Fully Booked: The Hidden Gems Author Podcast

Fully Booked EP143: Crafting Compelling True Crime Stories

Today, we’re exploring the world of true crime, a popular genre that delves into real criminal events, the people involved, and the impact on those around them. Our guest, author Pepper Anne, was drawn to true crime through a personal connection, and has since become well versed in turning these complex stories into gripping narratives.
Pepper walks us through the research required of writing true crime, from digging through court records and interviewing victims to working closely with law enforcement. Keeping readers hooked can be challenging, especially when dealing with popular cases that readers may already be familiar with, so it is important to introduce new facts and explore unreported angles. But doing all this can sometimes be dangerous, and there is often a fine balance between presenting new information and respecting the ethical issues that come from dealing with real people and actual events. So if you've ever wondered what it takes to write a compelling true crime story, this episode is a must-listen.
 
Pepper Annehttps://www.pepperanneauthor.com
 
Hidden Gems
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Fully Booked EP142: What Are The Essential Elements of a Spooky Story?

With Halloween just around the corner, there's no better time to explore the art of crafting the perfect spooky story. To help with that, Craig and Roland sit down with Beth Castrodale, an experienced author who specializes in writing eerie and atmospheric novels. According to Beth, creating a truly haunting tale comes down to managing the delicate balance between psychological tension, unsettling settings, and building empathy for your characters—even the villains!
Adding that spine-tingling feeling to your horrors requires learning how to pace your stories properly and understanding how small, subtle details can amplify suspense. From creating otherworldly environments to developing rich, relatable characters, this episode touches on the many ways authors of spooky tales can draw their readers in—only to keep them up at night.
 
Beth Castrodalehttps://www.bethcastrodale.com/
 
Hidden Gems
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Fully Booked EP141: A Publishing Powerhouse Roundtable about AI writing and more...

Once in a while, hosts Craig and Roland comb through the latest happenings in the ever-evolving world of self-publishing. In this episode, they’re joined by author, self-publishing expert, and well-known YouTube star Dale L. Roberts for a roundtable discussion. Dale, always on top of the hottest trends affecting authors, brings fresh insights to the conversation, leading to a lively discussion on the rise of AI in publishing, maximizing engagement through targeted content creation, and recent issues surrounding KDP blocking books.
The episode doesn’t shy away from big questions, such as how AI is reshaping the writing world and what that means for authors moving forward. Drawing on a recent Draft2Digital AI survey, the conversation explores the controversial role AI plays in writing, the debate over selling access to author works for AI training, and the potential implications for future publishing models. Whether you’re for or against AI, this episode offers a balanced look at both sides of the debate, providing you with valuable insights to make informed decisions about using AI in your own career.
 
Dale L. Robertshttps://selfpublishingwithdale.com/
 
Draft2Digital 2024 AI Training Survey Resultshttps://www.draft2digital.com/blog/2024-ai-training-survey-results/
 
Hidden Gems
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Fully Booked EP140: How To REALLY Get Inside Your Character’s Head

Well-written stories are driven by the choices characters make, and understanding why the characters made those choices is crucial if you want them to seem believable and authentic. That’s where psychology can come in.
In this week’s episode of Fully Booked, journalist and High Fantasy author Steffanie Costigan joins Craig and Roland to discuss how she uses elements from the classic Myers-Briggs Type Indicator when she develops her characters, because she believes it offers a powerful guide into how each of them might think, act, and interact with each other. 
Inspired by the work of Carl Jung, this personality index ranks traits like extraversion, empathy, intuition, and perception and then assigns one of 16 personality types to the result - mapping out characteristics that particular type of person is best known for. Steffanie explores how assigning these personality types has helped her gain a deeper understanding of her characters, and made them more compelling and engaging for the readers of her work.
 
Steffanie Costiganhttps://landofthedragon.ca/about/
Hidden GemsNeed our help publishing or marketing your book? https://www.hiddengemsbooks.com/author-services/All episode details and links: https://www.hiddengemsbooks.com/podcast

Fully Booked EP139: The Reality of Selling Your Books Directly

You might have heard influential figures in self-publishing declare that Direct Sales are “the next big trend” - but is selling your ebooks directly to your readers really a better option than using a tried-and-tested platform like Amazon? 
Today, Craig and Roland sit down to discuss exactly that, using Roland’s months of experience selling his books directly to provide a real-life example. They discuss the challenges of setting up an effective sales funnel, how much technical knowledge you’ll require, the difficulty of turning a profit, and they weigh the pros and cons against more traditional self-publishing options like Amazon.
One thing’s for sure: Direct sales isn’t for everybody. However, you’ll be in a good position to consider that option after listening to this discussion, and have a good place to start planning out your own direct sales system.
 
Roland Hulmehttps://www.youtube.com/c/RolandHulme
 
Hidden Gems
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Fully Booked EP138: Kink Meets Crowdfunding: Navigating Publishing as a Controversial Author

It’s tough enough to find a traditional publisher for your first book, but even tougher when that book is about a controversial topic. Yet, when today’s guest Ariel Anderssen decided to publish a memoir about her career as a submissive BDSM model, she topped from the bottom and refused to take “no” for an answer. The result of those efforts, her book “Playing to Lose,” is available now. 
Ariel’s unique publishing journey is the subject of today’s discussion. She shares with Craig and Roland the challenges of finding a publisher when one of the core topics of her memoir was so scandalous, and how she leveraged her existing following to help crowdfund the book through a non-traditional indie publishing house. 
Ariel’s story is one of tenacity and unbound thinking, and delivers much that aspiring authors can learn or find inspiration from.
 
Ariel Anderssenhttps://www.arielanderssenauthor.com/
 
Hidden Gems
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Fully Booked EP137: What is a Zero Draft and Why Do You Need One?

In this episode of Fully Booked, Craig and Roland are exploring the concept of the "zero draft," a powerful tool for writers at any stage of their manuscript. Guest Cara Stevens, an experienced editor, book coach, and writer, explains how the zero draft differs from other drafts and why it's an essential part of the writing process. Whether you're a plotter or a pantser, the zero draft helps you clarify your story, providing a scaffold that supports the development of your narrative without the pressure of crafting a perfect first draft.
Cara shares practical insights on how to approach a zero draft, emphasizing its role as a private, author-focused draft where you tell yourself the story. This process allows writers to uncover connections, themes, and story elements that might not emerge in a more formal draft. If you've ever felt stuck in the "messy middle" of your manuscript or found yourself endlessly editing without making progress, today's discussion is for you.
 
Cara Stevenshttps://carajstevens.com/
 
Hidden Gems
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Fully Booked EP136: From Blank Page to Pilot: Taking The Initiative to Sell Your Stories

In this week's episode of Fully Booked, Craig and Roland are joined by Emmy Award-winning screenwriter Zack Morrison for a hard look at the challenges of breaking into the television industry and the unconventional path he's taken in trying to sell his own comedy pilot. Despite his impressive credentials, including work on shows like SNL and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Zack reveals that in today’s market, even the most talented writers need more than just a great script to succeed. He discusses the importance of initiative and creativity in transforming an idea from paper to screen, and how essential it is to go beyond traditional methods.
Zack shares his unique journey, illustrating how success often requires creating your own opportunities rather than waiting for the industry to come to you. He’s not just theorizing—Zack put his filmmaking skills to the test by independently shooting the pilot for his script, and he offers a candid behind-the-scenes look at how he made it happen. Through engaging anecdotes and actionable advice, Zack underscores the importance of adaptability and creativity in standing out from the crowd, ultimately encouraging listeners to take control of their creative destinies.
 
Zack Morrisonhttps://www.zackmorrison.com/
 
Hidden Gems
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Fully Booked EP135: Five Things You Need to be a Successful Author

Even though he didn’t start publishing until he was in his sixties, travel writer Emil Rem has always set his own definition of success when it comes to his writing - and in this week’s episode of Fully Booked, he sits down with Craig and Roland to discuss the five essential attributes he believes are critical for writers hoping to share his satisfaction at engaging with readers and sharing his stories with the world.
Using examples drawn from his own globe-trotting history, Emil outlines core concepts like relentless self-belief, unwavering tenacity in your work ethic, finding a way to discriminate between useful and un-useful feedback, methods for finding your own unique voice in your writing, and one of the biggest factors of all - a willingness to take risks. This episode will be a breath of fresh air for authors struggling to get out of their own way and move the needle in their self-publishing career.
 
Emil Remhttps://emilrem.ca/
 
Hidden Gems
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Fully Booked EP134: What Can The Monomyth Teach Us About Structuring Our Stories?

What turns a description into a story? For most writers, the answer is structure - the timeless, immutable formula of storytelling that originated when our ancestors told tales around the campfire, yet continues today in Hollywood blockbusters and best-selling books.
Entertainment journalist and comic book writer Christian Angeles knows all about story structure. In fact, he’s even started a company called Monomythic which aims to help preserve the foundational elements of storytelling even as artists and creators explore telling their tales through new mediums and technologies.
In this week’s episode of Fully Booked, Christian joins Craig and Roland to discuss the fundamental importance of a well-structured story, and how studying the craft of storytelling can’t help but turn you into a better writer. If you’ve been searching for a missing element in your works-in-progress, this might be just the episode to tune into.
 
Christian Angeleshttps://linktr.ee/xn_angeles
 
Hidden Gems
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All episode details and links: 
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