Mark interviews Emma Dhesi, a bestselling author and certified book coach who educates and inspires first-time authors to fulfil a calling and write their debut novel. Prior to the interview, Mark shares a personal update and word from this episode's sponsor. This episode is sponsored by the patrons who support this podcast at https://patreon.com/starkreflections and https://buymeacoffee.com/markleslie. New content for patrons has dropped here. In the interview, Mark and Emma talk about: How Emma got started in writing as a child at schoolThe waves of how that "itch" to write kept coming to Emma every 6 months or soThe feeling of writing that first draft and the effective challenge it was for herEmma's first book THE DAY SHE CAME HOME and how it began as an exploration of post-partum depressionThe concept of how engaging in the creative life can provide that balance we needHow it can look different depending on where on the creative journey we are, but the similaritiesThe importance of trying new things, but then recognizing when it's not the right thing for us at that time in our journeyEmma's decision to become an author coach and to help other writers like herThe first book being important "evidence" that you can do itThe value of even a little bit of positive encouragementEmma's focus on a VERY SPECIFIC demographic instead of trying to create a service to please everyoneWhat Emma is working on now in her writing and in her coachingThe online summit Emma is hosting in January 2025 (Be A Bestseller 6.0 - Back to Basics)And more . . . After the interview Mark reflects on the intrinsic satisfaction of completely that first novel, the importance of proving to yourself that you CAN do it, of trying new things (but being able to stop if that new thing is not for you), and the value of focusing in on a target audience. Links of Interest: Emma Dhesi's Website Emma's YouTube Channel EP 336 - Coming Out of the Writer Closet With Bradley CharbonneauMark's YouTube channelMark's Stark Reflections on Writing & Publishing Newsletter (Signup)Buy Mark a CoffeePatreon for Stark Reflections How to Access Patreon RSS Feeds Apollo Cinema Christmas Vacation Event (Kitchener, ON - Dec 12, 2024)Sudbury Indie Cinema / Northern Lights Festival Boreal Christmas Vacation Event (Sudbury, ON - Dec 21, 2024)An Author's Guide to Working With Bookstores and LibrariesThe Relaxed Author Buy eBook DirectBuy Audiobook Direct Publishing Pitfalls for AuthorsAn Author's Guide to Working with Libraries & BookstoresWide for the WinMark's Canadian Werewolf Books This Time Around (Short Story)A Canadian Werewolf in New YorkStowe Away (Novella)Fear and Longing in Los AngelesFright Nights, Big CityLover's MoonHex and the CityOnly Monsters in the Building The Canadian Mounted: A Trivia Guide to Planes, Trains and AutomobilesYippee Ki-Yay Motherf*cker: A Trivia Guide to Die HardMerry Christmas! Shitter Was Full!: A Trivia Guide to National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Emma Dhesi, bestselling author and certified book coach, educates and inspires first-time authors to fulfil a calling and write their debut novel. Drawing from her own success and training, Emma guides writers to finish their first book through detailed feedback, accountability check-ins, and compassionate support in her year-long 1:1 mentorship. Emma lives in Edinburgh with her husband, three children, three cats, and is passionate about helping authors achieve their dreams through her individualised mentoring. The introductory, end, and bumper music for this podcast (“Laser Groove”) was composed and produced by Kevin MacLeod of www.incompetech.com and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
