hanging out with her two kids, an oversized pooch, and one amusingly logical husband, you can usually find her listening to podcasts, baking cakes, following that black line in the pool, or with her head in an array of books. Welcome to the Hybrid Author Podcast, Fiona.
[00:14:10] Speaker D: Thanks Jo. Thanks for having me. It always sounds so much better when someone reads out my bio than when you're writing it yourself.
[00:14:16] Speaker C: Oh, it's fantastic.
[00:14:17] Speaker A: You've got a lot in there. You know, you get a good, well.
[00:14:20] Speaker C: Rounded view of you as a person.
[00:14:21] Speaker D: And you're like a bit of everything.
[00:14:23] Speaker A: Well, you know, you can obviously tell you've had a love for paranormal. And how did you end up falling into writing?
[00:14:30] Speaker D: I've thought about this question a few times and I answered it not long ago and I don't know. I still don't know. I never wanted to be an author growing up. But looking back, like I always kept a diary. I always had a journal, which I've since burned all of them so they didn't fall into the wrong hands. I did that when I was like late teenage years which was probably the right thing to do but I always kept a journal. I still keep one now and looking back I think I was pretty good at fan fiction. I was pretty, pretty good at taking someone else's words and then making them into something else. I didn't realize that was fan fiction at the time. I just remember in primary school always riffing off of other people's stories and I just thought that meant I had no imagination but I think it's just part of the creative process. I didn't give myself enough credit.
[00:15:10] Speaker A: Adaptation, yeah, I don't think we give.
[00:15:13] Speaker D: Non fiction enough credit but it's a great way to start writing. And then I remember I was a few years into so I studied marine science and then I went into the commercial fishing management and I was a few years into that and I was sitting on the couch. This was pre kids when I was bored because that hasn't happened post kids but I was sitting on the couch with my laptop, I was a little bit bored and I thought I'll just pick it up and what if I just started writing a few words and I ended up writing a few thousand words of a, I would say a middle grade fantasy which I never finished, doesn't matter, maybe I'll pick it up one day. But I wrote a few thousand words and I thought this is pretty fun. And my sister was the one who always wanted to be an author and she has had a story in her brain since she was probably about 12. And I thought I'll send it to her because if anyone's going to be honest with me it's going to be your sister. And I sent it to her and she replied with there's no way you wrote this. And I thought that's both complimentary and insulting and very typical of our relationship. It gave me some motivation. I thought maybe I'm not too bad at this and I think more so than being thinking I had any skill in it at all. It was really fun and I really enjoyed it and I started to think about it non stop and I couldn't stop writing from that point on. So I took a couple of courses. One of them was Natasha Lester's course. I don't even know if it's still running now. It was in UWA Extension and that was probably the chunkiest course I did. It was over maybe six weeks or two months and you go there every week and you just, it's I think it was nailing your novel or something like that. And that was kind of the first introduction to writing that I had because I never pursued it earlier than that. I even failed English when I was in high school. So it was never at the forefront to pursue a writing career.
[00:16:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Oh, that's amazing. And I think there's something quite spiritual about it. You know, similar stories to mine. Actually sitting one day and just thought, I'm going to write a short story. But before that, prior to that, you know, having an interest as a, as a kid I was a reader and had same, same like, you know, wrote some journals. I kept mine.
Yeah. Again, the whole things are falling apart but I'll be absolutely disgusted to look at them again.
[00:17:09] Speaker D: One day I was going to say, do you go back? Do you ever read them?
[00:17:13] Speaker A: Not right now. Not right now. I've got a good idea what's in there. Like, you know, probably just a little boy talk or something.
[00:17:19] Speaker D: That was what mine was too. Are you scared someone's going to find them? I was always terrified someone would find.
[00:17:24] Speaker A: Oh, I know. And out, out. You really are like, oh, I didn't know she was like that.
[00:17:30] Speaker D: Now you're scared. Now you're going to go and sacrifice them all.
[00:17:33] Speaker A: That's it. And yeah, I remember doing a Natasha Lister course as well. It wasn't as meaty as that one. I think she was doing a perfect pitch one or something. Her courses are really fantastic. I think she mixes them up as well. No, it sounds like it's meant to be and I love your sister's feedback. That's hilarious.
[00:17:48] Speaker D: It's still the same.
[00:17:50] Speaker A: Yes, you're on the right track. Is she one of the first people that you send your work to occasionally?
[00:17:54] Speaker D: My dad is, yeah, she'll be one of the top ones but she's not a horror lover. That's why I had to kind of pivot away from her because I think some of the stories I was sending her, she's like, I just can't right now. So I had to pivot to my dad, who is far more into Twilight Zone and the paranormal. He's my go to at the moment.
[00:18:13] Speaker A: Oh, fantastic. Well, your spooky middle grade books have a unique twist to children's literature. They bring that. What inspired you to delve into the world of spooky stories for young readers? You obviously enjoy that but, you know, maybe getting into the younger reader side and, you know, how do you ensure they strike the right balance between fun and fright?
[00:18:31] Speaker D: I think when I First started, I wrote pretty broadly, so I wrote adult romance. I wrote some contemporary, I wrote some, really some junior fiction that took place at a zoo. I think I really just, I entered in everything, any kind of short story competition I saw, any kind of prompts that I saw, I would just keep writing and sending them in. And I kind of realized fairly quickly that everything I wrote had a. Had a little bit of a dark tone, a little bit of a dark twist to it. And it was probably not until I entered the KSP Spooky short story competition. I can't remember what year it was. Maybe it was 2018 or 2019. And I thought this feels really cozy and comfortable and it felt like my wheelhouse. And I think sometimes, you know, sometimes you write in other genres or other age groups and it feels like a struggle, or you get bored halfway or you're just not sure where it's going, you lose energy. But whenever I'm writing spooky middle grade, it's like the energy just keeps snowballing and I get really excited and it feels, it just feels, I guess, right. For lack of a better explanation than that.
[00:19:33] Speaker A: No, no, that's, that's, that's fantastic. And I think that you can, like you said, you, you can try lots of different areas. And until you kind of find what is the right fit or what does feel right, I think it's a very gut feeling. I write with my gut as well. And I've kind of started in ya, went all the way down through middle grade and junior fiction always baffled me.
I just, I get it now. But just that whole middle section is very weird. And then down to picture books and all the way back up. And now I've come to the conclusion after so many years, I have an older voice. I'm now writing for adults. And yeah, I still will probably dabble in the ya. But you do, I think, you know what you like what you. Are you a big reader as well of this sort of genre?
[00:20:16] Speaker D: Yeah, the genre. Yeah, this is the genre that I love to read. And I'll read middle grade bookie, anything that's slightly twisted and not, not twisted in a graphic or grotesque way. Because I will read some adult horror and after, you know, a couple of those, I'll really need to dial it back. It doesn't sit too well with me after a diet of like pure adult horror. But anything that's a little bit twisty and has twists and turns that you don't see coming is a little bit creepy. And I love that age Group from kind of 10 to 10 to 14. It feels maybe a little bit more uncomplicated and really driven by the adventure and the story.
[00:20:54] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:20:54] Speaker D: And there can just be so much fun banter in that age group that makes it really enjoyable. And I think like you said, you just have a writing voice. Like I've, I tried junior fiction and I just sucked at it. I couldn't figure it out. Like I just, I just, I couldn't stick to the word count. And I was like, oh, none of this is gonna. Like, my daughter wouldn't understand this and she's eight. She wouldn't be able to read this. I think you just have a voice that is just kind of built in and I'm sure you can kind of train that out. Yeah. But definitely you have a go to.
[00:21:22] Speaker A: Yeah, no, I agree. I just couldn't. Like I made something in my first year of uni, which because of the size of it, I think I was calling it junior fiction, but probably the content would have been middle grade, but the writing was like almost ya. So it was a really, really, you know, hybrid sort of creative.
Well, and I can look at it now like it was a good, good trial, especially because I put it out there and I had such crippling self doubt that I couldn't get behind this thing. But yeah, I mean the first bit was okay and I had like reading it and because I had commissioned an artist as well. But as soon as you turn the page, it's just writing, writing, writing. And that would have put a child probably about that age off immediately. But I could never, I really, really struggled. Like I felt like the ideas I had were younger because I guess they were children's. But my voice is older and I just didn't, I didn't want to change that either. I didn't want to you dial it down. I don't. Dumb's not the word, but age it down. I just didn't want to do that. So now I, now I don't, which is good and it's liberating. But yeah, yeah, yeah, that's eventually, you know, 10 years later, at least I figured it out. I guess you could probably keep going 100%.
[00:22:31] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:22:31] Speaker D: But.
[00:22:32] Speaker A: Well, you are a hybrid author because you navigate, you know, in both the traditional and the self publishing avenues. How do you decide now sort of going forward, which projects that you feel might be better putting out yourself or like for a traditional publishing side? And what have been the advantages and challenges that you found being a hybrid author in today's publishing landscape.
[00:22:53] Speaker D: I think it'll be nuanced per book. I think there's certain books that obviously feel more marketable and that could lend itself more to traditional publishing. And that might be something I pursue with some books, whereas I think there are others. Like I think my Twisted Trail series is a choose your path series. And I really not that when I was writing it, even thought I was going to publish it or had a strategy in any way, shape or form. But I think once I got to a point where I realized I kind of wanted to put it out there, I just didn't think there would be any appetite from traditional publishers. I think it can be such a narrow market, especially as like a debut author that's something to the left or potentially something that is seen as not for today's market. It's just not going to be picked up. And by that point with Twisted Trials, I was really just sick of not being able to move forward with anything. Always get getting stuck waiting for someone else to give me permission or to pick me up and to like take me along for the journey. And I really liked the book and I really liked the story and I really liked the kind of brand around it. And I think that will play into any future book. So I have an idea for a short story collection. I don't think I will seek out any traditional publishing for that one because I love the idea of it being like a branded experience and I like having. Having the idea of having control over that. But something like I have another middle grade that I want to write and I think that might be a really good fit to follow behind Sadie with dragonflight Publishing. Obviously it depends on the opportunities that are around. Can't guarantee like traditional publishing that anyone will pick me up, but it will depend on the opportunities. It'll depend on where I'm at, like I guess my writing journey. It'll depend on a few things. I think it'll be nuanced, but I think anything to the left of center of what's currently in the market is probably something that I'll pursue self publishing wise. But I do always think that I will have hopefully my kind of toe in either side of the pond.
[00:24:46] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. It makes for interesting. So you set out and did the Twisted Tales yourself and then you landed a publishing deal. Did you obviously have something out on submission before you did the Tales?
[00:24:58] Speaker D: Yeah, yep. So I had. I was sending things out for submission. I think Sadie is the first one to be picked up with a traditional contract and that was maybe the Fourth manuscript I had started, I had been submitting and I think it had been on submission for about a year. And I, like I said, I was just getting really frustrated. Like, you know how fun it is to plan bookmarks and to plan merch and to start planning like how you're going to gift wrap all of these fun things. But I could never get there because I could never get the book.
[00:25:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:25:26] Speaker D: And I had been talking to a friend who was self publishing a Romantasy series and she was just so excited and so free and she was talking about all this art that she had commissioned and all of these additional things. And I thought, I don't want to be doing stuff like that. Whether or not it's going to earn me money, I just, I want. It is just this creative pool that you kind of can't get to unless you publish a book. And so I thought it started with just me wanting to write a short, a junior fiction one again, which I ended up sucking out and realized it was middle grade. But I thought, I want to write a junior fiction. Choose your adventure. And after I wrote it, I started to think, oh, maybe, maybe I could publish this. It was meant to be a Christmas present for my niece and nephew. But I thought, what if I just self published? Like it's not going to hurt anyone. I think there was always this thought in the back of my head that if I self publish something under my name that it will hinder any potential for traditional contracts later. And I just don't know if that's the case. I don't, I don't think it is.
[00:26:19] Speaker A: I don't think it should be.
[00:26:20] Speaker D: I don't think it should hold anyone back. No. So then I, yeah, I self published that one and I think I self published it in March and it would have been February that I got. I sent my work to Dragonfly Publishing. And so pretty much by the time I was self publishing Twisted Trails I had signed exactly the same time I signed a contract For Sale lady and the Secret of the Swamp. And that had a big lead in. So that was March last year and it's coming out in a couple of weeks now. So it all happened around the same time.
[00:26:48] Speaker A: Yeah. That's really exciting. And you know, one can piggyback off the other, you know, for both sides. So that's great. Huge congrats.
[00:26:54] Speaker D: Agree. Yeah, thanks.
[00:26:56] Speaker A: Oh, no, no, that's fantastic. Well, you know, middle grade readers are often, like you said, those stories, it's like adventure and excitement and things like that. And yeah, I Mean, how have you incorporated elements of. Of, like suspense and mystery and your storytelling while kind of ensuring that themes are, like, age appropriate and relatable?
[00:27:16] Speaker D: I think reading heavily in the genre is really, really valuable. I think it gives you an idea of the kind of the boundaries of which to stick to. And I'm often quite surprised or like, maybe excited by the boundaries that can be pushed that I didn't realize. And I'll read a new book and I'll be like, oh, we can go there. I didn't realize we could say that, or we could do this. And so that's always really helpful to understand, like, maybe the conventions of whatever you're writing in or where the boundaries lie. I also remember hearing an interview from R L Stein, who wrote this Was Back in the Day, and he obviously wrote Goosebumps and Fear street. And he was saying that the trick for horror is for middle graders to write horror that couldn't happen. So, you know, a sponge under the sink turns into some demon and, like, takes you away to some mystery land or whatever it is. Whereas the trick with horror for ya is that it's horrific because it can happen. So serial killers, whatever it may be. And my editor for Twisted Trainers pulled me up on the similar thing. So I think I had one ending where a sea star attacked your face and you end up plummeting off the side of a cliff. She was like, I wouldn't do that. That feels a little bit too real. Maybe not the sea star part, but the plummeting off the cliff that maybe you could change it to something more fantastical. Whereas she never had an issue if, like, a giant electric eel electrocuted you to death, that was fine. But anything too realistic was not okay. Whereas anything kind of fantastical was scary enough while staying within the boundaries of. I guess what won't be traumatic.
[00:28:37] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's really interesting. I love the Goosebumps series and I loved, like, touching the books. You know, it was all, like, bumpy.
[00:28:44] Speaker D: Yeah, they were the best. They were such an experience. You remember you could sign up and get like, one a month or something. You get a wallet and stickers.
[00:28:52] Speaker A: Yeah, I never had the wallet or the stickers, but I did definitely read the books. And I remember feeling like there were quite. I wasn't like a big, smart reader, but I remember they were quite easy to digest. And I did still feel a bit like, ooh, I didn't read the Fear street ones. Do you ever remember something called Erie, Indiana? No. Like, it was like a TV show. It Was like an American thing, but it was kind of similar. Something. I don't know what that would fall under. Probably mysterious.
[00:29:18] Speaker D: Was it a book first? Because I do remember the TV series.
[00:29:21] Speaker A: Yeah, I remember the TV series. I didn't read the book but same sort of thing, I guess as Goosebumps. Each episode there was something a bit weird. I'm sure it was the same boy though that was in it and I think he was the boy from Hocus Pocus, possibly the original, I don't know. But yeah, all those sort of. They're not harmful or too scary that keep you up at night, but just enough to be like, woo. Yeah, it's a little bit creepy.
[00:29:44] Speaker D: So yeah, I used to love Are you afraid of the dark? Did you ever watch that? That was my all time favorite. Really familiar, but I don't know, it was so cozy. It was like these group of teenagers and they went into the middle of the forest and they would light a fire and they would tell a tale and they were never super scary, like they were never horrible. Sometimes like I look, I watch it now and I watch it with my daughter and I'm like, oh, these costumes are really quite grotesque.
[00:30:09] Speaker C: Oh, right.
[00:30:09] Speaker D: But they're actually quite horrific. But, but the story itself isn't horrible and it's always twisty and creative and you're always trying to guess the ending. I would even watch it with my dad who would really love that kind of stuff as well.
[00:30:21] Speaker A: Yeah, I think.
[00:30:22] Speaker C: Is it like a sort of booming.
[00:30:23] Speaker A: Voice that goes, are you afraid of the dark? Is it that Probably.
It's kind of coming back to me, I think.
[00:30:30] Speaker D: Yeah. And there's like they light a match at the very end of the opening scene and then it fizzles out.
[00:30:35] Speaker A: Was that American?
[00:30:36] Speaker D: It was probably.
[00:30:38] Speaker A: Avraham was American, I think, wasn't it? Yeah.
[00:30:41] Speaker C: Oh gosh.
[00:30:42] Speaker A: Oh, well, you know, what advice advice would you give Fiona to aspiring authors who want to write in the middle grade genre, you know, and they're possibly interested in doing sort of hybrid publishing, you know, doing it themselves and getting a traditional deal. You said before you didn't have any strategies. Have you got any specific strategies or resources now that you found helpful, you know, in building your career and reaching your audience since you've, you're in it now?
[00:31:06] Speaker D: Yeah, I think both are really good. I think I always aim now to have something self published on the go and, and hopefully a contract of something coming out as well. Because I do think, like you said, they play into each other. I think as Far as my ultimate piece of advice, I'm really, really bad with advice because I think we're all so different, but I know it's all right.
[00:31:24] Speaker A: I got asked about tips lately and I was like, oh, gosh, I wish I had thought of something. You just go blank, don't you? You're like, what?
[00:31:31] Speaker D: What Is some fabulous piece of advice. I think always write what you love. And I think. I think, you know, like we've said, I think it brings you joy. I think you're excited. You think about it outside of the times that you're writing, it just unfolds organically. And I think you can kind of chase what you think is trendy or what's going to take off in the market, or what's currently doing well in the market. But inevitably, by the time you get your story out, it's going to be different. The market's going to have changed, the world changes. There's so many things you can't predict that just write what you love and write what gives you energy and write what makes you happy as well as get out there. I think. I mean, I do markets, and I think sometimes I can leave a market and go, oh, I only sold, like, 10 books. And it feels like, was that just a big waste of time? It takes. Logistically, it takes time, and, like, energetically, it takes time, and financially, it costs money to do them. But then I'll get a message from someone later and say, oh, my grandkid hasn't put your book down. And, like, they absolutely adore it. And it's all these little things that you kind of forget if you. If you just sell online or you sell in bookstores or whatever it may be. If you're not. It's these little stories that come back to you that make you remember. That's why I started writing this. Or someone's really enjoying it and it gives you a little bit of a spark to keep going.
[00:32:44] Speaker A: Yeah, no, that's beautiful. And I think that we can get too mixed up in the whole earning an income, and this is a job, and it's difficult as well. But on the flip side, there is those little moments, like, for me, I think, again, I'm not writing in the children fiction anymore, but I just thought, how cool would it be for, like, Book Week to see someone dressed up as a character from your book?
[00:33:08] Speaker C: Yeah, that book, that weird hybrid thing.
[00:33:11] Speaker A: I was talking about before. My nephew did actually dress up as one of the characters for that year. And I was just. I was mortified. So I didn't really count that. But yeah, I guess I've sort of had it. But I always thought that would be just darling to see. That would be really nice or even. Yeah. To get messages of, you know. I'm receiving a few feedback from our women's fiction at the moment and people are saying that they enjoyed it or they haven't read a book for ages, but they've. This is, you know, they've, they haven't put this down or something and the connection with other people is, you know, surreal. It's, it's just wonderful.
[00:33:44] Speaker C: So.
[00:33:44] Speaker A: No, that's great. That's lovely advice. Well, you know, congrats on all your success, Fiona. You're doing amazing and I'm sure everybody's very, very keen to find out where they can buy your books and find everything you do on and offline.
[00:33:56] Speaker D: Yes. So you can find me on social media. Are you afraid of the books? I have a website too, Fiona Cosgrove, wr Sadie. Information on Sadie will be available through me and I'll be doing book boxes towards the end of the year. You can also pre order it through Dragonfly Publishing at the moment.
[00:34:11] Speaker A: Fantastic. Well, thanks so much, Fiona. That was fantastic.
[00:34:14] Speaker D: Thanks, Jo.
[00:34:22] Speaker C: So there you have it, folks, the sensationally spooky Fiona Cosgirl. Fiona's books and book boxes. They come in super spooky stuff. Such fun for kids and adults alike. Please go and check out her website and all she does as well next time on the Hybrid Author podcast we have young adult author Ari Rosenstein on reusing skills from a music career in publishing and republishing a book from traditional to self published. I wish you well in your author adventure this next week. That's it from me. Bye for now.
[00:34:51] Speaker B: That's the end for now.
[00:34:52] Speaker A: Authors.
[00:34:53] Speaker B: I hope you're further forward in your author adventure after listening and I hope you'll listen next time. Remember to head on over to the Hybrid Author website at www.hybridauthor.com au to get your free offer pass.
[00:35:06] Speaker A: It's bye for.
