Kobo Writing Life Podcast

In this week's episode, we spoke with New York Times, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author, Christina Lauren – which is the pen name of two authors, Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings! We are here to highlight their latest release – The True Love Experiment, available now – and to learn more about their amazing writing career. Christina and Lauren tell us about how they got started writing together, how they collaborate for each book, how their collaborative style developed, the importance of fandom, and more. We also got a great list of recommended romance reads, and received some great advice for those writers looking to collaborate with others. If you ever wondered what successful collaboration looks like in the writing world, look no further! Christina and Lauren are just one of many amazing success stories when it comes to collaborative writing. This episode is a must-listen for fans of their work and aspiring romance writers alike.

In this episode, we are joined by author Karma Brown, international best-selling author author of eleven novels published in the last eleven years! Mother Is Watching is her first horror novel, available now from Simon & Schuster Canada, and we were very excited to sit down and talk to Karma about her experience writing her first horror novel. We heard about Karma's journey from journalist to author, why the horror genre is one of her favourite genres, learn more about Mother Is Watching, get into the inspiration behind this novel, hear about the importance of research, chat about speculative fiction, and more! Follow Karma on Instagram and check out Karma's books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were so excited to speak with USA Today best-selling romance author Nana Malone about her writing journey, her pivot to self-publishing, advice on building up your career as an author, and much more! In this episode, Stephanie and Marina interview USA Today best-selling author Nana Malone. Nana talks to us about her writing journey and how adapting and changing her marketing and writing process has allowed her to continue self-publishing for close to a decade. Nana also talks about how the royal wedding between Meghan and Harry affected her Royals Undercover series and why she loves writing romance. Visit Nana's website and check out her books on Kobo to learn more.

In this episode, we are joined by A.B. Daniels-Annachi, author of the epic fantasy novel A Tide of Treason! Ari is also the author of the young adult fantasy series The Violents. His work is inspired by mythology and folktales, and he has plenty to share about his experience world-building, researching, crafting characters, and more. We talked with Ari about his journey to becoming an author, why representation in fantasy fiction is important to him, the people, folktales, and mythology that inspire A Tide of Treason and his other work, learn more about his writing process, and got to hear a little more about what Ari has coming up next… Among even more great talking points! Check out Ari's website and follow Ari on Instagram.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were joined by Maggie Marr, an author who has also been an entertainment attorney, producer, and more, to talk about all things related to adapting novels to screens. Maggie Marr has been an entertainment attorney, a producer, an entertainment agent, and is a USA Today bestselling author. She joins us on the podcast this week to discuss her journey from the courtroom to the bestseller list, what it takes to make the jump from author to screenwriter, and she gives some excellent advice to anyone looking to adapt their work for the silver screen. Visit Maggie's website to learn more.

In this episode, we are joined by author, educator, and Choctaw storyteller Sarah Elisabeth Sawyer! Sarah is the author of 19 books, including several self-published historical fiction novels and a non-fiction title. Sarah also teaches courses aimed at writers looking to learn how to write Native American characters, improve their dictation skills, and more. More information can be found on her website. We had a great conversation with Sarah about her journey to becoming an author, her indie publishing career, her experience dictating novels and what drew her to dictating in the first place, and much, much more! Visit Sarah's website, check out Sarah's writing courses and browse Sarah's books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we welcome John Gaspard to share his tips and tricks learned from film directors and the movies that apply to novels and novel writing. This is a great episode for anyone looking to improve their writing skills with the aid of different mediums! In this episode, we spoke with John Gaspard, author of The Popcorn Principles: A Novelist's Guide to Learning from the Movies, an indispensable guide to implementing tips and tricks learned from film directors and film in general into your fiction writing. John is also the author of several mystery novels across two series, and multiple standalone novels and non-fiction titles. He also hosts two podcasts and has directed six low-budget feature films! He had so much advice to offer this episode, and we had an elucidating and interesting conversation. We chatted with John about his new non-fiction title, his filmmaking experience, the times he spent interviewing well-known film directors, crafting a compelling mystery, what writers can learn from filmmakers, and so much more. Be sure to check out the "sequel" to The Popcorn Principles; John's latest, More Popcorn Principles: Further Cinematic Storytelling Strategies for Novelists is out now! To learn more, visit John's website.

Welcome to a special episode of the Kobo Writing Life podcast, where we hear from three of Kobo's own bookselling experts! Deandra, Tiana, and familiar face (and voice) of the podcast, Rachel, are all booksellers with years of experience in the field at Kobo and beyond. We were excited to hear from them and get some amazing insight on book sales and how to sell even more books on Kobo. Deandra, Tiana and Rachel discuss trends in book sales and marketing, get into subscription reading trends, talk about hot and upcoming genres in 2026 and beyond, share details on how they collaborate, take us behind the curtain when it comes to Kobo's marketing process, and much more! If you've ever wondered how Kobo's booksellers operate and get your books in front of readers, don't miss out on listening to this episode. To learn more about Kobo and Kobo Writing Life, visit our website.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were joined for the first time by Jackie Lau, best-selling author of romance titles since 2018. We spoke with Jackie about her journey to becoming an author, the importance of representation and diversity in romance novels, being involved in the book cover creation process, and so much more! In this episode, Jackie Lau reflects on her first year of self-publishing and the steps she took to ensure success. She discusses the importance of diversity in romance and how she wanted to write characters with backgrounds underrepresented in the romance community. To learn more, visit Jackie's website and check out Jackie's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we are joined by USA Today best-selling and internationally acclaimed author Rachel Amphlett, whose mystery and thriller titles include those in the Detective Kay Hunter series, the Detective Mark Turpin series, and more. Rachel is the full-time author of over 40 books and counting, and currently leads a nomadic life, writing wherever she goes! The latest title in her beloved Kay Hunter series, What Evil Hides, is publishing February 9th 2026. We had such a wonderful time talking to Rachel about getting her start as an indie author, how she runs her author business, accidentally becoming a registered private investigator, her new book, What Evil Hides, and much more. To learn more, visit Rachel's website and check out Rachel's books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were joined by editor Janice Zawerbny to chat about all things editing. One of our hosts even had the privilege of taking one of her editing classes! Don't miss a great episode that provides amazing insight into the editorial process from the editor's perspective. In this episode, editor Janice Zawerbny sits down with us this week to discuss her career in publishing and to share her advice for authors who are new to the editorial process. Janice was the editor of three books on the Kobo Emerging Writer Prize shortlist, and she talks to us about what drew her to acquire those books and how the editorial process differed between each title. Janice also tells us about the writing prize she co-founded, the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. Learn more about the Carol Shields Prize for Ficiton here.

In this episode, we are joined by best-selling author of steamy sports romance novels, Lainey Davis! Lainey began her author career in 2017 before becoming a full-time author in 2021. Her journey as a writer over the last few years has taught her a lot about indie publishing, writing romance, and writing sports romance in particular! We were totally here for this discussion about Lainey's experiences as an indie author, building up an author community, writing to market, writing sports romance, our shared love of Heated Rivalry and Rachel Reid's Game Changers series, and so much more! To learn more, visit Lainey's website and find Lainey's books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were so excited to be joined by author consultant and assistant Kate Tilton for a second time to discuss all things indie author administration. Listen in for some great advice on how to organize your goals, avoiding burnout, and more. In this episode, author consultant Kate Tilton joins us on the podcast this week to discuss figuring out your goals as an indie author and what practices to implement in order to reach them. Kate started out in the publishing industry as an author's assistant, and she talks to us about what prompted her to start her own business, why authenticity is key when it comes to social media, and why avoiding burnout as an indie author is so much easier than recovering from it. To learn more, visit Kate's website.

In this episode, we are joined by award-winning author, editor, and former journalist Deepa Anappara to learn more about her second novel and latest release, the epic historical fiction novel The Last of Earth. We really enjoyed our conversation with Deepa and it was amazing to hear the depth of research and experience she brought to writing her novel. Our conversation with Deepa delved into her career as a journalist before becoming a fiction author, learned how her journalism career and skills she developed through that worked helped her fiction writing, we talk about research and the importance of research, learn more about her new novel, The Last of Earth, hear about her trip to Tibet, and much more. To learn more, visit Deepa's website and follow her on Instagram.

In this episode, we hear from Kobo Writing Life's director Tara Cremin as she gives us a great overview of what the KWL team got up to this year! We also want to take this time to thank YOU, the listener of the Kobo Writing Life Podcast, for all of your support this year. We couldn't do this podcast without you! We look forward to another year of amazing Kobo Writing Life updates and developments in 2026! If you want to tell us what you would like to hear from us on the KWL Podcast in 2026, please reach out to us on our socials or email us directly at [email protected]. As always, happy writing from the KWL team!

In this episode, we welcomed PA and author assistant Jessica Rampersad, who joined us in talking about all things marketing, publicity, social media management, content creation, and more –all with indie authors as the focus! Jessica shared some insights into her work as an author assistance and offered some great tips and tricks for indie authors looking to expand their social media reach. We also discussed Jessica's journey to her author-focused career, learned more about alpha and beta reading, learned more about the services Jessica offers to indie authors, heard some great advice regarding content creation, and got into how authors can collaborate better with bookish social media presences! We were so happy to have Jessica join us on the show and can't wait to see her at the next indie author conference the KWL team attends! Visit Jessica's website to learn more.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were joined by USA Today and internationally best-selling author Grace Callaway, whose historical romances are steamy, exciting, and rife with mystery and intrigue. We had such a great conversation with her about writing historical romance that we're excited to share it again! In this episode, we sat down with Grace Callaway, USA Today and international best-selling author of historical romances (that are often on the steamier side, with lots of mystery and adventure). Grace's latest, Glory and the Master of Shadows, is the fourth in her series, Lady Charlotte's Society of Angels, which is, in Grace's own words, "a Victorian-era Charlie's Angels"! We were so excited to speak to Grace about Glory and the Master of Shadows (and its gorgeous cover), her other books, her journey to writing, advice on research for historical romances, and more! This is a great episode for writers and readers of historical romance, and anyone who is looking for some excellent advice on writing stories that contain many elements all at once. Thank you, Grace, for sharing your expertise! To learn more, visit Grace's website and check out Grace's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we are joined by Eliana Ramage, debut author of To the Moon and Back – a Reese's Book Club pick for 2025. To the Moon and Back is a "dazzlingly powerful story of family, ambition and belonging" wherein "one young woman's obsessive quest to become the first Cherokee astronaut irrevocably alters the fates of the people she loves most." We were so excited to have Eliana on the show to talk about her spectacular debut novel. We talked about Eliana's love of coming-of-age stories, her journey to becoming a writer, her collaborative process with her editors across the globe, the importance of research and honouring historical fact, representing character growth in a story that spans many years, the representation of Indigenous peoples in literature, Eliana's writing process, and much more! We just know you don't want to miss this amazing episode, so be sure to listen in! To learn more, visit Eliana's website.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were joined by USA Today best-selling author Talia Hibbert, who has written over 15 romance novels, many of which have been opted for film and television. Talia joined us on this episode to discuss her Kobo Originals novel, a holiday romance between featuring two childhood best friends and lots of holiday mishaps. Best-selling and award-winning author Talia Hibbert joins us on the podcast this week to discuss her career, her writing process, and her newest Kobo Original, Wrapped Up in You. Talia writes sexy, diverse romance and she talks about how indie publishing is more accessible for diverse authors. We also discuss how she works from initial story idea to the finished novel and where she thinks indie publishing is going next. Learn more on Talia's website and be sure to check out Talia's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we are joined by Johnny B. Truant, author of the acclaimed Fat Vampire series (which was adapted as Reginald the Vampire for the SyFy channel), the indie writer's guide Write. Publish. Repeat, and more. Johnny shares invaluable advice as we discuss his latest non-fiction title, The Artisan Author, his career, and much more. Johnny first featured on the KWL podcast back in both 2013 and 2018, which speaks to how long he has been active in the indie publishing industry! We were excited to have Johnny join us for a third time to discuss his experience in self-publishing, his advice for aspiring indie authors, and his tips for making smart business decisions. Once you're done this episode, don't forget to check out our other episodes with Johnny: Publishing Wide with Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant Mark Lefebvre in conversation with Johnny B. Truant And be sure to check out Johnny's website and browse his books on Kobo as well!

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we were joined by best-selling author Nalini Singh, who writes in multiple genres, from romance to thrillers. This discussion focused on her experiences becoming a hybrid author, writing thrillers after a long romance-writing career, and much more. New York Times best-selling author Nalini Singh joins us on the podcast this week to talk about her long standing career as a romance author and why she decided to try her hand at writing thrillers. Nalini chats to us about her publishing journey, why she decided to give indie publishing a try and become a hybrid author, and she tells us what it was like to be included on Oprah's list of Best Romances to Read in this Lifetime. Learn more on Nalini's website and check out Nalini's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we are joined by best-selling romance author Jennifer Probst, whose book The Marriage Bargain spent 26 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list. She is the author of over 50 books, the most recent being The Reluctant Flirt, available now. Jennifer has a storied career as an businesswoman, author, speaker, and writing coach, and we were thrilled to have her join us on the show in all of her fabulousness to share some invaluable advice. We spoke to Jennifer about her career as an author, her new releases, how to find joy in your writing, how to grow your reading and writing community, how she plots her books as a lifelong pantser, and much more! Be sure to visit Jennifer's website and check out Jennifer's books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we spoke to prolific indie author Dale Mayer, who has written dozes of books over the years of her successful career. We talk to her all about how dictating her books helps her write more, misconceptions about overnight success in indie publishing, how to find your own success as an indie author, and much more. Dale Mayer, USA Today bestselling author, gives advice to listeners on how to develop a long and successful career in indie publishing. She also explains how dictating her books helped her become one of KWL's most prolific authors. Be sure to visit Dale's website and check out Dale's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we were joined by USA Today best-selling author Iris Bolling, who has been self-publishing her works for the last seventeen years! Iris is the author of multiple series, including many best-selling romantic suspense series. Iris was also the producer and writer behind The Heart, a TV series that spanned for two seasons, based off her books. Further, she was the executive producer and screenwriter for Deadly Sexy, a film based on the work of Beverly Jenkins. Iris has won multiple awards for her writing and continues to expand her horizons with more film production projects. We get into how Iris's writing career began, Iris's love of learning, how she creates opportunities for herself (and for others), how she plots her books and develops her characters, producing her first audiobook, writing for film and television, and much more! We had a great time talking to Iris and learned a lot from her storied career. Learn more on Iris's website and check out Iris's books on Kobo!

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we spoke to USA Today best-selling author of many a mystery book, Sara Rosett! Sara shared some great tips with us when it came to plotting mystery novels, marketing long-running series books (a challenge many mystery authors face), and more. Sara Rosett, USA Today bestselling author, gives her tips for plotting mystery novels, discusses the psychology of why readers choose cozy mysteries, and explains the challenges that come with marketing a long-standing series. Learn more on Sara's website and check out Sara's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we are joined by romance writer Melissa Williams, the author behind Kobo Originals' newest hockey romance series, The Toronto Nighthawks. The second book in the series, Damsel in Defense, is available now exclusively with Kobo Originals. It was great to hear all about the process of writing a sports romance inspired by Melissa's love of hockey and interest in exploring the complexities of fame, mental health, and more. We spoke to Melissa about she got her start as a romance author, learned more about her Kobo Originals series, heard about the ways in which the indie author community helped her growth as a writer, how she researched for her books, and much more! Don't miss out on this energetic and insightful conversation. For more, follow Melissa on Instagram and check out the Toronto Nighthawks series on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we spoke to best-selling Scottish author Skye MacKinnon, whose many books are inspired by folklore and mythology, no matter the genre. We had a great conversation about incorporating elements of myth and folktales in fiction, co-writing with other authors, and much more. Skye MacKinnon is an international bestselling author who writes across multiple genres, from science fiction to fantasy to paranormal romance and even children's books. Skye joins us on the podcast this week to discuss writing in different genres and how she manages to incorporate her love of Scottish folklore and mythology into her work, no matter what she's writing. She also talks about her experience co-writing series with authors she admires, and why she decided to go wide. Learn more on Skye's website and check out Skye's books on Kobo.

In this episode, we are joined by Canadian editor and writer Amanda Lewis, whose non-fiction book Tracking Giants chronicles her journey trying to visit every "champion" tree in her home province of British Columbia. Tracking Giants soon turns into an exploration of creativity on the way, and the book includes reflections on being a writer and a creative overall. Amanda's perspectives on writing and editing as both an author and editor are invaluable, and we were so excited to host her on the show. We spoke to Amanda about her career as an editor, how indie authors can build successful relationships with their editors, heard some advice on editing specifically for self-published authors, learn more about the process behind writing Tracking Giants, how to tackle constructive criticism as an author, and more! To learn more, visit Amanda's website.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. In this episode, we spoke to writer and director of the Alliance of Independet Authors, Orna Ross! Orna joined us to talk about having a global approach to book sales, making business desicions that can expand your writing career, and much more. Novelist, poet, and director of the Alliance of Independent Authors Orna Ross joins us on the podcast this week to discuss taking a global approach to your indie publishing business. Orna talks about what business decisions authors should consider and how to get into the right mindset before going global, and she gives us some great advice for new and veteran authors alike. To learn more, visit Orna's website.

In this episode, we are joined by best-selling romance author Lexi Blake! Lexi is the author of over 100 books and has been in the indie author and self-publishing space for well over a decade now. As a result, she has lots of advice to share to her fellow indie authors in this episode. Lexi's popular books include the Masters and Mercenaries series, the Park Avenue Promise series, and more. Here latest, Spy With Me, is book five in the Masters and Mercenaries: New Recruits series. We were honoured to have Lexi on the show as our guest and delighted to hear some great advice from her. We talked about Lexi's history in indie publishing, the challenges she's faced as an indie author, and get some insight into her publishing and promotional strategies. We also got to hear some great advice for indie authors at all stages of their career! Don't miss this opportunity to listen and learn from an expert like Lexi. Visit Lexi's website to learn more and check out Lexi's books on Kobo.

Welcome to the Kobo ReWriting Life Podcast! Alongside your regularly scheduled Kobo Writing Life podcast episode releases, we will also be featuring some highlights from our backlist. This episode featuring Brenna Aubrey is all about translations and how to find success in a foreign language market. Brenna had great advice about being a globally conscious author, translation rights, and more! Breakout star in France, Italy and Germany, Brenna Aubrey gives listeners tips on translations. She advises on how to decide if translations are right for you, how much money an author should budget for translations, picking which market to target and selecting which backlist titles to translate. Brenna also discusses how she fell into her niche (writing "geek romance") and why ultimately, she decided on self-publishing rather than traditional publishing. To learn more, visit Brenna's website.