Apr 26, 2019
Mark interviews Sheena Cundy, the author of the Witch Lit series
of novels that include The Madness and the Magic and
Bonkers and Broomsticks.
Prior to the personal update, Mark shares a word from the
episode's sponsor, Findaway Voices - specifically about the
promotional opportunities available through Voices Plus as well as
the fact that Findaway is opening their Authors Direct beta up even
wider.You can learn more about how
you can get your work distributed to retailers and library systems
around the world at starkreflections.ca/Findaway.
In his personal update Mark talks about:
- The 12 hour delay in publishing of this episode due to
meetings, taxes and Avengers: Endgame
- No spoilers, just how much Mark enjoyed the new Avengers movie
(and brief reflections on previous spoilers from The Empire
Strikes Back and The Crying Game)
- Visiting Cleveland for Rock Apocalypse event run by The Career
Author Podcast folks J. Thorn and Zach Bohannon
In their interview, Mark and Sheena talk about:
- The origin of Sheena's treehouse and the different creative
tasks she does in the treehouse
- Sheena's interest in promoting other creative people via her
Treehouse TV YouTube video
- The band, Morrigan's Path, that Sheena has played in for five
years
- Her origin getting into the band with her husband as a lyrisist
and vocalist based on her poetry
- The "single release" strategy that the band has engaged in as a
lead-in to the release of their third album
- How, even though they get paid to perform gigs, the band and
the music has always been for the love of it
- Sheena's Witch Lit series (about a crazy witch having a
mid-life crisis) which includes The Madness and the Magic and
Bonkers and Broomsticks
- The initial serialization of Sheena's first book on a pagan
blog after writing it during NaNoWriMo
- The role of Mark Dawson's Self-Publishing 101 course in helping
Sheena evolve from traditional and into indie publishing
- How Sheena divides up her time and schedule with her various
creative activities
- The DIY approach she has taken with her publishing tasks and
schedule
- The timing of the release of Book 2 (Bonkers and Broomsticks)
on May 1st with Beltane ("May Day") a Gaelic pagan seasonal
festival
- Sheena's forthcoming visit to 20Books50K Edinburgh and her
fascination with the ethos of that group
- How you can become like a sponge when you're thirsty for
learning
- The importance of being with people who are already doing what
you want to do
- The value of networking and connecting with people in the flesh
as well as on a 1:1 basis
- Focusing on your target audience and readers
- How Witch Lit is defined as being Chick Lit with Witches
- The creativity that all of us have and the importance of
trusting that it will find its own expression in its own
format
After the interview, Mark reflects on what Sheena said about the
importance of having good feedback and encouragement in your
creative endeavors which helps provide the confidence to keep
moving forward and to keep writing and to keep practicing.
Mark shares one of his own experiences of a fantastic high
school English teacher, Gary Furhman, whose comment on a short
story he wrote in Grade 11 had a profound and lasting impact on
him.
Links of Interest
Sheena Cundy is a witch, wife, mother, and musician. She teaches
the Tarot, spiritual development and horse riding, and sings and
writes songs for her pagan band - Morrigans Path. She is
also the author of a non-fiction book The Magic of Nature Oracle
and the Witch Lit series of novels that include The Madness and
the Magic and Bonkers and Broomsticks. Sheena says
that she wrote this debut novel to keep out of prison, a
straitjacket and the divorce courts while battling with dodgy
hormones during a mid-life crisis.
The music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and
produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0