Here’s some deep wisdom and encouragement for you today. I love talking with Tanara and it was such a treat to dive into this interview with her.

There’s some hard-won wisdom here, and I was particularly struck by these lines:

” . . . I’ve never read a perfect book and yet many imperfect stories have moved and changed me. If the author of every tale I love had allowed themselves to be bullied into giving up, my heart wouldn’t be as large and generous and hopeful as it is now.” 

Be sure to let her know what resonated with you!

Read her feature here:

https://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/beautiful-and-wild-tanara-mccauley-on-what-makes-a-life-and-a-book-worth-living

This is one of the clearest charts on the Big 5 structure and their imprints. It is widely used by people in publishing.

Looks like it was last updated about a year ago. Imprints open and close and change all the time, so it’s always good to do your research.

https://almossawi.com/big-five-publishers/

Hope this helps!

Brandy

Hey friends,

I just hit publish on a conversation that’s been sitting resonant and hopeful in my chest for days. And those of you who are a part of this community will be excited to see Zach’s name here. I’ve loved our conversations and his comments and interactions with you all.

In this feature, Zach gets honest about the long habit of keeping his ambitions hidden, the grief that finally forced him to sit still, and the slow work of reclaiming both his voice and the simple right to want a writing life out loud. He talks about the loneliness of building something this personal with almost no one nearby who speaks the language. He talks about his daughter’s blunt question that stung . . . and more.

If you’ve ever doubted whether the ground you’re writing from is worthy of a story, or whether you’re allowed to want this life without apology, Zach’s words will feel like someone finally naming what you thought you carried alone.

The full conversation is live here: Reclaiming Ground: Zachary Porter on Voice, the Right to Want, and What the Mountains Still Hold

I’d love to know which part lands hardest for you.

Grateful you’re here.

Brandy

Simon & Schuster UK officially launched Simon Stream, their new global digitally focused imprint for commercial/page-turning fiction (romance, crime, thrillers, fantasy, and more). It publishes simultaneously worldwide in English across formats, with a data-led approach aimed at both traditional and indie-leaning authors.

• Official page: simonandschuster.co.uk/p/simon-stream

• New X/Twitter account: @SimonStreamBook (posted the launch announcement this morning)

• Publishing director: Victoria Pepe (formerly of Lake Union)

• Open submissions portal is active (unagented submissions welcome; full manuscripts preferred; aiming for responses within about a month)

First announced titles include a five-book cozy crime series (The Moriarty & Co Mysteries by Jack Gatland).

It’s fully operational now.

And many thanks to Tamatha Cain for giving us a heads-up on this amazing news!

One of the things I love most about these interviews is the chance to sit with a writer who’s living at the intersection of two demanding worlds and still choosing to put stories on the page. Dr. Elizabeth McKinnon is a forensic pathologist and a mystery writer — someone who has learned how to hold both the clinical and the creative without letting either one hollow her out.

I asked her the same questions I put to every guest in this series. Her answers are honest, specific, and full of the kind of hard-won clarity that only comes from years of showing up.

Every time I talk with Elizabeth, I’m struck by her kindness and compassion. And her novels are just plain fun. Help me celebrate her journey and let her know which point resonated with you the most.

Read the feature here:

https://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/a-medical-examiners-writing-life-elizabeth-mckinnon-on-craft-cost-calling

Derek Davidson shared this very interesting article with me this morning:

What Romance Novels Taught Me About Writing Literary Fiction

Here’s the link:

https://lithub.com/what-romance-novels-taught-me-about-writing-literary-fiction/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&utm_id=01KY2BG97GH10QY0WN9JSBXNW6kx=ldM1cZi4yhJN4mQizUfUTCmCLezPmnzp7k9TAA3dSog47mcbrz39jfevvWazwOy.U5D8ER

Even if you don’t write romance, there is deep truth in what Rowan Beaird says here. Sometimes when we’re really going through something hard, we need a predictable story. We need to see a story turn out well in the end. Sometimes that gives us the faith we need to believe that our personal stories can turn out well too.

An important point is this: There is no such thing as an unimportant story. You never know what’s going to help someone through the dark. So no matter what genre you write (or what level of seriousness) be confident in your high calling.

Storytellers are soul doctors more often than they think.

So many times I’ve been “on the mat,” but then I picked up a book and it rescued me. I bet you can say the same thing.

Well, keep writing friends. There are people out there who need you words.

And you need then too, by the way. Keep excavating all that gold.

Brandy

Hey friends,

I wanted to put a couple of solid options on your radar today—especially for those of you who are querying agents, waiting on responses, or simply exploring every legitimate path available.

Bookouture and their science fiction & fantasy imprint Second Sky both accept unsolicited submissions. You do not need an agent to send them your work.

Bookouture is a digital-first publisher and a division of Hachette UK. They focus on commercial fiction with strong storytelling, rootable characters, and clear reader appeal. Think crime and thriller, psychological suspense, domestic suspense, women’s fiction, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, historical fiction, and more. They’re looking for full-length manuscripts that feel ready for the commercial market.

Second Sky is their dedicated science fiction and fantasy imprint. Same company, same open-door policy, just focused on SFF (including military SF, cozy romantic fantasy, urban fantasy, dark romantasy, epic fantasy, and similar).

Both imprints want the complete manuscript. They ask for a short pitch/blurb and a brief author bio. They aim to respond within about a month. No children’s books, poetry, short stories, or screenplays.

What makes them worth knowing about is the combination of accessibility and legitimacy. They’re part of a Big Five publisher, they have a strong track record of selling commercial books (tens of millions of copies across the list), and they actively acquire from unagented writers. Many of their authors publish without agents and stay with them for multiple books.

If your work fits their lists, these are real doors that are currently open.

Here are the direct links:

Bookouture: https://bookouture.com

Second Sky: https://secondskybooks.com

Please read their guidelines carefully before you hit send. Make sure the manuscript is polished, the pitch is tight, and the book actually belongs on their list. A strong fit matters more than almost anything else.

I know how discouraging the traditional path can feel when agents are slow or silent. Options like these don’t replace the value of a good agent, but they do remind us that there is more than one route into professional publishing. Sometimes the door that opens isn’t the one we were staring at the hardest.

Keep writing. Keep submitting when the work is ready. And take good care of yourselves in the process.

I’m rooting for you.

Brandy

Hey friends,

I’ve been carrying this moment in my heart for years and finally wanted to share it with you.

While in Oxford I made the writer’s pilgrimage to The Eagle and Child — the pub affectionately known as the “Bird and Baby.” This is the very place where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and the rest of the Inklings gathered week after week. They read chapters aloud, argued about words and myth and meaning, and let story do its holy work.

I got to sit right there — in the space where those conversations happened. The dark wood paneling, the low light, the weight of history thick in the air. It felt like the veil between their time and mine was thin. And besides that, I had an excellent pot of tea. 🫖☕️

I kept thinking about the courage it took for them to keep showing up for one another, to wrestle with big ideas and unfinished manuscripts, to believe that story could carry truth deeper than argument ever could.

And then… there are these two photos.

See that strange, ethereal haze — almost like a double exposure or a presence that wasn’t visible when the picture was taken?

It wasn’t something I noticed in the moment. And this was back in the days when we had to get our photos developed. The photos came out with that uncanny, almost supernatural quality. A trick of the old building’s light? A camera flare? A friendly Inklings wink across time? I don’t know. But it gave me chills in the very best way and I’ve treasured these photos over the years.

These men believed the imagination could be a doorway to the divine. They wove their faith into myth and let story do what only story can do — slip past our defenses and plant something eternal.

Sitting in their corner, and then seeing this photo afterward… it felt like a little confirmation. We are not writing alone. We’re part of a long, living conversation.

For those of us who keep showing up to the page even when it’s hard — this is why we do it. We add our voices to the ones who came before, hoping our stories might encourage, heal, or point someone toward the Light.

I’m so grateful for this corner of the internet where we get to do that together. You remind me that community still matters, that story still matters, and that we’re all carrying the same flame in our own way.

Have you ever had a “thin place” creative moment — a location, a photo, a dream, or a coincidence that felt charged with meaning?

I love talking about this kind of stuff so let me know in the comments. 🙂

Brandy

https://www.patreon.com/BrandyVallance/posts/164196685?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

Peter Leavell was the Operation First Novel winner the year before me. The prize was $20,000 and a publishing contract. For both of us, winning was life changing and launched our careers. It was fun getting to know Peter back then and it was great to reconnect with him now and see what he’s been up to.

Throughout the years we’ve encouraged one another and commiserated during the down times. The year I won the contest he came to Colorado Springs where I was living at the time and we went to an old manor house and did some videos. It’s funny to watch us from thirteen years ago. The world was perhaps a little less complicated and some of our conversation reflects that. We were also both pretty new to the “now I’m published” world.

But, here we are still writing and teaching. We’re both still telling stories and trying to encourage others where we can. He recently accepted a teaching position in Savanna, Georgia, which is fun.

In this interview, Peter opens up about those writing / life lessons he’s learned along the way. From winning major awards to navigating revision and the realities of the business side, he shares honest, practical wisdom that will both inspire and equip you.
​
With warmth and vulnerability, he speaks about handling the pressure that came with early success, reconciling what you love with what the market wants, and protecting your creative energy. You’ll also discover the core truth that still guides how he writes every single day, and how it can shift the way you approach your own work. Enjoy!

Read the interview here:

https://www.writingdayworkshops.com/blog/the-deeper-magic-of-writing-every-day-award-winning-author-peter-leavell-shares-what-hed-tell-his-beginner-self

See our early videos together. These are from 2013, the year I won the contest:

Part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOxrJbe-gak

Part 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKmr-K7X9dc