Estelle

#197 How Dual Timelines Brought a Family Story to Life with Tiffany Graham Charkosky

Freelance Writing Direct chats with Tiffany Graham Charkosky, author of Living Proof: How Love Defied Genetic Legacy, about family history, genetic testing, motherhood, loss, dual timelines, scene, dialogue, and the revision process behind her memoir.… Read More

#196 Going Back Through Time to Get the Story: Dionne Ford on Family History, Reporting, and Memoir

Freelance Writing Direct chats with Dionne Ford about the inspiration behind her memoir Go Back and Get It, the challenges of researching family history, blending personal narrative with historical investigation, and how writers can uncover and tell the stories that shape their lives.… Read More

#195 Writing Through Brain Fog, Chronic Illness, and Uncertainty with Rachel Weaver

Freelance Writing Direct chats with Rachel Weaver, author of Dizzy, about writing while feeling ill, building a compelling braided memoir, using metaphor to illuminate experience, and transforming a deeply personal story into a universal one.… Read More

#194 Why Wade Rouse Finally Wrote the Book He Was Meant to Write

Freelance Writing Direct chats with bestselling author Wade Rouse and his husband and jack-of-all-trades Gary Edwards about Wade’s moving new novel, That’s What Friends Are For, the inspiration behind its unforgettable characters, and why friendship, found family, and second chances matter more than ever.… Read More

#193 Restorative Writing with Carolyn Roy-Bornstein

Estelle Erasmus chats with the author of a Prescription for Burnout, Carolyn Roy-Bornstein about healing through storytelling, creatively dealing with emotional exhaustion, narrative medicine, the burden of healthcare providers and more.… Read More

#192 How to Get Published in The Persistent with Features Editor Paula Derrow

Estelle Erasmus chats with the features editor of The Persistent about the types of pitches, articles, essays and ideas they like to feature.… Read More

#191 Writing Characters Who Make Questionable Decisions with Vanessa Hua

Freelance Writing Direct chats with Author, Vanessa Hua about her new novel Coyoteland, writing multiple characters with multiple POVs, finding the tension in scenes, braiding in a character’s wants, showing the humanity in people and more.… Read More

#190 Building a Memoir Around a Defining Moment with Jacque Gorelick

Estelle Erasmus chats with author Jacque Gorelick about her memoir Map of a Heart and they cover how to braid timelines effectively, how to balance scene and reflection, and how to write about emotionally charged experiences without losing the reader, plus the challenges of writing about family estrangement, the visceral experience of reliving trauma on the page, and the importance of honoring truth while maintaining compassion.… Read More

#189 Turning a Story of Escape Into a Powerful Memoir And Real Impact with Tia Levings

Estelle Erasmus chats with Tia Levings about how she transformed her escape from Christian patriarchy into a gripping memoir, choosing the most powerful scenes and structuring the story for momentum and emotional impact.… Read More

#188 Reclaiming “Selfish”: On Craft, Creativity, and Braiding Truth into Memoir

Estelle Erasmus chats with Kerry Docherty about her memoir Selfish, writing with honesty, shaping a narrative, and what it means to put yourself first.… Read More

#187 People Over Proposals with Literary Agent Sally Ekus

Estelle Erasmus chats with literary agent Sally Ekus about what makes a proposal stand out, why platform and positioning matter, how agents evaluate voice and marketability, what really happens behind the scenes of book deals and auctions, and how writers can stay competitive and authentic in today’s fast-moving publishing landscape.… Read More

#186 Burn the Haystack: Decoding Men’s Language, Power Moves, and Red Flags

Estelle Erasmus chats with Jennie Young, author of Burn the Haystack, about language, behavior, power dynamics, and communication patterns, and how to recognize what’s really being revealed by men on dating apps and in life..… Read More