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S3E16 Matthew Paul Turner and the Joy of Writing

Matthew Paul Turner joins us today to talk about encouraging friendships, Christmas, and the joys of writing for children. He shares his journey to writing kids’ books, has a remarkable memory when it comes to the first time he and Shawn met, and has some revealing words regarding one of Shawn’s high school crushes (ahem, Amy Grant). Maile, staying on topic, gushes about Matthew’s latest book, All the Colors of Christmas.

When God Made You
When God Made Light

As always, there are a few ways to listen: click the play button in the image above, go to our webpage to hear this and all of our other episodes, or head on over to Apple podcasts or Spotify!

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to see it continue, and if you’d like exclusive access to Maile’s writing and other bonus material (including the one where we talk about our very favorite book of 2020), please consider joining our Patreon community at the $5 / month level HERE.

And keep writing!

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NEW EPISODE! S3E15: Our Favorite Books of 2020

Maile and Shawn surprise each other and reveal their favorite books of 2020, along with what can only be described as extremely poignant insights into what made each book so special…okay, maybe it’s not that profound, but they have fun with it.

As always, there are a few ways to listen: click the play button in the image above, go to our webpage to hear this and all of our other episodes, or head on over to Apple podcasts or Spotify!

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to see it continue, and if you’d like exclusive access to Maile’s writing and other bonus material (including the one where we talk about our very favorite book of 2020), please consider joining our Patreon community at the $5 / month level HERE.

And keep writing!

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NEW EPISODE! S3E14: You’re Not an Undiscovered Genius (and This is Good News)

We talk about the myth of the undiscovered genius and why this is a dangerous road for a writer’s mind to travel, as well as how knowing the truth (that we’re all mortals who simply need to work harder at our craft) is actually good news. Plus, the writing 101 lesson that has Maile and Shawn encouraged and ready to get back to work.

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As always, there are a few ways to listen: click the play button in the image above, go to our webpage to hear this and all of our other episodes, or head on over to Apple podcasts or Spotify!

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to see it continue, and if you’d like exclusive access to Maile’s writing and other bonus material, please consider joining our Patreon community at the $5 / month level HERE.

And keep writing!

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NEW EPISODE! S3E13: Childhood Creativity and Maile’s Inappropriate Christmas Story

We talk about the benefits of creativity for children and adults. Maile gushed over a new children’s Christmas book and shares about an inappropriate Christmas story she wrote when she was in second grade. Shawn doesn’t care about the world anymore because he has his own office in the basement. And they reveal the identity of their next guest on the show–a real doozy.

Mentioned on the show:

The Importance of Creativity in Childhood Development
Creativity: A Strategic Necessity
All the Colors of Christmas by Matthew Paul Turner
Boundary Waters by William Kent Kreuger

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As always, there are a few ways to listen: click the play button in the image above, go to our webpage to hear this and all of our other episodes, or head on over to Apple podcasts or Spotify!

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to see it continue, and if you’d like exclusive access to Maile’s writing and other bonus material, please consider joining our Patreon community at the $5 / month level HERE.

And keep writing!

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NEW EPISODE! S3E12 Jamie Kocur and the Seeds of Creativity

Jamie Kocur joins us to talk about songwriting, creating in the margins, and her new book, My CCM Soundtracked Life. Shawn is concerned her disillusionment might destroy his childhood memories of Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant. Maile has no such concerns, as she grew up listening to Air Supply. We talk about how small seeds of creativity planted now might grow into something more substantial down the road.

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As always, there are a few ways to listen: click the play button in the image above, go to our webpage to hear this and all of our other episodes, or head on over to Apple podcasts or Spotify!

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to see it continue, and if you’d like exclusive access to Maile’s writing and other bonus material, please consider joining our Patreon community at the $5 / month level HERE.

And keep writing!

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NEW EPISODE! S3E11 Write What You Know…Or Not

Shawn admits to Maile that, unbeknownst to her, he did apply for their family to move to New Zealand. He gushes about a book he’s currently reading (although he’s not sure he’s allowed to talk about it). Maile’s recent delight is parenting the youngest two.

But what they really dig into is the old saying, “Write what you know”…and how to decide how much more you need to learn about something before writing about it.

A few of the topics discussed:

Sean Dietrich (aka Sean of the South)
Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See

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As always, there are a few ways to listen: click the play button in the image above, go to our webpage to hear this and all of our other episodes, or head on over to Apple podcasts or Spotify!

If you enjoy the podcast and would like to see it continue, and if you’d like exclusive access to Maile’s writing and other bonus material, please consider joining our Patreon community at the $5 / month level HERE.

And keep writing!