Podcasts about Goodreads

Martha Wells is back, and we are taking a deep spoilery dive into Platform Decay.I want to be clear here: if you haven't read Platform Decay, we are about to spoil the dickens out of it. Yes, Charles Dickens is in Platform Decay, you heard it here first. We're going to discuss infrastructure fury, trains in Japan, Honor Princess Detective, and more – and when I say we are spoiling, we are spoiling.In other words, if you haven't read Platform Decay, and you don't want to know much about the story, skip this episode until after you've read it. This is a very book club kind of conversation.You can find Martha Wells on her website, MarthaWells.com, and she's on Bluesky, Goodreads, and Instagram.Please note: Martha Wells is NOT on Threads or Facebook. If someone contacts you on there, it is not really her! We also mentioned:Legend of Zeng HaiUnveil: Jadewind Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#381: What happens when you stop people pleasing and the people around you are no longer pleased? If the thought of setting boundaries, speaking up, or disappointing someone makes your nervous system panic, this episode will hit home. I explore why so many of us stay stuck in over-functioning, over-giving, and self-abandonment, and why growth often comes with discomfort from the people who benefited from the old version of you. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://beatrizalbina.com/381 Order your copy of End Emotional Outsourcing here: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/beatrizvictoriaalbinanp/?hl=enMentioned in this episode:Grab my book, End Emotional Outsourcing!Please support my new book, End Emotional Outsourcing, by ordering a copy and reviewing it on Amazon or GoodReads! You can leave a review even if you bought it somewhere else. Bring your screenshot to: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ for gifts and raffle goodies. Thank you for helping this work ripple out.EEO Pre-Sale

Why do some people totally bomb when a conversation really counts? In this episode, therapist and author Jason VanRuler breaks down the five communication types that explain how we connect, where we fail, and why we keep repeating the same patterns. From Peacemakers who avoid conflict to Sparks who struggle to go deep, Jason reveals how childhood shaped your communication style and what happens when stress makes the real you show up. We also dive into the bullseye method for vulnerability (not everyone gets the middle), why cutting people off isn't a badge of honor, and the three phrases that will change your relationships: "If it matters to you, it matters to me," "Can I explain this?" and simply "Maybe." Plus, Jason shares why you need a new therapist when you can guess what they're going to say, the watches and hobbies we've both obsessed over, and why he cries on planes flying home. If you've ever wondered why communication breaks down when it matters most, this episode will show you exactly what's happening and how to fix it.In This Episode:Find Jason VanRuler on Instagram: @jason.vanrulerOr online at jasonvr.comOrder Procrastination Proof!You can grab a copy of my new book Procrastination Proof from your favorite bookstore or at my website!Make sure to follow me on Instagram and share with your friends!Sign up for my newsletter, Try This!Book me to speak at your event or to your team!Sign up for the Remarkable You Community today!Keep up with my book list on GoodReads!Have me speak at your next event! Have me speak at your next event!

How do you write when your heart is broken? How do you go back into the publishing business after years away, knowing it's a very different industry to the one you left? With Jami Albright. In the intro, InAudio is now distributing audiobooks to BookShop.org; The Feedback Loop that Makes Better Writers [Author Nation Podcast]; Bones of the Deep on Goodreads. This episode is sponsored by Publisher Rocket, which will help you get your book in front of more Amazon readers so you can spend less time marketing and more time writing. I use Publisher Rocket for researching book titles, categories, and keywords — for new books and for updating my backlist. Check it out at www.PublisherRocket.com This show is also supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn Jami Albright is the bestselling author of the Brides on the Run romances and the co-host of the Wish I'd Known Then Podcast. Today we're talking about her new novel, The Summer That Changed Us. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. Show Notes How Jami started writing fiction at 47 and waited a year before publishing her first book Why she fictionalised her sister's terminal cancer story rather than writing a memoir The difference between writing as therapy and writing for the reader Reactivating an email newsletter after almost two years of silence Going wide with a standalone women's fiction novel after years in KU and rom-com Letting go of the frantic hustle of indie publishing and redefining what success looks like You can find Jami at JamiAlbright.com. Transcript of the interview with Jami Albright Jo: Jami Albright is the bestselling author of the Brides on the Run romances and the co-host of the Wish I'd Known Then Podcast. Today we're talking about her new novel, The Summer That Changed Us. So, welcome to the show, Jami. Jami: Thank you, Joanna. I've made it. This is my first time on The Creative Penn, so I can retire tomorrow. Jo: And we were saying before the show, I really thought you had been on the show before, because over the years we've connected a lot. We met over a decade ago, didn't we? At the Smarter Artist Summit. I was like, “I'm sure you've been on the show,” and you haven't. So, yes, welcome. Jami: Thank you. You've been on our show, though. We did an interview with you a few years ago. Jo: Yes. Well, anyway, for anyone who doesn't follow your show— Tell us a bit more about you and how you got into writing and publishing. Jami: Okay. So I am the co-host of the Wish I'd Known Then Podcast for Writers. Sara Rosett and I have been doing that podcast since January 2020. Little did we know what was coming, and it really saved me, just mentally, being able to talk to people every week. I never wrote a word of fiction until I was 47. I'd never really written anything. I have really bad grammar. I tell a lot of stories, and I would make up stories, but I'd never write them down because of the grammar thing. But my reading buddy had her birthday coming up in about three months, and I thought, “You know what? I'm going to write Jennifer a book for her birthday. She doesn't care if I have bad grammar.” I just thought it would be on brand. It was so hard. I wrote myself into a corner very fast. When I told her, she said, “Well, now you have to.” So I got Writing a Romance Novel for Dummies, I read that, and I started writing what is now Running from a Rock Star. But then my computer crashed and I lost it, and I was like, “Well, I'm not a writer.” So that was fine. Then I turned 50, and I told my family, “I think the only thing I regret is not finishing that book.” Of course they were like, “Well, you need to just do it again.” I was like, “No, I had 30,000 words.” A few weeks later my daughter came in and said, “Mom, I found this flash drive in my car. I think it has your book on it.” And it was 20,000 of the 30,000 words. So I was like, “Well, it's now or never.” So I joined Romance Writers of America and got involved in a critique group, and they absolutely kicked my butt for a good six months. I think every week they were surprised I came back, because it was so brutal. I knew I didn't know anything, and they taught me to write. Six months after I joined that first critique group, I won my first contest with the first 10 pages of that book. Then I just continued on. Three years later, I published Rock Star. I was going to publish it two years later, but I went to the Smarter Artist Summit, where I met you. I was advised by Julia Cant and Sean Platt and some other people to wait—preferably to have more books written. I had the second book written when the first one came out, but it still needed to be edited. So I waited a year, learned this business, and sold plasma to pay for my edits because I was poor. It was the best decision I ever made. Going to that conference, first of all, was the best $500 I've ever spent, and waiting that year really helped me learn this business. When I published the book, I had an email list of 1,200 people before the book ever came out. None of those things would have been set up had I published right after the Smarter Artist Summit, which is what I'd thought I would do, in the summer. So waiting gave me time to get everything set up so that when I published that book, it really took off from day one. I had 1,200 people on that newsletter list who wanted that book, because I had done a preview promo. Instead of putting out the whole book, I think I put out four chapters, and then people signed up. I don't know that that works anymore. Jo: I was going to say that. We should say to people, what was that, around 2016? Jami: 2017. Things have changed. Jo: Yes, things have changed, and I think this is so important. I had a question about this, and what they were implying was things that, like you said, we learned a decade ago. Things have changed. We'll come back to how you're doing it now, but just in terms of finishing off how you got started—those books did really well, didn't they? You had a couple of years there. How many books did you do? How did that go? Because you did have real success. Jami: Yes. From 2017 until really the beginning of 2021, if you look at my sales graph and my income, it just increased, increased, increased. 2019 was my very best year, but 2020 was only slightly lower as far as book sales and income. I only put out a book a year after the second book. The second book came out about six months after the first one, and after that it was about every nine months to a year that I put a book out. Everyone said you can't make money doing that, but I did. I think those books are very tropey. They're very hooky. That helped. I also think the timing of those books was really good. Rom-com was really coming up, and my rom-com is pretty wacky, but it's also really emotional too. If I get any critiques about them it's usually that “this book was way more emotional than I expected, and I was looking for something a little lighter.” They're just really wacky. They're rom-coms. Wacky circumstances. Small town, so there's all these small-town people. I just think it was a good time to release those. Those were good years. I miss those years. Jo: It's a good lesson, because it's not always up and to the right, is it? We're going to come back and revisit that. So then the pandemic hit, and on a more personal level, over the last few years, you've had a deeply difficult time that has led to The Summer That Changed Us, your latest book. So talk a bit about what's happened, why this book, and also why fictionalise it rather than write a memoir? I had that question. Jami: Okay. So 2021, my income was dropping, but it was still okay. I was still making more than enough that—thank God I don't have to make all the money in our household—but there was a level that I wanted to. At the end of 2021, my sister, who was the fourth of five sisters, had lived with cancer—non-smoker's lung cancer—for 10 years. She had the kind that, if you had a certain mutation, there were medications that worked amazingly well. Until they didn't, and then they put you on another class of that medication. So for 10 years, that's what she did. She missed work maybe three times in 10 years. People who met her never knew she had cancer unless they knew us. She just never acted like she had cancer. We would have to say, “Remember, you have cancer.” At the end of 2021, they ran out of that class of drugs. There were some being tested, but none had been approved. When she was diagnosed, she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. You don't survive very long having stage four lung cancer with no medication. So I saw the writing on the wall pretty much at the end of 2021, but of course I was very hopeful that they could do something. By May of 2022, it was clear things were not going well. In July of 2022, she got a six-to-twelve-week diagnosis. She just went in one day thinking she was about to get radiation, not knowing anything, and they were like, “No, we can't do radiation, and you should get your affairs in order because you have six to twelve weeks to live.” Jo: Oh. Jami: People who've been through it know this feeling. It's like being hit by a wrecking ball. It just knocks everything off your axis. Your whole world implodes into this one moment, this person that you love. I live four hours away from my family. They all still live in the same small town. I was in Dallas at my daughter's at the time, and they live about 30 miles outside of Dallas. So I went to my mom's, and I stayed there. I was there for almost six months, if you count the time I was back and forth, because she was not doing great but she was still okay. She had always rallied and come back. But once she got the diagnosis, I stayed. She would go home, but she would come back to my mom's during the day, because her husband worked. She was a teacher, so she was off during the summer. I was just there, and we all just took care of her. When she decided to go on hospice, she wanted to be at my mom's. She didn't want to be at home—they lived out in the country. She wanted to be at my mom's, so we set her up in the living room. We're redneck country people. We bring our crazy people in, our sick people, just out for everybody to see. She was just in the middle of the living room in her hospital bed, and the world just revolved around that hospital bed. Once that happened, once I knew at the end of 2021 that things were not going to go well—I really did not believe she would die. But she died a month after she went on hospice in October of 2022. That whole year, I was useless. I could not write. I couldn't think of anything to write. I write funny. How do you write funny when your heart's broken? I couldn't do it. After she died, I knew it would take a while. I knew it would maybe even be a year. But as the weeks turned into months and the months turned into years, I haven't written—except for her obituary—I've not written a word since she died until I started writing this book a year ago. I started it on April 19th. Jo: I mean, the stories of grief—there seems to be no way of escaping whatever it ends up being. You didn't choose your response. Your deep grief was just there, and you couldn't write. I feel like sometimes people just try and force it. It sounds like that's what you needed, and you have done that. So what then gave you the impetus to finally write—and to choose fiction? Jami: I didn't write memoir. I did think about doing a memoir, but I don't read memoir, and I don't know how to write it. I was already behind the eight ball, trying to write a book at all because it had been forever. I don't need to learn how to write something completely different. Plus, it just felt too close to write the memoir. I had been in Mexico City with my daughter, who has an event planning company, and we were there scouting locations for one of her events. Janet Margot lives in Mexico City, so I reached out, and we had dinner. We were talking, and she had had two big losses about the same time that my sister passed away. So we were talking about how difficult it is afterwards, just getting your head back into a space of being creative at all. She said, “You really should write this book. You should tell this story. It hits everything: middle-aged women dealing with middle-age things. You've got your parents that you were dealing with, and then your sister. You should write this story.” I said, “No, thank you. I lived it. I don't want to write it.” But it just wouldn't go away. I couldn't figure out how I would tell it. Whose point of view? I couldn't do it from the dying sister's point of view because I didn't think I could be authentic. I was afraid to tell it from multiple POVs because the book has a lot of characters in it. My family is gigantic—my immediate family, my sisters, husbands, nieces and nephews, my kids, my mom and dad—there are 35 of us. Almost all of those are in and out of my mom's house all the time. So I knew I couldn't do multiple point of view. One day, I was driving home to my mom's house, and it just hit me. The whole story laid out in front of me, and that's what I did. The first draft was pretty much just a retelling of what happened to us. I added some fictional elements, but I just wanted to get the story out. It was hard. I started Adderall on April 19th of 2025—I know that, because that's the day I started this book. I do call this the book that Adderall wrote, because I could sit and focus for three or four hours, which I'd never really been able to do. I would come to Starbucks and I would sit and write this book, and I would cry sitting in Starbucks, like a crazy person. People would walk by and slide a napkin onto the table and just keep walking, because I'm sitting there crying like crazy. I was so superstitious, and things were working so well, that I was afraid not to come and write at Starbucks. Staying at home, I think, would have been really hard. I would maybe have sunk into a depression had I done this at home. So I just wrote the whole book at Starbucks. After I wrote the first draft, I went back in and made it more fictional. But a lot of the book—especially her stuff—is a lot of what happened. She was just crazy. I tell a story in the book that, this is the absolute truth, this happened. She was in college, and she had convinced my younger sister to go to a honky-tonk club because they were having a Miss Honky-Tonk contest. Before she could get up on stage to compete as Miss Honky-Tonk, she got in a fight with some girl, and the girl hit her in the head with a bottle and split her head open. She was bleeding. My youngest sister was like, “We've got to go to the ER.” And she just refused, because there was a $300 cash prize for winning, and she needed it to make rent. So she borrowed a towel from the bartender, wrapped it around her head, competed with that bloody towel on her head, and won that stupid contest. That story in and of itself was my sister. Everything about her is in that story. So a lot of the stories in there happened to her in one way or another. What happens to June in the book happened to my sister. Jo: This is interesting, because the same thing memoir writers face is something perhaps you face: how much of the writing is therapy and how much is for the reader? You said you sat there crying. Absolutely, writing for therapy is very important—but when you come to edit, there might be things that your therapy side of you is like, “That's so important to me.” How do you kill your darlings when you're editing your sister's life? Jami: That was hard. I had to take out a lot of what was in the first draft, mostly the stories. Once she came home on hospice, it was just a steady stream of people coming in, and everybody had a story about her. What I found in editing was that Hope, the main character, was mostly a spectator in those scenes instead of being actively part of them. So I had to take those out, because they didn't serve the purpose of the book. I committed early on to: while I wanted to tell the story, I did not want it to be self-indulgent. I did not want it to be a therapy session that I sold to people as a story. Because of that, I think that really helped. I really did think about that as I was revising. I sent it to a developmental editor, and I don't know how great she was, but she gave me some really good advice about a couple of things. One was, “There's just not enough conflict in this book. You say that Hope and the father have this really contentious relationship, yet we don't see it. There's a little bit of it here and there, but you're not really digging into that.” It's hard, because while the rest of the world doesn't know, my family knows that this is a lot of our story. I just had to let that go and not worry about what my family thought. They had all given me permission. I'd sort of said, “I want to do this. Are you guys okay with that?” I talked to her husband, and everybody was okay with me doing it. But I couldn't worry about what they were going to think. I would repeat to myself: if they want to tell this story, they can write their own book. I'm writing what I saw and telling a fictionalised story that will hopefully honour her, but also help other people feel like they're being seen, and also be entertaining. If you're going to write a book, it needs to be somewhat entertaining. Jo: I don't think you can help yourself. You're funny. Jami: Yes. The book is really funny. I tell people that and they're like, “Hmm, really?” And I'm like, “It is really funny.” But it's also really sad. Jo: Well, I think that's the truth—to defend myself. There is a lot of humour in grief. There is death and dying, and it's a human condition. Jami: It is a human condition, yep. Jo: There's comedy in all of the human condition. That's just the way it is, right? I heard you mention on an interview, I can't remember where it was, that you feel very connected to this book, and you're worried that people judging it or giving it a bad review might feel like an insult to your sister. How are you dealing with these kinds of fears about how to separate ourselves from our books? Jami: I've been in therapy—like, literal therapy—for that, because I felt like that would be hard. So far, I've only gotten a few reviews back. They've all been good reviews. I haven't had anyone say they hate it. I just have had to separate myself. It's not personal. Reviews are never personal. People not liking your book is never personal. That's just a mindset. I've had to change my mind about that. Knowing that's a pitfall I could fall into, I really keep it top of mind. My family knows that's an issue, so they know they have to pull me out of that hole if I drop in. So that's really how I've handled it so far. We'll see. Jo: Maybe it's time as well. You're almost back to the “book is your baby” situation. As the years pass, the book almost becomes separate, doesn't it? How you feel about your first bride book is probably like, “It's not even me anymore.” Jami: Right. I learned early that your book isn't really your baby. Once you publish it, it's your product. So that has never been very hard for me. I still hate bad reviews, and I take them personally like everybody else does, if I let myself. But ultimately, this is a book that I'm putting out for entertainment. Yes, it's very personal. Yes, it means a lot to me. But if people don't like it, it isn't because they don't like my dead sister. They just don't like my writing. Jo: It's tough, but it's good to talk about, because this is something many people feel. My memoir Pilgrimage—it's not the same at all—but I was just so scared of judgment. The fear of judgment. What people would think of me. That's kind of different, but— It's this question of how it'll land. The reality is, not many people read these books anyway. Jami: Well, I have worried about how it would land, but mostly I worry about how it would land with the people I love. My mom read it last week. I was there while she was reading it. That was no fun. She laughed, but it was devastating to her. She's like, “It's great, and I hate it.” Because it is so raw and real to her still—well, to all of us. That's where I worry, how it's going to land with them. But again, I've had to let that go. I had to let it go during the writing, because if I worried about that, then I would not have told an honest story. That was another thing—I didn't want it to be self-indulgent, and I wanted it to be honest. As honest as I could make it, even to the point of making people uncomfortable. There's a line. Once you cross it, there's no getting you back after that. So I walked that line really carefully, because I did want it to be honest about how I felt, how other people I know who've been through something like this feel. Also, just relationships. Because when you're in a big family like my sisters and I—we adore each other, but we can also go toe-to-toe real fast. It can get ugly, because we know each other really well. We're also a little bit redneck, so we don't pull any punches. Your sisters are always the most honest people in your life. I wanted that to be true in this book too—both sides of that story. Jo: Let's circle back to the business stuff and some of the things we talked about, because obviously this has been a really difficult time. There was no way to deal with it in any other way, but your business has changed. You had these great few years, good sales, and then you had other priorities. So how are you rebooting the business? Lots of people end up taking a few years out for whatever reason. How are you rebooting the business to try and sell some books? Jami: To be honest, I have the remnants of a business. I have tried over the last four years to run some ads to get the Bride's books going, but here's something that's very interesting, and if somebody can tell me why this happened, I would love to hear it. These books that have sold so many books—I mean, so many books—I could not give them away. It didn't matter what I did. I changed covers, I changed blurbs, I put them on sale, I took them off sale, I ran ads. Ads wouldn't really move the needle. I know that at a certain point, when you haven't published and your books get pushed down in the algorithm, that is an uphill battle. But it was almost like, one day they just fell off, and once they started falling, I could not get them back. I just couldn't. So that I didn't make myself crazy—because also during this time, I was just trying to keep my head above water—when I would deal with my books or go into my dashboard, I would feel horrible. I was already feeling horrible, so I didn't need to feel more horrible. So I just sort of let them go after a certain point. I've now started running some Facebook ads. I have one Facebook ad that's working really well, knock on wood, right now for my first Bride's book. The problem is, this book and my Bride's books are different. The voice and the tone are the same, but they're really different in a lot of ways. They're the same in a lot of ways. This book doesn't have any sex; the other books don't have anybody dying. But some of the things are really similar. So I may have some crossover. For whatever reason, this ad is working. My book one is ranked better than it's been ranked in forever—really good. I'm not spending a ton of money to do it. So I don't know what changed. I don't know if I'll ever know. I've revised my newsletter, and that's worked well. I still have around a 35 to 40% open rate on a newsletter that I didn't send out for almost two years. I was sending it out, but then I kind of stopped, and then I started again. Jo: I was going to ask you about that, because I often get people emailing me. They're like, “I have a really old newsletter from several years ago. I haven't emailed them for years.” So what did you say in that first email? Like, “Hey, I'm back”? Jami: I mean, I'm just like, “Remember me?” It really was kind of like that. Just, “I'm back. You guys know life has happened. I'm sure you understand. If you're still here, thank you so much. I have been writing. I have this book that I think some of you will really love.” That's really how it was. From the first email, even that first email had a higher open rate. I think it was close to 45%. I had not sent out a newsletter in two years literally. Jo: People were like, “What happened?” Jami: They're like, “Oh, she didn't die. That was her sister, not her.” But I've just been really fortunate. They've been really encouraging. Every time I send one out, I get really encouraging emails back. So I've sent out about the book. The majority of my readers are KU readers because my books are in KU. But this book is going wide. One of the things I'm doing because I have been a little concerned about… Janet Margot does a lot of Amazon ads stuff and she knows a lot about Amazon. We've talked a lot about whether I should use my real name, my pen name, or come up with another name. Should I worry about my readers buying the book and messing up my Also Boughts? All of those things, because my readers are romance readers. Some of them read women's fiction, but for the most part, they're romance readers. I've decided to stick with Jami Albright and not worry about it. There are just things you can't control, so I've had to hold everything with a really open hand with this book. I am offering the book on my website. I'm selling it at $7.99—I chose a high price point, because I just feel like, to sit with the other books that I want it to sit with, I need that price point. So I'm offering it on my website, starting at the end of this week, for $5. If they're KU readers and they don't buy books, but they want the book, they can get it for $5 on my website, which I think is reasonable. Jo: Mm. Absolutely. Jami: If that's too much for them, I understand and I get it. Time, things are hard right now, and if they can't do that, it's going to be in libraries, so they can request it at their library. But right now that's the plan. Hopefully that helps with the Also Boughts a little bit too. Even though, again, I just can't worry about those things. As a gift to my readers, I want to do this for them as well—give them a discount. Jo: And obviously this is a standalone, right? This is not— Jami: Yes, it is. Jo: Again, a bit like memoir, all the book marketing we talk about in fiction is “write a series.” It's much easier. So it is difficult to market a standalone in general. And this is something that happened, so it is a standalone situation. So do you feel like you're back in terms of writing? Have you got plans for more books, or is this a business for you going forward? Do you feel like you want to re-enter this whole world? Jami: I do. I have an idea for a book similar to this one—not in the same kind of genre, I mean, of women's fiction, kind of midlife fiction stuff. I have an idea. I had nothing for months and months and months, and a couple of months ago, this idea kind of came to me. I was like, “Oh, that's not bad.” So I'm mulling it over—I do a lot of mulling—and that's the next book I think I will write. I don't know that I'll write rom-coms again. Not because I don't love them. I do, and I love my rom-coms. But I'm just different. You do not go through something like this and come out on the other side the same. I don't know that I could carry an entire rom-com through without it being even more emotional than mine are now. So for right now, I'm going to write another one of these kinds of books where it's got a lot of emotion, family dynamic, tension and dynamics. Jo: That's great. I do feel like once you've written the book that was waiting—your sister's book—then more things arrive, and it's great to hear that that is arriving for you. And of course, we change. One of the nice things about writing for the long term and building more of a name brand is that you change, and your readers either follow you or they don't, but it's your life. So I think that's a good reason to have one pen name. I obviously have two, but my fiction pen name I've written all kinds of genres under. Why else would we keep doing this? I don't want to write the same book over and over again. Jami: Right. Believe me, I've had to eat a lot of crow over the last four years, and it's tasty with ketchup. I have decided that a lot of the stuff I said is true: about you write in one genre, you give the people exactly what they want, and you give it to them over and over again. I believe all of that. I still believe those things. It's just that I don't know that I'm capable of doing that right now. Also, I'm older. I am about doing the things that bring me joy and are not a drudgery. I want to say this, because I miss the success. I miss who I thought I was during that time. I miss the recognition. I'll freely admit it. I miss being the person doing the thing that everybody said couldn't be done. “You can't make money with one book a year.” Well, watch me. And I did. I miss that. What I don't miss, and I've had to be really, really honest with myself, which has been difficult—I don't miss the anxiety that came with that. There was a lot of franticness. I think that if you are in a lot of groups, you see that franticness. I've had to step back, like I've had to step back, and then go back into these groups, you hear authors and see authors, and there's just this frantic sense that we're losing everything, and we have to hold on so tight to everything. I was like that. I checked my ads constantly. I checked my dashboard constantly. My mom used to say, “This should be fun.” I'm like, “Mom, it's a business. It's not fun.” But I recognise that I loved that so much that I held onto it so tight. I don't want to go back to that. I don't have the energy for that. Since this all happened, I've gained four more grandchildren than I had. I have six grandchildren now. I want to spend time with them. I want to spend time with my adult children. I want to spend time with my mom and dad. So I can't be frantic about my sales—are they going up, are they dropping?—and give emotionally to the people I love in my life. If the last four years have taught me anything, it is that the one thing you can never get back is time. You can never get it back, and that is so important to me right now. With this book—and one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you when we were talking about when I would do it—I wanted to do it before it came out, because I've already won. Writing this book, writing a book that honours the bravest person I've ever known and doing the second-hardest thing that I've ever had to do, is the win. That's the win. Whatever happens with this book afterwards is just what happens with this book afterwards. It doesn't change who I am, and you told me that when we were in Vegas two years ago. That conversation really changed a lot for me, because you said, “You are a successful author.” I was still trying to come up with a plan to be a successful author again, and you were like, “You are a successful author. You've had success. That makes you a successful author. You don't have to chase that.” That changed so much of my thinking. If I could leave listeners with anything, it is that we need to recognise the things we can't control and just deal with the things we can control. That's kind of how my sister lived. She could not control her cancer, but she could control how she responded to it and how she went forward. I think a lot of times, when bad things happen, we want to make sense of them. We want a reason for them. And a lot of times there's just no reason. There's no reason my sister died. There's no reason she left two kids and a husband devastated and a family that just has a giant hole in it. There's no reason for that. What defines us is not figuring out why that happened. It's what we do with that going forward. I think that's important for me to remember when I start getting caught up in all the franticness of this business. Jo: Yes. Or not, as the case may be. You can just let the book be what it is. And I do feel like these deeper books, they're more slow burn. You wrote books that ran, ran like the bride. Now we're not running like the bride. Jami: I'm tired. I don't run unless a wild animal's chasing me. Jo: Exactly. Look, we're out of time, but just tell people, if they haven't listened, a bit about your podcast, Wish I'd Known Then with Sara Rosett. Tell people what they can find over on that podcast and why you're still doing it. You've been doing it throughout the whole time. While not writing, you've still been podcasting. Jami: It absolutely saved my life. It's kept me in this business. While I haven't been publishing, I still know what's going on. I know about direct sales, I know about what's happening behind the scenes, with Facebook ads. I've kept in touch with those things because of our podcast. It's an interview podcast like yours, but we talk to people about what they wish they'd known about indie publishing. Most people have some certain thing that they've been working on or doing, and we talk to them a little bit about that too. We ask the same questions every week to every guest, and it's so interesting how different the answers are, and yet how similar they are. I think that helps when you're going through it and you're like, “God, I must be the only one feeling this way.” But you tune into a podcast, and you hear week after week, “Oh, no, there are other people feeling the same way I'm feeling, or struggling with the same things I'm struggling with.” Hopefully we give people things to shoot for and to aspire to. We have some amazing guests. They've all been really gracious and really honest. I don't know if it's the questions, or just because Sara and I are our style, but they're really honest with us when they answer the questions. Jo: It's a great show. I recommend it a lot. Jami: Thank you. Jo: Where can people find you and your books online? Jami: You can find me at JamiAlbright.com—that's J-A-M-I-Albright.com. I'm on all the socials as Jami Albright Author. My books are on Amazon right now, but this book is actually now on all the retailers. So that's where you can find me. Jo: Brilliant. Well, thanks so much for your time, Jami. That was great. Jami: It was an honour. Thank you so much.The post Writing Through Grief And Rebooting an Indie Author Business With Jami Albright first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Some videos are designed to make friends.This is not one of those videos.Today, Jim shares his 12 most controversial Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror opinions of 2026 — from defending Harry Dresden and Terry Brooks to questioning modern fantasy adaptations, getting all soapbox on Stephen King, then explaining why worldbuilding may have become the most overrated concept in fantasy fandom.Will viewers agree? Will they grab the pitchforks? Probably both.Whether you think Jim is absolutely right, completely wrong, or somewhere in between, this episode is all about celebrating the passionate debates that make SFFH fandom so much fun.Topics include:⚔️ Why worldbuilding has become overrated⚔️ The surprising adaptation Jim prefers over modern Hollywood⚔️ Why grimdark may have already peaked⚔️ The Malazan debate⚔️ Gene Wolfe and reader expectations⚔️ Stephen King's greatest achievement⚔️ Fantasy adaptations vs. science fiction adaptations⚔️ Jim's thoughts on Brandon Sanderson⚔️ Thoughts on modern vs. classic cover art⚔️ Terry Brooks and the legacy of Shannara⚔️ The never-ending Dresden Files controversyNow it's your turn.Which opinions do you agree with?Which ones made you immediately open the comments section?And what are YOUR biggest SFFH hot takes?Leave a comment below and join the discussion!If you enjoy Fantasy for the Ages, please consider liking the video, subscribing to the channel, and ringing the notification bell so you don't miss future content.A huge thank you to our Patreon supporters for helping make Fantasy for the Ages possible!: patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges#FantasyBooks #FantasyForTheAges #ScienceFiction #HorrorBooks #Fantasy #BookTube #FantasyHotTakes #DresdenFiles #Shannara #StephenKing #Malazan #BrandonSanderson #EpicFantasy #Book⸻Ways to connect with us:Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk Follow us on "X": @Fantasy4theAges Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com Check out our merch: https://www.newcreationsbyjen.com/collections/fantasyfortheagesJim's Microphone: Blue Yeti https://tinyurl.com/3shpvhb4 Jim's Camera: Razer Kito Pro https://tinyurl.com/c873tc2n 0:00 - Opening1:25 - Episode Explanation2:15 - Jim's Top 12 Controversial Takes16:42 - Wrap-up & Conclusion————————————————————————————Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements:https://elements.envato.com/

Did we REALLY need a Scream 7?That's the question I found myself asking when yet another Ghostface movie arrived. After all, this franchise has been stabbing its way through horror history for nearly three decades.But when Scream 7 hit Paramount+, there was no way I wasn't going to watch it.In this spoiler-lite review, I dive into what worked, what didn't, whether Neve Campbell's return as Sidney Prescott was worth the hype, how the movie connects the classic and modern eras of the franchise, and whether Ghostface still has enough tricks left to keep longtime horror fans entertained.Is this one of the better recent Scream entries?Did the filmmakers successfully recapture some of the magic of the original?Or is this franchise finally running on fumes?Let's talk about it.If you've seen Scream 7, let me know your thoughts in the comments. Did it work for you, or is it time to finally hang up the Ghostface mask?

Send us Fan MailIt's the FINale of Mermay on the Screen Queen and we're wrapping up the tides with a little film that may not be as favorable but still a memorable mermaid movie. Thanks for being here for the series and for four years!!!!! MUAH Part 1: And the last episode iiiiiisPart 2: The WriterPart 3: How DOES it fair as a mermaid moviePart 4: RaymondPart 5: How Aquamarine got her finsPart 6: Cecilia Part 7: The Girls that make the moviePart 8: What Aquamarine means to me and for twenty years. Support the showMy Inglorious Ink series! - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Samantha-Parrish/author/B0BNQ2D7D1?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=trueI'm on Goodreads! - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20042112.Samantha_ParrishHow To Support The Show! - https://ko-fi.com/queenofthescreen#linkModalArticles I've written - https://vocal.media/authors/samantha-parrishMy Linktree https://linktr.ee/themysticalspacewitch Cover art by Emily Whitacre (https://teenytinycoffeebean.carrd.co/)

A quiet hero's journey into the unnamed space between one life and the next, for anyone who has ever stood at the edge of something they couldn't yet see. Meet Silas, a man who has spent his life walking forest paths at night, lantern in hand, telling stories to the dark and finding the unknown. You can get my new book, Awaken Your Myth, at https://awakenyourmyth.com/book/. Please leave a review on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Your-Myth-Discover-Purpose/dp/1797235257/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor To leave a review on GoodReads, click here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238747993-awaken-your-myth#CommunityReviewsYour support is the cornerstone that allows me to continue crafting tranquil stories and meditations for you. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, you'll unlock an oasis of over 500 ad-free Listen To Sleep episodes, including 8 subscriber-only full length sleepy audiobook classics like Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. To pledge your support, visit⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://listentosleep.com/support⁠⁠ or subscribe right in Apple Podcasts and get a 7 day free trial. Want to change your story? Take the free Path Assessment at https://jointhecabin.org. In two minutes, you'll see your personalized journey and know exactly where to start. To join my email group and get a bunch of goodies, go to ⁠⁠https://erikireland.com Sleep well, friends.

 What if Earth had a twin planet, but the people God created there never sinned?  Listen in as Chuck Richardson and I chat about his book and what it all could mean if it happened. note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.  I'm still reeling from the idea that a sinless sacrifice is what was needed, so a sinless human (as Jesus was) could actually pay the price for sinful man in this fictional world he's created. Assuming he even goes that route someday. Still fascinating. Paradise Unfallen by Chuck Richardson What if Adam and Eve had resisted the serpent? Welcome to Erimea-Earth's twin world, untouched by original sin. Solis and Livi, the first parents of Erimea, begin their lives in perfect fellowship with God. But their obedience does not end the war. Satan and his legions simply turn their fury upon the new world. As the population of Erimea rises, tensions crack the harmony of paradise. A powerful life-giving resource becomes scarce. Rumors spread. God is silent. And a restless humanity flirts with fear, force, and false gods. To save their descendants from repeating Earth's tragedy, Solis and Livi must confront deception, division, and the relentless pressure of darkness. Their journey-from innocence to holiness-will determine the future of an unfallen world. If you enjoy Christian fantasy, biblical what-ifs, spiritual warfare, and epic worldbuilding, you will love Paradise Unfallen. Perfect for fans of: C.S. Lewis Ted Dekker Step into the world that might have been-and the war that still rages. Learn more on Chuck's WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub. Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple Castbox Google Play Libsyn RSS Spotify Amazon and more!

We've all been there.You pick up a fantasy, sci-fi, or horror novel because the cover looks incredible… and then discover the story inside has almost nothing to do with what the artwork promised.Today we're counting down 50 of the most misleading SFFH book covers ever published — from fantasy heroes who look twice the correct age, to science fiction novels advertising giant space battles that never happen, to horror covers that completely miss the point of the story inside.To be clear, this episode is not about criticizing cover artists. Many of these covers are beautiful, iconic, and beloved. More often than not, artists were creating exactly what publishers commissioned them to create. But sometimes marketing decisions, genre trends, and publisher expectations produced some truly legendary mismatches between cover and content.Which books made the list?Did classics like Foundation, Ender's Game, The Wheel of Time, Old Man's War, and House of Leaves earn their reputations?And what book cover do YOU think most completely misses the point of the novel it represents?Let us know in the comments!If you enjoy fantasy, science fiction, horror, book reviews, rankings, lists, debates, and other nerdy content, be sure to Like, Subscribe, and Ring the Notification Bell so you won't miss future episodes from Fantasy for the Ages.Want to help support the channel and receive some fun perks? Consider joining us on Patreon!: patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges#FantasyBooks #ScienceFictionBooks #HorrorBooks #BookCovers #FantasyForTheAges #BookTube #Fantasy #ScienceFiction #Horror #WheelOfTime #Foundation #EndersGame #HouseOfLeaves #OldMansWar #BrandonSanderson #StephenKing #FantasyReaders #SciFiReaders #BookDiscussion⸻Ways to connect with us:Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk Follow us on "X": @Fantasy4theAges Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com Check out our merch: https://www.newcreationsbyjen.com/collections/fantasyfortheagesJim's Microphone: Blue Yeti https://tinyurl.com/3shpvhb4 Jim's Camera: Razer Kito Pro https://tinyurl.com/c873tc2n 0:00 - Opening1:02 - Episode Explanation2:04 - Mildly Misleading (50-41)6:19 - Clearly Sending The Wrong Signal (40-31)10:16 - Significant Disconnect (30-21)14:26 - Frequently Mocked By Fans (20-11)18:45 - The Top 10 Hall of Shame24:29 - Wrap-up & Conclusion————————————————————————————Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements:https://elements.envato.com/

Christine Riccio & Natasha Polis talk all things nerdy in the book, tv, movie, pop culture, fandoms, and how they integrate into their adult lives. Today they're answering listener questions with dubious and or non dubious advice!! They will be doing a part 2 so if you want to send in a question, feel free to email it to thoseforkingfangirls (at) gmail (dot) com. Plus they're chatting Taylor Swift, the new mandalorian movie, Ella enchanted, and more!The Main discussion start at : 36:58Today in Fangirl Tea Time : Join Christine and Natasha for more stories about their recent life escapades. Support the pod by joining the Forking Fangirls Patreon community: http://patreon.com/thoseforkingfangirls TEAM EDWARD: The first five Heated Rivalry episode commentaries are up now! Follow the visual show on our Youtube: http://youtube.com/@thoseforkingfangirls  Get Christine's new book THIRTY, FLIRTY, & FOREVER ALONE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1662532156Add Thirty Flirty & Forever Alone on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230393104-thirty-flirty-and-forever-aloneCheck out Natasha's sewing classes: https://www.natashapolis.com/Join our patron to get 10 dollars off the classes!Website: https://thoseforkingfangirls.com/ Email us feedback: thoseforkingfangirls@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoseforkingfangirls/Twitter: https://twitter.com/forkfangirlspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thoseforkingfangirlsGet Christine's novel Attached at the Hip: https://a.co/d/grmPeVy Check out the Selkie Collection and get 10% off your order with code TASHAPOLIS https://selkiecollection.com/collections/all

#380: Are you actually ready for coaching, or do you just want your life to feel different? In this episode, I unpack the difference between wanting change and being truly available for change. If you've been reading the books, listening to the podcasts, and trying to heal your codependent, perfectionist, or people-pleasing habits but still feel stuck in the same emotional patterns, this conversation might help you understand why. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://beatrizalbina.com/380 Order your copy of End Emotional Outsourcing here: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/beatrizvictoriaalbinanp/?hl=enMentioned in this episode:Grab my book, End Emotional Outsourcing!Please support my new book, End Emotional Outsourcing, by ordering a copy and reviewing it on Amazon or GoodReads! You can leave a review even if you bought it somewhere else. Bring your screenshot to: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ for gifts and raffle goodies. Thank you for helping this work ripple out.EEO Pre-Sale

What happens when Brian Lumley stops hinting at his vampires… and finally gives us the FULL nightmare fuel experience?In today's episode, Jim dives into Necroscope II: Vamphyri! — the second book in the Necroscope series by Brian Lumley — and friends, this thing goes HARD into vampire lore, Cold War psychic espionage, body horror, and the continuing story of Harry Keogh.After recently enjoying the first Necroscope novel, Jim returns to the series to explore:* The terrifying history of the Wamphyri* Why Harry Keogh remains such a compelling protagonist* The rich Cold War Europe atmosphere* Psychic spy warfare between ESP agencies* Why this sequel may actually be BETTER than book oneAlong the way, Jim also reflects on how this series somehow completely escaped his attention back in the 1980s… despite teenage Jim consuming every vampire movie and novel he could get his hands on — including some VERY questionable 70s vampire cinema.If you enjoy horror books, supernatural thrillers, dark fantasy, vampire fiction, or cult-classic horror series, this may be one you absolutely need to check out.Have you read Necroscope II: Vamphyri!? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!If you enjoy fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and other nerdy goodness, be sure to:

This year, Fantagraphics celebrates 50 years of publishing and Mike, Kara, and Brian dig comics from the publisher as part of May's Reading Challenge Theme of the Month! Join the IRCB Reading Challenge on Goodreads or on Storygraph: https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/25314-ircb-s-2026-reading-challenge https://app.thestorygraph.com/reading_challenges/92bfe182-4dc9-47ae-ad55-0ecf18ccdba2 Timestamps: 00:00:00 - Start/Our history with Fantagraphics 00:13:02 - Usagi Yojimbo: Book One: The Ronin 00:20:13 - Corto Maltese, the Fable of Venice 00:29:02 - Baby Blue 00:34:50 - The Return of Snow White 00:51:34 - Wrap Producer: Mike RapinPost Production & Social Media: Kait Lamphere, Daniel MartinezProoflistener: Kait LamphereEditor: Zander Riggs Music provided by Infinity Shred. Find them on Bandcamp.IRCB Avatars by @ICELEVELIRCB Logo by Kyle RoseSupport us on Patreon to get access to our Patreon-only series: IRCB Movie Club, Saga of Saga, Giant Days of Our Lives, A Better Batmobile, and more! patreon.com/ircbpodcastBuy a copy of our anniversary zine Totally Not A Cult: https://ircbpodcast.com/shop/p/totally-not-a-cult-zine-1Email: ircbpodcast@gmail.comTwitter: @ircbpodcastInstagram: @ircbpodcastDiscord: discordapp.com/invite/E8JUB9sReddit: ireadcomicbooks.reddit.comIRCB GoodreadsMerch: ircbpodcast.com/shop

What makes a fantasy novel truly great?Is it sales? Awards? Goodreads ratings? Cultural impact? Influence on the genre? Today, Jim and Zach tackle one of the biggest — and most dangerous — topics in fantasy fandom as they each reveal their personal Top 10 Greatest Fantasy Novels of the Past 30 Years!From epic fantasy giants from series like A Song of Ice and Fire, The First Law, and The Stormlight Archive, to genre-shifting modern classics like The Name of the Wind, Mistborn, and more, this episode dives into the books that didn't just succeed — they changed fantasy forever.Expect disagreements, hot takes, passionate defenses, and probably at least a little chaos.What fantasy novels do you think belong on the list? Let us know in the comments!Be sure to Like, Subscribe, and Ring the Notification Bell so you never miss future fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and other nerdy content from Fantasy for the Ages!A huge thank you to our Patreon supporters for helping make the channel possible. If you'd like to support the channel and get extra perks, consider joining us on Patreon!: patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges#Fantasy #FantasyBooks #EpicFantasy #BrandonSanderson #GeorgeRRMartin #HarryPotter #TheNameOfTheWind #JoeAbercrombie #Malazan #BookTube #FantasyForTheAges⸻Want to purchase books/media mentioned in this episode?Assassin's Fate: https://t.ly/x8x9jBattle Ground: https://t.ly/e_gvhThe Blade Itself: https://t.ly/LSDn2Blade of Tyshalle: https://t.ly/11Z1GBlood Over Brighthaven: https://t.ly/oNJNqThe Burning White: https://t.ly/d4WGmConan the Barbarian: https://t.ly/cxzd5The Devils: https://t.ly/USE7IThe Fifth Season: https://t.ly/FzjKpA Game of Thrones: https://t.ly/oxs6IGardens of the Moon: https://t.ly/_OQsuHarrow the Ninth: https://t.ly/3_w4SHarry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: https://t.ly/V4NuvJade Legacy: https://t.ly/r3jl3Last Argument of Kings: https://t.ly/jsLgzA Memory of Light: https://t.ly/HvE8CMistborn, The Final Empire: https://t.ly/ErX1KThe Name of the Wind: https://t.ly/ndJbgPeace Talks: https://t.ly/ObDsbThe Poppy War: https://t.ly/d6CIFA Storm of Swords: https://t.ly/FEoNcThe Stormlight Archive: https://t.ly/x2NkJThe Sword of Kaigen: https://t.ly/xn5mgThe Way of Kings: https://t.ly/WSI9CWind and Truth: https://t.ly/eB-MXWords of Radiance: https://t.ly/PmZF4Ways to connect with us:Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk Follow us on "X": @Fantasy4theAges Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com Check out our merch: https://www.newcreationsbyjen.com/collections/fantasyfortheagesJim's Microphone: Blue Yeti https://tinyurl.com/3shpvhb4 Jim's Camera: Razer Kito Pro https://tinyurl.com/c873tc2n 0:00 - Opening / Episode Explanation2:58 - Defining “Greatness”8:41 - How These Get Revealed9:17 - Honorable Mentions11:51 - The Top 10 Lists!44:46 - Final Thoughts46:30 - Wrap-up & Conclusion————————————————————————————Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements:https://elements.envato.com/

You're a pro at seeing what went wrong, why it went wrong, and exactly what it will cost if it goes wrong again. If you love a good post mortem and naturally think in terms of evidence and precedent rather than optimism and possibility, you might be an Analyst. In this episode, I'm breaking down the third procrastination profile from my new book Procrastination Proof. Analysts excel at reviewing data and learning from results but get stuck moving from analysis to future vision. You become an archivist for mistakes, accidentally curating a perfect museum of all the times it didn't work before. The pain of the past creates the procrastination of the present. You can't do today because of something that happened yesterday. Do you know what the hardest part of the eleventh diet is? The first ten that didn't work. If this sounds like you, take the free quiz at JonAcuff.com/quiz to discover your exact procrastination profile and get a customized action plan.In This Episode:Order Procrastination Proof!You can grab a copy of my new book Procrastination Proof from your favorite bookstore or at my website!Make sure to follow me on Instagram and share with your friends!Sign up for my newsletter, Try This!Book me to speak at your event or to your team!Sign up for the Remarkable You Community today!Keep up with my book list on GoodReads!Have me speak at your next event! Have me speak at your next event!

Getting to chat with Gina Holder was a blessing because that meant I could finally read her books!  Listen in as we chat about her newest release, The Escape Game. note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Spoiler alert: This series is definitely on my FAVORITE series this year list.  You don't want to miss it! The Escape Game by Gina Holder  Twenty years ago, the world's leading enigmatologist disappeared, leaving behind a cipher no one could solve… not without his journal. Puzzle shop owner Demi Kayne has spent twenty years hoping her father would return home. When she discovers his hidden journal tucked inside the walls of her family home, she finally uncovers the clue she's been waiting for—but it leads somewhere far more dangerous than she imagined. Liam Shepherd, a missionary and escape-room enthusiast, is searching for answers of his own. His sister has vanished without a trace, and the trail of clues leads him straight to Demi—and the secrets hidden in her father's journal. Their search brings them to the eerie Ives Mansion, where its brilliant and reclusive owner has designed a deadly challenge. Once inside, Demi and Liam realize they're no longer guests. They're players. Trapped inside a twisted real-life mystery game based on a stolen puzzle design, they must solve a series of lethal riddles before time runs out. Each puzzle brings them closer to the truth about Demi's missing father and Liam's sister—but also closer to a killer who has spent years perfecting a game no one survives. With the clock ticking and lives hanging in the balance, Demi and Liam must confront their fears, their pasts, and the faith that may be their only hope of escape. In this gripping Christian suspense novel, every clue matters—and every mistake could be fatal. Can Demi and Liam solve the final puzzle before the game ends…or will the escape room become their tomb? Perfect for fans of Lynette Eason, Dani Pettrey, and Irene Hannon who enjoy puzzle-driven Christian suspense filled with danger, secrets, and faith under fire. Learn more on Gina's WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub. Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple Castbox Google Play Libsyn RSS Spotify Amazon and more!

What happens when a series reaches Book 8? Usually… fatigue sets in. Repetition creeps in. The magic starts fading.Apparently nobody told Matt Dinniman.Today, Jim dives into a spoiler-lite review of A Parade of Horribles — the newest entry in the wildly chaotic, hilarious, emotionally devastating, and somehow STILL incredibly fresh Dungeon Crawler Carl series.Can Dinniman really keep escalating the madness without the whole thing collapsing under its own insanity? And how is this series still balancing:⚔️ explosive action

On this episode of Shelf Care: The Podcast, we celebrate Audiobook Month a little early with a conversation between host Susan Maguire and three audiobook listeners on the Booklist staff: Annie Bostrom, Maren Flessen, and Abby McCabe. They cover what they like to listen to, how they choose between reading with their eyes and their ears, and the fact that listening to an audiobook is, in fact, reading. And, of course, they talk about a lot of (audio)books. Here's what we talked about: Down the Drain. By Julia Fox. Read by the author. Wuthering Heights. By Emily Brontë. Read by Alison Larkin and Andrew Wincott. Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef. By Gabrielle Hamilton. Read by the author. Lit. By Mary Karr. Read by the author. GoodReads & StoryGraph Rodham. By Curtis Sittenfeld. Read by Carrington MacDuffie. Julia Whelan, audiobook narrator The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science. By Kate McKinnon. Read by Kate McKinnon and Emily Lynne. The Devils. By Joe Abercrombie. Read by Steven Pacey. Forget Me Not. By Stacy Willingham. Read by Karissa Vacker and Helen Laser. Alchemy of Secrets. By Stephanie Garber. Read by Sutton Foster. The Body. By Stephen King. Read by Wil Wheaton. Spellbound: My Life as a Dyslexic Wordsmith. By Phil Hanley. Read by the author. From Here to the Great Unknown. By Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keogh. Read by Riley Keogh and Julia Roberts. Revisionist History podcast The Questlove Show podcast The Moth podcast Wait for Me. By Amy Jo Burns. Read by Patti Murin, Mark Sanderlin, and Gail Shalan. I Told You So! Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled, and Imprisoned for Being Right. By Matt Kaplan. Read by Sean Pratt. Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away. By Coltan Scrivner. Read by the author. Dungeon Crawler Carl. By Matt Dinniman. Read by Jeff Hays. Binti. By Nnedi Okorafor. Read by Robin Miles. Binti Home. By Nnedi Okorafor. Read by Robin Miles. Binti: The Night Masquerade. By Nnedi Okorafor. Read by Robin Miles. London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth. By Patrick Radden Keefe. Read by the author. Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks. By Patrick Radden Keefe. Read by the author. What I Ate in One Year (and Related Thoughts). By Stanley Tucci. Read by the author.

A story about solitude, wonder, and the quiet joy of coming back to yourself. A woman packs one broken suitcase and follows her heart to a small stone town in rural Spain, where the silence is wide enough to breathe in and the warmth finds her when she is ready to be found. You can get my new book, Awaken Your Myth, at https://awakenyourmyth.com/book/. Please leave a review on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Your-Myth-Discover-Purpose/dp/1797235257/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor To leave a review on GoodReads, click here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238747993-awaken-your-myth#CommunityReviewsYour support is the cornerstone that allows me to continue crafting tranquil stories and meditations for you. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, you'll unlock an oasis of over 500 ad-free Listen To Sleep episodes, including 8 subscriber-only full length sleepy audiobook classics like Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. To pledge your support, visit⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://listentosleep.com/support⁠⁠ or subscribe right in Apple Podcasts and get a 7 day free trial. Want to change your story? Take the free Path Assessment at https://jointhecabin.org. In two minutes, you'll see your personalized journey and know exactly where to start. To join my email group and get a bunch of goodies, go to ⁠⁠https://erikireland.com Sleep well, friends.

Lyn McGinnis is the Author of a projected eight-novel epic utopian fantasy series. Website: https://www.anuawakesseries.com  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21530989.Lyn_McGinnis  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089624287324  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anuawakes/ CallumConnects Micro-Podcast is your daily dose of wholesome leadership inspiration. Hear from many different leaders in just 5 minutes what hurdles they have faced, how they overcame them, and what their key learning is. Be inspired, subscribe, leave a comment, go and change the world!

What books do you recommend when someone says: “I want to get into fantasy and sci-fi… but I don't know where to start?”Today, Jim is joined once again by the one and only Roofmistress Leigh-a for a lively, funny, and passionate discussion about FIVE speculative fiction recommendations she believes NEVER miss. These are the books and series she confidently hands to friends, family, and curious newcomers—the stories that reliably create new SFF fans.Some picks are classic. Some are modern. Some may surprise you. But all of them come with the full Leigh-a seal of approval.Along the way, expect plenty of banter, passionate defense of favorite books, discussion about what makes stories truly accessible and memorable, and probably at least one moment where Jim realizes he's being judged for his reading habits.If you enjoyed Glenn the Geeky Hippie's “go-to recommendation” episode, this is very much in that same spirit—but now with more tiara energy.What are YOUR go-to, can't-miss SFF recommendations? Let us know down in the comments!If you enjoy the episode, please Like, Subscribe, and Ring the Notification Bell so you never miss future fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and other nerdy content here on Fantasy for the Ages.A huge thank you to our Patreon supporters for helping make the channel possible!: patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges#Fantasy #ScienceFiction #BookTube #FantasyBooks #SciFiBooks #SFF #SpeculativeFiction #FantasyForTheAges #BookRecommendations #ReadingRecommendations #Bookish #FantasyCommunity #SciFiCommunity⸻Want More Roofmistress Leigh-a Content?3-Fold Talk: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcpDXQ7qgxQ49eS77oKRlWSyaNHQOZtSw Want to purchase books/media mentioned in this episode?Dark Disciple: https://t.ly/ltqnzDarth Plagueis: https://t.ly/EqAmyThe Dresden Files: https://t.ly/mZKXmDungeon Crawler Carl: https://t.ly/8AzjnThe Expanse: https://t.ly/vVGAwNecroscope Series: https://t.ly/aO5MZNettle & Bone: https://t.ly/IWcWVOrigins of The Wheel of Time: https://t.ly/qfqW_A Parade of Horribles: https://t.ly/p71ShSeaborn Cycle: https://t.ly/YiIfDThe Thrawn Trilogy: https://t.ly/lPt7tWays to connect with us:Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk Follow us on "X": @Fantasy4theAges Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com Check out our merch: https://www.newcreationsbyjen.com/collections/fantasyfortheagesJim's Microphone: Blue Yeti https://tinyurl.com/3shpvhb4 Jim's Camera: Razer Kito Pro https://tinyurl.com/c873tc2n 0:00 - Opening 1:11 - Welcome Guest / Episode Explanation2:23 - The Value of Recommendations3:46 - Roofmistress Leigh-a's Top 525:20 - Jim's Take28:13 - Wrap-up & Conclusion————————————————————————————Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements:https://elements.envato.com/

Send us Fan MailThree years ago, Disney decided to remake one of the most timeless tales of the sea. And boy was it some UNCHARTED WATERS with that one. There's no way to forget the cluster fire of chaos that happened, but over the years the complaints have differed after the release. So now's the time to finally dip into those waters in this third episode of MerMay!Part 1: The Little MermehPart 2: Then Vs. NowPart 3: TiiiiimePart 4: Melissa's UrsulaPart 5: The Other CharactersPart 6: My Memorial Day Mermaid StoryPart 7: Final ThoughtsSupport the showMy Inglorious Ink series! - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Samantha-Parrish/author/B0BNQ2D7D1?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=trueI'm on Goodreads! - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20042112.Samantha_ParrishHow To Support The Show! - https://ko-fi.com/queenofthescreen#linkModalArticles I've written - https://vocal.media/authors/samantha-parrishMy Linktree https://linktr.ee/themysticalspacewitch Cover art by Emily Whitacre (https://teenytinycoffeebean.carrd.co/)

I loved my conversation with Nicholas Teeguarden about his Masa Chronicles, and I loved the story. Listen in and see why. note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. For those of you looking for action over romance, you get it in this book! There IS a light romance, yes, but it's strongly secondary to the main plot. Note: I read the book and LOVED this story. I really loved the story, actually. I listened to the audio, though, and since I was so excited about the audiobook, I thought I should mention that I didn't enjoy the audio experience. My biggest complaint is the pronunciation of so many things.  Story great. Others might not have trouble, but I needed to be honest about that since I was so excited to see it. The Copper Scroll  by Nicholas Teeguarden Book of the Year Finalist A lost scroll. A deadly secret. A race across the Middle East—where every clue could be fatal. When grad student and Army veteran Joshua Bennett uncovers a cryptic Dead Sea artifact, he's thrust into a world of coded messages, ruthless rivals, and ancient conspiracies. Every answer leads to new danger—and every ally could be an enemy. Perfect for fans of Dan Brown, Steve Berry, and Indiana Jones—this is a clean, high-octane archaeological thriller you won't want to put down. Learn more on Nicholas's WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub. Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple Castbox Google Play Libsyn RSS Spotify Amazon and more!

What happens when a fandom addicted to The Dresden Files finally gets another hit of content? Jim Butcher drops Out Law — the brand-new Dresden Files novella (Book 18.5) — and Dresden fans everywhere immediately descend like magical raccoons looking for scraps. But is this novella just a fun distraction while we wait for the next BIG novel… or is it secretly much more important than it first appears?In this spoiler-lite review, Jim dives into:⚡ Harry Dresden's continued character growth⚡ The emotional and thematic depth of Out Law⚡ The novella's connection to Changes⚡ Why Dresden novellas often become MORE important later⚡ And whether this shorter story truly delivers for longtime fansAlong the way, we discuss:

Christine Riccio & Natasha Polis talk all things nerdy in the book, tv, movie, pop culture, fandoms, and how they integrate into their adult lives. Today they're chatting all things OFF CAMPUS!  Plus they chat Lord of the Rings, Taylor Swift, the Time Traveler's Wife sequel and more!The Main discussion start at : 46:00Today in Fangirl Tea Time (coming this weekend) : Join Christine and Natasha for more stories about their recent life escapades. Support the pod by joining the Forking Fangirls Patreon community: http://patreon.com/thoseforkingfangirls TEAM EDWARD: The first five Heated Rivalry episode commentaries are up now! Follow the visual show on our Youtube: http://youtube.com/@thoseforkingfangirls  Get Christine's new book THIRTY, FLIRTY, & FOREVER ALONE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1662532156Add Thirty Flirty & Forever Alone on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230393104-thirty-flirty-and-forever-aloneCheck out Natasha's sewing classes: https://www.natashapolis.com/Join our patron to get 10 dollars off the classes!Website: https://thoseforkingfangirls.com/ Email us feedback: thoseforkingfangirls@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoseforkingfangirls/Twitter: https://twitter.com/forkfangirlspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thoseforkingfangirlsGet Christine's novel Attached at the Hip: https://a.co/d/grmPeVy Check out the Selkie Collection and get 10% off your order with code TASHAPOLIS https://selkiecollection.com/collections/all

Why do apologies feel so vulnerable, so loaded, and sometimes almost impossible to give sincerely? In this first episode of my new series, The Work, I unpack the emotional outsourcing habits that shape the way we approach apologies, responsibility, defensiveness, shame, and conflict.You'll learn the difference between intent and impact, why “I'm sorry but…” disconnects instead of repairs, and how to use apologies as a tool for deeper honesty, emotional adulthood, and stronger relationships. If you've ever found yourself overexplaining, defending your intentions, or feeling resentment even while saying “I'm sorry,” this episode will help you understand what's really happening underneath those apology patterns.Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://beatrizalbina.com/379 Order your copy of End Emotional Outsourcing here: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/beatrizvictoriaalbinanpMentioned in this episode:Grab my book, End Emotional Outsourcing!Please support my new book, End Emotional Outsourcing, by ordering a copy and reviewing it on Amazon or GoodReads! You can leave a review even if you bought it somewhere else. Bring your screenshot to: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ for gifts and raffle goodies. Thank you for helping this work ripple out.EEO Pre-Sale

Lyn McGinnis is the Author of a projected eight-novel epic utopian fantasy series. Website: https://www.anuawakesseries.com  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21530989.Lyn_McGinnis  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089624287324  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anuawakes/ CallumConnects Micro-Podcast is your daily dose of wholesome leadership inspiration. Hear from many different leaders in just 5 minutes what hurdles they have faced, how they overcame them, and what their key learning is. Be inspired, subscribe, leave a comment, go and change the world!

If you love classic-feeling epic fantasy filled with ancient evil, dangerous magic, deep worldbuilding, quests, mentors, prophecy, and genuinely thoughtful themes of faith and purpose… then Damien Black's Devil's Night Dawning may be exactly the hidden gem you've been looking for.In this spoiler-lite review, Jim dives into this self-published fantasy novel that impressed readers during Mark Lawrence's SPFBO competition and explores why it worked SO well for those judges/readers. From its fascinating analog to Christianity and the Church, to its rich mythology, multiple POVs, compelling young characters, and unapologetic embrace of classic fantasy tropes, this is one of those books that feels both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly sincere.And perhaps most impressive of all? The way faith is handled here — not as parody, propaganda, or simplistic moralizing, but as something meaningful, powerful, and deeply authentic.Whether you're a longtime fan of epic fantasy or someone looking for fantasy stories that treat faith with nuance and respect, this discussion may point you toward your next great read.Have you read Devil's Night Dawning? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!If you enjoy fantasy reviews, book discussions, lists, rankings, and all kinds of nerdy content, be sure to Like this video, Subscribe to the channel, and Ring the Notification Bell so you never miss an episode from Fantasy for the Ages!A huge thank you as well to all of our Patreon community for helping support the channel!: patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges#Fantasy #EpicFantasy #BookReview #FantasyBooks #DamienBlack #DevilsNightDawning #SPFBO #FantasyForTheAges #IndieFantasy #SelfPublishedFantasy #ChristianFantasy #BookTube #FantasyReader #EpicFantasyBooks #FantasyBookReviewWant to purchase books/media mentioned in this episode?Devil's Night Dawning: https://t.ly/L2oDWWays to connect with us:Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk Follow us on "X": @Fantasy4theAges Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com Check out our merch: https://www.newcreationsbyjen.com/collections/fantasyfortheagesJim's Microphone: Blue Yeti https://tinyurl.com/3shpvhb4 Jim's Camera: Razer Kito Pro https://tinyurl.com/c873tc2n 0:00 - Opening2:11 - Book Details4:07 - Why Jim Read This5:38 - Spoiler-Lite Synopsis7:20 - Eight Reasons Someone May Enjoy This Book13:00 - Three Reasons It May Not Be for You14:18 - Jim's Final Thoughts16:27 - Closing & Wrap-Up————————————————————————————Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements:https://elements.envato.com/

Alie Dumas-Heidt chats with fellow authors about their earliest beginnings and answer everyone's favorite question - What happens next? - on The Writer's Journey. Sara Hamdan is a Palestinian American author and editor-in-chief of T: The New York Times T Style Magazine MENA. It took her ten years to publish her first novel, written in small moments between work, raising kids and navigating the pandemic, to great critical acclaim. The book was a finalist in the Jimmy Fallon Book Club 2025, recommended by The New York Times Book Review, Goodreads, Forbes, and won a Netflix story award. In her professional life, Sara is a former Google editor, New York Times journalist, and Merrill Lynch banker. She is a proud (and tired) mom of two and lives with her family in sunny Dubai. @bysarahamdan on Instagram --- Alie Dumas-Heidt is the author of The Myth Maker, a detective thriller introducing Det. Cassidy Cantwell, set in Tacoma Washington. She lives in the PNW with her husband, adult kids, and two spoiled dogs. http://aliedh.com

Lyn McGinnis is the Author of a projected eight-novel epic utopian fantasy series. Website: https://www.anuawakesseries.com  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21530989.Lyn_McGinnis  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089624287324  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anuawakes/ CallumConnects Micro-Podcast is your daily dose of wholesome leadership inspiration. Hear from many different leaders in just 5 minutes what hurdles they have faced, how they overcame them, and what their key learning is. Be inspired, subscribe, leave a comment, go and change the world!

I love it when YA deals with real issues kids face, so I was crazy excited to hear about Stephanie Cardel's This Isn't Shakespeare. From what direction her life should go to peer pressure of various kinds, Cardel weaves a story that I feel is important. Listen in and learn why. note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.  This Isn't Shakespeare by Stephanie Cardel To be or not to be…a professional dancer. Seventeen-year-old Madison is a hopeless romantic who loves quoting Shakespeare and dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer—a dream she hides, afraid of disappointing her mom and her boyfriend. But when her dreams fall apart, she believes it's a sign from God that she should commit to her boyfriend and make a new dream. When she realizes God wouldn't give her a sign that points her to sin, the happily-ever-after she's planned crumbles. Now Madison must confront the lies she's told herself and all the red flags she's ignored. In the process, she begins to understand that seeking God's will may not lead to a perfectly scripted ending—but it might just lead to something real.  Learn more on Stephanie's WEBSITE and follow on GoodReads and BookBub. Like to listen on the go? You can find Because Fiction Podcast at: Apple Castbox Google Play Libsyn RSS Spotify Amazon and more!

Australia may not produce as many science fiction and fantasy authors as the U.S. or the UK……but the ones they do produce? They tend to be unforgettable.In this episode of Fantasy for the Ages, I'm ranking the Top 10 Australian SFF Authors of All Time, from epic fantasy legends to hard sci-fi masterminds to dark, emotionally intense storytellers who helped shape modern speculative fiction.Some of these names you'll likely know. Some? Not so much, but here we correct that.This list explores the writers who helped define Australian speculative fiction and bring it to global audiences.We're talking:* Epic fantasy* Hard science fiction* YA fantasy* Dystopian fiction* Dark fantasy* Paranormal fantasy* And some VERY strange Australian storytelling⸻

Release notes - SOOOO MUCH, Spring 2026 "Surprise" ReleaseC3Con reveal- C3Con shirt- Mic check- GoPro wide angle shot- Events and questsSimplified feed header and algo- 3 options: chrono/algo sort, following/all filter, unseen/all filter- Changes to toggles are sticky and autosave- Can refresh to check for more without reloading pageSimplified post header- Less Facebook like- Wrappable tags1/2 stars!Game review page- autosaves- creates a profile post automatically- pushes to feed if clicked- new fields for price, subscription, and private notesOh wait, one other thing. The biggest release in our history.- Supposed to happen after C3Con.- Not reallllly ready. but releasing it anyway.- Need feedback, fixes, data- Want you all to shape it- But also, it's so foundational it's tough to keep secret- I don't take it lightly- Have been working on it for months- Talking about it non stop- Every person I talk to I ask them about it- Dan, Rey, and Finalboss have had it for a little while now- I had lunch with Jedi, told him about it. Asked if it was obvious I was considering this and he said "yeah it's obvious."Introducing... Books (beta)Introducing... Movies (beta)Introducing... TV (beta)For new media types- rating and reviewing- post about- quest select- basic lists: Watching, Want to Watch, Completed, AnticipatedStreaming subscriptions for movies/TVGoodreads and Letterboxd library import support- for now, we process for you, email hey@channel3.ggNew Rapid rate- all media types- now a native play gameAbility to toggle your nav- for NOW, this just toggles the nav, eventually it will toggle your experienceSearch to add for all media types- DEFINITELY a trial- will see how it goes- books are already looking rough. Can always send the stuff you want added to an admin.Want to Play List is now a major list for games. Aligns with other typesBy the numbers:- 15.3k games- 27.1k books- 87.3k ISBNs- 5.6k Goodreads IDs- 1.9k movies- 637 tv series- 3.2k tv seasonsComing soon- lots of bugs- lots of enhancement ideas- HERE FOR BOTH OF THEM. LAY EM ON ME.- self service Goodreads import- self service Letterboxd import- gamified elements for books/movies/tv- better platform personalization by media type preferences- goal setting and tracking for games/books/movies/tv completed- new user onboarding process- @ tagging for books/movies/tv- better discovery tools- community focused features- features only we can do (cross media type integration)- book/movie/tv related prizes- Velora integration!The vision- remains the same- our differentiator and our magic is: community- our mission is to be a Third Place- if I'm at a party or group setting and there's a lull in the convo, my go to questions are "See any good movies lately?" or if it's a gamer, what games are you playing?- this convo, all the time, turned up to 11.

If you'd rather jump in without reading the instructions, if paperwork feels like it's slowing you down, if your first inclination is ACTION! ACTION! ACTION!, this episode is for you. I'm breaking down the hustler procrastination profile from my new book, Procrastination Proof. Hustlers excel at taking consistent action and turning thoughts into momentum faster than anyone else in the room. You thrive in the montage part of the movie where most people get stuck. You put together IKEA furniture without looking at the instructions. But here's your trap: you can end up in the wrong city, or even the wrong state, because you were going 100mph without checking the GPS. You're the king of hustle but the jester of progress. Production without direction is just expensive busy work. In this episode, discover why review feels like a threat to you, how to recognize when you're moving fast in the wrong direction, and what to do about it. Take the free quiz at JonAcuff.com/quiz to find out your procrastination profile.In This Episode:Order Procrastination Proof!You can grab a copy of my new book Procrastination Proof from your favorite bookstore or at my website!Make sure to follow me on Instagram and share with your friends!Sign up for my newsletter, Try This!Book me to speak at your event or to your team!Sign up for the Remarkable You Community today!Keep up with my book list on GoodReads! Have me speak at your next event!

Saoirse, a young boatbuilder, returns to her small Irish coastal village after six months of apprenticeship away. A quiet coming-of-age about craft, fathers, and the glass beach where the sea turns broken things beautiful. You can get my new book, Awaken Your Myth, at https://awakenyourmyth.com/book/. Please leave a review on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Your-Myth-Discover-Purpose/dp/1797235257/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor To leave a review on GoodReads, click here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238747993-awaken-your-myth#CommunityReviewsYour support is the cornerstone that allows me to continue crafting tranquil stories and meditations for you. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, you'll unlock an oasis of over 500 ad-free Listen To Sleep episodes, including 8 subscriber-only full length sleepy audiobook classics like Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. To pledge your support, visit⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://listentosleep.com/support⁠⁠ or subscribe right in Apple Podcasts and get a 7 day free trial. Want to change your story? Take the free Path Assessment at https://jointhecabin.org. In two minutes, you'll see your personalized journey and know exactly where to start. To join my email group and get a bunch of goodies, go to ⁠⁠https://erikireland.com Sleep well, friends.

Humanity's enemies are everywhere in John Scalzi's Old Man's War universe… and in The Last Colony, things get even messier. Alien species are maneuvering against humanity, political tensions are boiling over, and somehow humanity itself may still be its own worst enemy.In this spoiler-lite review, Jim dives into the third full novel in the Old Man's War series by John Scalzi and discusses why The Last Colony may be one of the strongest entries yet. From the outstanding character work of John Perry, Jane Sagan, and Zoe, to the nonstop tension and political intrigue, this is a sci-fi adventure that keeps escalating in all the best ways.Jim also breaks down:* Why Scalzi's writing style remains so addictive* How this novel brilliantly connects threads from earlier books* The emotional heart of the Perry/Sagan family dynamic* Why the pacing works so incredibly well* A few reasons the book may not work for every sci-fi readerIf you're a fan of military science fiction, political science fiction, character-driven adventures, or the Old Man's War series itself, this is a book review you won't want to miss.Be sure to Like, Subscribe, and Ring the Notification Bell for more fantasy, sci-fi, horror, and other nerdy content here on Fantasy for the Ages!A huge thank you to all of our Patreon supporters for helping support the channel!: patreon.com/FantasyForTheAges#JohnScalzi #TheLastColony #OldMansWar #ScienceFiction #SciFiBooks #BookReview #MilitarySciFi #FantasyForTheAges #BookTube #SciFiReviewWant to purchase books/media mentioned in this episode?The Last Colony: https://t.ly/ZZft1Ways to connect with us:Follow Jim/Father on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/13848336-jim-scriven Join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/jMWyVJ6qKk Follow us on "X": @Fantasy4theAges Follow us on Blue Sky: @fantasy4theages.bsky.socialFollow us on Instagram: fantasy_for_the_ages Follow us on Mastodon: @FantasyForTheAges@nerdculture.de Email us: FantasyForTheAges@gmail.com Check out our merch: https://www.newcreationsbyjen.com/collections/fantasyfortheagesJim's Microphone: Blue Yeti https://tinyurl.com/3shpvhb4 Jim's Camera: Razer Kito Pro https://tinyurl.com/c873tc2n 0:00 - Opening1:45 - Book Details2:32 - Why Jim Read This3:36 - Spoiler-Lite Summary4:59 - Seven Reasons You May Enjoy This Book8:27 - Three Reasons It Might Not Work for You9:55 - Jim's Final Thoughts10:36 - Closing & Wrap-Up————————————————————————————Music and video elements licensed under Envato Elements:https://elements.envato.com/

Send us Fan MailLook at this podcast…isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my show is complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the host… who has everything? Look at this show, trivia untold, How many wonders can one host hold?EVERYTHING. I've waited for this episode a long time and I'm so proud how it came out. Part 1: The episode I'VE been waiting forPart 2: The PitchPart 3: The ConceptsPart 4: InfluencesPart 5: UrsulaPart 6: The Songs Part 7: The Little Problematic Mermaid Part 8: The CLIMAX inspiration Part 9: Animation Whimsy'sPart 10: What Ariel Means To MeSupport the showMy Inglorious Ink series! - https://www.amazon.com/stores/Samantha-Parrish/author/B0BNQ2D7D1?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=trueI'm on Goodreads! - https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/20042112.Samantha_ParrishHow To Support The Show! - https://ko-fi.com/queenofthescreen#linkModalArticles I've written - https://vocal.media/authors/samantha-parrishMy Linktree https://linktr.ee/themysticalspacewitch Cover art by Emily Whitacre (https://teenytinycoffeebean.carrd.co/)

FOLLOW UP starts with merchandise promotion and YouTube begging reminiscent of 2007, before GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen gets thoroughly criticized by eBay after proposing a $56 billion takeover plan that eBay called “neither credible nor attractive,” which is corporate-speak for “please stop emailing us at 3 a.m.” Meanwhile, California residents might finally receive a small settlement check from Grubhub worth about half a burrito, just as Americans realize they dislike AI data centers even more than nuclear plants because nobody wants a warehouse full of GPUs boiling away the local water supply. Lake Tahoe residents are learning their electricity now goes to AI processing plants instead of people, xAI keeps adding methane turbines despite being sued over them, and SpaceXAI employees are fleeing Elon's “sleep under your desk forever” lifestyle as if it were the last helicopter out of Saigon.IN THE NEWS, we start gently with the revelation that everyone at the Musk v. Altman trial is sitting on luxury butt cushions because apparently the singularity requires lumbar support, before plunging straight into the abyss: fake AI crypto journalists haunting Forbes and HuffPost like SEO poltergeists, OpenAI launching “Daybreak” so the robots can now secure the software they helped break, Anthropic trying to stop AI from becoming evil by feeding it morality fan fiction, and Google catching AI-generated zero-day exploits in the wild because cyberpunk novels were apparently instructional manuals. Waymo robotaxis are experimenting with driving into floodwaters, a family is suing OpenAI after ChatGPT allegedly advised their son to mix drugs with fatal results, graduating students booed an executive for praising AI as if she were announcing the arrival of cholera, and Meta continues its speedrun toward becoming the world's largest scam mall while simultaneously demanding everyone trust its shiny new “encrypted AI chats.” Also: Meta is testing Grok-for-Threads, somebody created an AI poop-analysis startup that quietly sells your bowel movements to data brokers, GM got nailed for selling driver data, Lime still somehow exists and wants an IPO, and Japan's first 3D-printed house shows that the future will at least look cool even as society collapses.MEDIA CANDY features Spotify celebrating twenty years of collecting your listening habits into a psychological profile you absolutely didn't care about during the CD era, plus The Punisher: One Last Kill ironically looking like unfinished PlayStation cutscenes, Good Omens Season 3, Devil May Cry Season 2, NBC somehow turning Wordle into a TV show because every executive has fully given up, shorter waits for Severance Season 3, and Rings of Power returning in November to continue spending the GDP of a small nation on elf misery.APPS & DOODADS checks in with Apple as it prepares Siri app integrations that developers already suspect will become subscription-based hostage situations. TikTok is testing an ad-free tier in the UK because, somehow, ads weren't already enough punishment. Venmo is finally realizing that public payment feeds are insane. There's a Wikipedia clone made entirely of AI hallucinations, and an iPad arm mount sturdy enough to survive the upcoming climate wars.AT THE LIBRARY wraps up with Clowns (First Contact), Dungeon Crawler Carl, the demise of another Goodreads competitor, Kindle alternatives for those trying to escape Amazon's panopticon, and a reminder that Douglas Adams has now been gone for 25 years, which remains, in the immortal words of the man himself, widely regarded as a bad move.Sponsors:DeleteMe - Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to JoinDeleteMe.com/GOG and use promo code GOG at checkout.Shopify - Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial today at Shopify.com/grumpyCleanMyMac - Get Tidy Today! Try 7 days free and use code OLDGEEKS for 20% off at clnmy.com/OLDGEEKSPrivate Internet Access - Go to GOG.Show/vpn and sign up today. For a limited time only, you can get OUR favorite VPN for as little as $2.03 a month.SetApp - With a single monthly subscription you get 240+ apps for your Mac. Go to SetApp and get started today!!!1Password - Get a great deal on the only password manager recommended by Grumpy Old Geeks! gog.show/1passwordShow notes at https://gog.show/746Watch on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ICjNBnP3sMkFOLLOW UPGrumpy Old Geeks Merch StoreGrumpy Old Geeks on YouTubeeBay Brutally Rejects GameStop's $56 Billion Proposal: ‘Neither Credible nor Attractive'Wang et al. v. Grubhub, Inc.Americans Oppose AI Data Centers in Their AreaEnergy supplier abandons Lake Tahoe residents to serve data centersxAI Got Sued Over Its Gas Turbines, so It Naturally Added More of ThemElon Musk's SpaceXAI has been bleeding staff since its mergerIN THE NEWSEveryone at the Musk v. Altman Trial Is Using Fancy Butt CushionsFour Financial Journalists Accused of Being Fake AI-Generated Puppets That Shill Crypto in Forbes, HuffPost, and MoreDaybreak is OpenAI's response to Anthropic's Claude MythosAnthropic blames dystopian sci-fi for training AI models to act “evil”Google announces its first-ever discovery of a zero-day exploit made with AIWaymo Admits Its Robotaxis Have a Small Issue With Driving Into FloodwatersFamily sues OpenAI, alleging ChatGPT advice led to accidental overdoseGraduation Speaker Says AI Is ‘The Next Industrial Revolution,' Immediately Drowned Out by Booing StudentsMeta is facing another lawsuit over scam ads on Facebook and InstagramAfter Killing Encrypted DMs, Mark Zuckerberg Wants You to Trust His New Encrypted AI ChatHey @meta.ai is that true? Threads is testing a Grok-like AI featureInternet of Shit: AI Poop Analysis App Offered to Sell Me Database of Its Users' PoopsGM agrees to pay $12.75 million to settle California lawsuit over misuse of customers' driving dataThe electric scooter rental company Lime has filed for IPOThis startup built Japan's first 3D-printed two-story home. It wants to solve the country's construction crisisAPPS & DOODADSApple wants apps to integrate with Siri in iOS 27, but one fear holds some back: reportTikTok is rolling out an ad-free option in the UKVenmo's redesigned app offers more discreet payments by defaultNew Wikipedia Clone Made Entirely of AI HallucinationsYICOSUN iPad Mount Tablet Holder, 3-Section Foldable Adjustable Aluminum Alloy Arm with Rotating Clamp Base, Heavy Duty Desk Bracket for iPad Tablet Phone Portable Monitor, Bed Office KitchenMEDIA CANDYSpotify is celebrating its 20th birthday with a Wrapped-like feature that covers your entire time on the appThe Punisher: One Last KillHere's the Real Deal With That Viral Shot From 'Punisher: One Last Kill'Good Omens Season 3 - The FinaleDevil May Cry Season 2NBC is turning Wordle into a TV showAdam Scott Promises the Wait for ‘Severance' Season 3 Won't Be Nearly as Long‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' Is Returning in NovemberAT THE LIBRARYClowns (First Contact) by Peter CawdronDungeon Crawler Carl by Matt DinnimanTome, another Goodreads booktracker rival, shuts downBookshop.orgKoboSmashwordseBooks.comKobo E-readersONYX BOOXThe Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy OmnibusCLOSING SHOUT-OUTS'Revenge of the Nerds' Actor Donald Gibb Dead at 71See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Christine Riccio & Natasha Polis talk all things nerdy in the book, tv, movie, pop culture, fandoms, and how they integrate into their adult lives. Today they're ranking every movie Robert Pattinson has ever acted in. Plus they chat Taylor Swift, the new Christina Lauren book, the Odyssey, the Midnight Library adaptation, the Bear, and more!The Main discussion start at : 46:00Today in Fangirl Tea Time (coming this weekend) : Join Christine and Natasha for more stories about their recent life escapades. Support the pod by joining the Forking Fangirls Patreon community: http://patreon.com/thoseforkingfangirls TEAM EDWARD: The first five Heated Rivalry episode commentaries are up now! Follow the visual show on our Youtube: http://youtube.com/@thoseforkingfangirls  Get Christine's new book THIRTY, FLIRTY, & FOREVER ALONE: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1662532156Add Thirty Flirty & Forever Alone on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230393104-thirty-flirty-and-forever-aloneCheck out Natasha's sewing classes: https://www.natashapolis.com/Join our patron to get 10 dollars off the classes!Website: https://thoseforkingfangirls.com/ Email us feedback: thoseforkingfangirls@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thoseforkingfangirls/Twitter: https://twitter.com/forkfangirlspod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thoseforkingfangirlsGet Christine's novel Attached at the Hip: https://a.co/d/grmPeVy Check out the Selkie Collection and get 10% off your order with code TASHAPOLIS https://selkiecollection.com/collections/allwe're diving into the fascinating filmography of Robert Pattinson. Whether you're a die-hard fan or just curious about his work, this ranking will help you navigate his diverse roles, showcasing his evolution as an actor. With 34 films under his belt, it's time to explore which ones stand out and why they matter.

What happens when you combine Cold War espionage, psychic warfare, vampires, supernatural horror, and one of the WEIRDEST protagonists in horror fiction?You get Necroscope by Brian Lumley — and honestly, Jim cannot believe it took him this long to finally read it.In this spoiler-lite book review, Jim dives into the first book in the legendary Necroscope series, exploring why this cult horror classic has built such a passionate fanbase over the decades. From psychic spy agencies and creepy supernatural powers to the unforgettable Harry Keogh and the deeply strange Wamphyri vampire mythology, this book delivers a wild blend of horror, thriller, fantasy, and outright weirdness.If you love supernatural thrillers, Cold War paranoia, horror novels with heart, or vampire novels that go in VERY different directions, this may be a series you need to check out.⚰️ Why did Jim wait so long to read this?

#378: Are you tired of being told to "just let it out" when you're feeling furious, only to find the rage is still there once the dust settles? We've been sold a story that human emotions work like a plumbing system - that if we don't discharge the pressure, we'll eventually explode. But what if the very tools we're using to "heal" are actually just teaching our bodies to stay stuck? In this episode, I dive into why the popular catharsis hypothesis fails us and how the patriarchy has monetized our fury through things like rage rooms. We explore the difference between simply discharging energy and actually receiving the vital information your body is trying to send you. I'm sharing why your anger isn't a problem to be solved with a sledgehammer, but a sophisticated map designed to lead you back to your own boundaries and power. Join me this week to learn how to move beyond outdated catharsis models, why integration matters more than discharge, and how to listen to your anger with curiosity, somatic awareness, and self-respect. I'll show you how to stop bouncing your anger off a wall and start listening to the signal so you can turn that energy into life-changing clarity and systemic change. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://beatrizalbina.com/378 Order your copy of End Emotional Outsourcing here: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/beatrizvictoriaalbinanp/?hl=enMentioned in this episode:Grab my book, End Emotional Outsourcing!Please support my new book, End Emotional Outsourcing, by ordering a copy and reviewing it on Amazon or GoodReads! You can leave a review even if you bought it somewhere else. Bring your screenshot to: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ for gifts and raffle goodies. Thank you for helping this work ripple out.EEO Pre-Sale

Join Emilia on a serene journey through the tranquil streets of Oslo. As the day gently transitions into the night, she unravels the city's rich tapestry of history and culture, and breathes in the natural beauty that surrounds her. You can get my new book, Awaken Your Myth, at https://awakenyourmyth.com/book/. Please leave a review on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Your-Myth-Discover-Purpose/dp/1797235257/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor To leave a review on GoodReads, click here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238747993-awaken-your-myth#CommunityReviewsYour support is the cornerstone that allows me to continue crafting tranquil stories and meditations for you. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, you'll unlock an oasis of over 500 ad-free Listen To Sleep episodes, including 8 subscriber-only full length sleepy audiobook classics like Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. To pledge your support, visit⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://listentosleep.com/support⁠⁠ or subscribe right in Apple Podcasts and get a 7 day free trial. Want to change your story? Take the free Path Assessment at https://jointhecabin.org. In two minutes, you'll see your personalized journey and know exactly where to start. To join my email group and get a bunch of goodies, go to ⁠⁠https://erikireland.com Sleep well, friends.

If you're an indie writer paying attention to what's happening in publishing right now — this week was a tell. Three stories landed inside seven days. Each one pointed at the same answer.Episode 5 of The Difficulty — the first publishing-news episode in the new "How" lane. This week:— Audible's ACX royalty model is being discontinued. Authors must enroll in the new pooled, consumption-based model by year-end. Brandon Sanderson called this out back in 2024; Dave Chesson at Kindlepreneur is openly skeptical. Same playbook Spotify ran for music and KU ran for ebooks. Now it's audiobooks.— Publishing.com hit with a $1.5M FTC settlement — alleged misleading income claims and undisclosed incentivized testimonials. The publishing industry is being told publicly that some of the loudest "publish-your-book-and-get-rich" programs were misleading. Personal aside: I came close to laying out $6K to one of these a few years back. I'm glad I didn't.— Inkers Con runs May 30 – June 12 ($250, fully online). Working authors learning from each other in real time. Worth knowing about even if you don't go.The throughline: in a week where platforms got less predictable AND shady programs got FTC'd, the answer was the same answer indie writers have been circling for a decade. Direct audience. Real community. Owned email list. Less platform dependency.I share what I'm doing about it in real time — including how the Goodreads giveaway for Iris Blackwood pulled nearly 3,000 entrants, and the moment I almost didn't release Iris #1 as an ebook (and what changed my mind).—GO DEEPERFriday's Working Publisher Substack post extends this episode with sources and analysis:→ chadprevost.substack.com — search "The Free Lunch Is Ending"—CHAPTERSThree stories, same answerAudible's royalty pivotPublishing.com's FTC settlementThe $6K I almost spentInkers Con (May 30 – June 12)The throughline — direct audienceIris Blackwood anecdote — the ebook decisionClosing—FREE — THE DIFFICULTY FIELD GUIDEEight difficulties every working writer faces, and what to ask when each one shows up.→ crossroadspublishing.group/assets/pdfs/The_Difficulty_Field_Guide.pdf—WHERE TO FIND MESubstack — The Working Publisher (Fridays) + new essays Wednesdays + weekend essay readings Saturdays→ chadprevost.substack.comThe Difficulty — Monday (the why), Thursday (the how), Saturday (essay readings) — wherever you listen to podcasts→ chadprevost.com/the-difficultyCrossroads Publishing Group — publishing services, IF/THEN Books, Iris Blackwood mystery series→ crossroadspublishing.groupInkers Con:→ inkerscon.com/2026-digital-conference—The difficulty in life is the choice. Get full access to The Descent at chadprevost.substack.com/subscribe

On the Season 12 finale of National Treasure Hunt, co-hosts Aubrey Paris and Emily Black are joined by Mike McKee, executive director of the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia, and Stephen Pierce, founder of America's Rising Son, to assess National Treasure's portrayal of Freemasonry. Do these brothers believe Ben Gates is a member of their fraternal organization? Is Agent Sadusky a good representation of the Freemasons? And what treasures can you find at the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia? • Plan your visit to the Masonic Temple in Philadelphia at https://pamasonictemple.org/. • Tickets are available for National Treasure Hunt's HEIST NIGHT event at the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Houston, TX, happening Thursday, May 21, at 6:30 PM. Get your tickets here: https://my.hmns.org/67154/67155 • Tickets for National Treasure Hunt's HEIST NIGHT event at the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, DC, happening Saturday, May 23, at 5:30 PM, are currently SOLD OUT. Keep an eye on this page in case new tickets become available: https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/congressionalcemetery/national-treasure-hunt-s-heist-night • Order our new book, "Riley Poole's Book of Secrets: History for National Treasure Hunters," from Tucker DS Press or on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Riley-Pooles-Secrets-Aubrey-Paris/dp/1959748394/, and leave a rating and review on Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246259636-riley-poole-s-book-of-secrets). • Order our first book, "National Treasure Hunt: One Step Short of Crazy," from Tucker DS Press or on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/National-Treasure-Hunt-Short-Crazy/dp/1959748009. • National Treasure Hunt is now available as a video podcast! To watch video versions of this and future episodes, subscribe at www.youtube.com/@NTHuntPodcast. • Join the hunt on Twitter and Instagram using @NTHuntPodcast, and find new episodes of National Treasure Hunt every-other Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen. More information about the National Treasure Hunt podcast, walking tour, books, and events can be found at www.nthuntpodcast.com. • To access even more exclusive National Treasure Hunt content, including bonus episodes and watch parties, subscribe to our Patreon at www.patreon.com/NTHuntPodcast, and visit our Etsy store to find designs that celebrate your love of National Treasure: www.etsy.com/shop/NationalTreasurHunt/.

If you have the most detailed, amazing plans but you're always waiting until everything is perfect to get started, this episode is for you. I'm breaking down the second of four procrastination profiles: the Perfectionist. You excel at creating detailed roadmaps and speak spreadsheet fluently, but you get stuck moving from planning to execution. The plan feels safe. The first real step does not. You're going to change the world just as soon as the plan is perfect, but here's the problem: the plan will never be perfect. It can't be, because there's too much information and it's all changing too quickly. In this episode, discover your core procrastination trap, why you resist the uncertainty of execution, and what to do about it. Plus, I'll tell you about the lightning fast, free quiz at JonAcuff.com/quiz that will show you exactly which type of procrastination you deal with and give you a step by step action plan to overcome it.In This Episode:Order Procrastination Proof!You can grab a copy of my new book Procrastination Proof from your favorite bookstore or at my website!Make sure to follow me on Instagram and share with your friends!Sign up for my newsletter, Try This!Book me to speak at your event or to your team!Sign up for the Remarkable You Community today!Keep up with my book list on GoodReads! Have me speak at your next event!

An old woman weaves the weather of the world from a tiny house at the edge of everything — drought and rain, joy and grief, all of it intentional, none of it mistake. When a young woman named Mira arrives lost and searching, she finds not answers but something older and more useful.You can get my new book, Awaken Your Myth, at https://awakenyourmyth.com/book/. Please leave a review on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Your-Myth-Discover-Purpose/dp/1797235257/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor To leave a review on GoodReads, click here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/238747993-awaken-your-myth#CommunityReviewsYour support is the cornerstone that allows me to continue crafting tranquil stories and meditations for you. For less than the price of a cup of coffee, you'll unlock an oasis of over 500 ad-free Listen To Sleep episodes, including 8 subscriber-only full length sleepy audiobook classics like Winnie the Pooh and Alice in Wonderland. To pledge your support, visit⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://listentosleep.com/support⁠⁠ or subscribe right in Apple Podcasts and get a 7 day free trial. Want to change your story? Take the free Path Assessment at https://jointhecabin.org. In two minutes, you'll see your personalized journey and know exactly where to start. To join my email group and get a bunch of goodies, go to ⁠⁠https://erikireland.com Sleep well, friends.

#377: What if saying “I'm overwhelmed” is sometimes about more than just naming your exhaustion? If you've been living in chronic overdrive, collapsing under endless demands, or feeling trapped between doing too much and shutting down completely, this episode invites you to look beneath the surface of overwhelm itself. In this episode, I unpack how overwhelm is not only a real nervous system state, but can also become a protective story that shields us from the vulnerability of directly claiming our limits, needs, and boundaries. I explore how perfectionism, emotional outsourcing, and fear of being perceived as selfish can keep us performing overwhelm instead of consciously choosing what truly aligns with our capacity. Join me today to learn how overwhelm can become a hidden strategy for preserving innocence and avoiding discomfort, why this pattern disconnects you from your real needs, and how to start questioning the deeper story beneath your overwhelm. Get full show notes, transcript, and more information here: https://beatrizalbina.com/377 Order your copy of End Emotional Outsourcing here: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ Follow me here: https://www.instagram.com/beatrizvictoriaalbinanp/?hl=enMentioned in this episode:Grab my book, End Emotional Outsourcing!Please support my new book, End Emotional Outsourcing, by ordering a copy and reviewing it on Amazon or GoodReads! You can leave a review even if you bought it somewhere else. Bring your screenshot to: https://beatrizalbina.com/book/ for gifts and raffle goodies. Thank you for helping this work ripple out.EEO Pre-Sale

If you've ever felt like screens are slowly taking over your home… you're not imagining it. In today's world, kids are growing up surrounded by constant stimulation, easy access to technology, and devices designed to capture their attention. And while screens aren't inherently bad, without clear boundaries they can quietly shape our kids' habits, emotions, and even their relationships. P.S. If you haven't rated and reviewed Don't Burn Your Own House Down yet on Amazon and GoodReads, would you mind taking a second to do so?! It is a book so dear to my heart and I love seeing the feedback from all of you!! Thank you x 1000!  In this episode, I'm sharing a few of the non-negotiable screen time rules we use in our home to help our kids stay present, emotionally regulated, and connected to real life. This episode connects directly to a chapter in my book, Don't Burn Your Own House Down, called "More Scrolling, More Problems." In that chapter, I talk about how constant phone use doesn't just impact our kids, it impacts our marriages, our attention, and our ability to actually connect with the people in front of us. Because the truth is, what we model in our homes becomes the culture our kids grow up in. If we want more presence, more connection, and healthier relationships… it starts with what we allow to take our attention. You can grab the book here: https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Burn-Your-House-Down/dp/0310369479 Screen Time Rules We Keep Coming Back To: 1. Screens are for weekends only 2. Screens stay in open family spaces 3. Screens are not used to regulate emotions 4. No dopamine hits first thing in the morning

Do you have a thousand ideas and don't know what to do with them? This episode is for you. I'm breaking down the first of four procrastination profiles: the Dreamer. Dreamers excel at envisioning breakthrough possibilities but get stuck translating vision into actionable plans. You love a blank whiteboard, thrive at kickoff meetings when anything is possible, and can rattle off 10 new ideas before anyone else thinks of one. But here's your trap: you stay in dream mode because it's comfortable, limitless, and doesn't ask anything of you. Starting something new feels productive, but it's actually a sophisticated form of procrastination. The excitement of a new idea gives you a dopamine hit that feels like progress without any of the actual risk. In this episode, I'll show you how to recognize if you're a dreamer and what to do about it. Plus, my team created a lightning fast, free quiz at JonAcuff.com/quiz that will tell you exactly which type of procrastination you deal with.In This Episode:Order Procrastination Proof!You can grab a copy of my new book Procrastination Proof from your favorite bookstore or at my website!Make sure to follow me on Instagram and share with your friends!Sign up for my newsletter, Try This!Book me to speak at your event or to your team!Sign up for the Remarkable You Community today!Keep up with my book list on GoodReads! Have me speak at your next event!