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Hear us Roar

Hear us Roar

By: Maggie Smith
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 If you're an aspiring author and want insights into what's involved in launching a book into the world, this is the podcast for you. Debut writers discuss not only the inspiration behind their book, but also their insights into the writing process, the best advice they ever got, and the joys and sometimes pitfalls they encountered on their path to publication.Maggie Smith Art Economics Literary History & Criticism Marketing Marketing & Sales
Episodes
  • 308: Nancie Abuhaidar - Author of The Trouble with Possibilities

    308: Nancie Abuhaidar - Author of The Trouble with Possibilities
    Mar 6 2026
    This week's guest is Nancie Abuhaidar (The Trouble with Possibilities, indie published, September 2024). The idea for Nancie's debut originated with her sister but was passed on to Nancie to bring into being, although it had to be totally reworked after a trip to the African continent where the story takes place. We discuss how writing doesn't have to be a solitary endeavor, where Nancie found help, how effective Instagram blog tours were to publicizing her book, and how getting over the embarrassment of "hawking her book" directly to readers is an ongoing challenge.

    From a young age Nancie had a head full of stories and an obsession with animals, especially horses. Nancie grew up in suburban Philadelphia, transplanted to Vermont with her son, then landed in upstate New York. A late bloomer academically, Nancie entered the Frances Perkins Scholarship Program at Mount Holyoke College. She graduated with a BA in English and a Five College Certificate in International Relations. Her sister and mother-in-law want you to know she graduated Magna Cum Laude, is a Phi Beta Kappa member, and received high honors for her narrative non-fiction thesis, The Women in the Picture.

    Nancie resides on a Hudson Valley farm with her husband, dogs, and horses. When she's not cleaning up her menagerie's mess, she lets her imagination loose in her writing dungeon. Nancie writes women's fiction, twisty upmarket novels, and has an upper YA fantasy duology lurking in her drawer. She is a member of the WFWA and SCBWI.

    To learn more about Nancie, go to https://nancieabuhaidar.com/
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    28 mins
  • 307: Jan Heidrich-Rice - Author of Secrets of the Blue Moon

    307: Jan Heidrich-Rice - Author of Secrets of the Blue Moon
    Feb 26 2026
    Our podcast guest this week is Jan Heidrich-Rice (Secrets of the Blue Moon, indie published, September 2024). We discuss making up a whole small town for your setting, basing characters on people you know, and why writing her first novel often meant asking for help from fellow writers, including WFWA members. And listen at the end for a cute story of Jan's favorite review from an unexpected source.

    Jan Heidrich-Rice writes contemporary fiction and creative nonfiction—occasionally haunting, often funny, but always filled with hope and heart. Her Marnie Putnam Mystery Trilogy features cozy-dark Southern mysteries that weave together small-town secrets, emotional healing, and whispers of the supernatural. Book #1 of the trilogy, Secrets of the Blue Moon, was recognized as an Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite in Women's Fiction (2026) and as an American Book Fest Finalist for Cross Genre Fiction (2025). Jan's nonfiction combines insight and humor to help readers navigate midlife shifts, creative reinvention, and the beautiful mess that real-life detours bring. Whether she's exploring other-worldly possibilities or real-life crossroads, her work is rooted in hope and human connection.

    To learn more about Jan, go to https://www.janheidrichrice.com/

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    33 mins
  • 306: Jessica Maffetore - Author of Eleanora in Pieces

    306: Jessica Maffetore - Author of Eleanora in Pieces
    Feb 19 2026
    This week's guest is Jessica Maffetore (Eleanora in Pieces, Black Rose Writing, September 2024). If you've ever wondered about what happens when a small press "ghosts" its writers and eventually breaks its contract, this is a must-listen. Jessica describes the process of surviving this challenge and finding another small press about losing a year in publishing purgatory, and the hidden pluses that came from that experience, including a longer runway for social media and the networking community of fellow writers that helped her navigate.

    Jessica Maffetore is the New England based author of the women's fiction novel, Eleanora in Pieces (Black Rose Writing, Sept 2024). Her writing has appeared in several literary magazines and she has been a guest columnist for the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise. Jessica attended the University of Hartford for undergraduate studies in Public Relations and Journalism and holds a Master of Arts degree in English Literature from Fitchburg State University. When she is not writing, Jessica is running marathons, going for walks with her rescue dogs, being tolerated by her three teenagers, growing vegetables in her garden, working at her day job in marketing, and dreaming about where she and her husband should travel next.

    To learn more about Jessica, go to https://www.jessicamaffetore.com/
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    33 mins
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