The Resilient Writers Radio Show

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What happens when the people most likely to care for everyone else finally decide to make space for their own creative work?
In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by Kasia Van Schaik, author of the linked story collection We Have Never Lived on Earth and the new hybrid memoir and work of cultural criticism, Women Among Monuments: Solitude, Permission, and the Pursuit of Female Genius.
Kasia’s book began with a question she had carried since girlhood: Where are the women among monuments?
That question led her into the lives of women writers and artists, including Virginia Woolf, Mary Shelley, Gertrude Stein, Toni Morrison, Bernadette Mayer, and many others. 
It also led her to the story of Elena Cornaro Piscopia, the first woman in the world to earn a PhD. In 2022, a proposal to place Piscopia’s statue in a public square in Padua, alongside statues of celebrated male thinkers and artists, was met with fierce resistance.
Why are women’s achievements still so difficult for some people to recognize? And what does that resistance reveal about the way we understand creative genius?
Kasia and I explore those questions while looking closely at what it takes for women to build and sustain creative lives.
We talk about the guilt that can arise when women step away from caregiving, housework, emotional labour, or professional responsibilities to write. 
Even when time has been deliberately set aside, it can feel pressured or selfish. Instead of entering the writing space freely, we may feel that every minute has to produce something impressive.
Kasia shares how different writers protected their creativity. Toni Morrison worked during the quiet hours before sunrise. Gertrude Stein boldly claimed the mantle of genius for herself. Bernadette Mayer found poetry in the ordinary details of motherhood and domestic life, showing that the creative and “uncreative” parts of our lives do not always need to be separated.
We also unpack the complicated history of the word “genius.” It can feel exclusive, grandiose, and even a little cringe. Kasia offers another way to understand it: not as a title reserved for a chosen few, but as a capacity someone possesses. 
You might have a genius for language, storytelling, observation, humour, or seeing connections others miss.
Our conversation also moves into literary awards, genre fiction, imposter syndrome, rejection, and the importance of creative community. Recognition can help a writer feel that they belong, but awards are subjective and limited. They cannot be the only measure of whether our work matters.
Ultimately, sustaining a creative life requires persistence and permission. It may mean protecting your brightest hours, creating a small ritual, joining a writing group, or continuing to submit your work after another rejection.
If you’ve been waiting for proof that your writing deserves your time, this conversation is for you. Listen now for an honest, encouraging reminder that your creative work matters, and you are allowed to make room for it.

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What if the thing keeping you from finishing your novel is not a lack of talent, discipline, or ideas?
What if it is fear about what happens after you finish?
In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by debut novelist Mel West, author of Now Is Not a Good Time for a Breakdown, for an honest and deeply relatable conversation about creativity, mental health, publishing, and the fears that quietly shape our writing lives.
Mel’s novel began with snippets of dialogue and a character whose voice would not leave her alone. 
It was not until Mel moved to New York City that the story fully came into focus. Suddenly, she understood where this character lived, how she moved through the world, and what kind of life she was trying to survive.
We talk about Mel’s discovery-based approach to drafting and how she eventually turned to plotting when the story began to lose momentum. She also shares why the pandemic became an unexpected missing piece of the novel and how returning to the manuscript helped her finally understand where the story needed to go.
One of the most powerful parts of our conversation is Mel’s realization that fear was one of the biggest obstacles between her and a finished book. Not fear that she could not write it, but fear of what would come next once the novel was done.
I think many writers will recognize themselves in that.
We also explore how Mel used dark humour to write about the fragility of mental health without making the novel feel heavy-handed. Her main character is not especially self-aware, which allows humour, discomfort, and emotional truth to exist side by side. Mel even shares how The Sopranos influenced the way she thought about revealing a character’s inner life.
Mel is refreshingly open about her publishing journey too. After exploring traditional publishing, she chose a hybrid path with Archway Publishing. She talks candidly about what she wishes she had known, how emotionally vulnerable it can feel to hand over your “book baby,” and why writers need to approach publishing with both creativity and clear-eyed research.
We also discuss author platforms, building community, and why TikTok has felt more natural and conversational for Mel than Instagram.
This episode is especially valuable for writers who are close to finishing a book but feel themselves pulling back. Mel’s advice is simple and important: learn what comes next, research your options, and pay attention to the fear underneath your resistance.
Because sometimes finishing the book is not the scary part.
Sometimes the scary part is becoming the writer who finished it.
Listen now for an honest conversation about fear, mental health, publishing, creative courage, and what it really takes to follow a novel all the way through.

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Some books begin with a carefully planned premise. Others begin with a conversation you suddenly realize you do not want to lose.
In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by Maureen Howley, author of Small Shoes, Impossible to Fill, a memoir that began when Maureen sat down with her terminally ill mother during the COVID lockdowns and started recording her stories.
Maureen had recently retired from a long career in nursing and midwifery and had travelled to Scotland to be with her mum. Her mother had always been active and involved in her community, so the isolation of lockdown was especially difficult. 
Their shared storytelling project became a way to pass the time, stay connected, and preserve memories that might otherwise have been lost.
But as Maureen listened, recorded, and wrote, she realized something important. The story was not only about her mother’s past. It was also about what was happening between them in the present.
That discovery shaped Small Shoes, Impossible to Fill into an unusual and deeply personal blend of memoir, fictionalized family history, and reflection. Maureen wrote her mother’s memories as scenes, drawing on her background in musical theatre to imagine the people and places almost as if they were appearing on a stage. She then wove those scenes together with journal entries from their final months and reflective passages written in her mother’s voice.
Creating one cohesive book from those three strands was not easy. Maureen’s early draft reached roughly 150,000 words, and she had to work carefully to shape it into a unified story. She studied three-act structure, character arcs, and the hero’s journey to make sure each strand contributed to the book’s emotional movement.
We talk honestly about that long revision process, the moments when Maureen nearly gave up, and why finishing the first draft was only one part of finishing the book.
Maureen also shares what she learned through assisted self-publishing, finding the right cover, and continuing to revise even after proofreading. We also discuss the unexpected challenge many authors face after publication: becoming their own marketing department.
One of my favourite parts of our conversation is hearing how Maureen transformed her book launches into meaningful events. Through readings, family photographs, music, and personal stories, she created celebrations in Scotland, Monaco, Sligo, and the south of France that brought the world of the book to life.
At its heart, this episode is about more than writing a memoir. It is about listening closely, honouring family stories, finding joy in difficult seasons, and trusting that a book does not need to fit neatly into a category to deserve to be written.
Listen in for an encouraging conversation about memoir writing, family history, revision, self-publishing, creative book launches, and what it really takes to keep going until your story is finished.

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What does it take to finally finish the book that has been living with you for years?
In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I’m joined by Debra Hunt, author of the contemporary women’s fiction and domestic suspense novel Unlikely Hero. 
Debra’s story is such a wonderful reminder that it is never too late to return to a long-held dream, build the support you need, and bring your book into the world.
Unlikely Hero follows Jesse, a woman trying to rebuild her life after a devastating loss, with only her loyal dog by her side. The original spark for the novel came from Debra’s own curiosity about working dogs, loyalty, and trust. She began wondering what might happen if a powerful dog had to choose between obeying a trainer and protecting the person he truly loved.
That question stayed with Debra for years. In fact, her earliest notes for the novel date back to 2002. Like so many writers, she worked on the story in starts and stops, sometimes putting it away for years at a time. 
Eventually, the unfinished book began to feel like a personal failure. She had always wanted to become an author, but she kept asking herself: Where was the book?
Everything began to change when Debra joined my First Book Finish program. She already had a draft, but the structure, accountability, coaching, and community helped her stop treating time as unlimited. 
Instead of endlessly revising as she drafted, she learned to finish the whole story and then approach revision step by step.
Debra shares how beta readers helped her strengthen the plot, deepen her characters, and expand what was initially closer to novella length. Just as importantly, their feedback helped her realize that other readers were often far kinder than her own inner critic.
We also talk honestly about self-publishing. After spending roughly 25 years with this story, Debra knew she didn’t want to wait through the traditional publishing process. She wanted the book in readers’ hands. 
She discusses what she learned from using a publishing-services package, why she might choose a more à la carte approach next time, and why authors need to understand which parts of publishing they want to handle themselves.
Of course, publishing the book introduced a whole new challenge: marketing it. Debra talks about building a street team, connecting with local bookstores and libraries, collaborating with fellow writers, creating a newsletter, pitching podcasts, and slowly becoming more comfortable with social media.
What I loved most about this conversation was Debra’s definition of success. It isn’t about phenomenal sales. It is about being able to say, “I did this, and you can do it too.”
This episode is a beautiful conversation about consistency, accountability, courage, and finally allowing other people to read the work you have carried for so long.

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Some conversations stay with you long after they end. This was one of them.
In this episode of The Resilient Writers Radio Show, I'm joined by writer, poet, playwright, and activist Crystal AJ Smith to talk about her powerful debut novel, Gitwaałtk. 
Crystal is Haisla and Ts’ymsen, was adopted into the Heiltsuk Nation, and brings both lived experience and deep cultural knowledge to every page of her work.
Our conversation begins with Crystal introducing herself in Lik̓wala, honoring the land she lives on and the ancestors who continue to guide her. 
It immediately sets the tone for a discussion about identity, language, storytelling, and the responsibility of carrying stories that matter.
At the heart of Gitwaałtk is the Highway of Tears, the stretch of Highway 16 in British Columbia where countless Indigenous women and girls have gone missing or been murdered. 
Crystal explains that while there are documentaries, statistics, and news stories about the Highway of Tears, she wanted to create something that would help readers do more than understand the facts. She wanted them to feel them.
We also talk about the novel's unique structure. Rather than following a traditional beginning-middle-end format, Gitwaałtk weaves together prose, poetry, Indigenous oral storytelling, and Sm'algya̱x language. 
Crystal shares that she didn't consciously design this structure—it simply arrived that way. The story came through her, and her role was to listen, write, and honor it.
One of my favorite parts of our conversation is our discussion about ancestors and creativity. Crystal describes writing as something much bigger than inventing a story. For her, it feels like the stories already exist, and she has the responsibility to receive them, tell them truthfully, and pass them on. 
We also talk about language revitalization, why she's learning Lik̓wala, and how reconnecting with language has become part of both her life and her writing practice.
Crystal also speaks candidly about balancing creativity with motherhood. As a mother of four, she's spent more than a decade bringing Gitwaałtk into the world while completing her education, leaving an abusive relationship, raising children, and continuing to learn her language and culture. Her honesty about protecting time for both family and creativity will resonate with many writers trying to hold all the pieces of their lives together.
This conversation is about much more than writing a novel. It's about resilience, remembrance, community, healing, and the power of stories to create empathy where facts alone sometimes cannot.
Whether you're interested in Indigenous literature, writing from lived experience, or simply want to hear one of the most thoughtful conversations I've had about why stories matter, I think you'll find this episode both moving and unforgettable.