An avid reader and writer since she was a child, Heather Osoy found her voice through literature. She wrote a number of plays, poems, short stories and even a screenplay during her formative years. The passing of a beloved family member right before the pandemic encouraged her to use that voice to publish her first novel, To Hold Oneself. She chose the indie route, so no one could interfere with what she wanted to say.

Her stories are full of imperfect people trying to find their own voices. The subject matter tends to be heavy, but that makes the characters' journeys far more imperative.

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of To Hold Oneself at Bookshop.org at this link bookshop.org

Her next installment to her series Discomfort of the Blended entitled Suspension of the Writ will be released August 24, 2024.

You can find Heather Osoy on Instagram @heather_writes

and Facebook www.facebook.com/heatherosoywrites.

Her body of work:

2022, To Hold Oneself

2023, Comfort for Community

2024, Suspension of the Writ

Learn more about her at https://linktr.ee/heatherosoy

Shawna Rodrigues left her award-winning career in the public sector in 2019 to consult and publish her first novel Beyond the Pear Blossoms. Her desire to connect and help others led to the launch of her podcast The Grit Show shortly thereafter. When she learned women host only 27% of podcasts, her skills and passion led to the founding of the Authentic Connections Network. She now helps mission-driven entrepreneurs better connect with their audiences by providing full-service podcast production and through a community for Entrepreneurs & Podcasters – EPAC. Podcasting is her primary focus, so she continues to support the writing community through this podcast, and her writing time is mostly focused on anthologies.

She offers a free 7 Steps to Perfect Your Podcast Title to anyone interested in launching a podcast. You can also follow her on Instagram-@ShawnaPodcasts, and learn more about the network and community at https://linktr.ee/37by27.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast

On today’s episode we’re traveling south to Virginia to speak with Sharon Wishnow, a women’s fiction author who is more than a little obsessed with pelicans and writing about what is outside her back yard. Sharon’s writing career spans thirty years, starting as a freelance writer in the Netherlands where she established a beat in the supermarket and food industries. When she returned to the US, she garnered her experience along with a few professional degrees into a communications career before turning to fiction. She’s currently the executive editor for WriteON! the magazine of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA). She’s the former Vice President of Communications for WFWA and the founder of Women’s Fiction Day celebrated yearly on June 8th.

Sharon’s novel, The Pelican Tide is about a Cajun chef, Josie Babineaux and her family living in Grand Isle, Louisiana during the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill that devastated the entire Gulf Coast of the United States. While the book is fiction, it closely follows the actual 87-day timeline of events from the oil well explosion to when it was capped. The story features Gumbo, a quirky brown pelican who has adopted the family as his people. Gumbo is modeled after a real pelican, Big Bird, a great white pelican that was rescued in Tanzania. His humans taught him how to fish and survive.

Sharon’s story is one of a family on the brink of financial and social collapse while their home is facing an environmental collapse. Her stories often highlight how changes in the environment change people. She’s quick to say she doesn’t write about dystopian stories but rather stories of strong women who fight for what is most important to them. Along with the lighthearted antics of Gumbo the pelican is a hot sauce competition. The book also includes recipes from Chef Josie that Sharon hopes will be shared along with her story.

As a seasoned nonfiction writer, her writing is always informed by actual events. In 2021, eleven years after the Deepwater Horizon spill, Grand Isle was destroyed by Hurricane Ida. The barrier island took a direct hit and 100% property damage. Sharon is now working with the nonprofit Restore Grand Isle to help raise funds and talk about the important work that still needs to be done to rebuild the island and preserve its unique ecosystem. The island is an important rest stop for migrating birds around the world. The people are extraordinary too.

You can learn more about Sharon, her book, Grand Isle, and subscribe to her newsletter Research for Writers and Other Curious People on her website www.sharonwishnow.com. You can also connect with her on Instagram @sjwishnow.

Sharon also encourages readers to visit Restore Grand Isle to learn how they can help https://restoregrandisle.com

On today’s episode we chat with Nancy Taber, an author whose stories are inspired by women’s forgotten histories, her military service, and her love of the fantastical. Nancy grew up in a military family, joined the military herself, graduated from military college, and served as a Sea King helicopter Tactical Coordinator. When she completed her service, she earned her Master’s and PhD degrees, and became a university professor researching the intersection of gender, militarism, and learning. Nancy is a facilitator for Writers Collective of Canada, was named a Top Woman in Defence 2022 by Esprit de Corps magazine, and is a member of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame.

The idea for her debut novel, A Sea of Spectres, began when her mother sent her an article about their ancestors' experiences in the 1758 Acadian expulsion from Prince Edward Island. The focus of the article was on a man, with only brief mention of his wife, Madeleine. And she thought, I can't have that - Madeleine deserves to be the heroine of her own story. So she intertwined Madeleine’s narrative with Acadian folklore and two point-of-view descendants, inspired by Acadian history, an 1864 almanac, and her research about women's service in contemporary (para)military contexts.

Nancy believes in the importance of highlighting women’s stories, demonstrating how past connects to present, families lose and find each other, and the fantastical dwells beneath the surface of everyday life. In A Sea of Spectres, she deftly braids three timelines together, each as engaging and fully drawn as the other. With whip-smart contemporary dialogue and moving, evocative historical writing, she brings to life three different generations of Acadian women in a riveting, crackling, chilling mystery.

Please visit https://www.nancytaber.ca to connect with Nancy and for links to order her novel.

Support your local bookstore & this podcast by getting your copy of A Sea of Spectres at Bookshop.org https://bookshop.org/a/90599/9781773661575

Author and musical composer Kathleen Basi is mother to three boys and one chromosomally-gifted daughter. Her debut novel, A SONG FOR THE ROAD, follows a musician on an unconventional road trip. Bestselling author Kerry Anne King writes, “In a novel filled with music, heartbreak, and surprising laughter, Basi takes us on a journey that encompasses both unimaginable loss and the powerful resilience of the human heart.”

Meaty, earnest, occasionally humorous, and ultimately uplifting, Kathleen’s fiction highlights the best within ourselves and each other. She writes monthly reflections on life, writing and beauty on her newsletter. Subscribe at https://kathleenbasi.substack.com/.

Be sure to follow or subscribe to Author Express wherever you listen to podcasts and to follow us on Instagram @AuthorExpressPodcast

Learn more about our hosts, the guests we've had, and their books -

https://linktr.ee/AuthorExpressPodcast