Want to write fear that actually gets under a reader’s skin—not just jump scares on the page? Start with what unsettles you.

Horror and thriller author Nicole M. Wolverton joins me to discuss why discomfort can be more powerful than terror, how writing from your own fears creates unforgettable stories, and why horror can be deeply empowering during difficult times.

Nicole is also very candid about the process, the realities of publishing, rejection, and the mindset she attributes to her success in publishing and marketing.

Timestamps

01:10 – Meet Nicole Woolverton
03:16 – Nicole’s Writing Origins
04:30 – Why We Crave Horror
05:15 – Fear, Resilience, and Difficult Times
07:15 – Her Novels and Settings
09:33 – Gastro Horror and Disgust on the Page
12:42 – What Makes Horror Truly Work
16:17 – Process: Outlining vs. Drafting
21:16 – Publishing Fears and Limbo
25:26 – “You Don’t Ask, You Don’t Get”
28:29 – Rejection and Redefining Success
31:06 – Advice for Writers

Guest Bio

Nicole M. Wolverton is an unapologetic fear enthusiast who writes horror and thrillers for adults and young adults. She is the author of A Misfortune of Lake Monsters (CamCat Books, 2025), The Trajectory of Dreams (Bitingduck Press, 2013), and the upcoming Meat Sweats (Horrorsmith Publishing, 2026). She also served as Editor of the menopause-themed horror anthology Bodies Full of Burning, published by Sliced Up Press. Her short fiction, creative nonfiction, and essays also appear in about 50 anthologies, magazines, and podcasts. Nicole holds a master's degree in horror and storytelling from the University of Pennsylvania; her academic interests center on building resilience through horror media and gastrohorror.

Links

Website
nicole@nicolewolverton.com

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

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To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Writing can be hard, lonely work. Talking about the struggle can release pressure and help you get back to the page—but only if you’re sharing with the right people.

I talk about why feelings aren’t facts, how isolation keeps writers stuck, and how to build a small circle of writing trust that you can lean into when you feel stuck.

Timestamps
00:00 Writing Struggle + Isolation
01:44 Listener Question About Short Stories
03:44 Why Venting Helps Writers
05:45 Feelings Aren’t Facts
07:57 Choosing Who to Tell
09:48 Building a Circle of Trust
12:27 Final Thoughts

Links to Other Episodes Mentioned

S2 Ep 53 How Writing Short Stories Can Make You a Stronger Novelist with Demi Michelle Schwartz

S3 Ep 78 From “Am I Good Enough?” to “I Believe in My Work” with Book Coach Karmen Špiljak

S2 Ep 54 Finding the Right Writing Community For You

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

If you’ve ever told yourself you’re lazy, undisciplined, or just “bad at finishing,” this episode might reframe everything.

In this episode of the Write It Scared podcast, I talk with book coach and editor Nicole Bross about how ADHD impacts a writer’s mindset, motivation, and process—especially for those diagnosed later in life. We unpack the shame spiral so many writers fall into, why traditional writing advice doesn’t work for everyone, and how diagnosis can open the door to self-compassion and smarter systems.

We also talk about her book A Novel Approach: Strategies for ADHD Writers (co-written with Kirsten Donaghey), including practical tools for overcoming paralysis, managing shiny object syndrome, and using outlines to reduce overwhelm and actually finish.

If you’ve struggled with consistency or focus, this one is equal parts strategy and permission to be kinder to yourself.

Timestamps
00:00 The Writing Advice Shame Spiral
01:41 Meet Nicole + Her Book
05:46 Late ADHD Diagnosis + Mindset Shift
13:51 Building Better Writing Systems
17:03 ADHD Creative Strengths
27:14 Motivation + Shiny Object Syndrome
32:02 Why Outlines Help
37:35 Paralysis vs. Procrastination
41:12 Final Encouragement

You can learn more about Nicole and her work here:

🌐 Writing: https://nicolebross.com
🌐 Book Coaching: https://manuscriptalchemy.com

The Novel Approach: Strategies for ADHD Writers is available wherever books are sold.

Links mentioned:

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

If you’re querying—or even thinking about it—this episode is going to change how you approach your pitch.

In this episode of the Write It Scared podcast, I sit down with literary agent and author Ann Rose to talk about what actually makes a query stand out. (Spoiler: it doesn’t have to be perfect. It has to be clear.) We dig into hook, stakes, market realities, why “Dexter meets Legally Blonde” works, and what happens after an agent requests a full.

We also talk about imposter syndrome, the slower publishing climate, why publishing is product (even though writing is art), and why you might want to write your query—and your synopsis—before you finish your book.

If you’ve been overthinking your pitch letter, this one will ground you fast.

Timestamps
00:00 Queries Need Clarity (Not Perfection)
03:30 Ann’s Path to Agenting
07:15 Her Novels + Hook Examples
19:29 The Current Publishing Climate
23:57 What Makes a Hook Work
27:46 From Full Request to Offer
30:53 Writing Is Art, Publishing Is Product
34:50 Why You Should Write the Query First
36:45 Why Synopses Matter

Tobias website - www.thetobiasagency.com

Ann's website - www.amroseauthor.com

Instagram/Threads/TikTok - totally_anntastic

Books By Ann Rose

The Seemingly Impossible Love Life of Amanda Dean

A Hexcellent Chance to Fall in Love

www.annroseauthor.com

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

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To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

What do you do after 197 rejections … for the same book?

Well, if you’re author Carmela Dutra, you keep going.

In this episode, Carmela shares the real story behind her debut cozy mystery, A Murder Most Foul—from querying too soon and rewriting extensively to finding the right agent after nearly 200 nos. We talk about saggy middles, tense slips, brutal feedback, and what it takes to rebuild a manuscript from the ground up.

If you're struggling with self-doubt, facing a bunch of rejection, and just feeling like maybe it’s time to throw in the towel—this conversation will arm you with what you need to keep going and protect your mindset!

Timestamps:

04:20 Personalizing cold queries

06:12 What A Murder Most Foul is about

11:19 Craft struggles: saggy middles & tense slips

15:44 Surviving 197 rejections

18:11 Ghosting & rock bottom

19:48 Finding the right agent

21:42 Learning to plot

23:10 Imposter syndrome (“Peggy”)

28:37 Querying advice

30:20 Finding time to write as a mom

Guest Bio:

Carmela Dutra is a writer from the Bay Area who loves food trucks, family, and cozy mysteries. Her debut, A Murder Most Fowl, has been praised by Kirkus Reviews for its “serious set of crimes leavened by plenty of amusing moments,” by Criminal Element for the “juicy reasoning behind the sabotage that was almost as shocking as the murder itself,” and described as “the perfect escapist read, brimming with banter and an extra helping of fun” by New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams. She has also been featured in CrimeReads Magazine.

To connect with Carmela and purchase her books, visit her website and check her blog series: An Author’s Guide to Quering for hot tips!

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

Blog Post on Stakes with Examples

If your story feels flat or like it’s not going anywhere, check your stakes!

Today, we break down what stakes really are, why “just make it worse” isn’t helpful advice, and how to create meaningful consequences for your characters that keep readers emotionally invested.

We’ll talk personal, relational, and thematic stakes—and how to pressure-test them so your story actually holds.

Timestamps
00:00 What Stakes Really Mean
01:37 Why Stakes Come from Choice
06:43 Personal + Relationship Stakes
11:09 Thematic Stakes
12:27 Pressure-Testing Your Story

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

What does it really take to build a successful novel?

Kate Broad discusses leaving her romance author career to write literary fiction and how her debut novel, Greenwich, required multiple drafts and rewrites.

She shares what it's like to scrap early drafts, rebuild the story from the ground up, write complex characters that are hard to like, and what she tells herself when the writing feels hard.

If you need a reminder that your first draft can become something magical, that struggling is just part of the work and process of bringing a novel to fruition, and that you’re not doing anything wrong, you’ll enjoy our conversation.

Timestamps
00:00 – Why Revision Is Where the Magic Happens
00:19 – Welcome to Write It Scared
01:29 – Meet Kate Road
03:20 – Writing Greenwich and Starting Over
05:03 – Themes of Wealth, Power, and Privilege
07:34 – Crafting Complex, Unlikable Characters
15:47 – How the Book Changed in Revision
21:40 – Self-Doubt and Staying in the Work
30:25 – Resilience and the Reality of the Writing Life
39:43 – Final Reflections

Kate Broad holds a BA from Wellesley College and a PhD in English from the CUNY Graduate Center. She is a Bronx Council on the Arts award winner for fiction, and her writing has appeared in The Rumpus, No Tokens, Electric Literature, LitHub, The Baltimore Review, and elsewhere. Her debut novel, Greenwich, was released in 2025 from St. Martin's Press and was named one of People Magazine's Best New Books, a Vanity Fair Summer Read, and an Amazon Editor's Pick for Best New Literature and Fiction. Originally from Massachusetts, she lives in the Bronx.

GREENWICH - Out now from St. Martin's Press / Macmillan!

https://katebroad.com

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

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To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears

How do you write a sex scene that readers actually read and not just skim?

That’s what today’s episode is all about!

Author Accelerator certified book coaches Stacy Frazer and Jennifer Larkin team up for an honest conversation about writing sex in fiction—without cringe.

Stacy and Jen discuss when sex scenes belong in a story, how explicit they need to be, and how to write intimacy that deepens character and advances the plot.

You’ll learn how genre expectations (including YA vs. adult), consent, and emotional intent shape effective intimate scenes—and how to make intentional choices that serve your story.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction
01:50 Guest: Jennifer Larkin
03:20 Do you need a sex scene in your novel?
10:04 Sex scenes in YA vs. adult
21:16 Purpose of sex scene and level of explicitness
26:20 Common mistakes
29:09 Consent on the page
35:05 When to include a sex scene

Jennifer Larkin helps romance writers turn good ideas into epic stories and jagged drafts into lovable novels.

Grab her free guide to writing better romance scenes at https://jenniferlarkin.kit.com/scenes.

Connect on Social Media:

Instagram: @jenniferlarkinbookcoach

Substack: @jenniferlarkinbookcoach

Have a comment or idea about the show? Send me a direct text! Love to hear from you.

Support the show

To become a supporter of the show, click here!

To get in touch with Stacy:

Email: Stacy@writeitscared.co

https://www.writeitscared.co/wis

https://www.instagram.com/writeitscared/

Take advantage of these Free Resources From Write It Scared:

Download Your Free Novel Planning and Drafting Quick Start Guide

Download Your Free Guide to Remove Creative Blocks and Work Through Fears