Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hello authors.
[00:00:01] Speaker B: I'm Joanne Morrell, children's and young adult.
[00:00:03] Speaker C: Fiction writer and author of short nonfiction for Authors.
[00:00:07] Speaker B: 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.
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[00:00:22] Speaker B: Free Author pass over at the Hybrid Author website to discover your writing process.
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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 Uncovering Truths with Young Adult fiction author Karen Cunningham on writing and Self publishing, Missing Sarah Harris and WeChat, tackling themes that resonate deeply with young adult readers such as identity and belonging. The inspiration behind Missing Sarah Harris, Karen's self Publishing and Author Adventure, her advice to aspiring young adult authors, and much more.
So in my Author Adventure this week, I have taken up journaling again, which is not something it's journaling. I don't really call it that. I guess when I was younger, especially in my teens and as a child actually I kept a lot of diaries. And so for me it's sort of diarying. I guess I'd rather call it a diary than a journal. And I think that I'm just absolutely longing to get back to writing a project or just something. It's definitely a way for me to release my thoughts, my feelings, my ideas. And I have so much inside of me.
Ask anyone. And I find it cathartic to write things down. And you know, there's always been lots of different bits of paper everywhere and I've got so many notepads and things floating around that nothing's coherent or it's not in order or it's. It's just chaotic, which is a lot like me, I guess organized chaos is a lot of my things. But yeah, so I started journaling. It was a journal that it's really cool actually. And I'd done one entry and that was at the start of the year, talking about what I wanted for the start of the year, which was. Was nice to read. And so it kind of talks about how you work on yourself. So it's, it's a journal to help you succeed. It's not just a blank page. I did that this morning and I really enjoyed it. And I felt, I definitely noticed that I felt a lot lighter with feelings and thoughts and things like that. So it's something that I'm gonna hopefully consecutively keep up. I have it on hand, so it's beside the bedside table, so it's not going to be forgotten about. It was in a drawer on the other bedside table I forgot about. So yeah, hopefully I can keep that going. And I think that this young adult fiction project's really just pushing to the forefront again and I really feel like I want to pick it up again and just go for my life. It's. It's feeling like it's time. So exciting news. I'll keep you posted there. Another thing I wanted to share was just this article that I read this week. So I'm on a list for a site called Authors Publish. I do workshops and send out a list of different publications that are open. I think it's helpful for other authors. The post is written by a guest author and I do apologize if I'm going to say the name wrong. It's Ratika Deshpand. It's called Lessons from My Most Prolific Year of Writing and Getting Published. So Ratika says I got 33 acceptances and published 194 blog posts in 2024, making it the most prolific year of my writing life. I took more chances. I experimented with writing different stuff. I applied for writing jobs and grants, submitted flash fiction, participated in contests, and wrote articles and essays I'm very proud of. Below are some lessons I learned throughout the year which contributed to these numbers. Before I proceed, I must acknowledge that we writers don't work in isolation. What's going on in our lives impacts our writing. I went through both good and rough periods last year and both affected how much I was writing and publishing. Nevertheless, when I removed those factors, this is what helped me make 2024 a prolific year. Now I just really connected with that there because I have been. It's been very up and down in my life this past year and I've found room and I have capacity for whether it's writing or publishing. I'm desperate to get back into writing and I haven't been working on anything because the podcast has taken centre stage at the moment, which is fine, ratika says. Narrow down your list of target publications. If you aim to get 100 rejections in a year like I did, it's tempting to try submitting to a lot of publications in the hopes of having a higher chance of acceptance. That may be mathematically true. I'm not the best with numbers, but it's not the best strategy in the writing world. Familiarity with the publication to which you're submitting matters more, which requires extensive reading. So if you aim for a long list of publications, you'll need a lot more time. This broad approach also creates confusion and overwhelms and encourages perfectionism. When you have a smaller list, you can study those publications in depth and with deep familiarity comes the confidence that submission requires because you're no longer shooting arrows in the dark. Relatedly, stop trying to find a better method. Writing at its core is quite simple. We must read a lot and write a lot and submit a lot more. Efficient to stick to a method that we already use rather than waste hours trying to discover the one correct method to help us achieve all our writing goals. While it's important to keep developing our skills, we need to understand where it stops being learning and starts being procrastination. It's an easy trap to fall into and one I wish I'd gotten out of earlier. I have written and submitted more. I'd have written and submitted more had I done so don't let the research get out of hand. Regardless of the genre you write in, there will be times when you'll want to learn more about a topic before starting to write that story about consciousness stealing fungi or an essay on the feeling of awe. But research is a never ending process. You always feel like you should learn more before you start writing, especially when it's a topic you're not confident about. But the magic of implicit learning means that we learn some things automatically. So when you've learned enough to explain at least the basics, start writing. So yeah, I agree with that as well. People can get bogged down in the research. One trick that helped me get started, especially in the face of overwhelming perfectionism, was to set a timer for five minutes and write five sentences. As Beth Caphart suggests, I started and finished more drafts than I could have without simplifying the process like this. This is an example. I was afraid that I didn't really know what I was doing, but once I started I kept writing even when the timer went off. The fears don't go away is another one of her tips. You only learn how to manifest for you, such as perfectionism in her case, and to learn to manage those such as by taking more chances rather than self rejecting her work. It's okay to put projects on hold or quit them. Last year I took a hiatus from she. Well, she took a hiatus from her blog and found that she enjoyed essay writing more. And yeah, so she is talking about jumping about different projects, same as what I was saying before for me, I have the podcast, I also have writing books, I have speaking events. Sometimes it goes, you know, I've actually just done that online course as well. So it just goes all over the place and you put your time to it and I think that's actually one of the beauties of what we do. You don't have to just do that one thing. You can go wherever the passion is, she says. For non fiction writers, don't look for inspiration in everything you do. Memoirs, profiles, travelogues, essays come from experiences and observations of the world. Insecurity and fear can make everything start looking like a potential writing topic, she says. As writers, we must remember to also just live. Our lives are not tools or resources, at least not always. Some things must simply be experienced. If we deny ourselves that immersion, we lose joy, and making any sort of art can become difficult as a result. Our brains and hearts deserve that space. Giving that to them made me more relaxed, less afraid of losing ideas, stopped making me feel frustrated that I didn't have the kind of exciting life that would lead to gripping stories and therefore made me dissatisfied with my life and pushed me to think of other unexpected things I could write about. Some of your favourite pieces will never find a home, and that's okay. Some will need more time to find a place, others will never do. So it's okay to hang on to our darlings because we write for ourselves too. Yeah, as I said, I've got a fair few, fair few books in the back burner and I'm hoping some will still see the light of day because I still fondly like the characters in the storyline. I quit trying to write every day. I stopped keeping track of how many words I wrote because it was the number of submissions rather than words that took me closer to getting more acceptances. Ditto for blogging every day. The blog was not the work essay. Writing essays was. The blog ended up consuming a lot of my attention, distracting me from doing the writing that I actually wanted to do. And it's better to focus on the latter, to write the stuff you want to read when you write solely for the publication and not also out of an interest in a topic. And then she just says, and most important thing of all, keep the process as simple as possible. Everything else is extra, not necessary, but an addition, an enhancement. No matter your writing goals, the core remains the same. Read, write, edit, submit, repeat. She says while she's carrying these lessons into the new year, she's also trying to look beyond her usual habits as well. And she says this is the way she hopes to do it. She's got five points. Number one is reading for reading's sake rather than taking notes on everything 2 rereading more of the books she's loved in the past three taking fewer notes to allow herself to reflect deeply while writing essays and 4 writing what she usually wouldn't write and 5 also trying not to spend too much time scouring publication archives to check whether they have published the thing that she's written. So it just says Ratika Dispand just finished her free online book on the art and craft of business writing and I'll put that article in the show notes because yeah, I just I connected with a lot of the things she said there and I think it's all very good information. So again, certainly worth a share. The podcast is going well. I'm taking lots of bookings as if you had seen on social media that we are open for bookings. So if you're an author or industry professional in the publishing writing world, reach out and pitch me joannebredauthor.com and make sure you're familiar with the podcast content. Episodes are topic based and proactive in encouraging writers to have a hybrid author career, which is all which is not just one way of doing things. I look forward to hearing from you soon and hopefully sharing further information on how the podcast works if you are successful.
[00:11:02] 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, Thorne 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 Thorne 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 websitesforauthors to read author and publisher testimonials and to see what they offer and some of the sites they've created.
[00:12:18] Speaker A: Karen Cunningham is a graphic designer by day and a closet writer at all other times.
An overthinker from way back, she always has a story in her head and is known to become quite panicky when she doesn't have at least a small stack of books waiting to be read. Karen is the author and illustrator of Jenny Spaghetti, writing as Karen Margaret, a 2001 independently published picture book. She was awarded a mentorship from the Australian Society of authors for her YA manuscript, Missing Sarah Harris, which was independently published in 2024 and is now available in WA bookstores and libraries Australia wide. Karen is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators and Writing wa. She has a manuscript in progress for YA readers which won the inaugural Buzzwords Page Turner Writing Competition, along with more picture book texts and plenty of other stories to keep her awake at night. Welcome to the Hybrid Author Podcast, Karen.
[00:13:14] Speaker D: Thank you, Jo. Thank you for having me. I'm very excited to be here.
[00:13:17] Speaker A: Oh, we're honored to have you. Thank you so much for joining us. So it sounds like you've been a busy bee with all the writing and the book reading aspirations, but you know, what got you on this path in the first place to become a writer?
[00:13:29] Speaker D: Well, like a lot of writers, I read a lot growing up. There was a short break in high school because I think when you get to high school, there's so much pressure to read this particular book or that particular book and then you have to analyze it all. Oh my gosh, there's so much analyzing. So I lost the love of there for a little bit, but I found it again as a, as an adult. And I think if you're a reader, there's, there's always this point where you start to wonder about writing your own stories down. That's how it evolved for me. I started with my picture book, Jenny Spaghetti, which I wrote and illustrated, and I did submit that to some publishers, but I ended up publishing myself. And that would be about 20 years ago, showing my age now.
I actually also wrote Missing Sarah Harris at about that time as well, and then won the mentorship from the Australian Society of Authors, and that allowed me to work on it with an editor for a year. I also had my first baby and I ended up doing nothing at all with her notes. And the manuscript just sat in a cupboard for more than 15 years until I took it out last year and had another go. And that's the beginning of this path.
And funnily enough, I would never have called myself a writer until very recently. But now I'm, I'm like immersed in all these writerly events and, and I'm around writerly people and it's just lit this fire in me that had just been simmering for so long.
[00:15:01] Speaker A: Oh, that's amazing. I love that you often hear there's a time and a place for a manuscript, even if it was Missing Sarah Harris was started those years ago. It's obviously, you know, it's time to emerge now. And it's. Yeah, such a fabulous piece of work. Congratulations on it. Your writing style.
[00:15:17] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:15:18] Speaker A: Just.
[00:15:18] Speaker D: Thank you.
[00:15:19] Speaker A: Loved it.
[00:15:21] Speaker D: Thanks so much. It's very different to what it started out as because of that time I had spent just. Just learning or reading or thinking about it and, you know, that sort of thing. And there's. There's long periods where I didn't do anything at all on it. But, yeah, it's very different from how it started out, and I think it's much better for it.
[00:15:41] Speaker A: There's always a purpose and a reason behind them. I'm a bit kooky believing in all that Jenny Spaghetti. So you've gone picture book down the youngest reader, and then you've written a YA for the oldest reader. Was it just the idea, the ideas you had?
[00:15:53] Speaker D: Yeah, I love picture books. I've got four or five underway and I've submitted a couple. I haven't lost that love. It's still with me, but my voice sits in this YA space. The best story I wanted to tell, I thought, you know, would suit that age better.
[00:16:12] Speaker A: So, yeah, fantastic. No, I understand completely. A conversation I had earlier with someone and we were. I was saying that I was so confused when I was writing what I thought was a junior fiction because of the length, but the story probably fit middle grade, but my voice was ya.
And then sort of like, what, what? But that was very. At the beginning. And then I think, you know, as you go on and you evolve and learn, you find your voice, your writing style, and realize, nah, this is actually me. No.
[00:16:40] Speaker C: Amazing.
[00:16:40] Speaker A: In Missing Sarah Harris, you tackle themes that resonate deeply with young adult readers and adult readers as well, such as identity and belonging. What inspired you to write this particular story? You said it's evolved, so it's obviously changed. And, you know, how did you develop the characters and the plot to reflect the themes?
[00:16:58] Speaker D: Well, I do have to admit that I didn't actually start out with grand plans to do that. My favorite books growing up were Trixie Belden. You remember those?
[00:17:07] Speaker A: They ring the bell. But I haven't read them.
[00:17:11] Speaker D: I know. You were like. You were like, sweet, Sweet Valley.
[00:17:13] Speaker A: Sweet Valley.
[00:17:16] Speaker D: Well, Trixie Belden is like a mystery. It's kind of like Famous five But just her. I don't know if she had any friends or not. I had the whole set. I was absolutely gutted when my mum threw them out. But that's another story, so I know I couldn't believe it. I literally started with nothing but the title and this vague idea of a girl being on camp and her friend goes missing and she sets out to find what happened to her. Also that it would be setting that up because I wanted to write local and they're such gorgeous but also spooky and mysterious bushland there. The rest came after I started writing. My main character of Anna is written in first person, so I think it was only natural that. That she started to sound like me as a teenager. I've had friends report that, that she sounds like me as they know me now, which is quite interesting.
So unlike Anna, I did have close girlfriends, but my friendship group is very small. And so I do feel like I understand how it might feel to not have those connections with other girls growing up and how you might feel just a little bit on the outside of everything. It was important to the story for Anna to feel that way because she forms this friendship with Sarah Harris very quickly. And that probably wouldn't have felt believable if she'd had loads of girlfriends everywhere. But I also wanted to show that she was likable. So she does have Toby as an ally at the camp and she has Jay, who only appears on the phone and is mentioned in the backstory. But you do need to know that Anna does have some friendships and there are also mean girls in the story. And I think we all know some of them.
[00:19:03] Speaker A: Do you think she sort of idolizes Sarah Harrison away? Like, that was the vibe I got, like she was quite.
[00:19:09] Speaker D: Oh, yeah, definitely. She looks up to her. She feels in herself a little bit dorky and a little bit unsure of herself, you know, as I did. And I think she sees Sarah Harris as, who is just a couple of years older than her, as this, you know, thing that she aspires to be that's sort of self assured and creative and just at ease with herself.
[00:19:37] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. And you, you've, you know, some of the other characters in the story as well, are all very unique. Even Mr. Harris himself. How did you come up with those characters?
[00:19:47] Speaker D: Some just came to me. Some of them are based on people that I know or new growing up.
[00:19:54] Speaker A: And I was just gonna say, did they know it then?
[00:19:57] Speaker D: Well, they may have. My second editor, I had been awarded an editor with the mentorship, but she did a Structural edit. And so I did get the services of another editor to do like more of a go through and a copy edit and tell me what didn't ring true and stuff like that. But this editor is someone that I actually knew at high school. And there was this point where she messaged me and said, okay, person of this name, is this like our. Yes. She goes, I feel like you might need to change that.
So that person is now Dylan. So when you come to the little tiny weeny part where Dylan is mentioned, then that is an actual story that based on an actual person that actually happened. But most of them are just kind of this idea of the person. Maybe three or four people that would make up the mean girls. Julian Tasha, an old high school principal, reminded me of old man Harris, but is not based on him. I just pulled little details and that made them more believable and surreal for me, which made it easier to write about them.
[00:21:14] Speaker A: It's amazing and it's a little bit psychological in some chapters it's like a. It's. It's like a little cliffhanger. You're left to want to read on and you're thinking, oh, you know, who is she? Where is she? Is it this person? If it's that, you play with the reader a little bit throughout. So very clever.
[00:21:31] Speaker D: I. In a couple of places I really did intend to do that, but most of the time I didn't realize. But that seems to be how I write. I've had people report back to that. They read it in one sitting. You know, I'm like, no, don't do that. It took me ages to write it. It'll last a bit longer. But they came back and they were like, they'd get to the end of the chapter and go, oh, damn it, I'll just read till the next chapter.
[00:21:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:21:53] Speaker D: And then they get to the end of that chapter and then go, oh my God, I have to keep going. So yeah, I didn't actually realize it just kind of is my natural way of doing things.
[00:22:02] Speaker A: But it's good. It's a good, sizable book. The chapters are in good chunks and I think for obviously adults will enjoy it, but for young adults as well, they'll be able to, as we always say, we're competing for their attention through screens, but this book will grab them and they'll read it in one sitting. I think that's a benefit, a bonus for it.
[00:22:20] Speaker D: Yeah, it's not too in depth. It's an easy read. It's just a bit of escapism. For a while. It really does take me back to the old Trixie Belden mysteries that I loved. Yeah.
[00:22:29] Speaker A: Oh, that's amazing. Well, you've chosen to independently publish, which gives you complete creative control, but also requires you to sort of, you know, learn and have a grasp on marketing and distribution. How have you gone about getting the book out there? Can you share your author adventure through the self publishing process? You know, did you have any challenges or any things that came up or was it all smooth sailing? Oh, no.
[00:22:51] Speaker D: Oh, no, definitely not.
Well, I'm a graphic designer, so I'm very familiar with printing processes and how to set things up correctly. So I think that was definitely my advantage because I knew I could create my own cover, do my typesetting. I knew what to ask for with printing quotes and I could understand the terminology as well. So I was always very confident of making a final product that could stand next to any traditionally published book on a shelf and look like it belongs.
[00:23:21] Speaker A: The COVID is beautiful. I love it. It's really, it really encaptures the story, I think, and the target market boys can read it as well. But, you know, protagonist being the main character and obviously, you know, a girl that's missing and things like it has.
[00:23:35] Speaker D: A little bit of a girly feel, but not much girl.
[00:23:37] Speaker A: No, there was a darkness around it as well.
[00:23:42] Speaker D: Oh. I think the main challenge that I do face as a self published author is a stigma from bookstores who will assume that because a big publisher hasn't produced my book that it's crap. And that's not true. And I'm actually not sure that I have overcome this, but I have made sure to work with an editor to get my story as good as I possibly can. I always offer a free copy so they can see the quality. Only a few people have taken me up on that. It's generally either yes, if they're supportive and they're open to alternative publishing or just a very firm no, we don't take self published authors. And there's not much I can do to change their mind if they're already set on that. I'm learning slowly that it's a them problem and not necessarily a me problem.
Starting to take that. Libraries are my focus anyway and librarians seem much more open to stories that sound interesting however they come. Yeah, marketing is my sticking point though. It's a lot of work and as an introvert, having to put myself out there is a huge challenge. I'm trying to put myself in front of the camera more on my socials My first contact with a store or a library is an email because I can write better than I talk. But I'm saying yes to opportunities as they come up, even though I might be very uncomfortable with them. And I'll just say yes and figure it out later. Like being on this podcast with you, which freaks me out no end.
[00:25:13] Speaker A: That's the only way to do it. You're absolutely natural. No, it's just don't think now, do and think later, I suppose. But you mentioned the book was loosely sitting Nan Up. Have you tried marketing Nan up, like down that way just to.
[00:25:27] Speaker D: I have tried, yeah. It's very much setting that up. It mentions that. And my editor did suggest that perhaps I change it to a fictional place so that it wouldn't, you know, rule out other markets. But it was probably the only thing that she suggested that I didn't do because it was just really important to me to have that local feel.
So I have tried to reach out to nanot places. They're not very responsive. So I may just have to organize, perhaps organize an event down there or something and just try and get in that way. Because I. I think it's, you know, beautiful when things are set where you live and you know the places and you can imagine them so much more.
[00:26:11] Speaker A: Absolutely. And Nan Up's absolutely stunning. It's funny why Rottnest is loosely based on Nan up, but I. I think I have called it. I have sort of set it in a fictional tone. I haven't actually said, said Nan up, but yeah, yeah, I just loved it. I loved. It's more. Because there's a lavender farm down there and that's like, part of it. But even though there's a lavender farm up here as well, where we are.
[00:26:33] Speaker D: Yeah, there's this lavender farm. You can put them anywhere.
[00:26:36] Speaker A: Honestly, it sounds like you're doing everything right. And the book is beautiful and stands next to traditional publishing books as well. So. No, congratulations. Writing the book is just one part of it, obviously. Publishing is another part. And then the marketing, doing it yourself is just another. It's common practice these days and it is becoming more widely acceptable, you know, within the industry and stuff.
[00:26:56] Speaker D: So. Yeah. And actually, authors that I know who are traditionally published face the same challenges with marketing. They also are relied on to do their own marketing by their publishers. So, you know, they still have to go to places and approach people and. And say, you know, can I come and do a talk? Or whatever. And it's actually. People who write are generally introverted. I feel it's unfair.
[00:27:21] Speaker A: Even though there's dread and horror and oh my gosh, it's still, it's, I don't know, the more that you are sort of putting yourself out there and the more that you're meeting people and I really like to meet people and connect, especially over writing and reading aspiring authors. It's becoming quite an exciting part of it as well. So the more you kind of do it, but I don't think anyone should feel bad if they don't. They're not thrilled overly at the beginning.
[00:27:45] Speaker D: It definitely takes some time to adjust to. Yay.
[00:27:47] Speaker A: Oh well, you've already shared your, you know, your publishing journey, Karen. But I mean for any aspiring young adult authors out there considering self publishing or, you know, starting to write the book, do you have any advice you would offer them based on your experiences with missing Sarah Harris?
[00:28:03] Speaker D: Oh, well, mostly I would say yes. Go do it. What you think that you don't understand about creating a physical product you can research. I did a lot of googling and I also attended a self published workshop to have specific questions answered and you can ask people in the industry. I'm a Squibbie member and so I've met people through this group who are just so generous with their time and their experience. Experience yourself included.
[00:28:28] Speaker A: Thank you.
[00:28:29] Speaker D: You can, you know, I know it's called self publishing, but you don't have to do everything yourself. In fact, it's better if you don't. You can, you know, you can hire people, you can hire a cover designer. You just look on the imprint pages of books where you love the COVID and the designer will usually be mentioned and you can reach out to them, you can hire an editor, they don't cost that much in the whole scheme of things and you'll just end up with a much, much better story because of it. But I, I don't think, you know, with the traditional publishers, they're just so much more that goes into their decision, you know, opposed to is it a good story or not a good story. It's all about what they have on their books and what's coming up soon and what's also in the marketplace. And you know, they just, they just can't take everybody. I wish they could, but they can't. So I think, you know, probably a big thing to remember is that just because a traditional publisher has not taken your work on that doesn't mean that it's not a story that deserves to be read.
[00:29:30] Speaker A: No, absolutely. Well said. And yeah, it's like an investment For a traditional publisher, isn't it like you will, you know yourself like doing all the self publishing. It's effectively what a traditional publishing house has to do. So it's a lot of time, money in a story, investing in it to see if it's going to be, you know, a return on their investment or whatnot.
[00:29:48] Speaker D: So absolutely you have to live that story for a long time. So they really have to believe in it.
[00:29:54] Speaker A: So you mentioned you're in the process of another ya. Would you continue down the self publishing path or are you looking for traditional deals or.
[00:30:02] Speaker D: No, I think I would for that one. I think in my head I just imagine doing it from the beginning. I don't picture shopping it around or anything. I just will go through exactly the same process with the ya.
I think the picture book text I would keep submitting to traditional publishers, it's a massive financial investment. For a good picture book, I would want hardcover and the best of everything. So mine would be massively expensive.
But definitely the ya. I imagine doing it myself. That will probably take me a while.
I only have, I've got, you know, maybe a few chapters done and a general kind of plot outline, a title and I've got. Got a lot of it going on, but just getting that mental headspace. So I haven't actually really gotten into it yet. I've been a bit too focused on trying to.
You know, that's the thing when you're a marketer as well as everything else. Which, which hat do you happen to wear at the time? And at the moment I'm wearing the marketing hat. That will ease off for a bit. And then I'll try and go and put the rider hat on and, and see if I can push that forward.
[00:31:13] Speaker A: It's a complete juggling act, isn't it? I'm in the same boat. There's a buildup of putting out my women's fiction and I think that should focus. But then I've already diving into book two and it's like, well, what are you doing? You've got to just focus on one.
[00:31:27] Speaker D: So then you're like, do you have to get the kids places? And you have to exercise and do sporting group and oh my God, live. I know.
[00:31:36] Speaker A: Well, at least the kids are back at school now, so there's a bit of leeway.
[00:31:39] Speaker D: That's right.
[00:31:40] Speaker A: That was a long school holiday, as I tell you.
[00:31:44] Speaker D: Minor teenagers, so I barely see them.
[00:31:47] Speaker A: That's it. Oh, well, fantastic. And what about your ASA, like mentorship and things? Do you recommend that authors join these kind of competitions and these opportunities and things like that. It sounds like it's been quite beneficial to you.
[00:32:00] Speaker D: Oh, it certainly was. But the chance of being awarded something like that is quite small. But I also think the practice of submitting, writing and fine tuning, if I hadn't applied for that mentorship, I think the thing still would have been sitting in a cupboard somewhere. So that was the real kick. That was the moment that I went, do you know what? Somebody else sees something in this and maybe I can do it. I would say go and apply for anything you can. Really? Why rule yourself out? Because we all, we all have massive self doubt, but other people don't view our work the same way.
[00:32:33] Speaker A: That's right. No, absolutely. Well said. And you have absolutely done it. You've put yourself out there and Sarah Harris is doing wonderfully. Can you tell our readers? Readers? Audience. Well, yeah, readers. Listeners as well, where they can discover you, your books and everything on and offline.
[00:32:50] Speaker D: Yes, I have a website for direct sales. That's karenm cunningham.com au actually, listeners of your podcast could use the code Hybrid. I would love to offer free shipping within Australia or discount overseas shipping as well.
[00:33:05] Speaker A: And is that for a specific time only or.
[00:33:08] Speaker D: No, I'll just leave it there so whoever finds this podcast can pop on and get some sent to you for free. If you would prefer a physical storm, my favorites here in Perth are Diabolic in Mount Hawthorne and Planet in Mount Lawley. And I hang out on Insta if you would like a chat. That's Karen M. Cunningham, underscore author.
[00:33:28] Speaker A: Oh fantastic. Well, thank you so much for coming on Karen and sharing all you have. It's been amazing.
[00:33:33] Speaker D: Oh it was fun. Thank you so much for having me.
[00:33:43] Speaker C: So there you have it folks, the sensational Karen Cunningham. If you've read Ms.
[00:33:47] Speaker A: If you.
[00:33:47] Speaker C: Well, if you haven't read Missing Sarah Harris, it is superb. Highly recommend. Couldn't put it down. It's a quick read and impeccable writing from Karen. Next time on the Hyperdathal podcast we have Shane Simonson on self publishing books versus blogging on Substack. Shane is a biochemist turned teacher turned experimental farmer who decided to add author to the list. He writes weekly nonfiction essays about his passion for transformative agriculture on Substack at Zero Input Agriculture and released a short non fiction book, Taming the Apocalypse on the potential for novel domestications. Under the pen name Haldane B. Doyle. He has also released the world's first and only hard science fiction novel based purely on biological technology. Called Our Vitreous Womb. He loved appearing on other people's podcasts so much that he started two of his own the Zero Input Agriculture podcast launching Any Day now and Sci Fi High Five, analysing and highlighting the best books in the fourth self published Science Fiction Competition. I wish you well in your author adventure this next week. That's it from me. Bye for now.
[00:34:52] Speaker B: That's the end for now.
[00:34:53] Speaker A: Authors.
[00:34:54] Speaker B: I hope you are further forward in.
[00:34:55] Speaker A: Your author adventure after listening, and I.
[00:34:57] Speaker B: Hope you'll listen next time.
[00:34:59] Speaker C: Remember to head on over to the.
[00:35:00] Speaker B: Hybrid Author website at www.hybridauthor.com au to get your free author pass.
[00:35:07] Speaker A: It's Bye for now.
