Ok, friends. I need to ask you. Are you having trouble holding yourself accountable to your writing? Are you struggling because you don’t have a lot of support or community around you?

I get you. 100 percent. I struggled with this too, until I found my people. Now my mission is to create that space for others to find THEIR people.

And when I talk about this stuff, it’s only natural that I’m attracting likeminded people into my world. I really believe that. When I met Leigh Shulman, it because super obvious that we had the same goals. She is a writer who also teaches people how to create the writing lives they want. Which is SO MY JAM.

We have a great conversation on what this means today, from figuring out your own writing process to what accountability means and how to find accountability partners that work for us, to how to actually enjoy writing. Which means fitting it into your life fitting your life into writing.

But I’m getting ahead of myself - I want you to listen to the conversation.

Here’s a bit about Leigh:

She’s an author and writing mentor and she founded The Inspired Writer Community, a women writers network for writers at any stage in their writing lives. Her bestselling book "The Writer's Roadmap: Paving the Way To Your Ideal Writing Life" helps thousands find their way in the writing world. She also writes for publications including the Washington Post, Wired, and Insider. And she’s living her best life with her family in the mountains of Argentina.

We talked about everything from:

• How the right writing community can help you find your voice

• Why you need to figure out your own writing process instead of expecting someone

else’s to work for you

• What your main writing goal should be - regardless of the project

• The internal work you have to do so you can write through every block

And so much more!

Tune in for some serious inspiration.

You can find out more about Leigh at https://leighshulman.com/

And make sure you’re following me on IG @lizmugavero for the latest episodes!

The publishing world can be EXTREMELY hard to navigate. Many authors, especially when they’re starting out, feel like they need to fit neatly in a box and meet traditional expectations with their work in order to get published at all.

But not today’s guest.

I am so excited to bring you Rob Osler, a fellow mystery author who you are just going to adore. Rob writes the contemporary comedic series Hayden & Friends Mysteries, featuring a gay and lesbian amateur sleuth duo. He calls these books “comedic romps” and let me tell you - they really are.

Book one, DEVIL’S CHEW TOY, was a 2023 Best Debut Mystery Finalist for the Anthony, Macavity, Agatha, and Lefty Awards and was a 2022 Year’s Best by Crime Reads, BOLO Books, Book Riot, and POPSUGAR. Rob coined the term “quozy” as a way to highlight queer characters in the cozy world.

His new book, THE CASE OF THE MISSING MAID, the first in the new historical series, Harriet Morrow Investigates,” featuring a Chicago-based queer female detective in America s Progressive Era is out in late December.

He’s also a short story writer, and his story MISS DIRECTION is a 2024 finalist for mysteries most prestigious prize, the Edgar Allan Poe Award from Mystery Writers of America. His debut mystery short story, ANALOGUE, won the Mystery Writers of America 2022 Robert L Fish Award for best debut short story by an American Author.

We talked about everything from:

• Turning the traditional cozy on its head

• Rob’s wild path to publication - a story I just love because as I’ve said often on the show,

there is no one path to publication and often things happen in ways you could just never anticipate

• How to create secondary characters your reader loves just as much as your protagonist

• What the future holds for the cozy genre

I had so much fun chatting with Rob - I hope you love our conversation!

You can find out more about Rob and his books here, and check out his free short story:

https://robosler.com/

And make sure you’re following me on IG @lizmugavero for the latest episodes!

There are some episodes I truly can’t wait to bring you, and today’s is one of those. I have someone who is such a core piece of our mystery community on the show today - get excited.

Dru Ann Love, of the blog Dru’s Book Musings, is here with me today. And if you don’t know her, that’s all about to change.

Dru Ann Love is a true friend and advocate of cozy authors—well, all authors really. She and her award-winning blog have been a name since I started writing. She launched in 2011 and has had a solid following ever since.

I remember the first time she featured me—I was ecstatic. The main focus of her blog is the “day in the life” feature where a lead protagonist or any other character gives readers a glimpse into their day.

Today, the blog is probably the most well known in the cozy mystery world, and Dru is a face that everyone looks for at our favorite conferences, including Malice Domestic and Bouchercon.

She’s also an award-winning author! Her 2024 short story cowritten with Kristopher Zgorski, Ticket To Ride, won the Agatha Award for Best Short Story and was also nominated for an Anthony Award. And her blog has been nominated for multiple awards.

During our conversation, we cover:

• How the blog started

• What it takes for a book to stand out for her

• How a Beatles song prompted her foray into writing - and an Agatha award

• Why she doesn’t actually want to write

Dru is a true love. And if you are someone who’s always looking for new mystery fiction to read, go follow her blog right now - as soon as you listen to this episode. Tune in wherever you get your podcasts.

You can find Dru’s blog here: https://drusbookmusing.com/

And on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/DrusBookMusing

I’m on @lizmugavero - follow for info on the latest episodes