This Creative Life With Sara Zarr

For the first episode of 2021, author Maurene Goo and I jumped on the phone just hours after the inauguration, having kept our scheduled conversation in hope and faith but also ready to cancel. For many reasons, I’m so glad we didn’t have to. Phew! After processing world events for a bit, we dig into Maurene’s backstory, writing process, the upsides of being married to another creative professional, and life as a new mom, and then I had a revelation about anxiety, thanks to Maurene’s therapist! Maybe you’ll find it helpful, too. (Please accept my apologies for some sound quality issues that were a direct result of a rookie mistake I made in the recording process. I was able to fix much of it in post, but pardon any remaining heavy breathing.) Produced & edited by me, Sara Zarr Theme music by Dave Connis Ye olde Bookshop shoppe Hi visitors, get a free or paid Substack subscription to hear about new episodes or set your podcast app to alert you! Paid subscriptions are 25% off through January 31st and come

The Annotated Courageous Creativity, 1 Intro & Silent Messages Note to listeners: This is the first episode of the first paid subscriber season, The Annotated Courageous Creativity. I’m making this first episode available to all to help you decide if you’d like to hear more. Annual subscriptions will be 25% off through January 31st. Enjoy! In this episode, I read the introduction about what creativity is and why one might need courage, and the section “My Story” which is the part I use as a springboard for the diving in a little deeper for the annotations. 0.00 - Season introduction and introduction of book 14:35 - My Story 24:10 - Annotations Paid subscribers: When you first signed up, you should have received an email that included a link to open from your phone to get your subscriber feed set up in your favorite podcast app. Please let me know if you have any questions about this! This episode will also be in the general feed, but starting next week you’ll need the special link if you’d like to

This Creative Life is moving! The pod's new home is at Substack, where you can find out more about what I've got planned for the new paid subscriber options. Meanwhile, the interview episodes as you've always known them will continue to show up in your feed, complete and ad-free. In the final episode of 2020, I talk to Michael Bourret of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret about the year in publishing, authors and social media, making mid-career changes, and more. This is a great episode for those who love to talk shop and want to understand a little more about where publishing has been and where it may be going. Happy New Year!  Produced & edited by me, Sara Zarr Theme music by Dave Connis Get a free or paid Substack subscription to hear about new episodes, or set your favorite podcast app to alert you! I will be shutting down the old Patreon page. PayPal tip jar

Note to listeners: Given a recent diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome and the physical toll of podcast editing, Sara (while optimistic) isn't sure about the future of the pod for 2021. There's also a chance the pre-2020 archives will go behind a paywall, so download your favorites while you can at http://thiscreativelife.libsyn.com and have them free forever. Meanwhile, please enjoy this unedited conversation between Sara and author/storyteller Christian McKay Heidicker! Find the show notes at our Patreon page PayPal tip jar

Daniel Nayeri's autobiographical novel, Everything Sad Is Untrue, tells the tale of young Daniel, who has landed in Oklahoma after his mother is forced to flee Iran with Daniel and his sister and after they've spent some years living as refugees in Italy before making it to the U.S. On the podcast episode, the real Khosrou (aka Daniel) tells the tale of what happened after Oklahoma, how he wound up in publishing, and the threads of family, belonging, and sheer force of will that have pulled him through. We talk about the conflicting desires for connection and isolation, and about how to create a life with acts of welcome and little rebellions against sadness. Buy Everything Sad Is Untrue

Two writers. An obsession with cult narratives. A love of chickpeas. Sara and Courtney Summers (Sadie, All the Rage, the forthcoming The Project) talk about Courtney's backstory as a high school dropout who had her first book published in her early twenties, how to think strategically about writing without compromising your creative compass, and being driven by the desire to capture a moment, a feeling, a vibe in our novels. Also, our personalities. Pre-Order The Project

The wisdom that comes with over thirty years in this business and at this craft is priceless--Rita is generous with it here, from aspects of craft (like looking for "points of ignition within the reader") to those of identity (like quitting her day job after 25 years because "I really needed to be the author that I was on my bio").   We get a glimpse into twenty-two year-old Rita who wrote her debut Blue Tights (1987) and asked a disinterested publishing machine, "Why isn't my culture, my reality, good enough?"   We talk breakout success here at the ten-year anniversary of One Crazy Summer, stakes, process, and how she keeps herself enchanted while drafting a story.   For more: https://www.patreon.com/thiscreativelife   Pre-order Sara's Courageous Creativity: Advice and Encouragement for the Creative Life

Lance Rubin is the multi-talented author of three novels, co-writer of the Off-Broadway show Broadway Bounty Hunter, and performer of all sorts. In this episode, we talk about his evolution from community theater kid to writer, creative partnership with a life partner, perfectionism, death, and hope. His latest book is Crying Laughing. Find all the show notes at: patreon.com/thiscreativelife

Maggie Thrash is the author and artist of two "graphic memoirs" (memoirs in graphic novel form): 2015's Honor Girl and the recent followup, Lost Soul, Be At Peace, as well as several others works including a self-revealing web comic, Cure for Desire. Maggie and Sara talk about life online, the concept of "learn by doing," and coming out to the world (and also her parents) in her debut book. We also talk about our childhoods and how they shaped us, for better and worse. All the show notes at: patreon.com/thiscreativelife

Liara Tamani recently wrote at Time.com: "Growing up, I was a good girl. I never got in trouble. I did what I was told. ... I’d become a master at taming, hiding and cutting out the parts of myself that weren’t compatible with the person other people wanted me to be: the rebellious, curious and sexy parts; the questioning and fearless parts. The free parts."   Liara and I dig into good girl syndrome in life and in publishing, what growing up with the threat of hell hanging over you in childhood is like, and are perhaps answered by God during the interview. Of course, we also talk about books and writing: how Liara's beautiful debut, Calling My Name, came to be, and what she loves about her brand new release, All the Things We Never Knew, as well as the gorgeous covers of both of these books.   See patreon.com/thiscreativelife for complete show notes.

Debbi Michiko Florence made a long term commitment to the writing life almost 20 years ago--when she didn't know just how long it would turn out to be. Her story is an inspiring one made of hard work, stubbornness, and friendship. I hope you enjoy. Find all the show notes at patreon.com/thiscreativelife

Scott Teems is a writer-director working in TV and film, making his own independent features while also taking gigs scriptwriting for studios. We get into both his latest feature, THE QUARRY (from Lionsgate, starring Michael Shannon and Shea Whigham), as well as the documentary HOLBROOK/TWAIN, a film that means a lot to me, personally. We talk about Scott's process, the importance of a writer's life not being only about writing, and so much more.    Full show notes at patreon.com/thiscreativelife

You may think Jasmine Guillory came out of nowhere and saw overnight success with her 2018 hit contemporary romance novel, The Wedding Date, not to mention its follow-up best sellers. But Jasmine's writing story goes back a lot farther. Sara and Jasmine talk about that as well as the power of commitment, how to find mentors and models, and staying one step ahead of anxiety and procrastination. Watch for Jasmine's next book, Party of Two, coming out in June! Visit the This Creative Life Patreon page for full show notes.

Guys, Amy and I got IN. TO. IT. From publicity to the alleged good ol' days of YA publishing to answering tough questions from listeners like: conquering that ONE THING you are obsessed with but also might be holding you back, and how to make writing sustainable when you grow to hate it a little.   This is a deep dive - if you don't want to hear about publishing business stuff, we start talking more about the creative side and take the calls about halfway through.   - Amy Spalding - We Used to Be Friends - Goodbye from Nowhere - How to Write an Autobiographical Novel by Alexander Chee - Bad Reputation   Thanks to all listeners, supporters, and Dave Connis for the theme music! Visit our Patreon page or sarazarr.com for more about the podcast and how to be a supporter.

Episode backstory: I saw Jeff Garvin's second book is out this week, and I called him up to talk about it! I thought this might be a mini-sode but we ended up talking longer than mini but not as long as maxi, so I'm officially declaring this the first midi-sode of the reboot. Jeff and I get into Joseph Campbell vs. Robert McKee, creative reinvention, and an author's right to be private about the personal experiences that go into a book.   Content warning: about 22-ish minutes in, we talk very briefly and nonspecifically about the fact that suicide exists, in the context of Jeff sharing about his bipolar II diagnosis.   For full show notes, see the show's Patreon page, no contribution required! 

In this loose and chatty episode, Katie Cotugno and I pour a drink and talk about our April 7 book releases into a world in which everything is canceled. Given that we have no uncanceled book events, we take some time to talk both process and content of Rules for Being a Girl (co-written by Katie with Candace Bushnell) and Goodbye from Nowhere (by your host, Sara Zarr).    We dig into the fictional appeal of inappropriate relationships, what we're reading now, and how we're getting through it all. We both talk fast and a lot and without much filtering so if that's the type of thing you like, you're welcome! If it's the type of thing you hate, we're sorry!   In support of independent booksellers, Katie and I encourage anyone inclined to buy our books (or any books) to do so in a way that supports our beloved indies. Some handy links to that end: Books mentioned in this and other episodes of this podcast at Bookshop.org Rules for Being a Girl audiobook at Libro.fm Goodbye from Nowhere audiobook at Libro.fm Y

Sara talks with Dan Bowman, Jr., about writing, teaching, and about being #ActuallyAutistic. Watch for Notes from the Spectrum next year and stick around to the end of the episode to hear Dan read a poem. For the full show notes, go to patreon.com/ThisCreativeLife

Sara talks to author Brandy Colbert (The Only Black Girls in Town) about writing, career envy, mortality, and the Real Housewives. For the full show notes, go to patreon.com/ThisCreativeLife

Coe Booth was one of the first YA writers I met when I started mingling with authors as a soon-to-be-published newbie. (I believe our first conversation was about Estelle Getty being alive or dead–she was alive, at the time.) After we met I read her debut novel, TYRELL, and absolutely loved it. Since then, she’s [&hellip

Next week, Malinda Lo returns to the podcast to talk about the effect the success of Last Night at the Telegraph Club on her writing and career. Here's our conversation from the 2015 archives for additional context. Her next book, A Scatter of Light, is out October 4th! Get the This Creative Life newsletter & show notes The This Creative Life book is available now in ebook, paperback, and audio.