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Ink in Your Veins
Writing Fast and Well with Rachael Herron
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537. Imagine More Deeply with Cai Emmons, via Paul Calandrino
49:45||Ep. 537This is one of Rachael’s favorite episodes, ever — join Paul as he tells us about Cai Emmons’s new book The Bells. Paul Calandrino is a playwright, educator, and actor based in Eugene, Oregon, where Cai and he lived until she died. Since she passed, he has been curating her literary legacy with the release of this book, and he is currently collecting her blog content into book form. Cai Emmons (1951-2023) was the author of seven novels and a story collection, Vanishing. The Bells, is her final novel. She held a BA from Yale University and two MFAs, one from New York University in film and the other from the University of Oregon in fiction. Before turning to fiction, Emmons wrote plays and screenplays. Winner of a Student Academy Award, an Oregon Book Award, and the Leapfrog Global Fiction Prize, and finalist for the Narrative, The Missouri Review, and the Sarton awards, she taught at a variety of institutions, most recently in the creative writing program at the University of Oregon. She died in 2023 from Bulbar-onset ALS, a fast-progressing form of the disease that had taken her voice. The Bells, which features a protagonist with ALS, has just been released by Red Hen Press. Her final years are also the focus of an award-winning documentary Vanishing: A Love Story, directed by Sandra Luckow. ✏️ Writing in the Junkyard Online Writing Retreat! Join us! http://rachaelherron.com/retreat🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage(New perks, like editing!)📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook
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536. The Black Herron 38
53:19||Ep. 536In which we catch up on two months! Sacha’s new goals, her amazing Shopify success, and Rachael’s new book idea (plus a challenge from Sacha). 🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage(New perks, like editing!)📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook
535. Give Yourself the Dignity of Writing it Your Way, with Louisa Owen Sonstroem
42:35||Ep. 535I ADORE this episode, in which I talk to Louisa about making things by hand, including books! Louisa Owen Sonstroem considers garment-making skills to be deeply empowering. Louisa writes and teaches about patternmaking and hand stitching clothing. For most of a decade, she worked in technical design and patternmaking, most recently for Macy's and Eileen Fisher. Previous projects have included a self-published book called Hand Sewing Clothing: A Guide, as well as two seasons of “Patternmaking in Public Places,” an outreach project she started to democratize access to patternmaking skills. This year, Louisa is celebrating the August release of her newest book, The Handsewn Wardrobe: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own Clothes, from Patternmaking to the Finishing Stitches, in collaboration with Storey Publishing.https://theclothpurpose.substack.com/https://www.louisamerry.com/✏️ Writing in the Junkyard Online Writing Retreat! Join us! http://rachaelherron.com/retreat🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage(New perks, like editing!)📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook
534. How to Start Again When it Feels Impossible, with Samantha Browning Shea
46:46||Ep. 534Samantha Browning Shea is an agent who knows about selling books, and we talk about how it felt when her first book didn’t sell on submission, and how she started again. Also: on the struggle of the middle, on touring, and on how to keep readers reading (hint: it’s about those open loops). Samantha Browning Shea is an author and the vice president of Georges Borchardt, Inc. literary agency. A graduate of Colgate University, Samantha lives in Connecticut with her husband and their two daughters. Marrow is her debut novel.🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage(New perks, like editing!)📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook
533. Your Fear Is Not Relevant, with Becca Syme
01:03:45||Ep. 533Becca Syme is at it again, telling us how to quit what we should quit (and how to keep going when it’s the right thing to do). Don’t miss this amazing episode! Becca Syme (MATL) is a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach and has individually coached more than 6000 authors at all levels. She is the author of the Quitbooks for Writers series and the popular Write Better-Faster course, and the host of the Quitcast for Writers podcast and YouTube channel. She also writes mystery novels and lives on one of the thousand lakes in Minnesota.All Becca’s links: http://betterfaster.com/linksBecca’s Kickstarter: http://rachaelherron.com/beccaRosie’s Kickstarter: http://rachaelherron.com/rosie🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage(New perks, like editing!)📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook
532. How to Be Brave When First Publishing, with Elle Hartford
45:49||Ep. 532Rachael's got a new diagnosis! And a new office. (And they both start with the sound Awwww.) Listen as she takes you on that journey, and then enjoy Elle Hartford's delightful story! Elle Hartford has written in several genres but is currently working on a cozy mystery series with an alchemical twist. As a historian and museum educator, she firmly believes in the value of stories -- and fantasy in particular -- as a mirror for complicated realities. Though she grew up on the beaches of the Pacific Northwest, she now lives in New Jersey with a grumpy tortoise, a three-legged cat, and a very supportive partner. Find her blog and other stories at ellehartford.com. 🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage(New perks, like editing!)📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook
531. How to Ditch Perfectionism, with Kaila Yu
30:16||Ep. 531In which we talk about perfectionism and how to get out from under it, as well as loving yourself as who you are. Kaila Yu is an author based in Los Angeles. Her debut memoir, ‘Fetishized: A Reckoning with Yellow Fever, Feminism, and Beauty,’ was just published with Penguin Random House's Crown Publishing. She's also a luxury travel and culture writer with bylines in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles Times, Condé Nast Traveler, and many more.🏠 Ink Village! Check it out here: http://rachaelherron.com/inkvillage(New perks, like editing!) 📕 OUT NOW! The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland: http://rachaelherron.com❤️ Write in Italy May 2026: http://rachaelherron.com/italy2026🎉 Unstuck is now available here: https://rachaelherronbooks.com/Ink In Your Veins: How Writers Actually Write (and how you can, too)Writing doesn't have to be so hard. With internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron, learn how to embrace ease, reject perfectionism, and finally create your perfect writing process. (Formerly known as How Do You Write) Come for inspiration, stay for lots more.📙 Publish Your Book! https://rachaelherron.com/publishEXCLUSIVELY FOR WRITERS (join my writer's list): ➡️ How to Know If You’re Writing the Right Book - https://rachaelherron.com/therightbook