Note: As Gracewriters we are interested in encouraging Christian Writers by learning from Christian Writers. However, even though we are all members of the One Body, we don’t necessarily support all views and interpretations of all Christian Writers on all their platforms. Our aims are to build up Christian Writers, edify the Body and glorify our Lord so that as Gracewriters we can be effective in meeting our goal of changing popular culture.
Co-hosts
- Belinda Pollard, author of mainstream crime novels; writing coach; accredited editor with qualifications in theology; writing and publishing blogger at smallbluedog.com; and Gracewriters founder.
- Donita Bundy, writing teacher, preacher and author of the Armour of Light supernatural fiction series.
- Alison Joy, author of contemporary romance, former early childhood teacher and mother of 4 adult children.
Where to find the Gracewriters Podcast
Listen, rate, and subscribe to the Gracewriters Podcast on your favourite podcast player.
Or listen to or watch each episode, read transcripts and check out useful links and resources we mention, right here on the blog:
Gracewriters philosophy
- Episode 1: What is Gracewriting?
- Episode 2: Tackling Imposter Syndrome
- Episode 3: Am I Called to Write?
- Episode 4: Procrastination – Causes and Cures
- Episode 5: Should Christian Writing Be This Hard?
- Episode 6: How to Decide What to Write
- Episode 7: Learning to be a Better Writer
- Episode 8: Finding Time to Write
- Episode 9: Meeting Publishing Deadlines
- Episode 11: Tackling Disappointment
- Episode 12: Earning Income as a Writer
Feedback and Editing series
- Episode 16: Getting Feedback on our Writing
- Episode 17: Self-Editing for Writers
- Episode 18: Editors and Editing
Publishing series
- Episode 33: Publishing – Self-publishing vs traditional
- Episode 34: Publishing – Why we chose self-publishing
- Episode 35: Publishing – How self-publishing has changed
- Episode 36: Publishing – Different uses for self-publishing
- Episode 37: Publishing – Three basics of self-publishing
- Episode 38: Publishing – Knowing Who to Trust in Self-Publishing
Seasonal
Christmas:
- Episode 14: Writing on Christmas Themes
- Episode 39: Elana Johnson (Liz Isaacson) on Writing Christmas Romance
- Episode 54: Kathy Escobar on writing for a Blue Christmas
- Episode 66: Jason Jones on book marketing, especially at Christmas
New Year:
- Episode 15: New Year, New Writing Goals
- Episode 40: Writing Coach Elaine Fraser on Planning Your New Writing Year
- Episode 55: Stepping into the New Writing Year
- Episode 67: Donita Bundy on Gracewriting for the End Times
Author Platform series
- Episode 19: Help! What is an Author Platform?
- Episode 20: Author Platform: Do I need a website?
- Episode 21: Author Platform: Email lists – why do they matter?
- Episode 22: Author Platform: Problem-solving our email lists
- Episode 23: Author Platform: Email lists – what content should I send?
- Episode 25: Author Platform: Do authors need to blog?
- Episode 26: Author Platform: Problem-solving our blogging
- Episode 27: Author Platform: How to make our blogs discoverable
- Episode 29: Author Platform: How does social media work?
- Episode 30: Author Platform: How do we feel about social media?
- Episode 31: Author Platform: Designing a social media strategy
Interviews
- Episode 10: Bill Brockmeier and Hearts Need Art
- Episode 13: Adam Ryan, Pastor and Scriptwriter
- Episode 24: Children’s Author Kara-Glenn Bolger
- Episode 28: Romance Author Kristen M. Fraser
- Episode 32: Author and writing coach Amanda Viviers
- Episode 41: Author, Speaker, Physician, and Photographer Dr Ernest Crocker
- Episode 42: Kristen Young on Writing Young Adult Christian Fantasy and Non-Fiction
- Episode 43: Children’s Singer/Songwriter Colin Buchanan on Finding Inspiration and Making a Difference
- Episode 44: Nikki Florence Thompson on Anxiety and Faith in Life and Publishing
- Episode 45: Donita Bundy on Writing Multi-POV Christian Urban Fantasy
- Episode 46: Chrissy Garwood on Writing Christian Romantic Suspense and Fantasy
- Episode 47: Writing Coach and Author Laura Thomas on Facing Rejection and Finding Your Path
- Episode 48: Author Nicci Toomey on the power of honesty on social media
- Episode 49: Karen Kepert, Children’s Picture Book Author and Songwriter
- Episode 50: Bible Translator Albert Castelijn on the Miracle of Communication
- Episode 51: Instagram Mini-Blogger Lynne Castelijn
- Episode 52: Alison Joy, Author of Travel-Based Romance
- Episode 53: Nikki Florence Thompson on Why Writing Isn’t Easy
- Episode 56: Donny Abbott on being inspired by great art
- Episode 57: Andrina Rijken on finding wonder in an “ordinary life”
- Episode 58: Steven James, bestselling suspense author, writing teacher and rule breaker
- Episode 59: Author Lisa Boucher on letting go of the reins
- Episode 60: Jubilee Lipsey on writing biblical fiction
- Episode 61: Roma Flood on writing that blesses despite grief and trauma
- Episode 62: Mazzy Adams on pressing into God when life is hard
- Episode 63: Jo Swinney on co-writing family memoir amid grief
- Episode 64: Jack Countryman on writing Bible devotionals and defying age barriers
- Episode 65: Belinda Pollard on publishing new editions of books
- Episode 68: Poet Jodie McCarthy on seasons of the writing life
- Episode 69: Billie Jauss on Gracewriting amid busyness, shame and distraction
- Episode 70: Romance novelist Alison Joy on using research to write authentic fiction
- Episode 71: Buck Storm on writing literary fiction from the heart
- Episode 75: Kelly Needham on chasing our dreams vs having enduring impact
We’d love your feedback, questions and suggestions for the content of our Gracewriters Podcast.
- What topics would you like us to cover?
- What questions bother you in your own writing practice as a Gracewriter?
- Which Christian writers would you like us to interview, and what would you like us to ask them?
Please comment below, or if you prefer, send us a private message.
Do each of you have an email list I can subscribe to? I’m trying to create an email list and I need help with what to give them when they sign up to it. I’m an aspiring Catholic YA multi-genre author and Catholic YA multi-genre singer/songwriter. My goal is to entertain and evangelize young adults and older about the Catholic faith around the world.
Welcome, Maria. It sounds exciting what you are doing. Thanks for that prompt about our email lists. I’ll add some more info about each of us at the top. You can click each of our names to find our websites which all have email subscription forms, but also, here are the direct links for your convenience.
Blessings, Belinda
Alison Joy: https://www.alisonjoywriter.com/alison-joy-writer-subscribe
Donita Bundy: https://www.donitabundy.com/contact/ (scroll down to the footer of the website to find the subscription form)
Belinda Pollard:
https://belindapollard.com/subscribe
https://smallbluedog.com/writers-the-7-phases-of-feedback
Thanks everyone, I have been listening to all the podcasts and I know you are my People!. My tribe!. I can resonate with everything you share. I am an unpublished author, who had a conversation with the Lord in 2009 about ‘Grace Notes’, although I didn’t use that term. My pen name is Tracy Chapman Woods. I hope to bring God’s love into peoples lives through fiction. I’m so glad I’ve found you.
Thank you so much, Tracy, for your words of encouragement. And welcome aboard to the Gracewriters tribe! (bit of a mixed metaphor there, but, well, you know 🙂 ) Looking forward to hearing more about your writing.
Thanks girls for another lovely conversation. I’m a bit like Belinda. I find ideas come thick and fast like I’m standing at a buffet. I have always journaled and have discovered creative journaling too which allows for images and decorations on the page. I started with poetry. (Aren’t we all poets through our teenage years?). I’ve always loved words but it’s only been recently that I’ve learned about story. Blogging did not stick for me. I now find short forms are my favourite. Flash and short stories, despite the desire to have a novel written. What I’m thinking to explore is a mosaic type story – lots of short pieces relating to the same world but different characters in each intertwined some how. I am surrounded by ideas. Too many and not enough time to write them all!!
I like the sound of that mosaic type thing, Raelene. Will be interesting to see how it develops for you. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
Hi Belinda, I just got a chance to listen today and I thoroughly enjoyed the easy conversational tone. What I particularly loved about this podcast is what Bill touched on above, “how faith rubs up against our writing”. I loved the conversation about prayer and the questions you asked each other around this.
So I’d be interested in you all investigating this further in conversation. Questions like, “How do we deal with disappointment when we feel God has called us to something?” Questions that show that real intersection of faith and our calling. Rubber hits the road type questions.
I love the idea of interviews. I think fortnightly or monthly would be a good rotation, and I like that you’ve deliberately kept the episode short. I love that you end with a prayer.
Thanks and I will look out for the next episode.
Thank you so much, Jodie. Those are great suggestions and we’ll add them to the list. Episode 2 will be up next Friday – we’ve decided to go fortnightly initially and see how it pans out.
This podcast was wonderfully authentic and very encouraging for Christians who view writing as a calling. The intersection of our faith and our writing is always going to present unique challenges and this community offers a much needed space to share and learn from others who are on a similar journey.
Thank you so much Belinda for your warm and inclusive interviewing approach and also to the authors interviewed for their willingness to share with others. Donita and Alison were both real and transparent with their writing journey and this created a personal connection with the audience.
Personally, I believe the more writers we can interact with, the more we can learn from each other and podcasts are a really effective and powerful way to connect.
Thank you for the time and energy needed to create this podcast and I am looking forward to the next one!
Thanks so much, Sue. Your words are so encouraging. I get the feeling there’s a move of God afoot…
Congratulations ladies. What a fantastic idea. I love the term ‘gracenotes’ because that’s what I’ve been trying to infuse into my work. And you are right – I want to write for the mainstream but tend to think it’s not as important as overtly ‘Christian’ stuff. So thank you for giving me a definition for what I’ve been wanting to do. Will look forward to future podcasts be they fortnightly or monthly :).
Thanks Susan. I had a hunch I wasn’t alone in that feeling.
Congratulations on the first podcast. It was great to hear from you three and your experiences in writing as Christians. It would be nice to have one per fortnight, but once a month at least. I think a variety of topics would be of interest, not just the craft, or interviews, or self-publishing but a mix – something for everyone. When I listen to podcasters interviewing authors with their new releases, I enjoy it when they share a short reading or two from the novel. Also, as a yet-to-be-published author, topics such as setting up a website, to blog or not to blog, etc interest me.
Thanks so much, Glennis. We really appreciate your suggestions, too. Hope your writing is going well.
Enjoyed the podcast very much. Warm, friendly and without frills which is good and it kept the Christian focus too, rather than being side tracked by the writing thing. There are plenty of writing podcasts to go to, so that point of difference was nice. While a regular podcast would be ideal, I know they can be a lot of work. Perhaps once a month to begin. Interviews with authors like Jessica Kate who has an American agent and two published titles; Carolyn Miller – Regency romance. Theologian and writer, Anne Hamilton. Perhaps interview some experts on topics within our stories too. So thankful for this community and I hope this podcast just gets better and better.
Thank you so much, Raelene. Those are excellent suggestions. What type of topics within our stories would you like covered?
In thinking about what topics to write about—
What about occasionally tackling a specific writing problem/issue one of us writers has faced, concerning specifically, how our faith “rubs up against” our writing, and how we “solved” it? I know I could certainly learn from others, and may even have my own anecdotes to pass along.
Also, what about more ways some of us have discovered (or yet hope) that God has or will be able to use our writing? You touched on this briefly in the first podcast, but I’d like to hear more.
Also, would love to hear some of those anecdotes about how your faith has connected with your writing, in either positive or uncomfortable ways. Perhaps we can share some of those on the Gracewriters Community?
If this first podcast is any indication of what we can expect in future efforts, I say why wait two weeks?—let’s go for one a week! I know, I know, you all have a life outside of Gracewriters, and these things certainly take some effort to plan and execute. But I gained MUCH from this discussion between Belinda, Alison, and Donita. If nothing else, it is simply powerful to know that there are sisters (and brothers) out there, who are walking some of the same path as myself (even though we’re on opposite sides of the globe). This is living evidence to me of the unity of the Spirit, in the Body and Bride of Christ.
Thank you so much, Bill. It was intimidating to create our first podcast, but also a great sense of excitement, and that God might have some plans for it. Thrilled to know that it has encouraged you.