The Resilient Writers Radio Show

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In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by Alexa Bigwarfe, USA Today bestselling author, publishing coach, founder of Write|Publish|Sell, and creator of the Women in Publishing Summit.
Alexa has spent years helping women and underrepresented voices publish professional books, build author platforms, and grow businesses around their work. But in this conversation, we also get to talk about her fiction side: the romantic comedies she writes under the pen name Lexi Haddock.
Alexa shares the story behind her Paris-inspired fiction series, beginning with 4 Days in Paris, a book that was more than ten years in the making. The novel began with real-life inspiration from Alexa’s own time living and working in Paris, including a romantic New Year’s Eve encounter in 1999. As she says in our conversation, she wrote the story the way she wished it had ended.
We talk about what it means to draw from real life while still creating fiction that works for readers. Alexa opens up about the challenge of honouring real people and true memories while also shaping the story into something with enough tension, conflict, and emotional movement to become a satisfying novel. She also shares how friendship, Paris, and even the Eiffel Tower itself became central characters in the book.
One of the things I loved most about this conversation is how candid Alexa is about the timing of creativity. She began the original version of the book years earlier, but it wasn’t until 2020, while going through a divorce and living through the pandemic, that she returned to it. At a moment when writing something heavy felt impossible, romance gave her a way back into hope, possibility, and joy.
We also talk about the other books in the Sparks in Paris series, including the Christmas novella set in Strasbourg, France. Alexa shares how much she loves European Christmas markets, how she brought in elements of her military background, and how a small character from an earlier book found her way into the starring role.
Of course, because Alexa is also a publishing coach, we talk about marketing too. She shares what it’s like to market her own fiction while also running her businesses, and why tying a book to a theme, season, or reader mood can make a big difference. 
Her Christmas novella gave her a chance to connect with readers who were already actively looking for holiday books, and she got to see some of the strategies she teaches authors actually working in her own author life.
In the second half of our conversation, Alexa shares what’s changing with the Women in Publishing Summit and why she’s moving toward a more community-based model. We talk about networking, business skills for authors, content strategy, and the importance of having a generous writing and publishing community around you.
And yes, there are more Lexi Haddock books on the way, including Back to Paris and a World War II novel set in France.
This is such a lovely conversation about romance, reinvention, publishing, community, and the long, winding path a book can take before it finally becomes what it was meant to be.

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In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by Toronto writer and journalist Christine Fischer Guy, author of The Umbrella Mender and her new novel, The Instrument Must Not Matter.
Christine’s latest novel follows Lila, a gifted young classical pianist who leaves Toronto for New York City after being chosen to study with a prestigious mentor. It’s an exciting opportunity, but also a terrifying one. Lila has to leave behind everything she knows and step into a world of artistic pressure, ambition, loneliness, and possibility.
What I loved about this conversation is how Christine talks about the way her novels begin: with character. For The Instrument Must Not Matter, the spark came from walking past the statue of Glenn Gould outside the CBC building in Toronto. That small moment of curiosity led her into biographies, research, music, and eventually into the world of this novel.
Christine isn’t a classical pianist herself, but while writing the book, she took piano lessons and even learned to play a Bach Partita in C. I loved hearing about that kind of immersive research—the kind that lets a writer feel their way into a character’s world, even when that world is technically demanding and unfamiliar.
We also talk about the deeper family history behind the novel. Lila’s grandmother was a violinist in Prague in 1968, when Soviet tanks rolled in after the Prague Spring. On the night before her planned debut, she goes out after curfew and plays the piece she was meant to perform—an act of artistic resistance that leads to her arrest and to a lifetime of silence as a musician.
One of the most fascinating parts of our conversation is Christine’s discussion of writing about music. Music exists beyond language, so how do you put that on the page? For Christine, part of the answer came through Lila’s synesthesia. Lila experiences sound as colour, which gives the novel a vivid, sensory way to bring music into language.
And of course, we talk about the writing process. Christine describes herself as a discovery writer. She doesn’t begin with an outline. Instead, she writes a messy first draft to find out what happens, then shapes the book through revision. 
The Instrument Must Not Matter took ten years and at least ten major revisions, including one big change: in the first draft, the pianist was a man. When the protagonist became a young woman, the story truly opened up.
This is such a generous conversation about research, revision, artistic courage, and trusting the long process of writing a novel.
For any writer who is deep in the messy middle of a project, I think you’ll find real comfort here. Some books take the time they take—and sometimes, the long way through is exactly what allows the book to become its best self.

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What if the way your brain works isn’t something to fix, but something to understand, support, and work with?
In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by Catherine Quiring, a licensed mental health counselor, podcast host, empath, mystic mom of two, and writer, for a thoughtful and deeply validating conversation about neurodiversity, creativity, and what it means to support yourself as a writer.
Catherine specializes in neurodiversity, and much of that work began with discovering her own neurodivergence. Over time, she noticed that many of the clients who were drawn to her were also late-diagnosed with ADHD, autism, or both. 
Together, we talk about how neurodivergence can show up in ways that are often missed, especially in women and highly sensitive people.
Catherine explains that the “female presentation” of ADHD often looks less like outward hyperactivity and more like internal overwhelm, perfectionism, difficulty organizing thoughts, struggling with task initiation, or feeling like the brain is constantly jumping from one thing to another. 
For writers, this can show up as starting a shiny new book idea, getting 10,000 or 15,000 words in, and then abandoning it when the project starts to feel hard or boring.
And if that sounds familiar, you are definitely not alone.
We also talk about the gifts of ADHD, including creativity, intuition, and the ability to hyper-focus once you’re able to get into flow. Catherine shares practical ways writers can make writing feel more inviting again: creating a writing ritual, using music or silence, lighting a candle, bringing in a favourite drink, trying dictation, taking walks, using body doubling, or finding ways to “gamify” the writing process so it feels more enjoyable and less like a chore.
One of the most powerful ideas Catherine shares is the difference between fixing yourself and supporting yourself. So many writers carry shame around how they “should” be working, especially when they don’t fit the traditional advice of writing every single day or producing at a consistent pace. 
Catherine invites us to ask better questions: What do I need? What helps me focus? What lowers the pressure? What makes this feel possible?
We also discuss her Define Your Neurodiversity Workbook, the idea of a “Goldilocks nervous system,” and how writers can create environments that feel “just right” for their brains and bodies. 
Catherine also reminds us that while a diagnosis can be helpful, you don’t need one in order to use tools that support your executive function, creativity, and writing life.
This conversation is a beautiful reminder that your brain is not a problem to be solved. Your writing process does not have to look like anyone else’s. The more you understand what supports you, the easier it becomes to return to the page with compassion, curiosity, and maybe even a little more joy.

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Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of domestic abuse, coercive control, religious trauma, sexual assault, and emotional abuse. Please take care while listening.
In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by author, artist, and survivor Boni Woodland to talk about her memoir, Turning Survival Into Words: From Houses of Fear to Freedom. 
This is a powerful and tender conversation about survival, voice, healing, and the courage it takes to tell the truth about a life that was once shaped by silence.
Boni’s book began in therapy. After her life had settled enough for her to look back, she realized that her past was still affecting her present. But speaking about what had happened to her was incredibly difficult. 
For much of her life, Boni says, it “wasn’t a privilege to speak my mind.” So before therapy sessions, she began writing down the incidents she wanted to discuss. Over time, those pages became a collection of memories, painful moments, and turning points — and eventually, the beginning of a book.
In our conversation, Boni shares what it was like to grow up inside a controlling religious environment that shaped nearly every part of her life: what she could wear, what she could eat, who she could spend time with, who she could marry, and what was expected of her as a woman. 
Those beliefs followed her into marriage, where she moved from one controlling situation into another. What she hoped would be freedom became another form of captivity.
One of the most striking parts of Boni’s memoir is the way she organizes the story around the different houses she lived in. Each house becomes a marker of a particular stage in her life, and the chapter titles — including “The House of Non-Consent,” “The House of No Money,” “The House of Hunger,” and “The House of Chilling” — help readers understand the slow progression of abuse, control, isolation, and fear.
Boni wanted to write the book she once needed. She talks about how hard it can be for people outside an abusive relationship to understand why someone doesn’t “just leave.” 
As she explains, when you have no money, no family support, no access to education, no safe place to go, and children to protect, leaving is not simple. Her hope is that readers will better understand that reality — and that anyone who sees themselves in her story will feel less alone.
We also talk about one of Boni’s first acts of quiet resistance: sneaking to the library. Surrounded by books, she began looking for language, understanding, and hope. She wanted to read a story from someone who had survived and found a way forward. In many ways, Turning Survival Into Words became that book.
This episode is a deeply moving conversation about writing through pain, reclaiming your voice, and turning a difficult past into something that may help someone else find their own path toward freedom.

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In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, Rhonda is joined by Annie Dike, author of Clovis, her debut literary fiction novel. 
Annie’s writing life is anything but ordinary: she’s an attorney by profession, a long-time sailor, the author of several bestselling sailing books, and a travel writer whose work has grown out of years spent cruising the East Coast of the United States and the eastern Caribbean with her partner, Phillip, on their 46-foot sailboat.
But Clovis comes from somewhere much deeper.
Annie grew up in Clovis, New Mexico, and the novel is rooted in the memories, atmosphere, grit, and emotional truth of her childhood. In this conversation, she shares how her life as a sailor unexpectedly connects back to her upbringing as a cowgirl—both worlds requiring resourcefulness, problem-solving, toughness, and the willingness to fix whatever breaks.
Rhonda and Annie talk about what it means to write autobiographical fiction: how much truth to include, how much to fictionalize, and what it feels like to write honestly about real people you love. 
Annie opens up about the vulnerability of portraying her father and brother in the book, and how writing truthfully allowed her to connect more deeply with the story.
They also dig into the craft and business of writing. Annie shares how Clovis began as a huge 255,000-word manuscript, and how working with editors helped her see what needed to stay, what needed to go, and how revision ultimately made her a stronger writer. 
She also speaks candidly about querying agents, self-publishing, marketing, and the emotional resilience required to keep going when the book world feels discouraging.
Annie also gives us a glimpse into what’s next: Austin, the sequel to Clovis, and a third book, Roswell, which will go back in time to explore Callie’s mother’s story. Through it all, Annie’s fascination with mother-daughter relationships, memory, place, and identity shines through.
This is a beautiful conversation for any writer who has wondered whether their own life, family stories, or complicated past might become fiction—and how to write from truth without being trapped by it.